GB2524779A

GB2524779A - Inhalation device

Info

Publication number: GB2524779A
Application number: GB1405937.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hing Fung Wong
Original assignee: CIGTRONICA Ltd
Current assignee: CIGTRONICA Ltd
Priority date: 2014-04-02
Filing date: 2014-04-02
Publication date: 2015-10-07
Also published as: GB201405937D0

Abstract

A method of controlling an inhalation device, the inhalation device comprises a sensor 9a configured to generate data associated with a property of an atomised composition within a flow channel 9 of the inhalation device. The method comprises controlling atomisation of the composition based upon the generated data. The inhalation device may comprise a reservoir 4 for receiving the composition, an atomiser 5 associated with the reservoir and configured to atomise the composition, an aperture and a flow channel configured to carry the atomised composition from the atomiser to the aperture. Preferably the device includes a further reservoir 6, a further atomiser 7, a further flow channel 10 and a further sensor 10a. Advantageously the use of a sensor to generate data which is subsequently used in the control of the atomiser allows a quantity of active chemical delivered to the user within the composition to be accurately controlled, for example to deliver a predetermined dosage of the composition. Also disclosed is a further inventive method of controlling an inhalation device comprising a computing device such as a mobile telephone.

Description

Inhalation Device The present invention relates to an inhalation device and a method for its control. More particularly, the invention relates to electronic cigarettes.

Electronic cigarettes generally involve the generation of an aerosol which is inhaled by a user. The aerosol may contain nicotine, or a nicotine replacement, and flavouring compounds. Electronic cigarettes thus provide an alternative to smoking tobacco based cigarettes. The use of electronic cigarettes does not involve the inhalation of many of the harmful by-products of the combustion of tobacco (e.g. tar). Electronic cigarettes are thus considered to be a less harmful way of delivering nicotine to a user than conventional cigarettes.

The generation of the aerosol within an electronic cigarette is controlled by an atomiser, which typically vaporises fluid which contains, for example, nicotine and flavouring compounds. The dose of the fluid which is delivered is controlled by the atomiser, which may have user-configurable control inputs to select a dosage and flavouring regime prior to or during use.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate one or more of the problems with known electronic cigarettes, whether identified herein or otherwise.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an inhalation device comprising: a reservoir for receiving a composition; an atomiser associated with the reservoir and configured to atomise the composition; an aperture; a flow channel configured to carry the atomised composition from the atomiser to the aperture; and a sensor configured to generate data associated with a property of the atomised composition within the flow channel, wherein the atomiser is controlled based upon the generated data.

The use of a sensor to generate data which is subsequently used in the control the atomiser allows the quantity of an active chemical which is delivered to the user within the composition to be accurately controlled, for example to deliver a predetermined dosage of the composition (which contains a predetermined quantity of the active chemical). The sensor output allows the delivery of composition to be monitored and used in a feedback loop to control the operation of the atomiser, such that a predetermined dosage of composition is delivered. This may provide an advantage where operational conditions change over time. For example, an atomiser may suffer from gradual degradation with repeated use. The use of a sensor and feedback control therefore may allow the output of an inhalation device to be maintained at a consistent level in spite of atomiser degradation. Further, by controlling the delivered dosage of the composition in this way (i.e. based upon the output of the sensor), it s possible to alter the delivered dosage to any arbitrary level.

The inhalation device may further comprise a controller configured to process the generated data, and to generate a control signal for the atomiser based upon the generated data.

The inhalation device may further comprise a further reservoir, the further reservoir being suitable for containing a further composition; and a further atomiser associated with the further reservoir and configured to atomise the further composition.

The inhalation device may further comprise a further flow channel configured to carry the atomised further composition from the further atomiser to the aperture; and a further sensor configured to generate further data associated with a property of a flow within the further flow channel; wherein the further atomiser is controlled based upon the generated further data.

The controller may be configured to process the generated further data, and to generate a control signal for the further atomiser based upon the generated further data.

The atomizer may be controlled independently of the further atomizer.

The atomiser may be controlled based upon a relationship between the data associated with a property of the atomised composition and a predetermined concentration of the composition within the flow.

