Expansion unit for aerosol generator

Abstract

An expansion unit (and correspondingly an aerosol generation device and system) for an aerosol generation device is provided, the expansion unit including a first connection interface at a first end of the expansion unit that is connectable to the aerosol generation device, and further including means for enabling at least one additional function of the aerosol generation device in addition to aerosol generation when connected to the aerosol generation device.

Description

Technical Field

[0005] ,

[0004] ,

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of aerosol generating devices. Specifically, the present invention relates to an expansion unit for an aerosol generating device, and an aerosol generating device and system including the expansion unit.

Background Art

[0002] Aerosol generating devices such as electronic cigarettes, vaporizers, and aerosol inhalers are known. Such aerosol generating devices are handheld devices and conventionally include an atomizer, a power source, and a liquid filling capsule or similar means disposed within the device to generate an aerosol (i.e., vapor) that can be inhaled by a user. The generated aerosol may contain nicotine in a form such that, for example, a user of the aerosol generating device can simulate smoking a cigarette by inhaling the generated aerosol.

[0003] Aerosol generating devices are subject to a number of inherent limitations. Specifically, by way of non-limiting example, handheld aerosol generating devices generally must be of a relatively small size and relatively light weight to be handheld, and typically provide limited memory space and power, and a simple or minimal user interface.

[0004] There is a growing need for “smart” devices that can provide a wide range of functions. The inventors have recognized that integrating more additional hardware into an aerosol generating device to provide additional functions can result in an undesirable increase in the size or weight of the device. Further, providing additional software and programs to an aerosol generating device to provide additional functions may impose an additional burden on the already limited memory space and power of such a device.

[0005] Furthermore, there is a demand for electronic devices that can be easily personalized or customized by the user according to their taste and preferences. Therefore, the inventors have recognized that providing additional hardware and / or software to an aerosol generator to enable specific functions can often be redundant, depending on whether the user utilizes those specific functions. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Therefore, the inventors recognized the need to provide a means by which additional functions can be provided to the aerosol generator only as needed. Furthermore, the inventors recognized the need to provide a means by which functions can be added to the aerosol generator without exceeding any limitations on the memory space, power supply, and user interface of the aerosol generator, while ensuring that the device maintains a relatively small size and relatively light weight. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention is intended to address one or more of the above technical problems.

[0008] Specifically, in consideration of the limitations described above, the inventors have devised an extension unit according to a first exemplary embodiment described herein. The extension unit includes a first connection interface at a first end of the extension unit, which is connectable to an aerosol generator. When connected to an aerosol generator, the extension unit further includes means for enabling at least one additional function of the aerosol generator in addition to aerosol generation.

[0009] The inventors have further devised an aerosol generator including a power supply unit according to a second exemplary embodiment of this specification. The power supply unit includes a power source, a control section, and a connection interface that can be connected to an expansion unit according to the first exemplary embodiment of this specification. The control section is configured to control at least one of the magnitude of power supply through the connection interface, the direction of power supply through the connection interface, and the transfer of data through the connection interface.

[0010] The inventors have further devised a system comprising an expansion unit according to the first exemplary embodiment and an aerosol generator according to the second exemplary embodiment, in accordance with a third exemplary embodiment herein.

[0011] The inventors have further devised a method for controlling communication between an aerosol generator and one or more expansion units via a communication bus, according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of this specification. Each of the one or more expansion units is connectable to the aerosol generator and, when connected to the aerosol generator, is configured to enable at least one additional function of the aerosol generator in addition to aerosol generation. The method includes identifying at least one communication address from a plurality of communication addresses on the communication bus, thereby identifying that a signal is received from one or more expansion units using the communication address. The method further includes associating each of the at least one communication address with an expansion unit identifier indicating the expansion unit from which the signal was received. The method further includes determining the current connection state of the expansion unit indicated by the expansion unit identifier for each expansion unit identifier. The method further includes controlling communication between the expansion unit indicated by the expansion unit identifier via the communication bus, using the communication address associated with the expansion unit identifier and in accordance with the determined current connection state of the expansion unit.

[0012] The inventors have further devised a computer program, which, when executed by the control section of an aerosol generator, includes instructions causing the control section to carry out the method according to the fourth exemplary embodiment herein.

[0013] The inventors have further devised an aerosol generator comprising a control section configured to carry out a method according to the sixth exemplary embodiment herein, as described herein.

[0014] The inventors have further devised an aerosol generator including a power supply unit according to the sixth exemplary embodiment of this specification, in accordance with the seventh exemplary embodiment of this specification.

[0015] Accordingly, the first to seventh exemplary embodiments enable one or more expansion units to be connected to the aerosol generator. Each expansion unit provides at least one additional function beyond the aerosol generation function provided by the aerosol generator, thus enabling one or more additional functions in the aerosol generator.

[0016] Furthermore, the first to seventh exemplary embodiments allow the user to select which expansion unit to connect to the aerosol generator, thereby enabling the personalization of additional functions provided by the aerosol generator based on the user's requirements / needs. Thus, each expansion unit can provide additional functions to enrich the user experience while avoiding the inclusion or pre-installation of unnecessary hardware and / or software for functions irrelevant to the user in the user's aerosol generator.

[0017] In addition, in embodiments where the aerosol generator can be used with multiple expansion units at once, it is possible to avoid limiting the user to a single additional function at a time. If the expansion units include a connection interface at either end, the expansion units can be attached to other expansion units, thereby providing a kind of "expansion unit chain" that allows the user to build their own "configuration," and the expansion units can be configured in any order relative to the aerosol generator.

[0018] The control section of the aerosol generator in the second exemplary embodiment is configured to control at least one of the magnitude of power supply via the connection interface, the direction of power supply via the connection interface, and the transfer of data via the connection interface, so that the aerosol generator can control the demands placed on power, memory, and other resources of the aerosol generator by the expansion unit.

[0019] Furthermore, a fourth exemplary embodiment of a method for an aerosol generator to control communication with one or more extension units over a communication bus enables the aerosol generator implementing the method described above to easily and efficiently scan the entire communication bus address spectrum to identify which addresses are being used for communication by the connected extension units and to appropriately control communication with these extension units over the communication bus.

[0020] Therefore, the method according to the fourth exemplary embodiment may facilitate the provision of a means by which additional functions can be provided to the aerosol generator only as needed. Furthermore, the method according to the fourth exemplary embodiment may facilitate the provision of a means by which functions can be added to the aerosol generator while ensuring that the device maintains a relatively small size and relatively light weight, without exceeding any limitations on the memory space, power supply, and user interface of the aerosol generator.

[0021] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below as a mere non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings. Similar reference numerals appearing in different figures may represent the same or functionally similar elements unless otherwise indicated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022] [Figure 1] It is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generator according to an exemplary embodiment herein. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram illustrating a power supply unit of an aerosol generator according to an exemplary embodiment herein. [Figure 3] It is a schematic diagram of an expansion unit for an aerosol generator according to an exemplary embodiment herein. [Figure 4A] It is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a "master" device and a "slave" device using the I2C communication protocol. [Figure 4B] It is a block diagram illustrating a detailed exemplary configuration of the connection between a first device and a second device using the I2C communication protocol. [Figure 4C] It is a block diagram illustrating a detailed exemplary configuration of the connection between two devices using the serial UART communication protocol. [Figure 4D] It is a block diagram illustrating two detailed exemplary configurations of the connection between devices using the SPI communication protocol. [Figure 4E] It is a block diagram illustrating two detailed exemplary configurations of the connection between devices using the SPI communication protocol. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration of a power supply circuit included in the power supply unit of FIG. 3 that can facilitate integration with an external expansion unit. [Figure 6A] It is a schematic diagram of a plurality of expansion units. [Figure 6B] It is a schematic diagram showing how an expansion unit can be connected to the aerosol generator of FIG. 3 to provide an aerosol generation system. [Figure 7]This is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary circuit configuration that may be included in an expansion unit configured according to the first exemplary embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration of a circuit 800 that may be included in an expansion unit 100 configured according to a third exemplary embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration of a circuit 900 that may be included in an expansion unit 100 configured according to a fourth exemplary embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a block diagram illustrating a layer software architecture suitable for use in the disclosed exemplary embodiments. [Figure 11] This flowchart illustrates the process by which the aerosol generator shown in Figure 3 controls communication with one or more expansion units via a communication bus, according to an exemplary embodiment of this specification. [Figure 12] This flowchart illustrates an exemplary process in which the aerosol generator shown in Figure 3 can control communication with an expansion unit via a communication bus, according to a first exemplary embodiment of this specification. [Figure 13] This flowchart illustrates an exemplary process in which the aerosol generator shown in Figure 3 can control communication with an expansion unit via a communication bus, according to a second exemplary embodiment of this specification. [Figure 14] This flowchart illustrates an exemplary process in which the aerosol generator shown in Figure 3 can control communication with an expansion unit via a communication bus, according to a third exemplary embodiment of this specification. [Figure 15] This flowchart illustrates an exemplary process in which the aerosol generator shown in Figure 3 can control communication with an expansion unit via a communication bus, according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of this specification. [Figure 16] This flowchart illustrates an exemplary process in which the aerosol generator shown in Figure 3 can control communication with an expansion unit via a communication bus, according to a fifth exemplary embodiment of this specification. [Figure 17A]Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the application software layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 17B] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the application software layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 17C] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the application software layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 18A] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the system software layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 18B] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the system software layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 18C] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the system software layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 18D] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the system software layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 18E] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the system software layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 18F] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the system software layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 18G] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the system software layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 19A]Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the board support layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 19B] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the board support layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 19C] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the board support layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 20A] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the hardware abstraction layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 20B] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the hardware abstraction layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Figure 20C] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator on the hardware abstraction layer of the layer software architecture shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0023] Herein, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] Where reference numerals follow drawings, detailed descriptions, or technical features in any claim, the reference numerals are included solely for the purpose of enhancing the understanding of the drawings, detailed descriptions, and claims. Therefore, neither the reference numerals nor their absence shall have any limiting effect on the scope of any element of a claim.

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generator 1 according to an exemplary embodiment described herein.

[0026] The aerosol generator 1 is a handheld device configured to generate an aerosol (i.e., vapor) that can be inhaled by the user of the aerosol generator 1.

[0027] The aerosol generator 1 may be a so-called "e-vapor" device, as in this exemplary embodiment. The e-vapor device generates vapor by heating a liquid that does not contain tobacco and, in non-limiting examples, contains nicotine and / or flavoring, through direct electric heating of the liquid contained in the device or a replaceable cartridge. In this case, the aerosol generator 1 may include a power supply unit 10, an aerosol generating unit 20, and optionally a flavoring unit 30, as in this exemplary embodiment.

[0028] The aerosol generating unit 20 may include, as in this example, a storage unit 21 for storing an aerosol source and a load 22 for atomizing the aerosol source. Power is supplied to the load 22 by a power supply unit 10. A wick or any other suitable means may be provided to draw the aerosol source, which may contain a vapor-generating liquid such as glycerin, propylene glycol, or water, from the storage unit 21 to the load 22.

[0029] Load 22 atomizes the aerosol source (for example, by heating), thereby generating an aerosol that passes through the flavor unit 30 in response to the user's inhalation. In one example, load 22 is represented by the electrical load of the heating element, i.e., the energy consumed by the heating element. The heating element may be resistive, inductive, or otherwise.

[0030] The flavor unit 30 may include a flavor source 31 and an inhalation port 32, as shown in Figure 1. The flavor source 31 may contain, for example, particles of shredded raw tobacco or another plant (e.g., mint or herb) and / or flavorings such as menthol or fruit flavorings, so that the flavorings are added to the aerosol as it passes through the flavor source 31.

[0031] The power supply unit 10, the aerosol generating unit 20, and the flavoring unit 30 may be detachable so that the individual units can be easily replaced. For example, the elements of the aerosol generator 1 can be assembled together detachably by any suitable means, for example, via interlocking, snap-fitting, screw-fitting, push-fitting, or magnetic fitting between the housing or other parts of the elements. Alternatively, the power supply unit 10, the aerosol generating unit 20, and optionally the flavoring unit 30 may be fixedly mounted, for example, by ultrasonic welding, so that the various elements cannot be separated.

[0032] In addition, or instead, the storage unit 21, and / or the aerosol source and / or flavor source 31 stored therein, may be replaceable. For example, at least the storage unit 21 of the aerosol generating unit 20 may be provided in the form of a replaceable cartridge. In addition, or instead, the flavor source 31 of the flavor unit 30 may be provided in the form of a replaceable cartridge.

[0033] In Figure 1, the aerosol generating unit 20 and the flavoring unit 30 of the aerosol generator 1 are shown as separate units, but these two units may instead be provided as a single unit. In a further alternative, the aerosol generator 1 may not include a flavoring unit. In this case, any flavor may be optionally provided by an aerosol source in the storage section 21 of the aerosol generating unit 20.

