Aerosol provision system with thermochromatic indicator and method
The aerosol provision system addresses the challenge of accurately indicating surface temperatures and providing user reminders by using a thermochromic module that changes color in response to temperature changes, enhancing user experience and safety while conserving energy.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/EP2024/088222
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-12-22
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-20
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-26
AI Technical Summary
Conventional aerosol provision systems, such as heat-not-burn systems, face challenges in accurately indicating surface temperatures without consuming additional electric energy, and in providing user-friendly reminders for optimal flavor and safety.
The integration of a thermochromic module on the aerosol provision system's housing, which uses thermochromic materials to change color when the system reaches a specific temperature, eliminating the need for additional electric energy consumption and providing a visual temperature indication.
This solution effectively reminds users when to take a puff for optimal flavor and prevents high temperature burns by accurately indicating surface temperatures without increasing energy consumption.
Smart Images

Figure EP2024088222_26062025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] AEROSOL PROVISION SYSTEM WITH THERMOCHROMATIC INDICATOR AND METHOD
[0002] Technical Field
[0003] The present invention relates to the field of aerosol provision technology, particularly to an aerosol provision system and an aerosol provision method.
[0004] Background
[0005] An electronic aerosol provision system such as heat-not-burn (THP or HNB) system generates a large amount of heat during use, resulting in high temperatures on the surface of the system. It is generally considered that the safe temperature of the system surface is within 45 °C, while the product quality limit requires that the high temperature should not exceed 48 °C. However, for an aerosol provision system such as heat-not-burn (THP or HNB) system, a tobacco consumable must be heated to a certain temperature, such as 350 °C, for optimal flavour. Therefore, it is necessary to remind the user when to take a puff to enable the user to experience the best flavour.
[0006] To remind the user of the right time to take a puff or not to puff excessively or to prevent high temperature burns, etc., UI elements are usually designed on the aerosol provision system. Common UI designs include integrating a vibration motor or indicator light on aerosol provision system, but their operation relies on temperature calculation or a temperature sensor, and requires a microcontroller (MCU) circuit to determine if the temperature is too high.
[0007] Summary
[0008] In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided an aerosol provision system comprising at least: a thermochromic module, comprising at least a thermochromic material, the thermochromic module being arranged on a housing of the system and having a surface that is visible to a user, and being configured to change color when the system is sensed to reach a color changing temperature.
[0009] Due to the use of the thermochromic material in the production of the thermochromic module, the thermochromic module does not require additional consumption of electric energy from the battery module of the aerosol provision system during the process of indicating the surface temperature or heating area temperature of the aerosol provision system. In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the thermochromic module may be configured to change to a first predetermined color when the system is sensed to reach a color changing temperature; or may be configured to display a predetermined pattern when the system is sensed to reach a color changing temperature.
[0010] Configuring the thermochromic module to change color or display a predetermined pattern when the aerosol provision system is sensed to reach a color changing temperature can not only achieve the purpose of temperature reminder or indication, but also achieve interesting coating effects, increase the aesthetics of the system, and improve the user's interest in using the product.
[0011] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the thermochromic module may comprise a base plate and a predetermined pattern or a second predetermined color provided on the base plate, the thermochromic material may be covered on the predetermined pattern or the second predetermined color, the thermochromic module may display a transparent color when the system reaches the color changing temperature so as to display the predetermined pattern or the second predetermined color, otherwise it may display a non-transparent color to obscure the predetermined pattern or the second predetermined color.
[0012] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the base plate may be integrally formed with the housing of the system or the base plate may be arranged on the housing of the system.
[0013] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the thermochromic module may be attached to a surface of the housing of the system; or the thermochromic module may be integrally formed with the housing of the system; or the thermochromic module may be embedded on the housing of the system; or the thermochromic module may be attached to a surface of a button of an indicator light on the housing of the system; or the thermochromic module may be embedded on a button of an indicator light on the housing of the system.
[0014] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the thermochromic module may comprise multiple thermochromic units, the respective corresponding color changing temperature of each of the thermochromic units is different.
[0015] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, each of the thermochromic units may display a different color when the system reaches their respective color changing temperatures. That is, the temperature may be indicated by displaying different colors through different thermochromic units. When the system reaches different color changing temperatures, different numbers of the thermochromic units may display the same color. That is, the thermochromic units may display different numbers of color blocks at different temperatures, and the temperature is prompted to the user by the colored number of color blocks.
[0016] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the thermochromic module may comprise multiple thermochromic units, the respective corresponding color changing temperature of each of the thermochromic units may be the same, and the distance between each of the thermochromic units and a heating region may be different.
[0017] By disposing the respective thermochromic units at different distances from the heating region, the time to achieve corresponding color changing temperatures for the respective thermochromic units may be different.
[0018] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the multiple thermochromic units may be arranged on the housing of the system according to a predetermined arrangement mode.
[0019] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the thermochromic units may be in a strip shape, and the multiple thermochromic units may be attached to a surface of the housing of the system successively along a direction close to or away from the heating region of the system.
[0020] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the thermochromic units may be in a fan shape, and the multiple thermochromic units may be spliced into at least a portion of a circular shape and attached to a surface of the housing of the system.
[0021] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the multiple thermochromic units may be stacked along a direction facing or facing away from a side surface of the housing.
[0022] By disposing the thermochromic units on the housing of the aerosol provision system in different arrangements, the aesthetics and interestingness of the product may be improved.
[0023] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the system may further comprise a temperature insulation member, the temperature insulation member may be selectively arranged between the thermochromic units and the housing of the system, so that the thermochromic units at different regions sense different temperatures. It can be understood that the costs of different thermochromic materials may be different, and using diverse thermochromic materials to indicate temperature may increase the production cost., Therefore, by providing the temperature insulation member, the thermochromic units made of the same material can sense different temperatures, to achieve the purpose of indicating different temperatures.
