RU2773237C2 - Aerosol generating system with electrodes and sensors - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: tobacco industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to an aerosol generating system. The aerosol generating system contains a liquid storage part designed to hold liquid aerosol forming substrate, a pair of electrodes located adjacent to or in the liquid storage part, a sensor made with the possibility of recognizing the orientation of the liquid storage part, an aerosol generating device located with the possibility of obtaining liquid aerosol forming substrate from the liquid storage part. The system includes one or more power sources located with the possibility of supplying power to the aerosol generating device, and a control system made with the possibility of measuring an electrical value between the pair of electrodes, obtaining orientation information from the sensor, determining the amount of liquid aerosol forming substrate held in the liquid storage part, based on information about the electrical value measured between the pair of electrodes and orientation information received from the sensor, and controlling the power supply from one or more power sources to the aerosol generating device, based on the determined orientation of the liquid storage part. The liquid storage part has a length, and the pair of electrodes passes essentially along the length of the liquid storage part.

EFFECT: reduction in power supplied to an aerosol generating device is provided, when the system is in an orientation, at which the liquid supply to the aerosol generating device is reduced or prevented, as well as decrease in the probability of drying of the aerosol generating device.

15 cl, 14 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to electrical aerosol generating systems and cartridges for electrical aerosol generating systems.

Aerosol-generating electrical systems typically contain an aerosol-forming liquid substrate that is atomized to form an aerosol. Aerosol generating electrical systems often include a power supply, a liquid storage portion designed to hold a supply of the aerosol generating liquid substrate, and an atomizer. A common type of nebulizer used in such systems comprises a coil of heater wire wrapped around an elongated wick impregnated with an aerosol-forming liquid substrate. Another common type of nebulizer used in such systems contains a heating grid.

The aerosol generating liquid substrate is consumed during use of the aerosol generating system and often needs to be replaced either by refilling the liquid storage part or by replacing the cartridge containing the liquid storage part.

It would be desirable for the aerosol generating system to provide the user with an accurate indication of the amount of aerosol generating liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion. It would be desirable for the aerosol generating system to accurately track the amount of aerosol generating liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion.

The prior art document US2016/0345628 describes a design for measuring the amount of fluid remaining in an electronic cigarette. The cartridge is made of an electrically insulating cylinder, at both ends of which there are electrodes. When the cartridge is inserted into the module, the electrodes come into contact with connectors mounted on the printed circuit board, which also supports the microprocessor. The microprocessor periodically measures the resistance between the electrodes. The measured resistance is inversely proportional to the amount of fluid remaining in the cartridge.

In a first aspect of the present invention, an aerosol generating system is provided, comprising: a liquid storage portion for holding an aerosol-generating liquid substrate; a pair of electrodes adjacent to or within the liquid storage portion; a sensor configured to sense an orientation of the liquid storage portion; and control system. The control system is configured to: measure an electrical quantity between a pair of electrodes; obtaining orientation information from the sensor; and determining an amount of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion based on the electrical quantity information measured between the pair of electrodes and the orientation information obtained from the sensor.

Providing an aerosol generating system with means for determining the orientation of the liquid storage portion is desirable for several reasons. In particular, the accuracy and reliability of estimates of the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion can be improved if the estimation is made when the liquid storage portion is in specific orientations, as described in more detail below. Some aerosol generating systems can generate an improved aerosol when the liquid storage portion is in a particular orientation, such as when the liquid storage portion is substantially vertical or horizontal. In these systems, it may be advantageous for the aerosol generating system to indicate to the user when the system is in the optimum orientation for generating the aerosol.

In the context of this document with reference to the present invention, the term "amount" is used to describe the mass, number or proportion of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate retained in the liquid storage portion. The amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion may include an absolute or relative value. The amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate may include a volume, such as a value in liters. The amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion may include a fraction or percentage, such as 1 or 100% indicating a filled liquid storage portion and 0 or 0% indicating an empty liquid storage portion.

In the context of this document with reference to the present invention, the term "electrical quantity" is used to describe any electrical property, parameter or index that can be quantified by measurement. For example, suitable "electrical quantities" include current, voltage, impedance, capacitance, and resistance. The control system may be configured to measure at least one of impedance, capacitance, and resistance between a pair of electrodes.

The liquid storage portion may be configured to hold both the aerosol-forming liquid substrate and air. An aerosol-forming liquid substrate may have electrical properties substantially different from those of air. The electrical properties of the first and second parts of the liquid storage part may depend on the amount of liquid substrate forming the aerosol and the amount of air held in the liquid storage part. The liquid storage portion may also include one or more carrier materials for holding the aerosol-generating liquid substrate and a housing for holding the aerosol-generating liquid substrate. The aerosol-forming liquid substrate, the air, the carrier material, and the housing may all have different electrical properties.

The electrical properties of the liquid storage part may change during use as the ratio of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate to the air held in the liquid storage part changes. When the liquid storage portion is filled with an aerosol-forming liquid substrate, the liquid storage portion can predominantly hold the aerosol-forming liquid substrate. In use, the aerosol-forming liquid substrate may be consumed from the liquid storage portion and replaced by air. When the liquid storage part is empty, the liquid storage part can predominantly hold air. If the liquid storage part contains a carrier material, the liquid storage part can hold a combination of an aerosol-forming liquid substrate, air, and a carrier material. The liquid storage part can be refilled by replacing the air in the liquid storage part with an aerosol-forming liquid substrate.

The liquid storage portion may contain an electrical load. The liquid storage portion may include at least one of a resistive load and a capacitive load. Predominantly electrical quantities of resistive and capacitive loads can be measured without the need for complex electronic circuits.

The control system is configured to determine the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion based on electrical quantity information measured between the pair of electrodes and orientation information obtained from the sensor.

In the context of this document with reference to the present invention, the term "orientation" is used to describe the inclination, deflection or angle of the fluid storage portion. The specific orientation of the liquid storage portion may include an absolute value or a relative value. Typically, a particular orientation may include an angle, such as a value in degrees or radians. However, in some embodiments, the specific orientation may include an indication of whether the fluid storage portion is in one or more specific orientations or slopes. The specific orientation may include an indication that the liquid storage portion is not in one or more specific orientations or slopes. In some embodiments, the control system may be configured to determine that the liquid storage portion is in a horizontal orientation, as well as that the liquid storage portion is not in a horizontal orientation. In some embodiments, the control system may be configured to determine whether the fluid storage portion is in a horizontal orientation, whether the fluid storage portion is in a vertical orientation, and whether the fluid storage portion is neither horizontal nor vertical. orientation.

In some embodiments, the control system may be configured to determine the orientation of the fluid storage portion based on the orientation information from the sensor. In these embodiments, the control system may be configured to determine the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion based on the determined orientation of the liquid storage portion.

The determined orientation may be the angle of the liquid storage portion. The angle of the liquid storage part may be any suitable angle with respect to the liquid storage part. For example, the inclination angle may be the angle between the vertical, determined by the gravity direction, and the longitudinal axis of the liquid storage portion. For example, the angle of inclination may be the angle between the horizontal and transverse axis of the liquid storage portion.

The control system may be configured to determine the amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate held in the liquid storage portion at any suitable time. The control system may be configured to determine the amount of aerosol generating liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion when the aerosol generating system is turned on. The control system may be configured to determine the amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate held in the liquid storage portion periodically at predetermined intervals. The control system may be configured to determine the amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate held in the liquid storage portion upon request by the user.

In some embodiments, the relationship between a measured electrical quantity between a pair of electrodes may only be known for one or more particular orientations or slopes. In some embodiments, the control system may be configured to determine the amount of aerosol-generating liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion if the control system determines that the liquid storage portion is in one or more particular orientations or slopes. In one example, the control system may be configured to determine the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion if it is determined that the liquid storage portion is substantially horizontal. In another example, the control system may be configured to determine the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion if it is determined that the liquid storage portion is either substantially horizontal or substantially vertical. This can improve the accuracy and reliability of the determined quantity value.

In some embodiments, the control system is configured to compare the orientation information received from the sensor, or the orientation determined by the control system based on the orientation information, with one or more orientation reference values. The control system may be configured to determine the amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate held in the liquid storage portion if the orientation information or the determined orientation matches the orientation reference value.

One or more orientation reference values may indicate that the liquid storage portion is in a particular orientation, such as horizontal or vertical. Each orientation reference value may be associated with electrical quantity reference information and quantity reference information. The electrical quantity reference information and the quantity reference information may be different for each orientation reference value.

In some embodiments, the control system may be further configured to substantially prevent or delay the determination of the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion based on orientation information received from the sensor. When the control system compares the orientation information received from the sensor with one or more orientation reference values, the control system may be adapted to prevent or delay determination of the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion if the orientation information does not match the reference. orientation value. This can improve the reliability of determining the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion.

In some embodiments, the control system may be configured to determine the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion by comparison. Using the comparison to determine the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion may be advantageous because the control system may be able to perform the comparison faster than the calculation. The control system may be configured to compare electrical quantity information measured between the pair of electrodes with reference electrical quantity information stored in the control system.

The control system may be configured to compare the orientation information received from the sensor with reference orientation information. After determining the correspondence between the measured orientation information and the reference orientation information, the control system may be adapted to compare the measured electrical quantity information with the reference electrical quantity information associated with the corresponding reference orientation information. After determining the correspondence between the measured electrical quantity information and the reference electrical quantity information, the control system can be adapted to determine the amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate held in the liquid storage portion based on the reference quantity information associated with the corresponding reference electrical quantity information. size.

The reference information may be stored in the storage device of the control system. The reference electrical quantity information may be electrical quantity information measured by the control system and stored in the memory of the control system. The reference quantity information may include one or more of volume information and partial fill information.

Relationships between the orientation reference information, the electrical quantity reference information, and the quantity reference information can enable a reliable determination of the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion.

The reference information may contain multiple ranges. Each range of reference orientation information may be associated with a value or range of reference electrical quantity information. Each range of reference electrical quantity information may be associated with a value or range of reference quantity information. The control system may be configured to compare the received orientation information with the stored ranges of the reference orientation information and compare the obtained value to the stored range. The control system may be configured to compare the measured electrical quantity information with the stored ranges of the reference electrical quantity information and compare the measured electrical quantity information with the stored range.

The reference information may be stored in a lookup table. The lookup table may include stored orientation reference information, electrical quantity reference information, and quantity reference information. The orientation reference information may be associated with the electrical quantity reference information. The reference electrical quantity information may be associated with the quantity reference information.

The control system may be configured to determine the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion based on the electrical quantity information measured between the pair of electrodes and the orientation information obtained from the sensor.

In particular orientations, the electrical quantity measured between a pair of electrodes can vary in a predictable manner with the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion. In one example, the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion may be substantially inversely proportional to the resistance measured by the control system between a pair of electrodes when the liquid storage portion is in a substantially horizontal orientation. In another example, the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion may be substantially proportional to the capacitance measured by the control system between a pair of electrodes when the liquid storage portion is in a substantially horizontal orientation.

In some embodiments, the control system may be configured to determine the amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate retained in the liquid storage portion by calculation. The calculation may use information about the electrical quantity measured between the pair of electrodes. The calculation can also use the orientation information received from the sensor. Using the calculation to determine the amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate held in the liquid storage portion may be advantageous because the control system may not be required to store or retrieve historical measurement data to perform the determination.

When the liquid storage part is stationary or moves at a constant speed, the aerosol-generating liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part can assume and form a predictable shape. The predictable shape may depend on the shape of the liquid storage part, the orientation of the liquid storage part, and the volume of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part. The shape of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate in the liquid storage part may change as the liquid storage part is moved, rotated, or otherwise accelerated. Changes in orientation and overall acceleration of the liquid storage part can affect the electrical quantity measured between the pair of electrodes as the shape of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate in the liquid storage part changes.

The sensor may be further configured to sense the acceleration of the liquid storage portion. The acceleration may include at least one of linear acceleration and angular velocity. The control system may be further configured to receive acceleration information from the sensor.

In some embodiments, the sensor comprises one or more accelerometers configured to sense the linear acceleration of the fluid storage portion. In some embodiments, the sensor comprises one or more gyroscopes configured to sense the angular velocity of the fluid storage portion. In some embodiments, the sensor comprises one or more accelerometers and one or more gyroscopes.

In some embodiments, the sensor is an inertial measurement unit. In the context of this document, an inertial measurement unit is a sensor that is capable of sensing both linear acceleration and angular velocity. Typically, the inertial measurement unit contains one or more accelerometers and one or more gyroscopes.

When the control system is configured to receive acceleration information from the sensor, the control system can be adapted to determine whether the liquid storage portion is in one of a stable state and an unstable state based on the acceleration information. The control system may be adapted to determine that the liquid storage part is in a stable state when the liquid storage part is substantially stationary or moves at a substantially constant speed. The control system may be adapted to determine that the liquid storage part is in an unstable state when the liquid storage part is subjected to acceleration.

In some embodiments, the control system may be configured to compare received acceleration information with one or more acceleration thresholds. One or more acceleration thresholds may be stored in the memory of the control system. The control system may be configured to compare the received acceleration information with one or more acceleration thresholds; determining that the liquid storage portion is in a stable state if the acquired acceleration information is equal to or less than one or more acceleration thresholds; and determining that the liquid storage portion is in an unstable state if the acquired acceleration information is above one or more acceleration thresholds.

