CN117693302A - Interactive aerosol supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol delivery system comprising: aerosol delivery means; at least one proximity sensor configured to detect a person without physical contact of the person with the sensor and configured to output a detection signal when the person is detected; and an enable state processor configured to receive the detection signal and determine whether to change an operational state of the aerosol delivery device between the first enable state and the second enable state based at least in part on the received detection signal.

Description

Interactive aerosol supply system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an interactive aerosol provision system.

Background

The description of "background art" is provided herein for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

Aerosol delivery systems are popular with users because they enable the delivery of active ingredients (e.g., nicotine) to the user in a convenient manner and on demand.

As one example of an aerosol supply system, an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) typically contains a reservoir of a source liquid containing a formulation (typically including nicotine) from which an aerosol is generated, for example by thermal evaporation. Thus, an aerosol source for an aerosol supply system may comprise a heater having a heating element arranged to receive source liquid from a reservoir, for example by wicking/capillary action. Other source materials may similarly be heated to produce aerosols, such as plant matter or gels including active ingredients and/or flavors. Thus, more generally, an e-cigarette may be considered to include or receive a payload for thermal evaporation.

When a user inhales on the device, electrical power is supplied to the heating element to vaporize an aerosol source (part of the payload) in the vicinity of the heating element to generate an aerosol for inhalation by the user. Such devices are typically provided with one or more air inlet holes located away from the mouthpiece end of the system. As a user draws on a mouthpiece connected to the mouthpiece end of the system, air is drawn through the inlet aperture and past the aerosol source. There is a flow path connected between the aerosol source and the opening in the mouthpiece such that air drawn through the aerosol source continues along the flow path to the mouthpiece opening, carrying with it some aerosol from the aerosol source. The aerosol-carrying air exits the aerosol supply system through the mouthpiece opening for inhalation by the user.

Typically, when a user draws/puffs on the device, current is supplied to the heater. Typically, current is supplied to a heater, such as a resistive heating element, in response to actuation of an airflow sensor along the flow path when a user draws/puffs or in response to actuation of a button by a user. The heat generated by the heating element is used to atomize the formulation. The released vapor mixes with air drawn through the device by the consumer who is spraying the smoke and forms an aerosol. Alternatively or additionally, heating elements are used to heat but not normally burn plants (e.g. tobacco) to release their active ingredients as a vapor/aerosol.

Safe, efficient and/or timely operation of such aerosol provision systems may benefit from appropriate responses to how a user interacts with it.

The present invention has been made in this context.

Disclosure of Invention

Various aspects and features of the present invention are defined in the appended claims and within the text of the accompanying specification.

In a first aspect, an aerosol delivery system is provided according to claim 1.

In another aspect, an enablement status determining method is provided according to claim 19.

Drawings

A more complete appreciation of the present disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

fig. 1 is a schematic view of a conveying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present specification.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a main body of the conveying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present specification.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a nebulizer of a delivery device according to an embodiment of the present description.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a main body of the conveying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present specification.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a transport ecosystem according to an embodiment of the present description.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present specification.

Fig. 7 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the present description.

Detailed Description

An interactive aerosol provision system is disclosed. In the following description, numerous specific details are presented in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that these specific details need not be employed to practice embodiments of the present disclosure. On the contrary, for the sake of clarity, specific details are omitted where appropriate as known to those skilled in the art.

The term "interactive aerosol supply system" or similarly "delivery device" may encompass a system that delivers at least one substance to a user and includes: a non-combustible aerosol supply system that releases a compound from an aerosol-generating material without burning the aerosol-generating material, e.g., an electronic cigarette, a tobacco heating product; a mixing system that generates an aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials; and an aerosol-free delivery system for delivering at least one substance orally, nasally, transdermally, or in another manner to a user without aerosol formation, including but not limited to lozenges, glues, patches, products including inhalable powders, and oral products, such as oral tobacco including snuff or wet snuff, wherein the at least one substance may or may not include nicotine.

The substance to be delivered may be an aerosol generating material or a material that is not intended to be aerosolized. Any of the materials may include one or more active ingredients, one or more flavoring agents, one or more aerosol former materials, and/or one or more other functional materials, as appropriate.

Currently, the most common example of such delivery devices or aerosol supply systems (e.g., non-combustible aerosol supply systems) are electronic vapor supply systems (EVPS), such as e-cigarettes. In the following description, the term "e-cigarette" is sometimes used, but this term may be used interchangeably with the delivery device or aerosol supply system unless otherwise indicated or otherwise indicated by context. Similarly, the terms "vapor" and "aerosol" are equivalently referred to herein.

In general, the electronic vapour/aerosol supply system may be an electronic cigarette, also referred to as an electronic smoking device or electronic nicotine delivery device (END), but it should be noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol generating (e.g. aerosolizable) material is not necessary. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system is a tobacco heating system, also referred to as a heated non-combustion system. One example of such a system is a tobacco heating system. In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system is a hybrid system that generates an aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, wherein one or more of the aerosol-generating materials may be heated. Each aerosol-generating material may be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel, for example, and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the mixing system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. The solid aerosol-generating material may comprise, for example, a tobacco or non-tobacco product. Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system generates a vapor/aerosol from one or more such aerosol-generating materials.

