This application claims priority from EP22193255.1 filed 31 August 2022, the contents and elements of which are herein incorporated by reference for all purposes.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an aerosol generating device.

BACKGROUND

A typical aerosol generating apparatus may comprise an aerosol precursor and an aerosol generating device.

A typical aerosol generating apparatus may comprise a power supply, an aerosol generating unit that is driven by the power supply, an aerosol precursor, which in use is aerosolised by the aerosol generating unit to generate an aerosol, and a delivery system for delivery of the aerosol to a user.

A typical aerosol generating apparatus may comprise a microcontroller which is configured to run firmware of the apparatus. When the microcontroller runs the firmware, run time generated data may be stored on a volatile memory of the apparatus. The microcontroller running the firmware controls operational aspects of the apparatus.

A drawback is that aerosol generating apparatuses may suffer from firmware bugs. For example, data on the volatile memory may become corrupted, preventing the device from operating optimally, or completely preventing the device from operating correctly.

Despite the effort already invested in the development of aerosol generating apparatuses/systems further improvements are desirable.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an aerosol generating device aerosol generating device, that comprises a non-volatile memory, a volatile memory, firmware stored on the non-volatile memory, the firmware comprising firmware instructions including entry point instructions and operational instructions, a microcontroller configured to run the firmware instructions, and a hardware component configured to be controlled by the microcontroller running the firmware instructions, wherein the device is configured to implement an operational state and a sleep state, and wherein the microcontroller is configured to run the entry point instructions when the device transitions from the sleep state to the operational state.

In this way, when the aerosol generating device transitions from the sleep state to the operational state, the microcontroller may run the firmware instructions from a pre-set or a known starting point. As will be appreciated, when the microcontroller runs instructions, for example the entry point instructions or the operational instructions, the firmware instructions are stored on the volatile memory.

In some examples, the microcontroller is configured to run the operational instructions after the entry point instructions.

In some examples, the hardware component is configured to be controlled by the microcontroller running the operational instructions of the firmware. In some examples, the hardware component is configured to be controlled by the microcontroller running the entry point instructions of the firmware.

In some examples the entry point instructions include volatile memory initialisation instructions, the volatile memory initialisation instructions causing the microcontroller to initialise the volatile memory. In this way, when the aerosol generating device transitions from the sleep state to the operational state, the firmware may run without relying on historical run time generated data in the volatile memory. When the microcontroller starts to run the operational instructions after the entry point instructions, the operational instructions may start to run without relying on historical run time generated data in the volatile memory. In this way, the likelihood of the aerosol generating device suffering from a firmware bug may be reduced. Run time generated data may be any data stored on and or written to the volatile memory while running the firmware instructions. Run time generated data may become corrupted when the data remains on the volatile memory for a prolonged period of time. Historical run time generated data may be run time generated data which was storied within the volatile memory before the aerosol generating device transitioned from the sleep state to the operational state.

In some examples the entry point instructions include hardware initialisation instructions, the hardware initialisation instructions cause the microcontroller to initialise the hardware component. In this way, the hardware component may be in a known, predetermined, state after the microcontroller has run the entry point instructions. When the microcontroller starts to run the operational instructions after the entry point instructions, the operational instructions may start to run with the hardware component in a known, predetermined, state.

In some examples, the entry point instructions run the volatile memory initialisation instructions followed by hardware initialisation instructions. In some examples, the entry point instructions run the volatile memory initialisation instructions, followed by the hardware initialisation instructions, followed by at least a partial reinitialization of the volatile memory. Such orders may depend on the particular hardware implementation of the apparatus.

In some examples, the microcontroller running the hardware initialisation instructions causes the microcontroller to initialise the hardware component into a safe state. The safe state may be a state of zero power being applied to the hardware component. In this way, the aerosol generating device may be safer to use.

The microcontroller may include an integrated circuit.

In some examples, the hardware component is external to the microcontroller. External to the microcontroller may mean not being a component of the microcontroller. In some examples, the hardware component is internal to the microcontroller. Internal to the microcontroller may mean being a component of the microcontroller.

In some examples, the hardware component is a heating system, an atomiser, an LED driver chip, an actuator system, a USB interface, or a timing circuit, a power supply charging circuit I controller. The timing circuit may configure the speed with which the microcontroller runs. In some examples, the hardware components internal to the microcontroller (e.g. subsystems) may include any of: clock I system timer subsystem, General input I output (GPIO) pins, USB interface, Serial interface, A/D converters, I2C interfaces, SPI interfaces, Real Time Clock, Hardware watchdog, Hardware timers and PWM subsystem, DMA controllers, Wireless subsystem e.g. Bluetooth.

Initialisation of external hardware may include any of: LED driver IC, OLED display, Battery charger IC, Heater monitoring and control system, Accelerometer (G sensor) IC, Puff sensor, Button hardware.

The skilled person will understand that other hardware components may also be initialised in the context of the present invention.

In some examples, the aerosol generating device includes a plurality of hardware components configured to be controlled by the microcontroller running the firmware instructions. In some examples, the hardware initialisation instructions cause the microcontroller to initialise one or more of the hardware components. In some examples, the hardware components configured to be initialised by the microcontroller are all external to the microcontroller. In some examples, the hardware components configured to be initialised by the microcontroller are all internal to the microcontroller. In some examples, a portion of the hardware components configured to be initialised by the microcontroller are external to the microcontroller and another portion of the hardware components configured to be initialised by the microcontroller are internal to the microcontroller. The hardware components may include one or more of a heating system, an atomiser, an LED driver chip, an actuator system, a USB interface, and a timing circuit.

