A CONTROLLER FOR A NON-COMBUSTIBLE AEROSOL PROVISION SYSTEM, APPARATUS FOR A NON-COMBUSTIBLE AEROSOL PROVISION SYSTEM, AND A NON-COMBUSTIBLE AEROSOL PROVISION DEVICE AND SYSTEM

Abstract

A detailed listing of all claims that are, or were, in the present application, irrespective of whether the claim(s) remain(s) under examination in the application is presented below. The claims are presented in ascending order and each includes one status identifier. Those claims not cancelled or withdrawn but amended by the current amendment utilize the following notations for amendment: 1. deleted matter is shown by strikethrough for six or more characters and double brackets for five or fewer characters; and 2. added matter is shown by underlining.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

The present application is a National Phase entry of PCT Application No. PCT/EP2021/077151, filed Oct. 1, 2021, which claims priority from GB Application No. 2015649.3, filed Oct. 2, 2020, each of which is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a controller for a non-combustible aerosol provision system, apparatus for a non-combustible aerosol provision system, and a non-combustible aerosol provision device and system.

BACKGROUND

Smoking articles such as cigarettes, cigars and the like burn tobacco during use to create tobacco smoke.

Attempts have been made to provide alternatives to these articles that burn tobacco by creating products that release compounds from an aerosol-generating material without burning the material.

Examples of such products are heating devices which release compounds by heating, but not burning, the material. The material may be for example tobacco or other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine.

As another example, there are so-called e-cigarette devices. In these devices, the aerosol-generating material is typically a liquid which is heated to vaporize the liquid to produce an inhalable vapor or aerosol. The liquid may contain nicotine and/or flavorings and/or aerosol-generating materials, such as glycerol. Known e-cigarette devices typically do not contain or use tobacco material.

It is desirable to provide the user of electronic non-combustible aerosol provision devices, such as those mentioned above, with ways of monitoring their usage of an aerosol-generating material in the device.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a controller configured to determine a value indicative of an amount of usable aerosol-generating material in a non-combustible aerosol provision system, wherein the controller is configured to: determine an operating state of the non-combustible aerosol provision system; and determine the value indicative of the amount of usable aerosol-generating material remaining in the system by a first process if the controller determines that the system is in a first operating state indicative that the aerosol-generating material is being depleted and that the system is not being operated by a user to deliver generated aerosol to the user.

The controller may be configured to: determine the value indicative of an amount of usable aerosol-generating material remaining in the system by a second process different from the first process if the controller determines that the system is in a second operating state indicative that the system is being operated by a user to deliver generated aerosol to a user.

The controller may be configured to determine the operating state of the system based on an input received from a detector for detecting a user interaction with the system.

The controller may be configured to determine the operating state of the system by determining from the input received from the detector if a user is inhaling on the system.

The controller may be configured to receive from the detector data indicative of one or more parameters of a detected inhalation on the system.

The controller may be configured to: determine an operational parameter relating to an aerosol generating element in the system; and determine when the system is in the first state based on the operational parameter relating to the aerosol generating element.

The first process may comprise determining an initial value indicative of an amount of usable aerosol-generating material in the system and applying a first rate of depletion to the initial value for a time in which the system is determined to be in the first state.

The first rate of depletion may be based on one or more characteristics of one or more of: the non-combustible aerosol provision system; the aerosol-generating material; and a consumable in which the aerosol-generating material is comprised.

The controller may be configured to determine the first rate based on one or more current usage parameters of the system, such as a temperature of a heater assembly configured to heat the aerosol-generating material or a temperature of the aerosol-generating material.

The second process may comprise determining an initial value indicative of an amount of usable aerosol-generating material in the system and applying a second rate of depletion to the initial value for a time in which the system is determined to be in the second state.

The controller may be configured to determine the second rate of depletion based on the data indicative of one or more parameters of the detected inhalation received from the detector.

The second process may comprise determining an initial value indicative of an amount of usable aerosol-generating material in the system and reducing the initial value by a pre-determined amount when an inhalation on the system by the user is detected.

The controller may be configured to send the value indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material remaining in the system to an indicator to be displayed to a user.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided apparatus for a non-combustible aerosol provision system, the apparatus comprising a controller according to the first aspect of the present invention and: an indicator to display an indication of the value indicative of the amount of remaining usable aerosol-generating material in the system; and a detector for detecting a user interaction with the system.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-combustible aerosol provision device comprising a controller according to the first aspect of the present invention or apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention.

The non-combustible aerosol provision device may be for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material comprising tobacco by heating and not burning the aerosol-generating material comprising tobacco.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-combustible aerosol provision system comprising a non-combustible aerosol provision device according to the third aspect of the present invention and a consumable comprising aerosol-generating material.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of determining a value indicative of an amount of usable aerosol-generating material in a non-combustible aerosol provision system, the method comprising: determining an operating state of the non-combustible aerosol provision system; and determining the value indicative of the amount of usable aerosol-generating material in the system by a first process if the controller determines that the system is in a first operating state indicative that the aerosol-generating material is being depleted and that the system is not being operated by a user to deliver generated aerosol to the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic partial cross-sectional representation of an example non-combustible aerosol provision system comprising a non-combustible aerosol provision device having an indicator for displaying a value indicative of a remaining amount of usable aerosol-generating material in the system;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic top view of the example system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic partial cross-sectional representation of another example non-combustible aerosol provision system having an indicator for displaying a value indicative of a remaining amount of usable aerosol-generating material in the system; and

FIG. 4 shows a schematic front view of the example system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a non-combustible aerosol provision system comprising a non-combustible aerosol provision device 100 for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material. The non-combustible aerosol provision device 100 is an inhalation device (i.e. a user uses it to inhale an aerosol generated by the device 100) and the device 100 is a hand-held device. The device 100 is an electronic device. The system comprises the device 100 and a consumable 110 comprising an aerosol-generating material 110a. In broad outline, the device 100 may be used to generate an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material 110a in the consumable 110, such that the aerosol may be inhaled by a user of the device 100.