The control system may be adapted to determine the amount of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part if it is determined that the liquid storage part is in a stable state. The control system may also be adapted to substantially prevent or delay the determination of the amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate held in the liquid storage part if it is determined that the liquid storage part is in an unstable state. Determining the amount of aerosol-generating liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part only when the liquid storage part is stationary or moving at a constant speed can improve the reliability of determining the amount of aerosol-generating liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part .

In some embodiments, a pair of electrodes may be positioned to sense the surface area of the liquid storage portion that is in contact with the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The control system may be configured to determine the amount of liquid aerosol-generating substrate held in the liquid storage portion based on the surface area of the liquid storage portion that contacts the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The surface area of the liquid storage portion that is in contact with the aerosol-forming liquid substrate may be referred to as the "wetted" surface area. The wetted surface area of the liquid storage part may depend on the shape of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate in the liquid storage part when the liquid storage part is stationary or moves at a constant speed. The wetted surface area of the liquid storage part can remain substantially constant when the liquid storage part is in a stable state. However, the wetted surface area of the liquid storage part may change under the effect of acceleration of the liquid storage part. Therefore, in these embodiments, it may be particularly advantageous to measure an electrical quantity between a pair of electrodes when the liquid storage portion is in a stationary or stable state. In these embodiments, the control system may be configured to determine whether the liquid storage part is in a stable state or an unstable state, determine the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part, if it is determined that the liquid storage part is in a stable state, and substantially preventing or slowing down the determination of the amount of the aerosol-generating liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part if it is determined that the liquid storage part is in an unstable state.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generating system may comprise an aerosol generating means disposed to obtain an aerosol generating liquid substrate from the liquid storage portion. In these embodiments, it is generally expedient that the aerosol generating means receives the aerosol-forming liquid substrate from the liquid storage portion at a specific rate such that the aerosol-generating means is continuously wetted by the aerosol-forming liquid substrate. Activation of the aerosol generating means, in the event that an insufficient amount of the aerosol generating liquid substrate is produced by the aerosol generating means, may result in the generation of undesirable aerosol containing components or an undesirable increase in the temperature of the aerosol generating means, which may damage the aerosol generating means.

In these embodiments, the control system may be configured to control or regulate the operation of the aerosol generating means based on at least one of the orientation of the liquid storage portion and the amount of liquid aerosol-generating substrate held in the liquid storage portion. This can improve user experience and extend the life of the aerosol generating means.

In some embodiments, the system may comprise: an aerosol generating means disposed to obtain an aerosol generating liquid substrate from the liquid storage portion; and one or more power supplies disposed to supply power to the aerosol generating means. In these embodiments, the control system may be configured to control or adjust the power supply from one or more power supplies to the aerosol generating means based on orientation information obtained from a sensor or a determined orientation of the liquid storage portion. In these embodiments, the control system may be configured to control or regulate the supply of power from one or more power supplies to the aerosol generating means based on a certain amount of aerosol generating liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion.

The control system may be adapted to reduce the power supply to the aerosol generating means when the orientation of the liquid storage portion changes from a certain orientation, such as a vertical orientation. In some embodiments, the control system may be adapted to substantially prevent or slow down power to the aerosol generating means if it is determined that the liquid storage portion is in one or more specific orientations. The control system may be adapted to substantially prevent or slow down the energization of the aerosol generating means if it is determined that the liquid storage portion is in an inverted or inverted orientation.

The control system may be configured to reduce the power supply to the aerosol generating means as the amount of aerosol generating liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion decreases. In some embodiments, the control system may be adapted to substantially prevent or slow the energization of the aerosol generating means if it is determined that the amount of aerosol generating liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion is below a threshold amount.

The threshold amount can be set in advance. The threshold amount can be set at the factory or by the user before first use. The threshold amount may be any suitable amount. For example, the threshold amount may be from about 1% to about 15% by volume of the liquid storage portion, or from about 3% to 10%, or about 5%. For example, with respect to a liquid storage portion configured to hold about 2 ml of an aerosol-forming liquid substrate, the predetermined threshold amount may be from about 0.1 ml to about 0.3 ml. The threshold amount may depend on the cross-sectional area of the aerosol generating means and the volume of the liquid storage portion. For example, the aerosol generating means may be a heater, and a high cross-sectional area heater may require more liquid aerosol-forming substrate than a small cross-sectional area heater to operate at the required temperature. Thus, an aerosol generating system containing a large heater may have a higher minimum threshold amount than an aerosol generating system containing a smaller heater. The threshold amount may be from about 0.1 ml to 10 ml, or from about 0.5 ml to about 5 ml, or about 0.5 ml.

The control system may be adapted to turn off the aerosol generating means if a certain amount of aerosol generating liquid substrate is less than a threshold amount. The control system may be configured to reversibly disable the aerosol generating means. The control system may be adapted to turn on the aerosol generating means if the determined amount is greater than a predetermined threshold amount. The control system may be configured to irreversibly disable the aerosol generating means. The control system may be configured to damage or break the low strength connection between the aerosol generating means and the power supply. This may be advantageous for a disposable aerosol generating system cartridge containing an aerosol generating means and for a disposable aerosol generating system.

The acceleration of the liquid storage part can also affect the supply of the aerosol generating liquid substrate to the aerosol generating means. Therefore, in some embodiments, the control system may be configured to control or adjust the operation of the aerosol generating means based on the acceleration information received from the sensor. The control system may be configured to control or regulate the operation of the aerosol generating means based on determining whether the liquid storage portion is in a stable or unstable state. This can improve user experience and extend the life of the aerosol generating means.

The control system may be configured to control or adjust the power supply from one or more power supplies to the aerosol generating means based on the acceleration information received from the sensor.

In some embodiments, the control system may be adapted to substantially prevent or slow down the operation of the aerosol generating means if the acceleration information received from the sensor is above an acceleration threshold. The control system may be adapted to substantially prevent or slow down the operation of the aerosol generating means if it is determined that the liquid storage portion is in an unstable state.

The liquid storage portion may be of any suitable shape and size. For example, the liquid storage portion may have a cross section that is substantially circular, elliptical, square, rectangular, or triangular in shape. The liquid storage portion may be substantially tubular or cylindrical. The liquid storage portion may have a length and a width or a diameter. The length of the liquid storage part may be greater than the width or diameter of the liquid storage part. In other words, the liquid storage part may be oblong. The liquid storage portion may have a central longitudinal axis. The cross section of the liquid storage part may be substantially uniform along the central longitudinal axis. In other words, the cross-sectional shape and size of the liquid storage part may be substantially constant along the length of the liquid storage part. The liquid storage portion may have one or more degrees of rotational symmetry about the central longitudinal axis. The liquid storage portion may be annular. The liquid storage portion may be annular and may include a central passage. The central passage may extend in the direction of the central longitudinal axis.

The liquid storage portion may include a body or container configured to hold an aerosol-forming liquid substrate. The housing may comprise two opposite ends and at least one side wall extending between the two opposite ends. The housing may include a first end, a second end, and one or more side walls extending between the first end and the second end. The first end, the second end and the side walls can be made in one piece. The first end, the second end and the side walls may be separate elements that are attached or attached to each other. The body may be rigid. In the context of this document, the term "rigid case" is used to refer to containers that are self-supporting. The housing may include one or more flexible walls. The flexible walls may be configured to accommodate the volume of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion. The housing may be formed from any suitable material. The housing may be formed from a substantially fluid impermeable material. The body may include a transparent or translucent portion so that the aerosol forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion may be visible to the user through the transparent or translucent container portion.

A pair of electrodes are located adjacent to or in the liquid storage portion. In the context of this document with reference to the present invention, the term "adjacent to or located in" is intended to cover such terms as: next to, near, in close proximity to, on, within and within. For example, when the liquid storage portion comprises a housing having side walls, a pair of electrodes may be considered "adjacent to or in" the liquid storage portion when they are adjacent to or adjacent to the side walls of the housing when they abut against the outer surface of the side walls. housing walls or in contact with it when they are attached to or applied to the outer surface of the side walls of the housing, when they are attached to the inner surface of the side walls or applied to it, when they form an integral part of the side walls of the housing and when they are within or inside corps.

The pair of electrodes may be positioned relative to the liquid storage part so that the pair of electrodes recognizes the electrical properties of the liquid storage part. In other words, a pair of electrodes may be located in electrical proximity to the liquid storage portion. The pair of electrodes may be positioned to sense changes in the electrical properties of the liquid storage portion that may result from a change in the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the first portion.

In some embodiments, a pair of electrodes may be positioned such that at least a portion of the liquid storage portion is located between the electrodes. A pair of electrodes may be located on opposite sides of the liquid storage portion. When the liquid storage part is an annular liquid storage part having a central passage, one of the electrodes may be located on the outside of the liquid storage part, and the other of the electrodes may be located on the inside of the liquid storage part adjacent to the central passage. or in it.

In some embodiments, in which a pair of electrodes are disposed with a portion of the liquid storage portion disposed therebetween, the pair of electrodes may form a capacitor, and a portion of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate between the electrodes may form a dielectric of the capacitor. The dielectric properties of the liquid storage part between the electrodes may change with the amount of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part.

In some embodiments, the implementation of a pair of electrodes may be located without part of the part for storing liquid located between the electrodes. A pair of electrodes may be located on the same side of the liquid storage portion.

When the liquid storage portion comprises a body having side walls and a pair of electrodes extend substantially along the side walls, the electrodes can be arranged to recognize the surface area of the side walls that is in contact with the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the storage portion. liquids. The surface area of the side walls of the body of the liquid storage part that is in contact with the aerosol-generating liquid substrate can be used to determine the amount of the aerosol-generating liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage part.

In some embodiments, the pair of electrodes are interdigitated-comb electrodes. A pair of interdigitated-comb electrodes can form a capacitive recognition system such that a pair of interdigitated-comb electrodes sense the electrical properties of the medium adjacent to the electrodes using edge electric field effects. A pair of interdigitated-comb electrodes may be positioned to sense the surface area of the side walls that is in contact with the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion.

In some embodiments, a pair of interdigitated electrodes may be located on the body of the liquid storage portion. In some embodiments, a pair of interdigitated electrodes may be located on the platform. A pair of interdigitated-comb electrodes may be provided on the surface of a flexible platform that substantially surrounds the liquid storage portion.

Each electrode of a pair of interdigitated electrodes contains a plurality of electrically connected protrusions, protrusions or pins, as well as gaps or spaces between the pins. The pins may be electrically connected by a main track or a comb. The pins and gaps of each interdigitated-comb electrode can be arranged in a regular or periodic arrangement. A pair of interdigitated electrodes may be placed on a plane or on a surface, and the pins of each of the electrodes may extend into the spaces between the pins of the other electrode.

The pins of each counter-comb electrode can have a length, width and thickness. The length of the pins of each counter-comb electrode can be significantly greater than the width and thickness of the pins. In other words, the pins of each interdigital electrode may be substantially oblong. The pins of each interdigitated electrode may be substantially linear. The pins of each interdigitated-comb electrode may extend in substantially the same direction. The pins of each interdigitated-comb electrode may be substantially non-linear. For example, the pins of each interdigital electrode may be substantially curved or arcuate.

The pins of each interdigital electrode may be substantially identical. The gaps between the pins of each interdigitated-comb electrode may be substantially identical. The pins and gaps of each interdigitated electrode may be arranged in a regular pattern, with a regular spacing or gap between each successive pin. The distance between successive pins of each interdigitated-comb electrode can be called the spatial wavelength λ of the wave or the width of the electrode gap.

An example of a suitable pair of interdigitated electrodes would be a DRP-G-IDEPT10 type sensor from DropSens ^TM .

When the liquid storage portion comprises a body having side walls and a pair of interdigitated electrodes extend substantially over the side walls, the electrodes can be positioned to recognize the surface area of the side walls that is in contact with the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage parts.

One of the electrodes of a pair of counter-comb electrodes can be a drive electrode, to which an oscillating voltage is applied. The other electrode may be a sensing electrode that senses an electric edge field generated by the drive electrode. The electric edge field generated by the driving electrode includes an electric edge field due to the presence of scattered electric fields at the edges of the driving electrode pins, which contains a component that extends beyond the plane or surface on which the interdigital electrodes are located, in a direction essentially perpendicular to a plane or surface. Therefore, the electric edge field generated by the driving electrode passes into the material located above or adjacent to the electrodes. In other words, a pair of interdigitated-comb electrodes located on one side of the liquid storage part according to the present invention can apply a space-periodic electric potential to the liquid storage part on that side.

The electrical properties of a material located above or adjacent to a pair of interdigitated-comb electrodes can affect the electrical edge field generated by the driving electrode. For example, the permittivity of a material placed above or adjacent to a pair of interdigitated-comb electrodes can affect the generated electric edge field. Thus, the sensing electrode of the interdigitated-comb electrode pair can sense changes in the electrical properties of the material located above or adjacent to the interdigitated-comb electrode pair.

