Aerosol delivery systems having liquid volume estimation through the characteristics of aerosol delivery systems

Abstract

The aerosol delivery system comprises: a reservoir holding a liquid to be vaporized—the liquid is of a first liquid type—; a vaporizer for vaporizing the liquid from the reservoir; and a controller, wherein the controller determines the mass of the aerosol generated by the vaporizer during the puff using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for a specific aerosol delivery system vaporizing a liquid of a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type, from a power level value representing the level of power supplied to the vaporizer during the puff taken by the user and a puff duration value representing the duration of the puff; and estimates the amount of liquid in the reservoir after the puff using the determined mass of the aerosol and a known amount of liquid in the reservoir prior to the puff; and the features of the aerosol delivery system are modified compared with the specific aerosol delivery system to compensate for the difference in the vaporization behavior of the first liquid type compared with the specific liquid type.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery systems configured to estimate the amount of liquid in a reservoir of an aerosol delivery system through one or more features of the aerosol delivery system, and methods for estimating the amount of liquid in the aerosol delivery system. Background Technology

[0002] Aerosol delivery systems that deliver aerosols for inhalation by a user are known, including e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems that deliver nicotine in aerosols. In some systems, aerosols are generated by vaporizing a liquid to form vapor, which accompanies the flow of air inhaled through the system when the user inhales or "puffs" through the system's mouthpiece. Vaporization is often generated by heating the liquid with an electrically powered heater containing one or more heating elements; these and similar arrangements may be referred to as vaporizers. The liquid is stored in the system's tank or reservoir and delivered to the vaporizer at an appropriate rate to be vaporized. For example, this can be achieved by a porous wick that establishes a liquid flow path between the inside of the reservoir and the heater.

[0003] The user can continue to use the aerosol delivery system as long as there is available liquid in the reservoir. When the liquid is depleted, aerosols can no longer be generated, and depending on the system design, the user must replace the entire system, replace the reservoir with a new, full reservoir, replace the cartridge portion of the system containing the reservoir and possibly the vaporizer with a new cartridge having a full reservoir, or refill the reservoir with more liquid from a separate reservoir. If the user can monitor the consumption of the liquid, for example, by tracking their use of the aerosol delivery system and recognizing when the reservoir is empty, it is useful to be prepared for any of the above actions to obtain a new supply of liquid. To this end, various options have been proposed, including a reservoir with transparent walls that allow the user to directly observe the amount of remaining liquid, and various sensors configured to measure or detect the liquid level within the reservoir. However, these approaches require specific features of the reservoir or features directly associated with the reservoir, which may need to be replaced along with the reservoir in systems with replaceable cartridges.

[0004] Therefore, approaches for determining the amount of liquid in the reservoir of an aerosol delivery system are of interest.

[0005] According to a first aspect of some embodiments described herein, an aerosol delivery system is provided, comprising: a reservoir holding a liquid to be vaporized—the liquid is of a first liquid type—; a vaporizer for vaporizing the liquid from the reservoir; and a controller, wherein the controller determines the mass of an aerosol generated by the vaporizer during a puff by using an equation relating the power level and puff duration for a specific aerosol delivery system vaporizing a liquid of a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type to the mass of the aerosol from a power level value representing the level of power supplied to the vaporizer during a puff taken by a user and a puff duration value representing the duration of the puff; and estimating the amount of liquid in the reservoir after the puff using the determined mass of the aerosol and a known amount of liquid in the reservoir prior to the puff; and the features of the aerosol delivery system are modified compared with the specific aerosol delivery system to compensate for the difference in vaporization behavior of the first liquid type compared with the specific liquid type.

[0006] According to a second aspect of some embodiments described herein, an aerosol delivery system is provided, comprising: a reservoir holding an initial volume of liquid to be vaporized—the liquid is a first liquid type—; a vaporizer for vaporizing the liquid from the reservoir; and a controller, wherein the controller determines the mass of aerosol generated by the vaporizer during a puff using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for an aerosol delivery system having a reservoir holding a specific initial volume of a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type, from a power level value representing a level of power supplied to the vaporizer during a puff taken by a user and a puff duration value representing a duration of the puff, and using a reservoir having the same type of vaporizer and a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type; and is configured to estimate the amount of liquid in the reservoir after the puff using the determined mass of the aerosol and a known amount of liquid in the reservoir prior to the puff; and the initial volume of the first liquid type in the reservoir is modified compared to the specific initial volume to compensate for the difference in vaporization behavior of the first liquid type compared to the specific liquid type.

[0007] According to a third aspect of some embodiments described herein, a method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol delivery system is provided, the method comprising: obtaining a power level value indicating a level of power applied to a vaporizer of the aerosol delivery system during a puff taken by a user — the vaporizer is configured to generate an aerosol by vaporizing a liquid from a reservoir of the aerosol delivery system, and the reservoir holds a liquid of a first liquid type —; obtaining a puff duration value indicating a duration of the puff; and determining the mass of the aerosol generated by the vaporizer during the puff using an equation relating the power level and the puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for a specific aerosol delivery system that vaporizes a liquid of a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type, from the power level value and the puff duration value. and includes the step of estimating the amount of liquid in the storage tank after puffing using the determined mass of the aerosol and the known amount of liquid in the storage tank before puffing, wherein the characteristics of the aerosol delivery system are modified compared with a specific aerosol delivery system to compensate for the difference in the vaporization behavior of a first liquid type compared with a specific liquid type.

[0008] According to a fourth aspect of some embodiments described herein, a method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol delivery system is provided, the method comprising: obtaining a power level value indicating a level of power applied to a vaporizer of the aerosol delivery system during a puff taken by a user — the vaporizer is configured to generate an aerosol by vaporizing a liquid from a reservoir of the aerosol delivery system, and the reservoir holds an initial volume of a liquid of a first liquid type —; obtaining a puff duration value indicating a duration of the puff; determining, from the power level value and the puff duration value, the mass of the aerosol generated by the vaporizer during the puff using an equation relating the power level and the puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for an aerosol delivery system having a vaporizer of the same type and a reservoir holding a specific initial volume of a liquid of a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type, or a cartridge for the same; and estimating the amount of liquid in the reservoir after the puff using the determined mass of the aerosol and a known amount of liquid in the reservoir prior to the puff; The initial volume of the first type of liquid in the storage tank is modified compared to a specific initial volume to compensate for the difference in the vaporization behavior of the first type of liquid compared to a specific liquid type.

[0009] According to a fifth aspect of some embodiments described herein, an aerosol delivery system is provided, comprising: a reservoir holding a liquid to be vaporized—the liquid is of a first liquid type—; a vaporizer for vaporizing the liquid from the reservoir; and a controller, wherein the controller determines the mass of aerosol produced by the vaporizer during a puff by using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of aerosol for an aerosol delivery system having a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type, from a power level value representing the level of power supplied to the vaporizer during a puff taken by a user and a puff duration value representing the duration of the puff, and using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of aerosol for an aerosol delivery system having a specific liquid type having the same type of vaporizer; and is configured to estimate the amount of liquid in the reservoir after a puff using the determined mass of aerosol and a known amount of liquid in the reservoir prior to the puff, and the composition of the first liquid type is modified by comparison with the specific liquid type so that the first liquid type has the same vaporization behavior as the specific liquid type.

[0010] According to a sixth aspect of some embodiments described herein, a method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol dispensing system is provided, the method comprising: obtaining a power level value indicating a level of power applied to a vaporizer of the aerosol dispensing system during a puff taken by a user — the vaporizer is configured to generate an aerosol by vaporizing a liquid from a reservoir of the aerosol dispensing system, and the reservoir holds a liquid of a first liquid type —; obtaining a puff duration value indicating a duration of the puff; determining, from the power level value and the puff duration value, the mass of the aerosol generated by the vaporizer during the puff using an equation relating the power level and the puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for an aerosol dispensing system or a cartridge therefor having a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type and having a vaporizer of the same type; and estimating the amount of liquid in the reservoir after the puff using the determined mass of the aerosol and a known amount of liquid in the reservoir prior to the puff; The first liquid type has a composition that is modified compared to a specific liquid type so that the first liquid type has the same vaporization behavior as the specific liquid type.

[0011] According to a seventh aspect of some embodiments described herein, an aerosol delivery system is provided, comprising: a reservoir holding a liquid to be vaporized—the liquid is of a first liquid type—; a vaporizer for vaporizing the liquid from the reservoir; and a controller, wherein the controller determines the mass of aerosol produced by the vaporizer during a puff using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of aerosol for an aerosol delivery system having a vaporizer of a specific configuration and a liquid of a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type, from a power level value representing the level of power supplied to the vaporizer during a puff taken by a user and a puff duration value representing the duration of the puff; and estimating the amount of liquid in the reservoir after a puff using the determined mass of aerosol and a known amount of liquid in the reservoir prior to the puff, and the vaporizer is modified compared with the specific configuration to deliver a different amount of thermal energy to vaporize the liquid from the level of power supplied and thereby compensate for the difference in vaporization behavior of the first liquid type compared with the specific liquid type.

[0012] According to an eighth aspect of some embodiments described herein, a method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol dispensing system is provided, the method comprising: obtaining a power level value indicating a level of power applied to a vaporizer of the aerosol dispensing system during a puff taken by a user — the vaporizer is configured to generate an aerosol by vaporizing a liquid from a reservoir of the aerosol dispensing system, and the reservoir holds a liquid of a first liquid type —; obtaining a puff duration value indicating a duration of the puff; determining, from the power level value and the puff duration value, the mass of the aerosol generated by the vaporizer during the puff using an equation relating the power level and the puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for an aerosol dispensing system or a cartridge therefor having a vaporizer of a specific configuration and a liquid of a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type; and estimating the amount of liquid in the reservoir after the puff using the determined mass of the aerosol and a known amount of liquid in the reservoir prior to the puff; The vaporizer delivers different amounts of thermal energy to vaporize the liquid from the level of supplied power and is thereby modified compared to a specific configuration to compensate for the difference in the vaporization behavior of a first liquid type compared to a specific liquid type.

[0013] According to a ninth aspect of some embodiments described herein, an aerosol delivery system is provided, comprising: a reservoir holding a liquid to be vaporized — the liquid is of a first liquid type —; a vaporizer for vaporizing the liquid from the reservoir — the vaporizer is located within an air flow path —; and a controller, wherein the controller determines the mass of an aerosol generated by the vaporizer during a puff, using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of an aerosol for an aerosol delivery system having a vaporizer located within an air flow path of a specific configuration and having a liquid of a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type, from a power level value representing the level of power supplied to the vaporizer during a puff taken by a user and a puff duration value representing the duration of the puff; It is configured to estimate the amount of liquid in the reservoir after puffing using the determined mass of the aerosol and the known amount of liquid in the reservoir before puffing, and the air flow path is modified compared with a specific configuration to provide different air flows passing through the vaporizer and thereby compensate for the difference in the vaporization behavior of a first liquid type compared with a specific liquid type.

[0014] According to a tenth aspect of some embodiments described herein, a method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol delivery system is provided, the method comprising: obtaining a power level value indicating a level of power applied to a vaporizer of the aerosol delivery system during a puff taken by a user — the vaporizer is located within an airflow path and is configured to generate an aerosol by vaporizing a liquid from a reservoir of the aerosol delivery system, and the reservoir holds a liquid of a first liquid type —; obtaining a puff duration value indicating a duration of the puff; determining the mass of the aerosol generated by the vaporizer during the puff using an equation relating the power level and the puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for an aerosol delivery system or a cartridge therefor having a vaporizer located within an airflow path of a specific configuration and having a liquid of a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type, from the power level value and the puff duration value; and estimating the amount of liquid in the reservoir after the puff using the determined mass of the aerosol and a known amount of liquid in the reservoir prior to the puff; The airflow path is modified compared to a specific configuration to provide different airflows passing through the vaporizer and thereby compensate for the difference in vaporization behavior of a first liquid type compared to a specific liquid type.

[0015] These and additional aspects of specific embodiments are set forth in the appended independent and dependent claims. It will be recognized that features of the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims in combinations other than those explicitly set forth in the claims. Furthermore, the approach described herein is not limited to specific embodiments such as those set forth below, but includes and considers any suitable combination of features set forth herein. For example, an aerosol delivery system and a method may be provided according to the approach described herein, including any one or more of the various features described below as appropriate. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0016] Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail by way of example only with reference to the following drawings: FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified schematic longitudinal section through an exemplary aerosol delivery system to which aspects of the present disclosure may be applied; FIG. 2 illustrates a graph of aerosol collection mass measurements for puff duration over a range of vaporizer power levels collected from a population of aerosol delivery systems having the same type of vaporizer; FIG. 3 illustrates the graph of FIG. 2 having linear optimal fit lines for each carburetor power level; FIG. 4 illustrates the graph of FIG. 2 having nonlinear optimal fit lines for each carburetor power level; FIG. 5 illustrates a simplified longitudinal section through an aerosol delivery system configured according to examples of aspects of the present disclosure; FIG. 6 illustrates simplified schematic depictions of reservoirs for aerosol delivery systems comprising different initial volumes of different types of liquids to compensate for differences in vaporization behavior between different types of liquids, in accordance with an example of the present disclosure; FIG. 7 illustrates, according to another example of the present disclosure, simplified schematic depictions of reservoirs for aerosol delivery systems filled with different initial volumes of different types of liquids having different capacities to compensate for differences in vaporization behavior between different types of liquids; FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of the steps of a first exemplary method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol delivery system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of the steps of a second exemplary method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol delivery system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of the steps of a third exemplary method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol delivery system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. FIGS. 11a through 11d illustrate simplified schematic side views of exemplary carburetors having different coil structures and in the form of wire coils to provide modifications to the carburetors according to the examples of the present disclosure; FIGS. 12a through 12d illustrate simplified schematic side views of exemplary vaporizers having distinct electrical connections of different configurations to provide modifications to the vaporizers according to another example of the present disclosure; FIGS. 13a and 13b illustrate simplified schematic side views of exemplary carburetors having distinct electrical connections having different resistance elements to provide modifications to the carburetors according to another example of the present disclosure; FIGS. 14a and 14b illustrate simplified schematic plan views of exemplary vaporizers having different porous structures to provide modifications to vaporizers according to additional examples of the present disclosure; FIG. 15 illustrates a flowchart of the steps of a fourth exemplary method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol delivery system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 illustrates a simplified schematic cross-sectional side view of an exemplary aerosol delivery system having an air flow path that can be modified according to aspects of the present disclosure; FIGS. 17a through 17c illustrate simplified schematic cross-sectional side views of exemplary air flow paths of different configurations for changing air flow velocity to provide modifications to the air flow paths according to examples of the present disclosure; FIG. 18 illustrates a simplified schematic cross-sectional side view of an exemplary airflow path having an alternative modification for changing the airflow velocity according to another example of the present disclosure; FIGS. 19a through 19c illustrate simplified schematic cross-sectional side views of exemplary airflow paths of different configurations for changing the airflow volume to provide modifications to the airflow paths according to additional examples of the present disclosure; FIG. 20 illustrates a simplified schematic cross-sectional side view of an exemplary airflow path having a modification for providing turbulent airflow according to another example of the present disclosure; FIG. 21 illustrates a flowchart of the steps of a fifth exemplary method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol delivery system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0017] Aspects and features of specific examples and embodiments are discussed and described herein. Some aspects and features of specific examples and embodiments may be implemented in a conventional manner and are not discussed or described in detail for the sake of brevity. Accordingly, it will be recognized that aspects and features of the apparatus and method discussed herein that are not described in detail may be implemented according to any conventional techniques for implementing such aspects and features.