In at least some examples a vapor is produced that then at least partly condenses to form an aerosol before exiting the non-combustible aerosol provision device for inhalation by a user.

In this respect, first it may be noted that, in general, a vapor is a substance in the gas phase at a temperature lower than its critical temperature, which means that for example the vapor can be condensed to a liquid by increasing its pressure without reducing the temperature. On the other hand, in general, an aerosol is a colloid of fine solid particles or liquid droplets, in air or another gas. A “colloid” is a substance in which microscopically dispersed insoluble particles are suspended throughout another substance.

For reasons of convenience, as used herein the term aerosol should be taken as meaning an aerosol, a vapor or a combination of an aerosol and vapor.

Aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. Aerosol-generating material may, for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel which may or may not contain an active substance and/or flavorants. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may comprise an “amorphous solid”, which may alternatively be referred to as a “monolithic solid” (i.e. non-fibrous). In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dried gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material that may retain some fluid, such as liquid, within it. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may for example comprise from about 50 wt %, 60 wt % or 70 wt % of amorphous solid, to about 90 wt %, 95 wt % or 100 wt % of amorphous solid.

The aerosol-generating material may comprise one or more active substances and/or flavors, one or more aerosol-former materials, and optionally one or more other functional material.

The active substance as used herein may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active substance may for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, psychoactives. The active substance may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active substance may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or constituents, derivatives, or combinations thereof. The active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of tobacco, cannabis or another botanical.

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

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

The aerosol-former material may comprise one or more constituents capable of forming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol-former material may comprise one or more of glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate.

A consumable is an article comprising or consisting of aerosol-generating material, part or all of which is intended to be consumed during use by a user. A consumable may comprise one or more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a mouthpiece, a filter and/or an aerosol-modifying agent. A consumable may also comprise an aerosol generator, such as a heater, that emits heat to cause the aerosol-generating material to generate aerosol in use. The heater may, for example, comprise combustible material, a material heatable by electrical conduction, or a susceptor.

In the example device 100 shown in FIG. 1, the aerosol-generating material 110a of the consumable 110 comprises tobacco. The device 100 is configured to heat but not burn the tobacco to generate an aerosol therefrom. In examples such as this, the device 100 may be referred to as a tobacco heating device, or tobacco heating product (THP).

The device 100 comprises a housing 102 which houses the various components of the device 100. The housing 102 has an opening 104 in one end and a receptacle 112 for receiving the consumable 110. The opening 104 allows the consumable 110 to be inserted therethrough into the receptacle 112. In use, the consumable 110 may be fully or partially inserted into the receptacle 112 to be heated by a heating assembly 120. The device 100 may also comprise a lid, or cap 106, to cover the opening 104, for example when no consumable is in place. The cap 106 is shown in an open configuration in FIG. 1. In examples, the cap 106 may move, for example by sliding, between an open configuration and a closed configuration. FIG. 2 shows a top view of the device 100.

In one example, the receptacle 112 is in the form of a hollow cylindrical tube into which the consumable 110 comprising the aerosol-generating material 110a is inserted to be heated. However, different arrangements for the receptacle 112 are possible. The consumable 110 in this example is an elongate cylindrical rod, although in other examples the consumable 110 may take any other suitable shape. In the example of FIG. 1, the consumable 110 has been inserted into the receptacle 112 and a proximal end (closest to the user in use) of the consumable 110 projects out of the device 100 through the opening 104 of the housing 102. This allows the user to contact the proximal end of the consumable 110 to inhale the generated aerosol through the consumable 110 in use. In examples, the consumable 110 may include a filter material and/or a cooling element or the like (not shown). For example, the proximal end of the consumable 110 which is configured to project from the opening 104 to act as a mouthpiece may comprise a filter material. In some examples the consumable 110 is fully received within the receptacle 112 such that it does not project out of the device 100. In such examples, the user may inhale the generated aerosol from the opening 104, e.g. via a mouthpiece connected to the housing 102.

The device 100 comprises one or more aerosol generating elements for applying energy to the aerosol-generating material to generate the aerosol. In the example of FIG. 1, the device comprises a heater assembly 120 arranged to heat the aerosol-generating material 110a when the consumable 110 is located within the receptacle 112. The heater assembly 120 may comprise one or more heating elements (not shown). In one example, the heater assembly 120 comprises one or more resistive heating elements that are configured to generate heat via resistive losses when an electric current is caused to flow through them. The heater assembly 120 may be located internally or externally of the receptacle 112. For example, the heater assembly 120 may comprise a thin film heater that is wrapped around a surface of the receptacle 112. In examples, the heater assembly 120 may be formed as a single heater or may be formed of a plurality of heaters aligned along the longitudinal axis of the receptacle 112. The receptacle 112 may be annular or tubular, or at least part-annular or part-tubular around its circumference. The receptacle 112 may, for example, be formed of a thermally conductive material and a thin film heater may be wrapped around an external surface of the receptacle 112. In one example, the receptacle 112 is defined by a stainless-steel support tube. The receptacle 112 is dimensioned so that substantially the whole of the aerosol-generating material 110a in the consumable 110 is located within the receptacle 112, in use, so that substantially all of the aerosol-generating material 110a may be heated. The receptacle 112 may be arranged so that selected zones of the aerosol-generating material 110a can be independently heated.

