Aerosol supply system and control method

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses an aerosol supply system and a control method. The aerosol supply system comprises a shell; the airflow channel is arranged in the shell; the first detection position and the second detection position are located in the airflow channel and distributed in the airflow direction, and the cross section area of the first detection position is smaller than that of the second detection position; the first air flow sensor and the second air flow sensor are configured to sense the air flow at the detection position and are triggered to start when the air flow intensity reaches the negative pressure threshold value of the first air flow sensor and the second air flow sensor, and the air flow sensors have the same negative pressure threshold value; a heater; and the control unit is configured to control the start-stop and working power of the heater according to the start-stop state and / or the change of the start-stop state of the airflow sensor. According to the embodiment of the invention, the problem of how to realize multi-stage detection of the air pressure in the aerosol supply system to control the work of the heater under the condition of low cost is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of aerosol supply, and in particular to a method for controlling an aerosol supply system. Background Art

[0002] The airflow sensor is used in the aerosol supply device and can be used as a trigger for the heater. When the user inhales, the airflow sensor senses that the airflow at the location reaches the negative pressure threshold and is triggered, and sends a start signal to trigger the heater. When the user stops inhaling, the airflow sensor senses that the air pressure is normal and sends a signal to stop the heater.

[0003] Since the airflow sensor has only one detection threshold and can only judge between the start and stop states, it cannot provide the heater with a signal to start or stop, resulting in the heater not responding in time and being unable to control the heater to the appropriate working power. The existing multi-level pressure sensor can achieve multi-level pressure level detection and provide multi-level signals, but the price is very expensive, almost five to ten times that of conventional sensors. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention proposes an aerosol supply system and a control method to solve the technical problem of how to realize multi-level detection of air pressure in the aerosol supply system to control the start and stop of the heater and the working power at a low cost.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an aerosol supply system comprising:

[0006] case;

[0007] an air flow channel, disposed in the housing;

[0008] a first detection position and a second detection position located in the airflow channel and distributed along the airflow direction, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the first detection position is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the second detection position;

[0009] A first airflow sensor and a second airflow sensor, wherein the first airflow sensor is disposed at the first detection position, and the second airflow sensor is disposed at the second detection position, wherein the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor are configured to sense the airflow at the detection position and be triggered to start when the intensity of the airflow passing through reaches a negative pressure threshold thereof, and the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor have the same negative pressure threshold;

[0010] a heater configured to heat the aerosol generating material to supply the aerosol flow; and

[0011] The control unit is configured to control the start and stop of the heater and the working power of the heater according to the start and stop state and / or the change of the start and stop state of the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor.

[0012] In one technical solution of the above-mentioned aerosol supply system,

[0013] The control unit is configured to: determine the change trend of the suction force according to the start-stop state changes of the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor during a single puff, so as to control the adaptive change of the working power. Based on the start-stop state changes of the airflow sensors at the first detection position and the second detection position, the change trend of the user's suction force during a single puff can be determined, for example, whether the user's suction force is gradually increasing or gradually decreasing, so that the heater can be controlled to obtain a suitable working power according to the change trend of the suction force, such as correspondingly controlling the heater to gradually increase the working power or gradually reduce the working power, that is, pre-processing the power output, and judging in advance whether the heater is ready to start or stop, which is conducive to the timely response of the heater and saves aerosol generation materials and battery resources.

[0014] In one technical solution of the above-mentioned aerosol supply system,

[0015] Along the airflow direction during inhalation, the first detection position is located downstream of the second detection position. Since the cross-sectional area of ​​the first detection position is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the second detection position, during inhalation, the airflow passes along a path with a varying width, thereby causing the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor to generate a state combination, thereby better predicting the user's inhalation behavior.

[0016] In one technical solution of the above-mentioned aerosol supply system,

[0017] The airflow channel forms the first detection position and the second detection position through a built-in structural part. The airflow entering the airflow channel can pass through the airflow sensor from any direction. In the present invention, a detection position corresponding to the width can be formed by a built-in structural part, so that the airflow passes along a path with varying width. Furthermore, the structural part is integrally formed with the airflow channel or is detachably installed. Since the structural part corresponds to the width variation, the structural part can be arranged in a stepped manner, with the first detection position and the second detection position located on different steps, or the structural part can be arranged in a trumpet shape to meet different width variations.

[0018] In one technical solution of the above-mentioned aerosol supply system,

[0019] The first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor are both airflow sensors of the same specification. Airflow sensors of the same specification not only have the same negative pressure threshold, but also have only double the original single airflow sensor in terms of system cost, further saving system cost.

[0020] In a second aspect, the present invention provides an aerosol supply system comprising:

[0021] case;

[0022] an air flow channel, disposed in the housing;

[0023] At least three detection positions located in the airflow channel and distributed along the airflow direction, wherein the cross-sectional areas of the at least three detection positions are different and increase in sequence;

[0024] At least three airflow sensors, one airflow sensor corresponding to each detection position, the at least three airflow sensors are configured to sense the airflow at the detection position and be triggered when the intensity of the airflow reaches its own negative pressure threshold, and the at least three airflow sensors have the same negative pressure threshold;

[0025] a heater configured to heat the aerosol generating material to supply the aerosol flow; and

[0026] The control unit is configured to control the start and stop of the heater and the working power of the heater according to the start and stop states and / or changes in the start and stop states of the at least three airflow sensors.

[0027] In one technical solution of the above-mentioned aerosol supply system,

[0028] The control unit is configured to: determine the change of the suction force according to the start-stop state change of the at least three airflow sensors during a single puff, thereby controlling the adaptive change of the working power. Compared with the change of the suction force determined by the start-stop state change of the two detection position sensors, the at least three airflow sensors can obtain more levels of air pressure change states at multiple detection positions, so that more levels of suction force changes can be determined, and the heater can be controlled step by step to the corresponding working power, making the control process more refined, more conducive to the timely response of the heater and saving aerosol generation materials and battery resources.

[0029] In one technical solution of the above-mentioned aerosol supply system,

[0030] The airflow sensors at the at least three detection positions are configured to start in sequence as the suction force gradually increases, and stop in sequence as the suction force gradually decreases, in order from the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area to the detection position with the largest cross-sectional area, so that the start-stop state changes of the airflow sensors at the corresponding positions match the changes in the suction force.

[0031] In one technical solution of the above-mentioned aerosol supply system,

[0032] Along the airflow direction during inhalation, the cross-sectional areas of the at least three detection positions decrease sequentially, so that when the user inhales, the airflow passes along a path with varying width, thereby causing the multiple airflow sensors to produce multiple state combinations, thereby predicting the user's inhalation behavior step by step.

[0033] In one technical solution of the above-mentioned aerosol supply system,

[0034] The airflow channel forms at least three detection positions through a built-in structural part, which is the same as the principle of the structural part in the first aspect. The detection position corresponding to the width can be formed by the built-in structural part, so that the airflow passes along a path with varying width. Furthermore, the structural part is integrally formed with the airflow channel or detachably installed, and can be specifically arranged in a stepped manner or in a trumpet shape. Since the structural part corresponds to the width change, the structural part can be arranged in a stepped manner, with at least three detection positions located on different levels of the steps, or the structural part can be arranged in a trumpet shape to meet different width changes.

[0035] In one technical solution of the above-mentioned aerosol supply system,

[0036] The at least three airflow sensors all use airflow sensors of the same specification, which not only have the same negative pressure threshold and meet the state combination conditions, but also the devices of the same specification make the system more convenient to manufacture and the calculation cost simpler.

[0037] In a third aspect, the present invention provides a control method for an aerosol supply system. Based on the aerosol supply system as described in any one of the first aspects, the method comprises: controlling the start and stop of the heater and the working power of the heater according to the change of the trigger start state, the start and stop state and / or the start and stop state of the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor.

