AEROSOL PROVISION SYSTEMS

Info

Publication number: 20200315254
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 19, 2018
Publication Date: Oct 8, 2020
Inventors: Pawel ZIELAZEK (London), Marcin KOZLOWSKI (London), Adrian JAKOBCZYK (London), Adam DZIKI (London)
Application Number: 15/733,273

Abstract

An aerosol provision system including a display module configured to display information relating to the aerosol provision system in a display region of a surface of the aerosol provision system and a user input module comprising measurement circuitry coupled to a plurality of sensor elements located around the display region to provide a plurality of sensing regions for detecting the presence of an object over the surface of the aerosol provision system around the display region.

Description

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

The present application is a National Phase entry of PCT Application No. PCT/GB2018/053690, filed Dec. 19, 2018, which claims priority from Great Britain Patent Application No. 1721431.3, filed Dec. 20, 2017, each of which is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to aerosol provision systems such as nicotine delivery systems (e.g. electronic cigarettes and the like).

BACKGROUND

Aerosol provision systems such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) generally contain a vapor precursor material, such as a reservoir of a source liquid containing a formulation, typically including nicotine, or a solid material such as a tobacco-based product, from which a vapor is generated for inhalation by a user, for example through heat vaporization. Thus, an aerosol provision system will typically comprise a vapor generation chamber containing a vaporizer, e.g. a heating element, arranged to vaporize a portion of precursor material to generate a vapor in the vapor generation chamber. As a user inhales on the device and electrical power is supplied to the vaporizer, air is drawn into the device through inlet holes and into the vapor generation chamber where the air mixes with the vaporized precursor material and forms a condensation aerosol. There is a flow path between the vapor generation chamber and an opening in the mouthpiece so the incoming air drawn through the vapor generation chamber continues along the flow path to the mouthpiece opening, carrying some of the vapor/condensation aerosol with it, and out through the mouthpiece opening for inhalation by the user. Some electronic cigarettes may also include a flavor element in the flow path through the device to impart additional flavor. Such devices may sometimes be referred to as hybrid devices and the flavor element may, for example, include a portion of tobacco arranged in the air path between the vapor generation chamber and the mouthpiece so that vapor/condensation aerosol drawn through the devices passes through the portion of tobacco before inhalation by the user.

Aerosol provision systems frequently have a user interface comprising one or more buttons and a display. The buttons may be used for receiving user input, for example to activate vapor generation or configure user-selectable settings. The display may be used to provide a user with information about various operating aspects of the system (e.g. a power setting, battery charge level, a menu of user-selectable settings). Buttons may, for example, comprise conventional mechanical buttons/switches and a display may, for example, comprise one or more discrete lights, such as LEDs, or a display screen. The user input and display aspects for known aerosol provision systems are typically implemented separately on a housing for the aerosol provision system. Some users may consider this arrangement to be sub-optimal because they may find it distracting to have to switch their attention between the input buttons and the display when they are interacting with the device through the user interface. One approach to seek to help address this issue is to provide the functionality of the input buttons and display together using a touch-sensitive display screen, for example of the type commonly used on mobile telephones. However, touch-sensitive display screens (touch screens) can be relatively complex, expensive and prone to damage, whereas aerosol provision systems are often relatively low cost devices having simple user interface requirements and sometimes subject to robust handling. This can mean conventional touch-sensitive display screens are not suitable for some aerosol provision systems.

Various approaches are described herein which seek to help address or mitigate some of the issues discussed above.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of certain embodiments there is provided an aerosol provision system comprising a display module configured to display information relating to the aerosol provision system in a display region of a surface of the aerosol provision system; and a user input module comprising measurement circuitry, e.g., capacitance measurement circuitry, coupled to a plurality of sensor elements located around the display region to provide a plurality of sensing regions for detecting the presence of an object over the surface of the aerosol provision system around the display region.

According to another aspect of certain embodiments there is provided aerosol provision means comprising: display means configured to display information relating to the aerosol provision means in a display region of a surface of the aerosol provision means; and user input means comprising measurement means, e.g., capacitance measurement means, coupled to a plurality of sensor element means located around the display region to provide a plurality of sensing regions for detecting the presence of an object over the surface of the aerosol provision means around the display region.

It will be appreciated that features and aspects of the disclosure summarized above and described further herein in relation to the first and other aspects of the disclosure are equally applicable to, and may be combined with, embodiments of the disclosure according to other aspects of the disclosure as appropriate, and not just in the specific combinations described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents in highly schematic cross-section an aerosol provision system in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic perspective views representing different example outer appearances for the aerosol provision system of FIG. 1 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure.

