JP2023502855A - Computer-implemented method for controlling operation of an aerosol-generating device, aerosol-generating device, system including aerosol-generating device, and computer-readable storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of controlling the operation of an aerosol generator is provided. In the method, a context message is received (S601) that includes context data relating to one or more context parameters relating to the current context of the aerosol generating device. The aerosol generator determines whether to disable operation of the aerosol generator, the determination being based at least in part on the received context data (S604). If the determination is affirmative, the operation of the aerosol generator is disabled (S605).

Description

The present invention relates to computer-implemented methods of controlling the operation of an aerosol-generating device, aerosol-generating devices, systems including aerosol-generating devices, and computer-readable storage media.

The popularity and use of risk-reduced or risk-modified smoking devices, also known as electronic cigarettes, vaporizers or aerosol generating devices, has grown rapidly over the past few years. Such aerosol generating devices replace traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigarillos and hand-rolled cigarettes. These generally heat or warm an aerosolizable substance to generate an aerosol for inhalation, rather than burning tobacco as in conventional tobacco products. Aerosol-generating devices can provide an aerosol by heating a solid substrate, such as tobacco material, without burning it, or by vaporizing a liquid substrate, such as tobacco material.

Generally, an aerosol generating device includes a battery, a tip and a heating element powered by the battery. When using the device, a battery powers a heating element that either heats a solid substrate or vaporizes an e-liquid to generate an aerosol.

A user inhales the vaporized aerosol. Aerosols typically comprise a suspension of fine solid particles and/or droplets in a gas (typically air). In contrast, cigarettes and other conventional smoking products generate a smoke aerosol that is the result of the combustion of tobacco and includes solid carbon-based particles. The carbon-based solid particles in the smoke can be unpleasant to others in the vicinity of the user due to the odor of the carbon-based solid particles, and can affect people around them.

On the other hand, an aerosol (ie smokeless) is much more comfortable. This allows users to consume aerosol-generating solid or liquid substrates in areas where smoking was previously prohibited, such as, for example, in buildings, apartments and homes, and public spaces.

However, there are areas where even consumption of risk-reduced or risk-improved smoking devices is unacceptable. For example, hospitals are often places where the consumption of steam generating equipment is completely prohibited. Apart from restrictions in hospitals and the like, there may be ordinances prohibiting consumers from using aerosol generating devices in certain public areas. Kyoto, for example, has enacted a rule designating certain streets as non-smoking areas (including vaping).

Most aerosol generators typically incorporate some form of electronic control circuitry, including a simple computer processor, to allow the user to control the operation of the aerosol generator. This electronic control circuit can send and receive messages to and from a personal information device such as a smartphone using a short-range wireless communication connection such as Bluetooth. Consumers can take advantage of this type of connection to control their aerosol generators in a more sophisticated way via their personal digital assistant.

One application of an aerosol generator connected to a personal information device is disclosed in US2019/0058970A1. The document discloses a Bluetooth connection between an electronic cigarette and an application (app) running on a smartphone or other suitable mobile communication device (tablet, laptop, smartwatch, etc.). The mobile communication device, in one example a GPS-enabled cell phone, receives GPS signals from a sufficient number of satellites to provide a reliable set of GPS coordinates, which are then transmitted to a server, which in turn converts the map data. to detect the exact location of the mobile communication device and modify or confirm the country for which policy alert data is required. Provide users with an overview of any relevant statutory restrictions on vaping in the country (e.g. minimum age, indoor/outdoor vaping regulations, and/or public expectations regarding vaping. may continue to use e-cigarettes even if they intend to comply with

Another method is disclosed in US 2018/0263283 A1 showing a smart phone wirelessly communicating with an electronic cigarette. Smartphones include applications that determine the physical location of the smartphone to determine whether it is legal or illegal for the user to consume cannabis.

A further aerosol generator and personal digital assistant is disclosed in US2015/181945A1. The document shows a mobile communication device (eg a smart phone) running an e-cigarette related software application and monitoring the location of the mobile communication device and thus the location of the e-cigarette. The vapor delivery capability of the e-cigarette 100 is based on location, such as a recorded landmark (e.g., airport, hospital, restaurant, school, etc.) or a location-tracked vehicle (e.g., airplane, public transportation, rental car, etc.). If an e-cigarette is deemed to be within a certain distance from a known vape no-zone, it will be disabled. The proposed method has the disadvantage of relying entirely on the cell phone to determine that the vapor delivery capability of the e-cigarette needs to be disabled. For example, a user can bypass disabling by disconnecting the aerosol generating device from the mobile communication device. This can be dealt with by disabling the aerosol generator normally and only allowing it to be used when the aerosol generator and communication device are connected, but to use the device the mobile communication device must be switched on. User convenience is unduly limited due to need.

