Communication method for aerosol provision system and aerosol provision system

Abstract

There is provided a communication method for an aerosol provision system and an aerosol provision system. The communication method comprises: a device of the system encapsulates and sends a first data frame to an electrode of the system based on a serial communication protocol; the first data frame comprises supplementary data and main data carrying communication data; both the supplementary data and the main data are logic level signals and the distribution of the logic level signals is determined based on the magnitude of the target electric power provided to a cartridge of the system; the electrode transmits the first data frame to a heating element and a control unit of the cartridge; the heating element performs heating control according to the high-low level signal in the logic level signal; and the control unit decapsulates the first data frame according to the serial communication protocol and parses the main data to obtain the communication data carried by the first data frame. Compared with the prior art, this application can achieve efficient and low-cost communication and heating control of the system.

Description

[0001] COMMUNICATION METHOD FOR AEROSOL PROVISION SYSTEM AND AEROSOL PROVISION SYSTEM

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of aerosol provision technology, particularly to a communication method for an aerosol provision system and an aerosol provision system.

[0004] Technical Background

[0005] An aerosol provision system refers to a system that contains aerosol-generating materials inside and heats the aerosol-generating materials to generate an aerosol for the user to puff.

[0006] In terms of structure, an aerosol provision system generally comprises a device end with a controller and a power source, as well as a cartridge with a heating element. On the one hand, the device end needs to communicate with the cartridge to obtain more information about the cartridge, such as the cartridge model, the consumption of the atomization matrix in the cartridge, the real-time temperature / resistance value of the heating element, etc. On the other hand, the device end also needs to send an electric power supply signal to the heating element for heating control.

[0007] In the prior art, the heating control and communication are carried out independently, resulting in overly frequent and inefficient signal transmission between the device and the cartridge.

[0008] Therefore, how to efficiently achieve communication and heating control between the device and the cartridge is an urgent problem to be solved at present.

[0009] Summary

[0010] In accordance with some embodiments described herein, there is provided a communication method for an aerosol provision system and an aerosol provision system, so that the device and the cartridge can achieve efficient communication and heating control through the same data frame transmitted by the same electrode.

[0011] In accordance with a first aspect, there is provided a communication method for an aerosol provision system. The method comprises: a device of the system encapsulates and sends a first data frame to an electrode of the system based on a serial communication protocol, the first data frame comprises supplementary data and main data carrying communication data; both the supplementary data and the main data are logic level signals and the distribution of the logic level signals is determined based on the magnitude of the target electric power provided to a cartridge of the system; the electrode transmits the first data frame to a heating element and a control unit of the cartridge; the heating element performs heating control according to the high-low level signal in the logic level signal; and the control unit decapsulates the first data frame according to the serial communication protocol and parses the main data to obtain the communication data carried by the first data frame.

[0012] In the above embodiment, the data frame transmitted between the device and the cartridge is set as main data in the form of logic level signals and supplementary data in the form of logic level signals. The main data in the data frame is used for communication, and the logic level signals of the main data and the supplementary data are used for heating control. Since the supplementary data has nothing to do with communication, the supplementary data can be adjusted to adjust the electric power. Thus, communication and electric power control can be carried out between the device and the cartridge through one data frame. Since it is one data frame, it can be transmitted through only one electrode, so efficient and low-cost communication and heating control are achieved.

[0013] In embodiments of the or any of the above communication method for an aerosol provision system, the device encapsulates the first data frame based on the serial communication protocol may comprise: the device determines the logic level signal distribution of the main data according to the communication data to be carried, and determines the logic level signal distribution of the supplementary data according to the target electric power, such that the ratio of total high level signals in the main data and the supplementary data corresponds to the target electric power.

[0014] In embodiments of the or any of the above communication method for an aerosol provision system, the device has a maximum electric power provided to the heating element. The target electric power is a ratio of the target electric power to the maximum electric power.

[0015] In embodiments of the or any of the above communication method for an aerosol provision system, the target electric power determines the logic level signal distribution of the supplementary data, such that the ratio of total high level signals in the main data and the supplementary data corresponds to the target electric power, which comprises: determining the data length of the supplementary data and the data length of the high-level signal of the supplementary data according to the data length of the main data and the data length of the high-level signal of the main data, making the ratio of the total data length of the high-level signal in the main data and the supplementary data to the total data length of the main data and the supplementary data corresponds to the target electric power.