In some examples, the microcontroller initialising the volatile memory includes clearing a portion of the data stored on the volatile memory. Clearing may mean deleting. Clearing may mean filling with zeros.

In some examples, initialising the volatile memory includes writing pre-defined data values to the volatile memory. The pre-defined data values may be stored on the non-volatile memory.

In some examples, in the operational state the microcontroller runs the operational instructions. In some examples, in the operational state the microcontroller runs the operational instructions in a closed loop. The operational instructions running in a closed loop may mean that the operational instructions are run in a predefined order and in a repeating manner. In some examples, the entry point instructions are outside the closed loop of the operational instructions. In this way, the entry point instructions may not initialise the aerosol generating device when the device is in the operational state.

In some examples, in the operational state the aerosol generating device is operable to carry out an aerosol generation function. An aerosol generation function may be generating an aerosol from an aerosol precursor using an aerosol generating unit of the aerosol generating device. The aerosol generating unit of the aerosol generating device may include a hardware component configured to be controlled by the microcontroller running the firmware instructions.

In some examples, the sleep state is a state in which the power consumption of the aerosol generating device is non-zero and is reduced compared to the power consumption of the aerosol generating device in the operational state. In this way, the sleep state may be a power saving state of the aerosol generating device.

In some examples, the aerosol generation function is prevented when the device is in the sleep state. In this way, the sleep state may be a power saving state of the aerosol generating device.

In some examples, the microcontroller runs firmware instructions in the sleep state. In some examples, the microcontroller does not run firmware instructions in the sleep state. In some examples, while in the sleep state, the microcontroller may suspend the running of the firmware.

In some examples, the power consumption of the hardware component is zero in the sleep state. In some examples, the power consumption of the hardware component is non-zero in the sleep state. In some examples, the non-zero power consumption of the hardware component in the sleep state is reduced compared to the power consumption of the hardware component in the operational state. In this way, the sleep state may be a power-saving state of the device.

In some examples, the power consumption of each and all of the hardware components is zero in the sleep state. In some examples, the power consumption of one or more of the plurality of hardware components is zero in the sleep state. In some examples, the power consumption of one or more of the plurality of hardware components is non-zero in the sleep state. In some examples, the power consumption of some or each of the hardware components with non-zero power consumption in the sleep state is reduced in the sleep state compared to the power consumption of these hardware components in the operational state. In this way, the sleep state may be a power-saving state of the device.

In some examples, the power consumption of the microcontroller is non-zero in the sleep state. In this way, the microcontroller is operable to transition the aerosol generating device from the sleep state to the operational state. In this way, hardware which is operable to switch the microcontroller on and off is not required to transition the aerosol generating device from the sleep state to the operational state and from the operational state to the sleep state.

In some examples, the power consumption of a user interface is non-zero in the sleep state. The user interface may be operable to provide a transition signal to the microcontroller. The transition signal may be a signal which causes the microcontroller to transition the aerosol generating device from the sleep state to the operational state. In this way, when the aerosol generating device is in the sleep state the user interface may be operable to cause the aerosol generating device to transition from the sleep state to the operational state. The user interface may include a button, for example. In some examples, the aerosol generating device is configured to enter into the operational state from the sleep state in response to a user input to a user interface, the aerosol generating device including the user interface. The user interface may be a button. The user input may be a button press or predetermined sequence of button presses.

In some examples, the aerosol generating device is configured to enter into the sleep state from the operational state in response to a user input to a user interface, the aerosol generating device including the user interface. The user interface may be a button. The user input may be a button press or predetermined sequence of button presses.

In some examples, the aerosol generating device is configured to enter into the sleep state from the operational state upon detection by the microcontroller of a predetermined period of inactivity of the aerosol generating device by the user. In this way, power-consumption of the device may be reduced. A period of inactivity may be measured using a timer, the aerosol generating device including the timer. Inactivity of the aerosol generating device by the user may mean no aerosol generation session being started by the user. The inactivity may be detected using a measurement by an airflow sensor, the aerosol generating device including the airflow sensor. Inactivity of the aerosol generating device by the user may include an absence of detection of user input on an actuator system of the device for a predetermined period of inactivity. In some examples, the actuator system may include a button.

In some examples, the period of inactivity is between 1 second and 10 seconds, or between 1 second and 60 seconds, or between 2 minutes and 5 minutes, or between 5 minutes and 60 minutes.

In some examples, the microcontroller is configured to prevent an aerosol generation function when the aerosol generating device transitions from the sleep state to the operational state. In some examples, the aerosol generation function cannot be carried out when the microcontroller runs the entry point instructions, in this way the entry point instructions may be allowed to initialise the aerosol generating device before the aerosol generation function can be carried out.

In some examples, the entry point instructions are run from a reset entry point of the non-volatile memory. A reset entry point may mean a re-set start address or a re-set vector. The reset entry point may mean a location within the non-volatile memory at which the first instruction of the entry point instructions is stored, the first instruction being the initial instruction run by the microcontroller when the aerosol generating device transitions from the sleep state to the operational state.