[0038] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0039] The method comprises:

[0040] Determine the current and previous start / stop states of the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor;

[0041] If the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor are both currently in the off state, the heater is controlled not to work; and / or,

[0042] If the first airflow sensor changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, and the second airflow sensor remains in the closed state, the heater is controlled to start and operate at a first preset power; the first preset power is greater than zero and less than the maximum operating power; and / or,

[0043] If the first airflow sensor remains in the activated state, and the second airflow sensor changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, the operating power of the heater is controlled to increase to a second preset power; the second preset power is greater than the first preset power and less than or equal to the maximum operating power; and / or,

[0044] If the first airflow sensor is in an activated state, and the second airflow sensor changes from a previous activated state to a current closed state, the operating power of the heater is controlled to be reduced to a third preset power; the third preset power is greater than zero and less than the maximum operating power; and / or,

[0045] If the first airflow sensor changes from a previous activated state to a current closed state, and the second airflow sensor remains in the closed state, the heater is controlled to stop working.

[0046] Based on the above adjustment of the specific heater corresponding power, the heater preheating start or stop response is rapid, and the heater operates at a working power that matches the corresponding airflow change in the airflow channel.

[0047] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0048] During a single puff, the change trend of the puff force is determined according to the start / stop state changes of the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor, thereby controlling the adaptive change of the working power. The change trend of the user's puff force can be determined based on the start / stop state changes of the airflow sensor, and the heater is made to work at a corresponding matching working power according to the change of the puff force, thereby improving the user experience.

[0049] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0050] The determining of the change trend of the suction force, thereby controlling the adaptive change of the working power, includes at least one of the following:

[0051] i) activating the heater when judging that the suction changes from no suction to some suction;

[0052] ii) increasing the working power when it is judged that the suction force increases;

[0053] iii) reducing the operating power when it is judged that the suction force is reduced;

[0054] iv) applying maximum operating power to the heater when it is determined that the suction force reaches a set threshold;

[0055] v) Turning off the heater when it is determined that the suction has stopped.

[0056] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0057] The method comprises:

[0058] If it is determined that the suction changes from no suction to some suction, the heater is controlled to start and increase to a first preset power; the first preset power is greater than zero and less than the maximum working power; and / or,

[0059] If it is determined that the suction force increases, the operating power of the heater is controlled to increase to a second preset power; the second preset power is greater than the first preset power and less than or equal to the maximum operating power; and / or,

[0060] If it is determined that the suction force is reduced, the operating power of the heater is controlled to be reduced to a third preset power; the third preset power is greater than zero and less than the maximum operating power; and / or,

[0061] If it is determined that the suction force reaches the set threshold, the operating power of the heater is controlled to the maximum operating power; and / or,

[0062] If it is determined that the suction has stopped, the heater is controlled to be turned off.

[0063] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0064] The method of determining the change trend of the suction force according to the start / stop state changes of the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor includes:

[0065] Determine the current and previous start / stop states of the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor;

[0066] If the first airflow sensor changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, and the second airflow sensor remains in the closed state, it is determined that the suction has changed from non-existence to existence; and / or,

[0067] If the first airflow sensor remains in the activated state, and the second airflow sensor changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, it is determined that the suction force is increased; and / or,

[0068] If the first airflow sensor remains in the activated state, and the second airflow sensor changes from the previous activated state to the current closed state, it is determined that the suction force is reduced; and / or,

[0069] If the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor are previously and currently in an activated state, it is determined that the suction force reaches a set threshold; and / or,

[0070] If the first airflow sensor changes from the previous activation state to the current shutdown state, and the second airflow sensor remains in the shutdown state, it is determined that the suction is stopped.

[0071] Based on the above-mentioned specific judgment of the airflow sensor to the suction force and the specific corresponding working power control, the heater works at a reasonable working power during the user's puffing process. If the suction force increases, the heater power is gradually increased to the maximum, so that the aerosol flow generated by the heated aerosol generating material gradually increases. When the suction force is the strongest, that is, the preset threshold, the heater is fully turned on, and the generated aerosol flow also reaches the maximum. When the suction force decreases, the heater gradually reduces the power, and the generated aerosol flow also decreases accordingly, which is in line with the dynamic trend of the user's puffing, rather than still spraying a lot of aerosol when the user is about to stop.

[0072] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0073] The second preset power is equal to the third preset power.

[0074] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0075] At least one of the second preset power and the third preset power is 50% of the maximum operating power, that is, the heater is in a half-on state.

[0076] In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a control method for an aerosol supply system. Based on the aerosol supply system as described in any one of the second aspects, the method comprises: controlling the start and stop of the heater and the working power of the heater according to the start and stop state and / or the change of the start and stop state of the at least three airflow sensors.

[0077] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0078] The method comprises:

[0079] Determining current and previous start / stop states of the at least three airflow sensors;

[0080] If all airflow sensors are currently in the off state, the heater is controlled not to work; and / or,

[0081] When the at least three airflow sensors are switched from the previous closed state to the current sequentially started state in the order from the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area to the detection position with the largest cross-sectional area, the operating power of the heater is controlled to increase step by step; and / or,

[0082] When the at least three airflow sensors are changed from the previous start state to the current stop state in sequence from the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area to the detection position with the largest cross-sectional area, the working power of the heater is controlled to be reduced step by step; and / or,

[0083] If all the airflow sensors are currently in the activated state, the operating power of the heater is controlled to be at the maximum operating power.

[0084] Based on the start / stop state and / or the change of the start / stop state of the at least three airflow sensors, the change of the operating power of the heater can be more accurately controlled step by step.

[0085] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0086] The method includes: judging the change of the suction force according to the change of the start and stop state of the at least three airflow sensors during a single puffing process, thereby controlling the adaptive change of the working power. Judging the suction force by the start and stop change state of at least three airflow sensors can distinguish the suction force more finely, thereby more accurately controlling the heater working power at a reasonable level.

[0087] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0088] The determining of the change in the suction force, thereby controlling the adaptive change in the working power, includes at least one of the following:

[0089] vi) activating the heater when judging that the suction changes from no to some;

[0090] v ii) increasing the working power when it is judged that the suction force increases;

[0091] v iii) reducing the operating power when it is judged that the suction force is reduced;

[0092] ix) applying maximum working power to the heater when it is determined that the suction force reaches a set threshold;

[0093] x) Turning off the heater when it is determined that the suction has stopped.

[0094] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0095] The method comprises:

[0096] If it is determined that the suction force increases, the operating power of the heater is controlled to increase step by step; and / or,

[0097] If it is determined that the suction force is reduced, the operating power of the heater is controlled to be reduced step by step; and / or,

[0098] If it is determined that the suction force reaches the set threshold, the operating power of the heater is controlled to the maximum operating power.

[0099] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0100] The method of determining the change of the suction force according to the change of the start and stop states of the at least three airflow sensors includes:

[0101] Determining current and previous start / stop states of the at least three airflow sensors;

[0102] In the order from the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area to the detection position with the largest cross-sectional area, if the airflow sensor at the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, and other sensors remain in the closed state, it is determined that the suction changes from non-existence to existence; and / or,

[0103] When the at least three airflow sensors are turned from a previous closed state to a current sequentially activated state in the order from the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area to the detection position with the largest cross-sectional area, it is determined that the suction force increases; and / or,

[0104] When the at least three airflow sensors are sequentially stopped from the previous start state in the order from the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area to the detection position with the largest cross-sectional area, it is determined that the suction force is reduced; and / or,

[0105] If all airflow sensors are currently in an activated state, it is determined that the suction force reaches a set threshold; and / or,

[0106] In order from the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area to the detection position with the largest cross-sectional area, if the airflow sensor at the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area changes from the previous start-up state to the current closed state, and other sensors remain in the closed state, it is determined that the suction has stopped.

[0107] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0108] The method comprises: in the process of increasing the suction force, marking the start and stop status of at least one of the airflow sensors as a first state; in the process of reducing the suction force, marking the start and stop status of at least one of the airflow sensors as a second state; the start and stop status refers to: the comprehensive start and stop status of all airflow sensors, for example, among at least three airflow sensors, 2 are started and 1 is stopped; in order to cover the use of the same working power during the process of increasing and reducing the suction, and partially adopting the same working power, that is:

[0109] When the first state and the second state are the same, the heater is controlled to have the same working power in the two states.

[0110] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0111] The number of the airflow sensors is N, the level of the working power is X, X≤N+1, and the method comprises: each time the start and stop of the airflow sensor changes, controlling the working power of the heater to be adjusted to a matching working power.