In general, a non-combustible aerosol supply system may include a non-combustible aerosol supply device and an article (otherwise referred to as a consumable) for use with the non-combustible aerosol supply system. However, it is envisaged that the article itself comprising means for powering an aerosol generating component (e.g. an aerosol generator such as a heater, vibrating mesh or the like) may itself form the non-combustible aerosol supply system. In one embodiment, a non-combustible aerosol supply device may include a power source and a controller. The power source may be an electrical power source or a exothermic power source. In some embodiments, the exothermic power source comprises a carbon matrix that can be energized to distribute power in the form of heat to an aerosolizable material or heat transfer material in proximity to the exothermic power source. In one embodiment, a power source, such as a heat-generating power source, is disposed in the article to form a non-combustible aerosol supply. In one embodiment, an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply device may include an aerosolizable material.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating component is a heater that is capable of interacting with the aerosolizable material to release one or more volatiles from the aerosolizable material to form an aerosol. In one embodiment, the aerosol-generating component is capable of generating an aerosol from the aerosolizable material without heating. For example, the aerosol-generating component can generate an aerosol from the aerosolizable material without applying heat thereto, e.g., via one or more of vibration, mechanical, pressurization, and electrostatic means.

In some embodiments, the aerosolizable material can include an active material, an aerosol-forming material, and optionally one or more functional materials. The active material may comprise nicotine (optionally contained in tobacco or tobacco derivatives) or one or more other non-olfactory physiologically active materials. A non-olfactory physiologically active material is a material that is included in an aerosolizable material to effect a physiological reaction other than olfaction. The aerosol-forming material may include one or more of glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1, 3-butanediol, erythritol, meso-erythritol, ethyl vanillic acid, ethyl laurate, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a mixture of diacetin, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, glycerol tributyrate, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate. The one or more functional materials may include one or more of a flavoring, a carrier, a pH adjuster, a stabilizer, and/or an antioxidant.

In some embodiments, an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply device may include an aerosolizable material or a region for receiving an aerosolizable material. In one embodiment, an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply device may include a mouthpiece. The region for receiving the aerosolizable material may be a storage region for storing the aerosolizable material. For example, the storage area may be a reservoir. In one embodiment, the region for receiving the aerosolizable material may be separate from or combined with the aerosol-generating region.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 is a schematic view (not to scale) of a vapor/aerosol supply system, such as an electronic cigarette 10, providing a non-limiting example of a delivery device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

The e-cigarette has a generally cylindrical shape extending along a longitudinal axis indicated by the dashed line LA and comprises two main components, namely a body 20 and a nebulizer 30. The atomizer comprises a reservoir containing a payload, such as a liquid comprising nicotine, a vaporizer, such as a heater, and an internal chamber of the mouthpiece 35. Hereinafter, references to "nicotine" will be understood to be merely examples and may be replaced by any suitable active ingredient. Hereinafter "liquid" as payload will be understood to be just one example and may be replaced by any suitable payload, such as a plant matter (e.g. tobacco to be heated rather than combusted), or a gel comprising an active ingredient and/or flavouring. The reservoir may be a foam matrix or any other structure for holding the liquid until such time as it is desired to deliver it to the evaporator. In the case of a liquid/flow payload, the evaporator is used to evaporate the liquid, and the atomizer 30 may also include a wick or similar means to carry a small amount of liquid from the reservoir to an evaporation location on or near the evaporator. In the following, a heater is used as a specific example of the evaporator. However, it will be appreciated that other forms of evaporator may be used (e.g. an evaporator using ultrasound) and that the type of evaporator used may also depend on the type of payload to be evaporated.

The body 20 includes a rechargeable battery or batteries for providing power to the e-cigarette 10 and a circuit board for generally controlling the e-cigarette. When the heater receives power from the battery under the control of the circuit board, the heater evaporates the liquid, which is then inhaled by the user through the mouthpiece 35. In some embodiments, the body is further provided with a manual actuation device 265, such as a button, switch or touch sensor located outside the body.

The body 20 and the atomizer 30 may be disengaged from one another by separation in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis LA, as shown in fig. 1, but coupled together when the device 10 is in use by connectors schematically indicated as 25A and 25B in fig. 1, to provide a mechanical and electrical connection between the body 20 and the atomizer 30. The electrical connector 25B for connection to the body 20 of the atomizer 30 also serves as a socket for connection to a charging device (not shown) when the body 20 is disengaged from the atomizer 30. The other end of the charging device may be plugged into a USB receptacle to recharge the battery in the body 20 of the e-cigarette 10. In other implementations, a cable may be provided for a direct connection between the electrical connector 25B on the body 20 and the USB socket.

The electronic cigarette 10 is provided with one or more holes (not shown in fig. 1) for air ingress. These holes connect to the air passage through the e-cigarette 10 to the mouthpiece 35. When a user inhales through the mouthpiece 35, air is drawn into this air channel through the one or more air inlet apertures, which are suitably located outside the electronic cigarette. When the heater is activated to evaporate nicotine from the cartridge, the airflow passes through and combines with the generated vapor, and this combination of airflow and generated vapor then exits the mouthpiece 35 for inhalation by the user. In addition to being in a disposable device, the atomizer 30 may be disengaged from the main body 20 and discarded when the liquid supply is exhausted (and replaced with another atomizer if desired).