FIGS. 4 to 11 are schematic views of a surface of the aerosol provision system of FIG. 1 representing different user input gestures that may be detected with a user interface of the aerosol provision system in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments are discussed/described herein. Some aspects and features of certain examples and embodiments may be implemented conventionally and these are not discussed/described in detail in the interests of brevity. It will thus be appreciated that aspects and features of apparatus and methods discussed herein which are not described in detail may be implemented in accordance with any conventional techniques for implementing such aspects and features.

The present disclosure relates to aerosol provision systems, which may also be referred to as aerosol provision systems, such as e-cigarettes, including hybrid devices. Throughout the following description the term “e-cigarette” or “electronic cigarette” may sometimes be used, but it will be appreciated this term may be used interchangeably with aerosol provision system/device and electronic aerosol provision system/device. Furthermore, and as is common in the technical field, the terms “vapor ” and “aerosol”, and related terms such as “vaporize”, “volatilize” and “aerosolize”, may generally be used interchangeably.

Aerosol provision systems (e-cigarettes) often, though not always, comprise a modular assembly including both a reusable part and a replaceable (disposable) cartridge part. Often the replaceable cartridge part will comprise the vapor precursor material and the vaporizer and the reusable part will comprise the power supply (e.g. rechargeable battery), user interface and control circuitry. However, it will be appreciated these different parts may also comprise further elements depending on functionality.

For modular devices a cartridge and control unit are electrically and mechanically coupled together for use, for example using a screw thread, latching or bayonet fixing with appropriately engaging electrical contacts. When the vapor precursor material in a cartridge is exhausted, or the user wishes to switch to a different cartridge having a different vapor precursor material, a cartridge may be removed from the control unit and a replacement cartridge attached in its place. Devices conforming to this type of two-part modular configuration may generally be referred to as two-part devices or multi-part devices.

It is relatively common for electronic cigarettes, including multi-part devices, to have a generally box-like control unit with a replaceable cartridge or refillable liquid reservoir protruding from a top surface of the control unit. For the sake of providing a concrete example, certain embodiments of the disclosure described herein will be taken to conform to this general configuration and to use disposable cartridges. However, it will be appreciated the underlying principles described herein may equally be adopted for other electronic cigarette configurations, for example single-part devices or modular devices comprising more than two parts, refillable devices and single-use disposable devices, as well as devices conforming to other overall shapes, for example devices having a more elongate/cylindrical appearance or other overall shape. More generally, it will be appreciated certain embodiments of the disclosure are based on electronic cigarettes that are configured to provide user interface functionality in accordance with the principles described herein, and the construction and functionality of other aspects of the electronic cigarette are not of primary significance to the principles described herein and may be implemented in accordance with conventional techniques.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view through an example e-cigarette 1 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure. The e-cigarette 1 comprises two main components, namely a reusable part/control unit 2 and a replaceable/disposable cartridge part 4. In normal use the reusable part 2 and the cartridge part 4 are releasably coupled together at an interface 6. When the cartridge part is exhausted or the user simply wishes to switch to a different cartridge part, the cartridge part may be removed from the reusable part (control unit) and a replacement cartridge part attached to the reusable part in its place. The interface 6 provides a structural, electrical and air path connection between the two parts and may be established in accordance with conventional techniques, for example based around a screw thread, latch mechanism, or bayonet fixing with appropriately arranged electrical contacts and openings for establishing the electrical connection and air path between the two parts as appropriate. The specific manner by which the cartridge part 4 mechanically mounts to the reusable part 2 is not significant to the principles described herein, but for the sake of a concrete example is assumed here to comprise a threaded connection (not shown in the figures). It will also be appreciated the interface 6 in some implementations may not support an electrical connection between the respective parts. For example, in some implementations a vaporizer may be provided in the reusable part rather than in the cartridge part, or the transfer of electrical power from the reusable part to the cartridge part may be wireless (e.g. based on electromagnetic induction), so that an electrical connection between the reusable part and the cartridge part is not needed.

The cartridge part 4 may in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure be conventional. In FIG. 1, the cartridge part 4 comprises a cartridge housing 42 formed of a plastics material. The cartridge housing 42 supports other components of the cartridge part and provides the mechanical interface 6 with the reusable part 2. The cartridge housing is generally circularly symmetric about a longitudinal axis along which the cartridge part couples to the reusable part/control unit 2. In this example the cartridge part has a length of around 4 cm and a diameter of around 1.5 cm. However, it will be appreciated the specific geometry, and more generally the overall shapes and materials used, may be different in different implementations.