An electrical shielding element may be provided on one side of the pair of interdigital electrodes so that the pair of interdigital electrodes can respond to changes in the electrical properties of material adjacent to only one side of the pair of interdigital electrodes. The electrical shielding member may be provided on the side of the pair of electrodes opposite or facing the liquid storage part. The electrical shielding element may comprise a sheet or mesh of electrically conductive material extending under or over the electrodes. A sheet or mesh of electrically conductive material may be earthed. The sheet or grid may be electrically connected to a voltage follower, which is electrically connected to the interdigitated comb electrodes. This arrangement can substantially remove any parasitic capacitance caused by shielding, which can improve the sensitivity of the interdigitated comb electrode pair.

The depth of penetration of the electric edge field generated by the drive electrode into the material located above or adjacent to a pair of interdigitated-comb electrodes can be proportional to the distance between adjacent pins of the drive and sensing electrodes. In other words, the penetration depth of the generated electric edge field is proportional to the gap width (λ) of the counter-comb electrodes. The penetration depth does not depend on the frequency of the oscillatory control signal.

In general, the penetration depth of the generated electric edge field increases as the gap width λ of the interdigitated-comb electrodes increases. It has been found that, as a rule, the penetration depth is approximately one third of the gap width λ. It may be necessary to achieve a minimum penetration depth into the liquid storage portion in order to effectively recognize the presence or absence of an aerosol-forming liquid substrate.

A suitable typical penetration depth for the generated electric edge field into the liquid storage portion may be approximately 1 mm. The electrodes may be located on the outer surface of the side wall of the liquid storage portion. The thickness of the side wall may be approximately 1 mm. In this case, a penetration depth of approximately 2 mm would be required, which corresponds to a gap width λ of approximately 6 mm. In other cases, the side wall of the liquid storage part and the platform on which the electrodes are mounted may be located between the electrodes and the liquid storage part. The total thickness of the side wall and platform can be approximately 2 mm. In this case, a penetration depth of 3 mm would be required, which corresponds to a gap width λ of approximately 9 mm. The gap width λ of the electrodes can be from about 0.5 mm to about 15 mm, or from about 1 mm to about 12 mm, or from about 2 mm to about 10 mm.

The relatively shallow penetration depth of the electric edge field generated by the interdigitated-comb electrodes generally means that the inter-comb electrodes adjacent to the liquid storage part only recognize the presence or absence of an aerosol-forming liquid substrate on the surfaces or walls of the liquid storage part. . It is not so for a pair of electrodes located on opposite sides of the liquid storage part when the part of the liquid storage part is located between them, which recognize the average electrical properties of the part from the liquid storage part located between them. As a result, measurements from interdigitated electrodes adjacent to the liquid storage portion tend to indicate the proportion or fraction of the surface of the liquid storage portion that is wetted by the aerosol-forming liquid substrate. The proportion or fraction of the side wall surface that is covered with the liquid aerosol-forming substrate for a given amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate and a given orientation of the liquid storage part depends on the shape of the liquid storage part. In these embodiments, the cross section of the liquid storage portion is preferably uniform along the central longitudinal axis. In particular embodiments, the liquid storage portion may be substantially cylindrical.

In general, the sensitivity of a pair of interdigitated-comb electrodes increases as the number of pins provided on a pair of interdigitated-comb electrodes increases. Thus, for a given size of the liquid storage portion, the smaller the gap width of the electrodes, the greater the number of pins that can be provided on each electrode, and the greater the sensitivity of the pair of interdigitated electrodes.

In the present invention, the gap width of the interdigitated electrodes may be required to be equal to or greater than the minimum gap width in order to generate an electric edge field with a penetration depth sufficient to pass into the liquid storage portion. Therefore, in the present invention, the sensitivity of a pair of interdigitated-comb electrodes tends to decrease as the size of the liquid storage part decreases, since the number of pins provided on each electrode decreases, rather than the size of the gap width. However, the sensitivity of a pair of electrodes located on opposite sides of the liquid storage part, with a portion of the liquid storage part between the electrodes, may increase as the size of the liquid storage part decreases. This is due to the fact that the sensitivity of the electrodes to changes in the electrical properties of the material between the electrodes can increase as the distance between the electrodes decreases. Thus, in the present invention, the size of the liquid storage portion can determine the location of the electrodes that is most suitable. In general, a pair of interdigitated-comb electrodes may be more suitable for systems having large liquid storage portions, and electrodes spaced with portions of the liquid storage portion between the electrodes may be more suitable for systems having smaller liquid storage portions.

The electrodes of each pair of electrodes are located at a distance from each other or separated from each other. This gap or separation may prevent direct electrical contact between the electrodes of the electrode pair. The spacing, separation, or gap between the electrodes may be uniform along the lengths of the electrodes.

For example, the gap between a pair of electrodes may be from about 0.5 mm to about 3 mm, or from about 0.5 mm to about 2 mm, or from about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 mm. When the pair of electrodes are located on opposite sides of the liquid storage part, the gap between the electrodes may be approximately the width of the liquid storage part or the diameter of the liquid storage part, which is cylindrical. In the case of a cylindrical liquid storage portion, the gap between the pair of electrodes may be equal to or greater than 5 mm. When the pair of electrodes are not located on opposite sides of the liquid storage portion, the electrodes may be inter-comb electrodes, which may have a smaller spacing between the electrodes. For example, in this case, the gap between the electrodes of a pair of interdigitated electrodes may be from about 125 µm to about 5 mm, or from about 125 µm to about 2 mm, or from about 125 µm to about 1 mm.

The electrodes may be any suitable type of electrode. For example, suitable types of electrodes include plate electrodes and track electrodes. Each of the electrodes may be the same or different type of electrode.

The electrodes may be of any suitable shape. For example, the electrodes may be square, rectangular, curved, arcuate, annular, spiral, or helical. The electrodes may comprise one or more sections that are substantially linear, non-linear, planar, or non-planar. The electrodes may be rigid. The rigidity may allow the electrodes to maintain their shape and spacing from each other. The electrodes may be flexible. The flexibility may allow the electrodes to conform to the shape of the liquid storage portion. The electrodes may be configured to conform to the shape of the body of the liquid storage portion.

The electrodes may have length, width and thickness. The length of the electrodes may be substantially greater than the width of the electrodes. In other words, the electrodes may be oblong. The thickness of the electrodes can be substantially less than the length and width of the electrodes. In other words, the electrodes may be thin. Thin electrodes and oblong electrodes can have a large surface area to volume ratio, which can improve the sensitivity of electrical quantity measurements.

The electrodes may comprise any suitable material. The electrodes may comprise any suitable electrically conductive material. Suitable electrically conductive materials include metals, alloys, electrically conductive ceramics, and electrically conductive polymers. As used herein in relation to the present invention, an electrically conductive material refers to a material having a volume resistivity at 20°C of less than about ^{1x10 -5} ohm m, typically from about ^{1x10 -5} ohm m to about 1x 10 ^-9 Ohm m. The electrically conductive materials may in particular include at least one of copper, gold and platinum. The electrically conductive materials may include conductive inks when the electrodes are printed on the liquid storage portion. Suitable conductive paints may include silver to provide electrical conductivity. The electrodes may be coated with a passivating layer. The electrodes may contain or be coated with a material that is sufficiently inert not to react with or contaminate the aerosol-forming liquid substrate. The electrodes may comprise a transparent or translucent material. For example, a suitable transparent material may be indium tin oxide (ITO).

The pair of electrodes may extend substantially along the length of the liquid storage portion. A pair of electrodes may be located on one side of the liquid storage portion. A pair of electrodes may be located on two or more sides of the liquid storage portion. The pair of electrodes may substantially surround the liquid storage portion. The pair of electrodes may substantially surround the liquid storage portion. When the pair of electrodes substantially surrounds the liquid storage part and extends substantially along the length of the liquid storage part, the pair of electrodes can form a tubular sleeve that substantially surrounds the liquid storage part.

At least one of the pair of electrodes may be located in the liquid storage portion. At least one of the pair of electrodes may be positioned in direct contact with an aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion. When a carrier material is provided in the liquid storage part, at least one of the pair of electrodes may be positioned in contact with the carrier material. When the electrode is located within the liquid storage portion, or in any position where the electrode is likely to encounter liquid or moisture, the electrode may be protected or shielded from the liquid or moisture, such as by a coating of a hydrophobic material.

When the liquid storage part includes a housing for holding the liquid storage part, one or more electrodes may be disposed in or on the housing. One or more electrodes may be provided on the outer surface of the housing. One or more electrodes may be provided on the inner surface of the housing. The electrodes may form an integral part of the housing.

A pair of electrodes may extend over a portion of the housing. When the liquid storage portion comprises a housing having two opposite ends and at least one side wall extending between the opposite ends, a pair of electrodes may extend along a portion of one or more side walls. The pair of electrodes may extend over a substantial extent of one or more side walls. The pair of electrodes may extend along the entire length of one or more side walls.

At least one of the pair of electrodes may be located on the platform. Each electrode can be placed on a separate platform. A pair of electrodes may be located on the same platform. One or more platforms may be located on one or more sides of the liquid storage portion. One or more platforms may substantially surround the liquid storage portion. When the liquid storage portion includes a housing, one or more platforms may be provided in or on the housing. One or more platforms may be located on one or more sides of the housing. One or more platforms may substantially surround the body. One or more platforms may be separated from the body. One or more platforms may be attached to the body. One or more platforms may be integral with the body. One or more platforms may contain the same material as the housing. One or more platforms may contain a material different from the body material.

One or more platforms may be rigid. One or more platforms may be flexible. One or more flexible platforms may be bent around two or more sides of the liquid storage portion. One or more flexible platforms may substantially surround the liquid storage portion.

One or more platforms may be formed from an electrically insulating material. One or more platforms may contain any suitable electrical insulating material. For example, suitable electrical insulating materials include glasses, plastics, and ceramic materials. Particularly suitable materials include polyimide and polyester. As used herein in relation to the present invention, an electrically insulating material refers to a material having a volume resistivity at 20°C greater than about 1x106 ohm m, typically from about 1x109 ohm m to about 1x1021 ohm m .

In some embodiments, one or more of the platforms may be made of a hydrophobic material. The platform may be coated with a hydrophobic coating.

One or more of the platforms may be printed circuit boards. The pair of electrodes may include conductive tracks printed on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards. One or more circuit boards may be flexible circuit boards.

The electrodes may be applied to the surface of the body of the liquid storage part or the platform. The electrodes may be applied to the surface of the body or platform by any suitable means of application, such as printing, coating and spraying. The electrodes may be attached to the surface of the body or platform. The electrodes may be attached to the surface of the housing or platforms by any suitable means, such as adhesive. The electrodes may be etched into the platform, board, or body of the liquid storage part.

An aerosol generating system may be provided with more than one pair of electrodes. In these embodiments, the control system may be configured to measure an electrical quantity between each pair of electrodes and determine the orientation of the liquid storage portion based on the electrical quantity information measured between the pairs of electrodes.

The sensor may be any suitable type of sensor. The sensor may be configured to recognize the orientation of the liquid storage portion. The sensor may be further configured to sense acceleration of the liquid storage portion in one or more directions. The sensor may be configured to sense at least one of a linear acceleration and an angular velocity of the liquid storage portion.

The sensor may include one or more accelerometers configured to sense the linear acceleration of the fluid storage portion. The recognized linear acceleration may provide an indication of the orientation of the fluid storage portion. The sensor may include one or more gyroscopes configured to sense the angular velocity of the fluid storage portion. The sensed angular velocity may provide an indication of the orientation of the fluid storage portion. One or more gyroscopes may also be configured to sense the orientation of the fluid storage portion. One or more gyroscopes can provide improved indication of the orientation of the fluid storage portion compared to one or more accelerometers. The sensor may include a combination of one or more accelerometers and one or more gyroscopes. The sensor may include any suitable number of accelerometers and gyroscopes. A combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes providing a combination of sensed linear acceleration information and sensed angular velocity information to the control system can improve the reliability of indicating the orientation of the fluid storage portion compared to a sensor containing either only accelerometers or only gyroscopes.

In some embodiments, the sensor is an inertial measurement unit. The inertial measurement unit may be a MEMS sensor. The inertial measurement unit may contain a 3-axis accelerometer and one or more gyroscopes. This configuration may allow the inertial measurement unit to measure linear acceleration along three perpendicular axes and angular displacement about three axes. The inertial measurement unit may further comprise a magnetometer, such as a triaxial magnetometer, to provide additional orientation information based on the earth's magnetic pole.

The inertial measurement unit may be an integrated inertial micromachining module with a triaxial gyroscope and an accelerometer. For example, a suitable inertial measurement unit may be the SD746 device, which is available from SensorDynamics AG.

The sensor may be located at any suitable location in the aerosol generating system. The sensor may be located in any suitable location relative to the liquid storage portion. When the liquid storage part has a longitudinal axis, the sensor can be aligned with the longitudinal axis of the liquid storage part. The sensor may be located on the longitudinal axis of the liquid storage portion.

The control system may include an electrical circuit. The circuitry may include a microprocessor, which may be a programmable microprocessor. The electrical circuit may contain additional electronic components. The electrical circuit may contain a printed circuit board on which additional electronic components are installed. The sensor may be located on the printed circuit board. The electrical circuit may contain an analog-to-digital converter between the sensor and the microprocessor.

The control system may be configured to control or regulate the voltage applied to the pair of electrodes. The control system may be configured to control or regulate the voltage applied to the sensor. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating system comprises an aerosol generating means, and the control system may be configured to control or regulate the power supply to the aerosol generating means.