It will be appreciated that the e-cigarette 10 shown in fig. 1 is presented by way of example, and that various other implementations may be employed. For example, in some embodiments, the atomizer 30 is provided as two separable components, namely a cartridge comprising a liquid reservoir and a mouthpiece (which cartridge may be replaced when liquid from the reservoir is depleted), and an evaporator comprising a heater (which is typically retained). As another example, the charging facility may be connected to an additional or alternative power source, such as an automobile cigarette lighter.

Fig. 2 is a schematic (simplified) diagram of the body 20 of the e-cigarette 10 in fig. 1, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 may be generally considered as a cross-section taken in a plane passing through the longitudinal axis LA of the e-cigarette 10. It should be noted that various components and details of the body, such as wiring and more complex shapes, have been omitted from fig. 2 for clarity.

The body 20 includes a battery or battery unit 210 for powering the e-cigarette 10 in response to user activation of the device. In addition, the main body 20 includes a control unit 205 for controlling the electronic cigarette 10, for example, a chip such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or a microcontroller. The microcontroller or ASIC includes a CPU or microprocessor. The operation of the CPU and other electronic components is typically controlled, at least in part, by software programs running on the CPU (or other components). Such a software program may be stored in a non-volatile memory, such as a ROM, which may be integrated into the microcontroller itself, or provided as a separate component. The CPU can access the ROM to load and execute individual software programs when needed. The microcontroller also contains appropriate communication interfaces (and control software) for communicating with other devices in the body 10 as appropriate.

The body 20 further includes a cap 225 to seal and protect the distal end (distal end) of the e-cigarette 10. An air inlet aperture is typically provided in or near cap 225 to allow air to enter body 20 when a user inhales on mouthpiece 35. The control unit or ASIC may be located beside or at one end of the battery 210. In some embodiments, an ASIC is attached to the sensor unit 215 to detect inhalation on the mouthpiece 35 (or alternatively, the sensor unit 215 may be provided on the ASIC itself). An air path is provided from the air inlet through the electronic cigarette, through the airflow sensor 215 and the heater (in the evaporator or atomizer 30) to the mouthpiece 35. Thus when a user inhales on the mouthpiece of the electronic cigarette, the CPU detects such inhalation based on information from the airflow sensor 215.

At the end of the body 20 opposite the cap 225 is a connector 25B for coupling the body 20 to the atomizer 30. The connector 25B provides a mechanical and electrical connection between the body 20 and the atomizer 30. Connector 25B includes a body connector 240 that is metallic (silver plated in some embodiments) to serve as one terminal for electrical connection (positive or negative) to nebulizer 30. The connector 25B also includes an electrical contact 250 to provide a second terminal for electrical connection to the atomizer 30, the second terminal having an opposite polarity to the first terminal (i.e., the body connector 240). The electrical contacts 250 are mounted on coil springs 255. When the body 20 is attached to the atomizer 30, the connector 25A on the atomizer 30 pushes against the electrical contact 250 in such a way that the helical spring is compressed in the axial direction, i.e. in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis LA (co-aligned with the longitudinal axis a). Due to the resilient nature of the spring 255, this compression biases the spring 255 to expand, which has the effect of firmly pushing the electrical contact 250 against the connector 25A of the atomizer 30, thereby helping to ensure good electrical connectivity between the body 20 and the atomizer 30. The body connector 240 and the electrical contacts 250 are separated by a carrier 260 made of a non-conductor (e.g., plastic) to provide good insulation between the two electrical terminals. The carrier 260 is shaped to facilitate the mechanical engagement of the connectors 25A and 25B with each other.

As described above, a button 265, representing the form of a manual actuation device 265, may be located on the housing of the body 20. Button 265 may be implemented using any suitable mechanism operable to be manually actuated by a user, for example, as a mechanical button or switch, a capacitive or resistive touch sensor, or the like. It will also be appreciated that the manual actuation device 265 may be located on the housing of the nebulizer 30 instead of on the housing of the main body 20, in which case the manual actuation device 265 may be attached to the ASIC via connectors 25A, 25B. Button 265 may also be located at the end of body 20 in place of cap 225 (or in addition to cap 225).

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the atomizer 30 of the e-cigarette 10 of fig. 1, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 may be generally considered as a cross-section taken in a plane passing through the longitudinal axis LA of the e-cigarette 10. It should be noted that various components and details of the atomizer 30, such as wiring and more complex shapes, have been omitted from fig. 3 for clarity.

The atomizer 30 includes an air passage 355 extending along a central (longitudinal) axis of the atomizer 30 from the mouthpiece 35 to a connector 25A for coupling the atomizer 30 to the body 20. A reservoir 360 of liquid is disposed around the air channel 335. This reservoir 360 may be realized, for example, by providing cotton or foam soaked in a liquid. The atomizer 30 further includes a heater 365 for heating liquid from the reservoir 360 to generate vapor that flows through the air passage 355 and out through the mouthpiece 35 in response to a user inhaling on the electronic cigarette 10. The heater 365 is powered by lines 366 and 367 which in turn are connected to opposite polarities (positive and negative, or vice versa) of the battery 210 of the body 20 via the connector 25A (details of wiring between the power lines 366 and 367 and the connector 25A are omitted from fig. 3).

The connector 25A includes an inner electrode 375, which may be silver plated or made of some other suitable metal or conductive material. When the atomizer 30 is connected to the body 20, the inner electrode 375 contacts the electrical contact 250 of the body 20 to provide a first electrical path between the atomizer 30 and the body 20. In particular, when connectors 25A and 25B are engaged, inner electrode 375 pushes against electrical contact 250 to compress coil spring 255, thereby helping to ensure good electrical contact between inner electrode 375 and electrical contact 250.