Within the cartridge housing 42 is a reservoir 44 that contains liquid vapor precursor material. The liquid vapor precursor material may be conventional, and may be referred to as e-liquid. The liquid reservoir 44 in this example has an annular shape with an outer wall defined by the cartridge housing 42 and an inner wall that defines an air path 52 through the cartridge part 4 to a mouthpiece outlet 50. The reservoir 44 is closed at each end with end walls to contain the e-liquid. The reservoir 44 may be formed in accordance with conventional techniques, for example it may comprise a plastics material and be integrally molded with the cartridge housing 42.

The cartridge part further comprises a wick 46 and a heater (vaporizer) 48 located towards an end of the reservoir nearest to the interface 6 and furthest from the mouthpiece outlet 50. In this example the wick 46 extends transversely across the cartridge air path 52 with its ends extending into the reservoir 44 of e-liquid through openings in the inner wall of the reservoir 44. The openings in the inner wall of the reservoir are sized to broadly match the dimensions of the wick 46 to provide a reasonable seal against leakage from the liquid reservoir into the cartridge air path without unduly compressing the wick, which may be detrimental to its fluid transfer performance.

The wick 46 and heater 48 are arranged in the cartridge air path 52 such that a region of the cartridge air path 52 around the wick 46 and heater 48 in effect defines a vaporization region for the cartridge part. E-liquid in the reservoir 44 infiltrates the wick 46 through the ends of the wick extending into the reservoir 44 and is drawn along the wick by surface tension/capillary action (i.e. wicking). The heater 48 in this example comprises an electrically resistive wire coiled around the wick 46. In this example the heater 48 comprises a nickel chrome alloy (Cr20Ni80) wire and the wick 46 comprises a glass fiber bundle, but it will be appreciated the specific vaporizer configuration is not significant to the principles described herein. In use electrical power may be supplied to the heater 48 to vaporize an amount of e-liquid (vapor precursor material) drawn to the vicinity of the heater 48 by the wick 46. Vaporized e-liquid may then become entrained in air drawn along the cartridge air path and out the mouthpiece outlet 50 for user inhalation.

The rate at which e-liquid is vaporized by the vaporizer (heater) 48 will depend on the amount (level) of power supplied to the heater 48 during use, among other factors. Thus electrical power can be applied to the heater to selectively generate vapor from the e-liquid in the cartridge part 4, and furthermore, the rate of vapor generation can be changed by changing the amount of power supplied to the heater 48, for example through pulse width and/or frequency modulation techniques.

The reusable part (control unit) 2 comprises an outer housing 12 with an opening that defines an air inlet 28 for the e-cigarette 1, a battery 26 for providing operating power for the electronic cigarette, control circuitry 20 for controlling and monitoring the operation of the electronic cigarette, an array of touch sensitive elements (sensor elements) 16A, 16B, 16C, 16B arranged around a display 24 (which together provide a user interface 8 for the electronic cigarette as discussed further herein), and an inhalation sensor (puff detector) 14, which in this example comprises a pressure sensor located in a pressure sensor chamber 18.

The outer housing 12 may be formed, for example, from a plastics or metallic material and in this example has a generally rectangular cross-section in the plane of FIG. 1. Overall the outer housing in this example has a generally rectangular box-like shape, with a width (horizontal direction in the orientation of FIG. 1) of around 4 cm, a height (vertical direction in FIG. 1) of around 8 cm, and a thickness (perpendicular to plane of FIG. 1) of around 2 cm. However, and as already noted, it will be appreciated that the overall shape and scale of an electronic cigarette implementing an embodiment of the disclosure is not significant to the user interface functionality described herein.

The air inlet 28 connects to an air path 30 through the reusable part 2. The reusable part air path 30 in turn connects to the cartridge air path 52 across the interface 6 when the reusable part 2 and cartridge part 4 are connected together. The pressure sensor chamber 18 containing the pressure sensor 14 is in fluid communication with the air path 30 in the reusable part 2 (i.e. the pressure sensor chamber 18 branches off from the air path 30 in the reusable part 2). Thus, when a user inhales on the mouthpiece opening 50, there is a drop in pressure in the pressure sensor chamber 18 that may be detected by the pressure sensor 14 to trigger activation of the vaporizer. At the same time air is drawn in through the air inlet 28, along the reusable part air path 30, across the interface 6, through the vapor generation region in the vicinity of the vaporizer 48 (where vaporized e-liquid becomes entrained in the air flow), along the cartridge air path 52, and out through the mouthpiece opening 50 for user inhalation.