The atomiser may be controlled to deliver a predetermined concentration of the composition within the flow. The atomiser may be controlled to deliver a predetermined dosage of the composition within the flow. The concentration of the composition within the flow may be referred to as the dosage of the composition within the flow. The dosage of a composition may also refer to a total amount of a composition within a flow (i.e. the concentration of a composition within a flow multiplied by a duration for which a user inhales).

The data associated with a property of the atomised composition may be a measure of concentration of the composition. The sensor may generate an output which is indicative of the concentration of the composition within the flow, for example in terms of the number of particles of the composition within a predetermined volume of the flow.

The data associated with a property of the atomised composition may be measure of flow rate. The sensor may generate an output which is indicative of the rate at which air flows past the sensor, e.g. speed of air flow, or volumetric flow rate. Given a known or assumed relationship between a flow rate and a concentration of composition within the flow, the atomiser can be controlled based upon the output of the sensor, for example to deliver a predetermined concentration of the composition within the flow.

Generating a control signal for the atomiser based upon the generated data may comprise: receiving data associated with a property of the atomised composition within the flow channel; accessing a look-up table which contains data relating to a relationship between the property of the atom ised composition within the flow channel flow and data relating to a property of the composition; retrieving data from the look-up table based upon the property of the atomised composition within the flow channel flow; and generating a control signal for the atomiser based upon the retrieved data.

The reservoir may comprise a chamber, the chamber being suitable for receiving the composition.

The composition may be a fluid.

The inhalation device may be an electronic cigarette.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of controlling an inhalation device, the inhalation device comprising a sensor configured to generate data associated with a property of an atomised composition within a flow channel of the inhalation device; the method comprising controlling atomisation of the composition based upon the generated data.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of controlling an inhalation device, the method comprising: providing, from a computing device, data relating to a composition to the inhalation device; wherein an atomiser of the inhalation device s controlled based upon the data relating to the composition.

The use of the computing device to provide data relating to a composition to the inhalation device allows the inhalation device to be used with a plurality of different compositions, and changes in operation or configuration of the inhalation device to be made based upon that data. For exampe, the data may relate to the concentration of an active chemical within a composition with the atomiser being controlled based upon that data such that, irrespective of the concentration of the active chemical within the composition, a user is provided with the same dosage of the active chemical in an inhalation.

The inhalation device may further comprise a sensor configured to generate data associated with a property of a flow within the flow channel, and the atomiser may be further controlled based upon the generated data.

The method may further comprise: receiving, at the computing device, the data associated with the composition from a server.

The method may further comprise: receiving, as input to the computing device, identification data identifying the composition; requesting, by the computing device, data associated with the composition from the server based upon the identification data; receiving, from the server, data associated with the composition; and providing, to the inhalation device, the data associated with the composition.

Receiving identification data may comprise: reading, by the computing device, machine-readable data by a camera associated with the computing device.

The computing device may be a mobile telephone.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of controlling an inhalation device, the method comprising: receiving, from a computing device, data relating to a composition to the inhalation device; and controlling an atomiser of the inhalation device based upon the data relating to the composition.

The inhalation device may further comprise a sensor configured to generate data associated with a property of a flow within the flow channel, and controlling the atomiser may be further based upon the generated data.

The data relating to the composition may be provided to the computing device from a server.

The computing device may be a mobile telephone.

It will be appreciated that where features are discussed in the context of one aspect of the invention, they may be combined with other aspects of the invention. In particular, and features discussed above in the context of the first aspect of the invention maybe combined with features of the second, thrd and fourth aspects of the invention and vice versa.