In some examples, the volatile memory is internal to the microcontroller. In some examples, the non-volatile memory is internal to the microcontroller. In some examples, the volatile memory is a static-random-access memory (SRAM). In some examples, the non-volatile memory is a read-only memory (ROM).

In some examples, when the aerosol generating device transitions from the sleep state to the operational state, the microcontroller runs in the same way as when the aerosol generating device transitions from a power off state to the operational state. The microcontroller may be configured to run the entry point instructions when the aerosol generating device transitions from a power-off state to the operational state. The power off state may be a state in which the power consumption of the aerosol generating device is substantially zero. In some examples, when the aerosol generating device transitions from the sleep state to the operational state, the microcontroller runs in the same way as when the aerosol generating device resets. The microcontroller may be configured to run the entry point instructions when the aerosol generating device resets.

The present disclosure provides electrical circuitry and/or a computer program configured to cause an aerosol generating device to perform any method or method step disclosed herein. A computer readable medium comprising the computer program is also provided.

The preceding summary is provided for purposes of summarizing some examples to provide a basic understanding of aspects of the subject matter described herein. Accordingly, the above-described features should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Moreover, the above and/or proceeding examples may be combined in any suitable combination to provide further examples, except where such a combination is clearly impermissible or expressly avoided. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following text and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Aspects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of examples in reference to the appended drawings in which like numerals denote like elements.

Fig. 1 is a block system diagram showing an example aerosol generating apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a block system diagram showing an example implementation of the apparatus of Fig. 1 , where the aerosol generating apparatus is configured to generate aerosol from a liquid precursor.

Figs. 3a and 3b are schematic diagrams showing an example implementation of the apparatus of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a block system diagram showing an example implementation of the apparatus of Fig. 1 , where the aerosol generating apparatus is configured to generate aerosol from a solid precursor.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example implementation of the apparatus of Fig. 4 in accordance with an embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example implementation of an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a block system diagram showing an example system for managing an aerosol generating apparatus in accordance with an embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing the operation of a microcontroller according to an embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a flow chart showing the operation of a microcontroller according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Before describing several examples implementing the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited by specific construction details or process steps set forth in the following description and accompanying drawings. Rather, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that the systems, apparatuses and/or methods described herein could be embodied differently and/or be practiced or carried out in various alternative ways.

Unless otherwise defined herein, scientific and technical terms used in connection with the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) shall have the meanings that are commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, and known techniques and procedures may be performed according to conventional methods well known in the art and as described in various general and more specific references that may be cited and discussed in the present specification.

Any patents, published patent applications, and non-patent publications mentioned in the specification are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

All examples implementing the present disclosure can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While particular examples have been described, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the systems, apparatus, and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the concept, spirit, and scope of the inventive concept(s). All such similar substitutions and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the inventive concept(s) as defined by the appended claims.

The use of the term “a” or “an” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one,” as well as “one or more,” “at least one,” and “one or more than one.” As such, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the,” as well as all singular terms, include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Likewise, plural terms shall include the singular unless otherwise required by context.

The use of the term “or” in the present disclosure (including the claims) is used to mean an inclusive “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or unless the alternatives are mutually exclusive. For example, a condition “A or B” is satisfied by any of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

As used in this specification and claim(s), the words “comprising, “having,” “including,” or “containing” (and any forms thereof, such as “comprise” and “comprises,” “have” and “has,” “includes” and “include,” or “contains” and “contain,” respectively) are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.

Unless otherwise explicitly stated as incompatible, or the physics or otherwise of the embodiments, examples, or claims prevent such a combination, the features of examples disclosed herein, and of the claims, may be integrated together in any suitable arrangement, especially ones where there is a beneficial effect in doing so. This is not limited to only any specified benefit, and instead may arise from an “ex post facto” benefit. This is to say that the combination of features is not limited by the described forms, particularly the form (e.g. numbering) of example(s), embodiment(s), or dependency of claim(s). Moreover, this also applies to the phrase “in one embodiment,” “according to an embodiment,” and the like, which are merely a stylistic form of wording and are not to be construed as limiting the following features to a separate embodiment to all other instances of the same or similar wording. This is to say, a reference to ‘an,’ ‘one,’ or ‘some’ embodiments) may be a reference to any one or more, and/or all embodiments, or combination(s) thereof, disclosed. Also, similarly, the reference to “the” embodiment may not be limited to the immediately preceding embodiment. Further, all references to one or more embodiments or examples are to be construed as non-limiting to the claims.

The present disclosure may be better understood in view of the following explanations, wherein the terms used that are separated by “or” may be used interchangeably:

As used herein, an "aerosol generating apparatus" (or “electronic(e)-cigarette”) may be an apparatus configured to deliver an aerosol to a user for inhalation by the user. The apparatus may additionally/alternatively be referred to as a “smoking substitute apparatus”, if it is intended to be used instead of a conventional combustible smoking article. As used herein a combustible “smoking article” may refer to a cigarette, cigar, pipe or other article, that produces smoke (an aerosol comprising solid particulates and gas) via heating above the thermal decomposition temperature (typically by combustion and/or pyrolysis). An aerosol generated by the apparatus may comprise an aerosol with particle sizes of 0.2 - 7 microns, or less than 10 microns, or less than 7 microns. This particle size may be achieved by control of one or more of: heater temperature; cooling rate as the vapour condenses to an aerosol; flow properties including turbulence and velocity. The generation of aerosol by the aerosol generating apparatus may be controlled by an input device. The input device may be configured to be user-activated, and may for example include or take the form of an actuator (e.g. actuation button) and/or an airflow sensor.