The battery 26 in this example is rechargeable and may be of a conventional type, for example of the kind normally used in electronic cigarettes and other applications requiring provision of relatively high currents over relatively short periods. The battery 26 may be recharged through a charging connector 22 in the reusable part housing 12, for example a connector conforming to a USB format.

The control circuitry 20 is suitably configured/programmed to control the operation of the electronic cigarette to provide functionality in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure as described further herein, as well as for providing conventional operating functions of the electronic cigarette in line with the established techniques for controlling such devices. The control circuitry (processor circuitry) 20 may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units/circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the electronic cigarette's operation, such as display driving circuitry for the display 24 and user input measurement and processing circuitry for the touch sensitive elements 16. More particularly, the control circuitry 20 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure incorporates capacitance measurement circuitry arranged to make capacitance measurements associated with respective ones of the touch sensitive elements 16. The control circuitry 20 further comprises processing circuitry configured to process these capacitance measurements to identify changes that are indicative of an object, e.g. a user's finger, coming into proximity with any of the touch sensitive elements 16 (i.e. into a sensing region for any of the touch sensitive elements). In general the capacitance measurement circuitry within the control circuitry 20 and the associated touch sensitive elements (sensor elements) 16A, 16B, 16C, 16B may be based on any conventional capacitance-based proximity sensing techniques. In this regard, a significant aspect of certain embodiments of the disclosure is the spatial arrangement of the touch sensitive regions associated with the touch sensitive elements 16 relative to the display 24, rather than the specific capacitive touch sensing technology used for sensing the presence of an object in the touch sensitive regions. It will be appreciated the functionality of the control circuitry 20 can be provided in various different ways, for example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computer(s) and/or one or more suitably configured application-specific integrated circuit(a)/circuitry/chip(s)/chipset(s) configured to provide the desired functionality. For example, although the control circuitry may be considered to logically comprise various sub-units/circuitry elements associated with different aspects of the electronic cigarette's operation, these different elements of the circuitry may be provided by a single suitably programmed general purpose computer.

The display 24 is provided to give a user with a visual indication of various characteristics associated with the electronic cigarette, for example current power setting information, remaining battery power, selectable menu options, and so forth. The display may be implemented in various ways. In this example the display 24 comprises a conventional pixilated LED screen, e.g. an OLED screen defining a display region for the electronic cigarette. The LED screen is driven by the control circuitry 20 to display desired information in accordance with conventional techniques. In other implementations the display may comprise one or more discrete indicators, for example LEDs, that are arranged in a display region to display the desired information, for example through particular colors and/or flash sequence. More generally, the technology on which the display is based and the and manner in which information is displayed to a user using the display is not significant to the principles described herein, rather what is significant in accordance with certain embodiments is that the electronic cigarette (aerosol provision system) 1 comprises a display module configured to display information relating to the aerosol provision system in a display region 24 of a surface of the aerosol provision system.

The plurality of sensor elements 16 comprises conductive areas, e.g. electrodes on a printed circuit board or an inner surface of the housing 12, arranged at different azimuthal locations around the display 24. In the example of FIG. 1 there are four sensor elements located in different quadrants of the surface of the aerosol provision system around the display 24. In particular, for the orientation represented in FIG. 1 there is a first sensor element 16A located above the display 24, a second sensor element 16B located to the right of the display 24, a third sensor element 16C located below the display 24, and a fourth sensor element 16D located to left of the display 24. Thus the respective sensor elements in this example are adjacent/next to the display 24 on various different/opposite sides of the display (e.g. top and bottom sides and left and right sides). In this regard it will be appreciated reference herein to the sensor elements being located adjacent/next to the display refers to their relative positions as viewed in projection in the plane of the surface of the electronic cigarette containing the user interface 8. In practice the sensor elements themselves will be located below the outer surface of the electronic cigarette—i.e. the sensor elements and display may not be in exactly the same plane. In the example of FIG. 1 the sensor elements have a generally arcuate shape with respect to the center of the display, but in other examples the sensor elements may have different shapes, e.g. circular, square, or rectangular/bar shapes.