[0018] As described above, the present disclosure relates to electronic aerosol or vapor delivery systems, such as e-cigarettes. Throughout the following description, the terms “e-cigarette” and “electronic cigarette” may be used from time to time; however, it will be recognized that these terms may be used interchangeably with aerosol (vapor) delivery systems or devices. Systems are intended to produce an inhalable aerosol by vaporizing an aerosol-forming substrate in liquid or gel form that may or may not contain nicotine. Additionally, hybrid systems may also include a liquid or gel substrate in addition to a solid substrate that is heated. The solid substrate may be, for example, tobacco or other non-tobacco products that may or may not contain nicotine. As used herein, the term “aerosolizable substrate material” is intended to refer to substrate materials capable of forming an aerosol through the application of heat or some other means. The term “aerosol” may be used interchangeably with “vapor.”

[0019] As used herein, the term “component” is used to refer to a part, section, unit, module, assembly, or similar of an electronic cigarette or similar device that may possibly contain several smaller parts or elements within an external housing or wall. An electronic cigarette may be formed or constructed from one or more such components, and the components may be removable or detachably connected to one another, or may be permanently joined together during manufacturing to define the entire electronic cigarette. For example, a system may comprise (at least) two components, comprising an aerosolizable substrate material carrying component (cartridge, cartomizer, or consumable, or simply “pod”) that is detachably connected to one another and holds, for example, a liquid or another aerosolizable substrate material, and a control unit or device (“device”) component having a controller for controlling the operation of the aerosol delivery system and a battery for providing electric power to operate an element for generating vapor from the substrate material. To provide specific examples, in this disclosure, a cartridge or atomizer (cartridge component or consumable) is described as an example of an aerosolizable substrate material carrying part or component in which the aerosolizable substrate material is a liquid or gel held in a reservoir or tank (storage area); however, this disclosure is not limited in this respect and is applicable to any configuration of an aerosol delivery system having a liquid reservoir. A cartridge component may include more or fewer parts than those included in the examples. The same applies to device components.

[0020] The present disclosure is particularly related to aerosol delivery systems and components thereof utilizing an aerosolizable substrate material in liquid or gel form held in a reservoir, tank, vessel, or other receptacle included in the system. In such systems, arrangements for delivering the substrate material from the reservoir are included for the purpose of providing the substrate material for vapor / aerosol generation. Terms such as "liquid," "gel," "fluid," "source liquid," "source gel," "source fluid," etc., may be used interchangeably with "aerosolizable substrate material" and "substrate material" to refer to an aerosolizable substrate material having a form that can be stored and delivered according to the examples of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a very schematic diagram (not scaled) of a typical exemplary aerosol / vapor delivery system such as an e-cigarette (10), presented for the purpose of illustrating the relationships between the various parts of a typical system and explaining the general operating principles. The electronic cigarette (10) in this example generally has an elongated shape, extends along a longitudinal axis indicated by a dashed line, and comprises two main components: a control or power component, section or unit (device component) (20), and a cartridge component, assembly or section (30) (sometimes referred to as a cartomizer or clearomizer) that carries an aerosolizable substrate material and acts as a vapor-generating component.

[0022] The cartridge component (30) comprises a reservoir (3) containing a source liquid or other aerosolizable substrate material comprising a formulation such as a liquid or gel to be aerosolized, for example, containing nicotine. For example, the source liquid may contain about 1 to 3% nicotine and 50% glycerol, with the remainder comprising water and propylene glycol in roughly equal proportions, and possibly other components such as flavorings. A nicotine-free source liquid may also be used to deliver flavorings. A solid substrate (not exemplified), such as a portion of tobacco or other flavoring elements, through which the vapor generated from the liquid passes may also be included. The reservoir (3) takes the form of a storage tank and is a container or receptacle in which the source liquid can be stored so that the liquid can move and flow freely within the boundaries of the tank. In the case of a consumable cartridge component (30), the reservoir (3) may be sealed after filling during manufacturing so that it becomes disposable after the source liquid is consumed, or it may have an inlet port or other opening to allow a user to add new source liquid. The cartridge component (30) also includes an electrically powered heating element or heater (4) located outside the reservoir tank (3) to generate an aerosol by vaporizing the source liquid by heating. Note that in other examples, the source liquid may be generated by an alternative power supply means, such as a vibrating mesh. More generally, the power supply means for vaporizing the liquid may be referred to as a vapor generating element or vaporizer. A liquid transfer or delivery arrangement (liquid transport element), such as a wick or other porous element (6), may be provided to transfer the source liquid from the reservoir (3) to the heater (4) or other vapor generator.The wick (6) may have one or more parts located inside the reservoir (3), or otherwise may be in fluid communication with the liquid inside the reservoir (3) to absorb the source liquid and transfer it to other parts of the wick (6) near or in contact with the heater (4) by wick action or capillary action. This liquid is thereby heated and vaporized, and replaced by a new source liquid from the reservoir for transfer to the heater (4) by the wick (6). The wick may be conceived as a bridge, path, or conduit that transfers or transmits liquid from the reservoir to the heater between the reservoir (3) and the heater (4). Terms including conduit, liquid conduit, liquid transfer path, liquid transfer path, liquid transfer mechanism or element, and liquid transfer mechanism or element may all be used interchangeably herein to refer to the wick or the corresponding component or structure.

[0023] The combination of a heater and a wick (or similar) is sometimes referred to as an atomizer or an atomizer assembly (7), and the reservoir (3) having the source liquid and the atomizer (7) may collectively be referred to as an aerosol source. Other terms may include a liquid transfer assembly or a liquid transport assembly, and in this context, these terms may be used interchangeably to refer to a vapor-generating element (vapor generator) and a wick action or similar component or structure (liquid transport element) that transfers or transports the liquid obtained from the reservoir to a vapor generator for vapor / aerosol generation. Various designs are possible, and the parts may be arranged differently compared to the very schematic representation in FIG. 1. For example, the wick (6) may be an element completely separate from the heater (4), or the heater (4) may be porous and configured to directly perform at least a part of the wick action function (e.g., a conductive mesh such as a metal mesh). In electrical or electronic devices, the vapor generating element may be an electric heating element operated by ohmic / resistive (Joule) heating or induction heating. Thus, generally, an atomizer may be considered as one or more elements that embody the functionality of a vapor-generating or vaporizing element capable of generating vapor from a source liquid delivered thereto, and the functionality of a liquid transport or delivery element capable of delivering or transporting liquid from a reservoir or similar liquid reservoir to the vapor generator by wick action / capillary force. The atomizer is typically housed in a cartridge component of an aerosol generating system. In some designs, liquid may be dispensed directly from the reservoir onto the vapor generator without the need for a separate wick action or capillary element. The embodiments of the disclosure are applicable to all such configurations consistent with the examples and descriptions of this specification.

[0024] Returning to FIG. 1, the cartridge component (30) also includes a mouthpiece or mouthpiece portion (35) having an opening or aerosol outlet that allows the user to inhale an aerosol generated by the atomizer (7). A single inhalation in which the user obtains a certain amount of aerosol will be referred to herein as a “puff.” In other designs, the mouthpiece may be provided as a separate component that can be permanently or detachably connected to the cartridge component (30).

[0025] A power component or control unit or, simply put, a device or device component (20) comprises a cell or battery (5) (hereinafter referred to as a battery, which may be rechargeable) for providing power to the electrical components of an electronic cigarette (10), particularly for operating a vaporizer such as a heater (4). Additionally, there is a controller (28), such as a printed circuit board and / or other electronic devices or circuits, for generally controlling the e-cigarette. The control electronic device / circuit (28) operates the heater (4) using power from the battery (5) when vapor is needed, in response to a signal from an air pressure sensor or air flow sensor ("puff sensor," not shown) that detects inhalation in the system (10) while air enters through one or more air inlets (26) in the wall of the device component (20), for example. When the heater (4) is operated, the heater (4) vaporizes the source liquid delivered from the reservoir (3) by the liquid delivery element (6) to produce an aerosol, which is then inhaled by the user through the opening of the mouthpiece (35). The aerosol is transported from the aerosol source to the mouthpiece (35) along one or more air flow channels (not shown in FIG. 1) connecting the air inlet(s) (26) to the aerosol source for the aerosol outlet when the user inhales on the mouthpiece (35). In this example, since the air inlets (26) to the system are located in the device component (20), the cartridge component (30) has its own air inlet(s) communicating with the device component (20) so that the air inhaled through the device component air inlet(s) (26) can reach the interior of the cartridge component (30) and the atomizer (7). In other designs, air inlets are located on the outer wall of the cartridge component (30) so that air enters directly into the cartridge component (30) instead of reaching through the device component (20).

[0026] The device component (control unit) (20) and the cartridge component (cartomizer, consumable) (30) are, in this example, separate connectable parts that are separable from each other and reattachable to each other by movement in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis as indicated by the two-way arrows of FIG. 1. Each component (20, 30) has a connecting part (21, 31) at an end facing toward the corresponding end of the other component, and the components (20, 30) are joined together by connecting elements (e.g., screws or bayonet fittings, or push-fits, snap-fits, or magnetic connections) that cooperate at the connecting parts (21, 31) when the aerosol delivery system (10) is ready for use or in use, which provides mechanical and, in this case, electrical connectivity between the device component (20) and the cartridge component (30). Electrical connectivity is required when the heater (4) is operated by ohmic heating, or when a vibrating mesh steam generator or other electrically powered vaporizer is used, and thus when these parts of the cartridge component (30) are connected to the battery (5) of the device component (20), current may pass through the heater (4) or otherwise be supplied to the vaporizer, and / or to any other electrically powered parts of the cartridge component (30). In systems using induction heating, electrical connectivity for steam generation may be omitted if the steam generating parts requiring electric power are not located in the cartridge component (30), but electric power may still need to be supplied to other electrical parts of the cartridge component.In the case of induction heating, an induction working coil may be housed in a device component (20) and powered from a battery (5), and the cartridge component (30) and the device component (20) are shaped so that there is proper exposure of the heater (4) to the flux generated by the coil for the purpose of generating current flow in the material of the heater (4) when they are connected. In the case of all non-inductively powered parts, the connecting parts (21, 31) include electrical contacts to complete electrical circuits between the powered parts and the battery (5) when the cartridge component (30) and the device component (20) are connected together. Additionally, in designs having one or more air inlets (26) on the outer wall(s) of the device component (20), apertures for air flow from the device component (20) to the cartridge component (30) are included in the connecting parts (21, 31) of the two components (20, 30). Accordingly, the connecting parts (21, 31) provide an interface between the cartridge component (30) and the device component (20). The design of FIG. 1 is merely an exemplary arrangement, and various parts and features may be distributed differently between the device component (20) and the cartridge component (30), and other unillustrated elements may be included. The two components (20, 30) may be connected end-to-end in a longitudinal configuration as in FIG. 1, or connected in different configurations such as parallel or side-by-side arrangements. The system may generally be cylindrical and / or may or may not have a longitudinal shape. Any one or both of the components (20, 30) may be intended to be discarded and replaced when depleted (e.g., when the storage tank (3) is empty or the battery (5) is discharged), or may be intended for multiple uses made possible by actions such as refilling the storage tank (3), replacing the storage tank independently of the cartridge component (30), and recharging the battery (5).In other examples, the aerosol delivery system (10) may be integral in that parts of the device component (20) and the cartridge component (30) are contained in a single housing and cannot be separated. The embodiments and examples of the present disclosure are applicable to any of these configurations and other configurations known to a person skilled in the art.

[0027] During the operation of the aerosol delivery system, an amount of aerosol is generated during a puff in the system, and the aerosol is delivered to the user through a mouthpiece for inhalation. Since the aerosol is generated by the vaporization of a liquid taken from a reservoir, the amount of aerosol in a puff corresponds to the amount of liquid vaporized to generate the puff, and as puffs continue, the liquid is consumed and the amount of remaining liquid in the reservoir decreases. In particular, the mass of the aerosol in a puff is related to the mass of the liquid used to generate the aerosol in that puff. It is proposed in this specification to estimate the amount of remaining liquid in the reservoir using the relationship between the amount of aerosol generated and the liquid consumed. By determining the mass of aerosol in one or more puffs, the amount of remaining liquid in the reservoir can be estimated by subtracting the mass of aerosol generated from the mass of liquid in the reservoir at a previous time—such as the total liquid mass in the reservoir at full capacity when the total accumulated aerosol mass is tracked—or from the mass of liquid in the reservoir prior to a specific puff when the aerosol mass of that puff is determined. While mass is a convenient metric to use in this procedure, other metrics may also be used, such as volume, or the relationship between one metric for the amount of aerosol and another for the amount of liquid.

[0028] Since the generated aerosol is delivered internally to the user through inhalation, it is not feasible to directly measure the amount of aerosol in a real-life puff when the user utilizes the aerosol delivery system. However, the amount of aerosol generated during a puff depends on known or determinable characteristics of the aerosol delivery system and measurable operational parameters of the aerosol delivery system. For example, the amount of aerosol depends on the puff duration, as longer puffs generate more aerosol than shorter puffs. The amount of aerosol also depends on the vaporizer operating power level, as a higher amount of power delivered to the vaporizer during a puff can increase the amount of aerosol, for example, by heating the vaporizer's heating element to a higher temperature. Factors such as these can be easily measured during the operation of the aerosol delivery system, and the controller can be configured to use the measured or otherwise verified values ​​for these factors to determine the amount of aerosol in the puff using a predetermined relationship between these factors and the amount of aerosol. From this, a corresponding decrease in the amount of liquid in the storage tank can be determined, allowing the amount of remaining liquid to be estimated. This can then be reported or displayed to the user. The user can then know their liquid consumption and prepare to replace or refill the storage tank as it approaches an empty state.