[0034] In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 1, the aerosol generator 1 is a so-called "e-vapor" device. Alternatively, the aerosol generator may be a so-called "T-vapor" device, which may also be generally referred to as a heated non-combustion device or heated tobacco device. A heated non-combustion device includes tobacco that is directly heated by a heating element (e.g., a tubular heater surrounding the tobacco stick) to produce vapor. Another type of heated tobacco device includes indirectly heated tobacco (e.g., tobacco powder in a capsule or pod) to form vapor by direct electric heating of a liquid contained within the device or a replaceable cartridge.

[0035] In exemplary embodiments where the aerosol generator is a "T-vapor" device, the aerosol generator may include a heating oven or other means for heating (but not burning) tobacco provided within the device. The tobacco may be provided, for example, in the form of a tobacco stick similar to a conventional stick.

[0036] As a more specific example, in an exemplary embodiment where the aerosol generator is a "T-vapor" device, the power supply unit 10 may include, in addition to the power supply, a heating oven or other means for heating the tobacco, which may be provided within the aerosol generator unit. In this case, the aerosol generator unit may function solely for storing the tobacco and may not include any further electronic equipment.

[0037] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating a power supply unit 10 of an aerosol generator according to an exemplary embodiment described herein. The power supply unit 10 may be the power supply unit of the aerosol generator 1 in Figure 1. Alternatively, the power supply unit 10 may be the power supply unit of any other suitable aerosol generator, such as a T-steam generator.

[0038] The power supply unit 10 shown in Figure 2 includes a control section 11, a power supply 12, and a connection interface 13. Optionally, the power supply unit 10 may include at least one sensor 14 and / or at least one input / output (I / O) section 15, as in the present exemplary embodiment. Furthermore, if the power supply unit 10 is a power supply unit for a T-steam device, the power supply unit 10 may optionally include a heating oven 16 or other means for heating tobacco.

[0039] Power source 12 may be a rechargeable power source, as in this example. Power source 12 may be a lithium-ion battery, as in this example. Alternatively, power source 12 may be, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery or an electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC).

[0040] The control section 11 may include one or more processing units such as a microprocessor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) or a appropriately programmed field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The control section 11 may be configured to control the operation of the aerosol generator, as in this exemplary embodiment.

[0041] For example, the control section 11 may control the supply of power to the aerosol generating unit 20 and the charging of the power supply 12. In addition or alternatively, the control section 11 may, as necessary, control the supply of power to at least one sensor 14, receive and process signals from at least one sensor 14, and control the operation of the aerosol generating device 1 based on the received signals. In addition or alternatively, the control section 11 may control the output of information from the aerosol generating device 1 to the user by at least one I / O section 15, control the reception of user input by at least one I / O section 15, and control the operation of the aerosol generating device 1 based on the received user input. The control section 11 may include separate modules or sections for each function to be performed.

[0042] In addition, or instead, the control section 11 may include any memory section (not shown) necessary to perform its function of controlling the operation of the aerosol generator. Such a memory section may be provided as part of the control section 11 (may be contained within the control section 11) (e.g., may be integrally formed or provided on the same chip), or may be provided separately but electrically connected to the control section 11 in the power supply unit 10. For example, the memory section may include both volatile and non-volatile memory resources, including, for example, working memory (e.g., random access memory). In addition, the memory section may include an instruction storage unit (e.g., ROM in the form of electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or flash memory) that stores a computer program containing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the control section 11, cause the control section 11 to perform various functions. The memory section may further include memory resources for storing additional information, such as, for example, information about at least one sensor 14 and at least one input / output (I / O) section 15.

[0043] The connection interface 13 may include one or more charging terminals (e.g., USB terminal, micro USB terminal, wireless charging terminal, etc.) used when charging the power supply 12, and one or more discharge terminals that enable the supply of power from the power supply unit 10 in Figure 1 to the aerosol generating unit 20. The connection interface will be described in more detail below.

[0044] In exemplary embodiments, for example, in this exemplary embodiment, the power supply unit 10 optionally includes at least one sensor 14, the at least one sensor 14 may include, as in this example, one or more inhalation sensors used to detect inhalation behavior by a user of the aerosol generator 1 and / or voltage sensors and current sensors used to detect charging or discharging of the power supply 12.

[0045] In an exemplary embodiment, for example, in this exemplary embodiment, the power supply unit 10 optionally includes at least one I / O section 15, the at least one I / O section 15 may include input means that enable the aerosol generator 1 to receive input from a user of the aerosol generator 1. In a non-limiting example, the power supply unit 10 may include a button 17 as shown in Figure 1. Alternatively, the power supply unit 10 may include one or more switches or any suitable input means such as a touch panel, or any suitable combination of such input means. In a further alternative embodiment, at least one I / O means may not include input means, and instead, the operation of the aerosol generator 1 may be controlled based on the output of at least one sensor 14.

[0046] In addition or alternatively, at least one I / O section 15 may include output means for providing information to the user of the aerosol generator 1. For example, the power supply unit 10 may include a display unit such as an LCD screen or touchscreen. In addition or alternatively, the power supply unit 10 may include one or more LEDs configured to operate according to various lighting patterns to provide the user with respective indicators (e.g., the device is powered on, the battery is low, the aerosol source needs to be replaced). For example, if the power supply unit 10 includes a single LED, continuous light may indicate that the aerosol generator 1 is powered on, and flashing light may indicate that the battery is low (i.e., the power supply 12 needs to be charged).

[0047] In the exemplary power supply unit 10 shown in Figure 2, at least one sensor 14 and at least one I / O unit 15 are shown separately from the control section 11. Alternatively, one or more of the at least one sensor 14 and / or one or more of the at least one I / O unit 15 may be incorporated into the control section 11. In a further alternative, one or more of the at least one sensor 14 may be located within an aerosol generating unit (such as the aerosol generating unit 20 shown in Figure 1), and appropriate connection terminals may be provided within the power supply unit 10 and the aerosol generating unit to allow the output of the sensor within the aerosol generating unit to be supplied to the control section 11.

[0048] As discussed above, the inventors recognized the need to provide a means to add functionality to the aerosol generator only according to requirements / needs. Furthermore, the inventors recognized the need to provide a means to add functionality to the aerosol generator without exceeding any limitations on the aerosol generator's memory space, power supply, and user interface, while ensuring that the device maintains a relatively small size and relatively light weight.

[0049] Therefore, the inventors have devised an expansion unit 100 for an aerosol generator 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of this specification, as shown in Figure 3.

[0050] The expansion unit 100 includes a first connection interface 101 at a first end of the expansion unit that is connectable to the aerosol generator 200, and means 103 for enabling at least one additional function of the aerosol generator 200 in addition to aerosol generation when the expansion unit 100 is connected to the aerosol generator 200.

[0051] Optionally, the expansion unit 100 may include a second connection interface 102, as in this exemplary embodiment. In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the expansion unit may include only the first connection interface 101.

[0052] As shown in Figure 3, the first connection interface 101 may be provided at the first end of the expansion unit 100. The first connection interface 101 may be connectable to other first expansion units (for example, expansion units 110 and 120 shown in Figure 6B), as in the present exemplary embodiment.

[0053] In addition, an optional second connection interface 102 may be provided at the second end of the expansion unit 100, opposite to the first end, as shown in Figure 3, and may be connectable to a second other expansion unit (for example, expansion units 110 and 120 shown in Figure 6B).

[0054] In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 3, the first connection interface 101 is connectable to the aerosol generator 200. Optionally, the second connection interface 102 may also be connectable to the aerosol generator 200, and as a result, both the first and second connection interfaces 101 and 102 may be connectable to the aerosol generator 200. In this case, either end of the extension unit 100 can be connected to the aerosol generator 200, and the connected extension unit 100 can provide the aerosol generator 200 with at least one additional function, regardless of its orientation relative to the aerosol generator 200.

[0055] The first connection interface 101 and / or the second connection interface 102 may be connectable to other expansion units and / or aerosol generators 200 by any suitable means, for example, between housings or between any other suitable parts of these elements, via interlocking, snap-fitting, screw-in, push-in, or magnetic mating. That is, the first connection interface 101 and / or the second connection interface 102 may include any suitable means necessary to facilitate physical (i.e., mechanical) connection to the aerosol generators 200. For example, to facilitate connection to other expansion units and / or aerosol generators 200, the first connection interface 101 and / or the second connection interface 102 may include at least one of a magnetic connector, interlocking connector, plug connector, and socket connector that can be connected to the aerosol generator or the first other expansion unit. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 3, the first connection interface 101 includes a magnetic connector.

[0056] The expansion unit 100 may be configured to receive power supplied from the aerosol generator 200, for example, via the first connection interface 101. Alternatively, in exemplary embodiments such as the present exemplary embodiment, in which the expansion unit 100 includes an optional second connection interface 102, the expansion unit 100 may be configured to receive power supplied from the aerosol generator 200 via either the first connection interface 101 or the second connection interface 102 when either the first connection interface 101 or the second connection interface 102 is connected to the aerosol generator 200.

[0057] In addition or alternatively, the expansion unit 100 may be configured to supply power to the aerosol generator 200 via the first connection interface 101. Alternatively, in exemplary embodiments such as the present exemplary embodiment in which the expansion unit 100 includes an optional second connection interface 102, the expansion unit 100 may be configured to supply power to the aerosol generator 200 via one of the first connection interface 101 and the second connection interface 102, depending on the means 103 provided as part of the expansion unit 100, when one of the first connection interface 101 and the second connection interface 102 is connected to the aerosol generator 200.

[0058] Furthermore, the expansion unit 100 may be configured to receive data from or transfer data to the aerosol generator 200 via the first connection interface 101. Alternatively, in exemplary embodiments such as the present exemplary embodiment in which the expansion unit 100 includes an optional second connection interface 102, the expansion unit 100 may be configured, in addition to or instead, to receive data from or transfer data to the aerosol generator 200 via the first connection interface 101 and / or the second connection interface 102 when the connection interface is connected to the aerosol generator 200. The data may include, for example, commands, instructions, or feedback, and may be provided in any suitable form, such as signals having a variable current or a variable voltage.

[0059] The first connection interface 101 and / or the second connection interface 102 may include any suitable means necessary to facilitate electronic connections to other expansion units and / or the aerosol generator 200. For example, the first connection interface 101 and / or the second connection interface 102 may include any suitable means to facilitate electronic connections to the control section 211 and / or power supply 212 of the aerosol generator 200 via the connection interface 213 of the aerosol generator 200 and / or electronic connections via the connection interfaces of other expansion units.

[0060] For example, at least one of the first connection interface 101 and the second connection interface 102 may include one or more data terminals and / or one or more power terminals. Preferably, the first connection interface and / or the second connection interface may include an Interintegrated Circuit (I2C) interface.

[0061] For example, the first connection interface 101 may include one or more power terminals. When the expansion unit 100 is connected to the aerosol generator 200, at least one of the magnitude and direction of power supply via the first connection interface 101 may be controlled by the aerosol generator 200. In addition or alternatively, in exemplary embodiments in which the expansion unit 100 includes an optional second connection interface 102, for example in the present exemplary embodiment, the second connection interface 102 may include one or more power terminals. When the expansion unit 100 is connected to the aerosol generator 200, at least one of the magnitude and direction of power supply via the second connection interface 102 may be controlled by the aerosol generator 200. Thus, the supply of power from the expansion unit 100 to the aerosol generator 200 and / or the reverse power supply may be carried out under the control of the aerosol generator 200 via the first connection interface 101 and / or the second connection interface 102.

[0062] The inventors have recognized that Interintegrated Circuit (I2C) may be the most suitable hardware protocol for communication between the expansion unit 100 and the aerosol generator 200 and / or other expansion units. Alternatively, other protocols for communication, such as Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) and asynchronous serial interfaces (e.g., RS-232 or Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter (UART)), may be used. However, as will be discussed later, the use of I2C may offer further additional advantages.

[0063] I2C is a protocol intended to enable multiple "slave" digital integrated circuits ("chips") to communicate with one or more "master" chips. Like SPI, I2C is designed solely for short-range communication within a single device. I2C requires two signal wires to exchange information, similar to asynchronous serial interfaces (e.g., RS-232 or UART).

[0064] Figure 4A is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a “master” device 301 and “slave” devices 302A, 302B, and 302C that use the I2C communication protocol. Figure 4B is a block diagram illustrating a detailed exemplary configuration of the connection between the first and second devices that use the I2C communication protocol. In this embodiment, the “master” device is an aerosol generator, and the “slave” devices are expansion units that can be connected to the aerosol generator.

[0065] As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the I2C bus consists of two signals, SCL and SDA. SCL is the clock signal, and SDA is the data signal. The current bus master 301 always generates the clock signal. Some slave devices 302A, 302B, and 302C may sometimes force the clock low to delay the master device 301 from sending further data (or to give the master device 301 more time to prepare the data before attempting to output the clock). This is called "clock stretching". Unlike UART or SPI connections, the I2C bus driver is "open-drain," which means that the I2C bus driver can pull the corresponding signal line low, but cannot drive it high. Therefore, there can be no bus contention where one device tries to drive the line high while another driver tries to pull that line low, eliminating the possibility of damage to the driver or excessive power consumption in the system. Each signal line has pull-up resistors R1 and R2 (as shown in Figure 4B) to return the signal to high if there is no device to assert it low. The choice of resistors will vary depending on the device on the bus.