The control system may be configured to apply voltage to at least one of the pair of electrodes and the sensor upon activation of the system. The control system may be configured to apply voltage to at least one of the pair of electrodes and the sensor intermittently, such as with each puff.

The control system may be configured to supply a continuous voltage to the pair of electrodes. The control system may be configured to supply a continuous voltage to the sensor. The control system may be configured to apply voltage to the pair of electrodes in the form of electric current pulses. The control system may be configured to apply voltage to the sensor in the form of electric current pulses.

The control system may be configured to supply a measurement waveform to the pair of electrodes. In other words, the control system may be configured to supply an alternating voltage to a pair of electrodes. The control system may be configured to supply a measurement waveform to the pair of electrodes at a predetermined frequency. The target frequency may be any frequency suitable for the control system to measure the electrical quantity between the pair of electrodes. The target frequency may be equal to or less than about 20 MHz, or equal to or less than about 10 MHz. The predetermined frequency may be from about 1 kHz to about 10 MHz, or from about 10 kHz to about 1 MHz, or from about 100 kHz to about 1 MHz.

Liquid substrates forming an aerosol may contain different compositions with different electrical properties. The control system may be configured to identify the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the storage portion based on electrical quantity information measured between the pair of electrodes. The control system may be configured to control the determination of the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion based on the identification. In other words, the control system may be configured to adjust the composition of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion.

The control system may include any suitable means for measuring an electrical quantity between a pair of electrodes. Suitable means include one or more RC integrators, one or more bridge circuits, one or more oscillators, and one or more switched capacitor circuits that use amplifiers. These switched capacitor circuits can be implemented in amplifying or integrating modes.

The electrical quantity to be measured between the pair of electrodes may be any suitable electrical quantity. For example, the electrical quantity to be measured may be one or more of voltage, current, impedance, resistance, and capacitance. In particular embodiments, the electrical quantity to be measured may be a capacitance.

The electrical quantity to be measured by the control system may be a capacitance. The change in capacitance can be particularly pronounced when the aerosol-forming liquid substrate contains dielectric materials.

The capacitance between the pair of electrodes may depend on the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion.

For example, a pair of electrodes may form a capacitor, and a liquid storage portion may form a dielectric of the capacitor. The liquid storage part may comprise a capacitive load, and the dielectric constant of the liquid storage part may depend on the amount of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part. The capacitance between the pair of electrodes may decrease as the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion decreases. The capacitive load of the liquid storage part may have a capacitance in the picofarad (pF) range. This can ensure short charging and discharging times of the capacitor, as well as providing fast capacitance measurements.

capacitance can be measured. For example, the control system may include means for measuring charging and discharging times for a capacitor formed by a pair of electrodes. The control system may include a timing circuit, such as the timing circuit 555, or any electronic circuit whose oscillation frequency depends on capacitance, and can be configured to determine the capacitance based on the frequency of the timing circuit's output.

capacity can be calculated. For example, capacitance can be calculated from measurements of voltage and current amplitude, as well as the phase difference between voltage and current. The capacitance can be calculated from the impedance measurements. The amount of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion may be calculated based on the measured or calculated capacity.

The amount of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion may be determined based on the measured or calculated capacity.

The liquid storage part may include an aerosol-forming substrate held in the liquid storage part. In the context of this document with reference to the present invention, the term "aerosol-forming substrate" means a substrate that can release volatile compounds that can form an aerosol. Volatile compounds can be released by heating the aerosol-forming substrate. Volatile compounds can be released by moving the aerosol forming substrate through the passages of the vibratory element.

The aerosol forming substrate may be liquid. The aerosol-forming substrate may be liquid at room temperature. The aerosol forming substrate may contain both liquid and solid components. The liquid substrate forming the aerosol may contain nicotine. The nicotine-containing aerosol-forming liquid substrate may be a nicotine salt matrix. The aerosol-forming liquid substrate may contain plant material. The aerosol-forming liquid substrate may contain tobacco. The liquid aerosol-forming substrate may comprise a tobacco-containing material containing volatile tobacco flavor compounds that are released from the aerosol-forming substrate upon heating. The aerosol-forming liquid substrate may comprise homogenized tobacco material. The aerosol-forming liquid substrate may comprise a non-tobacco material. The aerosol-forming liquid substrate may contain homogenized plant material.

The aerosol-forming liquid substrate may contain one or more aerosol-forming agents. The aerosol generating agent is any suitable known compound or mixture of compounds that, when used, promotes the formation of a dense and stable aerosol and is substantially resistant to thermal degradation at the operating temperature of the system. Examples of suitable aerosol forming agents include glycerin and propylene glycol. Suitable aerosol forming agents are well known in the art and include, but are not limited to: polyhydric alcohols such as triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, and glycerin, polyhydric alcohol esters such as glycerol mono-, di-, or triacetate, and aliphatic esters of mono-, di- or polycarboxylic acids such as dimethyl dodecanedioate and dimethyl tetradecanedioate. The aerosol-forming liquid substrate may contain water, solvents, ethanol, plant extracts, and natural or artificial flavors.

The aerosolizing liquid substrate may contain nicotine and at least one aerosolizing agent. The aerosol generating agent may be glycerin or propylene glycol. The aerosol forming agent may contain both glycerin and propylene glycol. The concentration of nicotine in the aerosol-forming liquid substrate may be from about 0.5% to about 10%, such as about 2%.

The aerosol-forming liquid substrate may contain a mixture of dielectric materials, each of which has a different dielectric constant (ε _r ). The main constituents of an aerosol-forming liquid substrate at room temperature, approximately 20°C, may include: glycerin (ε _r ~ 42), propylene glycol (ε _r ~ 32), water (ε _r ~ 80), air (ε _r ~ 1 ), nicotine and flavorings. When the aerosol-forming liquid substrate forms a dielectric material, the electrical quantity to be measured by the control system may be a capacitance.

The liquid storage portion may include a carrier material for holding the aerosol-forming liquid substrate. When the liquid storage portion includes a housing, the carrier material may be disposed within the housing. The aerosol-forming liquid substrate may be adsorbed or otherwise loaded into the carrier material. The carrier material may be made from any suitable absorbent body material, such as foamed metal or plastic material, polypropylene, terylene, nylon fibers, or ceramic. The aerosol generating substrate may be retained in the carrier material prior to use of the aerosol generating system. The aerosol-forming substrate may be released into the carrier material during use. For example, an aerosol-forming liquid substrate may be provided in a capsule.

The aerosol generating system may include means for generating an aerosol. The aerosol generating means may be disposed to obtain an aerosol generating substrate from the liquid storage portion. The means for generating the aerosol may be a nebulizer. The aerosol generating means may be configured to spray the resulting aerosol-generating substrate using heat. The means for generating an aerosol may comprise a heating means for spraying the obtained liquid substrate forming an aerosol. The aerosol generating means may be configured to atomize the resulting aerosol-generating substrate using ultrasonic vibrations. The aerosol generating means may comprise an ultrasonic transducer.

The aerosol generating means may comprise one or more aerosol generating elements. One or more aerosol generating elements may be heating elements. One or more aerosol generating elements may contain one or more vibration elements.

The aerosol generating means may comprise a heating means configured to heat the aerosol generating substrate. The heating means may be any suitable heating means. The heating means may comprise one or more heating elements. One or more heating elements may be arranged to heat the aerosol generating substrate primarily by conduction. One or more heating elements may be positioned in substantially direct contact with the aerosol generating substrate. One or more heating elements may be arranged to transfer heat to the aerosol-forming substrate via one or more heat transfer elements. One or more heating elements may be arranged to transfer heat to ambient air drawn through the aerosol generating system during use, which may heat the aerosol generating substrate by convection. One or more heating elements may be arranged to heat ambient air before it is drawn through the aerosol forming substrate. One or more heating elements may be arranged to heat ambient air after it has been drawn through the aerosol forming substrate.

The heating means may be an electric heating means or an electric heater. The electrical heater may comprise one or more electrical heating elements. One or more electrical heating elements may comprise an electrically resistive material. Suitable electrically resistive materials may include: semiconductors such as doped ceramics, electrically "conductive" ceramics (such as, for example, molybdenum disilicide), carbon, graphite, metals, metal alloys, and composite materials made from a ceramic material and a metal material. The one or more electrical heating elements may be of any suitable shape. For example, one or more electrical heating elements may be in the form of one or more heating blades, one or more heating rods or needles, one or more heating wires or filaments. One or more heating elements may include one or more flexible sheets of material. One or more heating elements may be placed in or on a rigid carrier material.

The heating means may comprise an induction heating means. The induction heating means is described in more detail below with respect to the cartridge. The heating means may comprise one or more radiators or heat reservoirs. The heating means may comprise means for heating at one time a small amount of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate.

The aerosol generating means may comprise one or more vibrating elements and one or more actuating elements arranged to excite vibrations in one or more vibrating elements. The one or more vibratory elements may comprise a plurality of passages through which the aerosol-forming substrate may pass and be sprayed. One or more actuators may include one or more piezoelectric transducers.

The aerosol generating means may comprise one or more capillary wicks for conveying the aerosol generating liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion to one or more elements of the aerosol generating means. An aerosol-forming liquid substrate may have physical properties, including viscosity, that allow the liquid to be transported through one or more capillary wicks by capillary action.

The aerosol generating means may comprise one or more heating wires or filaments enclosing a portion of one or more capillary wicks. A heating wire or filament may support the male portion of one or more capillary wicks. The capillary properties of one or more capillary wicks, in combination with the properties of the liquid substrate, can ensure that in normal use, when sufficient aerosol generating substrate is available, the wick is always impregnated with the liquid aerosol generating substrate in the region of the aerosol generating means. When one or more capillary wicks are dry, one or more capillary wicks may not provide a regular supply of the aerosol generating liquid substrate to the aerosol generating means.

The aerosol generating system may include a power supply. The aerosol generating system may include a power supply unit capable of supplying power to at least one of the control system, the pair of electrodes, and the aerosol generating means. The means for generating an aerosol may contain an autonomous power supply. The aerosol generating system may include a first power supply operable to supply power to the control system and a pair of electrodes, and a second power supply configured to supply power to the aerosol generating means.

The power supply may be a DC power supply. The power supply may be a battery. The battery may be a lithium-based battery, such as a lithium cobalt, lithium iron phosphate, lithium titanate, or lithium polymer battery. The battery may be a nickel metal hydride battery or a nickel cadmium battery. The power supply may be another form of charge storage device, such as a capacitor. The power supply may require recharging and be configured to perform multiple charge and discharge cycles. The power supply may have a capacity that allows sufficient energy to be stored for one or more uses by the user; for example, the power pack may have sufficient capacity to allow continuous generation of the aerosol for a period of approximately six minutes, which is typical of the time taken to smoke a conventional cigarette, or for a period of multiples of six minutes. In another example, the power supply may have sufficient capacity to allow for a given number of puffs or individual activations of the heating means and actuator.

The aerosol generating system may comprise a control system configured to control the aerosol generating means. The control system configured to control the aerosol generating means may be a control system configured to determine the orientation of the liquid storage portion.

The aerosol generating system may include a temperature sensor in communication with the control system. The temperature sensor may be located adjacent to the liquid storage portion. The temperature sensor may be located in thermal proximity to the liquid storage portion. The temperature sensor may be a thermocouple. The at least one element of the aerosol generating means may be used by the control system to provide temperature related information. The temperature dependent resistive properties of at least one element may be known and used to determine the temperature of at least one element in a manner known to one skilled in the art. The control system may be configured to account for the effect of temperature on the electrical load of the liquid storage portion using temperature measurements from a temperature sensor. For example, when the part of the liquid storage part located between the pair of electrodes contains a capacitive load, the control system can be adapted to take into account fluctuations in the dielectric properties of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part due to temperature changes.

The aerosol generating system may include a puff detector in communication with the control system. The puff detector may be configured to detect a user puffing on the mouthpiece. In some embodiments, a pair of electrodes may be used as a puff detector.

The aerosol generating system may include a user input device such as a switch or button. The user input device may allow the user to turn the system on and off.

The aerosol generating system may include signaling means to indicate a particular orientation of the aerosol generating liquid substrate. The control system may be configured to activate signaling means when the orientation of the liquid storage portion is determined to be suitable for a user to puff on the aerosol generating system. The control system may be configured to activate signaling means when the orientation of the liquid storage portion is determined to be appropriate for determining the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion, for example, when the orientation information received from the sensor matches a stored reference. orientation information.

The aerosol generating system may also include signaling means for indicating to the user the amount of aerosol generating liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion. The control system may be configured to activate the signaling means after determining the amount of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion.

The signaling means may comprise one or more light sources such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), a display such as an LCD, and audible indication means such as a speaker or buzzer, as well as vibrating means. The control system may be configured to light one or more lights, display at least one of the orientation and number on a display, emit sounds through a speaker or buzzer, and vibrate the vibrating means.

The aerosol generating system may include a housing. The body may be elongated. The body may comprise any suitable material or combination of materials. Examples of suitable materials include metals, alloys, plastics or composite materials containing one or more of these materials, or thermoplastic materials suitable for use in the food or pharmaceutical industry, such as polypropylene, polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and polyethylene. The material may be light and non-fragile.

The housing may include a cavity for receiving a liquid storage portion. In some embodiments, the housing may include a cavity for receiving a cartridge containing a liquid storage portion, as described in more detail below. The case may contain a cavity for placing the power supply. The body may include a mouthpiece. The mouthpiece may include at least one air inlet and at least one air outlet.