[0112] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0113] The method comprises: during the process of increasing the suction force, marking at least one of the start and stop conditions of the airflow sensor as a first state; during the process of decreasing the suction force, marking at least one of the start and stop conditions of the airflow sensor as a second state;

[0114] When the first state and the second state are the same, the heater is controlled to have different operating powers.

[0115] In one technical solution of the above control method,

[0116] The number of the airflow sensors is N, the level of the working power is X, X≤2N, and the method comprises: each time the start and stop of the airflow sensor changes, controlling the working power of the heater to be adjusted to a matching working power.

[0117] Based on the above-mentioned specific judgment of at least three airflow sensors to the suction intensity and the specific corresponding working power control, it can be seen that more state changes can be obtained through multiple airflow sensors, so that the final heater can work at more levels of working power, so that the heater working power is more matched with the suction intensity, and the corresponding aerosol flow rate is more reasonable.

[0118] The above one or more technical solutions of the present invention have at least one or more of the following beneficial effects:

[0119] In the technical solution for implementing the present invention, airflow sensors with the same threshold are arranged at detection positions with different cross-sectional areas in the airflow channel. Due to the different cross-sectional areas of the detection positions, the airflow sensors reach the negative pressure threshold in a different order when sensing airflow changes, thereby realizing multi-level detection of the air pressure in the airflow channel, thereby controlling the start and stop and the operating power of the heater according to the multi-level change state corresponding to the airflow sensor. While meeting the low cost requirement, the heater can respond to the start and stop more promptly, control the heater to operate at an appropriate power, and make the heating state more intelligent.

[0120] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0121] The disclosure of the present invention will become more easily understood with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that these drawings are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In addition, similar numbers in the figures are used to represent similar components, among which:

[0122] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an aerosol supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0123] Figure 2 is a simplified structural schematic diagram of an aerosol supply system according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0124] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of airflow pressure changes at a detection position according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0125] Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of an aerosol supply system according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0126] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an aerosol supply system according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0127] Some embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are only used to explain the technical principles of the present invention and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0128] As used herein, the term "delivery system" is intended to encompass a system that, in use, delivers at least one substance to a user, and includes:

[0129] Combustible aerosol delivery systems such as cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, and tobacco for pipes or for roll-your-own or self-made cigarettes (whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, tobacco substitutes or other smokeable material);

[0130] non-flammable aerosol delivery systems that release compounds from an aerosol generating material without burning the aerosol generating material, such as electronic cigarettes, tobacco heating products, and hybrid systems to generate an aerosol using a combination of aerosol generating materials; and

[0131] An aerosol-free delivery system that delivers at least one substance to a user orally, nasally, transdermally or otherwise without forming an aerosol, including but not limited to lozenges, chewing gum, patches, products including inhalable powders, and oral products (e.g., oral tobacco including snuff or moist snuff), wherein the at least one substance may or may not include nicotine.

[0132] According to the present disclosure, a "combustible" aerosol supply system is an aerosol supply system in which the constituent aerosol generating material of the aerosol supply system (or components thereof) burns or ignites during use to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.

[0133] In some embodiments, the delivery system is a combustible aerosol supply system, such as a system selected from the group consisting of a cigarette, a cigarillo, and a cigar.

[0134] In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a component for use in a combustible aerosol delivery system, such as a filter, a filter rod, a filter segment, a tobacco rod, an overflow, an aerosol modifier release component (such as a capsule, a thread or a bead), or a paper (such as a plug paper, a tipping paper or a cigarette paper).

[0135] According to the present disclosure, a "non-flammable" aerosol supply system is an aerosol supply system in which the constituent aerosol generating materials of the aerosol supply system (or components thereof) do not burn or ignite to deliver at least one substance to a user.

[0136] In some embodiments, the delivery system is a non-flammable aerosol supply system, for example, a powered non-flammable aerosol supply system.

[0137] In some embodiments, the non-flammable aerosol delivery system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vapor device or an electronic nicotine delivery system (END), but it should be noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol generating material is not required.

[0138] In some embodiments, the non-flammable aerosol supply system is an aerosol generating material heating system, also known as a heat-not-burn system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system.

[0139] In some embodiments, the non-flammable aerosol supply system is a hybrid system that uses a combination of aerosol generating materials to generate an aerosol, wherein one or more of the aerosol generating materials can be heated. Each aerosol generating material can be, for example, in the form of a solid, liquid or gel, and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system includes a liquid or gel aerosol generating material and a solid aerosol generating material. The solid aerosol generating material can include, for example, tobacco or non-tobacco products.

[0140] Generally, a non-flammable aerosol supply system may include a non-flammable aerosol supply device and consumables for use with the non-flammable aerosol supply device.

[0141] In some embodiments, the present disclosure is directed to consumables that include an aerosol generating material and are configured for use with a non-flammable aerosol supply device. These consumables are sometimes referred to as articles in the present disclosure.

[0142] In some embodiments, a non-flammable aerosol supply system, such as a non-flammable aerosol supply device thereof, may include a power source and a controller. The power source may be, for example, an electrical source or an exothermic source. In some embodiments, the exothermic source includes a carbon matrix that may be powered to distribute power in the form of heat to an aerosol generating material or a heat transfer material proximate to the exothermic source.

[0143] In some embodiments, a non-flammable aerosol supply system may include an area for receiving a consumable product, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generating area, a housing, a mouthpiece, a filter, and / or an aerosol modifier.

[0144] In some embodiments, consumables for use with a non-flammable aerosol supply device may include an aerosol generating material, an aerosol generating material storage area, an aerosol generating material conveying component, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generating area, a shell, a wrapping paper, a filter, a mouthpiece, and / or an aerosol modifier.

[0145] In some embodiments, the delivery system is a non-aerosol delivery system that delivers at least one substance to a user orally, nasally, transdermally or in another manner without forming an aerosol, including but not limited to lozenges, chewing gum, patches, products including inhalable powders, and oral products (e.g., oral tobacco including snuff or moist snuff), wherein the at least one substance may or may not include nicotine.

[0146] In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered can be an aerosol-generating material or a material not intended to be aerosolized. Either material can include one or more active ingredients, one or more flavoring agents, one or more aerosol-forming materials, and / or one or more other functional materials, as appropriate.

[0147] In some embodiments, the material to be delivered includes an active substance. As used herein, the active substance can be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance physiological reactions. The active substance can be, for example, selected from a nutrient, a nootropic, a psychoactive substance. The active substance can be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active substance can include, for example, nicotine, caffeine, taurine, caffeine, vitamins (such as B6 or B12 or C), melatonin or a component, derivative or combination thereof. The active substance can include one or more components, derivatives or extracts of tobacco or other plants.

[0148] In some embodiments, the active substance comprises nicotine. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin, or vitamin B12.

[0149] As described herein, the active substance may include or be derived from one or more plants or components, derivatives or extracts thereof. As used herein, the term "plant" includes any material derived from a plant, including but not limited to extracts, leaves, bark, fibers, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, shells, husks, etc. Alternatively, the material may include an active compound naturally present in a plant, which is obtained by synthesis. The material may be in the form of a liquid, gas, solid, powder, dust, crushed particles, granules, pellets, fragments, strips, sheets, etc.

[0150] Examples of plants are tobacco, eucalyptus, star anise, hemp, cocoa, fennel, lemongrass, mint, spearmint, red tea tree, chamomile, flax, ginger, ginkgo, hazelnut, hibiscus, bay, licorice, matcha, mate, orange peel, papaya, rose, sage, tea (e.g., green or black), thyme, cloves, cinnamon, coffee, anise (fennel), basil, bay leaf, cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, red pepper, rosemary, saffron, lavender, Grass, lemon peel, mint, juniper, elderberry, vanilla, holly, basil plant, turmeric, turmeric root powder, sandalwood, coriander leaf, bergamot, orange blossom, myrtle, black currant, valerian, Spanish bell pepper, nutmeg, dammarin, marjoram, olive, lemon mint, lemon basil, chives, parsley, verbena, tarragon, geranium, mulberry, ginseng, theanine, tetramethyluric acid, maca, Indian ginseng, damson, Guanna tea, chlorophyll, baobab or any combination thereof. Mint can be selected from the following mint varieties: wild mint, mint cv, Egyptian mint, peppermint, basil mint cv, peppermint cv, spearmint, heart-leaf spearmint, long-leaf mint, pineapple mint, lip calyx mint, spearmint cv, and apple mint.