The inner electrode 375 is surrounded by an insulating ring 372, which may be made of plastic, rubber, silicone or any other suitable material. The insulating ring is surrounded by a nebulizer connector 370, which may be silver plated or made of some other suitable metal or conductive material. When the atomizer 30 is connected to the body 20, the atomizer connector 370 contacts the body connector 240 of the body 20 to provide a second electrical path between the atomizer 30 and the body 20. In other words, the inner electrode 375 and the atomizer connector 370 serve as positive and negative terminals (or vice versa) for supplying power from the battery 210 in the main body 20 to the heater 365 in the atomizer 30, suitably through the power supply lines 366 and 367.

The atomizer connector 370 is provided with two lugs or tabs 380A, 380B that extend in opposite directions away from the longitudinal axis of the electronic cigarette 10. These tabs are used to provide a bayonet fitting in combination with the body connector 240 to connect the atomizer 30 to the body 20. This bayonet fitting provides a firm and solid connection between the atomizer 30 and the body 20, such that the atomizer and body remain in a fixed position relative to each other with minimal wobble or flexing, and such that the likelihood of any accidental disconnection is very small. At the same time, the bayonet fitting provides a simple and quick connection and disconnection by insertion followed by rotation for connection and rotation (in the opposite direction) followed by withdrawal for disconnection. It will be appreciated that other embodiments may use different forms of connection between the body 20 and the atomizer 30, such as a snap fit or a threaded connection.

Fig. 4 is a schematic illustration of certain details of connector 25B at an end of body 20 (although most of the internal structure of the connector shown in fig. 2, such as bracket 260, is omitted for clarity) in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, fig. 4 shows an outer housing 201 of the body 20, which generally has the form of a cylindrical tube. The outer housing 201 may comprise, for example, a metal inner tube with an outer covering of paper or the like. The outer housing 201 may also include a manual actuation device 265 (not shown in fig. 4) such that the manual actuation device 265 is easily accessible to a user.

The body connector 240 extends from the outer housing 201 of the body 20. As shown in fig. 4, the body connector 240 comprises two main parts, a hollow cylindrical tube shaped shaft part 241 sized to fit just inside the outer housing 201 of the body 20, and a lip part 242 oriented away from the main Longitudinal Axis (LA) of the e-cigarette in a radially outward direction. Surrounding the shaft portion 241 of the body connector 240 is a collar or sleeve 290, which is also a cylindrical tube in shape, wherein the shaft portion does not overlap the outer housing 201. The collar 290 is retained between the lip portion 242 of the body connector 240 and the outer housing 201 of the body, which together prevent the collar 290 from moving in an axial direction (i.e., parallel to the axis LA). However, collar 290 is free to rotate about shaft portion 241 (and thus about axis LA).

As described above, the cap 225 is provided with an air inlet aperture to allow air flow when a user inhales on the mouthpiece 35. However, in some embodiments, a majority of the air entering the device flows through the collar 290 and the body connector 240 when the user inhales, as indicated by the two arrows in fig. 4.

Referring now to fig. 5, the e-cigarette 10 (or more generally, any delivery device as described elsewhere herein) may operate within a wider delivery ecosystem 1. Within a wider transport ecosystem, multiple devices may communicate with each other directly (as indicated by solid line arrows) or indirectly (as indicated by dashed line arrows).

In fig. 5, as an example of a delivery device, the e-cigarette 10 may be associated with one or more other categories of devices (e.g., usingOr->) Direct communication, including but not limited to, a smart phone 100, a docking station 200 (e.g., home replenishment station and/or charging station), a vending machine 300, or a wearable device 400. As described above, these devices may cooperate in any suitable configuration to form a delivery system.

Alternatively or additionally, the delivery device (e.g., e-cigarette 10) may communicate indirectly with one or more of these categories of devices via a network such as the internet 500, e.g., usingNear field communication, wired links, or integrated mobile data schemes. Also, as described above, in this manner, the devices may cooperate in any suitable configuration to form a delivery system.

Alternatively or additionally, the delivery device (e.g., e-cigarette 10) may communicate indirectly with the server 1000 via a network such as the internet 500, or the delivery device itself may communicate indirectly with the server via a network such as the internet 500, for example, using Wifi or via another device in the delivery ecosystem (e.g., using Or->) In communication with the smartphone 100, docking station 200, vending machine 300, or wearable device 400, which then communicates with a server to relay the communication of the e-cigarette or report when it communicates with the e-cigarette 10. Thus, a smart phone, docking station, or other device within the delivery ecosystem, such as a point/vending machine of a sales system, may optionally be used as a hub for one or more delivery devices, which have only short-range transmission capabilities. Such a hub can thus be extended without the need to keep on going +.>Or battery life of the transport device of the mobile data link. It will also be appreciated that different types of data may be transmitted with different priorities; for example, data related to a user feedback system (e.g., user factor data or feedback action data, as discussed herein) may be transmitted with a higher priority than more general usage statistics, or similarly, some user factor data related to shorter term variables (e.g., current physiological data) may be transmitted with a higher priority than user factor data related to longer term variables (e.g., current weather, or day of the week). A non-limiting example transmission scheme that allows for higher and lower priority transmissions is the LoRaWAN.