[0024] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the temperature insulation member may comprise at least one of ceramic fiber cotton and aerogel insulation materials.
[0025] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the thermochromic module may be made by mixing multiple thermochromic materials with respective different color changing temperatures, so that the thermochromic module displays different colors at different temperatures.
[0026] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the thermochromic materials may comprise reversible thermosensitive printing inks.
[0027] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the reversible thermosensitive printing inks may comprise organic reversible thermosensitive printing inks and / or inorganic reversible thermosensitive printing inks.
[0028] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the organic reversible thermosensitive printing inks may comprise a color developer and a color former.
[0029] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the color developer may comprise at least one of phenolic hydroxyl compounds and their derivatives and carboxyl compounds and their derivatives.
[0030] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the inorganic reversible thermosensitive printing inks may comprise crystal transformation-based color changing materials, materials that change color based on the gain and loss of water of crystallization, or materials that change color due to changes in the geometric configuration of their ligands.
[0031] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the thermochromic material may have a color changing temperature range of 45 °C - 350 °C.
[0032] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the thermochromic module may be attached to a position on the housing of the system corresponding to the internal heating area. In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the system may further comprise: a protection module, the protection module being a transparent material, and the protection module being configured to cover on a display surface of the thermochromic module.
[0033] By covering the protection module on the display surface of the thermochromic module, the thermochromic module may be protected, thereby increasing the service life of the thermochromic module.
[0034] In embodiments of any of the aforementioned aerosol provision systems, the protection module may comprise one of a transparent film, a transparent coating and a transparent cover plate.
[0035] In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided a method for an aerosol provision system to generate an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material, the method comprising: providing a thermochromic module on a housing of an aerosol provision system, changing color when the system is sensed to reach a color changing temperature to indicate the temperature of the system.
[0036] By providing the housing of the aerosol provision system with a thermochromic module with a visible surface to the user, where the thermochromic module is configured to contain a thermochromic material and change color when the aerosol provision system is sensed to reach the color changing temperature, the purpose of using the thermochromic module to indicate the temperature level is achieved, thereby consuming no additional electric energy during the entire temperature indication process, and reducing the energy consumption of the battery module of the aerosol provision system.
[0037] In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided an aerosol provision device comprising: a thermochromic module comprising at least a thermochromic material, the thermochromic module being arranged on a housing of the system and having a surface that is visible to a user, and being configured to change color when the system is sensed to reach a color changing temperature.
[0038] In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided an aerosol provision system comprising the aerosol provision device as described above, and an article comprising aerosol generating material. Additional aspects and advantages will be partially described in the following description, some will become apparent from the following description.
[0039] Description of the Drawings
[0040] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the disclosed content of the present application will become more understandable. It is easily understood by those skilled in the art that these drawings are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Moreover, similar numbers in the figures are used to represent similar components, among which:
[0041] Figure 1 is a schematic structure diagram of an aerosol provision system provided according to an embodiment;
[0042] Figure 2 is a schematic structure diagram of an aerosol provision system provided according to another embodiment;
[0043] Figure 3 is a schematic structure diagram of an aerosol provision system provided according to still another embodiment.
[0044] Detailed Description
[0045] The following describes some embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are only for explaining the technical principles and are not intended to limit the scope of protection.
[0046] As used herein, the term “delivery system” is intended to encompass systems that deliver at least one substance to a user in use, and includes: combustible aerosol provision systems, such as cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, and tobacco for pipes or for roll-your-own or for make-your-own cigarettes (whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, tobacco substitutes or other smokable material); non-combustible aerosol provision systems that release compounds from an aerosolgenerating material without combusting the aerosol-generating material, such as electronic cigarettes, tobacco heating products, and hybrid systems to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials; and aerosol-free delivery systems that deliver the at least one substance to a user orally, nasally, transdermally or in another way without forming an aerosol, including but not limited to, lozenges, gums, patches, articles comprising inhalable powders, and oral products such as oral tobacco which includes snus or moist snuff, wherein the at least one substance may or may not comprise nicotine.
[0047] According to the present disclosure, a “combustible” aerosol provision system is one where a constituent aerosol-generating material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof) is combusted or burned during use in order to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.
[0048] In some embodiments, the delivery system is a combustible aerosol provision system, such as a system selected from the group consisting of a cigarette, a cigarillo and a cigar.
[0049] In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to a component for use in a combustible aerosol provision system, such as a filter, a filter rod, a filter segment, a tobacco rod, a spill, an aerosol-modifying agent release component such as a capsule, a thread, or a bead, or a paper such as a plug wrap, a tipping paper or a cigarette paper.
[0050] According to the present disclosure, a “non-combustible” aerosol provision system is one where a constituent aerosol-generating material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof) is not combusted or burned in order to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.
[0051] In some embodiments, the delivery system is a non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a powered non-combustible aerosol provision system.
[0052] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol-generating material is not a requirement.
[0053] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an aerosolgenerating material heating system, also known as a heat-not-burn system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system.
[0054] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is a hybrid system to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, one or a plurality of which may be heated. Each of the aerosol-generating materials may be, for example, in the form of a solid, liquid or gel and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. The solid aerosol-generating material may comprise, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product. Typically, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise a noncombustible aerosol provision device and a consumable for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device.
[0055] In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to consumables comprising aerosolgenerating material and configured to be used with non-combustible aerosol provision devices. These consumables are sometimes referred to as articles throughout the disclosure.
[0056] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a non- combustible aerosol provision device thereof, may comprise a power source and a controller. The power source may, for example, be an electric power source or an exothermic power source. In some embodiments, the exothermic power source comprises a carbon substrate which may be energised so as to distribute power in the form of heat to an aerosol-generating material or to a heat transfer material in proximity to the exothermic power source.