[0029] It is considered that any technique may be used to determine the amount of aerosol in such a way that the amount of generated aerosol is subtracted from the amount of liquid in the storage tank in a meaningful manner. As mentioned above, mass is a useful metric for this purpose. When mass is used, the approach proposed herein for determining the mass of aerosol generated from the puff is to use a metric designated as the Aerosol Collection Mass (ACM).

[0030] ACM may specifically refer to the mass of aerosol collected externally from an aerosol delivery system during one or more puffs of the device, under laboratory or test conditions. ACM may be determined for a given aerosol delivery system under specific operating conditions by collecting aerosols from a laboratory aerosol analyzer / puff analyzer during one or more puffs performed under controlled airflow conditions (e.g., airflow duration and airflow rate profile) by an aerosol analyzer. Aerosols for a known number of one or more puffs are collected, for example, on a fibrous pad, or otherwise condensed from an aerosol / vapor phase for analysis, and then weighed to determine their mass. The mass of aerosol generated in the puffs by a known aerosol generation system operating at known values ​​of the aerosol generation system's operating parameters is determined by this.

[0031] Using this approach, the aerosol mass for a puff under various operating conditions can be determined from one specific example of an aerosol generation system. However, future users will use other aerosol generation systems that may not function exactly the same as the tested aerosol generation system, even if all systems are of the same design. It is known that there may be significant system-to-system variation affecting aerosol generation, arising from factors including manufacturing variation and user puffing techniques, so that no two systems will perform exactly the same and will not generate exactly the same amount of aerosol in a puff under the same operating conditions, even if they are of exactly the same intended design. It is proposed to collect ACM data from populations of aerosol delivery systems of the same design or type to obtain meaningful ACM data that can be used for the purpose proposed herein for estimating the amount of liquid in a reservoir, and to use this data to determine the aerosol mass per puff, to empirically derive a relationship between the aerosol mass per puff and the values ​​of the operating parameters of the aerosol delivery systems that can be applied to the same or similar types of aerosol delivery systems supplied to users later. It has been found that the use of data from the population allows for averaging effects across system-to-system variations, and that the resulting relationship provides results accurate enough to enable the estimation of the amount of liquid in the reservoir at a level of accuracy useful to users.

[0032] Another potential source of error may be noted in that some aerosols may not be collected for weighing because they may be condensed or otherwise converted in or on parts of the aerosol delivery system or aerosol analyzer, and thus the mass of the collected aerosol may differ from the mass of the vaporized liquid. Nevertheless, it was found that this does not significantly affect the measured data to the extent that it undermines the usability of the confirmed relationship for the purpose of the estimated reservoir liquid volume, and can be ignored.

[0033] As with general averaging techniques, the accuracy of the determined relationship between the generated aerosol mass and the values ​​of aerosol delivery system operation parameters identified from the empirically acquired ACM data as described above can be improved by increasing the size of the population of the same type of aerosol delivery systems from which the data is collected. Therefore, it is suggested that the largest possible population be used within the limits set by factors such as time, cost, and the number of vaporizers and / or systems available for the purpose. For example, a population comprising about 20, about 50, or about 100 individual vaporizers or aerosol delivery systems of the same type (wherein the individual vaporizers may be contained within individual cartridges used, for example, with the same device or a smaller number of devices to make complete aerosol delivery systems) may be used to acquire the body of the ACM data. However, larger or smaller populations are not excluded.

[0034] It is recognized that many factors influence the amount of aerosol contained within a single puff produced by aerosol delivery systems of a specific type and design. These include tolerances in component manufacturing and assembly, ambient pressure, humidity, ambient temperature, liquid temperature, liquid properties, puff intensity (air flow rate through the system and across the vaporizer), puff duration, recent puff history, power levels applied to the vaporizer, the actual operating power of the vaporizer including electrical tolerances, and vaporizer efficiency. If all variables were considered when attempting to determine the amount or mass of aerosol in any given puff, the determination would become very difficult. Furthermore, some of the factors are not simple to measure or consider. Other factors have been determined by experiments to have no significant effect and can therefore be ignored without compromising the estimation. These include the liquid temperature and the time between puffs.

[0035] Therefore, it is proposed in this specification to focus on a small number of parameters that are easily measurable and verifiable. It has been found that sufficient accuracy to enable a meaningful report of the reservoir liquid volume to the user can be achieved by considering the level of electric power applied to the vaporizer (which will generally be a heater, but may not be, as mentioned above) and the duration of the puff. These two parameters are generally simple to verify within the aerosol delivery system. In some very simple systems, the power supply (battery) delivers only a fixed power level to the vaporizer, so that a single power level value can be provided to the controller of the aerosol delivery system for use in estimating the liquid volume. More sophisticated aerosol delivery systems allow the user to set the power level, perhaps by selecting one power level from a quantity of available power levels, or by adjusting within an available range of continuous power levels. The selected power regime can correspond to a constant power level over the puff or a profile of varying power levels over the puff. The controller is configured to control the battery to supply a selected power level to the vaporizer, and the controller has access to the value of the power level used for any given puff.

[0036] Regarding puff duration, some aerosol delivery systems include a so-called puff detector or puff sensor, which is a sensor configured to detect when the user inhales from the system and is "puff-activated." Such sensors detect changes in airflow or air pressure and are generally used to activate the aerosol delivery system for operation. When inhalation is detected, the sensor transmits a signal to the controller, and the controller responds by controlling the power supply to the vaporizer to generate vapor, and cuts off the power supply at the end of the puff when the sensor detects that inhalation has stopped. In such an arrangement, the controller may be provided with a clock configured to time the length of the puff, thereby allowing the controller to obtain the value of the puff duration. Other aerosol delivery systems are activated by user action control elements on the aerosol delivery system, such as a switch or button, thereby allowing the user to indicate the need for aerosol generation, and in response, the controller controls the power supplied to the vaporizer. For example, a user may press a button on an aerosol dispensing system simultaneously with inhaling, so that the vaporizer is powered for the duration of the button press. In such a system, a puff sensor may be provided for the sole purpose of allowing the puff duration to be measured, as described above, rather than for activating aerosol generation. Alternatively, if it is assumed that the user will operate a user control element to obtain their puff duration and aerosol, the operation of the user control element may be used as a proxy for the puff duration. Thus, a clock configured to time the period between the start and stop of the user control operation may be provided, for example, the duration the button is pressed, or the time elapsed between a switch being turned on and off. This time period may then be taken by the controller as the value for the puff duration.

[0037] Therefore, to obtain empirical data from which an appropriate equation relating aerosol mass to power level and puff duration can be derived, measurements of the ACM can be taken over different ranges of known power level values ​​and known puff duration values ​​using a population of aerosol delivery systems having vaporizers of the same design and / or the same design. The equation can then be obtained by fitting a function or functions to the empirical data.

[0038] Figure 2 illustrates a graph of empirical data obtained in this manner from a population of aerosol delivery systems of the same type, in a population of pods or cartridges of the same design, each having an electrically powered vaporizer in the form of an electric heating element and a reservoir of aerosolizable liquid, used in combination with one or more different devices to form the population of aerosol delivery systems. The graph displays puff duration in seconds on the x-axis and ACM in milligrams per puff on the y-axis. Each data point represents the amount of aerosol as ACM per puff averaged over 25 puffs, measured under laboratory conditions. As indicated, a selection of different power level values ​​was used for each puff duration value. For each combination of power level value and puff duration value, it can be seen that the data points cluster together but exhibit some variation resulting from pod-to-pod or system-to-system variations, which are further discussed below. The proposed approach aims to address this variation by proposing an implementation that converts variable experimental data obtained from a specific population of aerosol delivery systems into a viable algorithm applicable to a wider group of the same type of aerosol delivery systems when used under real-world conditions.

[0039] Figure 3 illustrates the graph of Figure 2, in which the best-fit linear functions are also plotted for each power level value. Thus, for each power level value, a group of best-fit lines is obtained, each relating the ACM to the puff duration value. The functions describing these lines can then be combined to obtain an equation relating both the power level value and the puff duration value to the ACM. Assuming the ACM corresponds to the actual mass of the aerosol in the puff, M in milligrams, and purely as an example, the equation may take the following form:

[0040]

[0041] Here, A, B, C, and D are constants, t is the puff duration value in seconds, and P is the power level value in watts. As an example, for one specific type of aerosol delivery system, the values ​​for the constants were determined to be A = 0.760722, B = 1.150802, C = 0.432436, and D = 0.622964. The expert will understand that different values ​​for the constants, and indeed different forms of the equation, can be determined from different empirical data and different mathematical techniques.

[0042] When using this type of equation, two sources of error can be identified, obtained by linear fitting to empirical data. There is a systematic error arising from the mathematical approach taken to derive a single equation from the variance of the data points. Since the value of the aerosol mass predicted using the equation may deviate relatively far from the mean of the empirical data, the calculated aerosol mass may not accurately reflect the actual aerosol mass in the actual puff. This may be found to be worse in some operating regions, for example in the box (40) of FIG. 3 for the illustrated empirical data, and at shorter puff durations as shown in the enlarged inset (42). These problems can be addressed to some extent by collecting empirical data from a larger population of aerosol delivery systems to improve the accuracy of the function fitting. There is also the aforementioned random pod-to-pod or system-to-system error arising from manufacturing and operational differences and variations between vaporizers, reservoirs, and the entire aerosol delivery system. Even if the optimal-fit line is so accurate that the equation can perfectly predict the average value of the aerosol mass in combinations of puff duration and power level, there will be unpredictable fluctuations around the average, so the aerosol mass calculated in real-life situations may differ from the actual aerosol mass in the actual puff. Nevertheless, it was found that the proposed approach is still accurate enough to enable a useful estimation of the remaining liquid amount that can be reported to the user in a meaningful way.

[0043] While linear fitting to empirical data is simple to achieve and can provide relatively simple equations that can be efficiently computed to calculate aerosol mass during the use of an aerosol delivery system, more complex fitting can be applied to empirical data in some other instances by fitting non-linear functions to the data. This can improve the accuracy of the determined aerosol mass. Any non-linear mathematical function may be selected to optimally fit a curve to the empirical data; a skilled person will understand how to achieve this by referring to the nature of the data obtained from laboratory measurements. Examples of suitable functions include, but are not limited to, quadratic or cubic polynomial functions, or higher-order polynomial functions, spline functions, or interval-linear functions.

[0044] Figure 4 again illustrates the graph of Figure 2 and differs from Figure 3 in that it shows the best-fit nonlinear functions fitted to the data for each power level value. As before, the functions describing the best-fit lines can then be combined to obtain a single equation relating both the power level value and the puff duration value to the ACM. Again, this equation can be used to calculate the aerosol mass in the puff from the power level value and duration of the puff. A comparison of Figure 4 and Figure 3 shows that the systematic error is reduced compared to linear fitting, and the predicted value indicated by the line is much closer to zero because it is much closer to the mean of the measured data. Although unpredictable pod-to-pod variation remains, on average, the overall error should be lower than when linear fitting is used. The improvement is particularly significant at lower puff durations, as indicated by the enlarged inset (44). To further improve this, more empirical data can be collected for shorter puff durations, for example, for other puff duration values ​​close to 1 second, such as 0.5 seconds and 1.5 seconds and / or in between.

[0045] Accordingly, an equation relating the aerosol mass of the puff to the power level value in the vaporizer used to generate the aerosol in the puff and the puff duration value can be obtained from empirical data measured under laboratory conditions. This equation can be provided to the controller of the aerosol delivery system and can be stored in the controller's memory (or memory accessible by the controller). As described above, the controller is configured to obtain the power level value and the puff duration value during the puffs taken from the aerosol delivery system. When a user takes a puff from the aerosol delivery system, the controller obtains the power level value and the puff duration value, and uses these values ​​along with the equation to determine the mass of the aerosol contained in the taken puff. The controller is further configured to estimate the amount of liquid in the reservoir of the aerosol delivery system using the determined aerosol mass.

[0046] Broadly speaking, the estimation is achieved using the determined mass of the aerosol in the puff and the known amount of liquid in the reservoir prior to the puff. This can be implemented in various ways, in which case the controller obtains or is provided with a value for the total capacity of the reservoir, the total capacity being the initial amount or volume of liquid contained in the reservoir when the reservoir is full (or otherwise filled or provided with liquid before first use), and is prior to any puff being taken. In some configurations, the pod or reservoir may not be replaceable, and the controller is provided with a value for the total capacity of the reservoir during manufacturing. This may or may not be a mass; alternatively, it may be a volume configured for the controller to convert, for example, into a mass. In configurations where the pod or reservoir can be replaced, only reservoirs of a single capacity or a single initial liquid fill amount or level are provided by the manufacturer, and the value of this capacity is provided to the controller during manufacturing, and the controller is configured to recognize when a new pod or reservoir is fitted, so that at that time the amount of liquid in the reservoir can be assumed to be equal to the pre-provided value for the total or initial capacity.

[0047] In more complex arrangements, the controller may be configured to obtain the expected amount of liquid in the reservoir, which is a value for the total liquid capacity of the reservoir when the reservoir or pod is newly fitted to or newly filled into the aerosol delivery system, i.e., when the reservoir is full. It is known to provide identification elements to the reservoirs and / or pods / cartridges that can be read by the controller to obtain identification information for the reservoir / pod when the reservoir or pod is coupled to the device of the aerosol delivery system. In the current context, this information may include or otherwise indicate the value of the total liquid capacity of the reservoir. The identification information may include items of data or information for the pod or reservoir, or may provide a simple identification of the pod / reservoir that allows the controller to verify data or information from a repository of such data or information for different pods / reservoirs, for example, held by the controller or accessible by the controller from elsewhere. Examples of identification elements include resistors, capacitors, chips, or other electrical or electronic components in the circuit of the pod that can be electrically detected or examined by the controller; bar codes, QR codes, or other markings that can be optically read or otherwise detected by a sensor or detector operated by the controller; and features of a shape that engage with complementary features in or on the device, to which the controller can detect a combination. Other examples are not excluded. If a rechargeable reservoir is provided, a recharge operation may be detected and reported to the controller, and the controller may assume that after refilling, the reservoir contains an amount of liquid that matches its total liquid capacity.When the controller obtains the total liquid capacity for a filled reservoir, the amount of liquid consumed from the reservoir by the conversion from puff to aerosol can be determined per puff using an equation and can be subtracted from the known total liquid capacity in the reservoir to estimate the amount of liquid remaining in the reservoir. The controller can store the new, reduced amount of liquid, subtract the amount of aerosol in the next puff from that amount, and continue in this manner. In other words, the controller tracks the amount of aerosol in the reservoir as it is depleted after each puff and subtracts the amount of aerosol in each puff from the amount of aerosol in the reservoir immediately before the puff. Alternatively, the controller can accumulate the total amount of aerosol generated by adding the amount of aerosol in each puff to the amounts in previous puffs, and subtract the total amount of aerosol from the original total liquid capacity of the reservoir when it is necessary to estimate the amount of liquid remaining in the reservoir.