The aerosol generating system may be portable. The aerosol generating system may be of a size comparable to a conventional cigar or cigarette. The aerosol generating system may have an overall length of from about 30 mm to about 150 mm. The aerosol generating system may have an outside diameter of from about 5 mm to about 30 mm.

The aerosol generating system may include a main unit and a cartridge. The main unit may contain a control system. The cartridge may include a liquid storage portion for holding an aerosol-forming liquid substrate. The main unit may be adapted to accommodate the cartridge in a removable manner. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating system may include a cartridge containing a liquid storage portion and a main unit containing a control system and a cavity for receiving the cartridge. In some embodiments, a pair of electrodes may be located in the cartridge. In some embodiments, the implementation of a pair of electrodes may be located in the cavity of the main block.

When the pair of electrodes is located in the cavity of the main unit, the pair of electrodes may be positioned such that the liquid storage portion of the cartridge is adjacent to the pair of electrodes when the cartridge is placed in the cavity.

In some embodiments, the implementation of the main block may contain means for generating an aerosol. In other embodiments, the implementation of the cartridge may contain means for generating an aerosol. When the cartridge contains an aerosol generating agent, the cartridge may be referred to as a "cartomizer". In other embodiments, the aerosol generating system may comprise an aerosol generating component comprising means for generating an aerosol. The aerosol generating component may be a component separate from the main unit and the cartridge. The aerosol generating component may be removably placed in at least one of the main unit and the cartridge.

The main unit may contain one or more power supplies.

When the cartridge contains one or more pairs of electrodes, the control system may be configured to identify or authenticate the cartridge. In other words, the control system can be configured to determine the presence or absence of one or more electrodes on the cartridge, which can be used to check if the cartridge placed in the main unit is a real or genuine cartridge from the main unit manufacturer. Measurements between a pair of electrodes can also be used to identify or authenticate a cartridge placed in the main unit. The control system may be configured to determine whether the cartridge has been correctly placed in the main unit based on the presence or absence of one or more electrodes on the cartridge or based on electrical quantity information measured between a pair of electrodes.

The main unit and the cartridge may contain an induction heating means. The main unit may include an induction coil and a power supply configured to supply high frequency oscillating current to the induction coil. The cartridge may include a current-collecting element placed with the possibility of heating the aerosol-forming substrate. In the context of this document, "high frequency oscillatory current" means an oscillatory current with a frequency of 10 kHz to 20 MHz. The induction heating means may allow the system to require no electrical contact between the cartridge and the main unit.

The cartridge may be detachably connected to the main unit. In the context of this document, the term "removably connected" means that the cartridge and the main unit can be connected to each other and disconnected from each other without significant damage to both the main unit and the cartridge. The cartridge can be removed from the cavity of the main unit when the aerosol-forming substrate is used up. The cartridge can be disposable. The cartridge may be refillable and the cartridge may be refillable with an aerosol-forming liquid substrate. Cartridges can be made with the possibility of replacement in the cavity of the main block. The main block can be reusable.

The cartridge may include a housing or housing within which the liquid substrate is held to form an aerosol. The body may be rigid. The housing may be formed from a liquid impermeable material. The cartridge or housing may include a lid. The lid may be configured to be peelable before attaching the cartridge to the main unit. The lid may be pierced. The main unit may include a piercing element for piercing the cap of the cartridge when the cartridge is connected to the main unit.

The main block may include a mouthpiece. The mouthpiece may include at least one air inlet and at least one air outlet. The mouthpiece may contain more than one air inlet. The mouthpiece may contain a piercing element.

In a second aspect of the present invention, a main unit for an aerosol generating system according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided. The main block contains a cavity for accommodating a cartridge containing a part for storing liquid, and a control system. The main unit may further comprise a sensor. The main block may further comprise a pair of electrodes positioned in the cavity such that the electrodes are positioned adjacent to the liquid storage portion of the cartridge when the cartridge is placed in the cavity.

In a third aspect of the present invention, a control system for an aerosol generating system according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided. The control system is configured to: measure an electrical quantity between a pair of electrodes adjacent to or in a liquid storage portion of the aerosol generating system; obtaining orientation information from the sensor; and determining the amount of liquid held in the liquid storage portion based on the electrical quantity information measured between the pair of electrodes and the orientation information obtained from the sensor.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for determining the amount of an aerosol-generating liquid substrate retained in a liquid storage portion of an aerosol-generating system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the method comprising:

measuring an electrical quantity between a pair of electrodes adjacent to or in a liquid storage portion of the aerosol generating system;

obtaining orientation information from the sensor; and

determining the amount of liquid held in the liquid storage portion based on the electrical quantity information measured between the pair of electrodes and the orientation information obtained from the sensor.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling an aerosol generating system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the method comprising:

measuring an electrical quantity between a pair of electrodes adjacent to or in a liquid storage portion of the aerosol generating system;

obtaining orientation information from the sensor; and

controlling the energization of the aerosol generating means based on the measured electrical quantity and the obtained orientation information.

In some embodiments, the received orientation information may be compared to one or more orientation thresholds, and energization of the aerosol generating means may be reduced, or prevented, or slowed down if the orientation information is greater than one or more orientation thresholds.

In some embodiments, a measured electrical quantity may be compared to one or more electrical quantity thresholds and power to the aerosol generating means may be reduced or prevented or slowed if the measured electrical quantity is greater than or less than one or more thresholds. electrical quantity.

In some embodiments, the method may further include determining the amount of liquid held in the liquid storage portion based on the electrical quantity information measured between the pair of electrodes and the orientation information received from the sensor. The power supply control for the aerosol generating means may be based on a certain amount.

In some embodiments, the determined amount may be compared to one or more amount thresholds, and energization of the aerosol generating means may be reduced or prevented or delayed if the determined amount is less than one or more amount thresholds.

In some embodiments, the implementation of the method may further include obtaining information about the acceleration from the sensor. The power supply control for the aerosol generating means may be based on the acceleration information.

In some embodiments, the received acceleration information may be compared to one or more acceleration thresholds. In some embodiments, the amount of fluid held in the fluid storage portion may be determined if the received acceleration information is less than one or more acceleration thresholds.

It will be understood that the features described in relation to one aspect of the present invention can also be applied to other aspects of the present invention. In particular, features described in relation to an aerosol generating system may be applicable to the main unit, cartridge, control system, and methods, and vice versa.

The present invention will now be described solely by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

in fig. 1 is a schematic representation of an exemplary aerosol generating system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

in fig. 2 is a perspective view of a cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention which is suitable for use in the aerosol generating system shown in FIG. one;

in fig. 3 shows a schematic cross-section of the cartridge shown in FIG. 2 through the central longitudinal axis A–A;

in fig. 4 is a plan view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 2;

in fig. 5 shows a pair of interdigitated electrodes from the cartridge shown in FIG. 2;

in fig. 6 shows a schematic view of the unfolded pair of electrodes and the shielding element of the cartridge shown in FIG. 2;

in fig. 7 shows a schematic view of an unfolded electrode pair and cartridge shielding element according to another embodiment of the present invention;

in fig. 8 shows a normalized plot of the wetted surface of the sidewalls of the liquid storage portion versus the amount of aerosol-generating liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion of the cartridge shown in FIG. 2;

in fig. 9a is a schematic representation of the cartridge shown in FIG. 2 holding the aerosol-forming liquid substrate in a standing vertical orientation;

in fig. 9b shows a schematic representation of an aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the cartridge of FIG. 9a;

in fig. 9c is a schematic representation of the cartridge shown in FIG. 2 holding the aerosol-forming liquid substrate in a horizontal orientation;

in fig. 9d is a schematic representation of an aerosol forming liquid substrate held in the cartridge of FIG. 9c;

in fig. 10a shows a schematic representation of the cartridge shown in FIG. 2 holding an aerosol-forming liquid substrate in a non-vertical and non-horizontal orientation;

in fig. 10b shows a schematic representation of an aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the cartridge of FIG. 10a;

in fig. 10c is a schematic representation of the cartridge shown in FIG. 2 holding an aerosol-forming liquid substrate in another non-vertical and non-horizontal orientation;

in fig. 10d is a schematic representation of an aerosol forming liquid substrate held in the cartridge of FIG. 10a;

in fig. 11a shows a schematic representation of the cartridge shown in FIG. 2 holding an aerosol-forming liquid substrate in another non-vertical and non-horizontal orientation;

in fig. 11b shows another schematic representation of the cartridge shown in FIG. 2 holding an aerosol-forming liquid substrate in a non-vertical and non-horizontal orientation;

in fig. 12a is a plan view of a cartridge according to another embodiment of the present invention which is suitable for use in the aerosol generating system shown in FIG. one;

in fig. 12b is a perspective view of the cartridge shown in FIG. 12a;

in fig. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the aerosol generating system shown in FIG. one; and

in fig. 14 is a schematic illustration of a further exemplary aerosol generating system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an example of an aerosol generating system. The image in FIG. 1 is essentially schematic, and the components are not necessarily shown to scale, either individually or in relation to each other. The aerosol generating system comprises a main unit 100, which is preferably reusable, in combination with a cartridge 200, which is preferably disposable. The aerosol generating system shown in FIG. 1 is an electric smoking system.

The main block 100 includes a body 101. The body 101 is essentially circular and has a longitudinal length of approximately 100 mm and an outer diameter of approximately 20 mm, which is comparable to a conventional cigarette.

The main unit 100 includes an electrical power supply in the form of a lithium ion phosphate battery 102 and a control system in the form of control electronics 104 that are housed within the housing 101. The control electronics 104 include a puff sensor 106 in the form of a microphone, an LED 108 that is activated to indicate that the main unit is activated, and a sensor in the form of an inertial measurement unit 110 according to the present invention, which will be described in more detail below.

The body 101 of the main unit 100 also defines a cavity 112 in which the cartridge 200 is placed.

The main block 100 further comprises a mouthpiece 120 comprising an outlet 124. In this exemplary embodiment, the mouthpiece 120 is connected to the body 101 of the main block 100 by a hinge connection. However, it will be understood that any type of connection, such as, for example, a snap-on connection or a threaded connection, can be used to connect the mouthpiece 120 to the body 101 of the main unit 100. One or more air inlets 122 are provided between the mouthpiece 120 and the main body 101 when the mouthpiece is in the closed position, as shown in FIG. one.

Within the mouthpiece 120 is a flat helical induction coil 111. The coil 111 is formed by stamping or cutting a helical coil from a sheet of copper. The coil 111 is placed between the air inlets 122 and the air outlet 124 so that the air drawn through the inlets 122 to the outlet 124 passes through the coil.

Cartridge 200, shown schematically in FIG. 1 and 2 includes a rigid body 204 forming a liquid storage portion 201. The liquid storage part 201 contains a liquid substrate (not shown) forming an aerosol. The body 204 of the cartridge 200 is fluid impermeable but has an open end covered by a permeable current collector 205. The permeable current collector 205 comprises a ferrite mesh containing ferritic steel. The aerosol-forming substrate may form a meniscus in the interstices of the mesh. When the cartridge 200 is placed in the cavity 112 and engaged with the main unit, the current collector 205 is located adjacent to the flat helical coil 111. The cartridge 200 may contain key features (not shown) to ensure that it cannot be inserted upside down into the main unit.

In use, the user puffs on the mouthpiece 120 to draw air through the air inlets 122 in the body 101 into the mouthpiece 120 and from the outlet 124 into the user's mouth. A small stream of air is drawn through the sensor inlet 121 in the housing 101 past the microphone 106 and up into the mouthpiece 120 when the user puffs on the mouthpiece. When a puff is detected, the control electronics 104 apply a high frequency oscillatory current to the coil 111. This generates an oscillatory magnetic field as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1. An oscillating magnetic field passes through the current collector 205, inducing eddy currents in the current collector 205. The current collector 205 is heated by Joule heating and hysteresis losses, reaching a temperature sufficient to vaporize the aerosol forming substrate in the vicinity of the current collector. The vaporized aerosol-forming substrate is entrained by air moving from the air inlets to the air outlet and is cooled to form an aerosol within the mouthpiece before entering the user's mouth. The control electronics 104 apply an oscillating current to the coil for a predetermined period of time, five seconds in this example, after a puff is detected and then turn off the current until a new puff is detected.

The cartridge 200 has a round cylindrical shape, and the current collector 205 covers the round open end of the cartridge body 204. It will be understood that other configurations are possible. For example, the current collector may be a strip of steel mesh 205 that spans a rectangular opening in the cartridge body.

An example of an aerosol generating system shown in FIG. 1 is based on induction heating. Further examples of suitable induction heating elements and an explanation of the operation of induction heating systems are described in WO 2015/177046 A1.

It will be understood that other aerosol generating systems according to the present invention may contain means for generating other types of aerosol. For example, the aerosol generating means may comprise another aerosol generating means configured to atomize the aerosol-forming liquid substrate by heating. The aerosol generating means may comprise one or more resistive heating elements. The aerosol generating means may also comprise an aerosol generating means configured to atomize the aerosol-forming liquid substrate by vibration. The aerosol generating means may comprise one or more vibration elements and actuating elements.