[0151] In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more plants or components, derivatives or extracts thereof, and the plant is tobacco. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more plants or components, derivatives or extracts thereof, and the plant is selected from eucalyptus, star anise and cocoa.

[0152] In some embodiments, the active ingredient comprises or is derived from one or more plants or components, derivatives or extracts thereof, and the plants are selected from the group consisting of red leaf tea tree and fennel.

[0153] In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered includes flavorings. As used herein, the terms "flavorings" and "flavors" refer to materials that can be used to produce tastes, aromas, or other physical sensations desired by adult consumers in products, where permitted by local regulations. It can include naturally occurring flavoring materials, plants, plant extracts, synthetically obtained materials, or combinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, licorice, hydrangea, eugenol, Japanese magnolia leaves, chamomile, fenugreek, cloves, maple, matcha, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed (fennel), cinnamon, turmeric, Indian spices, Asian spices, herbs, wintergreen, cherry, berry, cranberry, cranberry, peach, apple, orange, mango, citrus, lemon, lime, tropical fruits, papaya, rhubarb, grape , Durian, Pitaya, Cucumber, Blueberry, Mulberry, Citrus Fruit, Durian, Bourbon, Scotch, Whiskey, Gin, Tequila, Rum, Spearmint, Mint, Lavender, Aloe, Cardamom, Celery, Sophora flavescens, Nutmeg, Sandalwood, Bergamot, Geranium, Arabic Tea, Sorghum, Betel Leaf, Coriander, Pine, Honey Essence, Rose Oil, Vanilla, Lemon Oil, Orange Oil, Orange Blossom, Cherry Blossom, Cinnamon, Coriander, Cognac, Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Sage, Fennel , mustard, green pepper, ginger, cilantro, coffee, mint oil from any species of the mint family, eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, lemongrass, red beans, flax, ginkgo biloba, hazelnuts, hibiscus, laurel, mate, orange peel, rose, tea (e.g., green or black), thyme, juniper, elderberry, basil, bay leaf, cumin, oregano, chili pepper, rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, mint, beefsteak, turmeric, coriander, myrtle, black currant, valerian, Spanish bell pepper, mace, dami The invention relates to a composition comprising a flavor enhancer, a bitter taste receptor site blocker, a sensory receptor site activator or stimulator, a sugar and / or sugar substitute (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharin, cyclamate, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol or mannitol), and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, plants, or breath fresheners. It may be an imitation, synthetic or natural ingredient or a mixture thereof. It may be in any suitable form, for example, a liquid such as an oil, a solid such as a powder, or a gas.

[0154] In some embodiments, flavorings include menthol, spearmint and / or peppermint. In some embodiments, flavorings include flavoring components of cucumber, blueberry, citrus fruit and / or cranberry. In some embodiments, flavorings include eugenol. In some embodiments, flavorings include flavoring components extracted from tobacco.

[0155] In some embodiments, in addition to or in lieu of aroma or taste nerves, flavoring agents may include sensates that are intended to achieve somatic sensations that are typically chemically induced and sensed by stimulation of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve), and these may include agents that provide heating, cooling, tingling, numbing effects. Suitable thermal effect agents may be, but are not limited to, vanillyl ethyl ether, and suitable cooling agents may be, but are not limited to, eucalyptol, WS-3.

[0156] Aerosol generating materials are materials that can generate aerosols, for example, when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. Aerosol generating materials can be, for example, in solid, liquid or gel form, which may or may not contain active substances and / or fragrances. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating material may include an "amorphous solid", which may alternatively be referred to as a "whole solid" (i.e., non-fibrous). In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dry gel. An amorphous solid is a solid material that can retain some fluid (e.g., liquid) inside it. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating material may, for example, include from about 50wt%, 60wt% or 70wt% amorphous solid to about 90wt%, 95wt% or 100wt% amorphous solid.

[0157] The aerosol-generating material may comprise one or more active substances and / or flavouring agents, one or more aerosol-former materials, and optionally one or more other functional materials.

[0158] The aerosol forming agent material may include one or more components capable of forming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol forming agent material may include one or more of glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a mixture of diacetyl glycerol, benzyl benzoate, benzylphenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate.

[0159] The one or more other functional materials may include one or more of a pH adjuster, a colorant, a preservative, a binder, a filler, a stabilizer and / or an antioxidant.

[0160] The material may be present on or in a carrier to form a substrate. The carrier may be or include, for example, paper, card, paperboard, cardboard, reconstituted material, plastic material, ceramic material, composite material, glass, metal or metal alloy. In some embodiments, the carrier includes a susceptor. In some embodiments, the susceptor is embedded in the material. In some alternative embodiments, the susceptor is on one or either side of the material.

[0161] A consumable is an article comprising or consisting of an aerosol generating material, some or all of which is intended to be consumed by a user during use. A consumable may include one or more other components, such as an aerosol generating material storage area, an aerosol generating material delivery component, an aerosol generating area, a housing, a wrapper, a mouthpiece, a filter and / or an aerosol modifier. A consumable may also include an aerosol generator, such as a heater, which releases heat during use to cause the aerosol generating material to generate an aerosol. The heater may, for example, include a combustible material, a material that can be heated by electrical conduction, or a susceptor.

[0162] A susceptor is a material that can be heated by being penetrated with a varying magnetic field (e.g., an alternating magnetic field). The susceptor can be a conductive material such that its penetration by the varying magnetic field results in inductive heating of the heated material. The heated material can be a magnetic material such that its penetration by the varying magnetic field results in hysteresis heating of the heated material. The susceptor can be both conductive and magnetic such that the susceptor can be heated by both heating mechanisms. In this article, a device configured to generate a varying magnetic field is referred to as a magnetic field generator.

[0163] Aerosol modifiers are substances typically located downstream of an aerosol generation region that are configured to modify the generated aerosol, for example by changing the taste, flavor, acidity, or another characteristic of the aerosol. The aerosol modifier may be disposed in an aerosol modifier release component that is operable to selectively release the aerosol modifier. For example, the aerosol modifier may be an additive or an adsorbent. For example, the aerosol modifier may include one or more of a flavoring, a coloring agent, water, and a carbon adsorbent. For example, the aerosol modifier may be a solid, a liquid, or a gel. The aerosol modifier may be in powder, string, or particle form. The aerosol modifier may be free of filter material.

[0164] An aerosol generator is a device configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from an aerosol generating material. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is a heater configured to subject the aerosol generating material to thermal energy so as to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol generating material to form an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from the aerosol generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator can be configured to subject the aerosol generating material to one or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.

[0165] The present disclosure relates to an aerosol delivery system (which may also be referred to as a vapor delivery system), such as a nebulizer or an electronic cigarette. In the following description, the term "electronic cigarette" or "electronic cigarette" may sometimes be used, but it will be understood that this term can be used interchangeably with aerosol delivery system / device and electronic aerosol delivery system / device. In addition, as is common in the art, the terms "aerosol" and "vapor" and related terms such as "evaporation", "aerosolization" and "aerosolization" are often used interchangeably.

[0166] Aerosol delivery systems (electronic cigarettes) typically (although not always) include modular components, which include a reusable device part and a replaceable (disposable / consumable) cartridge part. Typically, the replaceable cartridge part will include an aerosol generating material and a vaporizer (which can be collectively referred to as an "atomizer"), and the reusable device part will include a power source (e.g., a rechargeable power source) and a control circuit. It will be understood that these different parts may include additional elements depending on the function. For example, the reusable device part will typically include a user interface for receiving user input and displaying operating status features, and the replaceable cartridge device part includes a temperature sensor for helping to control the temperature in some cases. The cartridge is electrically and mechanically connected to the control unit for use, for example, using a thread, a bayonet, or a magnetic connection with appropriately arranged electrical contacts. When the aerosol generating material in the cartridge is exhausted, or when the user wishes to switch to a different cartridge with a different aerosol generating material, the cartridge can be removed from the reusable part and the replacement cartridge is attached to its appropriate position. Systems and devices conforming to this type of two-piece modular configuration may generally be referred to as two-piece systems / devices.