Conventional methods provided by the prior art are limited because a lot of the data locally available on the electronic cigarette needs to be sent to the communication device to determine the conditions of use and take appropriate action. This requires bi-directional communication and the exchange of large amounts of data.

An object of the present invention is therefore to optimize the data exchange to improve the responsiveness of the electronic cigarette. A further object of the invention is to provide an adequate level of security.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, the above problems are solved by a computer-implemented method for controlling the operation of an aerosol generating device. In the method, a context message is received that includes context data relating to one or more context parameters relating to the current context of the aerosol generating device. The aerosol generator determines whether to disable operation of the aerosol generator, the determination being based at least in part on the received contextual data. If the determination is affirmative, disable the operation of the aerosol generator. The context message may contain an expiration date or duration.

This ensures that the aerosol generating device is not permanently disabled if no further context messages are received, eg if the connection with the communication device is lost. At the same time, however, the aerosol generator is deactivated for a period of time. Additionally, the context message may contain a timestamp so that an expiration date or duration can be calculated.

The aerosol-generating part of the aerosol-generating device, in particular its heater, may be disabled while the aerosol-generating device is subsequently configured to receive further messages. This limits steam production in some areas.

The context data of a context message can be understood as a set of data that can relate to user-specific geographical localization information, environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, weather) and/or time. In particular, in the present disclosure context may relate to information regarding the possibility of using the device at the current location of the aerosol generating device or communication device. This can prevent users from using the device in unauthorized spaces.

Another application may be contextual data with biometric data such as pulse or blood pressure. The contextual data can be used to activate the aerosol generator to administer a particular drug or disable the aerosol generator when certain thresholds are exceeded.

Additionally, the context data may be the time of day. This can assist the user in adjusting his usage behavior. For example, an aerosol generator can be used to phase out nicotine intake, and the user can define computational rules to disable the aerosol generator at certain times.

Contextual data can be obtained from the Internet, public or private web servers, by the communication device or aerosol generating device. A communication device or aerosol generating device may include, for example, sensors or receivers that acquire user data (ie, biometric data) and GNSS data.

One advantage of the present invention may be that the use determination and decision making process is performed directly at the aerosol generating device. The communication device simply operates the aerosol generator but collects contextual parameters specific to the aerosol generator and sends the parameters in a context message to the device, which then locally controls the operation of the aerosol generator. It is determined whether to invalidate or not. Decisions are made locally, providing a more sophisticated scheme and making decisions more accurate.

In some embodiments, context messages may be broadcast messages. Therefore, there may be no need to authenticate or encrypt messages. Certain context data may be protected, for example by encoding. In particular, user identification data or biometric data may be encoded.

In a preferred embodiment, the context parameters are the location of the aerosol generator or communication device sending the context message to the aerosol generator, in particular the GNSS location, user-specific data, consumable profile, user profile, environmental conditions, in particular temperature, humidity, and at least one of environmental data such as weather.

In a preferred embodiment, the contextual data includes data identifying areas where the use of aerosol generating devices is not approved or permitted.

In a preferred embodiment, the determination of whether to disable operation of the aerosol generator is based on computational rules. Examples of computational rules include clustering analysis, unsupervised machine learning algorithms such as unsupervised decision trees, and supervised machine learning algorithms. The calculation rule can be received by the aerosol generator from the communication device. In certain embodiments, the communication device can receive (ie, download) the calculation rules and transfer the calculation rules to the aerosol generating device.

In a preferred embodiment, the aerosol generating device validates the received context message with consumer data and/or consumable data stored on the aerosol generating device. In certain embodiments, verification includes authentication using a public key system, for example, as shown in EP 19189885.7 filed Aug. 2, 2019 by JT International SA.

In the preferred embodiment, the context message contains multiple sets of context parameters.

In a preferred embodiment, the aerosol generator obtains local context data from the local storage of the aerosol generator. Determining whether to disable operation of the aerosol generator is based on both the context data contained in the context message and the local context data.

The local context data may include data relating to past use of the aerosol generating device, in particular smoking records, consumer identity, consumer settings and/or device settings. Further examples include event records (eg consumable removal or insertion, device switching on and off), and decision history records, eg for supervised machine learning.