[0016] In embodiments of the or any of the above communication method for an aerosol provision system, in the first data frame, the main data comprises at least one main data segment, the supplementary data comprises at least one supplementary data segment, the main data segment is adjacent to the supplementary data segment. In the embodiments of this application, the main data segments and the supplementary data segments are adjacently distributed and can be successively received by the cartridge on the time axis. This enables the supplementary adjustment of the electric power to be carried out dispersedly throughout the heating process. It avoids the situation where, due to the continuous distribution of the main data segments, the electric power cannot be supplemented and adjusted for a long period during the heating process, resulting in a large difference in the magnitude of the electric power in different periods and making it uneven.

[0017] In embodiments of the or any of the above communication method for an aerosol provision system, the number of the main data segments is the same as the number of the supplementary data segments.

[0018] In embodiments of the or any of the above communication method for an aerosol provision system, each of the main data segments comprises at least one byte, and / or each of the supplementary data segments comprises at least one byte.

[0019] In embodiments of the or any of the above communication method for an aerosol provision system, the data length of each of the main data segments is the same as the data length of each of the supplementary data segments located thereafter. In this way, the uniform distribution of the electric power throughout the heating process can be achieved, and it is convenient for the cartridge to identify the main data segments and the supplementary data segments.

[0020] In embodiments of the or any of the above communication method for an aerosol provision system, the high and low level signals in each of the supplementary data segments are evenly distributed. Based on this, the uniform distribution of the electric power can be improved, and a large difference in the electric power between the front and rear periods can be avoided.

[0021] In embodiments of the or any of the above communication method for an aerosol provision system, the main data comprises a frame header, data length indication information, valid data and a check code. The control unit decapsulates the first data frame according to the serial communication protocol and parses the valid data to obtain the communication data.

[0022] In embodiments of the or any of the above communication method for an aerosol provision system, the control unit parses the main data and the supplementary data according to the serial communication protocol to obtain the target electric power carried by the main data and the supplementary data according to the logical signal distribution. Based on this, in addition to parsing the main data to obtain the communication data, the cartridge end can also parse the entire data frame to obtain the target electric power information. Thus, the device end can transmit two kinds of communication information to the cartridge through one data frame, improving the communication efficiency.

[0023] In embodiments of the or any of the above communication method for an aerosol provision system, the method further comprises: the control unit responds to the communication data, based on the serial communication protocol, the control unit encapsulates the response information to generate a second data frame, and sends the second data frame to the device through the electrode; and the device decapsulates the second data frame based on the serial communication protocol and parses the second data frame to obtain the response information.

[0024] In embodiments of the or any of the above communication method for an aerosol provision system, the logical level signal may be a TTL level signal.

[0025] In embodiments of the or any of the above communication method for an aerosol provision system, the serial communication protocol may be a LIART communication protocol.

[0026] In accordance with a second aspect, there is provided an aerosol provision system. The system comprises: a device, configured to provide an electric power and encapsulate a first data frame based on a serial communication protocol, the first data frame comprises supplementary data and main data carrying communication data, both the supplementary data and the main data are logic level signals and the distribution of the logic level signals is determined based on a provided electric power; a cartridge, comprising a heating element and a control unit; an electrode, configured to transmit the first data frame sent by the device to the heating element and the control unit; the heating element, configured to perform heating control according to a high-low level signal in the logic level signal; and the control unit, configured to decapsulate the first data frame according to the serial communication protocol and parse the main data to obtain communication data carried by the first data frame.

[0027] In embodiments of the or any of the above aerosol provision system, the control unit is further configured to parse the main data and the supplementary data according to the serial communication protocol to obtain the target electric power carried by the main data and the supplementary data according to the logic level signal distribution.

[0028] In embodiments of the or any of the above aerosol provision system, the control unit, further configured to respond to the communication data and encapsulate the response information based on the serial communication protocol to generate a second data frame; the electrode, further configured to send the second data frame to the device; and the device, further configured to decapsulate the second data frame based on the serial communication protocol and parse the second data frame to obtain the response information.

[0029] One or more of the above solutions of the present invention have at least one or more of the following beneficial effects.

[0030] In the embodiments of this application, the data frame transmitted between the device and the cartridge is set to include main data in the form of high-low level signals and supplementary data in the form of high-low level signals. The main data in the data frame is used for communication, and the high-low level signals of the main data and the supplementary data are used for heating control. Since the supplementary data has nothing to do with communication, the supplementary data can be adjusted to adjust the electric power. Thus, efficient and accurate communication and electric power control are achieved between the device and the cartridge through one data frame. Since it is one data frame, it can be transmitted through only one electrode. Therefore, efficient, accurate and low-cost communication and heating control are achieved.

[0031] Additional aspects and advantages of the application will be partially described in the following description, some will become apparent from the following description, and others will be learned through the practice of the application.