In other examples, the heater assembly 120 may be configured to heat the consumable 110 via an inductive heating process. For example, the heater assembly 120 may comprise a susceptor element (not shown) which is configured to be heated via induction heating. In examples where the heater assembly 120 comprises a susceptor element, the heater assembly 120 also comprises one or more induction elements configured to generate a varying magnetic field that penetrates the susceptor element to cause heating of the susceptor element by the generation of eddy currents and/or by magnetic hysteresis in the susceptor element. In one such example, the susceptor element may at least partially surround the consumable 110. For example, the susceptor element may form a tube which at least partially defines the receptacle 112. In other examples, the susceptor element may be located inside of the receptacle 112 in use, for example, the susceptor element may be located in the consumable 110. In examples using induction heating, there may be more than one susceptor element arranged to heat the consumable 110. For example, a plurality of susceptor elements may be arranged along a longitudinal axis of the receptacle 112 for heating different respective portions of the consumable 110. The heater assembly 120 in examples may comprise a plurality of inductive elements, such as inductor coils, and each inductive element may be arranged to generate a varying magnetic field for heating a corresponding one of the susceptor elements. The susceptor element/s may be formed from any suitable material that can be inductively heated, for example a metal or metal alloy, e.g., steel. In some implementations, the susceptor element/s may comprise or be entirely formed from a ferromagnetic material, which may comprise one or a combination of example metals such as iron, nickel and cobalt. In some implementations, the susceptor element/s may comprise or be formed entirely from a non-ferromagnetic material, for example aluminium.

The device 100 may include a user-operable control element 108, such as a button or switch, which actuates operation of the device 100 when pressed. The device 100 includes electronics 114 that comprises a controller 116 and a power source 118, such as a battery. The controller 116 may include a processor, which, among other things, is configured to determine an amount of usable aerosol-generating material in the device 100, as will be described in more detail below.

The power source 118 may be, for example, a battery, such as a rechargeable battery or a non-rechargeable battery. Examples of suitable batteries include, for example, a lithium-ion battery, a nickel battery (such as a nickel-cadmium battery), an alkaline battery and/or the like. The battery 118 is electrically coupled to the one or more heaters to supply electrical power when required and under control of the controller 116 to heat the aerosol-generating material without causing the aerosol-generating material to combust.

In use, the device 100 may be switched on and/or off by the user using the button 108. In examples, when the device 100 is switched on using the button 108, power from the power source 118 (such as a battery within the device 100) is supplied to the heater assembly 120, so that the consumable 110 is heated and a flow of aerosol is generated from the consumable 110.

In use, the user draws on the proximal end of the consumable 110 which is inserted into the device 100 and air is drawn through one or more air inlets (not shown) into the device 100. Aerosol is generated by the device 100 from the aerosol-generating material 110a contained in the consumable 110. The one or more air inlets and the consumable 110 are in fluidic contact with the receptacle 112 and air flowing in through the one or more air inlets mixes with aerosol generated from the consumable 110 to generate a flow of aerosol. The aerosol flow is drawn towards the proximal end of the consumable 110 for inhalation by the user when the user draws on the consumable 110.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the device 100 comprises an indicator 180 which is configured to display an indication to the user of an amount of remaining usable aerosol-generating material 110a in the device 100. The indicator 180 may comprise one or more indicator elements, such as one or more LEDs which are configured to light up or turn off to indicate an amount of remaining usable aerosol-generating material 110a in the device 100. The indicator 180 may, for example, be a display panel comprising a plurality of indicator elements. In examples, the indicator 180 may alternatively or additionally be configured to notify a user of an amount of remaining usable aerosol-generating material 110a in the device 100 by another means, such as by emitting a sound or a haptic signal. For example, the indicator 180 may be configured to emit a warning sound or to vibrate to indicate that the usable aerosol-generating material 110a is at a low level or has been fully depleted. For example, a haptic signal could be provided to indicate the amount of usable aerosol-generating material remaining by a frequency or intensity. In another example, a dynamic interface may be provided which deforms or changes shape or colour to indicate a changing amount of aerosol-generating material.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, as described above, the aerosol-generating material 110a is a solid material, such as a tobacco containing material, which is heated and not burned to produce the aerosol. Furthermore, a portion of the consumable 110 which contains the aerosol-generating material 110a being heated may be located inside the receptacle 112 and therefore may not be visible to a user during use of the device 100. As such, it may not be evident to the user, e.g., by looking at the device 100 and/or consumable 110, how much of the aerosol-generating substance 110a contained in the consumable 110 remains usable.

For example, as aerosol is generated by the device 100 from the consumable 110 during a usage session the aerosol-generating material 110a typically becomes used up i.e. no longer suitable for producing an aerosol suitable for being inhaled by the user. As the aerosol-generating material 110a becomes used up, the consumable 110 may cease to produce aerosol altogether, or in examples the consumable 110 may continue to produce aerosol but the quality of the aerosol (e.g. the amount or type of aerosolised particles generated from the material 110a entrained in the aerosol flow) may reduce such that the aerosol is no longer of a quality suitable for being inhaled by a user, at which point the amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a in the consumable 110 may be considered to be fully depleted.

The amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a may deplete throughout a usage session at a rate which is at least partially dependent on one or more factors such as a volume of aerosol generated from the consumable 110, or a temperature to which the aerosol-generating material 110a in the consumable 110 is heated.