In a preferred embodiment, the communication device can send new context messages when the communication device detects a change in GNSS position. Particularly preferably, the communication device can send a new context message whenever the GNSS position differs from the previous GNSS position by a predetermined threshold. For example, the communication device may send a new context message when the GNSS position has changed by at least 10m, 50m or 100m.

In a preferred embodiment, the aerosol generator sends a context request requesting a context message to the communication device.

In a preferred embodiment, the context request is sent in response to determining that the aerosol generator does not have a valid context message, especially if the most recent context message has expired.

A communication device is additionally provided in a preferred embodiment. A communication device obtains the context data and sends a context message to the aerosol generator.

In a further preferred embodiment the transmission is performed in response to the communication device detecting a change in its position, in particular a change in GNSS information.

In a preferred embodiment, the context message is wirelessly transmitted from the communication device to the aerosol generating device.

According to a further aspect of the invention, an aerosol generating device is configured to perform the steps according to the method outlined above.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a system comprising an aerosol generating device as described above and a communication device, the communication device being configured to perform the steps outlined above.

A further aspect of the invention relates to a computer readable storage medium containing instructions which, when executed, cause an aerosol generating device and/or communication device to perform the steps of the method outlined above.

A number of non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will be described for illustrative purposes only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram of a communication network according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generator operating in a communication network; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a personal information device operating in a communication network; FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a personal information device; FIG. It is a block diagram of an aerosol generator. Figure 3 is a flow diagram of a computer-implemented method of the present invention; Figure 4 is a flow diagram of a further computer-implemented method of requesting a context message;

Referring to FIG. 1, according to a first embodiment, a personal digital assistant 104 is in communication with one or more aerosol generating devices 102 (each a consumer device) in a communications network 100 . In the illustrated embodiment, personal digital assistant 104 is potentially in communication with four aerosol generators 102 . The communication link between personal digital assistant 104 and each aerosol generator 102 is a short-range wireless communication connection 116 . In this embodiment, this short-range wireless communication connection 116 is a Bluetooth® connection. In other embodiments, the short-range wireless communication connection 116 is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (Wi-Fi®), an infrared (IR) wireless connection, a ZigBee® connection, or A connection that is realized using one or more of other similar connections. In one particular embodiment, the short-range wireless communication connection is a Near Field Communication (NFC) connection. NFC utilizes electromagnetic induction between two loop antennas. NFC-enabled devices, such as personal digital assistants 104 and aerosol generators 102, exchange information using globally available unlicensed radio frequency bands, such as the 13.56 MHz band for industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) use. .

NFC communication is defined by the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The ISO/IEC 18000-3 standard provides rates ranging from 106 to 424 kbit/s. "Short range" in the context of a short range wireless communication connection 116 thus means, for example, from a few meters to about 100 meters, but usually less than 10 meters, and in the context of NFC, for example, less than 10 cm or even 4 cm or less, which can be maintained.

Personal information appliance 104 is also in communication with remote server 114 via Internet 112 . In this embodiment, personal digital assistant 104 is configured to communicate with Internet 112 via access point 110 .

Personal information device 104 is configured to communicate with access point 110 via another short-range wireless communication connection 118 . In this embodiment, this alternative short-range wireless communication connection 118 is a Wi-Fi® connection. In other embodiments, the other short-range wireless communication connection 118 is a Bluetooth(R) connection, an IR wireless connection, a ZigBee(R) connection, or some similar connection. In this embodiment, the personal digital assistant 104 also uses a suitable communication standard such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) or Global System for Long Term Evolution (LTE) to It is configured to communicate with the Internet 112 via a cellular radio network link 120 for data communication.

The personal digital assistant 104 typically communicates with the Internet 112 occasionally via other short-range wireless communication connections 118 and access points 110 or via a cellular wireless network link 120 depending on availability and other criteria and preferences. choose to

In this embodiment, the personal information device 104 is a mobile information device, particularly a smart phone running the Android® operating system. In other embodiments, the personal digital assistant 104 is a smart phone, tablet information appliance or laptop computer running any other kind of operating system, such as iOS, Linux or Windows for mobile OS. In most embodiments, personal information device 104 is configured to communicate over cellular radio network link 120, and thus personal information device 104 may be referred to as user equipment (UE). In other embodiments, personal digital assistant 104 is a desktop personal computer (PC) configured to communicate over Internet 112 via a wired Ethernet connection. In such embodiments, the Ethernet connection is not wireless but via a fixed-line or wired connection to the access point 110, for example in the form of a broadband modem, and then to the Internet 112 and other short-range connections. Much like wireless connection 118 .