Embodments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic of an inhalation device according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic of an inhalation device according to an alternative embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is a schematic of an inhalation device shown in Figures 1 or 2 connected to a network; and Figure 4 is a schematic of a mobile telephone which may be used in combination with the inhalation devices shown in Figures 1 and 2 according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 shows an electronic cigarette 1 comprising a mouthpiece 2, a battery 3, a first chamber 4, a first atomiser 5, a second chamber 6 and a second atomiser 7. The first atomiser 5 is arranged to atomise a first composition 4a contained within the first chamber 4. The second atomiser 7 is arranged to atomise a second composition 6a contained within the second chamber 6. The first and second chambers 4, 6 act as reservoirs of the compositions 4a, 6a. The first and second compositions 4a, 6a are different compositions containing chemicals having different propertes that are desirable to be combined and delivered through the mouthpiece. For example, the first composition 4a may comprise nicotine and the second composition 6a may comprise a flavouring compound. The flavouring compound or nicotine may be dispersed in a liquid such as, for example, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin (glycerol), or a mixture of the two. Alternative liquids may also be used.

The first atomiser 5 comprises a heating element 5a and a wick 5b, the heating element 5a being arranged around the wick 5b. The wick 5b extends into the first chamber 4 and draws the composition 4a from the chamber 4 by capillary action. The heating element 5a is switchably connected to the battery 3. When supplied with a current (i.e. when connected to the battery 3), the heating element 5a generates heat and causes the composition 4a to vaporise. The second atomiser 7 is of a similar construction to the first atomiser 5, having a heating element 7a and a wick 7b, the wick 7b extending into and drawing the composition 6a from the second chamber 6.

The heating elements 5a, 7a operate as resistive heaters, with energy being dissipated within the heating elements 5a, 7a as current flows through them. The rate at which the compositions 4a, 6a are vaporised by the respective atomisers 5, 7 depends upon the rate at which energy is dissipated by the resistive heating elements 5a, 7a, i.e. the power supplied to the heating elements 5a, 7a. The rate at which the compositions 4a, Ba are vaporised can thus be controlled by suitable control of the power supplied to the heating elements 5a, 7a of the atomisers 5, 7, by increasing or decreasing the voltage applied to the heating elements 5a, 7a. For example, if the voltage is increased, the rate of vaporisation is increased and if the voltage is decreased the rate of vaporisation is decreased. The voltage applied to the heating elements 5a, 7a of the atomisers 5, 7 is controlled by a controller 8. The atomisers 5, 7 may be considered to be energised when their respective heating elements 5a, 7a are supplied with current from the battery 3 (i.e. when a voltage is applied to the heating elements Sa, 7a).

The mouthpiece 2 is provided with an outlet 2a, and two inlets 2b, 2c. The atomisers 5, 7 are each provided with respective inlets Sc, 7c, and outlets Sd, 7d. The outlet Sd of the first atomiser 5 is coupled to the first inlet 2b of the mouthpiece 2 by a flow channel 9. The outlet 7d of the second atomiser 7 is coupled to the second inlet 2c of the mouthpiece 2 by a flow channel 10. Each of the flow channels 9, 10 is provided with a respective sensor 9a, lOa arranged to determine a dose delivered in a predetermined volume of air i.e. to measure a concentration of the atomised compostion within a predetermined volume within the respective flow channel 9, 10.

In use, air is drawn through the mouthpiece 2 by a user. This causes air to flow through each of the atomisers 5, 7, via the flow channels 9, 10, and into the mouthpiece 2, where the flows of air will combine, before being inhaled by the user. A first flow of air, as shown by an arrow A, flows into the first atomiser 5 via the inlet Sc and out of the outlet Sd into the flow channel 9, before entering the mouthpiece 2 via the first inlet 2b.

A second flow of air, as shown by an arrow B, flows into the second atomiser 7 via the inlet 7c and out of the outlet 7d into the flow channel 10, before entering the mouthpiece 2 via the second inlet 2c. The two flows of air A, B combine in the mouthpiece, with a single mixed flow of air C exiting the mouthpiece via the outlet 2a.

Energisation of the heating elements 5a, 7a causes an aerosol to be generated within each of the atomisers 5, 7. The generated aerosols are carried by the flows A, B into the mouthpiece, where they combine to form the flow C, which is inhaled by the user.