[0057] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise an area for receiving the consumable, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a mouthpiece, a filter and / or an aerosol-modifying agent.
[0058] In some embodiments, the consumable for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise aerosol-generating material, an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a filter, a mouthpiece, and / or an aerosolmodifying agent.
[0059] In some embodiments, the delivery system is an aerosol-free delivery system that delivers at least one substance to a user orally, nasally, transdermally or in another way without forming an aerosol, including but not limited to, lozenges, gums, patches, articles comprising inhalable powders, and oral products such as oral tobacco which includes snus or moist snuff, wherein the at least one substance may or may not comprise nicotine.
[0060] In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered may be an aerosol-generating material or a material that is not intended to be aerosolised. As appropriate, either material may comprise one or more active constituents, one or more flavours, one or more aerosolformer materials, and / or one or more other functional materials.
[0061] In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered comprises an active substance. The active substance as used herein may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active substance may for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, psychoactives. The active substance may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active substance may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or constituents, derivatives, or combinations thereof. The active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of tobacco, cannabis or another botanical.
[0062] In some embodiments, the active substance comprises nicotine. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin or vitamin B12.
[0063] As noted herein, the active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of cannabis, such as one or more cannabinoids or terpenes.
[0064] As noted herein, the active substance may comprise or be derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof. As used herein, the term "botanical" includes any material derived from plants including, but not limited to, extracts, leaves, bark, fibres, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, husk, shells or the like. Alternatively, the material may comprise an active compound naturally existing in a botanical, obtained synthetically. The material may be in the form of liquid, gas, solid, powder, dust, crushed particles, granules, pellets, shreds, strips, sheets, or the like.
[0065] Example botanicals are tobacco, eucalyptus, star anise, hemp, cocoa, cannabis, fennel, lemongrass, peppermint, spearmint, rooibos, chamomile, flax, ginger, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, licorice (liquorice), matcha, mate, orange skin, papaya, rose, sage, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, clove, cinnamon, coffee, aniseed (anise), basil, bay leaves, cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lavender, lemon peel, mint, juniper, elderflower, vanilla, Wintergreen, beefsteak plant, curcuma, turmeric, sandalwood, cilantro, bergamot, orange blossom, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, geranium, mulberry, ginseng, theanine, theacrine, maca, ashwagandha, damiana, guarana, chlorophyll, baobab or any combination thereof. The mint may be chosen from the following mint varieties: Mentha Arventis, Mentha c.v., Mentha niliaca, Mentha piperita, Mentha piperita citrata c.v., Mentha piperita c.v, Mentha spicata crispa, Mentha cardifolia, Memtha longifolia, Mentha suaveolens variegata, Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata c.v. and Mentha suaveolens.
[0066] In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is tobacco. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected from eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa and hemp. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected from rooibos and fennel.
[0067] In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered comprises a flavour. As used herein, the terms "flavour" and "flavourant" refer to materials which, where local regulations permit, may be used to create a desired taste, aroma or other somatosensorial sensation in a product for adult consumers. They may include naturally occurring flavour materials, botanicals, extracts of botanicals, synthetically obtained materials, or combinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, licorice (liquorice), hydrangea, eugenol, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, maple, matcha, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed (anise), cinnamon, turmeric, Indian spices, Asian spices, herb, Wintergreen, cherry, berry, red berry, cranberry, peach, apple, orange, mango, clementine, lemon, lime, tropical fruit, papaya, rhubarb, grape, durian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus fruits, Drambuie, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, aloe vera, cardamom, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, khat, naswar, betel, shisha, pine, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, orange blossom, cherry blossom, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sage, fennel, wasabi, piment, ginger, coriander, coffee, hemp, a mint oil from any species of the genus Mentha, eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, lemongrass, rooibos, flax, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, mate, orange skin, rose, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, juniper, elderflower, basil, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, mint, beefsteak plant, curcuma, cilantro, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphene), flavour enhancers, bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial receptor site activators or stimulators, sugars and / or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharine, cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breath freshening agents. They may be imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example, liquid such as an oil, solid such as a powder, or gas.
[0068] In some embodiments, the flavour comprises menthol, spearmint and / or peppermint. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components of cucumber, blueberry, citrus fruits and / or redberry. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises eugenol. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from tobacco. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from cannabis. In some embodiments, the flavour may comprise a sensate, which is intended to achieve a somatosensorial sensation which are usually chemically induced and perceived by the stimulation of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve), in addition to or in place of aroma or taste nerves, and these may include agents providing heating, cooling, tingling, numbing effect. A suitable heat effect agent may be, but is not limited to, vanillyl ethyl ether and a suitable cooling agent may be, but not limited to eucolyptol, WS-3.
[0069] Aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. Aerosol-generating material may, for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel which may or may not contain an active substance and / or flavourants. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may comprise an “amorphous solid”, which may alternatively be referred to as a “monolithic solid” (i.e. non-fibrous). In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dried gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material that may retain some fluid, such as liquid, within it. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may for example comprise from about 50wt%, 60wt% or 70wt% of amorphous solid, to about 90wt%, 95wt% or 100wt% of amorphous solid.
[0070] The aerosol-generating material may comprise one or more active substances and / or flavours, one or more aerosol-former materials, and optionally one or more other functional material.
[0071] The aerosol-former material may comprise one or more constituents capable of forming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol-former material may comprise one or more of glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1 ,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate.
[0072] The one or more other functional materials may comprise one or more of pH regulators, colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and / or antioxidants.
[0073] The material may be present on or in a support, to form a substrate. The support may, for example, be or comprise paper, card, paperboard, cardboard, reconstituted material, a plastics material, a ceramic material, a composite material, glass, a metal, or a metal alloy. In some embodiments, the support comprises a susceptor. In some embodiments, the susceptor is embedded within the material. In some alternative embodiments, the susceptor is on one or either side of the material.