[0167] Electronic cigarettes typically have a generally elongated shape. To provide a specific example, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be considered to include such a generally elongated two-piece system using a disposable cartridge. However, it will be understood that the basic principles described herein may be equally applicable to different configurations, such as a one-piece system or a modular system including more than two components, a refillable device and single-use disposables, and other overall shapes, such as high-performance devices based on so-called box-shaped models that typically have a box shape. More generally, it will be understood that certain embodiments of the present disclosure are based on an aerosol delivery system that is operationally configured to provide functionality according to the principles described herein, and that the structural aspects of the system configured to provide functionality according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure are not primarily important.

[0168] As described in the background technology, conventional airflow sensors have only one detection threshold and can only judge between the two states of on and off. In fact, they cannot accurately predict the user's inhalation trend. For example, if the air pressure becomes high or low, it cannot prepare to start / stop heating for the user. Therefore, the triggering and shutting down speed of the heater is not fast enough. Generally speaking, to predict the user's inhalation trend, the sensor must be able to detect the trend of air pressure changes from high to low or from low to high, and then pre-process the power output circuit. The existing multi-stage pressure sensor is a common technology in the industry. This pressure sensor has sufficient resolution to detect pressure levels. But at the same time, the price of this sensor is also very expensive, almost five to ten times that of ordinary micro-pressure sensors. Based on this, the present invention proposes an aerosol supply system that can achieve the expected detection effect at a low cost.

[0169] See attached Figure 1 , Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an aerosol supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The aerosol supply system comprises: a housing 100, in which the following components can be accommodated. It should be noted that: Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of an air intake portion in the housing 100, omitting certain components of the aerosol supply system and some components in the housing 100; a heater (not shown in the figure), configured to heat the aerosol generating material to supply an aerosol flow; a control unit (not shown in the figure), the control unit comprising one or more processors and associated memories. The control unit may be associated with the heater so as to configure, in particular, the power level of the heater to generate an aerosol when heating an article of aerosol generating material. The control unit includes or provides a selected or current power level, which may be stored in the memory. In addition, the control unit may also include a communication interface, such as a wireless communication interface, for example, to communicate with other devices (e.g., a host device or a user interface device). The communication interface of the control unit may preferably include a BLUETOOH interface. The aerosol supply system also includes a power supply and power and data and power interface ports.

[0170] In the present invention, the aerosol supply system also includes: a first detection position A and a second detection position B located in the airflow channel 101 and distributed along the airflow direction, the cross-sectional area of ​​the first detection position A is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the second detection position B; a first airflow sensor 201 and a second airflow sensor 202, the first airflow sensor 201 is arranged at the first detection position A, and the second airflow sensor 202 is arranged at the second detection position B, the first airflow sensor 201 and the second airflow sensor 202 are configured to sense the airflow at the detection positions and be triggered to start when the intensity of the airflow passing through reaches its own negative pressure threshold, and the first airflow sensor 201 and the second airflow sensor 202 have the same negative pressure threshold; wherein the control unit is configured to control the start and stop of the heater and the working power of the heater according to the start and stop state and / or the change of the start and stop state of the first airflow sensor 201 and the second airflow sensor 202. Figure 1 In the embodiment, the first detection position A is located downstream of the second detection position B in the air intake direction, that is, when the user inhales, the airflow passes along the path from the second detection position B to the first detection position A. It should be noted that Figure 1 The specific positions of the various components are not intended to be conveyed. For example, the first detection position A and the second detection position B may be disposed at any position within the airflow channel 101 as long as they have different cross-sectional areas in the airflow direction.

[0171] Based on the above configuration, airflow sensors with the same threshold are set at detection positions with different cross-sectional areas in the airflow channel. Due to the different cross-sectional areas of the detection positions, the order in which each airflow sensor reaches the negative pressure threshold when sensing airflow changes is different, thereby realizing multi-level detection of the air pressure in the airflow channel, thereby controlling the start and stop and the working power of the heater according to the multi-level change state corresponding to the airflow sensor. While meeting the low cost, the heater responds to the start and stop more promptly, controls the heater to operate at an appropriate power, and makes the heating state more intelligent.

[0172] Specifically, according to Bernoulli's principle, in a narrow area, the airflow moves fast and the negative pressure is large; in a wide area, the airflow moves slowly and the negative pressure is small. Therefore, airflow sensors with the same negative pressure threshold are placed on different cross-sectional areas. The time when these airflow sensors reach the negative pressure threshold is inconsistent, thereby realizing multi-level pressure detection. For example, simplifying Figure 1 System Figure 2 The first detection position A and the second detection position B are shown in FIG. 2 , and the negative pressure threshold of the first airflow sensor 201 and the second airflow sensor 202 is set to Pm, the airflow intensity at the first detection position A is PA, and the airflow intensity at the second detection position B is PB. In a continuous time period, the changes of PA and PB are as follows: Figure 3As shown, during the intake process, since the first detection position A is located in an area with a smaller cross-sectional area, the airflow pressure PA at this position reaches the negative pressure threshold value Pm earlier than the airflow pressure PB at the second detection position B, that is, PA reaches Pm at time T0, and PB reaches Pm at time T1, PA and PB reach their respective lowest negative pressure values ​​at time T, that is, the moment when the negative pressure of the intake reaches the strongest; when the intake is weakened to no intake, the airflow pressure PB at the second detection position B recovers to above the negative pressure threshold value Pm earlier than the first detection position A, that is, PB recovers to above Pm at time T2, and PA recovers to above Pm at time T3. It can be seen that in a continuous period of time, the first airflow sensor 201 and the second airflow sensor 202 have the following start-stop states and / or changes in the start-stop states:

[0173] In the time period 0-T0, PA and PB are both greater than Pm, and the first airflow sensor 201 and the second airflow sensor 202 are not triggered to start;

[0174] At time T0, PA reaches Pm, the first airflow sensor 201 changes from the closed state to the activated state, PB does not reach Pm, and the second airflow sensor 202 remains in the closed state;

[0175] During the time period T0-T1, the first airflow sensor 201 remains in an activated state, and the second airflow sensor 202 remains in an inactivated state;

[0176] At time T1, PB reaches Pm, the second airflow sensor 202 changes from the closed state to the activated state, and the first airflow sensor 201 remains in the activated state;

[0177] During the time period T1-T2, the first airflow sensor 201 and the second airflow sensor 202 are both kept in the activated state;

[0178] At time T2, PB recovers to be above Pm, the second airflow sensor 202 changes from the activated state to the deactivated state, PA is still below Pm, and the first airflow sensor 201 remains activated;

[0179] During the time period T2-T3, the first airflow sensor 201 remains in an activated state, and the second airflow sensor 202 remains in an inactivated state;

[0180] At time T3, PA also recovers to be above Pm, the first airflow sensor 201 changes from the start state to the shut-down state, and the second airflow sensor 202 remains in the shut-down state;

[0181] Based on the start / stop state and / or the change of the start / stop state of the above-mentioned airflow sensor, the airflow change trend in the airflow channel can be deduced, such as the start, increase, decrease to stop of air intake, so as to control the start / stop of the heater and the corresponding working power.