The indicator 180 is configured to display an indication, based on a signal received from the controller 116, which allows for the user to see when the aerosol-generating material 110a has become used up and/or to see throughout a usage session how much of the aerosol-generating material 110a remains usable. The indication shown by the indicator 180 changes throughout a usage session to indicate the decreasing amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a that remains in the device 100 as the usage session progresses.

Accordingly, at the start of a usage session, e.g. when the device 100 is actuated to turn on the heater assembly 120 with the consumable 110 newly inserted, the indicator 180 may display a first value indicative that all of the aerosol-generating material 110a is usable. As the usage session progresses and as the aerosol-generating material 110a is depleted, the indicator 180 displays an updated value indicative of an amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a remaining in the device 100. The updated value is determined by the controller 116 and may decrease from an initial, maximum, value at the start of the usage session to lower values as the usage session progresses. The value indicative of the amount of usable material 110a remaining may eventually reduce to a value indicating that all of the aerosol-generating material 110a has been used up. The initial value may be dependent on the type of consumable 110 which is used. In examples, the controller 116 may be configured to detect when a new consumable 110 is received in the device 100 and accordingly to set the value indicative of the amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a in the device 100 to an initial value corresponding to the consumable 110.

The controller 116 is configured to determine the amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a remaining in the device 100 for display by the indicator 180. The controller 116 may, for example, be programmed to determine how long it will take for all of the usable aerosol-generating material 110a in the consumable 110 to deplete under given usage conditions of the device 100. In examples, in order to make such determinations, the controller 116 may have available to it test data or data derived from theoretical models. For example, the controller 116 may have available to it data obtained by testing the device 100 under various usage conditions which allows the controller 116 to determine how long it will take for the aerosol-generating material 110a to fully deplete under current usage conditions.

In examples, the controller 116 may be configured to determine if the device 100 is in a first operating state which is indicative that the aerosol-generating material 110a is being depleted but in which the device 100 is not being operated by a user to deliver generated aerosol to the user. The controller 116 is configured to, when the device 100 is in the first state, determine the value indicative of the amount of remaining aerosol-generating material 110a in the device 100 by a first process. For example, even in periods when the user is not inhaling on the device 100, the heater assembly 120 may still heat the aerosol-generating material 110a and cause the material 110a to deplete. For example, when a user is not inhaling on the device 100 the heater assembly 120 may be maintained at a lower temperature than that used to generate aerosol when the user is inhaling on the device 100. In examples, the heater assembly 120 may be not being actively powered but may still remain at a temperature such that residual heat continues to deplete the material 110a. For example, power to the heater assembly 120 may have been recently turned off but the heater assembly 120 may remain at a temperature such that it causes the material 110a to be depleted. Therefore, the aerosol-generating material 110a may be depleted during these periods despite the device 100 not operating to deliver aerosol to a user to be inhaled by the user. In examples, the controller 116 may adjust the indication of the amount of remaining usable aerosol-generating material 110a to account for this.

To determine the operating state of the device 100, the controller 116 may be configured to determine when a user is interacting with the device 100. In examples, the non-combustible aerosol provision device 100 comprises a detector 122a for detecting an interaction of the user with the device 100. In examples, the detector 122a is configured to communicate signals to the controller 116. For example, the detector 122a may be configured to send signals to the controller 116 when the detector 122a detects a user interaction with the device 100. The detector 122a may be connected to the controller 116 via a suitable electrical connection. Accordingly, the controller 116 is configured to receive signals from the detector 122a and may do computations and/or control operation of the device 100 based on the received signals.

In the example of FIG. 1, the detector 122a is a puff detector which is configured to detect when a user is inhaling on the device 100. The puff detector 122a may, for example, be configured to detect a flow of air or to detect pressure changes which are indicative that a user is inhaling on the consumable 110. For example, the puff detector 122a may be in fluidic contact with the receptacle 112 and may thereby be arranged to measure airflow within the receptacle 112 caused by a user inhaling on the consumable 110. The puff detector 122a may be configured to detect a duration and a magnitude of a user's inhalation on the device 100. For example, the puff detector 122a may be configured to detect parameters such as an airflow speed in the receptacle and/or a parameters indicative of a total volume of air/aerosol inhaled during a puff.

The controller 116 may be configured to reduce the value indicative of the remaining amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a at a first rate when the heater assembly 120 is active and when an inhalation is not detected by the puff detector 122a. The first rate may be a pre-determined rate which is determined, for example, through testing of the device 100. The first rate may be dependent on usage factors of the device 100 and consumable 110 such as one or more of: a temperature to which the material 110a is heated by the heater assembly 120; a type and/or amount of aerosol-generating material 110a used; whether the consumable 110 contains a filter or cooling element and if so what type of filter or cooling element the consumable 110 contains; and a proportion of the material 110a which is being heated being by the device 100 at any particular time. In examples, the first rate may also depend on the amount of usable remaining material 110a. For example, the rate of depletion of the aerosol-generating material 110a may increase as less usable material remains. Alternatively, depending on the type of consumable and/or material 110a, the aerosol-generating material 110a may deplete at a faster rate when more of the aerosol-generating material 110a remains, e.g. due to there being more material 110a available to be heated by the heater assembly 120.

In examples, the controller 116 may have available to it, e.g. stored on a storage (not shown) in the control electronics 114 or determinable by the controller 116, a plurality of different first pre-determined rates corresponding to different usage parameters of the device 100.