The quantities of the atomised compositions 4a, Ba delivered to the user are thus controlled by the operations of the atomisers 5, 7, with each atom iser 5, 7 controlling the delivery of a respective composition 4a, Ga. In this way, the flow C can be caused to contain different amounts of each of the compositions 4a, Ga. As described above, the rate at which the compositions 4a, 6a are vaporised can be controlled by control of the power supplied to the heating elements Sa, 7a of the atomisers 5, 7. This control can thus be used to control the dosage of each of the compositions 4a, Ga which is contained within the flow C and therefore control relative quantities of the active chemicals delivered to the user.

For example, a nicotine dosage of each inhalation can be controlled by controlling the power supplied to the heating element 5a, while a strength of flavour can be controlled independently of the nicotine dosage of each inhalation, by controlling the power supplied to the heating element 7a.

Control of the heating elements 5a, 7a as described above may be based upon known vaporisation rates for the compositions 4a, 6a, for example determined by a calibration process. However, this rate of vaporisation may change over time. For example, the heating elements 5a, 7a may degrade with repeated use such that the rate of vaporisation for a given control state (e.g. voltage applied to a heating element) may increase or decrease over time. This could result in relative quantities of active chemicals changing with repeated use of the electronic cigarette 1, which may be undesirable for a user.

Further, the rate of air flow through the atomisers 5, 7 may also affect the quantities of active chemicals which are delivered to a user. For example, the inlets 5c, 7c may be opened by a different amount between uses, allowing more or less air to flow though the atomizers 5, 7 and flow channels 9, 10. The relative flow of air between the two flow channels 9, 10 may be adjusted by adjusting the relative openings of the respective inlets Sc, 7c. However, should the relative flow of air change between the two flow channels 9, 10, the relative quantities of the active chemicals delivered to the user (i.e. the dosage), and the user experience, may also change.

Alternatively, an atomizer may be used in inhalation devices having different inlet sizes.

If controlled in the same way regardless of the inlet size (and consequently air flow rate) different quantities of the active chemicals may be delivered to a user, which may be undesirable.

In order to address possible inconsistencies in dosage and user experience, the sensors Sa, ba monitor the dosage of the compositions 4a, 6a which are delivered in each of the flows A, B. The sensor 9a monitors the flow A, providing an output which is indicative of the quantity of the composition 4a which is carried past the sensor 9a in the flow A. The sensor 1 Oa monitors the flow B, providing an output which is indicative of the quantity of the composition 6a which is carried past the sensor ba in the flow B. For example, each of the sensors 9a, ba may monitor the rate of air flow (i.e. the volumetric flow rate) past the respective sensor 9a, ba. The sensors 9a, ba may monitor a property which is indicative of the volumetric flow rate, for example the speed of air flow past the respective sensor 9a, 1 Oa. Such a property may be used to derive a volumetric flow rate. For each combination of flow rate and composition a predetermined energisation level (e.g. voltage) may cause a known quantity of active chemical to be delivered to the user in a known volume of air which is inhaled. This relationship may, for example, be determined during a calibration process. Data relating to this relationship may be stored within a memory associated with the controllerS (e.g. in a look-up table).

The outputs of the sensors 9a, ba are provided to the controller 8. The controller 8 derives a quantity of active chemical which is delivered to the user based upon the combination of the sensor output, the composition in use, and the current energisation level of the respective heating element 5a, 7a, and controls the heating elements 5a, 7a so as to achieve a predetermined dosage of atomised compositions 4a, 6a within each of the respective flows A, B. This monitoring and feedback enables a predetermined dosage of each of the compositions 4a, 6a within the flow C to be achieved.

Further, by controlling the delivered dosage of compositions 4a and 6b, based upon the output of the sensors 9a, ba, it is possible to alter the delivered dosage to any arbitrary level. For example, different dosage configurations can be delivered depending on user preference. In the absence of sensors, this would rely on a calibration energisation value stored in a look up table which corresponds to a required dosage. However, this calibration value may no-longer cause the correct dosage to be delivered due to degradation of the heating elements 5a, 7a, or a different flow rate.

Instead, a dosage is delivered based upon a sensed or derived quantity of composition which is carried past the sensors 9a, lOa. This allows accurate and independent control of the dosage of each of the compositions 4a, 6a.