In FIG. 2 shows the cartridge 200 removed from the main unit 100. The cartridge 200 has a body 204 in the form of a round cylindrical body forming a liquid storage portion 201 for holding a liquid substrate forming an aerosol. Housing 204 includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end and having a current collector 205, and a tubular side wall extending between the first and second ends. Housing 204 has complete rotational symmetry about the central longitudinal axis A-A.

It will be understood that in other embodiments of the present invention, the cartridge may not be provided with a current collector. Instead, the cartridge may be provided with another suitable type of aerosol generating means. For example, the cartridge may be provided with a resistance heater that may be physically and electrically connected to the main unit power supply through electrical contacts on the cartridge and complementary electrical contacts in the main unit cavity. The electrical contacts of the cartridge may come into contact with the electrical contacts of the main block when the cartridge is placed in the cavity of the main block. In other embodiments of the present invention, the main unit may contain an aerosol generating means, and the cartridge may not contain any part of the aerosol generating means.

It will also be understood that in other embodiments of the present invention, the cartridge may have a body forming any other suitable shape, such as a cuboid.

The intercalated sensor 300 surrounds the cylindrical body 204. In other words, the sensor containing the pair of electrodes 320 surrounds the cylindrical body 204. The intercalated sensor 300 extends the length of the body 204 substantially covering the tubular side wall. The interdigitated-comb sensor 300 forms a round-cylindrical sleeve that substantially surrounds the side wall of the housing 204.

The interdigital sensor 300 is shown in more detail in FIG. 3–6. The interdigital sensor 300 includes a flexible printed circuit board 310, a pair of electrodes 320, and a shielding element 330.

The flexible circuit board 310 is generally rectangular, with a width approximately equal to the length of the body 204 and a length approximately equal to the circumference of the body 204. The flexible circuit board 310 may be folded, folded, or bent around the side wall of the body 204 to form a tightly-fitted sleeve that extends substantially around the circumference of the body 204, covering the side wall.

The flexible circuit board 310 is attached to the outer surface of the side wall of the housing 204 with an adhesive (not shown). By attaching the flexible printed circuit board 310 to the housing 204, a constant tight fit between the interdigital sensor 300 and the housing 204 is ensured, and the relative position of the electrode pair 320 and the liquid storage portion 201 remains constant. It will be understood that any other suitable fastening means may be used, such as clips or other types of fasteners.

It will be appreciated that, in other embodiments, the interdigital sensor may be attached to the housing by a different fastener. In some embodiments, the interdigital sensor and housing may be secured together by an interference fit or a friction fit. In other embodiments, the interdigital sensor may not be attached to the housing, so that the housing may be removable from the interdigital sensor. In these embodiments, the sensor may be rolled around a cylindrical tube having an internal diameter sufficient to accommodate the housing. The cylindrical tube can substantially prevent damage to the interdigitated-comb sensor when inserting and removing the housing.

A pair of electrodes 320 is printed on one side of the flexible circuit board 310 and an electrical shield element 330 is printed on the opposite side of the flexible circuit board 310 directly opposite the electrodes 320. essentially on the opposite side of the flexible circuit board 310.

As shown in FIG. 3 and 4, the interdigitated sensor 300 extends along substantially the side walls of the housing 204. The housing 204 forms a substantially circular cylindrical liquid storage portion 201 having a central longitudinal axis A-A. The interdigital sensor 300 is positioned around the housing 204 such that the electrodes 320 face the housing 204 and the liquid storage portion 201 and the shield member 330 face away from the housing 204. In other words, a pair of electrodes 320 is positioned adjacent to the side wall of the housing 204. As such, the pair of electrodes 320 is configured to recognize the electrical properties of the liquid storage portion 201. In particular, the electrodes 320 are configured to recognize an aerosol-forming liquid substrate in contact with the side walls of the housing 204.

The interdigital sensor 300 is shown in more detail in FIG. 5 and 6. The interdigital sensor 300 contains a driving electrode 321 and a sensitive electrode 325.

The driving electrode 321 includes a connector 322 for connecting the driving electrode to the control electronics 104 of the main unit 100, a main track or comb 323 connected to the connector 322, and a plurality of protrusions or pins 324 that all extend from the main track 323 through being in the same direction. The main track 323 and pins 324 form a regular or periodic comb-like structure. The regular spacing of the pins 324 along the main track 323 provides gaps 329 between successive or adjacent pins 324. The distance between the center lines of successive or adjacent pins 324 is referred to as the gap width λ _D of the driving electrode 321.

The sensing electrode 325 also includes a connector 326, a main track or comb 327 connected to the connector 325, and a plurality of protrusions or pins 328 extending from the main track 327. The main track 327 and the pins 328 form a regular or periodic comb-like structure, similar in design to the driving electrode 321. The gap width λ _S of the sensing electrode 325 is equal to the gap width λ _D of the driving electrode 321.

The driving electrode 321 and the sensing electrode 325 are located on the same side of the printed circuit board 310 such that the main tracks 323, 327 extend substantially in the length direction of the printed circuit board 310 and the pins 324, 328 extend substantially in the width direction of the panel 310. The pins 324 of the driving electrode 321 extend in the direction of the main track 327 of the sensing electrode 325 and the pins 328 of the sensing electrode 325 extend in the direction of the main track 323 of the driving electrode 321. gaps 329 between adjacent pins 324 of drive electrode 321. Essentially, drive electrode 321 and sensing electrode 325 are interdigitated. The lengths and widths of the pins 324, 328 of the actuating and sensing electrodes 321, 325 are chosen such that a substantially constant gap or spacing is provided between the actuating and sensing electrodes 321, 325 along the length of the electrodes 321, 325. A pair of interdigitated-comb electrodes 320 covers essentially one side of the surface of printed circuit boards 310.

Connectors 322, 326 may be electrically coupled to control electronics 104 of main unit 100. Control electronics 104 of main unit 100 may include any suitable means for measuring capacitance between drive and sensing electrodes 321 and 325. In this embodiment, control electronics 104 comprise switched capacitor amplifier or integrator. Means for measuring capacitance are well known in the art and will not be described in more detail herein.

As shown in FIG. 6, a shield member 330 is provided on the opposite side of the printed circuit board 310. The shield member includes an electrically conductive mesh 332 that is printed on the opposite side of the board 310 directly opposite the pair of electrodes 320. The conductive mesh 332 is electrically grounded through the connector 333.

In FIG. 7 shows an interdigital sensor 400 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The interdigital sensor 400 comprises a printed circuit board 410 and a pair of interdigital electrodes 421, 425 which are substantially identical to the printed circuit board 310 and a pair of interdigital electrodes 320 of the interdigital sensor 300. The interdigital electrode pair comprises a drive electrode 421 comprising a connector 422, base track 423 and pins 424, and a sensing electrode 425 comprising connector 426, base track 427 and pins 428 substantially similar to the interdigital sensor 300. However, the interdigital sensor 400 contains a different shielding configuration on the opposite side of the printed circuit board. 410 compared to the interdigital sensor 300. The shielding element 430 of the interdigital sensor 400 includes a conductive mesh 432 extending on the opposite side of the printed circuit board 410 directly opposite the pair of electrodes 421, 425. The mesh 432 includes a connector 433 that is electrically connected to the connector 426 sensing electrode 425 a pair of electrodes 420 via a voltage follower 434.

Referring again to the main unit 100 shown in FIG. 1, the control system of the main unit 100 (i.e., the control electronics 104) is configured to obtain attitude and acceleration information from the inertial measurement unit 110. The control system is also configured to provide a measurement waveform to the interdigital sensor 300 around the 201 for storing liquid and measuring electrical quantity between electrodes 321, 325.

As mentioned above, a pair of interdigitated comb electrodes generates an electric field that has a limited penetration depth. As a result, a pair of interdigitated electrodes surrounding the side walls of the liquid storage part tend to recognize the presence or absence of an aerosol-forming liquid substrate on the side walls of the liquid storage part. The proportion or proportion of the surface area of the side walls that is covered by the liquid aerosol-forming substrate depends on the shape and dimensions of the liquid storage portion, the amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate held in the liquid storage portion, and the orientation of the liquid storage portion. The surface area of the liquid storage portion that is in contact with the aerosol-forming liquid substrate is referred to herein as the "wetted" surface area.

When the liquid storage portion 201 is substantially stationary or moving at a substantially constant speed, the shape of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate in the liquid storage portion may remain substantially constant, and the wetted surface area of the liquid storage portion may remain substantially constant. However, when the liquid storage part is accelerated, the shape of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate in the liquid storage part may change, and the wetted surface area of the liquid storage part may vary. As such, if the liquid storage portion 201 accelerates when making a measurement between a pair of interdigitated electrodes 320, the measured electrical value can provide a modified indication of the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion.

When the system is turned on, the control system is adapted to determine whether the liquid storage portion 201 is in one of the stable and unstable states based on the acceleration information received from the inertial measurement unit 110. The control system compares the acceleration information received from the inertial measurement unit 110 , with the acceleration threshold stored in the memory of the microprocessor.

If the control system determines that the measured acceleration information is higher than the acceleration threshold value, the control system determines that the liquid storage portion 201 is in an unstable state, and the control system does not proceed to supply the measurement waveform to the interdigital sensor 300 to determine the amount of liquid an aerosol-generating substrate held in the liquid storage portion 201.

When the control system determines that the measured acceleration information is below the acceleration threshold value, the control system determines that the liquid storage portion 201 is in a stable state, and the control system proceeds to supply the measurement waveform to the interdigital sensor 300 and determine the amount of liquid an aerosol-generating substrate held in the liquid storage portion 201.

The control system is configured to control or regulate the supply of power to the coil 111 based on the orientation information obtained from the inertial measurement unit 110 and a certain amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate in the liquid storage portion 201, as described in more detail below with respect to FIG. . 13.

The control system is also configured to repeat determination whether the liquid storage portion 201 is in a stable or unstable state after each puff, and determine the amount of the aerosol-generating liquid substrate in the liquid storage portion 201 when it is determined that the liquid storage portion 201 is liquid storage is in a stable state.

The control system is configured to use the electrical quantity information measured between the electrodes and the orientation information obtained from the inertial measurement unit to determine the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate that is held in the liquid storage portion. Typically, the electrical quantity measured between electrodes is capacitance.

The electrical quantity measurements refer to the fraction or percentage of the surface area of the side walls of the liquid storage portion that is in contact with the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. In some embodiments, the control system may use measurements of an electrical quantity to determine the wetted surface area of the side walls of the liquid storage portion.

In some embodiments, the control system may be configured to determine the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion by comparison. In other words, the control system may include a lookup table storing reference orientation information, reference electrical quantity information, or wetted surface area information associated with reference orientation information and reference quantity information associated with reference electrical quantity information or information about wetted surface area. The control system can compare the orientation information received from the sensor with reference orientation information, and compare the measured electrical quantity information or determined wetted surface area information with the reference electrical quantity information or reference wetted surface area information.

In some embodiments, the relationship between the wetted surface area of the sidewalls of the liquid storage portion and the amount of liquid in the liquid storage portion may be known for the liquid storage portion when the liquid storage portion is in certain orientations. Generally, the ratio can be known when the liquid storage portion is in vertical and horizontal orientations. Known ratios can be stored in the memory of the control system so that the control system can use the known ratio to accurately determine the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate that is held in the liquid storage part when it is determined that the liquid storage part is in one of the known orientations.

In FIG. 8 shows two exemplary known relationships between the normalized surface area S of the side walls of a liquid storage portion in contact with an aerosol-forming liquid substrate (i.e., 0 corresponds to the case where neither surface is covered by liquid, and 1 corresponds to the case where when all surfaces are covered with liquid) and the normalized amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part (i.e., 0 corresponds to the case where the liquid storage part is not filled with liquid, and 1 corresponds to the case where the liquid storage part completely filled with liquid), for the cylindrical part 201 for storing liquid.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the liquid storage portion is in the vertical orientation 252, the relationship between the wetted surface area and the amount of liquid in the liquid storage portion is substantially linear. This is because the cross section of the liquid storage part is uniform along the central longitudinal axis of the liquid storage part.

Also, as shown in FIG. 8, when the liquid storage portion is horizontal 254, the relationship between the wetted surface area and the amount of liquid in the liquid storage portion is not linear.

When the liquid storage portion is in the non-vertical and non-horizontal orientations, the relationship between the wetted surface area of the side walls of the liquid storage portion and the amount of liquid in the liquid storage portion is within regions 256 of the graph shown in FIG. 8. In FIG. 10a-d and figs. 11a-b show the liquid storage portion 200 in inclined or deviated orientations that are non-vertical and non-horizontal. The ratio between the wetted surface area of the side walls of the liquid storage part and the amount of liquid aerosol forming substrate held in the liquid storage part for these cases is within the regions 256 of the graph shown in FIG. 8. The ratios for these cases may not be known to the control system and may not be stored by the control system.

The control system may be configured to approximate the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion when the liquid storage portion is in non-vertical and non-horizontal orientations. In particular, the control system may be adapted to underestimate the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion. For example, for non-vertical and non-horizontal cases, if it is determined that the wetted surface area is less than half of the maximum wetted area, the control system may be adapted to use the amount associated with the horizontal case, and if it is determined that the wetted surface area is surface, the control system can be adjusted to use the amount associated with the vertical orientation case. The control system may be configured to correct a low estimate of the amount when the liquid storage portion returns to a vertical or horizontal orientation.