The controller 116 may be configured to update the amount indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material 110a in the device by a second process different from the first process when the device 100 is in a second state indicative that the device 100 is being operated to deliver aerosol to a user. For example, the controller 116 may be configured to reduce the value indicative of the amount of remaining usable aerosol-generating material 110a by a second process when a user interaction with the device 100 is detected by the detector 122a. For example, the controller 116 may be configured to reduce the value indicative of the amount of remaining usable aerosol-generating material 110a by a pre-determined amount for each inhalation which is detected. The pre-determined amount may be an amount by which the amount of usable material 110a depletes when a typical puff is taken from the consumable 110. This may, for example, be based on measurements taken from the system comprising the device 100 and the consumable 110 in use.

The controller 116 may be configured to reduce the value indicative of the amount of remaining usable aerosol-generating material 110a at a second rate over the duration of a detected inhalation. In examples, the controller 116 may use the input received from the detector 122a to determine the amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a which was depleted during the detected user interaction. For example, the controller 116 may determine, based on the received input from the puff detector 122a, a duration of a detected user inhalation. The controller 116 may be configured to reduce the value indicative of the amount of remaining usable aerosol-generating material 110a based on the determined duration of the detected user inhalation and based on the second rate.

The second rate may, in examples, be a pre-determined rate. Pre-determined values for the second rate may be determined by testing or by use of modelling in a manner similar to that described above for the first rate. For example, the device 100 and the consumable 110 may be tested to measure a rate at which the aerosol-generating material 110a typically depletes during an inhalation on the consumable 110 by a user. In another example, data from user usage sessions may be gathered, e.g. providing a number of puffs and the duration of the puffs and the mode in which the device 100 was used, from which a typical rate of depletion of the aerosol-generating material 110a during an inhalation can be determined.

The second rate may be typically higher than the first rate, since the aerosol-generating material 110a can be expected to deplete more quickly when a user is inhaling on the device 100.

In other examples, the controller 116 may determine the second rate based on input from the puff detector 122a and/or other determined usage parameters indicative of the user's inhalation on the device 100. For example, the puff detector 122a may be configured to measure an airflow speed over the duration of a detected inhalation and provide this to the controller 116. The controller 116 may accordingly determine the second rate of depletion for use in determining depletion of the material 110a over the duration of a detected puff based on the airflow speed measured by the puff detector 122a over the duration of the puff. For example, a higher airflow speed may indicate that aerosol is being drawn from the consumable 110a more quickly and this may cause the aerosol-generating material 110a to deplete more quickly. Accordingly, the second rate may be higher for a puff having a higher measured airflow speed and lower for a puff having a lower measured airflow speed. In examples, the controller 116 may determine a magnitude of the puff, e.g. a volume of air/aerosol inhaled from the consumable 110 during the puff, and the controller 116 may reduce the amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a remaining based on the determined magnitude of the puff.

In some examples, the puff detector 122a may provide the controller 116 with a single input which is indicative of the magnitude of a detected puff which may be used by the controller 116 rather than the controller 116 determining a puff magnitude from airflow speed and duration data. A relationship between puff magnitude and the amount of depletion of the aerosol-generating material 110a may be pre-determined and available for look-up by the controller 116. By basing its adjustment to the value indicative of the amount of remaining usable aerosol-generating material 110a on measured puff data, the controller 116 may provide an accurate indication of the actual amount of aerosol-generating material 110a used during the puff. This may provide a more accurate indication to the user.

FIG. 3 shows a second example device 200 having the same components as described above for the device 100 except rather than comprising the puff detector 122a the device 200 comprises a contact detector 122b. The contact detector 122b is configured to detect contact of the user with the device 100. For example, the detector 122b may be configured to detect when a user brings their lips to the proximal end of the consumable 110 to inhale aerosol. The contact detector 122b may be a capacitive touch sensor or the like. In another example, where the device 200 comprises a mouthpiece (not shown), the contact detector 122b may be located in or adjacent to the mouthpiece to detect user contact with the mouthpiece.

The second example device 200 operates in the same manner as described above for the device 100 described with reference to FIG. 1 except in the second example device 200, the contact detector 122b replaces the puff detector 122a. The contact detector 122b may provide to the controller 116 an indication of when a user is interacting with the device 200. The controller 116 may accordingly determine when the user is or is not interacting with the device 200 and may determine a value indicative of the amount of usable material 110a remaining in the device 200, as in any of the examples described above. The controller 116 may be configured to determine from an input from the contact sensor 122b that the user is interacting with the device 200 and may in some examples treat this as an indication that the user is inhaling on the device 200. In examples, when the contact sensor 122b detects a user interaction during a usage session the controller 116 may apply the second rate of depletion in determining the amount of material 110a remaining. In examples, the contact sensor 122b may be capable of measuring a duration of an inhalation but not a magnitude of the inhalation. As such, the controller 116 may use a pre-determined second rate which is not dependent on a magnitude of the inhalation. Or, in another example, in the manner described for the puff detector 122a, the controller 116 may be configured to reduce the value indicative of the usable amount of aerosol-generating material 110a by a pre-determined amount for each user interaction detected by the second detector 122b.