[0032] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0033] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the disclosure of the present application will become more understandable. Those skilled in the art can easily understand 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, wherein:

[0034] Figure 1 is a composition diagram of the aerosol provision system of this application;

[0035] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of main data segments and supplementary data segments of a data frame of this application;

[0036] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of main data segments and supplementary data segments of another data frame of this application;

[0037] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the communication format of the data frame of this application;

[0038] Figure 5 is a flowchart of the communication method of the aerosol provision system of this application; and

[0039] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the computer device provided in the embodiment of this application.

[0040] Detailed Description

[0041] The following describes some embodiments of the present application 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 of the present application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application.

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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.

[0047] In some embodiments, the delivery system is a non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a powered non-combustible aerosol provision system.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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.

[0052] 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] 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.

[0059] In some embodiments, the active substance comprises nicotine. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin or vitamin B12.

[0060] 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.

[0061] 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.

[0062] 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.

[0063] 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.

[0064] 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. 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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. 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.

[0067] 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.

[0068] 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.

[0069] The one or more other functional materials may comprise one or more of pH regulators, colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and / or antioxidants.

[0070] 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.

[0071] 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.

[0072] 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.

[0073] 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.

[0074] 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.

[0075] 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.

[0076] 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.

[0077] 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.

[0078] Embodiment 1

[0079] Embodiment 1 of this application provides an aerosol provision system. Figure 1 is a composition diagram of the aerosol provision system of this application. It shows the composition of the aerosol provision system 10 in a simplified manner, in which each part is not drawn to scale, and parts irrelevant to the understanding of the solution of this application are omitted.

[0080] As shown in Figure 1 , the aerosol provision system 10 comprises a device 11 , a cartridge 12, and an electrode 13 electrically connected between them.

[0081] Wherein, the device 11 comprises a controller 111 and a power supply 112. The controller 111 may have various possible settings. For example, the controller 111 may be programmable. The power supply 112 may be any suitable power source, such as a DC voltage source. In one embodiment, the power supply is a lithium - ion battery. Alternatively, the power supply may be a nickel - metal hydride battery, a nickel - cadmium battery, or a lithium - based battery, such as a lithium - cobalt, lithium - iron phosphate, or lithium - polymer battery. Wherein, the cartridge 12 comprises a control unit 121 and a heating element 122. The heating element 122 may be a heating needle, a heating coil, or other structural variants. The control unit 121 may have various possible settings. For example, the control unit 121 may be programmable.

[0082] The controller 111 is used to control the power supply 112 to control the power supply to the heating element 122. The heating element 122 is used to be energized and generate heat under the control of the controller 111 to heat the aerosol - generating material (such as e - liquid) in the cartridge 12.

[0083] Generally, the device 11 , especially its internal controller 111 and power supply 112, can be reused multiple times, while the cartridge 12 may be replaced in whole or in part. Of course, in an alternative embodiment, the cartridge 12 may be set to be non - replaceable.

[0084] A power supply signal needs to be transmitted between the controller 111 and the heating element 122 for heating control, and the power supply signal is based on logic level signals. The logic level signals include high - and low - level signals. The heating element 122 is energized and heated according to the high - level signal and is powered off and stops heating according to the low - level signal. In one example, the logic level signal uses a TTL level signal. Here, 1 represents a high level, defined as a voltage range of 2V to 5V; 0 represents a low level, defined as a voltage range of OV to 0.8V. Of course, in alternative embodiments, the logic level signal may also be in other forms.

[0085] It should be noted that the device 11 of the aerosol provision system 10 has a preset maximum power supply that can be provided. The maximum power supply refers to the power that the heating element 122 can obtain when it is continuously energized. When the power supply needs to be adjusted, it can be achieved by controlling the ratio of energization to power - off, that is, the ratio of high - and low - level signals. For example, if the power supply is the maximum power supply, the ratio of the high - level signal 1 in the logic level signal is set to 100%; if the power supply is 70% of the maximum power supply, the ratio of the high - level signal 1 in the logic level signal is set to 70%. In an example of this application, the user can set the power supply provided to the heating element 122 in the system as a specific power value. The controller 111 determines the ratio of high - and low - level signals through the ratio of the power value to the maximum power supply. In a preferred embodiment, the power supply provided to the heating element 122 set by the user in the system refers to the ratio of the power supply to the maximum power supply. Of course, it is understandable that the user can set the specific power value of the power supply in the system, and the controller 111 calculates the ratio according to the power value and the maximum power value to further determine the ratio of the high - level signal.