The provision of independent control of the dosage of each of the compositions 4a, 6a allows a greatly increased variety in user experiences to be achieved with a reduced number of compositions. Typically, in the use of electronic cigarettes having a single chamber, it is known for compositions to be provided which contain different combinations of nicotine and flavouring compound. For example, four different levels of nicotine may be combined with 80 different flavouring compounds, resulting in 320 different combinations. Each of these 320 combinations may require compositions needing to be supplied and stored. However, by separating the flavouring compound from the nicotine, it is possible to reduce the number of compounds to just 84. That is, 80 different flavouring compounds and 4 different strengths of nicotine composition.

Further, given the ability to accurately control the dosage of each composition, the strength of nicotine delivered can be varied by control of the atomiser 5, without affecting the flavour, allowing a single nicotine composition to be used to supply each of the four nicotine levels previously available. Moreover, the nicotine or flavour level can be continuously varied by precise control of the atomisers 5, 7, allowing an unlimited number of strength and flavour combinations to be achieved.

In an alternative embodiment, sensors may directly monitor the concentration of active chemicals in the air within flow channels. For example, where an atomized composition generates a visible smoke or vapour trail, an optical sensor may be suitable. For example, a sensor may comprise light emitting devices and associated detectors. Any smoke will affect the transmission of light between the light emitting device and detector, allowing a measurement of the concentration of composition within the air flow to be made. The sensors may for example be calibrated by measurng the effect on transmission of light between the light emitting device and detector based upon known concentrations of a composition within the air flow.

Other forms of sensor may also be used to detect particular active chemicals directly or indirectly. For example, sensors using optical, acoustic (e.g. SAW), mechanical or electromechanical (e.g. MEMS, NEMS, piezoelectric), and catalytic technologies either in isolation or in combination may be configured to generate data based upon a property of an atomised composition. Such sensors may be selected based upon a particular composition, or may be used with a variety of different compositions.

In an embodiment an electronic cigarette may further include one or more flow sensors in addition to a sensor which is used to determine the concentration of a composition as described above. Such flow sensors may be arranged to detect air flow (i.e. volumetric flow rate) through, for example, the mouthpiece. Such a sensor may be used to identify when a user is inhaling through the mouthpiece and be used to allow the atomisers to be activated only when there is sufficient air flow through the electronic cigarette. The output of a flow sensor may be used in combination with the output of a sensor described above to control the energisation of the atomisers, so as to control the delivery of composition to the user.

In an embodiment, a flow sensor may be combined with the sensor, with a single sensor providing a first output which is indicative of a volumetric flow rate, and a second output which is indicative of the quantity of a composition which is carried past the sensor by flow. Similarly, a single sensor output may provide a direct measure of flow rate (i.e. allowing inhalation to be detected) and also an indirect measure of concentration (e.g. with reference to look-up tables containing calibration data, as described above).

A user operated switch may be provided for use instead of, or in addition to, flow sensor activation. For example, a user operated switch may be pressed, and a minimum flow rate may be required to be detected before atomisers are energised.

The electronic cigarette 1 described above with reference to Figure 1 is shown having two chambers 4, 6, two atomisers 5, 7, and two sensors 9a, ba. However, it will be appreciated that the feedback control system in which a sensor is used to measure a concentration of an atomised composition within a predetermined volume and to control the generation of an aerosol by an atomiser may be used with different numbers of each of these components. For example, an electronic cigarette may comprise a single chamber (and other associated components) and the feedback control system described above may be used to ensure that an accurate and consistent dosage is supplied to a user from the single chamber.

Figure 2 shows an electronic cigarette 1' according to an alternative embodiment, which has a single chamber. The electronic cigarette 1' comprises, a battery 3', a chamber 4', and an atomiser 5'. The atomiser 5' is arranged to atomise a composition 4a' contained within the chamber 4'. The chamber 4' acts as a reservoir of the composition 4a'. The composition 4a' contains chemicals having properties that are desirable to be delivered to a user during an inhalation.