In other examples, an example non-combustible aerosol provision device as described herein may comprise one or more detectors of different types configured to detect an interaction of the user with the consumable 110. For example, an example device may comprise both a puff detector and a contact sensor both configured to detect user interactions with the device. In another example, an example device may be configured to detect when a user interacts with the consumable 110. For example, the consumable 110 may comprise a conductive material and the device 100 may comprise a conductive plate and detection circuit configured to determine a change in capacitance between the conductive material in the consumable and the conductive plate when a user contacts the consumable. This may be used as a means for detecting when a user is contacting the consumable 110 with their lips and indicating that the user is inhaling on the consumable 110. Furthermore, an example device may comprise a detector for detecting the type of consumable which is inserted in the device which may then be used by the controller 116 in determining how the aerosol-generating material 110a depletes throughout a usage session.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of the example non-combustible aerosol provision device 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The description of the features of the device 100 described with reference to FIG. 4 may equally be features of the second example device 200. In FIG. 4 the indicator 180 comprises a plurality of indicator elements 180a. The indicator elements 180a in this example are a plurality of lights, e.g. LEDs, which are switched on or off to display an indication of the amount of remaining aerosol-generating material 110a in the device 100. In this example, the lights are all lit when the consumable 110 is newly inserted into the device, the lights 180a then are sequentially switched off, starting from the rightmost light as viewed in FIG. 4, as the amount of remaining usable aerosol-generating material 110a depletes throughout a usage session. FIG. 4 is a schematic view representing ten indicator elements 180a in total, eight of which are lit, indicating that the amount of remaining usable aerosol-generating material 110a is between 70 and 80% of the amount at the start of the usage session. In other examples, the lights 180a may start unlit and may be sequentially lit as the value indicative of the amount of remaining aerosol-generating material 110a in the device 100 decreases.

In examples, the indicator 180 may be configured such that the value indicative of the amount of remaining aerosol-generating material 110a in the device 100 can be displayed with fine granularity. For example, the indicator 180 may comprise a number of indicator elements 180a which is greater than, for example at least double or at least three times or greater than three times, the typical total number of puffs which can be taken from the consumable 110 before the aerosol-generating material 110a becomes fully depleted. In examples, any suitable arrangement for displaying the amount of remaining usable material 110a may be used. For example, a display bar which changes as the amount of usable material 110a depletes, or a screen displaying a percentage figure or the like.

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart representation of an example method 1000 to be performed by the controller 116. The method 1000 is an example method of determining an amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a remaining in the device 100, 200 for display by the indicator 180. At block 1002, the controller 116 determines if the heater assembly 120 is active. If the heater assembly 120 is not active then aerosol-generating material 110a is not being heated and so may be considered to be not depleting, and therefore no updating of the value indicative of the amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a may be necessary. If, however, at block 1002 the controller 116 determines that the heater assembly 120 is active, the controller 116 continues to block 1004.

At block 1004 the controller 116 determines if a user interaction is detected by the detector 122a, 122b. That is, the controller 116 is configured to receive signals from the detector 122a, 122b which indicate to the controller 116 when a user is interacting with the device 100, 200 as has been described above. If no user interaction is detected at block 1004, the controller 116 proceeds to block 1006 where the controller 116 determines the first rate of depletion. The first rate of depletion is a rate of depletion of the amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a in the device 100, 200 when the heater assembly 120 is active but the device is not being operated by a user to generate an aerosol to be inhaled by the user. For example, the heater assembly 120 may be active but a user interaction with the device 100, 200 is not detected, e.g. the user is not inhaling on the device 100, 200. As described above, in examples, the first rate of depletion may be a pre-determined rate which may be available to the controller 116, e.g., by being stored on a storage accessible by the controller 116. Determining the first rate at block 1006 may include the controller 116 checking the current usage parameters of the device 100, 200, such as a temperature of the heater assembly 120 or the aerosol-generating material 110a, or which portions of the consumable 110 are currently being heated by the heater assembly 120. In examples, the controller 116 at block 1006 may, for example, then perform a look-up in a table of pre-determined first rates to determine a first rate appropriate to the current usage parameters of the device 100, 200.

Once the controller 116 has determined the first rate at block 1006, the controller 116 continues, at block 1008, to determine a value indicative of the remaining amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a in the device 100, 200. The controller 116 may be configured to determine the value indicative of the remaining amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a in the device 100, 200 by updating an initial value using the first rate. The initial value, as described above, may be a value corresponding to a newly inserted consumable or may be a value corresponding to a consumable 110 which has been depleted by a given amount.

Once, at block 1008, the controller 116 determines the updated value indicative of the remaining amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a in the device the method 1000 continues to block 1010 wherein the indicator 180 is updated to display the updated value. The method 1000 then returns to block 1002 where the controller 116 again checks if the heater assembly 120 is active. The controller 116 may be configured to repeat the method at a set frequency, for example once every second, or multiple times every second. Therefore, in such examples, the controller 116 may determine the reduction to the amount of remaining material 110a for display by the indicator 180 by multiplying the rate of depletion of the material 110a (the first rate) by the set period between times when the method 1000 is performed (e.g. where the set period is 1 second when the controller 116 is configured to perform the method 1000 once every second). In some examples, the controller 116 may be configured to repeat the method at a variable frequency. For example, the controller 116 may be configured to increase the frequency at which the method is repeated when a puff is detected. This could provide greater granularity in measurements of the amount of remaining aerosol-generating material 110a during a puff, when it may be likely that the aerosol-generating material 110a is depleting at a faster rate.