[0086] Communication is required between the controller 111 and the control unit 121 of the cartridge 12 to exchange information such as the cartridge model. The communication can also be based on logic level signals. It is only necessary to pre - define the communication data represented by different logic level signal distributions between the controller 111 and the control unit 121. For example, 01010101 is defined as the communication data for requesting to obtain the cartridge model.

[0087] Based on the foregoing, it can be known that logic level signals can be used for heating control and communication. Based on this, this application creatively proposes to reuse the logic level signals in the same data frame to simultaneously achieve heating control and communication, so as to improve the communication and heating control efficiency between the device and the cartridge. The reusability of the data frame means that the controller 111 and the cartridge 12 can transmit the data frame through the same electrode to simultaneously achieve heating control and communication, which can reduce the hardware cost of the system. Since the same electrode is used to transmit the data frame, this application needs to use a serial communication protocol.

[0088] In the same data frame, it is difficult to simultaneously carry communication data and the power supply signal for heating control. Once the communication data is determined, the distribution of the logic level signals carrying the communication data is also determined. However, the power supply is variable, and obviously, it is impossible to adjust the power supply in the already determined logic level signals. Considering that for heating control, each logic level signal in the data frame will affect the heating control, while for communication, the communication protocol can stipulate that part of the data in the data frame is valid for communication, and the rest is invalid for communication. Based on this, this application further creatively proposes to distinguish the main data and the supplementary data in the same data frame, use the main data to carry the communication data, and use the supplementary data to adjust the logic signal distribution in the main data so that the overall logic signal distribution of the data frame conforms to the setting of the power supply.

[0089] Based on the above ideas, in the embodiments of this application, the controller 111 is further configured to determine the main data for carrying the communication data based on the communication data to be sent to the control unit 121 , determine the supplementary data based on the target power supply to be provided to the heating element 122, encapsulate the main data and the supplementary data into a first data frame based on the serial communication protocol, and send the first data frame to the electrode 13. Both the supplementary data and the main data are logic level signals, and the distribution of the high - and low - level signals of the logic level signals is determined based on the level of the target power supply provided to the heating element 122 of the cartridge.

[0090] In one example, the controller 111 is specifically configured to determine the logic level signal distribution of the main data according to the communication data to be carried, and determine the logic level signal distribution of the supplementary data according to the target power supply, so that the proportion of the total high - level signals in the main data and the supplementary data corresponds to the target power supply. For example, the logic level signal distribution corresponding to a piece of communication data is 01010101 , and the target power supply is 50%. Since the power supply in the logic level signal 01000100 corresponding to the communication data is only 25%, the logic level signal distribution of the supplementary data can be set to 10111001 at this time to make the power supply of the overall data frame 50%. Of course, it is understandable that the logic level signal distribution of the supplementary data can have various possible setting methods, as long as the proportion of the total high - level signals in it and the main data corresponds to the target power supply. For example, in addition to 10111001 , the supplementary data can also be set to 10101011 , 10001111 , or 00011111 , etc. In a preferred embodiment, the high - and low - level signals in the supplementary data should be set as uniformly as possible to achieve uniform heating control as much as possible. For example, 10101011 is better than 10001111 because the power control of the former is uniform, while the power control of the latter is low at first and then high, with a large difference in the front - and - back time.

[0091] Since the proportion of high - level signals is calculated, in the embodiment of this application, the controller 111 is further configured to determine the data length of the supplementary data and the data length of the high - level signals of the supplementary data according to the data length of the main data and the data length of the high - level signals of the main data, so that the proportion of the total data length of the high - level signals in the main data and the supplementary data to the total data length of the main data and the supplementary data corresponds to the target power supply. In the embodiment of this application, for the same target power supply, there can be various possible settings for the supplementary data. For example, the length of the supplementary data can be different, and the data length of the high - level signals of the supplementary data can be different. This application does not specifically limit this, and it can be set according to requirements.

[0092] On the premise of meeting the setting of the target power supply, the position distribution and quantity setting of the main data segments and the supplementary data segments, and the high - and - low - level distribution of the supplementary data segments themselves can have various possible forms, and this application does not specifically limit this. Considering that these distributions affect whether the power supply is evenly distributed, which further affects whether the heating element 122 can perform uniform heating. Therefore, the following embodiments of this application disclose several preferred examples to improve the uniformity of the power supply distribution.