Referring to FIG. 2, in common with general purpose consumer electronic devices, each aerosol generating device 102 includes a processor 202, a memory 204, a storage 206, a communication interface 208, an antenna 210, which are in communication with each other via a communication bus 214. and a user interface 212 .

The aerosol generating device 102 also has an aerosol generating element, in particular a heating element 216, and a consumable module 218, which in this embodiment detects when an appropriate consumable 217 has been inserted into the consumable module 218. includes a detector 219 for Note that in this embodiment, the consumable 217 may be in the form of a tobacco rod or stick, or in the form of a capsule or pod containing a liquid, or in the form of a mouth, or any possible type that is vaporized or heated by an aerosol generating device. want to be Accordingly, in the context of these methods, the aerosol generating device 102 described above is but one example of consumer devices suitable for use in the present methods.

The aerosol generator 102 additionally includes a smoking sensor (not shown) configured to detect when the user inhales while the aerosol generator 102 is activated. The smoking sensor may detect airflow, or may be implemented as a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature drop due to the flow of air through the aerosol generating device 102 or any other suitable sensor for detecting smoking.

Processor 202 may be any suitable microprocessor or microcontroller, such as a low power application specific controller (ASIC) and/or field programmable specifically designed or programmed for the task of controlling the apparatus as described herein. It may be or include a gate array (FPGA), or a general purpose central processing unit (CPU). The processor is configured to execute instructions, eg, in the form of computer-executable code, and to process data, eg, in the form of values and strings of characters, including instructions and data stored in memory 204 and storage 206 .

Memory 204 is implemented as one or more memory devices that provide random access memory (RAM) for aerosol generator 102 . In the illustrated embodiment, memory 204 is volatile memory in the form of on-chip RAM integrated with processor 202 using, for example, a system-on-chip (SoC) architecture.

However, in other embodiments, memory 204 is separate from processor 202 . Memory 204 is configured to store instructions and data for execution and processing by processor 202 . Typically, only selected elements of the instructions and data are stored in memory 204 at any given time, the selected elements defining the instructions and data essential to the operation of the aerosol generating device 102 being executed at a particular time. . In other words, instructions and data are temporarily stored in memory 204 while some particular process is handled by processor 202 .

Storage 206 is provided integrally with aerosol generator 102 in the form of non-volatile memory. Storage 206 is, in most embodiments, embedded on the same chip as processor 202 and memory 204 using an SoC architecture, eg, implemented as a multi-time programmable (MTP) array. However, in other embodiments, storage 206 is embedded or external flash memory, or the like. Storage 206 stores instructions and data that are executed and processed by processor 202 . Storage 206 stores instructions and data permanently or semi-permanently until overwritten, for example. That is, instructions and data are stored in storage 206 non-temporarily. Typically, the instructions and data stored in storage 206 relate to basic instructions for the operation of processor 202, communication interface 208, user interface 212 and aerosol generator 102, and more generally the aerosol It is also concerned with applications that perform higher level functions of generator 102 .

Communication interface 208 supports short-range wireless communication, particularly Bluetooth® communication. Communication interface 208 is configured to establish a short-range wireless communication connection 116 with personal information device 104 . Communication interface 208 is coupled to antenna 210 through which wireless communications are sent and received over short-range wireless communications connection 116 . Communication interface 208 is also configured to communicate with processor 202 via communication bus 214 .

User interface 212 includes display 220 and input device 222 . In this embodiment, display 220 is a plurality of discrete indicators, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs). In other embodiments, display 220 is a screen such as a thin film transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display (LCD) display or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display or other suitable display. Input device 222 is one or more user-operable buttons that respond to user presses, toggles, or touches. User interface 212 , under control of processor 202 , is configured to provide instructions to a user, receive input from the user, and pass these inputs to processor 202 via communication bus 214 .

The aerosol generating device 102 can be described as a personal inhaler, an electronic cigarette (or e-cigarette), a vaporizer, or a vaporization device. In one particular embodiment, the aerosol generating device 102 is a non-combustion heating (HnB) device. All of these devices generally heat or warm an aerosolizable substance to generate an aerosol for inhalation, rather than burning tobacco as in conventional tobacco products.