[0066] I2C addresses are either 7-bit or 10-bit. The use of 10-bit addresses is relatively rare, and therefore, standard chips generally use 7-bit addresses. Thus, even when the standard is used, the number of 7 bits is 0 to 127, so up to 128 devices can be supported on the I2C bus. When transmitting a 7-bit address, a device may be configured to transmit 8 bits, and the extra bit is used to inform the address slave device whether the master device is writing to or reading from the slave device. Specifically, if the extra bit has a value of 0, this may indicate that the master device is writing to the addressed slave device. Similarly, if the extra bit has a value of 1, this may indicate that the master device is reading from the addressed slave device. As an example, a 7-bit address can be located in the upper 7 bits of a byte, with the Read / Write (R / W) bit in the LSB (least significant bit). When a 10-bit address is used, the extra bits may be used to indicate, correspondingly, whether the master device is writing to or reading from the addressed slave device.

[0067] Figure 4C is a block diagram illustrating a detailed exemplary configuration of the connection between two devices 401 and 402 using the serial UART communication protocol. Since serial ports are asynchronous (no clock data is transmitted), devices 401 and 402 using them must agree on the data rate beforehand. Both devices 401 and 402 must have clocks at similar or near-same rates. If the difference between the clock rates on either side is excessive, the data will be distorted.

[0068] Asynchronous serial ports require hardware overhead, and UARTs at either end are relatively complex and challenging to implement in software. At least one start bit and stop bit are part of each data frame. This means that transmitting 8 bits of data requires a 10-bit transmission time.

[0069] Furthermore, asynchronous serial ports are inherently suited for communication between two devices. While multiple devices can be connected to a single serial port, bus contention (when two devices attempt to drive the same line simultaneously) is always a problem. Bus contention usually needs to be handled carefully by external hardware to prevent damage to the devices.

[0070] Figures 4D and 4E are block diagrams illustrating two detailed exemplary configurations of connections between devices using the SPI communication protocol.

[0071] Compared to serial UART and I2C, SPI requires a relatively large number of pins. As shown in Figure 4D, connecting a single master device 403 to a single slave device 404 using the SPI bus requires four lines. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4E, each of the new slave devices 405 and 406 requires one additional chip selection I / O pin on the master device 403, resulting in a sharp increase in pin connections when multiple devices must be slaves to a single master device 403, as these new slave devices 405 and 406 require pins.

[0072] Numerous connections to each device can make signal routing more difficult in tight PCB layout situations. SPI allows only one master device 403 on the bus, but supports any number of slave devices 404, 405, and 406 (only affected by the drive capability of the devices connected to the bus and the number of available chip selection pins).

[0073] SPI is suitable for high-data-rate full-duplex (simultaneous transmission and reception of data) connections that support clock rates exceeding 10 MHz (and thus 10 million bits / second) for some devices, and the speed is well proportional. The hardware at either end is typically a very simple shift register, allowing for easy implementation in software.

[0074] Therefore, the use of the I2C communication protocol can be advantageous in that it requires only two wires, like an asynchronous serial protocol. In contrast, the SPI communication protocol requires a significant amount of additional wiring between each device.

[0075] Unlike the SPI communication protocol, the I2C communication protocol can also support multi-master systems, allowing multiple master devices to communicate with all devices on the bus (master devices cannot communicate with each other on the bus; they must communicate alternately using bus lines).

[0076] The data speed achieved by using the I2C communication protocol falls between that of asynchronous serial protocols and SPI protocols. Specifically, most I2C devices can communicate at 100kHz or 400kHz. I2C has overhead, as an additional 1-bit metadata ("ACK / NACK" bit) is transmitted for every 8 bits of data.

[0077] The hardware required to implement the I2C communication protocol is more complex than that required for the SPI communication protocol, but it is far less complex than that required for the asynchronous serial protocol. Furthermore, the hardware required for the I2C communication protocol can be implemented relatively easily in software.

[0078] Therefore, I2C may be a particularly advantageous protocol choice for enabling communication between the expansion unit 100 and the aerosol generator 200 and / or other expansion units. Specifically, its ability to connect to up to 127 devices using only two communication lines (SDA / SCL) makes it possible to connect multiple expansion units to a single aerosol generator without excessively increasing the number of wires required. Furthermore, most digital sensors and devices support the I2C protocol. Thus, the fairly high data transfer rate (up to 1 MHz) makes it possible to realize various high-load data acquisition systems.

[0079] Returning to Figure 3, the expansion unit 100 further includes means 103 for enabling at least one additional function of the aerosol generator 200, in addition to aerosol generation, when the expansion unit 100 is connected to the aerosol generator 200.

[0080] At least one additional function may be an electrical or electronic function, i.e., a function obtained on a power basis. For example, means 103 may be configured to be electronically connected to the aerosol generator 200 (e.g., to the control section 211 or power supply 212 of the power supply unit 210) via one of the first connection interface 101 and the second connection interface 102 when the expansion unit 100 is connected to the aerosol generator 200. Specifically, means 103 may be configured to enable at least one additional function based on the transfer of power and / or data between the expansion unit 100 and the aerosol generator 200.

[0081] In addition or alternatively, at least one function may be additional or supplementary to the aerosol generation function provided by the aerosol generator 200 (e.g., by the power supply unit 10, the aerosol generation unit 20, and optionally the flavoring unit 30) in such a way that at least one function does not affect or does not influence aerosol generation by the aerosol generator 200. That is, at least one additional function may be separate from the function for aerosol generation, for example, by adding flavor to the generated aerosol.

[0082] For example, at least one additional feature could include one or more of the following: • Flashlight function, • Tactile feedback function to indicate the status of the aerosol generator. • Power supply function that supplies power to connected devices via a first connection interface and / or a second connection interface. • Display function, and • Audio output function.

[0083] Means 103 rely on at least one additional function enabled by the expansion unit 100. Examples of means 103 for various additional functions are described in detail below.

[0084] For example, it may be advantageous to ensure that any combination of the aerosol generator 200 and any connected expansion unit 100 maintains a relatively small size and relatively light weight, so that the aerosol generator 200 can be easily and conveniently handled even while an expansion unit is attached, and can be used to generate aerosols that are inhaled by the user.

[0085] In this case, it may be preferable for each expansion unit to provide a minimum number of additional functions (e.g., only one function or a maximum of two or three functions), thereby minimizing the number of components within each expansion unit 100, and therefore the size and weight of each expansion unit 100. Thus, the expansion unit 100 may provide numerous electrical or electronic functions, but differ from mobile communication devices (e.g., smartphones, mobile phones, tablets, laptop computers, etc.) which are relatively large and relatively heavy (compared to, for example, an aerosol generator). Specifically, using the aerosol generator 200 while connected to one or more mobile communication devices may be cumbersome and impractical. In other words, the expansion unit 100 does not have to be a mobile communication device.

[0086] In addition, or alternatively, in this case, it may be preferable that the physical connections to the aerosol generator 200 provided by the first and / or second connection interfaces 101, 102 of the expansion unit 100 be incorporated into the body of the aerosol generator 200 when the expansion unit 100 is attached to the aerosol generator 200, so that the aerosol generator 200 and the expansion unit 100 can be used and handled together as a single unit.

[0087] The aerosol generator 200 may be the aerosol generator 1 shown in Figure 1, as in the current exemplary embodiment, or any alternative aerosol generator described in relation to Figure 1. Therefore, the above description of the aerosol generator applies to the aerosol generator 200 with necessary modifications.

[0088] More specifically, the aerosol generator 200 may include a power supply unit 210. The power supply unit 210 may be as described above in relation to the power supply unit 10 in Figure 2. The power supply unit 210 may include a control section 211, a power supply 212, and a connection interface 213. The description of the control section 11, power supply 12, and connection interface 13 of the power supply unit 10 in Figure 2 also applies to the control section 211, power supply 212, and connection interface 213, and is therefore not repeated here.

[0089] The connection interface 213 may be connectable to an expansion unit 100. For example, the connection interface 213 may be connectable to another expansion unit 100 by any suitable means, for example, via a press-fit, snap-fit, screw-fit, push-fit or magnetic-fit between housings or between any other suitable parts of these elements.

[0090] More generally, the connection interface 213 may be provided with any suitable connection means such that the connection interface 213 of the aerosol generator 200 is compatible with the first connection interface 101 or the second connection interface 102 of the expansion unit 100. For example, to facilitate connection to the expansion unit 100, the connection interface 213 may include at least one of a magnetic connector, a screw-fit connector, a plug connector, and a socket connector that can be connected to the expansion unit 100. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 3, the connection interface 213 includes a magnetic connector compatible with the magnetic connector of the first connection interface 101 of the expansion unit 100.

[0091] The control section 211 may be configured to control at least one of the magnitude of power supply via the connection interface 213, the direction of power supply by the connection interface 213, and the transfer of data via the connection interface 213.

[0092] For example, when the expansion unit 100 is connected to the connection interface 213 of the aerosol generator 200, the aerosol generator 200 may be configured to receive power via the connection interface 213. In addition or alternatively, depending on the means 103 provided as part of the expansion unit 100, the aerosol generator 200 may be configured to receive power supplied from the expansion unit 100 via the connection interface 213 when the expansion unit 100 is connected to the connection interface 213 of the aerosol generator 200.

[0093] To facilitate powering expansion units via connection interface 213 and, optionally, receiving power supplied from appropriately configured expansion units, the power supply unit 210 of the aerosol generator 200 may include several additional elements. For example, the power supply unit 210 may include one or more of a fuel gauge, battery charger, power conversion transceiver, boost DC / DC converter, and power management logic. One or more of these elements may be provided as part of the control section 211 of the power supply unit 210.

[0094] As an example, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration of a power supply circuit 500 included in the power supply unit 210 of Figure 3, which can be easily integrated with an external expansion unit.

[0095] The power supply circuit 500 shown in Figure 5 includes a fuel gauge 501, a battery charger 502, a power conversion transceiver 503, a boost DC / DC converter 504, and power management logic 505, as well as a battery 506 that functions as the power supply 202 of the power supply unit 210 in Figure 3, and an external connector 507 that functions as a connection interface 213. One or more of elements 501 to 505 may be provided as part of the control section 211 of the power supply unit 210.

[0096] The main functions of the power supply circuit 500 are to supply power via the external connector 507 and to control the direction of power, as well as to provide the ability to form a reference voltage for the aerosol generator 200 itself and to charge the battery 506.

[0097] The fuel gauge 501 performs battery level measurement and functions to support at least one additional function provided by an expansion unit, such as the expansion unit 100.

[0098] The fuel gauge 501 may be configured to measure the residual power level of a battery 506 used in a portable device. The fuel gauge 501 may be configured to reduce errors in the fuel gauge using correction techniques while measuring the battery temperature and voltage. The fuel gauge 501 can have high accuracy, thereby completely reducing or eliminating the need for external sensing devices or similar means.

[0099] The battery charger 502 may be a linear charger IC for single-cell lithium-ion batteries and lithium polymer batteries. The pass function may be advantageously configured to give priority to the system power supply over charging the lithium-ion battery. The charging current can be adjusted using an external resistor.

[0100] The power conversion transceiver 503 can be advantageously used to facilitate interfacing between the aerosol generator 200 and expansion units such as the expansion unit 100, which operate at different supply voltages. For example, the power conversion transceiver 503 can enable bidirectional voltage level conversion. As a further example, if the I2C communication protocol is used, one or more components of the power supply circuit 500 may operate at a first supply voltage (V_MCU), and the I2C lines may operate at a second supply voltage, for example, 5V.

[0101] The boost DC / DC converter 504 is a power converter that increases the voltage from its input to its output. Thus, if one or more components of the power supply circuit 500 operate at a first supply voltage and the I2C line operates at a second supply voltage, for example 5V, the boost DC / DC converter increases the voltage available from the battery to 5V, which can be used as a general-purpose power supply for various ICs.

[0102] The power management logic 505 can implement various power supply circuits and power direction control. One of its main functions is to control the direction of power supply through the VDD port of the external connector 507.

[0103] For example, the aerosol generator 200 is configured to supply a voltage of 5V to the external connector 507 and, when connected to an expansion unit such as the expansion unit 100, can power the expansion unit via the I2C bus and read its address. If the connected expansion unit is configured to supply power to the aerosol generator 200, the power management logic 505 must switch the direction of power supply to this port 507 from output to input for further charging of the battery 506.

[0104] Returning to Figure 3, if the connection interface 213 is connected to the expansion unit 100, the aerosol generator 200 may be configured to receive data from or transmit data to the expansion unit 100 via the connection interface 213, in addition to or instead. This data may include, for example, commands, instructions, or feedback, and may be provided in any suitable form, such as signals having a variable current or a variable voltage.