[0182] In one embodiment, the start and stop of the heater and the working power of the heater are controlled according to the start and stop state and / or the change of the start and stop state of the first airflow sensor 201 and the second airflow sensor 202, so that the heater is started and stopped in time, and the heater is operated at a working power that matches the corresponding airflow pressure change in the above-mentioned airflow channel. Specifically, firstly, the current and previous start and stop states of the first airflow sensor 201 and the second airflow sensor 202 are determined, the previous start and stop state is the start and stop state of the airflow sensor at the previous moment in a continuous time period, and the current refers to the start and stop state at the current moment, so as to obtain the start and stop change of the airflow sensor to control the heater, and the control of the heater includes at least one of the following:

[0183] If the first airflow sensor 201 and the second airflow sensor 202 are both currently in the off state, the heater is controlled not to work, for example Figure 3 The current time is in the time period 0-T0;

[0184] If the first airflow sensor 201 changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, and the second airflow sensor 202 remains in the closed state, the heater is controlled to start and operate at the first preset power, for example Figure 3 The pre-sequence state is the state in the time period of 0-T0, and the current state is the time T0; the first preset power is greater than zero and less than the maximum working power. In the present invention, the first preset power is used as the starting power, and a smaller working power can be selected for preheating when the heater is half-open;

[0185] If the first airflow sensor 201 remains in the activated state, and the second airflow sensor 202 changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, the operating power of the heater is controlled to increase to the second preset power, for example Figure 3 The pre-order state is the state in the T0-T1 time period, and the current state is the T1 moment; the second preset power is greater than the first preset power and less than or equal to the maximum working power. In the present invention, the first preset power can be 50% of the maximum working power, that is, the heater is half-open. In this state, the first preset power can also be gradually increased to the maximum working power from the first preset power. When the air pressure at all detection positions reaches the lowest, the heater is controlled to the maximum working power;

[0186] If the first airflow sensor 201 is in the activated state, and the second airflow sensor 202 is changed from the previous activated state to the current closed state, the operating power of the heater is controlled to be reduced to the third preset power, for example Figure 3The previous state is the state in the T1-T2 time period, and the current state is the state at the T2 moment; the third preset power is greater than zero and less than the maximum working power. In the present invention, the third preset power can be equal to the second preset power and can be 50% of the maximum working power, and the heater is in a half-open state;

[0187] If the first airflow sensor 201 changes from the previous start state to the current off state, and the second airflow sensor 202 remains in the off state, the heater is controlled to stop working, for example Figure 3 The previous state is the state in the T2-T3 time period, and the current state is the state at time T3.

[0188] In one embodiment, the changing trend of the suction force during a single puff can be determined based on the changes in the start and stop states of the first airflow sensor 201 and the second airflow sensor 202, so that the heater can be controlled to a suitable working power according to the changing trend of the suction force. This action can accurately predict the user's inhalation trend, such as increased inhalation and decreased inhalation, and prepare the user to start or stop the heating action in advance, so that the response is timely and the user experience is improved. In addition, the working power is adjusted according to the inhalation trend, which can effectively save aerosol generating materials and battery resources.

[0189] Specifically, firstly, the current and previous start / stop states of the first airflow sensor 201 and the second airflow sensor 202 are determined, and the determination of the change trend of the suction force and the corresponding method of controlling the heater include at least one of the following situations, such as shown in Table 1:

[0190]

[0191] Table 1

[0192] 1) If the first airflow sensor 201 changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, and the second airflow sensor 202 remains in the closed state, it is determined that the suction has changed from zero to one, and the heater is started and increased to the first preset power. In the present invention, the first preset power is greater than zero and less than the maximum working power. The first preset power can be used as the starting power to select a smaller working power for preheating when the heater is half-open;

[0193] 2) If the first airflow sensor 201 remains in the activated state, and the second airflow sensor 202 changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, it is determined that the suction force is increased, and the heater working power is increased. In the present invention, it can be increased to a second preset power, which can be 50% of the maximum working power, that is, the heater is half-opened as a preheating action before fully opening;

[0194] 3) If the first airflow sensor 201 and the second airflow sensor 202 are previously and currently in the activated state, it is determined that the suction force reaches the set threshold, and the working power of the heater is controlled to the maximum working power. In the present invention, the set threshold may be the suction force at which the airflow pressure at the detection position reaches the lowest value. At this time, the suction force is the strongest and the heater is fully turned on;

[0195] 4) If the first airflow sensor 201 remains in the activated state, and the second airflow sensor 202 changes from the previous activated state to the current closed state, it is determined that the suction force is reduced, and the heater working power is reduced to a third preset power, which is greater than zero and less than the maximum working power. In the present invention, the third preset power can be equal to 50% of the second preset maximum working power, which is in a half-open state as a preparation state before the heater is about to stop completely;

[0196] 5) If the first airflow sensor 201 changes from the previous start-up state to the current off state, and the second airflow sensor 202 remains in the off state, it is determined that the suction is stopped and the heater is controlled to be turned off.

[0197] In order to illustrate the principle and effect of realizing multi-level air pressure detection by setting airflow sensors with the same negative pressure threshold at detection positions with different cross-sectional areas, the above embodiment only shows two detection positions and two corresponding airflow sensors, but this does not mean a specific limitation on the specific detection positions and the number of airflow sensors used in the present invention, and any changes in quantity should be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0198] Further, in order to illustrate the multi-level air pressure detection effect achieved by multiple detection positions and multiple airflow sensors, the present invention provides an aerosol supply system, which is based on the above-mentioned shell 100 structure and also includes at least three detection positions distributed along the airflow direction and each detection position corresponds to an airflow sensor. The cross-sectional areas of the at least three detection positions are different and increase successively. The airflow sensors have the same negative pressure threshold. The control unit is configured to control the start and stop of the heater and the working power of the heater according to the start and stop status and / or the change of the start and stop status of the at least three airflow sensors. The remaining configuration is the same as the aerosol supply system of the above-mentioned two detection positions, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0199] In one embodiment, for ease of description, this embodiment is as follows Figure 4As shown, only three detection positions A, B and C are shown, and each position corresponds to an airflow pressure of PA, PB and PC, respectively. The negative pressure threshold of the airflow sensor at the corresponding position is Pm. The start and stop of the heater and the working power of the heater are controlled according to the start and stop states and / or the changes in the start and stop states of the three airflow sensors. First, the current and previous start and stop states of the three airflow sensors are judged, so as to obtain the start and stop changes of the airflow sensors to control the heater, so that the heater works in a way that matches the airflow change trend. The control of the heater includes at least one of the following;

[0200] If all airflow sensors are currently in the off state, that is, PA, PB and PC have not reached Pm, and the airflow sensors are not triggered, the control heater will not work;

[0201] In the order from detection position A to detection position C, when the three airflow sensors are changed from the previous closed state to the current sequential start-up, the working power of the heater is controlled to increase step by step. In the present invention, the level of gradual increase varies according to the detection position and the number of airflow sensors, and the corresponding level of power setting is adopted. For example, when the airflow sensors are sequentially started, the airflow sensor corresponding to the detection position A is started first, and when the other two are not started, the heater is increased to the first level of working power, the airflow sensors at the detection position A and the detection position B are started, and the airflow sensor at the detection position C is not started, the heater is increased to the second level of working power, and when all the airflow sensors are started, the heater is increased to the third level of working power, wherein the second level of working power is greater than the first level of working power and less than the third level of working power, and the third level of power can be the maximum working power;

[0202] In the order from detection position A to detection position C, when the three airflow sensors change from the previous start-up state to the current stop state, the working power of the control heater is reduced step by step. In the present invention, the level of gradual reduction can correspond to the level of gradual increase. According to the change in the number of detection positions and airflow sensors, the corresponding level of power setting is adopted. For example, when the airflow sensors stop in sequence, the airflow sensor corresponding to the detection position C is turned off first, and when the other two are still started, the heater is reduced to the fourth level of working power. The airflow sensors at the detection positions C and B are all turned off. When the airflow sensor at the detection position A is still started, the heater is reduced to the fifth level of working power. When all the airflow sensors are turned off, the heater is reduced to off, wherein the fourth level of working power is greater than the fifth level of working power and less than the maximum working power. In the present invention, the fourth level of working power can be equal to the second level of working power, and the fifth level of working power can be equal to the first level of working power.

[0203] In one embodiment, the changing trend of the suction intensity during a single puff can be determined based on the changes in the start and stop states of at least three airflow sensors, so that the heater can be controlled to an appropriate working power based on the changing trend of the suction intensity. This action can not only accurately predict the user's inhalation trend through more airflow sensors, but also have more state changes when the working power is adaptively changed, and the control levels are more and more precise, which is more conducive to improving the user experience and saving aerosol generating materials and battery resources.