Meanwhile, other types of devices in the ecosystem, such as smartphones, docking stations, vending machines (or any other point of sale system), and/or wearable devices, may also communicate indirectly with the server 1000 via a network such as the internet 500 to implement an aspect of its own functionality, or on behalf of the delivery system (e.g., as a relay or co-processing unit). These devices may also communicate with each other directly or indirectly.

It will be appreciated that the delivery ecosystem may comprise multiple delivery devices (10), for example because the user owns multiple devices (e.g. to easily switch between different active ingredients or flavours), or because multiple users at least partially share the same delivery ecosystem (e.g. commonly owned users may share a charging cradle, but have their own telephone or wearable device). Alternatively, such devices may similarly communicate directly or indirectly with each other and/or with devices within a shared transport ecosystem and/or server.

Turning now to fig. 6, wherein features similar to those of fig. 1 are similarly numbered, then alternatively or in addition to the manual actuation device 265 (as shown), the aerosol delivery device may include at least one proximity sensor 610 configured to detect a person without the user physically contacting the sensor; and is configured to output a detection signal when a person is detected. Alternatively or in addition to the at least one proximity sensor 610 on the aerosol delivery device, the at least one proximity sensor 610 may alternatively be provided on a companion device, such as a closely related device within the delivery ecosystem, such as a charging hub or indeed a user's phone or smart watch, etc.

Thus, it will be appreciated that an aerosol delivery system (e.g., an aerosol delivery device that optionally operates in conjunction with and along with one or more other devices within the delivery ecosystem (e.g., a telephone or smart watch)) may detect a person (which may or may not be a normal user of the device) without requiring contact by the user (or the person actually detected if different).

Examples of proximity sensors include, but are not limited to, capacitive sensors, active and/or passive audio sensors, and electromagnetic sensors, as described elsewhere herein.

The aerosol delivery system further comprises an activation state processor configured to receive the detection signal and determine whether to change an operational state of the aerosol delivery device between the first activation state and the second activation state based at least in part on the received detection signal. These states may be considered as corresponding groupings of one or more settings for one or more operating parameters of the aerosol delivery system.

The enablement status processor may be, for example, the control unit 205 operating under appropriate software instructions, or similarly a processor of a charging hub, phone, smart watch, or other device within a delivery ecosystem, or any combination thereof.

The second enablement state reflects a desired level of enablement to be exhibited when a person (typically assumed to be a user) is proximate to the device or system. Meanwhile, the first enabled state is a state when the person is not approaching.

Thus, typically, the first enablement state has one or more of a lower power requirement, fewer enablement functions, lower power settings for one or more functions, and alternative functions (e.g., typically lower power alternatives, and/or less disturbing functions (e.g., quieter alarms)) for functions in the second enablement state when compared to the second enablement state.

For example, the first enablement state may include one or more selected from a list consisting of: displaying a first set of information; displaying a first level of information detail; lower duty cycle or lower power data transmission; lower duty cycle or lower power preheat; lower duty cycle or lower power illumination; and lower duty cycle or lower power condition awareness, where "lower" are lower than those in the second state. Conversely, for example, the second enablement state may comprise one or more selected from a list consisting of: display of a second set of information (independent of the first set of information or a superset of the first set of information); a display of a second higher level of information detail; higher duty cycle or higher power data transmission; higher duty cycle or higher power heating; higher duty cycle or higher power illumination; and higher duty cycle or higher power condition sensing, where "higher" is higher than those in the first state.

Thus, the first enabled state may optionally be characterized by one or more of a lower power state, a lower situational awareness state, a lower notification state (e.g., to a user or companion device), a lower awake state, a lower UI information state, a quieter state, a cooler state, etc., as compared to the second state.

In the above examples, in one case, a lower situational awareness state may refer to a slower duty cycle of the active proximity sensor, or enabling less complex data analysis by the state processor, or receipt of less contextual data enabled for data fusion, etc. Alternatively, the lower situational awareness may limit awareness of other information, such as the wireless environment, or biometric updates from a smart watch, or calendar or other contextual information, but maintain or even increase the sensitivity or duty cycle of at least one form of proximity detection. Thus, while the first state is still expected to have lower overall complexity/lower overall power consumption, the proximity detection aspect may remain the same as in the second state, or alternatively (for the at least one proximity sensor) higher.

At the same time, the first and second sets of information and the level of detail of the information may relate to information relating to different states and at that time the user and the likely level of participation of the device.

Thus, for example, in a first state, the delivery device may appear to be fully off, or may merely display (or periodically report to a companion device) the status of its battery and payload (e.g., e-liquid level), for example, without a backlight. Also, in the second state, it may provide backlighting for the display, include other and more detailed information in the UI (e.g., taste or intensity of the current payload, current mode of operation), and optionally preheat the heater to the pre-vaporization temperature and indicate when this is achieved. Alternatively, the action such as preheating the heater (which uses a relatively large amount of power) may be performed as part of only a third state in which the user has started to interact physically with the delivery device, optionally directly, in an impending manner. Optionally, where such a third state is included, the function in the second state may include active sensing of an indicator of the third state.

Thus, the first state may be characterized as a sleep or standby state, the second state may be characterized as an awake or ready state, and the optional third state may be characterized as a ready or pre-use state.