[0074] A consumable is an article comprising or consisting of aerosol-generating material, part or all of which is intended to be consumed during use by a user. A consumable may comprise one or more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a mouthpiece, a filter and / or an aerosol-modifying agent. A consumable may also comprise an aerosol generator, such as a heater, that emits heat to cause the aerosol-generating material to generate aerosol in use. The heater may, for example, comprise combustible material, a material heatable by electrical conduction, or a susceptor.
[0075] A susceptor is a material that is heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The susceptor may be an electrically-conductive material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes induction heating of the heating material. The heating material may be magnetic material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes magnetic hysteresis heating of the heating material. The susceptor may be both electrically-conductive and magnetic, so that the susceptor is heatable by both heating mechanisms. The device that is configured to generate the varying magnetic field is referred to as a magnetic field generator, herein.
[0076] An aerosol-modifying agent is a substance, typically located downstream of the aerosol generation area, that is configured to modify the aerosol generated, for example by changing the taste, flavour, acidity or another characteristic of the aerosol. The aerosolmodifying agent may be provided in an aerosol-modifying agent release component, that is operable to selectively release the aerosol-modifying agent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be an additive or a sorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, comprise one or more of a flavourant, a colourant, water, and a carbon adsorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be a solid, a liquid, or a gel. The aerosol-modifying agent may be in powder, thread or granule form. The aerosol-modifying agent may be free from filtration material.
[0077] An aerosol generator is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is a heater configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to heat energy, so as to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from the aerosolgenerating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.
[0078] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery systems (which may also be referred to as vapour delivery systems) such as nebulisers or e-cigarettes. Throughout the following description the term "e-cigarette" or "electronic cigarette" may sometimes be used, but it will be appreciated this term may be used interchangeably with aerosol delivery system I device and electronic aerosol delivery system I device. Furthermore, and as is common in the technical field, the terms "aerosol" and "vapour", and related terms such as "vaporise", "volatilise" and "aerosolise", may generally be used interchangeably.
[0079] Aerosol delivery systems (e-cigarettes) often, though not always, comprise a modular assembly comprising a reusable device part and a replaceable (disposable / consumable) cartridge part. Often, the replaceable cartridge part will comprise the aerosol-generating material and the vaporiser (which may collectively be called a “cartomizer”) and the reusable device part will comprise the power provision (e.g. rechargeable power source) and control circuitry. It will be appreciated these different parts may comprise further elements depending on functionality. For example, the reusable device part will often comprise a user interface for receiving user input and displaying operating status characteristics, and the replaceable cartridge device part in some cases comprises a temperature sensor for helping to control temperature. Cartridges are electrically and mechanically coupled to the control unit for use, for example using a screw thread, bayonet, or magnetic coupling with appropriately arranged electrical contacts. When the aerosol-generating material in a cartridge is exhausted, or the user wishes to switch to a different cartridge having a different aerosol-generating material, the cartridge may be removed from the reusable part and a replacement cartridge attached in its place. Systems and devices conforming to this type of two-part modular configuration may generally be referred to as two-part systems / devices. Systems and devices conforming to this type modular configuration may generally be referred to as a multi-part modular configuration or multi-part systems / devices.
[0080] It is common for electronic cigarettes to have a generally elongate shape. For the sake of providing a concrete example, certain embodiments of the disclosure will be taken to comprise this kind of generally elongate two-part system employing disposable cartridges. However, it will be appreciated that the underlying principles described herein may equally be adopted for different configurations, for example single-part systems or modular systems comprising more than two parts, refillable devices and single-use disposables, as well as other overall shapes, for example based on so-called box-mod high performance devices that typically have a boxier shape. More generally, it will be appreciated certain embodiments of the disclosure are based on aerosol delivery systems which are operationally configured to provide functionality in accordance with the principles described herein and the constructional aspects of systems configured to provide the functionality in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure is not of primary significance. T o remind the user of the right time to take a puff or not to puff excessively or to prevent high temperature burns, etc., the conventional way is to integrate a vibration motor or indicator light or the like on aerosol provision system, but their operation relies on temperature calculation or a temperature sensor, and requires a microcontroller circuit to determine if the temperature is too high. On the one hand, both above two ways will consume a certain amount of electric energy, increasing the burden of energy consumption on the battery module of the aerosol provision system; on the other hand, since the temperature sensor is not mounted on the surface of the system, it in fact estimates the temperature of the external surface through temperature collection inside the system, and therefore cannot accurately reflect the temperature of the surface of the system. Based on this, the present invention puts forward an aerosol provision system, which achieves temperature indication for an aerosol provision system without additional consumption of electric energy.
[0081] It can be understood that there is no limitation on the specific type of aerosol provision system in the embodiments of this application, including atomizing e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn systems, etc., and the following takes a heat-not-burn system as an illustrative example. As mentioned earlier, this type of aerosol provision system such as the heat-not-burn system may generate an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material by applying heat to the aerosolgenerating material instead of burning the aerosol-generating material. The aerosolgenerating material may exist as a component of an aerosol-generating article, where the aerosol-generating article is physically separated from the aerosol provision system. Such aerosol-generating article may be received in the heating chamber of the aerosol provision system. In use, the aerosol provision system may supply electricity to transfer heat from a heat source to the aerosol-generating material. During the use of such aerosol provision systems, volatile compounds are released from the aerosol-generating material through heat transfer from the heat source and carried in the air drawn through the aerosol provision system. When the released compounds cool, they condense to form aerosols that are inhaled by the consumer.