[0093] In one example of this application, the main data may include at least one main data segment, the supplementary data may include at least one supplementary data segment, and the main data segments and the supplementary data segments are adjacently distributed. In a more preferred embodiment, the logic level signal distributions of the adjacent main data segments and supplementary data segments are set as much as possible to conform to the target power supply. In this example, the heating element 122 of the cartridge 12 can successively receive the main data segments and the supplementary data segments, which enables the supplementary adjustment of the power supply to be evenly dispersed throughout the heating process. It avoids the situation where the supplementary adjustment of the power supply is too concentrated due to the concentrated distribution of the main data segments, resulting in a large difference in the power supply in different periods. Taking the target power supply of 50% as an example, Figure 2 shows all the main data segments grouped together before all the supplementary data segments, and Figure 3 shows an alternating distribution of main data segments and supplementary data segments . It is understandable that for the heating control based on Figure 2, the power supply varies greatly in the front - and - back time, while for the heating control based on Figure 3, the provided power supply varies little in the front - and - back time, enabling the heating element to heat uniformly.

[0094] In another example of this application, the main data segments and the supplementary data segments are adjacently set and have the same quantity, so that each main data segment has a corresponding supplementary data segment for adjustment. In a further preferred setting, the logic signal distribution between the adjacent main data segments and supplementary data segments can be made to conform to the target power setting as much as possible. Taking the data frame shown in Figure 3 as an example, when the target power supply is 50%, the proportion of high - level signals in the overall data frame is 50%. At the same time, the proportion of high - level signals in the main data segment 1 and the supplementary data segment 1 is set to 50% or as close to 50% as possible, the proportion of high - level signals in the main data segment 2 and the supplementary data segment 2 is set to 50% or as close to 50% as possible, and the proportion of high - level signals in the main data segment 3 and the supplementary data segment 3 is set to 50% or as close to 50% as possible. In this way, the uniform distribution of the power supply is achieved.

[0095] In another example of this application, on the premise that a supplementary data segment meets the preset proportion of high - level signals, it is preferable to set the high - and - low - level signals in the supplementary data segment to be evenly spaced. For example, a piece of supplementary data needs to meet the requirement that the proportion of high - level signals is 75%. Then both 10101011 and 10001111 meet this requirement. However, compared with 10001111 , the high - and - low - level signal distribution of 10101011 is more uniform, that is, the power supply distribution is more uniform, which enables the heating element 122 to perform more uniform heating accordingly.

[0096] The first data frame set as above is sent to the electrode 13. As shown in Figure 1 , the electrode 13 is specifically connected to the control unit 121 and the heating element 122 in the cartridge 12, and is further configured to transmit the obtained first data frame to the heating element 122 and the control unit 121 of the cartridge 12. The heating element 122 is configured to perform heating control according to the high - and - low - level signals of the logic level signals in the data frame. The control unit 121 is configured to decapsulate the first data frame according to the serial communication protocol and parse the main data to obtain the communication data carried by it.

[0097] Based on the above embodiment, the device 11 and the cartridge 12 may reuse the data frame transmitted through the same electrode 13 for heating control and communication, achieving efficient and low - cost communication and heating control.

[0098] In the embodiments of this application, the first data frame is used for serial communication, so it needs to conform to the basic rules of the serial communication protocol so that the control unit 121 of the cartridge 12 can identify the relevant information of the data frame. The serial communication protocol can specifically be the Universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (UART) communication protocol. Figure 4 shows one of the feasible setting rules. As shown in Figure 4, the data frame comprises: a frame header, data length information, valid data, supplementary data, and a check code. In an alternative embodiment, it may also include a frame tail or other parts.

[0099] Except for the supplementary data, the rest of the data constitutes the main data mentioned above. As shown in Figure 4, the frame header, data length information, valid data, and check code in the main data each form a main data segment. Further, in this application, the valid data can form multiple main data segments, such as the first main data segment and the second main data segment shown in Figure 4. In this application, the supplementary data can form multiple supplementary data segments, such as the first supplementary data segment and the second supplementary data segment shown in Figure 4. The first main data segment and the first supplementary data segment are adjacently set, and the second main data segment and the second supplementary data segment are adjacently set, which can improve the uniformity of the power supply distribution. In a more preferred embodiment, supplementary data segments can be adjacently set for all main data segments such as the frame header and the check code to further improve the uniformity of the power supply distribution.

[0100] Corresponding to the data frame structure in Figure 4, the data length information can be set specifically to include the length of all data and the length of the supplementary data segments. The length of all data represents the number of bytes of all the data in the data frame or the data after excluding some specific data, such as the total number of bytes of the valid data, supplementary data, and check code. The length of the supplementary data segments represents the number of bytes of each supplementary data segment. In this application, this data length can be 1 byte or more than 1 byte. According to this more detailed length information, it is convenient for the control unit 121 to better identify various information in the data frame.