As noted above the electronic cigarette in the example of FIG. 1 comprises capacitance measurement circuitry coupled to sensor elements 16 located around, but not in front of or behind, the display region 24 so as to provide a plurality of sensing regions for detecting the presence of an object over the surface of the aerosol provision system around the display region. The capacitance measurement circuitry and the sensor elements may together be considered to comprise a user input module for the electronic cigarette.

Each sensor area may in some examples comprise a single electrode and the capacitance measurement circuitry may be configured to measure the free-space/self-capacitance of this single electrode. The free-space/self-capacitance of the electrode is affected by the presence of nearby objects, and so this may be used to detect the presence of a user's finger in the vicinity of the sensor element (i.e. within a sensing region associated with the sensor element). In other implementations each sensor area may comprise a pair of adjacent electrodes and the capacitance measurement circuitry may be configured to measure a degree of capacitive coupling between them. The degree of capacitive coupling between adjacent electrodes is affected by the presence of nearby objects, and so this may also be used to detect the presence of a user's finger, or other object, in the vicinity of the sensor element (i.e. within a sensing region associated with the sensor element).

However, as already noted, the specific capacitive sensing technology underlying the operation of the user input module for detecting the presence of nearby objects is not in itself of primary significance. What is more significant for certain embodiments of the disclosure is how the sensor elements are arranged around the display to provide the user with the impression of sensitivity to touch over the display without the display itself being a touch sensitive display due to how the sensing regions associated with the senor elements are arranged around the display region in the surface of the electronic cigarette. It will be appreciated the sensing region associated with a given sensor element will generally extend over a volume of space around the sensor element. That is to say, an object may be capacitively sensed using a sensor element without the object physically touching the sensor element or even being centered directly over the sensor element. In that regard, it will be appreciated the sensing regions associated with the respective sensor elements may extend beyond the areal extent of the sensor elements themselves across the surface of the aerosol provision system so that in some cases the sensing regions for different sensor elements may to some degree overlap one another and may also extend to some degree over the display itself. As is well-established in the field of capacitive sensing, the extent of a sensing region for a sensor element (i.e. the space in which an object may be detected around the sensor element) will depend on factors such as the geometry of the sensor element, the arrangement of any adjacent guard electrodes and the sensitivity of the capacitance measurement circuitry and its detection threshold. For the example represented in FIG. 1 it is assumed the sensitivity for the user input module to a typical user's finger is configured so the respective sensing regions for the different sensor elements broadly border one another within the surface of the aerosol provision system and allow the finger to be detected at or a few millimeters above the surface of the aerosol provision system around the region defined by the display 24.

In accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure the detection sensitivity for the user input module is configured to allow the presence of a user's finger in the vicinity of the display 24 to be detected and to establish an indication of where a user's finger is located around the display 24 from the capacitance measurements. For example, the user input module may be configured to simply determine the finger is located somewhere in whichever quadrant around the display is associated with the sensor element showing the greatest change in capacitance, or it may be configured to seek to establish a more refined position for the finger from the relative changes in capacitance measured for different sensor elements using interpolation. In accordance with the example implementation represented in FIG. 1 it is assumed the user input module is configured to simply determine which sensor element is associated with the greatest change in capacitance when a user's finger is detected by the user input module and to provide an indication of which sensor element that is. That is to say, the user input module is configured to simply indicate whether a detected object is considered to be detected by the first sensor element 16A arranged above the display 24, the second sensor element 16B arranged to the right of the display, the third sensor element 16C arranged below the display, or the fourth sensor element 16D arranged to the left of the display.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic perspective views representing different example outer appearances for the aerosol provision system of FIG. 1 in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure. In the example of FIG. 2 the outer surface is provided with indicia 116A, 116B, 116C, 116D to indicate the location of the corresponding sensor elements 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D behind the surface of the housing 12 around the display 24. The indicia may, for example, comprise visual indications, for example provided by paint or labeling applied to the surface of the electronic cigarette, and/or a tactile indication, for example a difference in surface texture and/or a recessed or raised portion of the surface of the electronic cigarette at the appropriate locations.

As explained above, in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure the user input module is configured to determine where an object is located in a touch sensitive region of the surface of the electronic cigarette around the display 24. Thus, by monitoring changes in the determined location for an object in the vicinity of the display 24, the user input module is further able to determine how a user's finger moves around the display, i.e. to recognize user input gestures. Thus in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure, the user interface of the electronic cigarette may be configured to determine when an object moves between the sensing regions in accordance with one of a set of predefined sequences. Different ones of the predefined sequences may be associated with different user inputs to control various operating aspects of the aerosol provision system, i.e. to perform various actions (in principle there may be only one predefined sequence in the set of predefined sequences so that the user interface is in effect responsive to only one gesture).