[0048] The estimate of the amount of liquid in the reservoir can be stored by the controller and used internally by the processes of the aerosol dispensing system, and / or displayed or reported to the user. An example of a process is the automatic ordering of replacement pods when the reservoir approaches depletion, if the aerosol dispensing system is configured to communicate with a remote server or a user's personal electronic device, such as a mobile phone. Displaying to the user may be done regularly or periodically, or upon request when the user activates user controls of the aerosol dispensing system to request a display, or only when the reservoir approaches an empty state (e.g., when the remaining liquid amount falls below a predetermined threshold) to warn the user that the liquid supply is about to run out.

[0049] The controller can be configured to store the equation and use it directly to determine the mass of the aerosol in the puff using the values ​​of power level and puff duration obtained from the equation. This approach requires calculation by the processor for each puff, but has low storage requirements as only the equation needs to be stored. Additionally, since the equation returns a value for the aerosol amount for any values ​​of puff duration and power level, it can provide a relatively accurate determination of the aerosol amount for each puff; the equation performs extrapolation between selected discrete values ​​of puff duration and power level from which empirical data has been collected, which may not correspond to the puff duration value and / or power level value for the actual puff.

[0050] In other examples, the controller may store a lookup table that stores corresponding values ​​for the mass of the aerosol in a puff having a combination of puff duration and power level for multiple combinations of puff duration and power level values. When a puff occurs, the controller is configured to retrieve from the lookup table the aerosol mass values ​​corresponding to the power level and puff duration values ​​obtained by the controller for that puff. Thus, the lookup table maps the power level values ​​and puff duration values ​​to the aerosol mass values. Providing a lookup table reduces calculations by the controller because there is no need to calculate values ​​for the equation for each puff, but it has increased storage requirements because the lookup table will be larger than the equation. Additionally, accuracy may be reduced because the lookup table may contain only a limited selection of possible values ​​for puff duration and power level. In practice, the puff duration, and possibly also the power level (depending on the power selection implementation in the aerosol delivery system), may take arbitrary values ​​that do not directly correspond to values ​​in the lookup table. Thus, the controller may assign the acquired value to the nearest value recorded in the lookup table, or may always round the acquired value up or down to the next recorded value. Alternatively, the lookup table may be configured to include ranges of values ​​for puff duration and / or power level, where the ranges are mapped to single values ​​for aerosol mass. The lookup table may be populated using an equation to determine values ​​for aerosol mass per puff for selections of different power levels and puff durations, which may or may not correspond to the values ​​for power level and puff duration used to collect the original empirical data.

[0051] FIG. 5 illustrates a highly simplified schematic representation of an example of an aerosol delivery system configured to implement the remaining liquid amount estimation as described herein. The aerosol delivery system (10) is similar to the example shown in FIG. 1 and includes a device component (20) and a cartridge or pod component (30). The system (10) may be integral, or the pod component (30) may be replaceable. As before, the pod component (30) includes a reservoir (3) for storing aerosolizable liquid and has a total liquid capacity when filled with liquid. The pod component (30) may be supplied with an initial amount or volume of liquid less than or equal to the total capacity of the reservoir (3) (or may be filled to that amount). The pod component (30) also includes a vaporizer (4) for vaporizing the liquid from the reservoir to generate an aerosol to be delivered to the user during a puff. Also, as before, the device component includes a battery (5) for supplying electric power to the vaporizer (4), and a controller (28) for controlling the power supply from the battery (5) to the vaporizer (4). The controller (28) includes a processor (22) for performing operations and actions such as controlling the power supply and estimating the amount of remaining liquid in the reservoir (3) as described herein. The controller (28) has a memory (23) in which an equation for determining the amount of aerosol in the puff, or a lookup table derived from the equation, is stored, as described above. The controller (28) also has a clock (24) for timing the puff duration, again as described above, through a puff detector (32) or through the detection of a user action of a button or other user-operable control (27) for activating the vaporizer. As described above, the pod component (30) may include an identification element that allows the controller to obtain a value for the initial liquid volume of the reservoir before puffing begins.Finally, the aerosol delivery system (10) may be provided with an indicator (29), such as a visual display, on or inside the outer housing or wall of the aerosol delivery system (10), and may be operated by a controller (28) to display an indication of the estimated remaining liquid amount in the reservoir (3) (e.g., as a numerical or graphical indication, which may be an indication of the ratio of the remaining liquid amount to the initial amount or an absolute indication). It should be noted that some parts of the aerosol delivery system may be located differently from the example in FIG. 5, for example, inside the pod component and the other of the device component.

[0052] The examples above utilized vaporizer power levels and puff duration as variable behavioral parameters considered to determine the amount of aerosol in the puff. As previously mentioned, various factors can influence the amount of aerosol in the puff, some of which are somewhat difficult to consider or may be considered somewhat significant in their effect. A notable factor was found to be the type or composition of the liquid within the reservoir where the aerosol is generated. It was determined that the liquid type can have a relatively significant effect on the amount of aerosol generated in the puff. The term "liquid type" is intended to acknowledge that the liquid aerosol-forming substrates vaporized to generate aerosols for delivery by an aerosol delivery system are available in many different compositions, which may otherwise exhibit differences in vaporization behavior under the same or similar conditions. Liquids of different nicotine strengths and different flavors are readily available and, for example, may consist of different components and different proportions of components, which can affect the vaporization rate and temperature of the liquid. Therefore, puffs of the same power and duration, performed in the same aerosol delivery system using different liquids, may tend to contain aerosols of different masses. Consequently, the use of a single equation to determine the aerosol mass per puff without considering the liquid type can result in varying accuracy in estimating the amount of the remaining liquid.

[0053] A specific aerosol delivery system may be configured to be used with only a single type of liquid. For example, the aerosol delivery system may be designed so that the pod or reservoir cannot be replaced or the reservoir cannot be refilled, and the system becomes available pre-filled with only a single type of liquid. In such cases, there is no need to consider the type of liquid when estimating the amount of the remaining liquid in the reservoir. All that is required is that the empirical data from which the equation used by the controller to determine the amount of aerosol in the puff is derived is collected using the same type of liquid contained in the reservoir, or alternatively, using a type of liquid having the same or similar vaporization characteristics as the liquid contained in the reservoir so that the equation is applicable and provides sufficiently accurate results. Thus, in the current context, a specific type of liquid is considered to have different vaporization characteristics or behaviors from another type of liquid. Two different types of liquids have different vaporization behaviors.

[0054] In other cases, aerosol delivery systems of otherwise identical or similar design and configuration are often supplied to the user pre-filled with a selection of different liquid types. Other aerosol delivery systems are configured to allow the user to consume different liquid types by replacing a pod or reservoir with one that can contain a different liquid type, or by refilling the reservoir with a different liquid type. Therefore, there are many situations in which the user may be consuming a type of liquid different from that for which empirical data was collected to obtain the equation. In the current context, a specific type of liquid is considered to have a different composition from another type of liquid.

[0055] An approach to handling different liquid types may be to obtain empirical data on different liquid types so that equations can be derived to determine the aerosol mass per puff for different liquid types, or to consider the liquid types otherwise. However, this approach may require a significant amount of laboratory work and resources to collect empirical data. If multiple equations or lookup tables for different liquids are stored, data storage requirements for the controller increase, and there is a requirement that the controller must be able to identify the liquid type in order to apply the appropriate equation when determining the aerosol mass in a puff.

[0056] Since the complexity in estimating liquid amounts for different liquid types originates from the potentially different vaporization behaviors exhibited by different liquid types, an alternative approach is proposed herein. An equation for determining the aerosol mass in a puff is obtained for a specific type of liquid vaporized in a specific aerosol delivery system (in that the configuration of the aerosol delivery system is known and specified, e.g., having a specific type of vaporizer), and is used by the controller of the aerosol delivery system in use by the user to estimate the amount of liquid in the reservoir as described above, and it is proposed that the characteristics of the aerosol delivery system itself be modified in comparison to the specific aerosol delivery system to compensate for differences or variations in the vaporization behavior of the liquid type within the aerosol delivery system compared to the specific liquid type for which the equation was obtained. The goal is to adjust the vaporization performance of the aerosol delivery system such that, for a given power level and puff duration, the aerosol mass produced from the liquid in the aerosol delivery system (which may be referred to as the first liquid) is equal to or approximately equal to that for a specific liquid in the aerosol delivery system, and / or the liquid consumption rate by vaporization is equal to or approximately equal, and / or the same or similar number of puffs are required to empty the reservoir. In this way, the equations or lookup tables obtained for a specific liquid type can be used directly by the controller to estimate liquid amounts for different liquid types without any adjustment of the equations or selection between the equations, and without the requirement that the controller identify the liquid type in the reservoir to correctly apply the equations.

[0057] It is considered that various features or characteristics of the aerosol delivery system may be modified to compensate for different vaporization behaviors of a first type of liquid in a reservoir compared to a specific liquid type.

[0058] A first example of a feature of an aerosol delivery system that can be modified is the initial amount or volume of the first liquid in the reservoir. This is described in more detail below.

[0059] A second example of a feature of an aerosol delivery system that can be modified is the composition of the first liquid. As mentioned above, different compositions or recipes of liquids can produce variations in vaporization behavior. To control this, the composition of the first liquid can be customized so that its vaporization behavior is identical, substantially identical, or similar to that of the specific liquid, even if the composition differs from that of the specific liquid. For example, if the liquid compositions are otherwise identical, a flavor component in the first liquid that differs from a flavor component in the specific liquid may provide a different vaporization behavior. To compensate for this, one or more other components in the first liquid, or the amounts / ratios of other components, may be changed to re-adjust the vaporization behavior to or in the direction of the specific liquid's vaporization behavior. This second example is also described in more detail below.

[0060] A third example of a feature of an aerosol delivery system that can be modified is the configuration of the vaporizer. When a first liquid type and a specific liquid type exhibit different vaporization behaviors, the goal in achieving liquid volume estimation accuracy is to ensure that both liquid types produce the same aerosol mass in the puff for the same puff duration and the same power level applied to the vaporizer. If the first liquid type vaporizes more quickly or at a lower temperature, the vaporizer may be modified to reach a lower temperature or output less thermal energy than a vaporizer within the specific aerosol delivery system for the same applied power level. If the first liquid type vaporizes more slowly or at a higher temperature, the vaporizer may be modified to reach a higher temperature or output more thermal energy than a vaporizer within the specific aerosol delivery system for the same applied power level. The electrical resistance of the vaporizer may be selected to achieve this, for example, by changing the materials or structure of the vaporizer. This third example is also described in more detail below.

[0061] A fourth example of a feature of an aerosol delivery system that can be modified is the configuration of the airflow path within the aerosol delivery system. The mass of aerosol in a puff depends in part on the rate at which vapor generated by the vaporizer is captured by the air flowing through the vaporizer and delivered to the user for inhalation as aerosol. A larger volume of air or a faster airflow velocity can collect more vapor than a smaller volume of air or a slower airflow velocity for a given puff duration. Thus, if a large amount of vapor can be converted into aerosol during a puff when there is sufficient airflow to transport vapor from the vaporizer as quickly as the first liquid type vaporizes to generate vapor, then reducing the amount of airflow passing through the vaporizer during a puff will reduce the mass of aerosol in the puff. If the first liquid type vaporizes more slowly, generating vapor at a slower rate, increasing the amount of air flowing through the vaporizer during the puff allows for the collection and more efficient transport of vapor from the vaporizer, thereby generating more vapor and more aerosol, which increases the mass of the aerosol in the puff. Thus, for a given power level and puff duration, the mass of the aerosol generated from the first liquid can be adjusted up or down to match or approximately match the mass of the aerosol generated from a specific liquid within a specific aerosol delivery system for the same power level and puff duration. The amount or speed of the airflow can be changed by modifying the configuration or structure of the airflow path within the aerosol delivery system where the vaporizer is located. This fourth example is also described in more detail below.

[0062] Other modifications to an aerosol delivery system capable of compensating for the difference in vaporization behavior between a first liquid and a specific liquid may be obvious to those skilled in the art and are not excluded.

[0063] The first example presented above, namely the example in which compensation for vaporization behavior is achieved by controlling the initial liquid volume of the first liquid type within the storage tank, will now be explained in more detail.

[0064] Differences in the vaporization behavior between the two types of liquids can result in the generation of different masses of aerosol per puff for the same power level and puff duration, and for identical or similar configurations of the aerosol delivery system. Consequently, a different number of puffs will be required to consume the same volume of one liquid compared to the other. A reservoir filled with a liquid type that generates more aerosol mass per puff will be emptied with fewer puffs than the same reservoir filled with a liquid type that generates less aerosol mass per puff. Therefore, if the equation used by the controller to estimate the amount of liquid remaining in the reservoir after puffing is derived from empirical data regarding different liquid types, the estimation will not be accurate.

[0065] This can also be considered as having different liquid consumption rates for otherwise matching operating conditions. Different types of liquids will be consumed at different rates due to the different aerosol masses generated per puff. It is suggested that this can be resolved by arranging the initial amount or volume of the liquid type supplied to the reservoir of a newly supplied aerosol supply system to be adjusted by comparing it to the specific initial amount or volume of the specific liquid type supplied to the reservoir of a specific aerosol supply system, which was used to obtain the empirical data for deriving the equation provided to the controller of the aerosol supply system. If the liquid is of a type that converts to vapor more quickly, the initial volume is made larger than the specific initial volume. If the liquid is of a type that converts to vapor less quickly, the initial volume is made smaller than the specific initial volume. In this way, the total vaporization amount in terms of puffs and power required to consume all the liquid in the reservoir can be matched with the empirical data, and the equation will provide an accurate estimate of the remaining liquid amount despite the differences in the vaporization behavior of the two types of liquids.

[0066] This approach accommodates differences in vaporization behaviors between different liquid types and allows the aerosol mass per puff for the first liquid type to be maintained differently compared to a specific liquid type under the same conditions. The adjustment to compensate for the difference lies in changing the total amount of liquid supplied to the corresponding puffs, thereby ensuring that the puffing activity required to empty the reservoir over the life of the initially filled reservoir is the same for both liquid types. The consumption rate from full to empty—where "full" refers to the initial volume of liquid supplied to the reservoir (which may or may not be the maximum capacity of the reservoir, as discussed further below)—becomes the same, and the equation obtained for a specific liquid type becomes applicable to the actual or first liquid type.