[0105] The connection interface 213 may include any suitable means necessary to facilitate electronic connection to the expansion unit 100. For example, the connection interface 213 may include any suitable means to facilitate electronic connection via the first connection interface 101 or the second connection interface 102 of the expansion unit 100. As an example, the connection interface 213 may include one or more data terminals and / or one or more power terminals. Preferably, the connection interface 213 may include an interintegrated circuit (I2C) interface as described above in relation to the expansion unit 100.

[0106] As is clear from the above description, the configuration of the expansion unit 100 and the aerosol generator 200 makes it possible to connect one or two or more expansion units (including the expansion unit 100 and / or at least one correspondingly configured expansion unit) to the aerosol generator 200 in order to provide an aerosol generation system.

[0107] For example, Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of several expansion units 110, 120, and 130, and Figure 6B is a schematic diagram showing how expansion units 110, 120, and 130 can be connected to the aerosol generator 200 to provide an aerosol generation system. The aerosol generator 200 is the aerosol generator shown in Figure 3. The description of expansion unit 100 in Figure 3 similarly applies to expansion units 110, 120, and 130.

[0108] In the exemplary embodiment of Figure 6A, the extension unit 110 includes means for enabling a flashlight function when the extension unit 110 is connected to the aerosol generator 200. The extension unit 120 includes means for enabling a power supply function to supply power to the aerosol generator 200 and / or other connected devices via a first connection interface and / or a second connection interface when the extension unit 120 is connected to the aerosol generator 200. The extension unit 130 includes means for enabling an audio output function when the extension unit 130 is connected to the aerosol generator 200.

[0109] As shown in Figure 6B, an aerosol generation system can be provided by connecting expansion units 110, 120, and 130 in series with the aerosol generator 200. For example, one of the first and second connection interfaces of expansion unit 110 may be connected to the connection interface 213 of the power supply unit 210 of the aerosol generator 200.

[0110] In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 6B, one of the first and second connection interfaces of the expansion unit 120 is connected to the other of the first and second connection interfaces of the expansion unit 110. Furthermore, one of the first and second connection interfaces of the expansion unit 130 is connected to the other of the first and second connection interfaces of the expansion unit 120.

[0111] In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 6B, expansion units 110, 120, and 130 are connected such that expansion unit 110 is closest to the aerosol generator 200 and expansion unit 130 is furthest from the aerosol generator 200. Alternatively, expansion units 110, 120, and 130 may be connected to the aerosol generator 200 in any order. In further alternative embodiments, fewer or more expansion units than those in the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 6B may be connected to the aerosol generator 200.

[0112] In the exemplary embodiment of Figure 6A, each of the expansion units 110, 120, and 130 includes an optional second connection interface. In an alternative exemplary embodiment in which each of the expansion units 110, 120, and 130 includes only the first connection interface 101 and does not include such an optional second connection interface, a single expansion unit from among the expansion units 110, 120, and 130 may be connected to the aerosol generator 200 at any given time to provide an aerosol generating system. In this case, the user of the aerosol generator 200 may swap the connected expansion unit from among the expansion units 100, 120, and 130 depending on at least one additional function required by the user.

[0113] Therefore, since each expansion unit 110, 120, and 130 provides at least one additional function beyond the aerosol generation function provided by the aerosol generator 200, connecting one or more expansion units 110, 120, and 130 enables one or more additional functions in the aerosol generator 200.

[0114] Furthermore, the additional functions provided by the aerosol generator 200 can be personalized based on the user's requirements / needs. Thus, each expansion unit 110, 120, and 130 can provide additional functions to enrich the user experience while avoiding the inclusion or pre-installation of unnecessary hardware and / or software for functions unrelated to the user in the aerosol generator 200.

[0115] Furthermore, in exemplary embodiments such as those shown in Figures 6A and 6B, where the aerosol generator 200 can be used with multiple expansion units 110, 120, and 130 at once, it is possible to avoid limiting the user to a single additional function at a time. If the expansion units 110, 120, and 130 include a connection interface at any end, the expansion units can be attached to other expansion units, thereby providing a kind of "expansion unit chain" that allows the user to build their own "configuration," and the expansion units 110, 120, and 130 can be configured in any order relative to the aerosol generator.

[0116] Furthermore, the control section 211 of the aerosol generator 200 is configured to control at least one of the magnitude of the power supply via the connection interface 213, the direction of the power supply via the connection interface 213, and the transfer of data via the connection interface 213, so that the aerosol generator 200 can control the demands placed on power, memory, and other resources of the aerosol generator 200 by the expansion units 110, 120, and 130.

[0117] Details of embodiments of means 103 of the expansion unit 100 for various additional functions will be described.

[0118] In a first exemplary embodiment, at least one additional function of the expansion unit 100 may include a flashlight function.

[0119] A flashlight function is a feature that emits light or provides additional light as needed, for example, in response to user input. A flashlight is a useful tool that can be beneficially incorporated into electronic handheld devices such as aerosol generators, in addition to their primary functions. Providing an additional flashlight function by connecting a properly configured expansion unit to an aerosol generator can be particularly practical, as the user often wears the aerosol generator and therefore the additional light is readily available when needed. Thus, an expansion unit 100 configured to provide a flashlight function can offer the advantages of being easily accessible and easy to use.

[0120] In the current exemplary embodiment, means 103 for enabling at least one additional function may include at least one LED. Alternatively, means 103 may include any other suitable means for emitting light.

[0121] For proper operation, the flashlight must be controlled and powered. As an example, the extension unit 100 of the first exemplary embodiment may rely on the aerosol generator 200 for control and power supply.

[0122] For example, at least one LED may be configured to emit light in response to a control signal received from the aerosol generator 200, for example, via a first connection interface 101 and / or a second connection interface 102, and / or to flash or dim the emitted light (in an exemplary embodiment in which the expansion unit 100 includes an optional second connection interface). By relying on the aerosol generator 200 for control and power, the expansion unit 100 in the first exemplary embodiment may be inexpensive and simple to manufacture.

[0123] Therefore, means 103 may optionally include any elements necessary to enable power supply to and control of the expansion unit 100 having a flashlight function. For example, means 103 for enabling the flashlight function may include further elements such as at least one GPIO expander, DC / DC converter, MOSFET or any other suitable transistor, as well as one or more resistors and capacitors.

[0124] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration of a circuit 700 that may be included in an expansion unit 100 configured according to the first exemplary embodiment.

[0125] Circuit 700 includes a GPIO expander 701, a DC / DC converter 702, a MOSFET 703, an LED 704, two resistors R1 and R2, two capacitors C1 and C2, and two external connectors 705 and 706. The first connection interface 101 and the second connection interface 102 of the expansion unit 100 are implemented by external connectors 705 and 706, and the description of external connector 507 in Figure 5 applies to external connectors 705 and 706 with necessary modifications.

[0126] With regard to control, control signals can be provided from the aerosol generator 200 via an I2C bus or any other suitable means of communication, as described in relation to Figures 4A, 4B, and 5. These control signals can, for example, cause the expansion unit 100 to turn the light on and off.

[0127] The GPIO expander 701 is responsible for converting logical data from the I2C bus into a physical state of the GPIO expander 701. Therefore, when the expansion unit 100 according to the first exemplary embodiment is connected to the aerosol generator 200, the aerosol generator 200 can directly control the LED state via the available interface. The GPIO expander 701 may be controlled via the I2C bus to convert logical signals from I2C into physical signals.

[0128] In embodiments such as the circuit shown in Figure 7, where an I2C bus is used, the 5V power supply line can be used as the power supply for the expansion unit 100 according to the first exemplary embodiment. Since many LEDs generally operate using a 3-3.3V power supply, if such a 5V power supply is used, the voltage needs to be dropped using a DC / DC converter 702.

[0129] A MOSFET 703 is provided to prevent current from being directly drawn from the GPIO expander. The MOSFET 703 is further used to control the current flow from the DC-DC converter 702.

[0130] LED 704 can be selected between a high-power LED and a low-power LED, which has lower power than the high-power LED. High-power LEDs provide brighter emitted light but draw more current, which may affect the battery life of the aerosol generator 200. Low-power LEDs provide less bright emitted light than high-power LEDs but require less current and therefore have a substantially smaller impact on the battery life of the aerosol generator 200. For example, a lower-power LED can be left on for several hours.

[0131] Since both methods can be useful in different cases, circuit 700 is configured to be compatible with both low-power and high-power LEDs. In the power supply circuit 700 in Figure 7, when the current for the LED is 500mA or less, only the LED 704 and resistor R2 need to be changed to balance brightness and battery life.

[0132] The circuit 700 in Figure 7 further includes two resistors R1 and R2 and two capacitors C1 and C2. Resistors R1 and R2 play a role in limiting the flow of current, thus preventing overheating and malfunction of LED 704. The resistance values ​​of resistors R1 and R2 depend on the power and current drawn by LED 704.

[0133] In a second exemplary embodiment, at least one additional function may include a tactile feedback function for indicating the state of the aerosol generator. In this case, means 103 for enabling at least one additional function include, for example, at least one of an eccentric rotating mass (ERM) vibration motor and a linear resonant actuator (LRA) vibration motor to generate tactile feedback in the form of vibration.

[0134] In an expansion unit where means 103 includes at least one of an ERM vibration motor and an LRA vibration motor, means 103 may be configured to generate haptic feedback in response to control signals received from the aerosol generator 200 via, for example, a first connection interface 101 and / or a second connection interface 102 of the expansion unit 100 (in an exemplary embodiment where the expansion unit 100 includes an optional second connection interface). For example, the expansion unit 100 in a second exemplary embodiment may be configured to receive control signals using any of the communication protocols described above in relation to Figure 3.

[0135] In addition, or alternatively, the extension unit 100 according to the second exemplary embodiment may be controlled to provide the user with tactile feedback indicating the status of the aerosol generator 200. For example, the extension unit 100 according to the second exemplary embodiment may be configured to provide tactile feedback indicating a low battery state of the aerosol generator 200 or any other warning notification when connected to the aerosol generator 200.

[0136] In a third exemplary embodiment, at least one additional function may include a power supply function that supplies power to the connected device.

[0137] For example, the expansion unit 100 of the third exemplary embodiment may be configured to supply power to the connected device via the first connection interface 101. Alternatively, in an exemplary embodiment in which the expansion unit 100 includes a second connection interface, the expansion unit 100 of the third exemplary embodiment may be configured to supply power to the connected device via the first connection interface 101 and / or the second connection interface 102.

[0138] The connected device may include an aerosol generator 200, as in this exemplary embodiment. As a portable, handheld device, an aerosol generator such as the aerosol generator 200 has a limited battery life. By providing a power supply function to the expansion unit 100 that can be connected to the aerosol generator 200, the user of the aerosol generator 200 can continue to use the device for a longer period of time. In the exemplary embodiment in which the expansion unit 100 includes a second connection interface, the connected device, which is powered, may further include other connected expansion units.

[0139] In this case, the means 103 for enabling at least one additional function may include at least one power source. The at least one power source may be, for example, a rechargeable power source, such as a rechargeable battery. In this case, the expansion unit 100 of the third exemplary embodiment may be advantageously rechargeable itself. For example, the rechargeable power source may be a lithium-ion power bank or a lithium polymer power bank. At the time of writing, lithium-ion power banks are more common.

[0140] Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are advantageous for this purpose due to their relatively low manufacturing cost and, although their mAh capacity is limited, they do not suffer from the memory effect, resulting in a longer lifespan. The memory effect occurs when a battery loses usable capacity through charging, discharging, and recharging. On the other hand, LiPo (lithium-polymer) cells are thinner and lighter, almost the size of a credit card, and can store slightly higher amounts of specific energy than Li-ion cells. However, LiPo cells are more expensive to manufacture, suffer from the memory effect, and have a shorter lifespan. Table 1 summarizes the most significant differences between lithium-ion and LiPo power banks.

[0141] [Table 1]

[0142] As the table shows, the main advantages of power banks with LiPo batteries are that they are smaller and lighter, both of which are advantageous for the expansion unit 100 having power supply capabilities. Lithium-ion batteries are advantageous in terms of low cost and durability.

[0143] The power supply function may optionally include several sub-functions. For example, the sub-functions may include charging the power supply 212 of the aerosol generator 200 with power from a power source included in means 103 of the expansion unit 100 according to the third exemplary embodiment, providing the aerosol generator 200 with information regarding the power level of the expansion unit 100 itself, supplying power to other expansion units connected to the expansion unit, and / or charging the power source included in means 103 of the expansion unit 100 according to the third exemplary embodiment.

[0144] For this purpose, the means 103 for enabling the power supply function may optionally further include a control section. For example, the control section may be configured to control at least one of the magnitude and direction of the power supply via a first connection interface 101 and / or a second connection interface 102.

[0145] As an example, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration of a circuit 800 that may be included in an expansion unit 100 configured according to a third exemplary embodiment. The circuit 800 includes a battery 801, a fuel gauge 802, a battery charger 803, a boost DC / DC converter 804, and power management logic 805, as well as external connectors 806, 807.