[0204] Specifically, for ease of description, this embodiment is as follows Figure 4 As shown, only three detection positions A, B and C are shown, and each position corresponds to airflow pressure PA, PB and PC, respectively. The negative pressure threshold of the airflow sensor at the corresponding position is Pm. First, the current and previous start and stop states of the airflow sensors corresponding to the three detection positions are determined, and the determination of the change trend of the suction force and the corresponding method of controlling the heater include at least one of the following situations, such as shown in Table 2:

[0205]

[0206]

[0207] Table 2

[0208] 1) In the order from detection position A to detection position C, if the airflow sensor at detection position A changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, and other sensors remain in the closed state, it is determined that the suction has changed from non-existent to existing, and the heater is activated;

[0209] 2) and 3) are that in the order from detection position A to detection position C, the three airflow sensors are changed from the previous closed state to the current sequentially activated state, and it is judged that the suction force increases, and the working power of the heater is controlled to increase step by step. For example, the first power is less than the second power, and it increases step by step;

[0210] 4) If all airflow sensors are currently in the activated state, it is determined that the suction force reaches a set threshold, which may be a peak value, and the heater operating power is controlled to the third maximum operating power, that is, the heater is fully turned on;

[0211] 5) and 6) are that when the three airflow sensors change from the previous start state to the stop state in sequence from the detection position A to the detection position C, it is judged that the suction force is reduced, and the working power of the heater is controlled to be reduced step by step. For example, the fourth power is greater than the fifth power, and they decrease in level. In the present invention, the fourth power can be equal to the second power, and the fifth power can be equal to the first power;

[0212] 7) In the order from detection position A to detection position C, if the airflow sensor at detection position C changes from the previous start state to the current shutdown state, and other sensors remain in the shutdown state, it is determined that the suction has stopped and the heater is controlled to be turned off.

[0213] It can be seen from the above that in the process of increasing the suction force and in the process of decreasing the suction force, with the increase of detection positions and airflow sensors, the start and stop conditions of the airflow sensors also increase in multiple states accordingly. The start and stop conditions refer to: the comprehensive start and stop conditions of all airflow sensors, such as the airflow sensor at detection position A is started, and the airflow sensors at detection positions B and C are stopped. Through multiple states, the heater can be controlled to have more levels of working power changes, and in the process of increasing the suction force and in the process of decreasing the suction force, the working power of each level can be the same or different.

[0214] It should be pointed out that although the various steps in the above embodiments are described in a specific order, those skilled in the art can understand that in order to achieve the effects of the present invention, different steps do not have to be performed in such an order. They can be performed simultaneously (in parallel) or in other orders. These changes are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0215] In one embodiment of the present invention, in the aerosol supply system comprising two airflow sensors and three airflow sensors, Figure 1 As shown, the airflow channel 101 forms a detection position through the built-in structural member 102. The air in the existing airflow channel passes through the airflow sensor from all directions. The present invention forms a detection position through the structural member 102, so that the airflow passes along a path with varying width, thereby causing the airflow sensor to generate a state combination and predict user behavior. In the present invention, the structural member 102 and the airflow channel 101 are integrally formed or detachably installed. The detachable installation can optionally add an airway sealing wall. Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the structural member 102 can be arranged in a stepped manner, and the detection position is located at different steps, and an airflow sensor is correspondingly arranged, such as Figure 5 As shown, the structural member can be arranged in a trumpet shape to meet the requirements of cross-sectional area variation, and an airflow sensor is arranged at different cross-sectional areas. Preferably, the distances between adjacent airflow sensors are equal. Further, in the present invention, all airflow sensors adopt the same specifications, which not only ensures the same negative pressure threshold, but also other parameters are the same, which is conducive to more accurate sensing of the airflow pressure in the airflow channel 101. The airflow sensor can adopt a microphone sensor or a MEMS sensor.

[0216] It should be noted that the control unit in the present invention includes a memory, one or more processors, and one or more applications, wherein the one or more applications are stored in the memory, and when the one or more applications are configured to be called by the one or more processors, the one or more processors execute the various control methods described in the above technical solution. The specific working process and related instructions of the control unit can refer to the contents described in the embodiment of the aerosol supply system, which will not be repeated here.

[0217] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the modules in the system may be adaptively split or merged. Such splitting or merging of specific modules will not cause the technical solution to deviate from the principle of the present invention, and therefore, the technical solutions after splitting or merging will fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0218] It should be understood that the various parts of the present invention can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. In the above-mentioned embodiments, a plurality of steps or methods can be implemented by software or firmware stored in a memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented by hardware, as in another embodiment, it can be implemented by any one of the following technologies known in the art or their combination: a discrete logic circuit having a logic gate circuit for implementing a logic function for a data signal, a dedicated integrated circuit having a suitable combination of logic gate circuits, a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.

[0219] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0220] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0221] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0222] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not to be construed as limitations of the present invention. A person skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and vary the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An aerosol supply system, It is characterized in that include: case; an air flow channel, disposed in the housing; a first detection position and a second detection position located in the airflow channel and distributed along the airflow direction, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the first detection position is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the second detection position; A first airflow sensor and a second airflow sensor, wherein the first airflow sensor is disposed at the first detection position, and the second airflow sensor is disposed at the second detection position, wherein the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor are configured to sense the airflow at the detection position and be triggered to start when the intensity of the airflow passing through reaches a negative pressure threshold thereof, and the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor have the same negative pressure threshold; a heater configured to heat the aerosol generating material to supply the aerosol flow; as well as The control unit is configured to control the start and stop of the heater and the working power of the heater according to the start and stop state and / or the change of the start and stop state of the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor.

2. The aerosol supply system according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The control unit is configured to determine a change trend of the suction force according to changes in the start and stop states of the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor during a single puff, thereby controlling the adaptive change of the working power.

3. The aerosol supply system according to claim 2, It is characterized in that Along the airflow direction during suction, the first detection position is located downstream of the second detection position.

4. An aerosol supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that The airflow channel forms the first detection position and the second detection position through built-in structural components.

5. The aerosol supply system according to claim 4, It is characterized in that The structural member is integrally formed with the air flow channel or is detachably installed.

6. The aerosol supply system according to claim 5, It is characterized in that The structural member is arranged in a stepped manner, and the first detection position and the second detection position are located on different steps.

7. The aerosol supply system according to claim 5, It is characterized in that The structural member is arranged in a trumpet shape.

8. The aerosol supply system according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor are both airflow sensors of the same specification.

9. An aerosol supply system, It is characterized in that include: case; an air flow channel, disposed in the housing; At least three detection positions located in the airflow channel and distributed along the airflow direction, wherein the cross-sectional areas of the at least three detection positions are different and increase in sequence; At least three airflow sensors, one airflow sensor corresponding to each detection position, the at least three airflow sensors are configured to sense the airflow at the detection position and be triggered when the intensity of the airflow reaches its own negative pressure threshold, and the at least three airflow sensors have the same negative pressure threshold; a heater configured to heat the aerosol generating material to supply the aerosol flow; as well as The control unit is configured to control the start and stop of the heater and the working power of the heater according to the start and stop states and / or changes in the start and stop states of the at least three airflow sensors.

10. The aerosol supply system according to claim 9, It is characterized in that The control unit is configured to determine the change of the suction force according to the change of the start and stop states of the at least three airflow sensors during a single puffing process, thereby controlling the adaptive change of the working power.

11. The aerosol supply system according to claim 10, It is characterized in that The airflow sensors at the at least three detection positions are configured to start in sequence when the suction force gradually increases and stop in sequence when the suction force gradually decreases, in order from the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area to the detection position with the largest cross-sectional area.

12. The aerosol supply system according to claim 10, It is characterized in that Along the airflow direction during suction, the cross-sectional areas of the at least three detection positions decrease sequentially.

13. An aerosol supply system according to any one of claims 9 to 12, It is characterized in that The airflow channel forms the at least three detection positions through built-in structural components.

14. The aerosol supply system according to claim 13, It is characterized in that The structural member is integrally formed with the air flow channel or is detachably installed.