[0082] Figure 1 is a schematic structure diagram of an aerosol provision system according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 1 , the aerosol provision system generally comprises: a housing 100, a thermochromic module 200, and a protection module (not shown). The thermochromic module 200 is disposed on the housing 100, and has a surface that is visible to a user. The protection module covers a display surface of the thermochromic module 200.
[0083] It should be noted that Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an example aerosol provision system, and some components or structures of the aerosol provision system disposed inside the housing 100 have not been shown, such as a heating chamber (not shown) formed inside the housing 100 which is configured to receive the aerosol-generating article; a heater (not shown) disposed inside the housing which is configured to heat the aerosol-generating article to provision an aerosol; a control module (not shown) disposed inside the housing which is configured to be associated with the heater, so as to control the heater to heat the aerosolgenerating article to generate the aerosol; and a battery assembly (not shown) which is configured to provide electric energy to the heater, and therefore have not been enumerated.
[0084] In embodiments , the thermochromic module 200 is configured to be disposed on the housing 100 and have a surface that is visible to a user, and the thermochromic module 200 comprises a thermochromic material, and changes color when the thermochromic module 200 senses that the aerosol provision system has reached a color changing temperature.
[0085] Color changing temperature is a temperature at which the thermochromic material changes color.
[0086] It should be noted here that, in embodiments, the thermochromic module 200 senses the temperature of the surface of the aerosol provision system, which may remind the user of the surface temperature of the system to prevent high temperature burns by changing color, on the one hand. On the other hand, the thermochromic module 200 may adjust the value of the color changing temperature or the specific compositions of the thermochromic material based on the relationship between the temperature actually sensed by the thermochromic module 200 and the actual temperature of the heating region, so that the temperature actually sensed by the thermochromic module 200 (i.e. the color changing temperature) can represent the actual temperature of the heating region, thereby reminding the user of the right time to take a puff and allowing the user to experience the best flavor.
[0087] For human safety, in order to prevent users from high temperature burns, the safe temperature of the housing surface of the aerosol provision system is usually within 45 °C, while for this type of aerosol provision system such as the heat-not-burn system (THP or HNB), a tobacco consumable must be heated to a certain temperature, such as 350 °C, for optimal flavour. Therefore, in embodiments, the thermochromic material has a color changing temperature range of 45 °C - 350 °C. In addition, for safety reasons and to reduce the risk of the user experiencing high-temperature burns, when the thermochromic module 200 is used to indicate the temperature of the heating region, it may determine the color changing temperature based on the relationship between the temperature of the surface of the housing and the actual temperature of the heating region, and the specific process will not be elaborated here. In embodiments, there is no specific limitation on the position of the thermochromic module 200 on the housing 100, as long as it has a surface that is visible to the user. The thermochromic module 200 may be attached at any position on the surface of the housing of the system, for example a position corresponding to the heating region of the aerosol provision system on the surface of the housing 100.
[0088] In embodiments, the thermochromic module 200 is integrally formed with the housing 100, for example, the thermochromic module 200 constitutes a part of the housing 100, or the thermochromic module 200 constitutes the entire housing 100.
[0089] In yet another implementation , the thermochromic module 200 may be embedded on the housing 100. That is, the thermochromic module 200 and the housing 100 are formed in two parts, or the thermochromic module 200 is inlaid on the housing 100.
[0090] It can be understood that, in some aerosol provision systems, there is also an indicator light disposed on the housing 100, and the indicator light may be disposed on the housing in the form of a button. The indicator light is usually configured to alert the battery level and other relevant information. The thermochromic module 200 may be attached to a surface of a button of an indicator light on the housing 100ln embodiments, the thermochromic module 200 is embedded on a button of an indicator light on the housing of the system.
[0091] Due to the fact that the thermochromic module 200 may cover the entire or partial housing of the aerosol provision system, it may also be used for interesting coating effects, thereby enabling the aerosol provision system to have two or more skin appearances.
[0092] Thermochromic pigments are able to achieve color changes from "colored state to colorless state" or from "colored state to colored state" or from "colorless state to colored state". Based on this, in embodiments, the thermochromic module 200 may provide temperature prompts by changing color. The thermochromic material of the thermochromic module 200 may be configured to change to a first preset color when the aerosol provision system is sensed to reach a color changing temperature, where the first preset color is any non-transparent color or a transparent color, and the non-transparent color may be any color such as red, yellow, blue, etc., which are not exhaustively listed here. It can be understood that, when the first preset color is a non-transparent color, the initial color of the thermochromic material of the thermochromic module 200 should be another non-transparent color different from the first preset color or a transparent color, and when the aerosol provision system is sensed to reach the color changing temperature, the thermochromic material changes from the initial color to the first preset color to achieve the purpose of temperature prompt. When the first preset color is a transparent color, the initial color of the thermochromic material of the thermochromic module 200 may be any non-transparent color, and when the aerosol provision system is sensed to reach the color changing temperature, the thermochromic material changes from the non-transparent color to the transparent color, to achieve the purpose of temperature prompt.
[0093] Throughout the disclosure, “sensed to reach” may also be referred to as “reaches” or “determined to achieve”. For example, the thermochromic material of the thermochromic module 200 may be configured to change to a first preset color when the aerosol provision system is sensed to reach, that is, reaches, a color changing temperature.