[0146] The battery 801 may be one of the power sources described above, for example, a lithium-ion power bank or a lithium-polymer power bank. The description of the fuel gauge 501 and battery charger 502 in Figure 5 applies to the fuel gauge 802 and battery charger 803 with necessary modifications. The first connection interface 101 and the second connection interface 102 of the expansion unit 100 are implemented by external connectors 806 and 807.

[0147] The boost DC / DC converter 804 is a power converter that increases the voltage from its input to its output, and is used to increase the voltage from the battery 801 of the expansion unit 100 to 5V in order to charge the power supply 212 of the aerosol generator 200.

[0148] The description of the external connector 507 in Figure 5 applies to external connectors 806 and 807 with necessary modifications. However, the external connector of the expansion unit 100 according to the third exemplary embodiment has a more complex interface for the power lines from a functional standpoint.

[0149] In particular, external connector 806 may be referred to as the “connector out,” i.e., the connector that connects the third exemplary embodiment of the expansion unit 100 to the aerosol generator 200 that it charges. The main difference from other expansion units is that the third exemplary embodiment of the expansion unit 100 does not receive power through this connector, but does power other devices. The third exemplary embodiment of the expansion unit 100 has a power switching circuit in case a reverse current is detected on the 5V power line through which the expansion unit normally powers the extender. External connector 807 may be referred to as the “connector in,” i.e., the connector that connects the third exemplary embodiment of the expansion unit 100 to other expansion units or chargers. When other types of expansion units are connected, the third exemplary embodiment of the expansion unit 100 supplies it 5V power through the VDD_In / Out ports. However, when a charger is connected, the third exemplary embodiment of the expansion unit 100 is charged through the VDD_In / Out ports.

[0150] All of these functions for controlling the power lines on the connector are implemented in power management logic 805. This module manages power and the direction of power supply through the connector. Since the device, by default, supplies power to all extenders through the VDD pin of connector out 806, one of the module's functions is to change the direction of power at this pin in order to charge the device itself. After changing the power supply direction, the extension unit 100 in the third exemplary embodiment must independently supply power to the next extension unit via the VDD_In / Out pin of the connector at 807. At the same time, if a charger is connected to connector in 807, the module should not supply power to the extension unit but should switch the power supply direction at VDD_In / Out in order to charge itself.

[0151] In a fourth exemplary embodiment, at least one additional function may include a display function. In this case, the means 103 for enabling at least one additional function may include at least one display unit.

[0152] As an example of a display unit, OLED technology can be advantageously used. OLED technology makes it possible to produce small screens in both monochrome and colored formats. Such solutions are convenient to use, inexpensive, and have small dimensions. The advantages of these displays are their light weight and low power consumption.

[0153] The use of a display unit, such as a screen, makes it possible to display more detailed information, such as battery charge in percentage, number of puffs, amount of free memory on the device, and other statistics useful to the user, in a user-friendly format. Specifically, the information displayed by the display unit of the expansion unit 100 according to the fourth exemplary embodiment may include the charge level of the aerosol generator's power supply, the number of inhalation actions the user can perform, the amount of free memory on the aerosol generator, the current time, and at least one of a warning notification for the aerosol generator.

[0154] In addition, or instead, the display unit may be configured to display information to the user of the aerosol generator 200 in response to control signals received from the aerosol generator 200, for example, via a first connection interface 101 and / or a second connection interface 102 (in an exemplary embodiment in which the expansion unit 100 includes an optional second connection interface).

[0155] As an example, Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary configuration of a circuit 900 that may be included in an expansion unit 100 configured according to a fourth exemplary embodiment. The circuit 900 includes a display unit 901, external connectors 902 and 903, and a module 904 configured to convert the input voltage VDD to a suitable power supply voltage VCC for the display unit 901. The first connection interface 101 and the second connection interface 102 of the expansion unit 100 are implemented by external connectors 902 and 903, and the description of the external connector 507 in Figure 5 applies to external connectors 902 and 903 with necessary modifications.

[0156] An expansion unit 100 according to a fourth exemplary embodiment may be configured to receive control signals from the aerosol generator 200 via an I2C bus when connected to the aerosol generator 200, as shown in the circuit 900 of Figure 9.

[0157] In a fifth exemplary embodiment, at least one additional function may include an audio output function. In this case, means 103 may include an audio output transducer such as one or more of a loudspeaker (e.g., a mobile coil loudspeaker), a buzzer, a horn, and an acoustic device.

[0158] For example, the expansion unit 100 according to the fifth exemplary embodiment may be controlled to output audio feedback to the user indicating the status of the aerosol generator 200 when the expansion unit 100 is connected to the aerosol generator 200. For instance, the expansion unit 100 according to the fifth exemplary embodiment may be configured to output audio feedback indicating a low battery state of the aerosol generator 200 or any other warning notification when connected to the aerosol generator 200.

[0159] In addition or alternatively, means 103 may be configured to output audio feedback in response to control signals received from the aerosol generator 200, for example, via the first connection interface 101 and / or second connection interface 102 of the fifth exemplary embodiment of the expansion unit 100 (in an exemplary embodiment in which the expansion unit 100 includes an optional second connection interface). For example, the fifth exemplary embodiment of the expansion unit 100 may be configured to receive control signals using any of the communication protocols described above in relation to Figure 3.

[0160] The audio feedback output from the expansion unit 100 according to the fifth exemplary embodiment may be provided in any suitable form, for example, a tone, a beep, a whistle, a melody, etc. Thus, the means 103 of the expansion unit 100 according to the fifth exemplary embodiment may optionally further include any additional means necessary to control an audio output transducer for outputting audio feedback, for example, a control section and / or a memory section for storing data indicating the audio feedback (e.g., one or more audio files). Alternatively, the audio feedback output may be controlled by the aerosol generator 200 when the expansion unit 100 according to the fifth exemplary embodiment is connected to the aerosol generator 200.

[0161] Each of the first to fifth exemplary embodiments described above has a single additional function and includes means 103 for enabling that single additional function when the expansion unit 100 is connected to the aerosol generator 200. Alternatively, the expansion unit 100 may include means 103 for enabling two or more additional functions when the expansion unit 100 is connected to the aerosol generator 200.

[0162] For example, the expansion unit 100 may include means 103 for enabling two or more of the following: a flashlight function as described in relation to the first exemplary embodiment, a haptic feedback function as described in relation to the second exemplary embodiment, a display function as described in relation to the fourth exemplary embodiment, and an audio output function as described in relation to the fifth exemplary embodiment. When the expansion unit 100 is connected to the aerosol generator 200, it may be advantageously possible to provide feedback to the user in multiple forms by configuring the expansion unit 100 to provide at least two of these functions. As a further example, the expansion unit 100 may include means 103 for enabling a power supply function as described in relation to the third exemplary embodiment, together with at least one of the following: a flashlight function as described in relation to the first exemplary embodiment, a haptic feedback function as described in relation to the second exemplary embodiment, a display function as described in relation to the fourth exemplary embodiment, and an audio output function as described in relation to the fifth exemplary embodiment. In this way, it may be possible to provide the user with information regarding the power status of the expansion unit 100 or the aerosol generator 200, such as the remaining charging time, charging status, and remaining power, in a manner that is advantageous to the user.

[0163] More generally, the expansion unit 100 may include means 103 for enabling any suitable number or combination of additional functions, including the functions described above or any other suitable functions.

[0164] For the development of the expansion unit 100, and more specifically, the aerosol generation system including the expansion unit 100 and the aerosol generator 200, the inventors recognized that the use of a layered architecture for software may be advantageous to enable further maintenance and scaling.

[0165] Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating a layered software architecture 1000 suitable for use in the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The layered software architecture 1000 in Figure 10 includes a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) 1010, a board support layer (BSP) 1020, a system software layer 1030, and an application software layer 1040.

[0166] HAL 1010 provides a common, multi-instance simple set of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for interacting with higher layers (applications, libraries, and stacks). HAL 1010 consists of common APIs and extension APIs. HAL 1010 is built directly on a common architecture. HAL 1010 enables built-in layers, such as middleware layers, to perform their functions without requiring deep knowledge of how to use the MCU. This layer provides access to hardware interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, etc.), registers, and MCU interrupts.

[0167] The BSP 1020 is a software layer containing hardware-specific drivers and other routines that enables a particular software system (originally a real-time operating system or RTOS) to function in a specific hardware environment. The BSP is customizable, allowing the user to specify which drivers and routines should be included in the build based on hardware and software options. The driver and board support layer 1020 contains hardware-specific drivers and other routines that implement support for all devices and features of a particular hardware platform.

[0168] The system software layer 1030 consists of separate threads / modules / services that provide thread-safe access to hardware resources, collect data and transfer it to the application layer, and perform system monitoring of hardware resources. The system software layer 1030 also provides an application programming interface (API) to the abstract operating system.

[0169] Application software layer 1040 contains all the business logic for user interaction with the device.

[0170] The aerosol generator 200 may be configured in any suitable way to implement control of communication with one or more expansion units via a communication bus (for example, an I2C bus or any other suitable bus, as described above in relation to Figures 4A to 4E).

[0171] For example, the control section 211 of the aerosol generator 200 may be configured to control communication with one or more expansion units via a communication bus. For example, the control section 211 may be provided with a memory section for storing a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by the control section 211 of the aerosol generator 200, it causes the control section 211 to control communication with one or more expansion units 110, 120, 130 via the communication bus.

[0172] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating a process 1100 in which the aerosol generator 200 of Figure 3 controls communication with one or more expansion units 110, 120, 130 via a communication bus, according to an exemplary embodiment of this specification.

[0173] For example, the control section 211 of the aerosol generator 200 may control the aerosol generator 200 to perform the process 1100 shown in Figure 11. As described above in relation to Figures 3, 6A and 6B, each of one or more expansion units 110, 120, 130 may be connectable to the aerosol generator 200 and, when connected to the aerosol generator 200, may be configured to enable at least one additional function of the aerosol generator 200 in addition to aerosol generation.

[0174] In process step S1101 of Figure 11, the aerosol generator 200 identifies at least one communication address from among multiple communication addresses of the communication bus, and uses that communication address to receive a signal from one or more expansion units 110, 120, and 130.

[0175] A communication bus may include multiple possible communication addresses that can be used by devices communicating on the communication bus. Such multiple communication addresses may include a fixed number of possible communication addresses that can be used. For example, as described above in relation to Figures 4A and 4B, an I2C address may have 7 bits, and as a result the number of 7 bits can be 0 to 127, so up to 128 devices can be supported on the I2C communication bus. If a 10-bit address is used, more addresses are available. In addition or alternatively, the multiple communication addresses may include a set of communication addresses that are potentially available for use by expansion units 110, 120, and 130, and these potentially available communication addresses are obtained by removing the communication addresses used by the aerosol generator 200 from a fixed number of possible communication addresses.

[0176] Thus, the aerosol generator 200 can determine, for example, whether a signal has been received from expansion units 110, 120, and 130 for each of a plurality of communication addresses, and the expansion units use that communication address to communicate on the communication bus. Expansion units 110, 120, and 130 can be thought of as communicating using a specific communication address. A signal can be addressed to this expansion unit via the communication bus using this address. Therefore, the identified at least communication addresses represent a set of communication addresses that are determined to be in use by expansion units 110, 120, and 130 on the communication bus.

[0177] For example, the signal could be any appropriate message, notification, or indicator that the expansion units 110, 120, and 130 can transmit to the aerosol generator 200 via the communication bus.

[0178] As a more specific example, the received signal may include an acknowledgment. For example, in the current exemplary embodiment, where the communication bus is an I2C bus, the aerosol generator 200 (as the master device) may initiate communication on the I2C bus by sending a signal to each of several communication addresses, and each expansion unit 110, 120, 130 connected to the communication bus (i.e., the slave devices) may return an acknowledgment. As a further example, the aerosol generator 200 may attempt to send a signal to each expansion unit 110, 120, 130 a certain number of times and then determine that no acknowledgment has been received.

[0179] Table 2 provides examples of signals received by the aerosol generator 200 via the communication bus for exemplary communication addresses {000, 001, 010, 011, 100, 101, 110, 111}.

[0180] [Table 2]

[0181] In the example in Table 2, the aerosol generator 200 can specify the communication addresses {000, 011, 100} as its communication address, and this communication address is used to receive signals from one of the one or more expansion units 110, 120, 130. For example, expansion unit 110 may communicate using communication address 000, expansion unit 120 may communicate using communication address 011, and expansion unit 130 may communicate using communication address 100.

[0182] In process step S1102 of Figure 11, the aerosol generator 200 associates an extension unit identifier indicating the extension unit from which the signal was received with each of at least one communication addresses.

[0183] In other words, each expansion unit identifier indicates or identifies a specific expansion unit 110, 120, or 130.

[0184] In other words, each communication address from which the aerosol generator 200 receives a signal via the communication bus may be associated with an expansion unit identifier representing the expansion unit sending the signal. For example, each expansion unit identifier may contain any appropriate information and may be in any appropriate form that enables the expansion unit to be individually identified by the aerosol generator 200. For example, the expansion unit identifier may be an identification number in alphanumeric, decimal, hexadecimal, or binary form. The expansion unit identifier associated with each identified communication address may be based on that communication address (for example, the communication address or a permutation thereof may be used as the expansion unit identifier).