Each occurrence of the aerosol generating apparatus being caused to generate aerosol for a period of time (which may be variable) may be referred to as an “activation” of the aerosol generating apparatus. The aerosol generating apparatus may be arranged to allow an amount of aerosol delivered to a user to be varied per activation (as opposed to delivering a fixed dose of aerosol), e.g. by activating an aerosol generating unit of the apparatus for a variable amount of time, e.g. based on the strength/duration of a draw of a user through a flow path of the apparatus (to replicate an effect of smoking a conventional combustible smoking article).

The aerosol generating apparatus may be portable. As used herein, the term "portable" may refer to the apparatus being for use when held by a user.

As used herein, an "aerosol generating system" may be a system that includes an aerosol generating apparatus and optionally other circuitry/components associated with the function of the apparatus, e.g. one or more external devices and/or one or more external components (here “external” is intended to mean external to the aerosol generating apparatus). As used herein, an “external device” and “external component” may include one or more of a: a charging device, a mobile device (which may be connected to the aerosol generating apparatus, e.g. via a wireless or wired connection); a networked-based computer (e.g. a remote server); a cloud-based computer; any other server system. An example aerosol generating system may be a system for managing an aerosol generating apparatus. Such a system may include, for example, a mobile device, a network server, as well as the aerosol generating apparatus.

As used herein, an "aerosol" may include a suspension of precursor, including as one or more of: solid particles; liquid droplets; gas. Said suspension may be in a gas including air. An aerosol herein may generally refer to/include a vapour. An aerosol may include one or more components of the precursor.

As used herein, a “precursor” may include one or more of a: liquid; solid; gel; loose leaf material; other substance. The precursor may be processed by an aerosol generating unit of an aerosol generating apparatus to generate an aerosol. The precursor may include one or more of: an active component; a carrier; a flavouring. The active component may include one or more of nicotine; caffeine; a cannabidiol oil; a non-pharmaceutical formulation, e.g. a formulation which is not for treatment of a disease or physiological malfunction of the human body. The active component may be carried by the carrier, which may be a liquid, including propylene glycol and/or glycerine. The term “flavouring” may refer to a component that provides a taste and/or a smell to the user. The flavouring may include one or more of: Ethylvanillin (vanilla); menthol, Isoamyl acetate (banana oil); or other. The precursor may include a substrate, e.g. reconstituted tobacco to carry one or more of the active component; a carrier; a flavouring.

As used herein, a "storage portion" may be a portion of the apparatus adapted to store the precursor. It may be implemented as fluid-holding reservoir or carrier for solid material depending on the implementation of the precursor as defined above.

As used herein, a "flow path" may refer to a path or enclosed passageway through an aerosol generating apparatus, e.g. for delivery of an aerosol to a user. The flow path may be arranged to receive aerosol from an aerosol generating unit. When referring to the flow path, upstream and downstream may be defined in respect of a direction of flow in the flow path, e.g. with an outlet being downstream of an inlet.

As used herein, a "delivery system" may be a system operative to deliver an aerosol to a user. The delivery system may include a mouthpiece and a flow path.

As used herein, a "flow" may refer to a flow in a flow path. A flow may include aerosol generated from the precursor. The flow may include air, which may be induced into the flow path via a puff by a user.

As used herein, a “puff” (or "inhale" or “draw”) by a user may refer to expansion of lungs and/or oral cavity of a user to create a pressure reduction that induces flow through the flow path.

As used herein, an "aerosol generating unit" may refer to a device configured to generate an aerosol from a precursor. The aerosol generating unit may include a unit to generate a vapour directly from the precursor (e.g. a heating system or other system) or an aerosol directly from the precursor (e.g. an atomiser including an ultrasonic system, a flow expansion system operative to carry droplets of the precursor in the flow without using electrical energy or other system). A plurality of aerosol generating units to generate a plurality of aerosols (for example, from a plurality of different aerosol precursors) may be present in an aerosol generating apparatus.

As used herein, a “heating system” may refer to an arrangement of at least one heating element, which is operable to aerosolise a precursor once heated. The at least one heating element may be electrically resistive to produce heat from the flow of electrical current therethrough. The at least one heating element may be arranged as a susceptor to produce heat when penetrated by an alternating magnetic field. The heating system may be configured to heat a precursor to below 300 or 350 degrees C, including without combustion.

As used herein, a "consumable" may refer to a unit that includes a precursor. The consumable may include an aerosol generating unit, e.g. it may be arranged as a cartomizer. The consumable may include a mouthpiece. The consumable may include an information carrying medium. With liquid or gel implementations of the precursor, e.g. an e-liquid, the consumable may be referred to as a “capsule” or a “pod” or an “e-liquid consumable”. The capsule/pod may include a storage portion, e.g. a reservoir or tank, for storage of the precursor. With solid material implementations of the precursor, e.g. tobacco or reconstituted tobacco formulation, the consumable may be referred to as a “stick” or “package” or “heat-not-burn consumable”. In a heat-not-burn consumable, the mouthpiece may be implemented as a filter and the consumable may be arranged to carry the precursor. The consumable may be implemented as a dosage or pre-portioned amount of material, including a loose-leaf product.