[0094] In embodiments, the thermochromic module 200 may provide temperature prompts by displaying a pattern. In an embodiment, the thermochromic module 200 may be configured to display a preset pattern when the aerosol provision system is sensed to reach a color changing temperature. The preset pattern may be any pattern, and there is no specific limitation. For example, the thermochromic material of the thermochromic module 200 in the initial state may be in any non-transparent color, the thermochromic material may cover the preset pattern, and when the aerosol provision system is sensed to reach the color changing temperature, the thermochromic material changes from the color in the initial state to the transparent color, to display the preset pattern and achieve the purpose of temperature prompt; or, the preset pattern is drawn with the thermochromic material, and has a transparent color in the initial state, and when the aerosol provision system is sensed to reach the color changing temperature, the thermochromic material changes from the transparent color in the initial state to any non-transparent color, to display the preset pattern and achieve the purpose of temperature prompt. In addition to the above display methods, in embodiments, the thermochromic module 200 may be configured such that the initial color of the thermochromic material is a transparent color, the thermochromic material covers a preset pattern, that is, it may display the preset pattern in the initial state, and when the aerosol provision system is sensed to reach the color changing temperature, the thermochromic material changes from the transparent color in the initial state to any non-transparent color, to cover the preset pattern and achieve the purpose of temperature prompt.
[0095] In embodiments, the thermochromic module 200 may be composed of a base plate (not shown) and a preset pattern or a second preset color disposed on the base plate. In an embodiment, he thermochromic material may cover the preset pattern or the second preset color. The initial state of the thermochromic material may be in any non-transparent color (such as black, etc.) to cover the preset pattern or the second preset color, and when the aerosol provision system is sensed to reach the color changing temperature, the thermochromic material changes from the non-transparent color in the initial state to a transparent colorso as to display the preset pattern or the second preset color. This helps achieves the purpose of temperature prompt. The second preset color may be any non-transparent color other than the color of the thermochromic material in the initial state. It can be understood that, the second preset color may be coated on the base plate, or inherent in the base plate itself, and there is no specific limitation here.
[0096] The preset pattern may be provided as a temperature value to visually remind the user of the temperature of the surface of the housing or the heating region of the aerosol provision system.
[0097] In embodiments, the base plate is integrated with the housing 100 of the aerosol provision system. That is, the base plate constitutes a part of the housing 100 or constitutes the entire housing 100. In other embodiments, the base plate is a separate component that is disposed on the housing 100 of the aerosol provision system, and it should be noted that there is no specific limitation on the connection method between the base plate and the housing 100
[0098] Referring to Figure 2, , in embodiments, the thermochromic module 200 may be composed of multiple thermochromic units 210, and each thermochromic unit 210 corresponds to a different color changing temperature.
[0099] The different thermochromic units 210 may show different colors when the aerosol provision system is sensed to reach respective color changing temperatures of respective thermochromic units 210. With this arrangement, the temperature may be indicated by displaying different colors through different thermochromic units 210.
[0100] Some of the thermochromic units 210 may correspond to the same color changing temperature or some of the thermochromic units 210 may correspond to different color changing temperatures, but all of the thermochromic units 210 may display the same color when the aerosol provision system reaches the respective color changing temperatures thereof. This arrangement enables different numbers of the thermochromic units to display the same color when the system has reached different color changing temperatures, so that the thermochromic units 210 display a different number of color blocks at different temperatures, so that the temperature can be inferred by the user by the number of colored color blocks. The mapping relationship between the number of thermochromic units 210 with the same color changing temperature and specific temperature values may be preestablished, so that the temperature of the housing or heating region of the current aerosol provision system may be inferred based on this mapping relationship and the number of colored blocks.
[0101] Each thermochromic unit 210 may correspond to the same color changing temperature, while the distance between each thermochromic unit 210 and the heating region may be different, and it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the closer to the heating region, the higher the corresponding temperature, and conversely, the farther away from the heating region, the lower the corresponding temperature. Therefore, the times at which the thermochromic units 210 at different distances from the heating region sense that the aerosol provision system has reached the color changing temperature will also be different, thus achieving the goal of using the same thermochromic units 210 to indicate that different positions of the aerosol provision system have reached the color changing temperature.
[0102] The multiple thermochromic units 210 may be disposed on the housing 100 according to a predetermined arrangement mode. This can improve the aesthetics and interestingness of the product.
[0103] In embodiment, the thermochromic units 210 may be configured to have a strip shape, such as rectangle. Further referring to Figure 2, the multiple rectangular thermochromic units 210 are attached to the surface of the housing 100 successively along a direction close to or away from the heating region of the aerosol provision system. Further, the thermochromic materials of different thermochromic units 210 may have the same initial color in their initial state, but respectively correspond to different color changing temperatures, and display different colors when reaching their respective color changing temperatures. For example, there may be four thermochromic units 210and the thermochromic materials of the four thermochromic units 210 may have the same initial color as the color of the housing, such as black, and their corresponding color changing temperatures are 45 °C, 130 °C, 260 °C, and 350 °C, respectively, and when reaching their respective color changing temperatures, they may display other colors that gradually deepen and differ from the initial color, such as gradually deepened red, etc.
[0104] Referring to Figure 3, the thermochromic units 210 may define a sector shape, and the multiple thermochromic units 210 may be spliced into at least a part of a circular shape and attached to the surface of the housing 100.
[0105] A “sector” shape may be a “fan” shape.
[0106] Taking the example of splicing into a circular shape, there may be four thermochromic units 210, the four thermochromic units 210 are spliced into a circular shape and attached or embedded on the surface of the housing 100, or attached or embedded on a button of an indicator light on the housing. The thermochromic materials of the four thermochromic units 210 may have the same initial color in the initial state, but respectively correspond to different color changing temperatures, and display different colors when reaching their respective color changing temperatures, and the specific configuration method may be selected according to actual needs, and will not be elaborated on here. In embodiments, the multiple thermochromic units 210 may be stacked along a direction facing towards or facing away from a side surface of the housing. That is, the multiple thermochromic units may be stacked onto each other and then attached to or embedded on the housing 100. The thermochromic materials of the multiple thermochromic units 210 may have a transparent initial color in their initial state, but respectively correspond to different color changing temperatures, and display different colors when reaching their respective color changing temperatures. The thermochromic materials of the multiple thermochromic units 210 may have different non-transparent initial colors in their initial state which respectively correspond to different color changing temperatures, and display a transparent color when reaching their respective color changing temperatures, and the color changing temperatures of the thermochromic units 210 increase along a direction facing a side surface of the housing,.