[0067] A method for implementing this control in the initial filling volume of the reservoir is to compare the aerosol mass per puff at a known puff duration and known power level for the first liquid (e.g., determined using ACM measurements) with the aerosol mass per puff at the same power level and duration for a specific liquid (known from empirical ACM measurements collected to derive the equation, or calculated retrospectively using the equation). The ratio or proportion of the aerosol masses may be used as a ratio to the initial filling volume of the first liquid type compared to the initial volume of the specific liquid type used when collecting empirical data from the specific aerosol delivery system.

[0068] AF is the aerosol mass for a first liquid type in a puff of a given duration and a given power level, and A is the aerosol mass for a specific liquid type in a puff of a given duration and a given power level. S Designated as. Their ratio or proportion can be specified by N, where N = A F / A S is. A specific initial volume of a specific liquid type is V S In this case, the initial volume of the first liquid type to be filled into the reservoir of the aerosol delivery system is therefore V F = N * V S is. If the first liquid type has vaporization behavior that provides lower aerosol generation and thus provides reduced aerosol mass per puff, N is less than 1 and V F is V S It is smaller than. If the first liquid type has vaporization behavior that provides higher aerosol generation and thus provides increased aerosol mass per puff, N is greater than 1 and V F is V S It is larger than

[0069] This modification to the initial liquid volume can be implemented by using reservoirs of the same capacity across various aerosol delivery systems supplied to users with different types of liquids (e.g., selections of flavors and / or nicotine levels), or by using reservoirs of different capacities across a range of aerosol delivery systems. In this context, the capacity of the reservoir is considered as the total internal storage volume available to hold the liquid, thereby corresponding to the maximum volume of liquid that can be accommodated in the reservoir. A full reservoir will hold an initial volume of liquid equal to the reservoir's capacity. It is evident that if the reservoir is not completely filled with liquid when the liquid is first placed in it during the manufacture of the aerosol delivery system, the reservoir may hold an initial volume smaller than its capacity. Having a constant reservoir capacity across various aerosol delivery systems is simple in terms of system design and manufacturing, as it allows all systems to use reservoirs of the same configuration. However, since the maximum initial volume of the first liquid type that can be provided is limited by the capacity of the reservoir, liquid types that vaporize faster than a specific liquid and need to be provided in a large initial volume cannot be used while maintaining the accuracy of the residual liquid volume estimation. This can be resolved by selecting a liquid with a very high vaporization rate and a large aerosol mass per puff as the specific liquid type for obtaining empirical data, under the assumption that all other liquid types of interest are likely to have lower vaporization rates and smaller aerosol masses per puff. This ensures that N for any liquid of interest is not greater than 1, and the modification to the initial volume of the liquid required to make the equation accurate is a reduction in the initial volume compared to a specific initial volume.If a specific initial volume is selected to match the reservoir capacity, the initial volume for the first liquid type will never be larger than the reservoir capacity, and the fixed reservoir configuration will always be able to hold the required amount of any first liquid type. However, this approach may be considered undesirable in aerosol delivery system designs where the user can view the interior of the reservoir (where the reservoir has transparent walls), because if the user can easily perceive that the reservoir is not full to capacity before first using the aerosol delivery system, it may appear as though a new aerosol delivery system has been supplied with an insufficient amount of liquid.

[0070] This can be resolved by configuring the aerosol dispensing system so that the user cannot see inside the reservoir, or by utilizing various reservoirs of different capacities. In the latter case, a suitable reservoir can be selected that has a capacity matching or close to the required initial volume for the first type of liquid. Then, the reservoir can be filled to or close to its capacity when providing the initial volume of the first type of liquid, and the user will not anticipate a shortage of liquid when purchasing the aerosol dispensing system.

[0071] FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic representation of various reservoirs holding initial liquid amounts or volumes according to the above example of reservoirs of the same capacity. Reservoirs (3) are depicted in a simplified form without a liquid outlet or associated vaporizer. On the left, reservoir (3) is depicted having a capacity C and being completely filled to the entire capacity C with one type of liquid (8) (which may be a specific type of liquid). This corresponds to a specific initial volume V S It can be considered as. A storage tank (3) having the same capacity C in the center has an initial volume V with a different type of liquid (8a). FIt is filled up to, where the liquid (8a) has a lower vaporization rate or aerosol mass per puff than the liquid (8) in the storage tank (3) on the left. Thus, N < 1 and V F < V S is. On the right, the storage tank (3) also has the same capacity C but contains an initial volume VF' of another different type of liquid (8b) and has a lower vaporization rate or aerosol mass per puff, so N << 1 and V F ' < V F < V S is. In this example, it is impossible to accommodate a liquid of the type where N > 1, which is V F Since it is also C, V F > V S This is because it is impossible to accommodate the initial volume in the storage tank.

[0072] FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic representation of various reservoirs holding initial liquid amounts or volumes according to the above example for reservoirs of different capacities. Likewise, the reservoirs are depicted in a simplified form without liquid outlets or associated vaporizers. The reservoirs (3, 3a, 3b) as depicted from left to right have decreasing capacities, and when filled to maximum capacity with liquids (8, 8a, 8b), V as described above in relation to FIG. 6 S > V F > V F Initial liquid volumes V S , V F and V F It includes '. Also, a storage tank (3c) having a larger capacity than the storage tank (3) is shown, and thus can hold the correct initial volume of the first liquid type (8d) in a full state where N > 1 and accordingly VF'' > VS.

[0073] In summary, by adjusting the initial volume of liquid supplied to the reservoir of an aerosol delivery system in proportion to the ratio of the aerosol mass per puff for that type of liquid to the equivalent aerosol mass per puff for a specific type of liquid, the equation derived for a specific liquid type, rather than the liquid in question, can be accurately used to estimate the amount of remaining liquid in the reservoir. An initial volume N times the specific initial volume of the specific liquid type used when collecting empirical aerosol mass data to derive the equation (where N can be greater than 1, less than 1, or equal to 1) can be supplied to the reservoir when the aerosol delivery system is manufactured, where N is the ratio of the aerosol masses per puff for the two liquid types. This avoids the need to collect ACM measurements for multiple different liquid types and the need to derive an equation relating the aerosol mass per puff to puff duration and power levels for multiple liquid types. Controllers of aerosol delivery systems pre-filled with different liquid types having different vaporization behaviors can subsequently all be provided with the same software and data (or configured with the same circuitry), which is configured to estimate the amount of liquid remaining in the reservoir after one or more puffs, thereby producing an accurate estimate despite the different vaporization behaviors. Adjusting the initial volume of liquid in the reservoir in proportion to the ratio of the aerosol mass per puff to the aerosol mass per puff for a specific liquid compensates for the vaporization behavior.

[0074] The provision of reservoirs pre-filled with liquids of different initial volumes depending on the liquid type may be implemented in aerosol delivery systems provided to users in a monolithic form intended to be discarded when the reservoir is empty, or in cartridges or pods configured to be coupled to device components to form a complete aerosol delivery system comprising a reservoir and a vaporizer, or as standalone reservoirs configured to be installed in a cartridge or pod or aerosol delivery system.

[0075] FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of the steps of a first exemplary method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol delivery system, which generally corresponds to the features of the preceding disclosure. The method may be performed, for example, by a controller included in the aerosol delivery system within a device component of the aerosol delivery system that may be coupled to a cartridge or pod component to form a complete aerosol delivery system. In the first step S1, a power level value is obtained, which is the level of power applied to the vaporizer of the aerosol delivery system during a puff taken by a user of the aerosol delivery system. The vaporizer operates under the supply of electric power to generate an aerosol for the puff by vaporizing the liquid from the reservoir. In this example, the liquid in the reservoir is a first liquid type. The aerosol delivery system includes modifications compared to a specific aerosol delivery system that vaporizes a specific type of liquid different from the first liquid type. The modifications are implemented to compensate for the difference in vaporization behavior between the first type of liquid and the specific type of liquid. Some examples of possible modifications have been described above. In the second step S2 (note that steps S1 and S2 may be performed in reverse order or simultaneously), a puff duration value is obtained, which is the duration of the puff applied to the vaporizer at the obtained power level value. Once the power level value and the puff duration value are obtained, the method proceeds to step S3, where the mass of the aerosol in the puff is determined from the power level value and the puff duration value. The mass of the aerosol is determined using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol, which is a function fitted to empirical data from mass measurements of aerosols generated during puffs of known puff duration values ​​at previously obtained known power level values ​​for a population of aerosol delivery systems of a specific configuration while vaporizing a specific liquid type.Once the mass of the aerosol in the puff is determined, the method proceeds to step S4, where the amount of liquid in the storage tank is estimated using the determined mass of the aerosol and the known amount of liquid that was in the storage tank prior to the puff.

[0076] FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of the steps of a second exemplary method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol delivery system, which generally corresponds to the features of the preceding disclosure. The method may be performed, for example, by a controller included in the aerosol delivery system within a device component of the aerosol delivery system that may be coupled to a cartridge or pod component to form a complete aerosol delivery system. In the first step S1A, a power level value is obtained, which is the level of power applied to the vaporizer of the aerosol delivery system during a puff taken by a user of the aerosol delivery system. The vaporizer operates under the supply of electric power to generate an aerosol for the puff by vaporizing the liquid from the reservoir. In this example, the liquid in the reservoir is a first liquid type. The aerosol delivery system includes a modification compared to a specific aerosol delivery system that vaporizes a specific type of liquid different from the first liquid type. The modification is implemented to compensate for the difference in vaporization behavior between the first type of liquid and the specific type of liquid. In this example, the modification includes the difference in the initial volume of a first type of liquid in the reservoir of the aerosol delivery system compared to a specific initial volume of a specific type of liquid in the specific aerosol delivery system. In the second step S2A (note that steps S1A and S2A may be performed in reverse order or simultaneously), a puff duration value is obtained, which is the duration of the puff applied to the vaporizer at the power at the obtained power level value. Once the power level value and the puff duration value are obtained, the method proceeds to step S3A, where the mass of the aerosol in the puff is determined from the power level value and the puff duration value.The mass of the aerosol is determined using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol, which is a function fitted to empirical data from mass measurements of aerosols generated during puffs of known puff duration values ​​at previously known power level values ​​for a population of aerosol delivery systems of a specific configuration while vaporizing a specific initial volume of a specific liquid type. Once the mass of the aerosol in the puff is determined, the method proceeds to step S4A, where the amount of liquid in the reservoir is estimated using the determined mass of the aerosol and the known amount of liquid that was in the reservoir prior to the puff.

[0077] The second example mentioned above, namely the example in which compensation for vaporization behavior is achieved by modifying the composition of the first liquid, will now be explained in more detail.

[0078] More specifically, it is considered herein that a feature of the aerosol delivery system that can be modified is the composition of the first liquid. As mentioned above, different compositions or recipes of liquids can produce variations in vaporization behavior. To control this, the composition of the first liquid can be customized so that its vaporization behavior is identical, substantially identical, or similar to that of the specific liquid, even if the composition differs from that of the specific liquid. For example, if the liquid compositions are otherwise identical, a flavor component in the first liquid that differs from a flavor component in the specific liquid may provide different vaporization behavior. This may occur when producing various liquids of different flavors to provide consumers with a choice, which is most simply achieved by using different flavoring components in otherwise identical liquid recipes to make each flavor liquid. This can result in various liquids that are superficially identical except for flavor but exhibit differences in vaporization behavior, making it impossible to obtain an accurate estimate of the residual liquid amount using a single equation in the controller of the aerosol delivery system model provided to vaporize these liquids.

[0079] To compensate for this, it is proposed that one or more components and / or amounts / ratios of components within the first type of liquid be changed to readjust the vaporization behavior to or in the direction of the specific liquid's vaporization behavior used when deriving the equation. The composition of the first type of liquid is modified in comparison to the composition of the specific liquid type so that the first type of liquid has the same vaporization behavior as the specific liquid type. The composition of the first type of liquid may be selected such that the mass of aerosol produced by the vaporizer of an aerosol delivery system using the first type of liquid, in a puff of a given puff duration, and at a given power level applied to the vaporizer, is equal to the mass of aerosol determined using the equation with a given puff duration value and a given power level value. Since the equation is derived from ACM measurements of the specific liquid type having a vaporizer of the same configuration or specification, this selection of the composition of the first type of liquid is effectively an alignment of the vaporization behaviors of the first type of liquid and the specific liquid type. For the same puff duration and vaporizer power level, the two liquid types produce the same aerosol mass. Therefore, the equation is accurate for estimating the amount of liquid consumed in the first liquid type, even though it is an equation obtained for a specific liquid type with a different liquid composition.

[0080] The composition of the liquid for vaporization in an aerosol delivery system may be understood herein as different components or ingredients constituting the liquid and their relative proportions within the liquid. This may be considered as a recipe for the liquid that specifies which components must be combined in what proportions to make the liquid. The proportion of each component may, for example, be a percentage of the corresponding component relative to the total volume of the liquid. The major components generally present in the liquid are flavoring agents (which may be a combination of different components to produce a desired flavor / taste effect on the liquid when vaporized), nicotine (which may be in salt form), propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG), and sometimes water. Nicotine is, of course, omitted in zero-nicotine liquids, but in other cases, it may be included in different proportions in different liquids to provide consumers with liquids of various nicotine "strengths." PG and VG act as diluents for nicotine. Additionally, PG carries the flavoring, and the amount of PG can determine the flavor intensity and the throat "sting" experienced by the user during a puff (included to mimic the effect of smoking a traditional cigarette). VG is included to create a visible vapor / aerosol cloud, which also mimics the experience of traditional tobacco. Often, PG and VG are included in equal proportions, as this is considered to balance flavor delivery and cloud effect in a way acceptable to many users. In other liquids, ratios may vary; a higher proportion of PG delivers a stronger flavor and a harsher throat sting with reduced cloud, while a higher proportion of VG creates a larger or more distinct cloud effect with weaker flavor and a smoother throat sensation. Other ingredients may also be included, generally in small amounts.Many flavors and nicotine levels are generally available to consumers, and the ratios of PG and VG are often provided in different levels so that users can choose their preferred aerosol consumption experience. Thus, various liquid types can be produced.