More specifically, aerosol generator 102 uses associated heating element 216 to heat consumable 217 inserted into consumable module 218 to produce an inhalable aerosol or vapor for inhalation by the user. It is configured. In this embodiment, the consumable module 218 holds a consumable 217 which may be in the form of a rod containing processed tobacco material, a liquid-filled capsule, or any other form containing an aerosol-generating material. intended to be stored.

Consumable module 218 has detector 219 that detects consumable 217 inserted into consumable module 218 . Detector 219 is operable to identify the type of consumable 217 inserted into consumable module 218 to determine whether the inserted consumable 217 is suitable for use with aerosol generating device 102 . be. In this embodiment, the consumable module 218 accomplishes this by sensing indicia on the consumable 217 (eg, printed barcodes or RFID chips or NFC tags, etc.).

Aerosol generator 102 is configured to execute multiple software modules. The software modules include clock module 226 , short range wireless communication controller 228 and heating element controller 230 . Each software module contains a set of instructions that perform one or more functions of the aerosol generator 102 . Instructions are provided in the form of computer-executable code stored in storage 206 and/or memory 204 and processed by processor 202 , communication interface 208 and user interface 212 . The clock module 226 is configured to provide time information (eg, time of day) and also generate time stamps of smoking data or data useful in analyzing user preferences. Clock module 226 also determines when a received context message has expired.

Short-range wireless communication controller 228 is configured primarily to control communication interface 208 . Short-range wireless communication controller 228 is operable to establish a short-range wireless connection via communication interface 208 . In this embodiment, the short-range wireless communication connection is a Bluetooth® connection. Accordingly, the short-range wireless communication controller 228 can access www. bluetooth. org, Bluetooth 5.0 is currently the predominant specification.

Heating element controller 230 is configured to control heating element 216 . To monitor the amount of energy and power (i.e., energy rate) supplied to the heating element 216 and the temperature of the heating element 216 (preferably a heating element known to vary in a predetermined manner with the temperature of the heating element 216). by monitoring the resistance of element 216). However, in this particular embodiment, heating element controller 230 is configured to receive commands to disable or enable use of heating element 216 . (In embodiments in which the aerosol generator 102 itself does not include a heating element 216, but instead powers a heating element within a consumable 217 (e.g., a cartomizer), the heating element contained within the consumable 217 is powered. Note that the heating element controller 230 controls the power supply instead).

3, personal information device 104 (also referred to herein as a communication device) includes CPU 302, memory 304 (volatile memory), storage 306 (non-volatile memory), removable storage 308 (non-volatile memory, e.g. A micro secure digital (SD) card or some other portable flash memory device), a user interface 314 in communication with each other via a communication interface 310 , an antenna 312 and a communication bus 316 . CPU 302 is a computer processor, such as a microprocessor. CPU 302 is configured to execute instructions, eg, in the form of computer-executable code, and process data, eg, in the form of values or strings, including instructions and data stored in memory 304 , storage 306 and removable storage 308 . It is The instructions and data executed and processed by CPU 302 include instructions and data that coordinate the operation of other elements of personal digital assistant 104 , such as communication interface 310 and user interface 314 . They also contain instructions and data for running applications on personal information device 104 .

Communication interface 310 includes a short-range wireless communication interface and a cellular wireless communication interface (or other connection to access point 110 ) and is coupled to antenna 312 . The short-range wireless interface is used to establish a short-range wireless communication 116, such as a Bluetooth® connection, with the aerosol generator 102, and to establish another short-range wireless communication connection 118, such as Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi), with the access point 110. registered trademark) connection. The cellular wireless communications interface is configured to establish a cellular wireless communications connection 120 with the Internet 112 using the appropriate protocols previously described. Communication interface 210 thus includes one or more wireless modems suitable for supporting different communication connections 116, 118, 120 (see FIG. 1). In another embodiment, communication interface 310 also includes a wired communication interface. A wired communication interface can be used to provide a wired communication connection with access point 110, such as an Ethernet or Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection (not shown). User interface 314 includes display 318 and input device 320 . In this embodiment, display 318 and input device 320 are implemented together as a touch-sensitive screen.

Personal information device 104 is configured to execute multiple software modules. The multiple software modules include an operating system 322 , an aerosol generator application 326 and a wireless communication controller 330 . Each software module contains a set of instructions that perform one or more functions of personal digital assistant 104 . These instructions are provided in the form of computer-executable code stored in storage 306 , removable storage 308 and/or memory 304 and processed by CPU 302 , communication interface 310 and user interface 314 .