The function differentiated by the first and second state may vary depending on the particular conveying means and optionally also on the particular proximity sensor used to detect the proximity of the person and/or the confidence with which the person (or in particular the user) is detected.

With respect to the proximity sensor 610, optionally this includes a capacitive sensor, for example including a first sensor electrode and an insulating layer, when a person is in the vicinity of the electric field of the capacitive sensor, parasitic capacitance is created with the environment above the insulating layer and proximity capacitance is created with the person acting as a conductor.

This enables the aerosol delivery system to detect when a person approaches the device or system without touching it, for example when they put their hand on the outside of a pocket or bag containing the aerosol delivery device, or to pick it up from a table (this action may be the use of its precursor).

Thus, the aerosol delivery system or device may transition from the first state to the second state and, for example, as described elsewhere herein, cause the UI to be activated and/or the vaporization heater of the delivery device to be preheated to a ready temperature, for example a temperature just below the vaporization temperature of the payload, so that the device is more responsive when used for the first time because the required temperature increase is less.

The same principle applies to detection when performed via any other suitable proximity sensor.

Thus, for example, the proximity sensor may comprise an audio sensor operable to detect audio characteristics in the vicinity of the person.

Such audio sensors may include one or more microphones, and these microphones may be located on one or more devices within the transport ecosystem.

In one case, the audio sensor is passive and may be operable to detect one or more characteristic biometric features of nearby persons (e.g., typically users), such as their heart rate or their respiration rate (e.g., in the case of a delivery device in a pocket), or indeed their respiration type (e.g., shallow, deep, irregular, etc.). A high heart rate or respiration rate may indicate that our arousal is emphasized and means that the likelihood of imminent use of the delivery device is increased.

Similarly, the passive audio sensor may be operable to detect the user's voice and optionally signs of accent or calm in the user's voice pattern, and/or their vocabulary, or other indicators of desire or intent to interact with the delivery device, such as certain predetermined keywords or phrases.

An empirical association between these characteristic biometric features and the likelihood of the user interacting with the delivery device shortly thereafter (e.g., within a predetermined period of time) may be derived to determine whether the enablement status processor should change the operational state, for example, based on the presence of the user's one or more characteristic biometric features and the content of its current indication.

Alternatively or additionally, in this case, the audio sensor is active; that is, it depends on a predetermined emission sound source instead of an environmental sound source. Thus, in this case, the audio sensor may be more like a sonar or acoustic tape (acoustic tape measure). This may be achieved by a proximity sensor operable to detect a delay correlation between the detected audio and the emitted audio, the delay being related to a propagation time from the emitter to the audio sensor, typically via reflection of the target object. The propagation time (together with the known speed of sound) is thus indicative of the distance to the target object.

The audio may be transmitted by the delivery device or by a companion device such as the user's mobile phone. When the same device comprises a transmitter and an audio sensor, the detected delays correspond to outgoing and return trips (to an unknown object) -however, in case the estimated distance characterizes the user behavior (e.g. moves closer to the device), the enabling state processor may be arranged to change e.g. from a first state to a second state. Meanwhile, when different devices include an emitter and an audio sensor, then the detected delay corresponds to a direct path distance between the different devices. Thus, if, for example, the user's phone emits audio (e.g., high pitch or ultrasonic chirp), then the distance to the user can be assumed Similar to a direct path. In this case, for example, by usingOr other wireless synchronization signals (e.g., signals transmitted by devices transmitting audio) may achieve relative timing.

Also, the enablement state processor may be configured to change states according to the apparent distance. In case the distance is rather short (about 50cm to 100 cm) but lasts for an extended period of time, it can be assumed that this is because the user carries both devices. In this case, the activation state processor may change the delivery device to or remain in the first activation state, for example, optionally until the distance change exceeds a threshold amount indicative of a user state change.

Optionally, the proximity sensor may use a delayed correlation between the emitted sound and the detected sound to detect a characterization event, such as whether the aerosol delivery device is or is about to be removed from the storage container (e.g., from a pouch, pocket, sleeve/pouch, etc.), or a characterization distance from the user (particularly the user's face). In this latter case, data fusion between the proximity sensor and other sensor data (e.g., orientation of the conveyor device obtained from an accelerometer or the like) may optionally be utilized to infer this event with greater certainty. For example, a combination of characterization distance and orientation, or a previous or current characterization change of orientation (e.g., from substantially vertical to horizontal, typically in an arc having a radius similar to that of the user's forearm) may separate the situation of about-to-be-used from the situation stored in a swinging handbag, for example.

Alternatively, the proximity sensor may use the delayed correlation between the emitted sound and the detected sound to provide other situational awareness, such as whether the delivery device appears to be indoors or outdoors, e.g., based on the number of detected path reflections and path time. Also, data fusion may optionally be used to determine the importance of being indoors or outdoors; the user may come out of his work place, for example, at regular breaks at a certain time; while the user is still in place but outdoors, positioning via WiFi or GPS may not be detectable, and the combination of a specific time and an audible indication of being outdoors may cause the enabled state processor to switch to the second state.

As mentioned elsewhere herein, the audio sensor (whether active and/or passive) may include a plurality of microphones. Optionally, these may be configured (e.g., in conjunction with a proximity sensor and/or an enablement state processor) to detect the direction of relevant sounds (whether ambient or emitted), e.g., based on the differential timing of corresponding audio features between microphones. The orientation relative to the microphone may provide useful information, for example enabling the device to determine its orientation relation relative to the user's mouth (in the case that they are speaking), which may indicate that use is imminent and thus why the state processor is enabled to change operating states appropriately.