[0185] Table 3 provides examples of extension unit identifiers {aaa, bbb, ccc} associated with each of the communication addresses {000, 011, 100} identified from Table 2 above.

[0186] [Table 3]

[0187] In other words, in this example, the extension unit identifier aaa identifies extension unit 110, the extension unit identifier bbb identifies extension unit 120, and the extension unit identifier ccc identifies extension unit 130.

[0188] In process step S1103 of Figure 11, the aerosol generator 200 determines the current connection status of the expansion units 110, 120, and 130, which are indicated by the expansion unit identifier, for each expansion unit identifier.

[0189] For example, the corresponding connection status of expansion units 110, 120, and 130 may indicate whether the expansion unit is physically connected to the aerosol generator 200. As a further example, the aerosol generator 200 may be configured to determine whether each expansion unit 110, 120, and 130 associated with an expansion unit identifier is physically connected to the aerosol generator via a communication bus.

[0190] Each of the expansion units 110, 120, and 130, each having an associated expansion unit identifier, was connected to the aerosol generator 200 at the time the aerosol generator 200 received a signal from the expansion unit. However, a user may disconnect an expansion unit from the aerosol generator 200, or an expansion unit may be unintentionally disconnected from the aerosol generator 200 (for example, due to an incomplete physical connection or the user not properly attaching the expansion unit to the aerosol generator 200). Thus, process step 1103 may serve to verify the connection status of each of the expansion units having an associated expansion unit identifier.

[0191] Table 4 provides examples of extension unit identifiers {aaa, bbb, ccc} and communication addresses {000, 011, 100} from Table 3 above, where the corresponding connection status of each extension unit is indicated by the extension unit identifier {aaa, bbb, ccc}.

[0192] [Table 4]

[0193] Process 1100 of the process in Figure 11 may optionally include process step 1104. In the optional process step 1104, the aerosol generator 200 determines, for each expansion unit identifier, the type of at least one additional function enabled by the expansion units 110, 120, and 130 indicated by the expansion unit identifier.

[0194] For example, at least one type of additional function may be a specific function provided by the expansion unit in question. For example, at least one type of additional function may be one of the following: a flashlight function, a haptic feedback function, a power supply function, a display function, and an audio output function. As an alternative example, at least one additional function may be obtained based on means 103 for enabling at least one additional function, for example, based on whether means 103 includes a sensor, an actuator, or a power supply.

[0195] The types of expansion units 110, 120, and 130 can be determined in any suitable manner. For example, each expansion unit 110, 120, and 130 may be pre-configured to use one or more specific communication addresses solely for communication on the communication bus. In this case, the aerosol generator 200 may be provided in advance with information indicating the correspondence between each communication address and the type of expansion unit that can use that communication address, thereby enabling the aerosol generator 200 to determine the type of at least one additional function based on this communication. Alternatively, the aerosol generator 200 may be configured to determine the type of at least one additional function by exchanging further signals on the communication bus with the connected expansion units 110, 120, and 130.

[0196] In process step S1105, the aerosol generator 200 controls communication with the expansion units 110, 120, and 130 indicated by the expansion unit identifier via the communication bus, using the communication address associated with the expansion unit identifier and according to the determined current connection status of the expansion units 110, 120, and 130.

[0197] In exemplary embodiments, such as the present exemplary embodiment in which the aerosol generator performs an optional process step S1104, the aerosol generator 200 may control communication with the expansion units 110, 120, 130 indicated by the expansion unit identifier, depending on a determined type of at least one additional function enabled by the expansion units 110, 120, 130 indicated by the expansion unit identifier.

[0198] The aerosol generator 200 can control its communication with the expansion units 110, 120, and 130 via the communication bus by addressing commands and other messages sent to those expansion units to a specific communication address. This can be achieved, for example, by including the communication address in the address frame of the message (signal) sent to the expansion unit.

[0199] The aerosol generator 200 can control communication with specific expansion units 110, 120, and 130 depending on the determined current connection status of the expansion units 110, 120, and 130 and the type of at least one additional function that can be enabled by the expansion units 110, 120, and 130 in any suitable manner, at an optional choice.

[0200] For example, if the current connection status of the expansion unit indicates that the expansion unit is connected to the aerosol generator 200, the aerosol generator 200 may send a command to the expansion unit to control at least one function enabled by the expansion unit. In contrast, if the current connection status of the expansion unit indicates that the expansion unit is not connected to the aerosol generator 200, the aerosol generator 200 may either not need to communicate with the expansion unit, or it may attempt to send a signal to the expansion unit a certain number of times before determining that no acknowledgment has been received.

[0201] As a further example, the form and / or content of commands and other messages sent by the aerosol generator 200 to a particular expansion unit may depend on the type of at least one additional function enabled by the expansion unit. More specifically, a command sent to an expansion unit with an audio output function may include a data field containing information representing the audio content output by the expansion unit, whereas a command sent to an expansion unit with a flashlight function may not include such a data field and may cause the expansion unit to switch between an illuminated state and a non-illuminated state.

[0202] More generally, the aerosol generator 200 controls communication with the expansion units 110, 120, and 130 indicated by the expansion unit identifier via the communication bus, using the communication address associated with the expansion unit identifier and depending on the determined current connection status of the expansion units 110, 120, and 130, by performing one or more processes related to Figures 12 to 16 for each expansion unit identifier.

[0203] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1200 in which the aerosol generator 200 of Figure 3 can control communication with expansion units 110, 120, and 130 via a communication bus, according to a first exemplary embodiment of this specification.

[0204] In process step S1201 of Figure 12, the aerosol generator 200 determines a command to be sent to the first expansion unit, which is indicated by an expansion unit identifier, depending on the determined type of at least one additional function enabled by the first expansion unit.

[0205] For example, for an expansion unit having a flashlight function, the determined command may be a command to emit light from at least one LED of the expansion unit in response to the command, and / or to flash or dim the emitted light. As a further example, for an expansion unit having a haptic feedback function, the determined command may be a command to cause the expansion unit to generate haptic feedback to the user, for example in the form of vibration. Furthermore, for an expansion unit having a display function or an audio output function, the determined command may be a command to cause the expansion unit to display information to the user of the aerosol generator 200, or to output audio content, respectively.

[0206] More generally, the command to be determined may depend on whether the means 103 of the expansion unit to which the command is sent includes a sensor or an actuator. For example, a read command may be sent to an expansion unit whose means 103 includes a sensor, while a write command may be sent to an expansion unit whose means 103 includes an actuator.

[0207] In process step S1202 of Figure 12, the aerosol generator 200 sends a command to the first expansion unit via the communication bus using the communication address associated with the expansion unit identifier that indicates the first expansion unit.

[0208] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1300 in which the aerosol generator 200 of Figure 3 can control communication with expansion units 110, 120, and 130 via a communication bus, according to a second exemplary embodiment of this specification.

[0209] In process step S1301 of Figure 13, the aerosol generator 200 periodically performs control to send a read command to the expansion unit using the communication address associated with the expansion unit identifier, if the type of at least one additional function enabled by the expansion unit indicated by the expansion unit identifier is of the first type.

[0210] For example, the first type may indicate that the means 103 of the expansion unit includes a sensor (e.g., a humidity, pressure, or temperature sensor), thereby enabling the aerosol generator 200 to periodically obtain data output from the sensor.

[0211] For example, control for sending read commands to an expansion unit may be performed periodically according to a predetermined frequency associated with the expansion unit or the type of at least one additional function enabled by the expansion unit. For example, the predetermined frequency may be once per minute, once per second, or multiple times per second.

[0212] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1400 in which the aerosol generator 200 of Figure 3 can control communication with expansion units 110, 120, and 130 via a communication bus, according to a third exemplary embodiment of this specification.

[0213] Process 1400 in Figure 14 may be performed for each extension unit identifier.

[0214] In process step S1401 of Figure 14, the aerosol generator 200 determines the previous connection state of the expansion unit indicated by a given expansion unit identifier.

[0215] In process step S1402 of Figure 14, the aerosol generator 200 determines whether the previous connection state of the expansion unit, indicated by the expansion unit identifier, is the same as the current connection state of the expansion unit.

[0216] If the previous connection state of the expansion unit, indicated by the expansion unit identifier, is the same as the current connection state of the expansion unit, process 1400 terminates. If the previous connection state of the expansion unit, indicated by the expansion unit identifier, is not the same as the current connection state of the expansion unit, process 1400 proceeds to process step S1403.

[0217] In process step S1403 of Figure 14, the aerosol generator 200 determines whether the previous connection state of the expansion unit, indicated by the expansion unit identifier, indicates a disconnected state, and whether the current connection state of the expansion unit indicates a connected state.

[0218] If the previous connection state of the expansion unit, indicated by the expansion unit identifier, indicates a disconnected state, and the current connection state of the expansion unit indicates a connected state, process 1400 proceeds to process step 1404. Otherwise, process 1400 proceeds to process step 1405.

[0219] In process step 1404 of Figure 14, the aerosol generator 200 initializes the expansion unit. For example, initializing the expansion unit may include setting the values ​​of one or more parameters of the expansion unit. The parameters of the expansion unit may depend on the means 103 included in the expansion unit. For example, the parameters may include the operating frequency or synchronization time of the sensor.

[0220] In process step 1405 of Figure 14, the aerosol generator 200 outputs a notification to the user of the aerosol generator 200. For example, this makes it possible to warn the user when the connection status of the expansion unit changes, for example, when the expansion unit is disconnected from the aerosol generator 200.

[0221] After process step S1405 in Figure 14, process 1400 terminates.

[0222] Figure 15 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1500 in which the aerosol generator 200 of Figure 3 can control communication with expansion units 110, 120, and 130 via a communication bus, according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of this specification.

[0223] In process step S1501 of Figure 15, the aerosol generator 200 receives input from the user of the aerosol generator via the input unit of the aerosol generator (for example, either the button 17 shown in Figure 1 or at least one I / O section 15 as described in relation to Figure 2).

[0224] In process step S1502 of Figure 15, the aerosol generator 200 determines a first expansion unit identifier and an associated first communication address based on the received input.

[0225] In process step S1503 of Figure 15, the aerosol generator 200 determines, based on the received input, a command to be sent to the expansion unit indicated by the first expansion unit identifier.

[0226] In process step S1504 of Figure 15, the aerosol generator 200 sends a command to the expansion unit via the communication bus using the associated first communication address.

[0227] For example, a user may provide input to the touchscreen of the aerosol generator 200 indicating a command to turn on the LED of an expansion unit to enable the flashlight function. In this way, the aerosol generator 200 can recognize, based on the received input, the expansion unit identifier of the expansion unit that enables the flashlight function and its associated communication address. The aerosol generator 200 may further determine the command as a command to instruct the expansion unit to turn on the LED and send that command to the appropriate expansion unit.

[0228] Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1600 in which the aerosol generator 200 of Figure 3 can control communication with expansion units 110, 120, and 130 via a communication bus, according to a fifth exemplary embodiment of this specification.

[0229] In process step 1601 of Figure 16, the aerosol generator 200 receives a signal indicating user input to the aerosol generator from one of one or more expansion units via a communication bus.

[0230] In process step 1602 of Figure 16, the aerosol generator 200 determines the expansion unit identifier and the communication address associated with the expansion unit.

[0231] In process step 1603 of Figure 16, the aerosol generator 200 determines the command to be sent to the expansion unit based on the received signal.

[0232] In process step 1604 of Figure 16, the aerosol generator 200 sends a command to the expansion unit via the communication bus using the associated determined communication address.

[0233] For example, a user may provide an input to an input unit of an expansion unit that enables a flashlight function, which the expansion unit may forward to an aerosol generator 200. The aerosol generator 200 may determine the expansion unit identifier of the expansion unit as being associated with the communication address used by the expansion unit that sent the input. Based on the received signal, the aerosol generator 200 may further determine the command as a command instructing the expansion unit to turn on the LED, and send that command to the appropriate expansion unit.

[0234] Returning to process 1100 in Figure 11, this process allows the aerosol generator 200 to easily and efficiently scan the communication addresses on the communication bus in order to identify which addresses are being used for communication by the connected expansion units 110, 120, and 130, and to properly control communication with these expansion units 110, 120, and 130 on the communication bus.

[0235] Process 1100 in Figure 11 can be performed periodically by the aerosol generator 200. In this way, the aerosol generator 200 can maintain up-to-date information about the connected expansion units 110, 120, and 130.

[0236] Thus, the process 1100 in Figure 11 facilitates the provision of a means by which additional functions can be provided to the aerosol generator 200 only as needed. Furthermore, the process 1100 in Figure 11 facilitates the provision of a means by which functions can be added to the aerosol generator 200 without exceeding any limitations on the memory space, power supply, and user interface of the aerosol generator 200, while ensuring that the device maintains a relatively small size and relatively light weight.

[0237] Figures 17A-17C, 18A-18G, 19A-19C, and 20A-20C are flowcharts illustrating an example of how the process 1100 shown in Figure 11 can be implemented on the layer software architecture 1000 shown in Figure 10 of an aerosol generator 200 having a touchscreen as its I / O section. Hereafter, the expansion unit will also be referred to as an extender.