The atomiser 5' comprises a heating element 5a' and a wick Sb', the heating element 5a' being arranged around the wick Sb'. The wick Sb' extends into the chamber 4' and draws the composition 4a' from the chamber 4' by capillary action. The heating element 5a' is switchably connected to the battery 3'. When supplied with a current, the heating element 5a' generates heat and causes the composition 4a' to vaporise. The heating element 5a' is controlled by a controller 8' in a similar fashion to that described above with reference to Figure 1.

The atomiser 5' is provided with an inlet Sc' and an outlet Sd'. The oufiet Sd' of the atomiser 5' is coupled to a flow channel 9'. The flow channel 9' is provided with a sensor 9a', which is arranged to determine a dose delivered in a predetermined volume of air i.e. to measure a concentration of the atomised composition within a predetermined volume within the flow channel 9'.

In use, air is drawn through the flow channel 9' by a user. This causes air to flow through the atomiser 5' and through the flow channel 9', before being inhaled by the user.

Alternatively, an electronic cigarette may comprise three chambers, atomisers and sensors, allowing a large number of flavour and strength combinations to be accurately controlled to deliver varying dosages to a user.

In a further alternative, the arrangement of sensors to provide a feedback control system may be different from that which is described above. For example, a first flow channel may be provided with a sensor to achieve the same control of dosage, while a second flow channel is not provided with a sensor. This arrangement may provide a simpler and cheaper alternative where accurate control of the delivery of one composition (e.g. which contains nicotine) is important, whereas the accurate control of a second composition (e.g. which contains a flavouring compound) is less important.

Alternatively, it may be that vaporisation of a first composition causes more degradation to a heating element than a second composition. As such, it may not be necessary to adjust the power supplied to a heating element which is ony required to vaporise a second composition, as there may be no significant change n the rate of vaporisation (unlike a heating element which vaporised a first composition, which may cause a significant degree of degradation to that heating element).

Further, in an embodiment a first sensor may be provided in a flow channel, and a second sensor may be provided in a mouthpiece. In such an embodiment the first sensor may be arranged to monitor the dosage of a first composition, whereas the second sensor may be arrange to monitor the total dosage of the flow from the electronic cigarette. In this way, a measure of the dosage of the second composition can be derived based upon a relationship between the outputs of the first and second sensors. Independent control of the two compositions may thus be achieved in such an arrangement, for example by subtracting a measure of the dosage of the first composition from the total dosage measured by the second sensor.

In some embodiments a liquid composition may be loaded directly to an atomizer, without having a separate chamber. For example, drops of a liquid composition may be applied to the wick of an atomizer. In such an embodiment the wick acts as a reservoir to store the composition.

In some embodiments the atomizer may be different to that described above. For example, an atomizer may also be referred to as an aerosol generator or a nebulizer.

An atomizer may, for example, comprise a piezoelectric device, a thermo-electric device or an ultrasound device.

In some embodiments the composition may comprise a solid. For exampe, a wax-like material may be used, with pharmaceutically active ingredients (e.g. nicotine) dispersed within the wax-like material. In such embodiments, an atomizer may be of a type suitable for use with a solid composition. A solid composition may be provided in a form which itself acts as a reservoir (i.e. no separate chamber or reservoir is required).

In some embodiments, a sensor output may be used to prevent damage to the atomiser. For example, a sensor output may indicate that the concentration of the atomised composition within a predetermined volume within the respective flow channel is below a predetermined level. This may be caused by the reservoir containing insufficient composition. If operated without a sufficient supply of composition, an atomizer may cause damage, for example by burning the wick or overheating the heating element. It is thus possible to use the output of a sensor to prevent or reduce damage from occurring to the heating element.

In some embodiments, a sensor output may be used to identify when an atomiser should be replaced. For example, a sensor output may indicate that the concentration of the atomised composition within a predetermined volume within the respective flow channel is below a predetermined level. This may be caused by the atomiser being damaged or in some way degraded. It is thus possible to use the output of a sensor to identify when an atomiser should be replaced.