As used herein, an "information carrying medium" may include one or more arrangements for storage of information on any suitable medium. Examples include: a computer readable medium; a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) transponder; codes encoding information, such as optical (e.g. a bar code or QR code) or mechanically read codes (e.g. a configuration of the absence or presents of cut-outs to encode a bit, through which pins or a reader may be inserted).

As used herein “heat-not-burn” (or “HNB” or “heated precursor”) may refer to the heating of a precursor, typically tobacco, without combustion, or without substantial combustion (i.e. localised combustion may be experienced of limited portions of the precursor, including of less than 5% of the total volume).

As used herein, "electrical circuitry" may refer to one or more electrical components, examples of which may include: an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); electronic/electrical componentry (which may include combinations of transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors etc); one or more processors; a transitory memory (e.g. implemented by one or more memory devices), that may store one or more firmware programs; a combinational logic circuit; interconnection of the aforesaid. The electrical circuitry may be located entirely at the apparatus, or distributed between the apparatus and/or on one or more external devices in communication with the apparatus, e.g. as part of a system.

As used herein, a "processing resource" (or "processor " or “controller”) may refer to one or more units for processing data, examples of which may include an ASIC, microcontroller, FPGA, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP) capability, state machine or other suitable component. A processing resource may be configured to execute a computer program, e.g. which may take the form of machine readable instructions, which may be stored on a transitory memory and/or programmable logic. The processing resource may have various arrangements corresponding to those discussed for the circuitry, e.g. on-board and/or off board the apparatus as part of the system. As used herein, any machine executable instructions, or computer readable media, may be configured to cause a disclosed method to be carried out, e.g. by a aerosol generating apparatus or system as disclosed herein, and may therefore be used synonymously with the term method.

As used herein, an “external device” (or “peripheral device”) may include one or more electronic components external to an aerosol generating apparatus. Those components may be arranged at the same location as the aerosol generating apparatus or remote from the apparatus. An external device may comprise electronic computer devices including: a smartphone; a PDA; a video game controller; a tablet; a laptop; or other like device.

As used herein, a "computer readable medium/media" (or “memory” or "data storage") may include any medium capable of storing a computer program, and may take the form of any conventional transitory memory. The memory may have various arrangements corresponding to those discussed for the circuitry /processor. The present disclosure includes a computer readable medium configured to cause an apparatus or system disclosed herein to perform a method as disclosed herein.

As used herein, a "communication resource" (or "communication interface") may refer to hardware and/or firmware for electronic information/data transfer. The communication resource may be configured for wired communication (“wired communication resources”) or wireless communication (“wireless communication resource”). Wireless communication resources may include hardware to transmit and receive signals by radio and may include various protocol implementations e.g. the 802.11 standard described in the Institute of Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Bluetooth™ from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group of Kirkland Wash. Wired communication resources may include; Universal Serial Bus (USB); High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) or other protocol implementations. The apparatus may include communication resources for wired or wireless communication with an external device.

As used herein, a "network" (or "computer network") may refer to a system for electronic information/data transfer between a plurality of apparatuses/devices. The network may, for example, include one or more networks of any type, which may include: a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN); a telephone network (e.g. a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and/or a wireless network); a local area network (LAN); a metropolitan area network (MAN); a wide area network (WAN); an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network; a private network; the Internet; an intranet.

It will be appreciated that any of the disclosed methods (or corresponding apparatuses, programs, data carriers, etc.) may be carried out by either a host or client, depending on the specific implementation (i.e. the disclosed methods/apparatuses are a form of communication(s), and as such, may be carried out from either ‘point of view’, i.e. in corresponding to each other fashion). Furthermore, it will be understood that the terms “receiving” and “transmitting” encompass “inputting” and “outputting” and are not limited to an RF context of transmitting and receiving electromagnetic (e.g. radio) waves. Therefore, for example, a chip or other device or component for realizing embodiments could generate data for output to another chip, device or component, or have as an input data from another chip, device, or component, and such an output or input could be referred to as “transmit” and “receive” including gerund forms, that is, “transmitting” and “receiving,” as well as such “transmitting” and “receiving” within an RF context.

Referring to Fig. 1 , an example aerosol generating apparatus 1 includes a power supply 2, for supply of electrical energy. The apparatus 1 includes an aerosol generating unit 4 that is driven by the power supply 2. The power supply 2 may include an electric power supply in the form of a battery and/or an electrical connection to an external power source. The apparatus 1 includes a precursor s, which in use is aerosolised by the aerosol generating unit 4 to generate an aerosol. The apparatus 2 includes a delivery system 8 for delivery of the aerosol to a user.

Electrical circuitry (not shown in figure 1) may be implemented to control the interoperability of the power supply 4 and aerosol generating unit 6.

In variant examples, which are not illustrated, the power supply 2 may be omitted since, e.g. an aerosol generating unit implemented as an atomiser with flow expansion may not require a power supply.

Fig. 2 shows an implementation of the apparatus 1 of Fig. 1 , where the aerosol generating apparatus 1 is configured to generate aerosol from a liquid precursor.

In this example, the apparatus 1 includes a device body 10 and a consumable 30.

In this example, the body 10 includes the power supply 4. The body may additionally include any one or more of electrical circuitry 12, a memory 14, a wireless interface 16, one or more other components 18.