In the present embodiment, the operating system 322 of the personal information device 104 is the Android (registered trademark) operating system, Apple (registered trademark) iPhone (registered trademark) OS (iOS), or Microsoft (registered trademark) Windows (registered trademark). It is a good smartphone. The aerosol generator application 326 in this embodiment is downloaded and/or installed on the personal information device by the user. The aerosol generator application 326 is concerned with controlling a paired aerosol generator and is a web app, progressive web app, mobile app, native app designed to run on a mobile device (such as a smart phone or tablet computer). , any kind of application software, including hybrid apps.

Referring to FIG. 4, personal digital assistant 104 obtains data from different databases 402 , 404 , 408 and 410 . Databases 402 , 404 , 408 and 410 may be stored on personal information device as part of memory 304 , storage 306 or removable storage 308 , or additionally or alternatively by personal information device 104 via access point 110 or It can be provided to a remote server 114 directly connected through a cellular radio network link 120 (see FIG. 1). Alternatively, databases 402, 404, 408 and 410 may be implemented separately from storage, for example on separate storage units or hard disk drives.

Databases 402, 404, 408 and 410 may be accessed by applications running on personal information devices. Databases 402, 404, 408 and 410 are configured to store contextual data for aerosol generating devices. Typically, databases 402 , 404 , 408 and 410 store information about users who own or have owned one or more of aerosol generating device(s) 102 , the user and aerosol generating device(s) 102 . It is configured to be saved together with setting information related to

The context data includes context parameters for the aerosol generator 102 . In particular, context parameters include the spatial location of personal digital assistant 104 or aerosol generator 102 . The spatial position may be a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) position such as GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Beidou position. The current location of personal information device 104 may be obtained by a GNSS module included in personal information device 104 and then stored in location database 408 . The position database 408 may contain positions obtained by the GNSS module over time. Alternatively, the positions obtained by the GNSS modules may be forwarded directly to the aggregator 424 for further use.

A further database 410 stored on the personal digital assistant 104 may contain consumer profiles that indicate user preferences. These preferences may be calculated from usage data, downloaded from a server such as remote server 114 , or selected by the user of personal digital assistant 104 or aerosol generating device 102 . For example, a consumer profile may include personal data such as name, age, address, and smoking records and/or event records or preferred or unauthorized use times. In particular, the smoking record includes the current time, as well as the number of times the consumable has been smoked, such as volume, duration and/or intensity, parameters related to smoking airflow, frequency of smoking, session duration and frequency (i.e., if the aerosol generator 104 switched-on time). Additionally, the consumer profile may indicate whether the user prefers a particular taste, ie stronger or weaker.

A further database 410 or an additional database (not shown) may contain general contextual data such as consumable type and characteristics. For example, the data may indicate the preferred temperature for a particular type of consumable, the number of times smoked for a particular type of consumable, or similar data.

Further, a further database 410 or another additional database (also not shown) may contain calculation rules. The calculation rules can be wirelessly transferred from the personal digital assistant 104 to the aerosol generator 102, eg, via Bluetooth communication, to cause the aerosol generator 102 to determine whether to disable operation of the aerosol generator.

In addition to local databases on the personal information appliance, personal information appliance 104 can also access databases stored on remote servers, such as remote server 114 (see FIG. 1). The databases 402, 404 of the remote web server 114 (or two different remote servers) may contain context data. These databases can in principle be stored anywhere on the web ("web data"). Database 402 includes locations or areas where aerosol generating devices are not approved for use. The personal information device 104 can access the database 402 and compare the location stored in the database 402 with its current location or the current location of the aerosol generating device 102 . Areas where the use of aerosol generating devices is not approved may include hospitals, airports, museums, public areas (eg streets), etc., among others, where the use of aerosol generating devices is prohibited.

Areas of database 402 are particularly map portions, and in a preferred embodiment may be stored on a website that may be continuously updated by the service provider. These map areas where aerosol-generating devices are not approved for use may be crowded with people or used by drones and other Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) restricted by local regulations where vapor smoking is specifically restricted. It may resemble a no-fly zone.

The personal information appliance can replicate the database 402 locally in one of its memory 304 or its storage 306,308. In a preferred embodiment, the personal information device 104 compares its own location or the current location of the aerosol generating device 104 and then selects a subset of nearby (i.e. within a certain distance threshold) locations stored in the database 402. to retrieve a smaller subset of this location from database 402 . Database 402 may be accessed by software modules running on personal information device 104 to aggregate data.