The electronic cigarettes described above with reference to Figures 1 and 2 are examples of inhalation devices. Alternative inhalation devices may be used to deliver dosages of compositions containing other pharmacologically active ingredients, for example for medicinal purposes. The dosage sensing, and control based upon that dosage sensing, described above with reference to electronic cigarettes may readily be applied to alternative forms of inhalation device.

The use of calibration data is described above to enable a relationship between sensed flow readings and the quantity of active chemicals delivered to a user to be established.

This calibration data may be collected in a laboratory environment and may be associated with a particular composition and/or a particular atomizer and/or a particular air flow rate. As described above, the calibration data may be stored within a memory (not shown) associated with the controller 8.

In use, a single inhalation device may be used with a variety of different compositions, as described above. Therefore, it may be beneficial to update calibration data which is stored within the memory associated with the controller 8. This updating may be carried out by connecting the inhalation device to another device, for example a computing device, such as a mobile telephone 11. Of course, the computing device may be any form of computing device (e.g. a personal or tablet computer).

FigureS shows a connection between the inhalation device 1 and the mobile telephone 11. The mobile telephone 11 may be connected to the inhalation device 1 by a cable (e.g. a USB cable). A bottle 12 of a composition 12a, which is to be used within the inhalation device 1, has a label 12b. The label 12b identifies the composition 12a.

Calibration data associated with the composition 12a may be provided by the supplier of the composition 12a, and may be stored, for example, on a server 13. The server 13 may be remote from the user of the inhalation device 1. The mobile telephone ii maybe connected to the server 13 via a network 14. The network 14 may, for example, comprise a mobile telephone network and/or the internet. Alternatively the label 12b may store the calibration data in a format which may be interpreted by software running on the mobile telephone 11 without requiring communication with a server.

Figure 4 shows the mobile telephone 11 in further detail. It can be seen that the mobile telephone comprises a CPU ha which is configured to read and execute instructions stored in a volatile memory 11 b which takes the form of a random access memory.

The volatile memory lib stores instructions for execution by the CPU ha and data used by those instructions. For example, in use, calibration data may be stored in the volatile memory ii b.

The mobile telephone 11 further comprises non-volatile storage in the form of a memory card lic. The calibration data may be stored on the memory card lic. The mobile telephone ii further comprises an I/O interface lid to which are connected peripheral devices used in connection with the mobile telephone ii. More particularly, a display lie is configured so as to display output from the mobile telephone ii. The display lie may, for example, display a representation of the calibration data. Input devices are also connected to the I/O interface 1 ld. Such input devices include a touchpad 1 if which allow user interaction with the mobile telephone 11, and a camera llg which allows images to be captured. A network interface hih allows the mobile telephone 11 to be connected to an appropriate mobile telephone network so as to receive and transmit data from and to other computing devices, such as the server 13.

The CPU 1 ia, volatile memory 1 ib, memory card 11 c, I/O interface lid, and network interface 11 h, are connected together by a bus lii.

In use, the user may enter details of the composition 1 2a into the mobile telephone 11, allowing calibration data associated with the composition i2a to be retrieved from the server 13. Alternatively, the composition 12a may be identified by using the camera 1 lg to scan the label 12b of the bottle 12, the label 12b being provided with a barcode or other machine-readable representation of data. In some embodiments, the label 12b itself may contain the calibration data, encoded within a machine-readable representation of data. Once retrieved, the calibration data may then be transferred to the inhalation device 1 from the mobile telephone 11.

It will be appreciated that the mobile telephone 11 may also provide additional power to the inhalation device 1, for example to directly power the atomisers 5, 7, or to charge the battery 3. The mobile telephone 11 may also provide additional processing power to the inhalation device 1. For example, the CPU ha may be used to process data generated by the sensors 9a, 1 Oa.

It will be appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity described in the context of alternative embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately, or in any suitable combination.