Thus when the user input module determines an object has moved between different sensing areas associated with different sensor elements in a particular sequence (corresponding to a particular gesture), this sequence may be compared with the set of predefined sequences to seek a match. If there is a match, the control circuitry of the electronic cigarette may interpret the user's gesture as an indication the user wishes to control a corresponding operating aspects of the aerosol provision system and respond accordingly by undertaking the corresponding action. If there is no match the control circuitry may take no action, or may indicate gesture is not recognized , for example by flashing the display.

FIGS. 4 to 11 are schematically plan views of the surface of the electronic cigarette 1 represented in FIGS. 1 to 3 which are overlain by grey arrows indicating various example user input gestures (i.e. example tracks for a user's finger to follow to provide user input).

FIG. 4 represents a user input gesture in which a user swipes their finger over the display from top to bottom. With this gesture the user input module will report a sequence of locations as follows: Step 1: No object detected (i.e. before the user starts the gesture); Step 2: Object detected by first sensor element 16A (i.e. when user initially places their finger above the display in the sensing region associated with sensor element 16A); Step 3: Object detected by third sensor element 16C (i.e. when user has moved their finger from the sensing region associated with sensor element 16A to below the display in the sensing region associated with sensor element 16C); Step 4: No object detected (i.e. the gesture is complete and the user has removed their finger from the surface).

This sequence may be conveniently represented in short form as: [start-16A-16C-finish].

In accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure, the electronic cigarette is configured to compare this sequence with a set of predefined sequences, and if there is a match (i.e. if the gesture of a user swiping down over the display is defined to correspond with a particular predefined action), the control circuitry of the electronic cigarette may implement the action accordingly. For example, the set of predefined sequences may include this sequence and it may be associated with a scroll down motion with respect to a menu displayed on the screen. Thus, on recognizing the user has performed this gesture, the control circuitry may cause the display to scroll down through the menu displayed on the screen.

FIGS. 5 to 11 are similar to, and will be understood from, FIG. 4, but represent different other gestures that may be associated with different user inputs, for example as set out in the following table.

Predefined Gesture sequence Example action FIG. 4 Swipe down start - 16A - 16C - Scroll down in over the display finish a menu of options on the display FIG. 5 Swipe up over start - 16C - 16A - Scroll up in the display finish a menu of options on the display FIG. 6 Swipe right over start - 16D - 16B - Select a menu option the display finish on the display FIG. 7 Swipe left over start - 16B - 16D - Step back a layer the display finish in a menu hierarchy FIG. 8 Clockwise start -16B - 16C - Increase the value around the 16D - 16A - 16B of a user- display finish selectable parameter on the display FIG. 9 Anti-clockwise start -16D - 16C - Decrease the value around the 16B - 16A - 16D of a user- display finish selectable parameter on the display FIG. 10 Complicated start - 16A - 16C - Switching the aerosol path 1 over the 16D - 16B - finish provision system to a display locked state FIG. 11 Complicated start - 16A - 16C - Switching the aerosol path 2 over the 16B - 16A - finish provision system to an display un locked state

It will be appreciated these are merely some example predefined sequences corresponding to some example gestures and example corresponding actions that may be implemented in accordance with various embodiments of the disclosure. More generally, it will be appreciated the specific gestures which the user input module is configured to recognize , and the corresponding actions to be performed, may be different for different implementations. Furthermore, and in accordance with the know principles of user interface functionality, it will also be appreciated different gestures may be associated with different actions in different contexts. For example, the gestures represented in FIGS. 8 and 9 may be associated with increasing and decreasing the value of different parameters, for example an operating power or voltage for the electronic cigarette or a display brightness level, depending on which of these parameters has been selected from a menu of parameters that may be adjusted, e.g. using gestures such as those represented in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 to navigate the menus to select the desired parameter to adjust.