Additionally, the personal information device 104 may access a further database 404 containing contextual data. In particular, database 404 may contain general contextual data, such as current weather including temperature, humidity, and the like.

After obtaining data from databases 402 , 404 , 408 and 410 (and/or any further applicable databases), personal information device 104 may collect data obtained from different sources (e.g., geographical data) within aggregator 420 . localization, internet, web servers, personal information device storage) into contextual messages. The context message is then forwarded to communication interface 310 and sent to aerosol generator 102 via antenna 312 via short-range wireless communication as described above. Although wireless communication is preferred, contextual messages may also be provided to the aerosol generator 102 via wired communication.

The context message may include all data contained in databases 402, 404, 408 and 410, or the data has been preprocessed by the personal information device to reduce traffic from the personal information device to the aerosol generator. or pre-filtered.

Referring now to FIG. 5, aerosol generating device 102 receives context messages via antenna 210 and its communication interface 208 . Once received, the context message is verified and then saved in memory 204 or storage 206 of aerosol generator 102 . Verification may include authentication using a key system or other technique involving public or private keys to verify that the information was sent from a previously paired personal information device.

After verification, the context message is forwarded to a microcontroller unit ("MCU"). Local context data (“local context data”) stored in the aerosol generator 102 is also transferred to the MCU. The local context data can be stored in databases 502, 504 stored in the memory 204 or storage 206 (see FIG. 2) of the aerosol generating device 102. FIG. Database 502 may include smoking records, event records (ie, consumable insertion or removal), and decision history records, among others. For example, the database 502 contains entries for when the aerosol generator 102 was switched on and off, where and when a cigarette was smoked. Additionally, the second database 504 may contain entries for consumer IDs.

These entries are forwarded to the MCU as local context messages containing local context data. The MCU receives local context data and context messages from the personal digital assistant 104 and determines whether to disable the heater according to computational rules. The calculation rules are based in particular on unsupervised or supervised machine learning algorithms. For example, the calculation rule compares the consumer ID stored locally on the aerosol generator (i.e., in the local context message) to the consumer profile (i.e., the consumer ID) of the context message received from the personal digital assistant 104. , it can determine that these IDs are not the same, and then disable the heater. In other words, if an unauthorized person connects another phone to the aerosol generator and attempts to send a contextual message, the device assumes the received message is from an anonymous sender and, for security purposes, can disable itself.

A particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to disabling the heater when the aerosol generating device is in an area where the use of the aerosol generating device is not approved. The calculation rule can compare the GNSS data with the unacknowledged regions indicated in the context message and retrieved from database 402 . If the MCU determines that the heater should be disabled, a heater switch command is sent to the heater to disable the heater of the aerosol generator. At that time, the aerosol generator 102 cannot generate aerosol until the heater is re-enabled.

In further preferred embodiments, certain substrates may not be consumed depending on environmental data. For example, a computational rule may determine that humidity or temperature exceeding a particular threshold in combination with a consumable type may be prevented by disabling operation of the aerosol generator 102 .

Calculation rules can be stored in the memory or storage of the aerosol generator. In some embodiments, calculation rules can be updated. In these cases, the calculation rule is transferred from the personal information device 104 to the aerosol generator 102, possibly as part of a context message, but preferably in a separate message.

Note that the decision to disable the aerosol generator (ie heater) is made by the aerosol generator 102 itself. The personal information appliance 104 only supplies data relevant to the decision. Thus, data only needs to be transferred from the web server and personal communication device to the aerosol generator. It reduces the need for data traffic in the upload direction from the aerosol generator to the personal digital assistant. Furthermore, since the aerosol generator itself enables or disables the heater and also contains the information necessary for the decision, disabling cannot be circumvented by disconnecting the aerosol generator 102 and the personal information device 104. . The present invention thus provides a safer and more reliable mechanism for disabling the aerosol generator 102 when necessary.

Can disable the entire aerosol generator. Preferably, however, only a portion, in particular the aerosol generator, ie the heater, is deactivated. The communication interface may remain active with the MCU and user interface 212 so that further contextual messages can be received and the device switched off.