[0107] It can be understood that the costs of different thermochromic materials may be different, and therefore using diverse thermochromic materials to indicate temperature may increase production costs. Based on the design requirements of some products, it is necessary to make the thermochromic units at different regions sense different temperatures. To solve the above problems, in embodiments, a temperature insulation member (not shown) may be selectively disposed between the thermochromic units and the housing. Further, the number of temperature insulation members disposed between the thermochromic units and the housing may be provided according to actual needs, thereby enabling different thermochromic units to sense different temperatures at the same time.
[0108] In embodiments, the temperature insulation member may adopt ceramic cellucotton or any kind of aerogel temperature insulation material, there are no specific limitations in the embodiments of the present application.
[0109] After thermochromic materials with different color changing temperatures are mixed, the resulting color will be displayed, which follows the color matching principle of the three primary colors. For example, when a thermochromic material that displays red at 10 degrees and a thermochromic material that displays yellow at 30 degrees are mixed, in an environment below 10 degrees, the effect of red + yellow = orange will be displayed. When the temperature exceeds 10 degrees, the thermochromic material that displays red will be in a color fading state, have already turned transparent, and will not display a color, and the mixed material will appear yellow. When the temperature is above 30 degrees, the thermochromic material that displays yellow at 30 degrees will gradually change color, and eventually, the mixed material will appear transparent or white. In embodiments, the thermochromic material contained in the thermochromic module 200 may be made by mixing various materials, with different thermochromic materials corresponding to different color changing temperatures, and different thermochromic materials may display different colors when the system is sensed to reach their respective corresponding color changing temperatures. When the thermochromic module senses that the aerosol provision system has reached different color changing temperatures, the thermochromic material corresponding to this color changing temperature displays the corresponding color to indicate the temperature level. In addition, by configuring the corresponding mass proportions of the various types of thermochromic materials contained in the thermochromic module 200, the color gradient of the thermochromic module 200 with temperature changes can be achieved, which can better provide temperature prompts. For example, the various thermochromic materials are transparent at low temperatures and display corresponding colors when reaching the color changing temperatures. These colors can be similar to pinkish purple, such as light pink, pink, deep pink, violet, magenta, purple, indigo, etc. The thermochromic module 200 may achieve a transition from light pink to dark purple to black as the temperature increases, without any abrupt color changes during this process.
[0110] In embodiments, the thermochromic material may comprise but is not limited to reversible thermosensitive printing inks. The reversible thermosensitive printing inks may comprise at least one of organic reversible thermosensitive printing inks and inorganic reversible thermosensitive printing inks.
[0111] Specifically, the organic reversible thermosensitive printing inks may comprise a color developer and a color former. The color former emits electrons to the color developer, resulting in color development. Commonly used color formers comprise crystal violet lactone, malachite green lactone, methyl red, etc. Commonly used color developers comprise phenolic hydroxyl compounds and their derivatives, such as bisphenol A, lauryl esters, 8-hydroxyquinoline, benzyl p-hydroxybenzoate, 4-hydroxycoumarin, a-naphthol, p-naphthol, etc; carboxyl compounds and their derivatives, etc.
[0112] Specifically, the inorganic reversible thermosensitive printing inks may comprise crystal transformation-based color changing materials, materials that change color based on the gain and loss of water of crystallization, or materials that change color due to changes in the geometric configuration of their ligands. The crystal transformation-based color changing materials comprise but are not limited to CuHgl4, at a temperature of 344 K, red CuHgl4 tetragonal crystal system changes to black Cu2Hgl4 cubic crystal system, namely the color changes due to the change in crystal form; the materials that change color based on the gain and loss of water of crystallization comprise but are not limited to CoCI2 6H2O, when the temperature reaches 314 K, the red CoCI2 6H2O loses water and turns into sky blue CoCI2, namely the color changes due to loss of water; the materials that change color due to changes in the geometric configuration of their ligands may comprise but are not limited to [(C2H5)2NH2]2CuCI4, whose color reversibly changes between green and yellow at a temperature of 316 K, mainly due to changes in structure or coordination number.
[0113] In embodiments, a protection module may be provided on the display surface of the thermochromic module 100, mainly for protecting the thermochromic module, avoiding wear or contamination, and improving its service life. Based on the working mechanism of the thermochromic module 100 mentioned above, in embodiments, the protective module may be made of transparent material, including but not limited to one of a transparent film, a transparent coating and a transparent cover plate.
[0114] Corresponding to the aerosol provision system mentioned above, in embodiments a method for an aerosol provision system to generate an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material is provided, the method comprising: providing a thermochromic module on a housing of an aerosol provision system, changing color when the system is sensed to reach a color changing temperature to indicate the temperature of the system.
[0115] Wherein, the relevant content of the thermochromic module may refer to the previous description, which will not be repeated here.
[0116] It should be pointed out that although the above embodiments describe the respective steps in a specific order, those skilled in the art can understand that in order to achieve the above effects, different steps do not necessarily have to be executed in this order, they can be executed at the same time (in parallel) or in other orders, and these changes are within the scope of protection.
[0117] Those skilled in the art can understand that respective modules in the device may be adaptively split or merged. Such splitting or merging of specific modules will not cause the technical solution to deviate from the working principles, therefore, the technical solution after splitting or merging will fall within the scope of protection.
[0118] It should be understood that each part may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware or combinations thereof. In the above implementations, multiple steps or methods may be implemented with software or firmware stored in memory and executed by an appropriate instruction execution system. For example, if it is implemented by hardware, as in another implementation, it can be implemented by any one of the following technologies known in the art or combinations thereof: discrete logic circuits with logic gate circuits for implementing logic functions for data signal, special integrated circuits with appropriate combined logic gate circuits, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.