[0081] PG and VG constitute the majority of a given volume of liquid, while flavorings and nicotine are present in small proportions. PG is an odorless, thin liquid with low viscosity. VG is a thick liquid with a sweet flavor and higher viscosity. Therefore, the ratio or proportion of PG and VG within a liquid tends to determine the overall viscosity of the liquid. Accordingly, viscosity can have a significant impact on the vaporization behavior of the liquid. This may be intrinsic or related to, or similar to, changes in surface tension and density that can occur by modifying the PG:VG ratio. Additionally, this effect may arise from the behavior of the liquid within an aerosol delivery system; for example, for the same configuration of reservoir, wick, and heater, a liquid with lower viscosity may be delivered to the vaporizer more quickly or efficiently than a liquid with higher viscosity. Liquids with higher viscosity and surface tension may be more difficult to vaporize because more energy is required to drive vapor from the liquid portion in the vaporizer. Therefore, a higher level of power may be required in the vaporizer to generate the same amount of vapor. This also applies to changes in specific heat and vaporization temperature that may occur when the liquid composition is modified, and higher or lower amounts of power may be required to transfer sufficient thermal energy to raise the liquid in the vaporizer to the vaporization temperature.

[0082] From this, it will be evident that even relatively small modifications to the recipe can alter the vaporization behavior of the liquid. Without taking this into account, the typical range of liquids provided to consumers for use with a specific type or design of aerosol delivery system—for example, as pre-filled reservoirs or cartridges—will exhibit potentially significant differences in vaporization behavior. As described above, using a single equation across a range of liquid types to estimate liquid consumption is therefore likely to be inaccurate in at least some cases. The proposal in this specification that the recipe or composition of the liquid must be modified so that the liquid exhibits the same vaporization behavior as that of the specific liquid used to derive the equation aims to address this problem.

[0083] Clearly, there is a significant scope for modifying the composition of a liquid relative to a specific liquid in such a way that its vaporization behavior is modified to match that specific liquid. While some options are discussed below, disclosure is not limited to this manner, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the composition can be modified in any appropriate manner to achieve the desired effect (e.g., possibly within the boundaries set by law to limit the maximum nicotine content of commercially supplied liquids). At the same time, the ability to provide different liquid types that maintain a choice of nicotine levels, flavors, and experiences for the user is important.

[0084] A significant characteristic that can vary among liquid types is taste / flavor, which determines the flavor experienced by the user when inhaling the aerosol. Users expect liquids with various flavors to be available. Therefore, the composition of a first liquid type may include one or more flavoring agents (flavoring components) that differ from a specific liquid type. Different flavoring components may have different characteristics that cause changes in the vaporization behavior of the liquid when one flavoring agent is replaced by another. Additionally, in some cases, different amounts of flavoring components may be required to produce stronger or weaker flavor experiences. In this case, the proportion of the flavoring component in the liquid changes, requiring or generating changes corresponding to the proportions of one or more other components that can alter the vaporization behavior. Where these effects exist, the overall composition of the liquid may be modified by changing the proportion(s) of one or more other components while maintaining the necessary flavoring contribution, in order to match the vaporization behavior to that of a specific liquid.

[0085] Another significant characteristic that can vary among liquid types is the nicotine level or strength, as nicotine can exist as nicotine alone or as nicotine salts, providing users with different nicotine delivery experiences. Users expect that various nicotine levels are available. Therefore, the composition of a first liquid type may contain nicotine in amounts or ratios different from those of a specific liquid type. The nicotine content of a liquid is typically given in mg / ml, indicating how much nicotine is present per milliliter of liquid. Thus, to provide higher or lower amounts of nicotine, the liquid may need to contain larger or smaller volumes of nicotine, which will alter the ratio of nicotine to other ingredients and change the overall composition of the liquid. Consequently, vaporization behavior may change. In fact, it may be found that changing the nicotine level has a greater impact on vaporization behavior than changing the flavor of the liquid. If this effect exists, the overall composition of the liquid can be modified again by changing the ratio(s) of one or more other components while maintaining the required amount of nicotine, in order to match the vaporization behavior with the vaporization behavior of a specific liquid. In other cases, the concentration of nicotine within the nicotine component can be changed so that the same proportion of the nicotine component can be used while still changing the amount of nicotine, thereby allowing the proportions of the other components to be maintained and the same vaporization behavior to be preserved.

[0086] As mentioned above, the viscosity of a liquid can make a significant contribution to its vaporization behavior. Therefore, it may be found that matching the viscosity of a first liquid to the viscosity of a specific liquid is appropriate for providing identical vaporization behavior. For example, if a change in flavoring components or an increase or decrease in nicotine relative to a specific liquid results in a change in viscosity, the PG:VG ratio can be adjusted slightly up or down to compensate for the viscosity and make it equal to the viscosity of the specific liquid. A flavoring component with higher viscosity will increase the overall viscosity of the liquid, which can be compensated for, for example, by increasing the amount of PG and decreasing the amount of VG (by increasing the PG:VG ratio). In another example, a higher nicotine level may require a higher proportion of nicotine, thereby decreasing the overall viscosity, which can be compensated for by decreasing the PG:VG ratio to allow a higher proportion of VG to be used, thus providing greater viscosity.

[0087] Therefore, in some examples, the first liquid type is different from the specific liquid type by having a PG:VG ratio different from the specific liquid type. This can be done in addition to or alternatively to the first liquid type and the specific liquid type having the same viscosity.

[0088] In other cases, it may be desirable to keep the PG:VG ratio the same for the first liquid type and a specific liquid type. As mentioned above, many liquids contain equal amounts of PG and VG (often described as a PG:VG ratio of 50:50, which indicates that each accounts for 50% of the total amount of PG and VG in the liquid, not that either constitutes 50% of the total liquid), because this is considered to provide a good compromise between the different characteristics imparted by each of these components. Therefore, it may be desirable to provide a number of liquids that all have the same PG:VG ratio but differ in other ways, such as flavor or nicotine levels. The composition of the first liquid can be modified in various ways to achieve this, for example, by including additional components such as water, or by changing the total combined amount of PG and VG in the liquid while maintaining the ratio of PG and VG in the total amount.

[0089] In the preceding description, the term "identical" was used when comparing a first liquid type with a specific liquid type, for example, that the vaporization behavior and aerosol mass per puff are identical, or that the various proportions of components within the liquids are identical. This is not intended to be limited to exact equivalence, but is intended to include substantially identical, similar, and substantially similar, to the extent that the equation can convey a useful level of accuracy for estimating the amount of liquid in the reservoir.

[0090] FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of the steps of a third exemplary method for estimating the amount of liquid within an aerosol delivery system, which generally corresponds to the features of the preceding disclosure of the second compensation example. The method may be performed, for example, by a controller included within the aerosol delivery system within a device component of the aerosol delivery system that may be coupled to a cartridge or pod component to form a complete aerosol delivery system. In the first step S1B, a power level value is obtained, which is the level of power applied to the vaporizer of the aerosol delivery system during a puff taken by a user of the aerosol delivery system. The vaporizer operates under the supply of electric power to generate an aerosol for the puff by vaporizing the liquid from the reservoir. In this example, the liquid in the reservoir is a first liquid type. The aerosol delivery system includes a modification compared to a specific aerosol delivery system that vaporizes a specific type of liquid different from the first liquid type. The modification is implemented to compensate for differences in vaporization behavior that may occur between different types of liquids if this is not taken into account. Specifically, the modification includes the composition of the first liquid type, which is modified by comparison with the composition of a specific liquid type to provide the same vaporization behavior for both liquid types. In the second step S2B (note that steps S1B and S2B may be performed in reverse order or simultaneously), a puff duration value is obtained, which is the duration of the puff applied to the vaporizer at the power at the obtained power level value. Once the power level value and the puff duration value are obtained, the method proceeds to step S3B, where the mass of the aerosol in the puff is determined from the power level value and the puff duration value.The mass of the aerosol is determined using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol, which is a function fitted to empirical data from mass measurements of aerosols generated during puffs of known puff duration values ​​at previously known power level values ​​for a population of aerosol delivery systems having vaporizers of the same type or composition while vaporizing a specific liquid type. Once the mass of the aerosol in the puff is determined, the method proceeds to step S4B, where the amount of liquid in the reservoir is estimated using the determined mass of the aerosol and the known amount of liquid that was in the reservoir prior to the puff.

[0091] The third example mentioned above, namely the example in which compensation for vaporization behavior is achieved by modifying the configuration of the vaporizer, will now be explained in more detail.

[0092] More specifically, it is considered herein that a vaporizer of an aerosol delivery system is modified in terms of its configuration, design, and / or performance to compensate for the different vaporization behavior of a first type of liquid in a reservoir compared to a specific type of liquid. The vaporizer is modified in comparison to the configuration of the vaporizer within a specific aerosol delivery system, which may be referred to as a specific vaporizer configuration, a specific vaporizer, or simply a specific configuration. For example, the vaporizer may be modified to deliver a different amount of thermal energy than the specific vaporizer for the same power level supplied to the vaporizer to cause the vaporization of the liquid. This modification may be utilized, for example, if the vaporizer includes an electric heating element.

[0093] Since the first liquid type and the specific liquid type exhibit different vaporization behaviors, the goal in achieving liquid volume estimation accuracy through the equation derived for the specific liquid type is to ensure that both liquid types can generate the same aerosol mass in the puff for the same puff duration and the same power level applied to the vaporizer. This makes the available equation equally applicable to the first liquid type. As the vaporization behaviors are fixed and the puff duration and power level supplied to the vaporizer by the controller depend on user selection (or are fixed in systems without power level control), the configuration of the vaporizer becomes a variable that can be modified to achieve aerosol mass matching. If the first liquid type vaporizes faster or at a lower temperature, the vaporizer can be modified to reach a lower temperature or output less thermal energy during the puffing process than the vaporizer within the specific aerosol delivery system for the same applied power level. If the first liquid type vaporizes more slowly or at a higher temperature, the vaporizer may be modified to reach a higher temperature or output more thermal energy than the vaporizer in a specific aerosol delivery system during the puffing process for the same applied power level.

[0094] Accordingly, it is proposed that the vaporizer be modified in such a manner that the thermal energy generated for the vaporization of a first type of liquid supplied from the reservoir of the aerosol supply system to the vaporizer is selected, such that the mass of the aerosol generated in the puff with a given puff duration value and a given power level value is equal to or substantially equal to the mass of the aerosol generated in the puff with the same puff duration value and the same power level value by a specific vaporizer that vaporizes a specific type of liquid. Since the specific vaporizer and the specific type of liquid are used to collect empirical data to obtain an equation for determining the mass of the aerosol in the puff, this is effectively equivalent to modifying the vaporizer such that the mass of the aerosol generated in the puff with a given puff duration value and a given power level value is equal to or substantially equal to the mass of the aerosol determined using the equation with a given puff duration value and a given power level value.

[0095] An electric heating element converts electrical energy into thermal energy. The passage of current through an electrically resistive component (resistor) generates heat through a Joule heating process. In the context of an aerosol delivery system, the electric heating element has an aerosolizable substrate material, which in the current context is a liquid, provided on or near its surface, such as by a wick that carries the liquid from a reservoir to the vicinity of the heating element. A selected amount of electric power is applied to the heating element from a battery under the control of a controller, causing current to flow through the heating element and generate heat. This thermal energy is transferred to an adjacent liquid, which in turn heats to its vaporization temperature to generate steam. Air flowing over or beside the heating element collects the steam, forming an aerosol that is delivered to the user for inhalation. As the steam is removed by the flowing air, it is replaced by the vaporization of additional liquid delivered to the heating element, thereby maintaining aerosol generation for as long as power is continuously supplied to the heating element to generate thermal energy.

[0096] The electrical resistance of a heating element is a characteristic that enables the conversion of applied electrical energy into thermal energy, as defined by the equation P = I 2 It follows R, where P is the amount of applied electric power lost or converted as heat, I is the current in amperes, and R is the electrical resistance in ohms. Since power is defined as energy per unit time, the thermal energy Q generated by the heating element is Q = I 2 R is t, where t is time in seconds. Therefore, the amount of thermal energy generated for a given current value can be changed by changing the resistance of the heating element. In the current context, electric current is not available as a variable, because the controller intends to utilize the values ​​of electric power supplied to the vaporizer in a manner consistent with the equation so that it can estimate the remaining liquid amounts using the equation even if different liquids are used.

[0097] Therefore, a method of modifying the vaporizer to compensate for different liquid types is to change the electrical resistance. In this way, the amount of thermal energy for a given level of power supplied to the vaporizer during a given puff duration can be varied up or down, thereby ensuring that the aerosol mass generated by the vaporizer in the corresponding puff from the first liquid is substantially equal to the aerosol mass generated by the specific vaporizer in an equivalent puff from the specific liquid.

[0098] If the first liquid has a lower vaporization rate or a higher vaporization temperature than the specific liquid, the vaporizer can be modified by increasing its resistance. This will cause the vaporizer to output more thermal energy, thereby heating and vaporizing the first liquid more quickly and increasing the aerosol mass produced in a puff of a given duration. If the first liquid has a higher vaporization rate or a lower vaporization temperature than the specific liquid, the vaporizer can be modified by decreasing its resistance. This will cause the vaporizer to output less thermal energy, thereby heating and vaporizing the first liquid less quickly and decreasing the aerosol mass produced in a puff of a given duration. Thus, the aerosol mass per puff can be adjusted up or down to match the first liquid with the specific liquid, thereby compensating for differences in vaporization behavior.

[0099] The electrical resistance R of a resistor, such as an electric heating element, is It is given as, where ρ is the electrical resistivity of the material from which the resistor is made (and represents the ability of the material to resist the flow of current), l is the length of the resistor, and A is the cross-sectional area of ​​the resistor.

[0100] Therefore, three variables—electrical resistivity, length, and cross-sectional area—can be used to modify the vaporizer to provide different electrical resistance and, consequently, different thermal energy output compared to a specific vaporizer.

[0101] If the vaporizer includes an electric heating element, the electric heating element may be directly connected to receive electric power supplied from the battery under the control of the controller, or separate electric connections may be provided between the electric heating element and the battery. In the latter case, if the electric connections and the electric heating element are considered to together comprise the vaporizer, both the electric connections and the heating element are available for modifying the electric resistance of the vaporizer. In the former case, only the electric heating element is available for modifying the electric resistance of the vaporizer. Thus, in some examples, the electric heating element has an electric resistance different from the electric resistance of the electric heating element within a specific vaporizer configuration to provide the modification. In other examples, the electric connections of the electric heating element may have an electric resistance different from the electric resistance of the electric connections of the electric heating element within a specific vaporizer configuration to provide the modification. In yet other examples, the overall design or configuration of the vaporizer may differ from the specific configuration to achieve a different electric resistance. For example, one of the vaporizer and the specific vaporizer may include separate electric connections, while the separate electric connections are omitted in the other.