If at block 1004 the controller 116 determines that the device is being operated to generate aerosol to be inhaled by a user, the method 1000 proceeds to block 1012. For example, the controller 116 may determine from input from the detector 122a, 122b that the user is interacting with the device 100 and thus may determine that the device 100 is operating to generate aerosol to be inhaled by the user. At block 1012, the controller 116 determines a second rate, which may be a rate of depletion which accounts for the increased rate at which the material 110a depletes when the device is operating to generate aerosol to be inhaled. In examples, determining the second rate at block 1012 may comprise the controller 116 using usage parameters of the device 100, 200 to determine a rate of depletion (as described above with reference to FIG. 1 and as described for block 1006). In examples, determining the second rate at block 1012 may also comprise using data input from the detector/s 122a, 122b. For example, as described above, in the example of the device 100 which comprises a puff detector 122a, the second rate may be determined taking into account airflow data measured by the puff detector 122a during a puff. In one example, the second rate may be based on usage parameters of the device such as the temperature of the consumable 110 and a measured indication of the strength of the puff, from e.g. airflow speed data.

Once the controller 116 has determined the second rate at block 1012, the controller 116 continues to block 1014 where it determines the value indicative of the remaining amount of usable material 110a using the second rate. In one example, this may be done as described for block 1008, by multiplying the second rate by the set period between times when the method 1000 is performed. The controller 116 may then update the indicator 180 with the updated value at block 1016.

While a user continues to inhale on the consumable 110 and the inhalation is detected by the detector 122a, the method may continue to loop between steps 1002 and 1016. The controller 116 may then determine a new second rate for each time the method 1000 is performed, in some examples even within the same detected user inhalation. For example, the controller 116 may take account of changes in airflow speed throughout a puff in determining the second rate each time it performs the method 1000. In other examples, as described above, the controller 116 may not use airflow data or the like to determine the second rate. In such cases, the second rate may be pre-determined. For example, the second rate may be based on the usage parameters of the device 100, 200 and a look-up in a table of second rates may be performed by the controller 116, or the second rate may simply be a fixed pre-determined rate e.g. a pre-determined typical rate of depletion of the material 110a during an inhalation on the consumable 110.

Accordingly, using the example method 1000, the controller 116 can provide an up to date indication of the remaining amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a for display by the indicator 180. The user is therefore provided with an indication of how much usable material 110a remains for example, before it becomes necessary to end the usage session or, for example, before it becomes necessary to provide a new consumable containing unused aerosol-generating material.

Although, in certain examples described above, the controller 116 is configured to determine the operational state of the device 100 based on input from a detector e.g. one of detectors 122a, 122b, in other examples the controller 116 may determine an operational state of the device 100 based on an operational parameter relating to an aerosol generating element of the device 100. For example, the controller 116 may determine based on an operational parameter relating to the heater assembly 120 that the aerosol-generating material 110a is being depleted but the heater assembly 120 is not being operated to deliver aerosol to be inhaled by a user. For example, the controller 116 may determine that the heater assembly 120 is at a temperature lower than that required to generate enough aerosol for inhalation by a user but high enough to cause some depletion of the aerosol-generating material 110a.

In some examples, the controller 116 may determine from the temperature of the heater assembly 120 various operational states which the controller 116 may use in determining the amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a remaining. For example, the controller 116 may determine that when the temperature is below a first temperature T₁ aerosol is unlikely to be generated from the aerosol-generating material 110a. The controller 116 may take this into account by, for example, setting a projected rate of depletion of the aerosol-generating material 110a to zero when the heater assembly 120 is determined to have a temperature below the first temperature T₁. Further, the controller 116 may determine that when the heater assembly 120 is at a temperature above the first temperature T₁ and below a second temperature T₂ the aerosol-generating material 110a will deplete at a given rate even when the second temperature T₂ is below an operational temperature T_op which is sufficient for aerosol to be delivered to the user for the aerosol to be inhaled. Further again, the controller 116 may determine that the temperature of the heater assembly 120 is increasing from a temperature between at or above the second temperature T₂ towards the operational temperature T_op depletion of the aerosol-generating material at a particular rate. The controller 116 may take this indication of the operational state of the device 100 into account in determining a rate of depletion to apply to determine the amount of aerosol-generating material 110a remaining. The controller 116 may also, for example, use the determined temperature of the heater assembly 120 to determine whether a user in inhaling on the consumable 110 and may determine a rate of depletion to apply in determinations of the amount of aerosol-generating material 110a remaining accordingly. For example, the controller 116 may determine that the temperature of the heater assembly 120 is at a temperature T above the operational temperature T_op and thus that the heater assembly 120 is at a suitable temperature for generating aerosol to be delivered to the user. The controller 116 may then determine a decrease in the temperature of the heater assembly 120 from T to T−ΔT when the user inhales from the consumable 110. From this decrease in temperature the controller 116 may determine that a puff is being taken. In a similar manner to as described above, the controller 116 may apply a different rate of depletion when it is determined that a puff is being taken to when it is determined that the heater assembly 120 is above the operational temperature T_op but a puff is not being taken.

Additionally or alternatively to any of the above-mentioned parameters, the first rate or the second rate of depletion may be determined based at least in part on a determined ambient air temperature and/or humidity in which the device 100 is operating. For example, either of these parameters may, in some examples, affect the rate at which the aerosol-generating material 110a depletes either when being heated but not delivering an aerosol to the user or when being heated to deliver an aerosol to the user.

In the examples described above the device 100 comprises the indicator 180 and the controller 116 is configured to send to the indicator 180 the value indicative of the amount of usable aerosol-generating material 100a remaining in the device 100 for display by the indicator 180. However, in other examples the controller 116 may be configured to alternatively or additionally send the value indicative of the amount of usable aerosol-generating material 110a remaining in the device 100 to be displayed by a separate device, such as a smartphone.