[0238] Figures 17A to 17C are flowcharts illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator 200 on the application software layer 1040 of the layer software architecture 1000 shown in Figure 10.

[0239] In process step S1701 in Figure 17A, the aerosol generator 200 initializes its hardware components.

[0240] In process step S1702 of Figure 17A, the aerosol generator 200 constructs and initializes the touchscreen module.

[0241] In process step S1703 of Figure 17A, the aerosol generator 200 performs a process to construct and initialize the extender hub module. This process will be described later in relation to Figure 18A.

[0242] In process step S1704 of Figure 17A, the aerosol generator 200 registers the touchscreen event callback process described in relation to Figure 17B.

[0243] In process step S1705 of Figure 17A, the aerosol generator 200 registers the extender connection state change callback process, which is described in relation to Figure 17C.

[0244] In process step S1706 of Figure 17A, the aerosol generator 200 starts the OS (operating system) scheduler and completes the process.

[0245] Figure 17B is a flowchart showing the touchscreen event callback process registered in process step S1704 of Figure 17A.

[0246] In process step S1711 of Figure 17B, the aerosol generator 200 receives an event type as input to the touchscreen event callback process.

[0247] In process step S1712 of Figure 17B, the aerosol generator 200 determines whether the event type is a double tap on the touchscreen.

[0248] If the event type is a double tap on the touchscreen, the touchscreen event callback process proceeds to process step S1713. Otherwise, the touchscreen event callback process terminates.

[0249] In process step S1713 of Figure 17B, the aerosol generator 200 performs the actuator command extender hub process as described in relation to Figure 18G. The touchscreen event callback process then ends.

[0250] Figure 17C is a flowchart showing the extender connection state change callback process registered in process step S1705 of Figure 17A.

[0251] In process step S1721 of Figure 17C, the aerosol generator 200 receives the extender type and connection status as inputs to the extender connection status change callback process. These inputs may be provided by a scanning procedure described in relation to Figure 18F.

[0252] In process step S1722 in Figure 17C, the aerosol generator 200 determines whether the connection status indicates that the extender is connected.

[0253] If the connection status indicates that the extender is connected, the extender connection status change callback process proceeds to process step S1723. Otherwise, the extender connection status change callback process proceeds to process step S1726.

[0254] In process step S1723 of Figure 17C, the aerosol generator 200 determines whether the extender type is a sensor.

[0255] If the extender type is a sensor, the extender connection state change callback process proceeds to process step S1724. Otherwise, the extender connection state change callback process proceeds to process step 1726.

[0256] In process step S1724 of Figure 17C, the aerosol generator 200 registers the extender data ready callback process.

[0257] In process step S1725 of Figure 17C, the aerosol generator 200 performs a process for pooling data from the extender sensor, as described in relation to Figure 18B.

[0258] In process step S1726 of Figure 17C, the aerosol generator 200 provides a notification to the user of the aerosol generator 200. The extender connection state change callback process then ends.

[0259] Figures 18A to 18G are flowcharts illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator 200 on the system software layer 1030 of the layer software architecture 1000 shown in Figure 10.

[0260] Figure 18A is a flowchart illustrating the process for building and initializing the extender hub module, which is performed in process step S1703 of Figure 17A.

[0261] In process step S1801 in Figure 18A, the aerosol generator 200 constructs an event group. An event group is a container for an event set that stores events. These events are then processed in a process described in relation to Figure 18D.

[0262] In process step S1802 of Figure 18A, the aerosol generator 200 constructs the extender hub thread as described in relation to Figure 18D. The process then ends.

[0263] Figure 18B is a flowchart representing a process for pooling data from an extender sensor executed in process step 1725 of Figure 17C.

[0264] In process step S1811 of Figure 18B, the aerosol generator 200 receives an extender data rate in Hz as an input to a process for pooling data from the extender sensor.

[0265] In process step S1812 of Figure 18B, the aerosol generator 200 is an extender <x>Construct a data ready timer process, which is described in relation to Figure 18E. Then, the process for pooling data from the extender sensor ends.

[0266] Figure 18C is a flowchart representing the scanning timer process.

[0267] In process step S1821 of Figure 18C, the aerosol generator 200 sets the timeout value to a value equal to 1 second.

[0268] In process step S1822 of Figure 18C, the aerosol generator 200 delays the execution of the process for pooling data from the extender sensor by 1 millisecond.

[0269] In process step S1823 of Figure 18D, the aerosol generator 200 reduces the timeout value by 1 millisecond.

[0270] When the timeout reaches zero, in process step S1824 of Figure 18C, the aerosol generator 200 sends a scanning event as the output of the process for pooling data from the extender sensor (in an exemplary embodiment of the flowchart represented, the timeout value can be set to 1000 milliseconds, the delay to 1 millisecond, the timeout value can be reduced by 1 millisecond each time, the process can be repeated while the timeout value is greater than 0, and the event is initiated when it reaches zero). Then, the process for pooling data from the extender sensor ends.

[0271] Figure 18D is a flowchart representing the extender hub thread constructed in process step S1802 of Figure 18A.

[0272] In process step S1831 of Figure 18D, as described in relation to Figure 18C, the aerosol generator 200 constructs a scanning timer.

[0273] In process step S1832 of Figure 18D, the aerosol generator 200 sets the timeout value to a value equal to 0 seconds.

[0274] In process step S1833 of Figure 18D, the aerosol generator 200 waits until the next event is received.

[0275] In process step S1834 of Figure 18D, the aerosol generator 200 receives an extender hub event context as input to the extender hub thread.

[0276] In process step S1835 of Figure 18D, the aerosol generator 200 determines the event.

[0277] In process step S1836 of Figure 18D, in response to receiving a command event (which is the output of the actuator command extender hub process described in relation to Figure 18G), the aerosol generator 200 executes a process to send a command to a specific actuator extender, as described in relation to Figure 19A. The extender hub thread then returns to process step S1832.

[0278] In process step S1837 of Figure 18D, in response to receiving a scanning event (which is the output of the process for pooling data from the extender as described in relation to Figure 18C), the aerosol generator 200 performs a scanning procedure as described in relation to Figure 18F. The extender hub thread then returns to process step S1832.

[0279] In process step S1838 in Figure 18D, (the extender described in relation to Figure 18E) <x>In response to receiving a data-ready event (which is the output of the data-ready timer process), the aerosol generator 200 performs a process to read data from a specific extender, as described in relation to Figure 19B. The extender hub thread then proceeds to process step S1839.

[0280] In process step 1839 of Figure 18D, the aerosol generator 200 calls the data ready callback process. The extender hub thread then returns to process step S1832.

[0281] Figure 18E shows the extender constructed in process step 1812 of Figure 18B. <x>This is a flowchart representing the data-ready timer process.

[0282] In process step S1841 of Figure 18E, the aerosol generator 200 is an extender <x>The extender data rate is received in Hz as input to the data-ready timer process.

[0283] In process step S1842 of Figure 18E, the aerosol generator 200 sets the timeout value so that 1000 milliseconds is equal to the extender data rate in Hz received in process step S1841.

[0284] In process step S1843 of Figure 18E, the aerosol generator 200 is an extender <x>Delay the execution of the data-ready timer process by 1 millisecond.

[0285] In process step S1844 in Figure 18E, the aerosol generator 200 reduces the timeout value by 1 millisecond.

[0286] When the timeout reaches zero, in process step S1845 of Figure 18E, the aerosol generator 200 extends the extender <x>The data ready event is sent as the output of the data ready timer process. Then the extender <x>The data ready timer process ends (an exemplary embodiment can be similarly derived as represented in connection with FIG. 18C, see the description related to step S1824).

[0287] FIG. 18F is a flowchart showing the scanning procedure executed in process step S1837 of FIG. 18D.

[0288] In process step S1851 of FIG. 18F, the aerosol generator 200 executes a process to obtain a list of connected extenders as described in connection with FIG. 19C.

[0289] In process step S1852 of FIG. 18F, the aerosol generator 200 receives a list of connected extenders as an input to the scanning procedure from the execution of the process to obtain a list of connected extenders.

[0290] In process step S1853 of FIG. 18F, the aerosol generator 200 sets the variable i to a value equal to zero.

[0291] In process step S1854 of FIG. 18F, the aerosol generator 200 is set to loop the scanning procedure while i is less than the number of connected extenders.

[0292] In process step S1855 of FIG. 18F, the aerosol generator 200 determines whether the current connection state of the extender corresponding to the value of i is the same as the previous connection state.

[0293] If the current connection state of the extender corresponding to the value of i is not the same as the previous connection state, the scanning procedure proceeds to process step S1856. Otherwise, the scanning procedure proceeds to process step S1859.

[0294] In process S1856, the aerosol generator determines whether the current connection status of the extender corresponding to the value of i indicates a connected extender.

[0295] If the current connection status of the extender corresponding to the value of i represents a connected extender, the scanning procedure proceeds to process step S1857. Otherwise, the scanning procedure proceeds to process step S1858.

[0296] In process step S1857 of Figure 18F, the aerosol generator 200 initializes the extender corresponding to the value of i.

[0297] In process step S1858 of Figure 18F, the aerosol generator 200 calls the extender connection state change callback, which is described in relation to Figure 17C.

[0298] In process step S1859 of Figure 18F, the aerosol generator 200 increases the value of i by 1. The scanning procedure ends when the value of i becomes equal to the number of connected extenders.

[0299] Figure 18G is a flowchart representing the actuator command extender hub process executed in process step S1713 of Figure 17B.

[0300] In process step S1861 of Figure 18G, the aerosol generator 200 receives an actuator command (for example, information indicating input to the extender by a user using the extender's actuator or information indicating input by a user using the actuator, such as the touchscreen of the aerosol generator 200, is transmitted to the aerosol generator 200 via the communication bus).

[0301] In process step S1862 of Figure 18G, the aerosol generator sends a command event as the output of the actuator command extender hub process. The actuator command extender hub process then terminates.

[0302] Figures 19A to 19C are flowcharts illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator 200 on the board support layer 1020 of the layer software architecture 1000 shown in Figure 10.

[0303] Figure 19A is a flowchart illustrating the process of sending a command to a specific actuator extender, which is performed in process step 1836 of Figure 18D.

[0304] In process step S1901 in Figure 19A, the aerosol generator receives the extender ID and command as input to the process that sends a command to a specific actuator extender.

[0305] In process step S1902 of Figure 19A, the aerosol generator 200 determines the interface and driver based on the extender ID.

[0306] In process step S1903 of Figure 19A, the aerosol generator 200 performs the I2C writing process described in relation to Figure 20A. Subsequently, the process of sending a command to a specific actuator extender is completed.

[0307] Figure 19B is a flowchart illustrating the process of reading data from a specific extender, which is performed in process step 1838 of Figure 18D.

[0308] In process step S1911 of Figure 19B, the aerosol generator receives an extender ID as input to a process that reads data from a specific extender.

[0309] In process step S1912 of Figure 19B, the aerosol generator 200 determines the interface and driver based on the extender ID.

[0310] In process step S1913 of Figure 19B, the aerosol generator 200 performs the I2C reading process described in relation to Figure 20B. The process of reading data from a specific extender is then completed.

[0311] Figure 19C is a flowchart illustrating the process of obtaining a list of connected extenders, which is performed in process step 1851 of Figure 18F.

[0312] In process step 1921 of Figure 19C, the aerosol generator 200 obtains a list of all expected I2C addresses of the extender.

[0313] In process step S1922 of Figure 19C, the aerosol generator 200 sets the value of variable i to a value equal to 0.

[0314] In process step S1923 of Figure 19C, the aerosol generator 200 is configured to loop the process of obtaining a list of connected extenders while i is less than the expected number of I2C addresses of the extenders.

[0315] In process step S1924 of Figure 19C, the aerosol generator 200 performs a process to check for an acknowledgment (ACK) on the I2C communication bus, as described in relation to Figure 20C.

[0316] In process step S1925 of Figure 19C, the aerosol generator 200 determines whether an ACK has been received for the I2C address corresponding to the value of i.

[0317] If an ACK is received for the I2C address corresponding to the value of i, the process to obtain the list of connected extenders proceeds to process step S1926. Otherwise, the process to obtain the list of connected extenders proceeds to process step S1927.

[0318] In process step S1926 of Figure 19C, the aerosol generator 200 adds an extender ID based on the I2C address corresponding to the value of i to the list of connected extenders.

[0319] In process step S1927 of Figure 19C, the aerosol generator 200 increases the value of i by 1.

[0320] When the value of i becomes equal to the expected number of I2C addresses of the extender, the process to obtain a list of connected extenders proceeds to process step S1928. In process step S1928 in Figure 19C, the aerosol generator 200 returns a list of connected extenders.

[0321] Figures 20A to 20C are flowcharts illustrating the operations performed by the aerosol generator 200 on the hardware abstraction layer 1010 of the layer software architecture 1000 shown in Figure 10.