Alternatively or additionally, such a microphone array may alternatively be used to estimate the attenuation distance of sound (e.g. vocal cord vibration sound production), and thus the distance of the device from the user's mouth. Also, the distance may indicate impending use, and thus cause of the enablement state processor to appropriately change operating states.

Other proximity sensors include, for example, electromagnetic sensors (e.g., infrared or microwave sensors, active or passive similar to acoustic sensors described elsewhere herein). Such a sensor may detect the presence of a person (e.g., via infrared emissions of the person) and/or optionally one or more characteristic biometric features of the person. As with the audio sensor, an infrared or microwave sensor may be used, for example, to pick up the heartbeat of a nearby person.

The reference herein to data fusion recognizes that the enabling state processor may be configured to receive the detection signal and to determine whether to change the operational state of the aerosol delivery device between the first enabling state and the second enabling state based at least in part on the received detection signal, but optionally also based on other data providing further context to the apparent proximity of the person. Examples may include conveyor orientation from an accelerometer, time of day, location, ambient light level, etc.

Alternatively, such auxiliary data sources may include second proximity data from at least a second sensor, which may be a proximity sensor similar to the first sensor, for example located in a different location on the delivery device or other device of the delivery ecosystem, or may be a different one of the types described herein.

By using a sensor system comprising two or more data sources from a first proximity sensor and optionally from a second proximity sensor, optionally the enabling state processor may use the detection signal and the signal from at least the second sensor to estimate whether the detected person is a user. In other words, by using more data sources, particularly (but not necessarily) second proximity sensors, the system can better distinguish whether a person in proximity is a user. For example, in the case where the conveying device is located on a restaurant table, information about the direction of the user's voice may be used in conjunction with another proximity detection sensor to selectively reduce or decrease the weight of signals detected from other directions.

The use of a plurality of sensors is not limited to this use. For example, proximity detection from capacitive detectors on each side of the conveyor may distinguish between a direction of approach, or for example, an ongoing approach (e.g., in a pocket) and a temporary and thus potentially intentional approach (e.g., to a pocket). For various use cases, suitable combinations of sensors and placement may be envisaged, which in turn may depend on the size, shape and weight of the device, and/or its target market (e.g., factors that may influence whether the device is more likely to be bagged, remain visible or stored in a box/bag).

Alternatively, where the second (or indeed the first) proximity sensor is a capacitive sensor, it may also be used as a direct or impending touch detector. In the case where the sensor occupies a certain area of the conveyor (e.g. as an array or distribution of discrete sensors), it may also be configured to detect the current or upcoming grip pattern of a person upon contact or upon approach of the person. The area, shape and/or size of the grip pattern may be a feature of the user or may be sufficient in a small potential population such as a home. The area, shape, and/or size of the grip pattern may similarly be used to distinguish certain non-users, such as children with smaller hands. Thus, in this latter example, the enabled state processor may remain in the first state, or appropriately ignore an indication of a switch to the second state indicated by another proximity sensor, or switch back to the first state quickly (e.g., prompting a switch to the second state if proximity is detected earlier, but then the person may appear to be a child). If such a mechanism is provided, such a feature may optionally be disabled for small-handed adults, for example, using settings accessible after a secure login procedure.

It will be appreciated that where proximity detection has been referenced to prompt the enabled state processor to switch to the second state (optionally in conjunction with data fusion with other data sources), similarly, if already in the second state, the same detection may also be used to maintain the second state. Conversely, the absence of detection of proximity, optionally in combination with lack of related data from other data sources, may cause the enabled state processor to switch back to the first state, optionally for a predetermined period of time.

In the case that the third state is also used (e.g. in response to a direct physical interaction with the delivery device), if currently in the third state, proximity detection triggering the second state may typically be used to hold the third state for a predetermined period of time before switching to the second state. Thus, for example, if a user puts down their device (thereby ending the third state normally) but keeps their hand nearby, the device may stay in the third state for a predetermined period of time, e.g., 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 30 seconds, to identify that the user is more likely to re-pick up the device.

It will thus be appreciated that the aerosol delivery system is optionally configured to switch back from the second state to the first state after a predetermined time after detecting that a person has left, but may also or alternatively (e.g. if earlier) after aerosol delivery has been completed (i.e. the intended use has occurred and a reset cycle is appropriate) and/or user interface interactions have been completed (e.g. related interactions such as sleep indications, for example by tapping the delivery device twice or selecting a nap option on the UI of the delivery device or a companion device).

Referring now also to fig. 7, a corresponding activation state determination method for an aerosol delivery system comprises the steps of:

-a detection step S710 of detecting a person using at least one proximity sensor without physical contact;

-an output step S720 of outputting a detection signal when a person is detected (e.g. by one or more proximity sensors);

-a receiving step S730 of receiving a detection signal (e.g. at an enable state processor), and

a determining step S740 of determining (e.g. using an enabling state processor operating under suitable software instructions) whether to change the operating state of the aerosol delivery device between the first enabling state and the second enabling state based at least in part on the received detection signal.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations of the above-described methods corresponding to the operation of the various embodiments of the apparatus as described and claimed herein are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

Instead, it will be appreciated that such a method may be performed on conventional hardware suitably adapted to be applicable by software instructions or by including or replacing dedicated hardware (examples of which are the delivery devices in fig. 2 and 6), wherein the control unit 205 (and alternatively or additionally one or more processors within a wider delivery ecosystem) operates under appropriate software instructions.