Although the above examples have been described with reference to a non-combustible aerosol provision device which generates aerosol by heating a solid, e.g. tobacco containing material, in other examples, example methods described above may be used with a non-combustible aerosol provision device which generates aerosol by heating another type of material such as a liquid or a gel. For example, methods described herein may be particularly useful when applied to a non-combustible aerosol provision device which heats a solid material and in which it may be difficult for a user to tell how much of the solid material remains usable. However, such methods may also be useful when used with a non-combustible aerosol provision device which heats a liquid or gel or the like, in particular when the liquid or gel is not visible to the user. For example, when used with a liquid aerosol-generating material, methods described herein may provide a useful alternative to using an indicator which indicates a measured level of liquid in a liquid reservoir or the like.

Although in examples described above the aerosol-generating material is contained in a consumable 110, in other examples, the aerosol-generating material may not be contained in a consumable, and may, for example, be placed in a receptacle of the device, for example loosely placed or contained in a cartridge or pod.

As used herein, the terms “flavor” and “flavorant” may refer to materials which, where local regulations permit, may be used to create a desired taste or aroma in a product for adult consumers. They may include extracts (e.g., licorice, hydrangea, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed, cinnamon, herb, wintergreen, cherry, berry, peach, apple, Drambuie™, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, cardamom, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sage, fennel, piment, ginger, anise, coriander, coffee, or a mint oil from any species of the genus Mentha), flavor enhancers, bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial receptor site activators or stimulators, sugars and/or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharine, cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breath freshening agents. They may be imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example, oil, liquid, solid, or powder. For example, a liquid, oil, or other such fluid flavorant may be impregnated in a porous solid material so as to impart flavor and/or other properties to that porous solid material. As such, the liquid or oil is a constituent of the material in which it is impregnated.

The above embodiments are to be understood as illustrative examples of the invention. It is to be understood that any feature described in relation to any one embodiment may be used alone, or in combination with other features described, and may also be used in combination with one or more features of any other of the embodiments, or any combination of any other of the embodiments. Furthermore, equivalents and modifications not described above may also be employed without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A controller configured to determine a value indicative of an amount of usable aerosol-generating material in a non-combustible aerosol provision system, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine an operating state of the non-combustible aerosol provision system; and

determine the value indicative of the amount of usable aerosol-generating material remaining in the system by a first process if the controller determines that the system is in a first operating state indicative that the aerosol-generating material is being depleted and that the system is not being operated by a user to deliver generated aerosol to the user.

2. A controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine the value indicative of an amount of usable aerosol-generating material remaining in the system by a second process different from the first process if the controller determines that the system is in a second operating state indicative that the system is being operated by a user to deliver generated aerosol to a user.

3. A controller according to claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to determine the operating state of the system based on an input received from a detector for detecting a user interaction with the system.

4. A controller according to claim 3 wherein the controller is configured to determine the operating state of the system by determining from the input received from the detector if a user is inhaling on the system.

5. A controller according to claim 4 wherein the controller is configured to receive from the detector data indicative of one or more parameters of a detected inhalation on the system.

6. A controller according to claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to:

determine an operational parameter relating to an aerosol generating element in the system; and

determine when the system is in the first state based on the operational parameter relating to the aerosol generating element.

7. A controller according to claim 1 wherein the first process comprises determining an initial value indicative of an amount of usable aerosol-generating material in the system and applying a first rate of depletion to the initial value for a time in which the system is determined to be in the first state.

8. A controller according to claim 7 wherein the first rate of depletion is based on one or more characteristics of one or more of: the non-combustible aerosol provision system; the aerosol-generating material; and a consumable in which the aerosol-generating material is comprised.

9. A controller according to claim 8 wherein the controller is configured to determine the first rate based on one or more current usage parameters of the system, such as a temperature of a heater assembly configured to heat the aerosol-generating material or a temperature of the aerosol-generating material.

10. A controller according to claim 2 wherein the second process comprises determining an initial value indicative of an amount of usable aerosol-generating material in the system and applying a second rate of depletion to the initial value for a time in which the system is determined to be in the second state.

11. A controller according to claim 10 wherein the controller is configured to determine the second rate of depletion based on the data indicative of one or more parameters of the detected inhalation received from the detector.

12. A controller according to claim 2 wherein the second process comprises determining an initial value indicative of an amount of usable aerosol-generating material in the system and reducing the initial value by a pre-determined amount when an inhalation on the system by the user is detected.

13. A controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to send the value indicative of the amount of aerosol-generating material remaining in the system to an indicator to be displayed to a user.

14. Apparatus for a non-combustible aerosol provision system, the apparatus comprising a controller according to claim 1 and:

an indicator to display an indication of the value indicative of the amount of remaining usable aerosol-generating material in the system; and

a detector for detecting a user interaction with the system.

15. A non-combustible aerosol provision device comprising a controller according to claim 1.

16. A non-combustible aerosol provision device according to claim 15 wherein the device is for generating aerosol from an aerosol-generating material comprising tobacco by heating and not burning the aerosol-generating material comprising tobacco.

17. A non-combustible aerosol provision system comprising a non-combustible aerosol provision device according to claim 15 and a consumable comprising aerosol-generating material.

18. A method of determining a value indicative of an amount of usable aerosol-generating material in a non-combustible aerosol provision system, the method comprising:

determining an operating state of the non-combustible aerosol provision system; and

determining the value indicative of the amount of usable aerosol-generating material in the system by a first process if the controller determines that the system is in a first operating state indicative that the aerosol-generating material is being depleted and that the system is not being operated by a user to deliver generated aerosol to the user.

19. A non-combustible aerosol provision device comprising an apparatus according to claim 14.