[0102] A common configuration for the electric heating element of a vaporizer in an aerosol delivery system is a wire coil formed by winding a conductive metal wire into a helical or spiral shape. The coil can be wound around a wick, which is typically cylindrical and formed, for example, from a bundle of fibers or a rod of porous material such as porous ceramic. However, these examples are not limited. The heating element structured as a coil can be easily modified to change its electrical resistance to alter the thermal energy output, as described above. For example, the material from which the wire forming the coil is made can be changed. Since metals and metal alloys can vary significantly in electrical resistivity, various metal materials are somewhat suitable for use in forming vaporizers, as recognized by those skilled in the art, but can be selected accordingly. An exemplary widely used material is the nickel-chromium alloy, or NiCr, which is a series of alloys that can be formed with different ratios of nickel and chromium, providing a method to control resistance by changing the alloy composition. However, other metals are not excluded.

[0103] The resistance of the wire coil can also be modified by changing the thickness or diameter of the wire. This changes the cross-sectional area A of the heating element and will change the electrical resistance as described above. Thicker wires provide a larger cross-sectional area and lower electrical resistance, while thinner wires provide a smaller cross-sectional area and higher electrical resistance.

[0104] The length l of the heating element can also be changed to modify the electrical resistance as described above.

[0105] FIG. 11a shows a simplified schematic side view of an exemplary wire coil electric heating element vaporizer (wherein connections to the wick and battery are omitted for clarity). In this example, the coil (42) has a total spatial length L and comprises five loops or windings with a pitch or spacing s. The actual length l of the wire, which determines the electrical resistance, follows all spiral paths of the loops and is therefore greater than the spatial length L. This may be, for example, a specific vaporizer configuration. The wire length l can be easily increased or decreased to increase or decrease the electrical resistance of the heating element by increasing or decreasing the number of loops. This can be done in alternative ways. A first method is to change the spacing s of the loops. This may be useful in that the spatial length L of the heating element can be maintained the same as that of a specific configuration, so that the modified heating element can be easily installed in an aerosol delivery system without the need for other design modifications. FIG. 11b illustrates a coil heating element (42) having the same spatial length L as a specific design but with a reduced spacing s' between the coil loops. This allows more loops, in this case 8, to be accommodated within the spatial length L, thereby increasing the wire length l and up-modifying the resistance of the heating element. Similarly, if the spacing between the coil loops is increased, fewer loops can be accommodated within the spatial length L, the wire length l is reduced, and the resistance of the heating element is down-modified.

[0106] A second method for modifying the wire length is to maintain the spacing s as in a specific configuration and change the spatial length L of the heating element to accommodate more or fewer wire loops. This may be preferred if wider or closer loop spacing is found to have an undesirable effect on vaporization (since the thermal energy density delivered to the wick will be modified), but it will be necessary to ensure that heating elements of different spatial sizes can be installed in a specific aerosol delivery system, and appropriate adjustments must be made if necessary. FIG. 11c illustrates an exemplary coil heating element (42) having the same coil spacing s as in a specific design, and having a reduced wire length l (and corresponding reduced electrical resistance) compared to a specific design by reducing the number of loops and thereby providing a shorter spatial length L' that is shorter than L. FIG. 11d illustrates an exemplary coil heating element (42) having an increased wire length l (and corresponding increased electrical resistance) compared to a specific design by having the same coil spacing s as a specific design and increasing the number of loops to provide a longer spatial length L'' than L.

[0107] FIG. 12a illustrates a simplified schematic example of a vaporizer comprising separate electrical connections for electrically coupling a heating element to a battery (not shown) of an aerosol supply system and a heating element. The electric heating element (44) is illustrated only schematically and may take the form of a wire coil as in the examples of FIG. 11a through 11d, or may have an alternative form that will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Two electrical connections (45) are provided and are depicted as substantially straight, conductively coupled to opposite ends of the electric heating element (45) to enable current flow through the electric heating element under power supply from the battery. The electrical connections may be wires, stamped metal shapes, printed conductive traces, or any other arrangement obvious to those skilled in the art. The vaporizer has a spatial dimension H (which may be considered as height for convenience) and may be considered as a specific vaporizer configuration.

[0108] As mentioned above, an option for modifying the electrical resistance of the vaporizer is to modify the electrical resistance of the electrical connections (45) of the electric heating element (44). As in the wire coil examples, the electrical resistance of the electrical connections (45) can be changed by using different electrically conductive materials having different electrical resistivity ρ. Similarly, the electrical resistance of the electrical connections (45) can be changed by changing the cross-sectional area A of the electrical connections (45), such as by using thinner or thicker wires. In other examples, the length of one or both of the electrical connections (45) can be changed to modify the electrical resistance of the vaporizer.

[0109] FIG. 12b illustrates an example of a modified vaporizer compared to the specific vaporizer of FIG. 12a by increasing the length of the electrical connections (45) to increase electrical resistance. In order to keep the spatial height H of the vaporizer the same as that of the specific vaporizer so that the modified vaporizer can be more easily used in an aerosol delivery system without the need for other design changes, the electrical connections (45) in this example have shaped parts that may be bends, angles, curves, or coils introduced within the length l of the electrical connections (45) while the total spatial length (distance between ends) of the electrical connections is kept the same. FIG. 12c illustrates an alternative example in which the length l of the electrical connections (45) is increased; in this example, the electrical connections (45) are kept straight so that the spatial height H' of the vaporizer is significantly increased compared to the height H of the specific configuration. Conversely, FIG. 12d illustrates an example in which the length l of the electrical connections (45) is reduced to provide lower electrical resistance. The electrical connections are straight, providing a spatial height H'' of the carburetor reduced to a height H of a specific configuration.

[0110] FIGS. 13a and 13b illustrate simplified schematic representations of exemplary vaporizers according to another example. As in the examples of FIGS. 12a through 12d, it is proposed that the electrical resistance of the vaporizers be modified by changing the resistance provided at the electrical connections (45) of the electric heating element (45). However, in this example, one or more distinct resistors or resistance elements (a single element is shown for simplicity) are included within one or both of the electrical connections (45). FIG. 13a illustrates a first resistance element (46) having a first resistance value R, and FIG. 13b illustrates a second resistance element (46') having a second resistance value R' different from R. The resistance elements may be conventional electric resistors readily available for a wide range of resistance values, or they may be inserted portions of electric conductors of different materials, lengths, and / or thicknesses.

[0111] As mentioned above, various different forms are commonly used to implement the heating effect in the vaporizers of aerosol delivery systems. One example is a conductive mesh or grid or similar, configured to function as an electric heating element and to provide a wicking or capillary function to draw liquid to be heated and vaporized from a reservoir. While this function can be provided by any conductive and porous configuration, in terms of shape, these vaporizers are generally planar to allow vapor to easily escape into an airflow path. Examples include woven structures of metal wires, planar elements formed from sintered or welded metal wires, and perforated metal sheets.

[0112] FIG. 14a illustrates a simplified plan view of a first exemplary vaporizer of this type. The planar element (48) has an elongated rectangular shape and is illustrated with fine cross-hatching to indicate a first structure providing a first electrical resistance value R. Electrical connections are omitted for simplicity but are typically located at opposite ends of the elongated shape to provide a long electrical current path to maximize resistance and thus the heating effect for efficient vaporization. FIG. 14b illustrates a simplified plan view of a second exemplary vaporizer of this type and is illustrated with coarser cross-hatching to indicate a second structure providing a second electrical resistance value R' different from R. Resistance can be modified in various ways by changing the structure of the element. Different conductive materials may be used. The size of the pores within the porous structure may be changed to provide different total amounts of conductive material to change the cross-sectional area of ​​the current path. The thickness of the wire used to create the porous structure may be changed. Alternatively, if it is convenient to change the external dimensions of the planar element, the overall length or width may be changed to change the overall resistor length or cross-sectional area.

[0113] The various techniques for modifying the resistance of the carburetor described above may be used alone or in combination, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Additionally, other approaches that provide the same effect, although not described in detail, are not excluded.

[0114] FIG. 15 illustrates a flowchart of the steps of a fourth exemplary method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol delivery system, which generally corresponds to the features of the preceding disclosure of the third compensation example. The method may be performed, for example, by a controller included in the aerosol delivery system within a device component of the aerosol delivery system that may be coupled to a cartridge or pod component to form a complete aerosol delivery system. In the first step S1C, a power level value is obtained, which is the level of power applied to the vaporizer of the aerosol delivery system during a puff taken by a user of the aerosol delivery system. The vaporizer operates under the supply of electric power to generate an aerosol for the puff by vaporizing the liquid from the reservoir. In this example, the liquid in the reservoir is a first liquid type. The aerosol delivery system includes a modification compared to a specific aerosol delivery system that vaporizes a specific type of liquid different from the first liquid type. The modification is implemented to compensate for the difference in vaporization behavior between the first type of liquid and the specific type of liquid. Specifically, the modification includes a difference in the configuration of the vaporizer of the aerosol delivery system compared to the configuration of the specific vaporizer within the specific aerosol delivery system. The modification causes the vaporizer to deliver a different amount of thermal energy to vaporize the first liquid. In the second step S2C (note that steps S1C and S2C may be performed in reverse order or simultaneously), a puff duration value is obtained, which is the duration of the puff applied to the vaporizer at the power level value obtained. Once the power level value and the puff duration value are obtained, the method proceeds to step S3C, where the mass of the aerosol in the puff is determined from the power level value and the puff duration value.The mass of the aerosol is determined using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol, which is a function fitted to empirical data from mass measurements of aerosols generated during puffs of known puff duration values ​​at previously known power level values ​​for a population of aerosol delivery systems having vaporizers of a specific configuration that vaporize a specific liquid type. Once the mass of the aerosol in the puff is determined, the method proceeds to step S4C, where the amount of liquid in the reservoir is estimated using the determined mass of the aerosol and the known amount of liquid that was in the reservoir prior to the puff.

[0115] The fourth example mentioned above, namely the example in which compensation for vaporization behavior is achieved by modifying the configuration of the airflow path, will now be explained in more detail.

[0116] More specifically, it is considered herein that an air flow path within an aerosol delivery system in which a vaporizer is located is modified in terms of its configuration, design, and / or performance to compensate for the different vaporization behavior of a first type of liquid in a reservoir compared to a specific type of liquid. The air flow path is modified in comparison to the configuration of an air flow path within a specific aerosol delivery system, which may be referred to as a specific air flow path configuration, a specific air flow path, or simply a specific configuration.

[0117] The mass of the aerosol in the puff depends in part on the rate at which the vapor generated by the vaporizer is captured by the air flowing through the vaporizer and delivered to the user for inhalation as an aerosol. A larger volume of air or a faster airflow rate can collect more vapor than a smaller volume of air or a slower airflow rate for a given puff duration. Therefore, if the first liquid type vaporizes rapidly, there is a potential for a large amount of vapor to be converted into an aerosol during the puff if there is sufficient airflow to transport the vapor from the vaporizer as quickly as the vapor is generated. In such cases, reducing the amount of airflow passing through the vaporizer during the puff will reduce the mass of the aerosol in the puff. If the first liquid type vaporizes more slowly, resulting in a smaller amount of vapor available to generate aerosols during a puff, increasing the amount of air flowing through the vaporizer during the puff allows for the collection and more efficient transport of vapor from the vaporizer, thereby generating more vapor and aerosols and increasing the mass of aerosols in the puff. Accordingly, for a given power level and puff duration, the mass of aerosols generated from the first liquid can be adjusted up or down to match or approximately match the mass of aerosols generated from a specific liquid within a specific aerosol delivery system for the same power level and puff duration. The amount or speed of the airflow can be changed by modifying the configuration or structure of the airflow path within the aerosol delivery system where the vaporizer is located.

[0118] Since the first liquid type and the specific liquid type exhibit different vaporization behaviors, the goal in achieving liquid volume estimation accuracy through the equation derived for the specific liquid type is to ensure that both liquid types generate the same aerosol mass in the puff for the same puff duration and the same power level applied to the vaporizer. This makes the available equation equally applicable to the first liquid type. As the vaporization behaviors are fixed and the puff duration and power level supplied to the vaporizer by the controller depend on user selection (or are fixed in systems without power level control), the configuration of the airflow path—and thus the amount or volume of air collecting vapor from the vaporizer during a puff process of a specific duration—becomes a variable that can be modified to achieve aerosol mass matching.

[0119] Accordingly, it is proposed that the air flow path be modified in such a manner that the amount of air collecting vapor from a first type of liquid supplied from a reservoir of an aerosol supply system to a vaporizer is selected such that the mass of aerosol generated in the puff at a given puff duration value and a given power level value is equal to or substantially equal to the mass of aerosol generated in the puff at the same puff duration value and the same power level value by a specific air flow path having the same or similar type of vaporizer that vaporizes a specific type of liquid. Since the specific air flow path and the specific type of liquid are used to collect empirical data to obtain an equation for determining the mass of aerosol in the puff, this is effectively equivalent to modifying the air flow path such that the mass of aerosol generated in the puff at a given puff duration value and a given power level value is equal to or substantially equal to the mass of aerosol determined using the equation at a given puff duration value and a given power level value.

[0120] FIG. 16 illustrates a highly simplified, schematic, and non-real-scale longitudinal cross-sectional representation of an exemplary aerosol delivery system for the purpose of illustrating relevant features for modifying the air flow path as described herein. Although the aerosol delivery system (10) is depicted with many parts not illustrated for simplicity and ease of understanding, it should be understood that it potentially includes some or all of the parts and features described in relation to FIG. 1 and FIG. 5. The aerosol delivery system (10) has an outer housing (50), through which an air flow path extends, and the outer housing (50) accommodates the parts and features of the aerosol delivery system that enable aerosol delivery. The air flow path extends between an air inlet (26) and an aerosol outlet (56) of the mouthpiece portion (35) of the aerosol delivery system (10), and the air inlet (26) is illustrated as a small opening in the side wall of the housing (50), but may be located at a different location or may include one or more openings. The air flow path includes an upstream section (52) that carries air from the air inlet (26) to the vaporization chamber (54). A vaporizer (7) is located in the vaporization chamber (54), and the vaporizer (7) operates as previously described to transfer thermal energy to a liquid delivered from a reservoir (not shown) to the vaporizer (7) by a liquid supply arrangement such as a wick or other porous member (not shown) when electric power is supplied from a battery (not shown) under the control of a controller (not shown). The configuration of the vaporizer (7) is not limited and may take any convenient form. In some examples, the vaporizer will include an electric heating element. The upstream section (52) of the air flow channel terminates at the chamber inlet (53) on the upstream side of the vaporization chamber (54), and air is introduced into the vaporization chamber (54) from the upstream section (52) through the chamber inlet (53). The vaporization chamber (54) provides a middle section of the air flow channel.The chamber outlet (58) on the downstream side of the vaporization chamber (54) forms the beginning of the downstream portion (55) of the air flow channel, and the downstream portion (55) extends from the chamber outlet (58) to the aerosol outlet (56) of the mouthpiece (35). The air flow channel is thus composed of an upstream portion (52) (upstream of the vaporizer (7)), a vaporization chamber (54), and a downstream portion (55) (downstream of the vaporizer (7)).