[0119] In the description of this specification, the referential terminology "an embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples" means that specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are comprised in at least one embodiment or example. In this specification, the indicative expression of the above-mentioned terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the described specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable way in any one or more embodiments or examples.
[0120] Moreover, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used merely for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the characteristics defined as "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly comprise at least one such characteristic. In the description of the present invention, the term "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.
[0121] Unless explicitly defined and limited, terms such as "mounting," "connecting," "connection," "fixing," etc., should be understood broadly. For instance, the connection can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection, or integrated; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediary medium, it can be the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless explicitly defined otherwise. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meanings of these terms in the context of the invention based on the circumstances.
[0122] Although the embodiments have been shown and described above, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are exemplary and should not be considered as limiting. Those skilled in the art can make variations, modifications, replacements, and variations to the above-described embodiments.
Claims
CLAIMS1. An aerosol provision device comprising: a thermochromic module comprising at least a thermochromic material, the thermochromic module being arranged on a housing of the system and having a surface that is visible to a user, and being configured to change color when the system is sensed to reach a color changing temperature.
2. The aerosol provision device according to claim 1 , wherein the thermochromic module is configured to change to a first predetermined color when the system is sensed to reach a color changing temperature; or is configured to display a predetermined pattern when the system is sensed to reach a color changing temperature.
3. The aerosol provision device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the thermochromic module comprises a base plate and a predetermined pattern or a second predetermined color provided on the base plate, the thermochromic material on the predetermined pattern or the second predetermined color such that the thermochromic module displays a transparent color when the system reaches the color changing temperature, so as to display the predetermined pattern or the second predetermined color, otherwise it displays a non-transparent color to obscure the predetermined pattern or the second predetermined color.
4. The aerosol provision device according to claim 3, wherein the base plate is integrally formed with the housing of the system or the base plate is arranged on the housing of the system.
5. The aerosol provision device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the thermochromic module is attached to a surface of the housing of the system; or the thermochromic module is integrally formed with the housing of the system; or the thermochromic module is embedded on the housing of the system; or the thermochromic module is attached to a surface of a button of an indicator light on the housing of the system; or the thermochromic module is embedded on a button of an indicator light on the housing of the system.
6. The aerosol provision device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the thermochromic module comprises multiple thermochromic units, and wherein the respective corresponding color changing temperature of each of the thermochromic units is different.
7. The aerosol provision device according to claim 6, wherein each of the thermochromic units displays a different color when the system reaches their respective color changing temperatures; and / or, when the system reaches different color changing temperatures, different numbers of the thermochromic units display the same color.
8. The aerosol provision device according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the thermochromic module comprises multiple thermochromic units, wherein the respective corresponding color changing temperature of each of the thermochromic units is the same, and wherein the distance between each of the thermochromic units and a heating region is different.
9. The aerosol provision device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the multiple thermochromic units are arranged on the housing of the system according to a predetermined arrangement mode.
10. The aerosol provision device according to claim 9, wherein the thermochromic units are in a strip shape, and the multiple thermochromic units are attached to a surface of the housing of the system successively along a direction towards or away from the heating region of the system.
11. The aerosol provision device according to claim 9, wherein the thermochromic units are in a fan shape, and the multiple thermochromic units are spliced into at least a portion of a circular shape and attached to a surface of the housing of the system.
12. The aerosol provision device according to claim 9, wherein the multiple thermochromic units are stacked along a direction facing towards or facing away from a side surface of the housing.
13. The aerosol provision device according to any one of claims 6 to 12, wherein the system further comprises a temperature insulation member, the temperature insulation member is selectively arranged between the thermochromic units and the housing of the system, so that the thermochromic units at different regions sense different temperatures.
14. The aerosol provision device according to claim 13, wherein the temperature insulation member comprises at least one of ceramic fiber cotton and aerogel insulation materials.
15. The aerosol provision device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the thermochromic module is made by mixing multiple thermochromic materials with respective different color changing temperatures, so that the thermochromic module displays different colors at different temperatures.
16. The aerosol provision device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the thermochromic material comprises reversible thermosensitive printing inks.
17. The aerosol provision device according to claim 16, wherein the reversible thermosensitive printing inks comprise at least one of organic reversible thermosensitive printing inks and inorganic reversible thermosensitive printing inks.
18. The aerosol provision device according to claim 17, wherein the organic reversible thermosensitive printing inks comprise a color developer and a color former.
19. The aerosol provision device according to claim 18, wherein the color developer comprises at least one of phenolic hydroxyl compounds and their derivatives and carboxyl compounds and their derivatives.
20. The aerosol provision device according to claim 17, wherein the inorganic reversible thermosensitive printing inks comprise crystal transformation-based color changing materials, materials that change color based on the gain and loss of water of crystallization, or materials that change color due to changes in the geometric configuration of their ligands.
21. The aerosol provision device according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the thermochromic material has a color changing temperature range of 45 °C - 350 °C.
22. The aerosol provision device according to any one of claims 1 to 21 , wherein the thermochromic module is attached to a position on the housing of the system corresponding to the internal heating area.
23. The aerosol provision device according to any one of claims 1 to 22, the system further comprises: a protection module, the protection module being a transparent material, and the protection module being configured to cover on a display surface of the thermochromic module.
24. The aerosol provision device according to claim 23, wherein the protection module comprises one of a transparent film, a transparent coating and a transparent cover plate.
25. A method for an aerosol provision device to generate an aerosol from an aerosolgenerating material, the method comprising: providing a thermochromic module on a housing of an aerosol provision system, the thermochromic module changing color when the system is sensed to reach a color changing temperature to indicate the temperature of the system.
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