[0322] Figure 20A is a flowchart illustrating the I2C writing process executed in process step S1903 of Figure 19A.

[0323] In process step S2001 of Figure 20A, the aerosol generator 200 receives the device address, registers, data to be written, and data size as input to the I2C writing process.

[0324] In process step S2002 of Figure 20A, the aerosol generator 200 performs an I2C hardware write sequence. The I2C write process then ends.

[0325] Figure 20B is a flowchart illustrating the I2C reading process performed in process step S1913 of Figure 19B.

[0326] In process step S2011 of Figure 20B, the aerosol generator 200 receives the device address, registers, data buffer, and data size as input to the I2C writing process.

[0327] In process step S2012 of Figure 20B, the aerosol generator 200 performs an I2C hardware read sequence. The I2C read process then ends.

[0328] Figure 20C is a flowchart of the process that checks for device acknowledgment (ACK) on the I2C communication bus, which is performed in process step S1924 of Figure 19C.

[0329] In process step S2021 of Figure 20C, the aerosol generator 200 receives the device address and the number of attempts as input to the process that checks for device acknowledgment (ACK) on the I2C communication bus.

[0330] In process step S2022 of Figure 20C, the aerosol generator 200 sets the value of variable i to a value equal to zero.

[0331] In process step S2023 of Figure 20C, the aerosol generator 200 configures the process to loop the process of checking for device acknowledgments (ACKs) on the I2C communication bus while i is less than the number of trials.

[0332] In process step S2024 of Figure 20C, the aerosol generator 200 generates the I2C START conditions.

[0333] In process step S2025 of Figure 20C, the aerosol generator 200 determines whether the I2C STOPF flag is set.

[0334] If the I2C STOPF flag is set, the process that checks for device acknowledgments (ACKs) on the I2C communication bus proceeds to process step S2027. Otherwise, the process that checks for device acknowledgments (ACKs) on the I2C communication bus proceeds to process step S2026.

[0335] In process step S2026 of Figure 20C, the aerosol generator 200 increases the value of i by 1.

[0336] When the value of i becomes equal to the number of trials, the process of checking the device acknowledgment (ACK) on the I2C communication bus proceeds to process step S2027. In process step S2027 in Figure 20C, the aerosol generator 200 returns the result of the check.

[0337] Furthermore, the following embodiments are provided.

[0338] A1. An expansion unit for an aerosol generator, A first connection interface at the first end of the expansion unit, which can be connected to an aerosol generator, When connected to an aerosol generator, means for enabling at least one additional function of the aerosol generator in addition to aerosol generation. An expansion unit that includes this.

[0339] A2. The extension unit according to embodiment A1, further comprising a second connection interface at a second end of the extension unit opposite to the first end, which is connectable to another first extension unit.

[0340] A3. The first connection interface can be further connected to a second other expansion unit, and An expansion unit according to embodiment A2, wherein the second connection interface can be further connected to an aerosol generator.

[0341] A4. The expansion unit according to embodiment A2 or A3, wherein the first connection interface and / or second connection interface includes at least one of a magnetic connector, a push-fit connector, a plug connector, and a socket connector that can be connected to an aerosol generator or another first expansion unit.

[0342] A5. An expansion unit according to any one of embodiments A2 to A4, wherein at least one of the first and second connection interfaces includes one or more data terminals and / or one or more power terminals, and preferably the first and second connection interfaces include an Interintegrated Circuit (I2C) interface.

[0343] A6. An expansion unit according to any one of embodiments A1 to A5, which, when connected to an aerosol generator, is configured to receive power supplied from the aerosol generator.

[0344] A7. At least one additional function, including a flashlight function, Means for enabling at least one additional function are an expansion unit according to any one of embodiments A1 to A6, comprising at least one LED.

[0345] A8. The extension unit according to embodiment A7, wherein at least one LED is configured to emit light in response to a control signal received from an aerosol generator and / or to flash or dim the emitted light.

[0346] A9. At least one additional function includes a tactile feedback function for indicating the status of the aerosol generator, and An extension unit according to any one of embodiments A1 to A8, comprising at least one of an eccentric rotating mass (ERM) vibration motor and a linear resonant actuator (LRA) vibration motor, for enabling at least one additional function, wherein the means for enabling at least one additional function is to generate tactile feedback in the form of vibration in response to a control signal received from an aerosol generator.

[0347] A10. At least one additional function includes a power supply function that supplies power to the connected device, and An expansion unit according to any one of embodiments A1 to A6, comprising means for enabling at least one additional function, including at least one power supply.

[0348] A11. The extension unit according to embodiment A8, wherein means for enabling at least one additional function further includes a control section configured to control at least one of the magnitude and direction of the power supply.

[0349] A12. At least one additional function, including a display function, An extension unit according to any one of embodiments A1 to A6, wherein means for enabling at least one additional function includes at least one display unit configured to display information to a user of the aerosol generator in response to a control signal received from the aerosol generator.

[0350] A13. An aerosol generator including a power supply unit, wherein the power supply unit is Power supply and Control section and, A connection interface that can be connected to the expansion unit described in any one of embodiments A1 to A12, and an aerosol generator comprising a control section configured to control at least one of the magnitude of power supply via a connection interface, the direction of power supply via the connection interface, and the transfer of data via the connection interface.

[0351] A14. The connection interface includes at least one of a magnetic connector, a screw-fit connector, a plug connector and a socket connector that can be connected to the expansion unit, and / or The aerosol generating unit according to embodiment A13, wherein the connection interface includes one or more data terminals and / or one or more power terminals, and preferably the connection interface includes an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface.

[0352] A15. An aerosol generator as described in embodiment A13 or embodiment A14, The first expansion unit described in any one of embodiments A1 to A14 and A system comprising a first expansion unit connected to the power supply unit's connection interface.

[0353] B1. A method for controlling communication between an aerosol generator and one or more expansion units via a communication bus, wherein each of the one or more expansion units is connectable to the aerosol generator and, when connected to the aerosol generator, is configured to enable at least one additional function of the aerosol generator in addition to aerosol generation, and the method is: Identifying at least one communication address among multiple communication addresses of a communication bus, thereby identifying that a signal is received from one or more extension units using the communication address. For each of at least one communication addresses, associate an extension unit identifier indicating the extension unit from which the signal was received, For each expansion unit identifier, determine the current connection status of the expansion unit indicated by the expansion unit identifier, For each expansion unit identifier, communication with the expansion unit indicated by the expansion unit identifier is controlled via the communication bus using the communication address associated with the expansion unit identifier, and according to the determined current connection status of the expansion unit. Methods that include...

[0354] B2. For each expansion unit identifier, further including determining the type of at least one additional function enabled by the expansion unit indicated by the expansion unit identifier, The method according to aspect B1, wherein for each expansion unit identifier, communication with the expansion unit indicated by the expansion unit identifier is further controlled according to a determined type of at least one additional function enabled by the expansion unit indicated by the expansion unit identifier.

[0355] B3. Determining the command to be sent to the first expansion unit among the expansion units indicated by the expansion unit identifier, depending on the determined type of at least one additional function enabled by the first expansion unit, Sending commands to the first expansion unit via the communication bus using the communication address associated with the expansion unit identifier that indicates the first expansion unit, and The method according to embodiment B2, further comprising the above.

[0356] B4. The method of embodiment B2 or B3, further comprising, for each extension unit identifier, periodically performing control to send a read command to the extension unit using the communication address associated with the extension unit identifier, if the type of at least one additional function enabled by the extension unit indicated by the extension unit identifier is of the first type.

[0357] B5. The method according to embodiment B4, wherein control for sending a read command to the expansion unit is performed periodically according to a predetermined frequency associated with the expansion unit or at least one additional function type enabled by the expansion unit.

[0358] B6. For each expansion unit identifier, determine the preceding connection state of the expansion unit indicated by the expansion unit identifier, For each expansion unit identifier, if the previous connection status of the expansion unit indicated by the expansion unit identifier is not the same as the current connection status of the expansion unit, a notification will be sent to the user of the aerosol generator. The method according to any one of embodiments B1 to B5, further comprising the above.

[0359] B7. The method according to aspect B6, further comprising initializing the expansion unit if, for each expansion unit identifier, the previous connection state of the expansion unit indicated by the expansion unit identifier indicates a disconnected state, and the current connection state of the expansion unit indicates a connected state.

[0360] B8. Receiving input from the user of the aerosol generator via the input unit of the aerosol generator, Based on the received input, determine the first extension unit identifier and the associated first communication address, Based on the received input, determine the command to be sent to the extension unit indicated by the first extension unit identifier, Using the associated first communication address, commands are sent to the expansion unit via the communication bus. The method according to any one of embodiments B1 to B7, further comprising the above.

[0361] B9. Receiving a signal indicating user input from one or more expansion units via a communication bus from one of the expansion units, To determine the extension unit identifier and the associated communication address of the extension unit, Based on the received signal, determine the command to be sent to the expansion unit, Using the determined associated communication address, commands are sent to the expansion unit via the communication bus. The method according to any one of embodiments B1 to B8, further comprising the above.

[0362] B10. The communication bus is an Interintegrated Circuit (I2C) communication bus. The aerosol generator functions as a master device, and The method according to any one of embodiments B1 to B9, wherein each of one or more expansion units functions as a slave device.

[0363] B11. A computer program that, when executed by the control section of an aerosol generator, includes instructions causing the control section to carry out the method according to any one of embodiments B1 to B10.

[0364] B12. A power supply unit for an aerosol generator, comprising a control section configured to carry out the method described in any one of embodiments B1 to B10.

[0365] B13. Aerosol generating apparatus including the power supply unit described in embodiment B12.

[0366] It should be noted that any of the above embodiments A can be combined with any of the above embodiments B.

[0367] While detailed embodiments have been described, these embodiments are intended only to provide a better understanding of the invention as defined by the independent claims and should not be considered limiting.< / x> < / x> < / x> < / x> < / x> < / x> < / x>

Claims

1. An expansion unit for an aerosol generator, A first connection interface at the first end of the expansion unit, which is connectable to the aerosol generator, When connected to the aerosol generator, means for enabling at least one additional function of the aerosol generator in addition to aerosol generation, Includes, The first connection interface includes one or more power terminals, and when connected to the aerosol generator, at least one of the magnitude and direction of power supply by the first connection interface is controlled by the aerosol generator. The means for enabling the at least one additional function further includes a control section configured to control at least one of the magnitude and direction of the power supply, An expansion unit in which the first connection interface includes a magnetic connector that can be connected to the aerosol generator.

2. The expansion unit according to claim 1, further comprising a second connection interface at a second end of the expansion unit opposite to the first end, which is connectable to another first expansion unit.

3. The first connection interface is further connectable to a second additional expansion unit, and The expansion unit according to claim 2, wherein the second connection interface can be further connected to the aerosol generator.

4. The expansion unit according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the second connection interface includes at least one of a magnetic connector, a screw-fit connector, a plug connector, and a socket connector that can be connected to the other first expansion unit.

5. The expansion unit according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein at least one of the first connection interface and the second connection interface includes one or more data terminals, and preferably the first connection interface and the second connection interface include an Interintegrated Circuit (I2C) interface.

6. The expansion unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is configured to receive power supplied from the aerosol generator when connected to the aerosol generator.

7. The aforementioned at least one additional function includes a flashlight function, and The means for enabling the at least one additional function includes at least one LED, the expansion unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The expansion unit according to claim 7, wherein the at least one LED is configured to emit light in response to a control signal received from the aerosol generator and / or to blink or dim the emitted light.

9. The at least one additional function includes a tactile feedback function for indicating the status of the aerosol generator, and The extension unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the means for enabling the at least one additional function includes at least one of an eccentric rotating mass (ERM) vibration motor and a linear resonant actuator (LRA) vibration motor for generating tactile feedback in the form of vibration in response to a control signal received from the aerosol generator.

10. The at least one additional function includes a power supply function that supplies power to the connected device, and The expansion unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the means for enabling the at least one additional function includes at least one power supply.

11. The at least one additional function includes a display function, and The extension unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the means for enabling the at least one additional function includes at least one display unit configured to display information to a user of the aerosol generator in response to a control signal received from the aerosol generator.

12. An aerosol generator including a power supply unit, wherein the power supply unit is Power supply and Control section and, A connection interface that can be connected to the expansion unit according to any one of claims 1 to 11 an aerosol generator comprising, wherein the connection interface comprises one or more power terminals, and the control section is configured to control at least one of the magnitude of the power supply through the connection interface and the direction of the power supply through the connection interface.

13. The connection interface includes at least one of a magnetic connector, a screw-fit connector, a plug connector, and a socket connector that can be connected to the expansion unit, and / or The aerosol generator according to claim 12, wherein the connection interface includes one or more data terminals, and the connection interface is configured to control the transfer of data through the connection interface, preferably the connection interface includes an interintegrated circuit (I2C) interface.

14. an aerosol generator according to claim 12 or 13, An expansion unit according to any one of claims 1 to 11, A system comprising the expansion unit, wherein the expansion unit is connected to the connection interface of the power supply unit.

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