[0101] The valid data is mainly used to carry communication data, and the valid data is generally set in units of one byte. In order to identify the valid data, each byte of valid data in this application also needs to conform to the basic rules of the serial communication protocol, such as setting including a start bit, data bits, a parity bit, and a stop bit. In an alternative embodiment, it may also include an idle bit, etc.

[0102] When the heating element 122 of the cartridge 12 receives the above data frame, it does not distinguish between the frame header, valid data, etc., but directly performs heating according to the high-low level signal of each bit. When the control unit 121 of the cartridge 12 receives the above data frame, it will identify the data frame, valid data, and supplementary data according to the settings of the frame header, check code, data length information, and each byte of the valid data, and parse the identified valid data to obtain the communication data, thus completing the communication and heating control.

[0103] In a further embodiment of this application, the control unit 121 is configured to parse the main data and the supplementary data according to the serial communication protocol to obtain the target power supply carried by them according to the distribution of their logic level signals. Based on this, in addition to parsing the main data to obtain the communication data, the cartridge 12 can also parse the entire data frame to obtain the target power supply information. Thus, the device 11 can transmit two kinds of communication information to the cartridge through one data frame, improving the communication efficiency.

[0104] In a further embodiment of this application, the control unit 121 is configured to respond to the communication data, encapsulate the response information based on the serial communication protocol to generate a second data frame, and send it to the device 11 through the electrode 13. The device 11 is further configured to decapsulate the second data frame based on the serial communication protocol and parse it to obtain the response information, so as to complete the information interaction between the device 11 and the cartridge 12.

[0105] It should be noted that in this application, not only the magnitude of the power supply can be set, but also the switching frequency of the power supply can be set through the first data frame. Specifically, it can be achieved by adjusting the time interval between the data bits in the data frame, that is, the baud rate. When a high-frequency switching of the power supply is required, the baud rate is increased. Conversely, the baud rate is decreased.

[0106] It should be noted here that the above is only an example of an aerosol provision system. In this application, the aerosol provision system can have various possible modifications. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0107] Embodiment 2 Embodiment 2 of this application provides a communication method for an aerosol provision system. The aerosol provision system can particularly be the aerosol provision system described in Embodiment 1 and Figure 1 . Figure 5 is a flowchart of the communication method of the aerosol provision system in this application. As shown in Figure 5, the method comprises the following steps.

[0108] S51 : The device of the system encapsulates and sends a first data frame to the electrode of the system based on a serial communication protocol. The first data frame includes supplementary data and main data carrying communication data; both the supplementary data and the main data are logic level signals, and the distribution of the logic level signals is determined based on the level of the target power supply provided to the cartridge of the system.

[0109] In one embodiment of this application, step S51 specifically comprises: the device determines the logic level signal distribution of the main data according to the communication data to be carried, and determines the logic level signal distribution of the supplementary data according to the target power supply, so that the proportion of the total high level signals in the main data and the supplementary data corresponds to the target power supply.

[0110] Specifically, the data length of the supplementary data and the data length of the high- level signals of the supplementary data can be determined according to the data length of the main data and the data length of the high-level signals of the main data, so that the proportion of the total data length of the high-level signals in the main data and the supplementary data to the total data length of the main data and the supplementary data corresponds to the target power supply. The data length of the supplementary data and the data length of the high-level signals of the supplementary data can be set as needed. In a preferred embodiment, this setting aims to improve the uniformity of the power supply.

[0111] To improve the uniformity of the power supply, in one embodiment of this application, the main data segments and the supplementary data segments are adjacently set and / or have the same quantity. In an alternative or further embodiment, the data length of each main data segment is the same as the data length of each supplementary data segment immediately following it. In an alternative or further embodiment, the high and low level signals in each supplementary data segment are evenly spaced.

[0112] S52: The electrode transmits the first data frame to the heating element and the control unit of the cartridge.

[0113] S53: The heating element performs heating control according to the high-low level signals in the logic level signals.

[0114] S54: The control unit decapsulates the first data frame according to the serial communication protocol and parses the main data to obtain the communication data carried by it. In the above embodiment, the data frame transmitted between the device and the cartridge is set to include main data in the form of high-low level signals and supplementary data in the form of high-low level signals. The main data in the data frame is used for communication, and the high-low level signals of the main data and the supplementary data are used for heating control. Since the supplementary data has nothing to do with communication, the supplementary data can be adjusted to adjust the power supply. Thus, communication and power supply control are achieved between the device and the cartridge through one data frame. Since it is one data frame, it can be transmitted through only one electrode, so efficient and low-cost communication and heating control are achieved.

[0115] In a further embodiment of this application, as shown in Figure 5, the method further comprises the following step.