The electrical circuitry 12 may include a processing resource for controlling one or more operations of the body 10 and consumable 30, e.g. based on instructions stored in the memory 14.

The wireless interface 16 may be configured to communicate wirelessly with an external (e.g. mobile) device, e.g. via Bluetooth.

The other component(s) 18 may include one or more user indicator devices configured to convey information to a user and/or a charging port, for example (see e.g. Fig. 3).

The consumable 30 includes a storage portion implemented here as a tank 32 which stores the liquid precursor 6 (e.g. e-liquid). The consumable 30 also includes a heating system 34, one or more air inlets 36, and a mouthpiece 38. The consumable 30 may include one or more other components 40.

The body 10 and consumable 30 may each include a respective electrical interface (not shown) to provide an electrical connection between one or more components of the body 10 with one or more components of the consumable 30. In this way, electrical power can be supplied to components (e.g. the heating system 34) of the consumable 30, without the consumable 30 needing to have its own power supply.

In use, a user may activate the aerosol generating apparatus 1 when inhaling through the mouthpiece 38, i.e. when performing a puff. The puff, performed by the user, may initiate a flow through a flow path in the consumable 30 which extends from the air inlet(s) 34 to the mouthpiece 38 via a region in proximity to the heating system 34.

Activation of the aerosol generating apparatus 1 may be initiated, for example, by an airflow sensor in the body 10 which detects airflow in the aerosol generating apparatus 1 (e.g. caused by a user inhaling through the mouthpiece), or by actuation of an actuator included in the body 10. Upon activation, the electrical circuitry 12 (e.g. under control of the processing resource) may supply electrical energy from the power supply 2 to the heating system 34 which may cause the heating system 32 to heat liquid precursor 6 drawn from the tank to produce an aerosol which is carried by the flow out of the mouthpiece 38.

In some examples, the heating system 34 may include a heating filament and a wick, wherein a first portion of the wick extends into the tank 32 in order to draw liquid precursor s out from the tank 32, wherein the heating filament coils around a second portion of the wick located outside the tank 32. The heating filament may be configured to heat up liquid precursor 6 drawn out of the tank 32 by the wick to produce the aerosol.

In this example, the aerosol generating unit 4 is provided by the above-described heating system 34 and the delivery system 8 is provided by the above-described flow path and mouthpiece 38.

In variant embodiments (not shown), any one or more of the precursor s, heating system 34, air inlet(s) 36 and mouthpiece 38, may be included in the body 10. For example, the mouthpiece 36 may be included in the body 10 with the precursor 6 and heating system 32 arranged as a separable cartomizer.

Figs. 3a and 3b show an example implementation of the aerosol generating device 1 of Fig. 2. In this example, the consumable 30 is implemented as a capsule/pod, which is shown in Fig. 3a as being physically coupled to the body 10, and is shown in Fig. 3b as being decoupled from the body 10.

In this example, the body 10 and the consumable 30 are configured to be physically coupled together by pushing the consumable 30 into an aperture in a top end 11 the body 10, with the consumable 30 being retained in the aperture via an interference fit.

In other examples (not shown), the body 10 and the consumable 30 could be physically coupled together in other ways, e.g. by screwing one onto the other, through a bayonet fitting, or through a snap engagement mechanism, for example.

The body 10 also includes a charging port (not shown) at a bottom end 13 of the body 10.

The body 10 also includes a user indicator device configured to convey information to a user. Here, the user indicator device is implemented as a light 15, which may e.g. be configured to illuminate when the apparatus 1 is activated. Other user indicator devices are possible, e.g. to convey information haptically or audibly to a user.

In this example, the consumable 30 has an opaque cap 31 , a translucent tank 32 and a translucent window 33. When the consumable 30 is physically coupled to the body 10 as shown in Fig. 3a, only the cap 31 and window 33 can be seen, with the tank 32 being obscured from view by the body 10. The body 10 includes a slot 15 to accommodate the window 33. The window 33 is configured to allow the amount of liquid precursor 6 in the tank 32 to be visually assessed, even when the consumable 30 is physically coupled to the body 10.

Fig. 4 shows an implementation of the apparatus 1 of Fig. 1 , where the aerosol generating apparatus 1 is configured to generate aerosol by a-heat not-burn process.

In this example, the apparatus 1 includes a device body 50 and a consumable 70.

In this example, the body 50 includes the power supply 4 and a heating system 52. The heating system 54 includes at least one heating element 54. The body may additionally include any one or more of electrical circuitry 56, a memory 58, a wireless interface 60, one or more other components 62.

The electrical circuitry 56 may include a processing resource for controlling one or more operations of the body 50, e.g. based on instructions stored in the memory 58.

The wireless interface 60 may be configured to communicate wirelessly with an external (e.g. mobile) device, e.g. via Bluetooth.

The other component(s) 62 may include an actuator, one or more user indicator devices configured to convey information to a user and/or a charging port, for example (see e.g. Fig. 5).

The body 50 is configured to engage with the consumable 70 such that the at least one heating element 54 of the heating system 52 penetrates into the solid precursor 6 of the consumable. In use, a user may activate the aerosol generating apparatus 1 to cause the heating system 52 of the body 50 to cause the at least one heating element 54 to heat the solid precursor 6 of the consumable (without combusting it) by conductive heat transfer, to generate an aerosol which is inhaled by the user.