Thus, the required adaptation of existing parts of conventional equivalent devices may be implemented in the form of a computer program product comprising processor-implementable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable medium, such as a floppy disk, optical disk, hard disk, solid state disk, PROM, RAM, flash memory or any combination of these or other storage media, or as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) or FPGA (field programmable gate array) in hardware or other configurable circuit suitable for use in adapting conventional equivalent devices. Such a computer program may be transmitted via a data signal over a network such as an ethernet, a wireless network, the internet, or any combination of these or other networks, alone.

The foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Accordingly, the disclosure of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, as well as the other claims. The disclosure, including any readily discernable variations of the teachings herein, in part defines the scope of the preceding claim terms such that no inventive subject matter is contributed to the public.

Claims (20)

1. An aerosol delivery system comprising:

aerosol delivery means;

at least one proximity sensor configured to detect a person without requiring physical contact of the person with the at least one proximity sensor; and configured to output a detection signal when the person is detected; and

an enable state processor configured to receive the detection signal and determine whether to change an operational state of the aerosol delivery device between a first enable state and a second enable state based at least in part on the received detection signal.

2. The aerosol delivery system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one proximity sensor is located on one or more selected from the list consisting of:

i. aerosol delivery means; and

and ii, matching the device.

3. The aerosol delivery system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein:

the first enablement state has one or more items selected from a list consisting of:

i. lower power requirements;

fewer enabling functions;

lower power settings for one or more functions; and

Alternative functionality to functionality in the second enabled state.

4. The aerosol delivery system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein:

the proximity sensor includes a capacitive sensor including a first sensor electrode and an insulating layer to create parasitic capacitance with an environment above the insulating layer and to create proximity capacitance with a person as a conductor when the person is in proximity to an electric field of the capacitive sensor.

5. The aerosol delivery system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein:

the proximity sensor includes an audio sensor operable to detect audio features in the vicinity of the person.

6. The aerosol delivery system of claim 5, wherein the audio sensor comprises a plurality of microphones configured to detect one or more selected from the list consisting of:

i. a direction; and

attenuation distance of vocal cords vibration sound.

7. The aerosol delivery system of claim 5, wherein the proximity sensor is operable to detect a delay correlation between the detected audio and the emitted audio.

8. The aerosol delivery system of claim 7, wherein the emitted audio is emitted from one of the aerosol delivery device and a companion device.

9. The aerosol delivery system of claim 7, wherein the proximity sensor utilizes the delay correlation to detect one or more selected from the list consisting of:

i. whether the aerosol delivery device has been removed from the storage container; and

distance from the face of the person.

10. The aerosol delivery system of any of claims 5 to 9, wherein the audio sensor is operable to detect one or more characteristic biometric features of a person.

11. The aerosol delivery system of claim 10, wherein the characteristic biometric feature of a person comprises one or more selected from the list consisting of:

i. human voice;

heart rate of the person;

respiratory rate of a person; and

type of breathing of the person.

12. An aerosol delivery system according to any preceding claim, comprising an electromagnetic sensor configured to detect one or more characteristic biometric features of a person.

13. An aerosol delivery system according to any preceding claim, comprising:

at least a second sensor; and is also provided with

The enablement status processor uses the detection signal and the signal from the at least second sensor to estimate whether the detected person is a user.

14. The aerosol delivery system of claim 13, wherein

The first sensor is one of a capacitive sensor, an active audio sensor, a passive audio sensor, and an electromagnetic sensor; and is also provided with

The second sensor is one of a capacitive sensor, an active audio sensor, a passive audio sensor, and an electromagnetic sensor.

15. The aerosol delivery system of claim 13, wherein

The second sensor is one of the capacitive sensors and is configured to detect a grip pattern of a person.

16. An aerosol delivery system according to any preceding claim, wherein

The first enablement state comprises one or more selected from a list consisting of:

i. displaying a first set of information;

display of a first level of information detail;

lower duty cycle or lower power data transmission;

lower duty cycle or lower power preheat;

Lower duty cycle or lower power illumination; and

lower duty cycle or lower power condition sensing.

17. The aerosol delivery system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the second activation state comprises one or more selected from the list consisting of:

i. display of a second set of information (independent of the first set of information or a superset of the first set of information);

display of a second higher level of information detail;

higher duty cycle or higher power data transmission;

higher duty cycle or higher power heating;

higher duty cycle or higher power illumination; and

higher duty cycle or higher power condition sensing.

18. An aerosol delivery system according to any preceding claim, wherein

The aerosol delivery system is configured to switch back from the second state to the first state at a predetermined point in time after one or more selected from the list consisting of:

i. detecting that the person has left;

aerosol delivery has been completed; and

user interface interactions have been completed.

19. An activation state determination method for an aerosol delivery system, comprising the steps of:

Detecting a person using at least one proximity sensor without physical contact;

outputting a detection signal when a person is detected;

receiving the detection signal; and

a determination is made whether to change an operational state of the aerosol delivery device between a first enabled state and a second enabled state based at least in part on the received detection signal.

20. A computer program comprising computer executable instructions adapted to cause a computer system to perform the method of claim 19.