[0116] S55: The control unit parses the main data and the supplementary data according to the serial communication protocol to obtain the target power supply carried by them according to the distribution of the logic level signals. Based on this, in addition to parsing the main data to obtain the communication data, the cartridge end can also parse the entire data frame to obtain the target power supply information. Thus, the device end can transmit two kinds of communication information to the cartridge through one data frame, improving the communication efficiency.

[0117] In a further embodiment of this application, the method further comprises: the control unit responds to the communication data, encapsulates the response information based on the serial communication protocol to generate a second data frame, and sends it to the device through the electrode; and the device decapsulates the second data frame based on the serial communication protocol and parses it to obtain the response information.

[0118] Wherein, in this embodiment, the content that is the same as or similar to that in Embodiment 1 above can refer to the above introduction, and will not be repeated hereinafter.

[0119] Embodiment 3

[0120] Corresponding to the above Embodiments 1 and 2, this application also provides a computer device, comprising: a processor and a memory. The memory stores a computer program that can run on the processor. When the computer program is executed by the processor, it executes the communication method for the aerosol provision system provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0121] Figure 6 exemplarily shows a computer device 1500, which can specifically include a processor 1510, a video display adapter 1511 , a disk drive 1512, an input / output interface

[0122] 1513, a network interface 1514, and a memory 1520. The above - mentioned processor 1510, video display adapter 1511 , disk drive 1512, input / output interface 1513, network interface

[0123] 1514, and memory 1520 can be communicatively connected through a communication bus 1530. The processor 1510 can be implemented by a general - purpose CPU (Central Processing Unit), a microprocessor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or one or more integrated circuits, etc., for executing relevant programs to implement the technical solutions provided by this application.

[0124] The memory 1520 can be implemented in the form of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a static storage device, a dynamic storage device, etc. The memory 1520 can store an operating system 1521 for controlling the operation of the electronic device and a BIOS (Basic Input - Output System) for controlling the low - level operations of the electronic device. In addition, it can also store a web browser 1523, a data storage management system 1524, and a device identification information processing system 1525, etc. The above - mentioned device identification information processing system 1525 can be the application program that specifically implements the operations of the foregoing steps in the embodiment of this application. In short, when implementing the technical solutions provided by this application through software or firmware, the relevant program codes are stored in the memory 1520 and called and executed by the processor 1510.

[0125] The input / output interface 1513 is used to connect an input / output module to realize information input and output. The input / output module can be configured as a component in the device (not shown in the figure) or externally connected to the device to provide corresponding functions. The input devices can include a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, a microphone, various sensors, etc., and the output devices can include a display, a speaker, a vibrator, an indicator light, etc.

[0126] The network interface 1514 is used to connect a communication module (not shown in the figure) to realize the communication interaction between this device and other devices. The communication module can realize communication through a wired method (such as USB, network cable, etc.) or a wireless method (such as mobile network, WIFI, Bluetooth, etc.).

[0127] The bus comprises a path for transmitting information between various components of the device (such as the processor 1510, video display adapter 1511 , disk drive 1512, input / output interface 1513, network interface 1514, and memory 1520).

[0128] In addition, the electronic device can also obtain information on specific redemption conditions from the virtual resource object redemption condition information database for condition judgment, etc.

[0129] It should be noted that although the above - mentioned device only shows the processor 1510, video display adapter 1511 , disk drive 1512, input / output interface 1513, network interface 1514, memory 1520, bus, etc., in the specific implementation process, the device may also include other components necessary for normal operation. In addition, those skilled in the art can understand that the above - mentioned device may also only include the components necessary for implementing the solution of this application, rather than all the components shown in the figure.

[0130] Embodiment 4

[0131] Corresponding to the above Embodiments 1 to 3, the embodiment of this application also provides a computer - readable storage medium. The computer - readable storage medium stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the communication method for the aerosol provision system as described in the above embodiments. In this embodiment, the content that is the same as or similar to that in the above Embodiments 1 to 3 can refer to the above introduction, and will not be repeated hereinafter.

[0132] It should be understood that each part of the present application 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.

[0133] 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 of the present application. 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.

[0134] 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 application, the term "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0135] In the present application, 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 application based on the circumstances. Although the embodiments of the application have been shown and described above, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are exemplary and should not be considered as limiting the application. Those skilled in the art within the scope of the application can make variations, modifications, replacements, and variations to the abovedescribed embodiments.