It will also be appreciated that various modification, alterations and/or additions to the described embodiments may be introduced without departing from the scope ol the present invention, as defined in the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. An inhalation device comprising: a reservoir for receiving a composition; an atomiser associated wth the reservoir and configured to atomise the composition; an aperture; a flow channel configured to carry the atomised composition from the atom iser to the aperture; and a sensor configured to generate data associated with a property of the atomised composition within the flow channel, wherein the atomiser is controlled based upon the generated data.
2. An inhalation device according to claim 1 further comprising a controller configured to process the generated data, and to generate a control signal for the atomiser based upon the generated data.
3. An inhalation device according to claim 1 or 2 further comprising: a further reservoir, the further reservoir being suitable for containing a further composition; and a further atomiser associated with the further reservoir and configured to atomise the further composition.
4. An inhalation device according to claim 3 further comprising: a further flow channel configured to carry the atomised further composition from the further atomiser to the aperture; and a further sensor configured to generate further data associated with a property of a flow within the further flow channel; and wherein the further atomiser is controlled based upon the generated further data.
5. An inhalation device according to claim 3 or 4 as dependent upon claim 2 wherein the controller is configured to process the generated further data, and to generate a control signal for the further atomiser based upon the generated further data.
6. An inhalation device according to any one of claims 3 to 5 wherein the atomizer is controlled independently of the further atomizer.
7. An inhalation device according to any preceding claim wherein the atomiser is controlled based upon a relationship between the data associated with a property of the atomised composition and a predetermined concentration of the composition within the flow.
8. An inhalation device according to claim 7 wherein the atomiser is controlled to deliver a predetermined concentration of the composition within the flow.
9. An inhalation device according to any preceding claim wherein the data associated with a property of the atomised composition is a measure of concentration of the composition.
10. An inhalation device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the data associated with a property of the atomised composition is a measure of flow rate.
11. An inhalation device according to claim 2 or any claim dependent therefrom, wherein generating a control signal for the atomiser based upon the generated data comprises: receiving data associated with a property of the atomised composition within the flow channel; accessing a look-up table which contains data relating to a relationship between the property of the atomised composition within the flow channel flow and data relating to a property of the composition; retrieving data from the look-up table based upon the property of the atomised composition within the flow channel flow; and generating a control signal for the atomiser based upon the retrieved data.
12. An inhalation device according to any preceding claim wherein the reservoir comprises a chamber, the chamber being suitable for receiving the composition.
13. An inhalation device according to any preceding claim wherein the composition is a fluid.
14. An inhalation device according to any preceding claim wherein the inhalation device is an electronic cigarette.
15. A method of controlling an inhalation device, the inhalation device comprising a sensor configured to generate data associated with a property of an atomised composition within a flow channel of the inhalation device; the method comprising controlling atomisation of the composition based upon the generated data.
16. A method of controlling an inhalation device, the method comprising: providing, from a computing device, data relating to a composition to the inhalation device; wherein an atomiser of the inhalation device is controlled based upon the data relating to the composition.
17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the inhalation device further comprises a sensor configured to generate data associated with a property of a flow within the flow channel, wherein the atomiser is further controlled based upon the generated data.
18. A method according to claim 16 or 17, further comprising: receiving, at the computing device, the data associated with the composition from a server.
19. A method according to claim 18 further comprising: receiving, as input to the computing device, identification data identifying the composition; requesting, by the computing device, data associated with the composition from the server based upon the identification data; receiving, from the server, data associated with the composition; and providing, to the inhalation device, the data associated with the composition.
20. A method according to claim 19 wherein receiving identification data comprises: reading, by the computing device, machine-readable data by a camera associated with the computing device.
21. A method of controlling an inhalation device according to any one of claims 16 to 20 wherein the computing device is a mobile telephone.
22. A method of controlling an inhalation device, the method comprising: receiving, from a computing device, data relating to a composition to the inhalation device; and controlling an atomiser of the inhalation device based upon the data relating to the composition.
23. A method according to claim 22 wherein the inhalation device further comprises a sensor configured to generate data associated with a property of a flow within the flow channel, wherein controlling the atomiser is further based upon the generated data.
24. A method according to claim 22 or claim 23 wherein the data relating to the composition is provided to the computing device from a server.
25. A method of controlling an inhalation device according to any one of claims 22 to 24 wherein the computing device is a mobile telephone.