Fig. 5 shows an example implementation of the aerosol generating device 1 of Fig. 2.

As depicted in Fig. 5, the consumable 70 is implemented as a stick, which is engaged with the body 50 by inserting the stick into an aperture at a top end 53 of the body 50, which causes the at least one heating element 54 of the heating system 52 to penetrate into the solid precursor 6.

The consumable 70 includes the solid precursor 6 proximal to the body 50, and a filter distal to the body 50. The filter serves as the mouthpiece of the consumable 70 and thus the apparatus 1 as a whole. The solid precursor 6 may be a reconstituted tobacco formulation.

In this example, the at least one heating element 54 is a rod-shaped element with a circular transverse profile. Other heating element shapes are possible, e.g. the at least one heating element may be blade-shaped (with a rectangular transverse profile) or tube-shaped (e.g. with a hollow transverse profile).

In this example, the body 50 includes a cap 51 . In use the cap 51 is engaged at a top end 53 of the body 50. Although not apparent from Fig. 5, the cap 51 is moveable relative to the body 50. In particular, the cap 51 is slidable and can slide along a longitudinal axis of the body 50. The body 50 also includes an actuator 55 on an outer surface of the body 50. In this example, the actuator 55 has the form of a button.

The body 50 also includes a user indicator device configured to convey information to a user. Here, the user indicator device is implemented as a plurality of lights 57, which may e.g. be configured to illuminate when the apparatus 1 is activated and/or to indicate a charging state of the power supply 4. Other user indicator devices are possible, e.g. to convey information haptically or audibly to a user.

The body may also include an airflow sensor which detects airflow in the aerosol generating apparatus 1 (e.g. caused by a user inhaling through the consumable 70). This may be used to count puffs, for example.

In this example, the consumable 70 includes a flow path which transmits aerosol generated by the at least one heating element 54 to the mouthpiece of the consumable.

In this example, the aerosol generating unit 4 is provided by the above-described heating system 52 and the delivery system 8 is provided by the above-described flow path and mouthpiece of the consumable 70.

Fig. 6 shows an example system 80 for managing an aerosol generating apparatus 1 , such as those described above with reference to any of Figs. 1-5.

The system 80 as shown in Fig. 1 includes an optional charging station 86, as well as the aerosol generating apparatus 1 .

The charging station 86 (if present) may be configured to charge (and optionally communicate with) the aerosol generating apparatus 1 , via a charging port on the aerosol generating apparatus 1. The charging port on the smoking substitute device 10 may be a USB port, for example, which may allow the aerosol generating apparatus 1 to be charged by any USB-compatible device capable of delivering power to the aerosol generating apparatus 1 via a suitable USB cable (in this case the USB-compatible device would be acting as the charging station 86). Alternatively, the charging station could be a docking station specifically configured to dock with the aerosol generating apparatus 1 and charge the aerosol generating apparatus 1 via the charging port on the aerosol generating apparatus 1 .

Referring to Fig. 7 an aerosol generating device, which may be implemented in accordance with any of the preceding examples, comprises a non-volatile memory 100 (which may correspond to the memory 14, 58 referred to in the previous figures), a volatile memory 102, firmware 104 stored on the non-volatile memory 100, a microcontroller 106 and hardware components 108, 110. The microcontroller may be the processing resource referred to above. The hardware components 108, 110 may include hardware components mentioned above with reference to the previous figures. The firmware 104 comprises firmware instructions which include entry point instructions 112 and operational instructions 114. The firmware instructions may be the instructions referred to above.

Both the volatile memory 102 and the non-volatile memory 100 are internal to the microcontroller 106. The volatile memory 102 is a static-random-access memory (SRAM), and the non-volatile memory 100 is a readonly memory (ROM). Some of the hardware components 108 are external to the microcontroller 106. These hardware components 108 include an LED driver chip 108a (which drives an LED which may be the light 15, 57 referred to in the previous figures), a heating system 108b (which may be the heating system 52 referred to in the previous figures), a USB interface 108c (which may be the USB port referred to above) and a first button system 108d. The first button system 108d is an example of an actuator system (which includes an actuator which may be the actuator 55 referred to above). Some of the hardware components are internal to the microcontroller 106. These internal hardware components 110 include a timing circuit 110a which may dictate the speed with which the microcontroller 106 runs the firmware instructions, for example via a clock rate of the microcontroller. The aerosol generating device may not include all of the hardware components 108, 110 shown in Fig. 7 and may comprise hardware components configured to be controlled by the microcontroller 106 in addition to the hardware components 108, 110 shown in Fig. 7.

The microcontroller 106 is configured to run the firmware instructions. The hardware components 108, 110 are controlled by the microcontroller 106 running the firmware instructions.

The aerosol generating device is configured to implement an operational state and sleep state.

In the operational state the aerosol generating device is operable to carry out the aerosol generation function of the device.

In the sleep state, the power consumption of the aerosol-generating device is non-zero and is reduced compared to the power consumption of the device in the operational state. The sleep state is thus a powersaving state of the device. The aerosol generation function of the aerosol generating device cannot be carried out in the sleep state.

The power consumption of all of the hardware components 108, 110 may be zero in the sleep state. Alternatively, one or more of the hardware components 108, 110 may have some non-zero power consumption in the sleep state. For example, the LED driver chip may have some non-zero power consumption in the sleep state. The power consumption of the hardware components 108, 110 with non-zero power consumption in the sleep state may be reduced in the sleep state compared to the power consumption of these hardware components 108, 110 in the operational state.