In one embodiment, the control system may be configured to calculate the volume V of the liquid aerosol forming substrate held in the liquid storage portion.

The control system measures the electrical quantity between the pair of interdigitated-comb electrodes and determines the area S of the wetted surface of the side walls of the liquid storage part. The control system also receives the orientation information from the inertial measurement unit and determines the inclination angle θ of the liquid storage portion based on the received orientation information. It will be appreciated that the control system may determine any suitable angle as the angle of inclination with respect to the liquid storage portion. However, in these embodiments, the control system determines the inclination angle θ as the angle between the vertical axis and the longitudinal axis of the liquid storage portion.

The control system is configured to calculate the volume V of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part using the inclination angle θ of the liquid storage part, the wetted surface area S of the side walls of the liquid storage part, and known dimensions of the liquid storage part, such as the length L and radius r of the liquid storage part.

It is necessary for the control system to determine the shape of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate in the liquid storage part in order to be able to accurately calculate the volume V of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate. As mentioned above, the shape formed by the aerosol-forming liquid substrate depends on the inclination angle θ of the liquid storage part. A plurality of orientation reference values θ _ri are stored in the control system. Orientation reference values θ _ri define specific tilt angles and tilt angle ranges within which the shape of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate is known. The control system is configured to compare the tilt angle θ determined based on the orientation information received from the sensor with the stored reference orientation values θ _ri to determine if the aerosol-forming liquid substrate is in a known shape. The equations for several illustrative known shapes are given below.

In FIG. 9a and 9b show the liquid storage portion 200 in a standing vertical orientation. In this orientation, the inclination angle θ of the liquid storage part is 0, and the liquid substrate forming the aerosol forms a cylinder with radius r and height h. The control system keeps the first orientation reference value θ _r1 of 0. The aerosol-forming liquid substrate also forms a cylinder if the liquid storage portion is reversed by 180°, and therefore the control system keeps the second orientation reference value θ _r2 of 180°.

If the determined tilt angle θ coincides with the first or second orientation reference values θ _r1 , θ _r2 , the control system determines that the aerosol-forming liquid substrate forms a cylinder. The radius r of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate cylinder is a known value because it is the radius of the liquid storage portion. The surface area S of the side walls of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate cylinder is also a known value based on electrical quantity measurements between a pair of electrodes. Therefore, the height h of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate cylinder is calculated using Equation 1:

уравнение 1

equation 1

The volume V of a cylinder of liquid substrate forming an aerosol can be calculated by determining the height h of the cylinder using Equation 1, or alternatively by replacing Equation 1 with the equation for the volume V of the cylinder as shown in Equation 2:

уравнение 2

equation 2

The maximum surface area S _max and volume V _max of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate cylinder are known values because the maximum surface area and volume of the cylinder are equal to the surface area and volume of the liquid storage portion, where the height h of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate cylinder is equal to the length L liquid storage parts. When the liquid storage part is filled with an aerosol-forming liquid substrate, the surface area S of the side walls of the liquid storage part that is in contact with the liquid aerosol-forming substrate should remain constant at the maximum value S _max regardless of the orientation of the liquid storage part. Therefore, the control system is configured to compare the determined surface area S with the maximum surface area S _max before determining the angle and shape of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate. If the determined surface area S is equal to the maximum surface area S _max , the control system determines that the liquid storage portion is filled with an aerosol-forming liquid substrate.

If the control system determines that the liquid storage portion is not filled and is not in a vertical orientation, the control system compares the determined tilt angle θ with additional orientation reference values to determine the shape of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate.

In FIG. 9c and 9d show the liquid storage portion 200 in a horizontal orientation. In this orientation, the angle of inclination θ of the liquid storage part is either 90° or 270°. The control system stores a third orientation reference value θ _r3 of 90° and a fourth orientation reference value θ _r4 of 270°. If the determined tilt angle θ matches the third or fourth orientation reference values θ _r3 , θ _r4 , the control system determines that the aerosol-generating liquid substrate forms a horizontal cylindrical segment.

If the control system determines that the aerosol-forming liquid substrate forms a horizontal cylindrical segment, the control system calculates the volume of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate V in the liquid storage portion by calculating the volume of the horizontal cylindrical segment. The equation for the surface area S of the side walls of a horizontal cylindrical segment is shown as Equation 3:

уравнение 3

equation 3

Equation 3 contains one unknown value, the angle of the cylindrical segment α. The equation for the volume V of a horizontal segment contains the same unknown value, the angle α. To calculate the volume V of a horizontal segment, the angle α can be calculated using Equation 3 and entered into the equation for the volume V of the horizontal segment, or alternatively, Equation 3 can be substituted into the equation for the volume V to remove the angle α from the equation, as shown in Equation 4 :

уравнение 4

equation 4

In some embodiments, the control system may be configured to determine the volume of aerosol-forming liquid substrate retained in the liquid storage portion when it is determined that the liquid storage portion is only in vertical and horizontal orientations.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the control system is configured to determine the volume of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate in the liquid storage portion when the liquid storage portion is in other, non-vertical and non-horizontal, orientations.

When the liquid storage portion is at certain inclination angles θ, the aerosol-forming liquid substrate can form a cylindrical wedge as shown in FIG. 10a and 10b. There is a maximum inclination angle θ _r5 at which the aerosol-generating liquid substrate forms a cylindrical wedge in the liquid storage part, regardless of the volume V of the aerosol-generating liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part. The maximum inclination angle θ _r5 is the angle at which the height h of the cylindrical wedge is equal to the length L of the liquid storage portion.

The height h of a cylindrical wedge is given by Equation 5:

уравнение 5

equation 5

The maximum angle θ _r5 can be determined using Equation 5 as shown in Equation 6:

уравнение 6

equation 6

Equation 6 contains one unknown value, the angle ø at the base of the wedge between the radius extending to the end of the chord and the radius extending to the point on the base from which the height h of the wedge is measured.

Equation 5 can be used to calculate the angle ø. Equation 5 contains two unknowns, the height h and the angle ø at the base of the wedge between the radius extending towards the end of the chord and the radius extending to the point on the base from which the height h of the wedge is measured. The equation for calculating the area S of the surface of the side walls of the wedge contains the same two unknowns as Equation 5, the height h and the angle ø. Therefore, equation 5 can be entered into the equation to calculate the surface area S to find one of the unknown values, h or ø, as shown in equation 7:

уравнение 7

equation 7

In order to determine the maximum angle θ _r5 , the angle ø can be calculated using Equation 7 and ø can be entered into Equation 6, or alternatively Equation 7 can be substituted into Equation 6 to remove the unknown angle ø from Equation 6.

The control system may be configured to compare the tilt angle θ of the liquid storage portion with a fifth orientation reference, the angle θ _r5 , to determine whether the aerosol-generating liquid substrate is shaped like a cylindrical wedge. If the control system determines that the inclination angle θ of the liquid storage portion is less than or equal to the maximum angle θ _r5 , the control system determines that the aerosol-forming liquid substrate forms a cylindrical wedge, and calculates the volume V of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate in the part for liquid storage as the volume of a cylindrical wedge.

The equation for calculating the volume V of a cylindrical wedge contains three unknowns, the same two unknowns as Equation 5, the height h and the angle ø, and the volume V of the cylindrical wedge. Equation 5 can be entered into the equation to calculate the volume V of a cylindrical wedge, as shown in Equation 8:

equation 8

Equation 8 contains two unknowns, the volume V and the angle ø. To determine the volume V of a cylindrical wedge, the angle ø may be determined using Equation 7 and ø may be entered into Equation 8, or alternatively Equation 7 may be entered into Equation 8 to remove the unknown angle ø.

If the control system determines that the inclination angle θ of the liquid storage portion is larger than the fifth orientation reference value θ _r5 , then the control system may determine that the aerosol-generating liquid substrate does not form a cylindrical wedge, and may compare the inclination angle θ with other reference orientations for determining the shape of the liquid substrate that forms the aerosol.

Under certain other inclination angles θ, the aerosol-forming liquid substrate forms a cylindrical segment in the liquid storage part, as shown in FIG. 10c and 10d. The aerosol-forming liquid substrate can form a cylindrical segment when the inclination angle θ of the liquid storage part is less than two angles, θ _r6 , θ _r7 , regardless of the volume V of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate in the liquid storage part. The cylindrical segment has two heights, a minimum height h ₁ on one side and a maximum height h ₂ on the opposite side. The first angle θ _r6 is the angle at which the minimum segment height h ₁ is 0. The second angle θ _r7 is the angle at which the maximum height h ₂ is equal to the length L of the liquid storage portion.

The angles θ _r6 , θ _r7 can be calculated using the ratio between the minimum and maximum values of the height h ₁ , h _{2 of} the cylindrical segment and the angle of inclination θ of the liquid storage part, as shown in equation 9:

уравнение 9

equation 9

Equation 9 contains two unknowns, height h ₁ and height h ₂ . The equation for calculating the surface area S of the side walls of a cylindrical segment contains the same two unknowns as Equation 9, the heights h ₁ and h ₂ , as shown in Equation 10:

уравнение 10

equation 10

Equation 9 can be substituted into Equation 10 to remove one of the two unknown heights h ₂ , h ₁ . To calculate the first angle θ _r6, Equation 9 can be substituted into Equation 10 to remove the maximum height h ₂ as shown in Equation 11:

уравнение 11

equation 11

The first angle θ _r6 can then be calculated by setting 0 to the minimum height h ₁ in Equation 11 as shown in Equation 12:

уравнение 12

equation 12

The second angle θ _r7 can be calculated by substituting Equation 9 into Equation 10 to remove the minimum height h ₁ and by setting the maximum height h ₂ to the length L of the liquid storage part as shown in Equation 13:

уравнение 13

equation 13

The control system is configured to compare the tilt angle θ of the liquid storage portion with the sixth and seventh orientation reference values, the angles θ _r6 and θ _r7 , to determine whether the aerosol-forming liquid substrate has the shape of a cylindrical segment. If the control system determines that the inclination angle θ of the liquid storage portion is less than or equal to the sixth and seventh orientation reference values, θ _r6 and θ _r7 , the control system determines that the aerosol-forming liquid substrate forms a cylindrical segment, and calculates the volume V of the liquid the aerosol-forming substrate in the liquid storage portion as the volume of the cylindrical segment.

The equation for calculating the volume V of a cylindrical segment contains the same two unknowns, the heights h ₁ and h ₂ , as Equation 10. The heights h ₁ and h ₂ are in the equation for calculating the volume V of a cylindrical segment in the same ratio as in the equation 9. Therefore, Equation 9 can be substituted into the equation for the volume V of a cylindrical segment to remove the unknown heights h ₁ and h ₂ , as shown in Equation 14:

уравнение 14

equation 14

Equation 14 shows that the volume V of an aerosol-forming liquid substrate cylindrical segment can be calculated using the same equation as the volume of a cylinder when the aerosol-forming liquid substrate is in a vertical orientation (Equation 2).

If the control system determines that the inclination angle θ of the liquid storage portion is larger than the sixth and seventh orientation reference values, θ _r6 , θ _r7 , then the control system determines that the aerosol-generating liquid substrate does not form a cylindrical segment, and may compare the inclination angle θ with other reference orientations to determine the shape of the liquid substrate forming the aerosol.

The control system may be configured to determine the volume of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate for additional cases where the aerosol-forming liquid substrate does not form a cylinder, cylindrical segment, or cylindrical wedge. Examples of such cases are shown in Fig. 11a and 11b. Typically, however, the control system is configured to approximate the shape of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate to one of the known shapes described above in these additional cases. When the control system is configured to approximate the shape of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate, the control system is adapted to underestimate the volume of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion.

Typically, the control system is configured to determine the volume of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate in the liquid storage portion immediately after switching on and after each puff. If the control system is required to approximate the shape of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate at start-up or after a puff, the control system can be configured to update the preliminary estimate the next time the liquid storage portion is determined to be in a stable vertical or horizontal orientation. .

In FIG. 12a and 12b show a cartridge 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The cartridge 200 shown in FIG. 12a and 12b is substantially identical to the cartridge 200 shown in FIG. 2-4 and includes an interdigital sensor 500 comprising a pair of electrodes 521, 522. The pair of electrodes 521, 522 are not interdigitated electrodes, but rather plate electrodes located on opposite sides of the liquid storage portion 201 of the housing 204 so that that part of the liquid storage part is located between the pair of electrodes 521, 522.

Each electrode 521, 522 is a curved plate that extends the length of the housing 204 and surrounds approximately half the circumference of the housing 204. Therefore, the first pair of electrodes 521, 522 substantially surrounds the liquid storage portion 201 and substantially the entire liquid storage portion 201 is located between a pair of electrodes 521, 522. Actually, the pair of electrodes 521, 522 forms a capacitor, and the liquid storage portion 201 forms a dielectric of the capacitor.

The plate electrodes 521, 522 do not measure the wetted area of the side walls of the liquid storage portion, but rather measure the average electrical properties of the liquid storage portion 201 between the electrodes. Therefore, the shape of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion cannot be determined using the plate electrodes 521, 522.

In FIG. 13 shows an exemplary configuration of a control system according to the present invention. The configuration shown in Fig. 13 uses the orientation information received from the sensor and a certain amount of the aerosol generating liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion to control the power supplied to the aerosol generating means.