15. The aerosol supply system according to claim 13, It is characterized in that The structural member is arranged in a stepped manner, and the at least three detection positions are located on different levels of the steps.

16. The aerosol supply system according to claim 13, It is characterized in that The structural member is arranged in a trumpet shape.

17. The aerosol supply system according to claim 9, It is characterized in that The at least three airflow sensors are all airflow sensors of the same specification.

18. A method for controlling an aerosol supply system, based on the aerosol supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, It is characterized in that The method comprises: controlling the start and stop of the heater and the working power of the heater according to the trigger start state, the start and stop state and / or the change of the start and stop state of the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor.

19. The control method according to claim 18, It is characterized in that The method comprises: Determine the current and previous start / stop states of the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor; If the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor are both currently in the off state, the heater is controlled not to work; and / or, If the first airflow sensor changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, and the second airflow sensor remains in the closed state, the heater is controlled to start and operate at a first preset power; the first preset power is greater than zero and less than the maximum operating power; and / or, If the first airflow sensor remains in the activated state, and the second airflow sensor changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, the operating power of the heater is controlled to increase to a second preset power; the second preset power is greater than the first preset power and less than or equal to the maximum operating power; and / or, If the first airflow sensor is in an activated state, and the second airflow sensor changes from a previous activated state to a current closed state, the operating power of the heater is controlled to be reduced to a third preset power; the third preset power is greater than zero and less than the maximum operating power; and / or, If the first airflow sensor changes from a previous activated state to a current closed state, and the second airflow sensor remains in the closed state, the heater is controlled to stop working.

20. The control method according to claim 18, It is characterized in that During a single puffing process, the change trend of the puffing intensity is determined according to the start / stop state changes of the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor, thereby controlling the adaptive change of the working power.

21. The control method according to claim 20, It is characterized in that The determining of the change trend of the suction force, thereby controlling the adaptive change of the working power, includes at least one of the following: i) activating the heater when judging that the suction changes from no suction to some suction; ii) increasing the working power when it is judged that the suction force increases; iii) reducing the operating power when it is judged that the suction force is reduced; iv) applying maximum operating power to the heater when it is determined that the suction force reaches a set threshold; v) Turning off the heater when it is determined that the suction has stopped.

22. The control method according to claim 21, It is characterized in that The method comprises: If it is determined that the suction changes from no suction to some suction, the heater is controlled to start and increase to a first preset power; the first preset power is greater than zero and less than the maximum working power; and / or, If it is determined that the suction force increases, the operating power of the heater is controlled to increase to a second preset power; the second preset power is greater than the first preset power and less than or equal to the maximum operating power; and / or, If it is determined that the suction force is reduced, the operating power of the heater is controlled to be reduced to a third preset power; the third preset power is greater than zero and less than the maximum operating power; and / or, If it is determined that the suction force reaches the set threshold, the operating power of the heater is controlled to the maximum operating power; and / or, If it is determined that the suction has stopped, the heater is controlled to be turned off.

23. The control method according to claim 21, It is characterized in that The method of determining the change trend of the suction force according to the start / stop state changes of the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor includes: Determine the current and previous start / stop states of the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor; If the first airflow sensor changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, and the second airflow sensor remains in the closed state, it is determined that the suction has changed from non-existence to existence; and / or, If the first airflow sensor remains in the activated state, and the second airflow sensor changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, it is determined that the suction force is increased; and / or, If the first airflow sensor remains in the activated state, and the second airflow sensor changes from the previous activated state to the current closed state, it is determined that the suction force is reduced; and / or, If the first airflow sensor and the second airflow sensor are previously and currently in an activated state, it is determined that the suction force reaches a set threshold; and / or, If the first airflow sensor changes from the previous activation state to the current shutdown state, and the second airflow sensor remains in the shutdown state, it is determined that the suction is stopped.

24. The control method according to claim 19 or 23, It is characterized in that The second preset power is equal to the third preset power.

25. The control method according to claim 19 or 23, It is characterized in that At least one of the second preset power and the third preset power is 50% of the maximum operating power.

26. A method for controlling an aerosol supply system, based on the aerosol supply system according to any one of claims 9 to 17, It is characterized in that The method comprises: controlling the start and stop of the heater and the working power of the heater according to the start and stop states and / or changes in the start and stop states of the at least three airflow sensors.

27. The control method according to claim 26, It is characterized in that The method comprises: Determining current and previous start / stop states of the at least three airflow sensors; If all airflow sensors are currently in the off state, the heater is controlled not to work; and / or, When the at least three airflow sensors are switched from the previous closed state to the current sequentially started state in the order from the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area to the detection position with the largest cross-sectional area, the operating power of the heater is controlled to increase step by step; and / or, When the at least three airflow sensors are changed from the previous start state to the current stop state in sequence from the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area to the detection position with the largest cross-sectional area, the working power of the heater is controlled to be reduced step by step; and / or, If all the airflow sensors are currently in the activated state, the operating power of the heater is controlled to be at the maximum operating power.

28. The control method according to claim 26, It is characterized in that The method comprises: in a single puffing process, judging the change of the puffing force according to the change of the start and stop state of the at least three airflow sensors, thereby controlling the adaptive change of the working power.

29. The control method according to claim 28, It is characterized in that The determining of the change in the suction force, thereby controlling the adaptive change in the working power, includes at least one of the following: vi) activating the heater when judging that the suction changes from no to some; vii) increasing the working power when it is judged that the suction force increases; viii) reducing the operating power when it is determined that the suction force has decreased; ix) applying maximum working power to the heater when it is determined that the suction force reaches a set threshold; x) Turning off the heater when it is determined that the suction has stopped.

30. The control method according to claim 29, It is characterized in that The method comprises: If it is determined that the suction force increases, the operating power of the heater is controlled to increase step by step; and / or, If it is determined that the suction force is reduced, the operating power of the heater is controlled to be reduced step by step; and / or, If it is determined that the suction force reaches the set threshold, the operating power of the heater is controlled to the maximum operating power.

31. The control method according to claim 29, It is characterized in that The method of determining the change of the suction force according to the change of the start and stop states of the at least three airflow sensors includes: Determining current and previous start / stop states of the at least three airflow sensors; In the order from the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area to the detection position with the largest cross-sectional area, if the airflow sensor at the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area changes from the previous closed state to the current activated state, and other sensors remain in the closed state, it is determined that the suction changes from non-existence to existence; and / or, When the at least three airflow sensors are turned from a previous closed state to a current sequentially activated state in the order from the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area to the detection position with the largest cross-sectional area, it is determined that the suction force increases; and / or, When the at least three airflow sensors are sequentially stopped from the previous start state in the order from the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area to the detection position with the largest cross-sectional area, it is determined that the suction force is reduced; and / or, If all airflow sensors are currently in an activated state, it is determined that the suction force reaches a set threshold; and / or, In order from the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area to the detection position with the largest cross-sectional area, if the airflow sensor at the detection position with the smallest cross-sectional area changes from the previous start-up state to the current closed state, and other sensors remain in the closed state, it is determined that the suction has stopped.

32. The control method according to claim 29, It is characterized in that The method comprises: during the process of increasing the suction force, marking at least one of the start and stop conditions of the airflow sensor as a first state; during the process of decreasing the suction force, marking at least one of the start and stop conditions of the airflow sensor as a second state; When the first state and the second state are the same, the heater is controlled to have the same working power in the two states.

33. The control method according to claim 32, It is characterized in that The number of the airflow sensors is N, the level of the working power is X, X≤N+1, and the method comprises: each time the start and stop of the airflow sensor changes, controlling the working power of the heater to be adjusted to a matching working power.

34. The control method according to claim 29, It is characterized in that The method comprises: during the process of increasing the suction force, marking at least one of the start and stop conditions of the airflow sensor as a first state; during the process of decreasing the suction force, marking at least one of the start and stop conditions of the airflow sensor as a second state; When the first state and the second state are the same, the heater is controlled to have different operating powers.

35. The control method according to claim 34, It is characterized in that The number of the airflow sensors is N, the level of the working power is X, X≤2N, and the method comprises: each time the start and stop of the airflow sensor changes, controlling the working power of the heater to be adjusted to a matching working power.

Images