In one implementation each of the sensor elements 16 may be associated with a different index number, for example sensor element 16A may be associated with index “1”, sensor element 16B may be associated with index “2”, sensor element 16C may be associated with index “3”, and sensor element 16D may be associated with index “4”. The processor circuitry 20 may then be configured to generate a sequence of index numbers corresponding to a sequence in which different sensor areas are determined to be touched by a user, and to see if this sequence matches a corresponding gesture (e.g. the sequence 1, 2, 3, 4 corresponding to a clockwise rotation). When determining if a gesture is detected, the processing circuitry may be configured to break a sequence (i.e. restart monitoring for a match) if there is a gap of a predetermined period between a pair of sequential touches. That is to say, there may be a requirement for the touches in a sequence to occur within a predefined period of time of a previous touch, for example 25 ms, for this to be considered part of a sequence that may correspond with a predefined gesture. It will of course be appreciated different time periods may be used, for example a time period less than 100 milliseconds, for example less than 80 milliseconds, for example less than 60 milliseconds, for example less than 40 milliseconds.

Thus in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure, control circuitry of an aerosol provision system may be configured to control an operating aspect of the aerosol provision system (i.e. to perform a control action) in response to determining an object has moved among the sensing regions around the display in accordance with one of a set of one or more predefined sequences. The set of predefined sequences may comprise a plurality of different predefined sequences associated with different operating aspects (control actions) for the aerosol provision system. For example, the control actions associated with different gestures may comprise one or more of: selecting a menu option displayed on the display; scrolling through different menu options displayed on the display; changing a setting for a menu option displayed on the display; adjusting a value of an operating parameter for the aerosol provision system; switching the aerosol provision system to a locked state; switching the aerosol provision system to an unlocked state; switching the aerosol provision system to an off state; switching the aerosol provision system to a standby state; and activating vapor generation by the aerosol provision system.

At least one of the predefined sequences/gestures may correspond with an object moving along a path from a sensing region on one side of the display to a sensing region on an opposite side of the display (e.g. as in the examples of FIGS. 4 to 7). These type of gestures may be associated with navigating a menu structure, for example, or to activate vapor generation, for example in a device that does not have an inhalation/puff sensor for automatically triggering activation of the vaporizer.

At least one of the predefined sequences/gestures may correspond with an object moving along a curved path through at least three sensing regions around the display region (e.g. as in the examples of FIGS. 8 and 9). These type of gestures may be associated with increasing or decreasing a value for an operating parameter for the electronic cigarette, for example.

At least one of the predefined sequences/gestures may correspond with an object moving along a relatively complicated path, for example through at least four sensing regions in a predefined order and/or moving along a path that includes a plurality of discrete changes in direction. These type of more complicated gestures may be associated with transitioning the electronic cigarette between operating states, for example between an off and an on/standby state or between a locked state and an unlocked state (e.g. to prevent operation by somebody who is unaware of the predefined sequence/gesture required to unlock the device).

Some or all of the predefined sequences/gestures and corresponding actions may be user programmable.

It will be appreciated the above-described embodiments have focused on only some example implementations and there are many modifications and variations that may be adopted in other example implementations. For example, whereas the above-described embodiments have focused on an implementation incorporating four sensor elements, in other examples there may be fewer sensor elements, for example only two sensors with one on either side of the display, or there may be a greater number of sensor elements, for example to able to help distinguish similar gestures.

While the above-described embodiments have in some respects focused on some specific example aerosol provision systems, it will be appreciated the same principles can be applied for aerosol provision systems using other technologies. That is to say, the specific manner in which various aspects of the aerosol provision system function are not directly relevant to the principles underlying the examples described herein.

For example, whereas the above-described embodiments have primarily focused on devices having an electrical heater based vaporizer for heating a liquid vapor precursor material, the same principles may be adopted in accordance with vaporizers based on other technologies, for example piezoelectric vibrator based vaporizers or optical heating vaporizers , and also devices based on other aerosol precursor materials, for example solid materials, such as plant derived materials, such as tobacco derivative materials, or other forms of vapor precursor materials, such as gel, paste or foam based vapor precursor materials.

Furthermore, and as already noted, it will be appreciated the above-described approaches for providing a user interface of an aerosol provision system may be implemented in aerosol provision systems having a different overall construction to that represented in FIG. 1. For example, the same principles may be adopted in an electronic cigarette which does not comprise a two-part modular construction, but which instead comprises a single-part device, for example a disposable (i.e. non-rechargeable and non-refillable) device. Furthermore, in some implementations of a modular device, the arrangement of components may be different. For example, in some implementations the control unit may also comprise the vaporizer with a replaceable cartridge providing a source of vaporizer precursor material for the vaporizer to use to generate vapor.

Thus there has been described an aerosol provision system comprising a display module configured to display information relating to the aerosol provision system in a display region of a surface of the aerosol provision system; and a user input module comprising capacitance measurement circuitry coupled to a plurality of sensor elements located around the display region to provide a plurality of sensing regions for detecting the presence of an object over the surface of the aerosol provision system around the display region.