Claims

Claims1. A communication method for an aerosol provision system, characterized in that, the method comprises: a device of the system encapsulates and sends a first data frame to an electrode of the system based on a serial communication protocol; the first data frame comprises supplementary data and main data carrying communication data; both the supplementary data and the main data are logic level signals and the distribution of the logic level signals is determined based on the magnitude of the target electric power provided to a cartridge of the system; the electrode transmits the first data frame to a heating element and a control unit of the cartridge; the heating element performs heating control according to the high-low level signal in the logic level signal; the control unit decapsulates the first data frame according to the serial communication protocol and parses the main data to obtain the communication data carried by the first data frame.

2. The communication method for an aerosol provision system according to claim 1 , characterized in that, the device encapsulates the first data frame based on the serial communication protocol, which comprises: the device determines the logic level signal distribution of the main data according to the communication data to be carried, and determines the logic level signal distribution of the supplementary data according to the target electric power, such that the ratio of total high level signals in the main data and the supplementary data corresponds to the target electric power.

3. The communication method for an aerosol provision system according to claim 2, characterized in that, the device has a maximum electric power provided to the heating element; the target electric power is a ratio of the target electric power to the maximum electric power.

4. The communication method for an aerosol provision system according to claim 2, characterized in that, the target electric power determines the logic level signal distribution of the supplementary data, such that the ratio of total high level signals in the main data and the supplementary data corresponds to the target electric power, which comprises: determining the data length of the supplementary data and the data length of the high- level signal of the supplementary data according to the data length of the main data and the data length of the high-level signal of the main data, making the ratio of the total data length of the high-level signal in the main data and the supplementary data to the total data length of the main data and the supplementary data corresponds to the target electric power.

5. The communication method for an aerosol provision system according to claim 4, characterized in that, in the first data frame, the main data comprises at least one main data segment, and the supplementary data comprises at least one supplementary data segment, wherein the main data segment is adjacent to the supplementary data segment.

6. The communication method for an aerosol provision system according to claim 5, characterized in that, the number of the main data segments is the same as the number of the supplementary data segments.

7. The communication method for an aerosol provision system according to claim 5, characterized in that, each of the main data segments comprises at least one byte, and / or each of the supplementary data segments comprises at least one byte.

8. The communication method for an aerosol provision system according to claim 7, characterized in that, the data length of each of the main data segments is the same as the data length of each of the supplementary data segments located thereafter.

9. The communication method for an aerosol provision system according to claim 5, characterized in that, the high and low level signals in each of the supplementary data segments are evenly distributed.

10. The communication method for an aerosol provision system according to claim 1 , characterized in that, the main data comprises a frame header, data length indication information, valid data and a check code; the control unit decapsulates the first data frame according to the serial communication protocol and parses the valid data to obtain the communication data.

11. The communication method for an aerosol provision system according to claim 1 , characterized in that, the method further comprises: the control unit parses the main data and the supplementary data according to the serial communication protocol to obtain the target electric power carried by the main data and the supplementary data according to the logical signal distribution.

12. The communication method for an aerosol provision system according to claim 1 , characterized in that, the method further comprises: the control unit responds to the communication data, based on the serial communication protocol, the control unit encapsulates the response information to generate a second data frame, and sends the second data frame to the device through the electrode; the device decapsulates the second data frame based on the serial communication protocol and parses the second data frame to obtain the response information.

13. The communication method for an aerosol provision system according to claim 1 , characterized in that, the logical level signal is a TTL level signal.

14. The communication method for an aerosol provision system according to claim 1 , characterized in that, the serial communication protocol is a Universal Asynchronous Rreceiver-Transmitter, “UART”, communication protocol.

15. An aerosol provision system, characterized in that, the system comprises: a device, configured to provide an electric power and encapsulate a first data frame based on a serial communication protocol; the first data frame comprises supplementary data and main data carrying communication data, both the supplementary data and the main data are logic level signals and the distribution of the logic level signals is determined based on a provided electric power; a cartridge, comprising a heating element and a control unit; an electrode, configured to transmit the first data frame sent by the device to the heating element and the control unit; the heating element, configured to perform heating control according to a high-low level signal in the logic level signal; the control unit, configured to decapsulate the first data frame according to the serial communication protocol and parse the main data to obtain communication data carried by the first data frame.

16. The aerosol provision system according to claim 15, characterized in that, the control unit, further configured to parse the main data and the supplementary data according to the serial communication protocol to obtain the target electric power carried by the main data and the supplementary data according to the logic level signal distribution.

17. The aerosol provision system according to claim 15, characterized in that, the control unit, further configured to respond to the communication data and encapsulate the response information based on the serial communication protocol to generate a second data frame; the electrode, further configured to send the second data frame to the device; the device, further configured to decapsulate the second data frame based on the serial communication protocol and parse the second data frame to obtain the response information.

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