A method of disabling the aerosol generator is shown in the flow diagram of FIG. In a first step, the aerosol generator receives a context message (S601). Then, in a second optional step (S602), calculation rules are received from the computer. The aerosol generator may simply use calculation rules from default settings or previously received, in which case step S602 is not performed. The calculation rules can be updated when new context messages are sent to the aerosol generator, or can be updated periodically by the manufacturer to update the firmware. In a third, also optional step (S603), local context data is obtained at the aerosol generator. Note that the order of steps S602 and S603 can be reversed. Appropriate calculation rules can be selected based on available data, context data received from the computer and/or context data stored locally. Then, according to the calculation rule, the aerosol generator determines whether the operation of the aerosol generator should be disabled (S604). If it is determined that the operation should be disabled, a command to disable the heating device is sent to the heating unit of the aerosol generator (S605).

The context message may remain valid as long as no new context message is sent to the aerosol generator. In some embodiments, the personal digital assistant 104 can periodically (ie, every minute, every ten minutes, every hour, etc.) send a contextual message to the aerosol generator. In other embodiments, sending a new context message is triggered by an event. For example, a new context message is sent each time a new GNSS position is obtained, or each time the GNSS position differs from the previous GNSS position by a certain (potentially predetermined) threshold. In other examples, new context messages are sent (and received) when other new context parameters are available in any of databases 402 , 404 , 408 and 410 . These embodiments refer to pushing contextual messages from the communication device 104 to the aerosol generation device 102 . However, the context message can also be retrieved from the communication device 104 by the aerosol generating device 102, as described below with reference to FIG.

Referring to FIG. 7, a method for updating context messages is shown. In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, the aerosol generator 102 requests the context message. In step S701, the aerosol generator 102 sends a request to the personal information device 104 for a context message. In response, personal information device 104 sends a context message to aerosol generator 102 in step S702. The aerosol generator 102 verifies whether it has received the message (S703) and verifies the message itself in step S704. If the context message has not been received, another request is sent to the personal information device requesting the context message (S701). If a context message is received, determine the validity of the context message. If the determination is positive, the operation of the aerosol generator is enabled or disabled (S705), for example using a context message as previously outlined in FIG. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the context message contains an expiry date or duration and is used unless a new context message is received (S705). However, if the expiration date of the context message has passed, a new context message is requested (S701). While the aerosol generator 102 does not have a valid context message, the aerosol generator operation, ie heater operation, can be disabled.

Claims (14)

A computer-implemented method of controlling the operation of an aerosol generating device comprising:
receiving (S601) by said aerosol generator (102) a context message comprising context data relating to one or more context parameters relating to the current context of said aerosol generator;
determining (S604), by the aerosol generating device, whether to disable operation of the aerosol generating device, the determination being based at least in part on the received contextual data;
If the determination is affirmative, disabling the operation of the aerosol generator (S605);
A method, wherein said context message includes an expiration date or time period. 2. The context parameter according to claim 1, wherein the context parameters comprise at least one of a communication device's location, in particular a GNSS location, user-specific data, a consumable profile, a user profile, and environmental conditions, in particular temperature, humidity, weather. the method of. 3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the contextual data includes data specifying areas where use of aerosol generating devices is not approved or permitted. receiving a calculation rule by the aerosol generator (S602);
A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising determining whether operation of the aerosol generating device should be disabled based on the computation rule. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein context messages received by said aerosol generator are verified using consumer data and/or consumable data stored in said aerosol generator. obtaining, by the aerosol generator, local context data from a local storage device of the aerosol generator (S603);
6. The step of determining whether to disable operation of the aerosol generator is based on both the context data and the local context data contained in the context message. The method described in . 7. The local context data according to claim 6, wherein said local context data comprises data relating to past use of said aerosol generating device, in particular at least one of smoking records, consumer identity, consumer settings and device settings. the method of. A method according to any preceding claim, comprising sending a context request requesting a context message from the aerosol generator to a communication device (S701). 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the context request is sent in response to determining that the aerosol generator does not have a valid context message, particularly if the most recent context message has expired (S705). described method. the following steps performed by said communication device: obtaining said context data;
A method according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising sending said context message to said aerosol generator. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of sending the context message is performed in response to the communication device detecting a change in its position, in particular a change in GNSS information. An aerosol generating device configured to perform the steps of any one of claims 1-9. A system comprising an aerosol generator and a communication device according to claim 12, wherein the communication device is configured to perform the steps of any one of claims 10-11. A computer readable storage medium containing instructions which, when executed, cause an aerosol generating device and/or communication device to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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