The power consumption of the microcontroller 106 may be non-zero in the sleep state. In this way, the microcontroller 106 is operable to transition the device from the sleep state to the operational state. This means that hardware which is operable to switch the microcontroller 106 on and off is not required to transition the aerosol generating device from the sleep state to the operational state and from the operational state to the sleep state.

The aerosol generating device is configured to enter into the operational state from the sleep state in response to a user pressing a second button of a second button system 116 on the device. In the sleep state, the power consumption of the second button system 116 is non-zero so that when the second button is pressed by a user, the second button system 116 provides a transition signal to the microcontroller 106 which causes the microcontroller 106 to transition the aerosol generating device from the sleep state to the operational state. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the steps taken by the microcontroller 106 after the user presses the second button on the aerosol generating device to transition the device from the sleep state to the operational state.

At the first step 120, the microcontroller 106 detects a transition signal.

At the second step 122, the microcontroller 106 runs the entry point instructions 112. This step will be explained later in detail with reference to Fig. 9. The entry point instructions 112 are run from a reset entry point of the non-volatile memory 100.

The aerosol generation function of the aerosol generating device cannot be carried out when the microcontroller 106 is running the entry point instructions 112.

At the third step 124, the microcontroller 106 runs the operational instructions 114. When the microcontroller 106 is running the operational instructions 114, the aerosol generating device is in the operational state. The operational instructions 114 run in a closed loop, and the entry point instructions 112 are outside the closed loop of the operational instructions 114. Therefore, when transitioning from the sleep state to the operational state, the entry point instructions 112 are run once, and then the operational instructions 114 are run in a repeating manner.

In this way, when the device transitions from the sleep state to the operational state, the microcontroller 106 may run the firmware instructions from a pre-set or a known starting point. The total time period that a firmware incarnation runs for is limited to the time which elapses between the device entering the operational state and the device subsequently entering the sleep state. This contrasts with known aerosol generating devices, which when the device transitions from the sleep state to the operational state, continue running firmware instructions from the point the firmware instructions stopped running when the device transitioned from the operational state to the sleep state.

The entry point instructions 112 may be the same instructions which are run by the microcontroller 106 when the aerosol generating device transitions from a power-off state to the operational state, and/or when the device resets. Therefore, when the device transitions from the sleep state to the operational state, the aerosol generating device may function as if the device had just been powered on for the first time or had just been reset. The ability to start running the firmware 104 from a reset entry point immediately after power has been applied or after the device has been reset is a feature of most microcontrollers.

The aerosol generating device is configured to enter into the sleep state from the operational state in response to a user pressing a button, which may be the second button. Alternatively, or in addition, the aerosol generating device is configured to enter into the sleep state from the operational state upon detection by the microcontroller 106 of a predetermined period of inactivity of the device by the user, for example detection by the microcontroller 106 of no aerosol generation session being started by the user for 10 seconds.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the sub-steps 122a/b taken by the microcontroller 106 in step 2 of Fig. 8. Fig. 9 shows the sub-steps 122a/b taken by the microcontroller 106 when the microcontroller is running the entry point instructions 112. The entry point instructions 112 include volatile memory initialisation instructions and hardware initialisation instructions. In the sub-steps 122a/b shown in Fig. 9, the microcontroller runs the volatile memory initialisation instructions first, and then the hardware initialisation instructions. In other embodiments, the microcontroller 106 runs the hardware initialisation instructions first and then the volatile memory initialisation instructions.

As shown in Fig. 9, in a first sub-step 122a, the microcontroller 106 runs the volatile memory initialisation instructions. The volatile memory initialisation instructions cause the microcontroller 106 to initialise the volatile memory 102. In this way, the likelihood of the device suffering from a firmware bug may be reduced. The microcontroller 106 initialising the volatile memory 102 may include clearing a portion of the data stored on the volatile memory and/or writing pre-defined data values to the volatile memory 102. These pre-defined data values are stored on the non-volatile memory 100.

In the second sub-step 122b, the microcontroller 106 runs the hardware initialisation instructions. The hardware initialisation instructions cause the microcontroller 106 to initialise one or more of the hardware components 108, 110. For example, the microcontroller 106 running the hardware initialisation instructions may cause all LEDs in the aerosol generating device to be turned off before user can interact with the device. In this way, the initialised hardware components 108, 1 10 are in a known state after the microcontroller 106 has run the hardware initialisation instructions, and the aerosol generating device is initialised in the same way each time the aerosol generating device transitions from the sleep state to the operational state.

One or more of the hardware components 108, 110 may be initialised into a safe state. For example, the heating system may be initialised such that there is no power applied to a heater of the aerosol generating device when the microcontroller 106 starts running the operational instructions 114. In this way, the aerosol generating device may be safer.

The microcontroller 106 running the hardware initialisation instructions may initialise only hardware component(s) 108 external to the microcontroller 106. The microcontroller 106 running the hardware initialisation instructions may initialise only hardware component(s) 110 internal to the microcontroller 106. Alternatively, the microcontroller 106 running the hardware initialisation instructions may initialise both hardware component(s) 108 external to the microcontroller 106 and hardware component(s) 110 internal to the microcontroller 106.