When the liquid storage portion is not filled with an aerosol-generating liquid substrate, and when the liquid storage portion is not in a vertical orientation, the aerosol-generating substrate may not fully contact the wick or the aerosol generating means. In these cases, the aerosol generating means may not receive sufficient aerosol-forming liquid substrate to operate at full power and generate an acceptable aerosol. These states will be referred to as "dry" states. In order to compensate for changes in the supply of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate to the aerosol-generating means due to changes in the amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate held in the liquid storage part and changes in the orientation of the liquid storage part, the control system may be configured to control or adjusting the power supplied to the aerosol generating means based on the determined orientation and amount of the aerosol generating liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion.

Referring to FIG. 13, the control system receives 901 orientation information from the sensor, and in a first step 902, the control system uses the orientation information from the sensor to determine whether the liquid storage portion is upside down or inverted so that gravity can pull the liquid substrate forming an aerosol, in a liquid storage portion away from the aerosol generating means.

If the control system determines that the liquid storage portion is inverted, the control system stops or reduces 903 the power supply to the aerosol generating means. This may prevent or slow down the operation of the aerosol generating system in an inverted "dry" state.

If the control system determines that the liquid storage part is not tipped or upside down, in the second step 904, then the control system determines the amount of aerosol-generating liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part. The control system sends a measurement waveform to a pair of electrodes to determine the surface area of the side walls of the liquid storage part that are in contact with the aerosol-forming liquid substrate, and the control system uses the orientation information and the determined surface area information to determine the amount of the liquid substrate, forming an aerosol held in the liquid storage portion.

In the third step 905, the control system determines whether the determined amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate held in the liquid storage part is less than 50% of the maximum volume of the liquid storage part (i.e., the control system determines whether the liquid storage part is filled with liquid aerosol-forming substrate by less than half).

If the control system determines that the liquid storage portion is at least 50% filled with an aerosol-forming liquid substrate, in a fourth step 906, the control system uses the received orientation information to determine whether the liquid storage portion is within 90° of the vertical orientation.

If the control system determines that the liquid storage portion is at an angle of less than 90° relative to the vertical orientation, then the control system applies full power 907 to the aerosol generating means. Alternatively, if the control system determines that the liquid storage portion is at 90° from the vertical orientation, or at an angle greater than 90° from the vertical orientation, then the control system adjusts 908 the power supply to the aerosol generating means. Typically, the control system does not supply full power to the aerosol generating means. The power reduction is proportional to the determined percentage of the liquid storage portion filled with the aerosol-forming liquid substrate. In other words, the smaller the amount of liquid aerosol-generating substrate held in the liquid storage portion, the lower the power supplied to the aerosol generating means.

Returning to the third step 905, if the control system determines that the liquid storage part is less than 50% filled with an aerosol-forming liquid substrate, in the fifth step 909, the control system uses the obtained orientation information to determine whether the liquid storage part is at an angle greater than 135° from the vertical orientation.

If the control system determines that the liquid storage portion is at an angle greater than 135° from the vertical orientation, then the control system prevents 910 from energizing the aerosol generating means. This should prevent the aerosol generating means from being operated in a "dry" state. Alternatively, if the control system determines that the liquid storage portion is at an angle of 135° or less than 135° from the vertical orientation, in a sixth step 911, the control system uses the obtained orientation information to determine whether the liquid storage portion is at an angle greater than 45° relative to the vertical position.

If the control system determines that the liquid storage portion is at an angle greater than 45° from the vertical orientation, then the control system adjusts 912 the power supply to the aerosol generating means as described above at step 908. In other words, the control system does not apply full power to the aerosol generating means. means for generating an aerosol and reduces the power supply by an amount proportional to the determined partial filling of the liquid storage part. Alternatively, if the control system determines that the liquid storage portion is at 45° from the vertical orientation or more than 45° from the vertical orientation, in a seventh step 913, the control system uses the determined amount to determine whether there is enough liquid in the liquid storage portion. aerosol-forming liquid substrate is held for one full puff.

If the control system determines that sufficient liquid aerosol forming substrate is retained in the liquid storage portion for one full puff, then the control system applies 914 full power to the heater. Alternatively, if the control system determines that not enough aerosol generating liquid substrate is being held in the liquid storage portion for one full puff, then the control system prevents 915 energizing the aerosol generating means which prevents the aerosol generating system from being operated in a dry state. .

In FIG. 14 shows a schematic of another example of an aerosol generating system according to the present invention. The image in FIG. 14 is essentially schematic, and the components are not necessarily shown to scale, either individually or in relation to each other. The aerosol generating system comprises a main unit 1100, which is preferably reusable, in combination with a cartridge 1200, which is preferably disposable. The aerosol generating system shown in FIG. 14 is an electric smoking system.

The main block 1100 includes a housing 1101. The housing 1101 is essentially circular and has a longitudinal length of approximately 70 mm and an outer diameter of approximately 20 mm.

The main unit 1100 includes an electrical power supply in the form of a lithium ion phosphate battery 1102 and a control system in the form of control electronics 1104 that are housed within the housing 1101. The control electronics 1104 include a microphone shaped puff sensor 1106, an LED 1108 that is to indicate that the main unit 1100 is activated, and a sensor in the form of an inertial measurement unit 1110 according to the present invention, which will be described in more detail below. Puff sensor 1106, LED 1108, and inertial measurement unit 1110 are all mounted on a circuit board enclosed within housing 1101 of main unit 1100. The inertial measurement unit is located on and aligned with the longitudinal center line of main unit 1100.

The housing 1101 of the main unit 1100 includes an end 1112 that is configured to receive the cartridge 1200.

The cartridge 1200 includes a housing 1203. The housing 1203 of the cartridge 1200 is essentially circular and has a longitudinal length of approximately 30 mm and an outer diameter of approximately 20 mm. The cartridge 1200 includes a mouthpiece 1220 containing an outlet 1224. The end of the cartridge 1200 opposite the mouthpiece 1220 and the outlet 1224 is configured to be placed at the end 1212 of the main block 1100. In this embodiment, the end of the cartridge 1200 includes a bead (not shown), which is configured to snap into a groove (not shown) at the end 1212 of the main block to releasably secure the cartridge 1200 and the main block 1100. One or more air inlets 1222 are provided between the mouthpiece 1220 and the opposite end.

When the cartridge 1200 is placed in and engaged with the main block 1100, the main block 1100 and the cartridge 1200 form a generally round cylindrical block approximately 100 mm long.

Within the cartridge body 1203, the rigid body 1204 forms a liquid storage portion 1201. The liquid storage portion 1201 is substantially circular and has a central longitudinal axis located on and aligned with the central longitudinal axis of the cartridge 1200. When the cartridge 1200 is housed in and coupled to the main unit 1100, the cartridge 1200, the liquid storage portion 1201, and the main unit 1100 have a common longitudinal axis.

The liquid storage portion 1201 holds the liquid substrate 1202 forming an aerosol. The housing 1204 of the liquid storage portion 1201 is fluid impermeable but has an open end covered by a permeable mesh member 1205. The mesh member 1205 overlaps the round open end of the cartridge housing 204. The mesh element 1205 includes a metal mesh formed from stainless steel. The aerosol forming substrate 1202 may form a meniscus in the interstices of the grid.

The main unit control electronics 1104 further comprises electrodes (not shown) that extend from the receiving end 1112 of the main unit 1100. When the cartridge 1200 is placed on the end 1112 of the main unit 1100, the electrodes of the control electronics 1104 contact the mesh member 1205 of the cartridge 1200. The electrodes are electrically connecting the mesh member 1205 to the power supply unit 1102 of the main unit 1100, and supplying power to the mesh member 1205 to heat the mesh by resistive heating. The power supply from the power supply unit 1102 to the mesh element 1205 is controlled by the control electronics 1104.

In use, the user puffs on the mouthpiece 1220 of the cartridge 1200 to draw air through the air inlets 1222 in the body 1203 of the cartridge 1200 into the mouthpiece 1220 and from the outlet 1224 into the user's mouth. When the user puffs on the mouthpiece, a small stream of air is also drawn into the main unit 1100 through the sensor inlet 1121 in the housing 1101, past the microphone 1106 into the cartridge 1200 through the inlet 1122 at the end 1112 of the main unit 1100 and up into the mouthpiece 1220 of the cartridge 1200 When a puff is detected by the microphone 1106, the control electronics 104 apply power from the power supply 1102 to the mesh member 1205 of the cartridge 1200 via electrodes (not shown). The mesh member 1205 is heated by resistive heating and reaches a temperature sufficient to vaporize the aerosol-forming substrate 1202 in the vicinity of the mesh member 1205. The vaporized aerosol-forming substrate 1205 is entrained in air moving from the air inlets 1222 to the air outlet 1224, and cools to form an aerosol within the mouthpiece 1220 before entering the user's mouth. The control electronics 1104 energizes the mesh element 1205 for a predetermined period of time, five seconds in this example, after a puff is detected and then turns off the current until a new puff is detected.

In some embodiments, the implementation of the main unit contains signaling means to provide the user with visual, tactile or audible indications. As a rule, signaling means are in the form of an LED installed in the main unit housing. The control system may be configured to provide instructions to the user at different times, for example, when it is determined that the liquid storage portion is in a horizontal orientation, when it is determined that the liquid storage portion is in a non-horizontal orientation, and when a certain amount of liquid substrate, forming an aerosol, reaches the threshold value or is below it. In some embodiments, the main unit may prevent further aerosol generation upon determining that the amount of aerosol-generating liquid substrate is at or below a threshold value.

It will be appreciated that any of the features described above in one embodiment may also be provided in any other embodiments. In particular, it will be understood that the features described with respect to cartridges may be provided in the main units, and the features relating to the main units may be provided in the cartridges. It will be appreciated that the liquid storage portion may be any other suitable shape. In the above examples, the liquid storage portions are substantially circular; however, in other embodiments, the liquid storage portion may form a cuboid or ovoid. It will be understood that in other embodiments, the cartridges may not be cartridges, but rather the cartridges and main units may be integrally formed in one unit.

Claims (34)

1. An aerosol generating system, comprising: a liquid storage portion for holding an aerosol-forming liquid substrate; a pair of electrodes adjacent to or in the liquid storage portion; a sensor configured to sense an orientation of the liquid storage portion; an aerosol generating means disposed to obtain an aerosol-generating liquid substrate from the liquid storage part; one or more power supplies disposed to supply power to the aerosol generating means; and control system configured to: measuring an electrical quantity between a pair of electrodes; obtaining orientation information from the sensor; determining the amount of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion based on the electrical quantity information measured between the pair of electrodes and the orientation information obtained from the sensor; and controlling the power supply from one or more power supplies to the aerosol generating means based on the determined orientation of the liquid storage part, wherein the liquid storage part has a length, and the pair of electrodes extends substantially along the length of the liquid storage part. 2. An aerosol generating system according to claim 1, characterized in that a pair of electrodes substantially surrounds the liquid storage portion. 3. An aerosol generating system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pair of electrodes form a tubular sleeve which essentially surrounds the liquid storage portion. 4. An aerosol generating system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-3, characterized in that the control system is further configured to prevent determining the amount of aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage portion based on the orientation information received from the sensor. 5. An aerosol generating system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-4, characterized in that the sensor is additionally configured to recognize the acceleration of the liquid storage part. 6. An aerosol generating system according to claim 5, characterized in that the sensor comprises one or more accelerometers configured to sense the linear acceleration of the liquid storage portion. 7. An aerosol generating system according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the sensor comprises one or more gyroscopes configured to detect the angular velocity of the liquid storage portion. 8. An aerosol generating system according to any one of paragraphs. 5, 6 or 7, characterized in that the sensor is an inertial measuring unit. 9. An aerosol generating system according to any one of paragraphs. 5–8, characterized in that the control system is additionally configured to: receiving acceleration information from the sensor and determining whether the liquid storage part is in one of a stable state in which the liquid storage part is substantially stationary or moving at a substantially constant speed, and an unstable state in which the liquid storage part is subjected to acceleration, based on information about acceleration received from the sensor. 10. An aerosol generating system according to claim 9, characterized in that the control system is configured to: comparing the acceleration information received from the sensor with one or more acceleration thresholds; determining that the liquid storage portion is in a stable state if the acquired acceleration information is less than one or more acceleration thresholds; and determining that the liquid storage portion is in an unstable state if the acquired acceleration information is above one or more acceleration thresholds. 11. An aerosol generating system according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the control system is configured to: determining the amount of the aerosol-forming liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part when it is determined that the liquid storage part is in a stable state; and preventing determining the amount of the aerosol-generating liquid substrate held in the liquid storage part when it is determined that the liquid storage part is in an unstable state. 12. An aerosol generating system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the liquid storage portion comprises a housing for holding an aerosol-generating liquid substrate, and wherein a pair of electrodes extends over a portion of the surface of the housing. 13. An aerosol generating system according to claim 12, characterized in that: the body of the liquid storage part has two opposite ends and at least one side wall extending between the opposite ends; and the pair of electrodes extends substantially along one or more side walls of the housing of the liquid storage portion. 14. An aerosol generating system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pair of electrodes are interdigitated-comb electrodes. 15. An aerosol generating system according to claim 12, characterized in that the pair of electrodes is disposed on the body of the liquid storage part so that at least a portion of the liquid storage part is located between the pair of electrodes.

Images