It will be appreciated that whereas some of the above-described embodiments have focused on implementations using capacitive touch sensing techniques, the same principles may be applied using other touch-sensing technologies, for example resistance-based touch sensing and/or induction-based touch-sensing techniques using established techniques for sensing touch in accordance with the relevant technology. That is to say, in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure, the specific technology underlying the touch sensing function may not in itself be of primary significance, but rather what is more significant is the spatial arrangement of sensing areas around a display region, as discussed herein.

In order to address various issues and advance the art, this disclosure shows by way of illustration various embodiments in which the claimed invention(s) may be practiced. The advantages and features of the disclosure are of a representative sample of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. They are presented only to assist in understanding and to teach the claimed invention(s). It is to be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and/or other aspects of the disclosure are not to be considered limitations on the disclosure as defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that other embodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. Various embodiments may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, various combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc. other than those specifically described herein, and it will thus be appreciated that features of the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims in combinations other than those explicitly set out in the claims. The disclosure may include other inventions not presently claimed, but which may be claimed in future.

Claims

1. An aerosol provision system comprising:

a display module configured to display information relating to the aerosol provision system in a display region of a surface of the aerosol provision system; and

a user input module comprising measurement circuitry coupled to a plurality of sensor elements located around the display region to provide a plurality of sensing regions for detecting a presence of an object over the surface of the aerosol provision system around the display region.

2. The aerosol provision system of claim 1, wherein the measurement circuitry comprises capacitance measurement circuitry.

3. The aerosol provision system of claim 2, further comprising processing circuitry configured to provide detection signals to indicate when an object is determined to be in one or more of the sensing regions based on capacitance measurements from the capacitance measurement circuitry.

4. The aerosol provision system of claim 3, further comprising control circuitry configured to determine from the detection signals when an object moves between the sensing regions in accordance with one of a set of predefined sequences comprising one or more predefined sequences.

5. The aerosol provision system of claim 4, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to control an operating aspect of the aerosol provision system in response to determining an object has moved between the sensing regions in accordance with one of the set of predefined sequences.

6. The aerosol provision system of claim 5, wherein the set of predefined sequences comprises a plurality of different predefined sequences associated with different operating aspects of the aerosol provision system.

7. The aerosol provision system of claim 5, wherein controlling the operating aspect of the aerosol provision system comprises one or more of:

selecting a menu option displayed in the display region;

scrolling through different menu options displayed in the display region;

changing a setting for a menu option displayed in the display region;

adjusting a value of an operating parameter for the aerosol provision system;

switching the aerosol provision system to a locked state;

switching the aerosol provision system to an unlocked state;

switching the aerosol provision system to an off state;

switching the aerosol provision system to a standby state; and

activating vapor generation by the aerosol provision system.

8. The aerosol provision system of claim 5, wherein at least one of the predefined sequences corresponds with an object moving along a path from a sensing region on one side of the display region to a sensing region on an opposite side of the display region.

9. The aerosol provision system of claim 5, wherein at least one of the set of predefined sequences corresponds with an object moving along a curved path through at least three sensing regions around the display region.

10. The aerosol provision system of claim 5, wherein at least one of the set of predefined sequences corresponds with an object moving along a path through at least four sensing regions in a predefined order.

11. The aerosol provision system of claim 5, wherein at least one of the set of predefined sequences corresponds with an object moving along a path that includes a plurality of changes in direction.

12. The aerosol provision system of claim 5, wherein the surface of the aerosol provision system includes indicia to indicate locations of the plurality of sensor elements around the display region.

13. The aerosol provision system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor elements comprise four sensor elements located in different quadrants of the surface of the aerosol provision system around the display region.

14. The aerosol provision system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of sensor elements have an arcuate shape and are arranged at different azimuthal positions around a center of the display region.

15. The aerosol provision system of claim 1, further comprising a vaporizer and a source of vapor precursor material.

16. The aerosol provision system of claim 15, wherein the source of vapor precursor material is in a replaceable cartridge for the aerosol provision system.

17. Aerosol provision means comprising:

display means configured to display information relating to the aerosol provision means in a display region of a surface of the aerosol provision means; and

user input means comprising measurement means coupled to a plurality of sensor element means located around the display region to provide a plurality of sensing regions for detecting a presence of an object over the surface of the aerosol provision means around the display region.