[0121] When a user inhales through the aerosol outlet (56) on the aerosol delivery system (10), air A is introduced into the air inlet (26) and flows along the upstream portion (52) to the vaporization chamber (54). In the vaporization chamber (54), air A flows over, around, and to the side of the vaporizer (7) and collects or captures vapor V generated by the vaporizer (7) and present in the area around the vaporizer (7). Air A and the accompanying vapor V carried by air A form an aerosol, which flows out of the vaporization chamber (54) through the chamber outlet (58) and flows along the downstream portion (55) to provide the user with an aerosol puff (60). From this, it can be recognized that for a given puff duration and a given amount of power driving the vaporizer (e.g., to reach a specific temperature at which the vaporizer heats to vaporize the liquid), the form of the airflow passing through the vaporizer (7) is a factor determining the amount of aerosol present in the puff, i.e., the mass of aerosol in the puff. Assuming that the thermal energy released by the vaporizer (7) to heat the liquid is sufficient to maintain vaporization and that the supply of liquid is maintained, vaporization continues during the puffing process while the flowing air collects already formed vapor and transports it out of the vaporization chamber. Newly formed vapor replaces the collected vapor as the puffing progresses. Therefore, the total amount of aerosol in the puff may vary depending on the volume of air passing through the vaporizer (7) at a distance suitable for collecting vapor during the puffing. If a larger or smaller total volume of air is allowed to pass through the vaporizer within the puff, more or less aerosol is contained in the puff. Therefore, the aerosol mass in the puff can be changed by altering the airflow along the airflow path, which can be achieved by modifying the configuration of the airflow path.In particular, the air flow path may be modified upstream of the vaporizer compared to a specific configuration to provide a different air flow passing through the vaporizer (e.g., in terms of air flow velocity or total amount or volume of air). In this way, the aerosol mass in a puff of a first liquid in a reservoir of an aerosol delivery system for a given duration and a given applied power may be adjusted to match the aerosol mass in a puff of a specific liquid in a reservoir of a specific aerosol delivery system for a given duration and a given applied power (which may have a vaporizer of the same type as the vaporizer in the aerosol delivery system), so that an equation determined from the ACM data of a specific liquid in a specific aerosol delivery system may be used by the aerosol delivery system to estimate the liquid consumption and remaining liquid amount of the first liquid type.

[0122] The example in FIG. 16 illustrates an air flow path in which the upstream portion (52) and downstream portion (55) are narrower than the vaporization chamber (54) between them (the cross-sectional area or cross-sectional areas perpendicular to the direction of air flow along the air flow path are smaller). The air flow path widens after the chamber inlet (53) to form a space or cavity where the vaporizer (7) is located, which is large enough to accommodate the vaporizer and allow proper air flow passing above and beside the vaporizer (7), and this is the vaporization chamber (54). After the chamber outlet (58), the air flow path narrows. However, this is purely an example, and the air flow path may take any shape capable of carrying air from the air inlet to the vaporizer and carrying aerosol from the vaporizer to the aerosol outlet. For example, the vaporization chamber may have a width substantially similar to that of the upstream or downstream portion or both, and the upstream and / or downstream portions may include narrowings, widenings, bends, or other features. The shape of the vaporization chamber (54) is also just one example. The vaporization chamber may take any shape, form, or size that can accommodate the vaporizer and the flowing air, and takes into account the relationship with other components present within the housing of the aerosol delivery system. A factor of interest is that the features or characteristics of the airflow path where the vaporizer is located (generally, the configuration of the airflow path) are modified compared to a specific airflow path configuration to control the airflow and the aerosol mass in the puff.

[0123] One way the airflow passing through a vaporizer can be modified is by changing the speed or velocity of the air as it passes through the vaporizer. Faster-moving air can collect more vapor and increase the aerosol mass for a given puff duration (provided the vapor generation rate keeps up with vapor removal, keeping new vapor available for collection), whereas slower-moving air will collect less vapor and decrease the aerosol mass for the same puff duration. To achieve this, Bernoulli's principle can be utilized. Bernoulli's principle determines the relationship between velocity and pressure for a flowing fluid. According to this principle, a decrease in the cross-sectional area of ​​a fluid flow channel causes an increase in flow velocity, while an increase in the cross-sectional area causes a decrease in flow velocity. This can be used to change the speed of the air moving through the vaporizer via the air flow channel. One way to implement this is to modify the cross-sectional area of ​​the air flow channel at or near the chamber inlet where the air enters the vaporization chamber.

[0124] FIG. 17a illustrates a simplified schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of an exemplary vaporization chamber (54) in which a vaporizer (7) is located as before. The upstream portion (52) of the air flow channel delivers air to the vaporization chamber (7) through the chamber inlet (53). For the purpose of illustration, this example is considered to be a specific configuration of the air flow channel of the type of aerosol delivery system used to collect ACM data for deriving equations. The chamber inlet (53) has a specific width Ws and provides a specific cross-sectional area to the air flow channel at that point. Thus, the air entering the vaporization chamber (54) has a specific air flow velocity vs defined by the specific width Ws. While a larger cross-sectional area due to a larger width of the vaporization chamber (54) would reduce the air flow velocity within the vaporization chamber, the width Ws of the chamber inlet will at least partially determine the air flow velocity passing through the vaporizer (7) while the air collects vapor.

[0125] FIG. 17b illustrates a simplified schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of an exemplary air flow channel and vaporization chamber modified compared to the specific configuration of FIG. 17a. The upstream portion (52) of the air flow channel has a width W1 greater than a specific width Ws at or near the chamber inlet (53), so that the chamber inlet (53) has a larger cross-sectional area than in the specific air flow channel. The vaporization chamber (54) has substantially the same dimensions as the vaporization chamber of the specific configuration. The larger chamber inlet (53) creates a slower air flow velocity v1, which is smaller than vs, for the air entering the vaporization chamber (54), and the other identical design for the vaporization chamber (54) means that the air flow velocity passing through the vaporizer (7) is reduced compared to the air flow velocity passing through the vaporizer in the specific configuration. Thus, the flowing air has less opportunity to collect vapor during the puffing process. If the liquid used has a vaporization behavior with a higher vaporization rate than a specific liquid type, a reduced volume of air passing through the vaporizer can be selected to collect an amount of vapor from the puff that provides the same aerosol mass as the specific liquid in a specific air flow channel configuration. Thus, the difference in vaporization behavior can be compensated for.

[0126] FIG. 17c illustrates an example where the upstream portion of the air flow channel has a width W2 greater than a specific width Ws at or near the chamber inlet (53), so that the chamber inlet (53) has a smaller cross-sectional area than in the specific air flow channel. This creates a faster air flow velocity v2 higher than vs for the air entering the vaporization chamber (54), so that the air flow velocity passing through the vaporizer (7) is increased compared to the air flow velocity passing through the vaporizer in the specific configuration. Thus, a larger volume of air can pass through the vaporizer (7) during the puff. If the liquid used has a vaporization behavior with a lower vaporization rate than the specific liquid type, the increased volume of air passing through the vaporizer can be selected to collect an amount of vapor in the puff that provides the same aerosol mass as the specific liquid in the specific air flow channel configuration. Thus, the difference in vaporization behavior can be compensated again.

[0127] In these examples, the width of the upstream portion of the airflow channel may be modified (increased or decreased) compared to a specific design over the entire length of the upstream portion, for a portion immediately upstream of the chamber inlet, or only at the chamber inlet. Alternatively or additionally, cross-sectional area modifications may be implemented within the vaporization chamber itself. Any modification that creates a change in the airflow velocity passing through the vaporizer may be used.

[0128] Structural modifications of the examples in FIG. 17b and FIG. 17c can be relatively complex to implement because the walls defining the air flow channels and / or vaporization chambers require modification. An alternative that can be considered simpler is to utilize the reduction of the cross-sectional area by placing an insert at the chamber inlet.

[0129] FIG. 18 illustrates a simplified schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of an exemplary air flow channel and vaporization chamber modified compared to a specific configuration by the use of an insert. The upstream portion (52) of the air flow channel at the chamber outlet (53) has a width Ws and a corresponding cross-sectional area that matches the width and cross-sectional area in the specific configuration. To modify the air flow velocity in the vaporization section (54) and through the vaporizer (7), an annular insert (56) having a central aperture is placed inside the air flow channel at the chamber inlet (53). The central opening has a width W' that is smaller than a specific width Ws. Thus, the insert (56) provides a constriction or narrowing of the air flow channel at or near the chamber inlet (53), which reduces the cross-sectional area and causes an increase in the air flow velocity entering the vaporization chamber, thereby increasing the air flow velocity through the vaporizer for the same vaporization chamber otherwise, compensating for different liquid vaporization behavior and achieving the same aerosol mass in the puff. As shown in FIG. 8, an annular or similar insert having an aperture inside it may be convenient to be fixed or securely placed within the chamber inlet, but an insert or other limiting element that provides an obstacle narrowing the airflow path in a range smaller than the entire circumference may be used alternatively.

[0130] Modifying the airflow channel using this type of insert can only provide a reduction in cross-sectional area and a corresponding increase in airflow velocity. Therefore, this type of modification can only compensate for liquid types that have a lower vaporization rate than a specific liquid type, or otherwise generate vapor more slowly, or otherwise generate less vapor. Thus, when collecting ACM data from which the equation is derived, it is useful to use a specific liquid type that has a high vaporization rate, or generates vapor quickly or in large quantities, so that other liquid types likely to be supplied to end users within aerosol delivery systems are likely to be successfully compensated by generating less vapor. Inserts that provide different amounts of reduction in the airflow channel cross-sectional area (e.g., by having central apertures of different widths) can be used to increase the airflow velocity passing through the vaporizer by different amounts, thereby compensating for various first types of liquids having different vaporization behaviors.

[0131] Another way to modify the airflow passing through the vaporizer is to change the volume or amount of air adjacent to the vaporizer at any given time. This can be considered to provide an effect similar to changing the airflow velocity, as a larger or smaller total amount or volume of air passes through the vaporizer during the puffing process, making it available for collecting vapor, thereby allowing the aerosol mass in the puff to be adjusted upward or downward. As an example, this modification can be implemented by changing the volume of the vaporization chamber.

[0132] FIG. 19a illustrates a simplified schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of an exemplary vaporization chamber (54) in which the vaporizer (7) is located as before. The upstream portion (52) of the air flow channel delivers air to the vaporization chamber (7) through the chamber inlet (53). For the purpose of illustration, this example is considered to be a specific configuration of an air flow channel of the type of aerosol delivery system used to collect ACM data for deriving equations. The vaporization chamber (54) has a specific width or height Xs and has a corresponding specific total volume or capacity to contain air. This volume will, to some extent, determine the total amount of air that can be drawn in through the air flow channel during the puffing process, and thus the total amount of air available to collect vapor from the vaporizer (7) during puffing.

[0133] FIG. 19b illustrates a simplified schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of an exemplary air flow channel and vaporization chamber modified compared to a specific configuration of FIG. 19a. The vaporization chamber (54) has a width or height X1 greater than the width Xs of the vaporization chamber in the specific configuration, thereby providing a larger air capacity corresponding to the vaporization chamber (54). Thus, the air flow channel can accommodate more air, and a larger amount of air can be drawn through the vaporizer (7) during a puffing process of a given duration compared to the specific configuration. Thus, more air is available to collect vapor during the puff, and the aerosol mass for the first liquid type can be increased. If the liquid used has a vaporization behavior that produces less vapor than the specific liquid type, the increased amount of air passing through the vaporizer provides an increased effect in collecting available vapor, and can be selected to collect an amount of vapor provided in the puff equal to the aerosol mass of the specific liquid in the specific air flow channel configuration. In other cases, the first liquid type may have vaporization behavior that produces different aerosol droplet sizes, so that when the same amount of air is used, the vapor collection process is different and results in different aerosol masses, and changing the available air volume can change the aerosol mass. Thus, the difference in vaporization behavior between the first liquid type and a specific liquid type can be compensated for. This modification will depend to some extent on the dispersion of vapor from the vaporizer (7), as the ability of the flowing air to collect vapor may decrease with distance from the vaporizer (7), and therefore there may be a maximum width of the vaporization chamber where increasing it further does not improve vapor collection. Additionally, it should be noted that since changes in the width of the air flow channel caused by a larger vaporization chamber can modify the air flow velocity, this point may also need to be taken into account.

[0134] FIG. 19c illustrates an example in which the vaporization chamber (54) has a width or height X2 smaller than a specific width Xs, and thus the vaporization chamber has a reduced air capacity compared to a specific configuration. Compared to a specific configuration, less air will be drawn through the vaporizer (7) during a puffing process of a given duration, which makes less air available to collect vapor during the puff, and the aerosol mass for the first liquid type may be reduced. If the liquid used has a vaporization behavior that generates a greater amount of vapor than the specific liquid type or has a more efficient vapor collection process, the reduced amount of air passing through the vaporizer provides a reduced effect in collecting available vapor, and may be selected to collect the amount of vapor provided in the puff with the same aerosol mass as the specific liquid in a specific air flow channel configuration. Again, the difference in vaporization behavior between the first liquid type and the specific liquid type may be compensated.

[0135] Another way in which the airflow passing through the vaporizer can be modified is to change the turbulence level of the airflow through the vaporization chamber. Turbulence can increase air circulation near the vaporizer, allowing a higher proportion of the flowing air to come into contact with the vapor generated from the vaporizer. The efficiency of vapor collection can be increased. Consequently, a larger amount of vapor can be collected during the puff, increasing the aerosol mass in the puff. Reduced turbulence provides a smoother and less disturbed airflow, making it more likely that a lower proportion of the flowing air will collect vapor, and the efficiency of vapor collection decreases. A smaller amount of vapor can be collected during the puff, reducing the aerosol mass in the puff. Thus, an airflow path structure modified to provide a more turbulent airflow passing through the vaporizer can compensate for a first type of liquid having vaporization behavior that results in less vapor / aerosol (e.g., a lower vaporization rate) than a specific liquid by collecting available vapor more effectively. An air flow path structure modified to provide a less turbulent airflow passing through a vaporizer can compensate for a first liquid type having vaporization behavior that results in more vapor / aerosol (e.g., a higher vaporization rate) than a specific liquid by collecting available vapor less effectively.

[0136] Turbulent airflow can be provided by introducing one or more obstacles within the airflow path. Obstacles located within the vaporization chamber, and thus near the vaporizer, can be most effective in altering the turbulence level around the vaporizer, resulting in a more pronounced impact on vapor collection. Obstacles can be implemented by shaping the sidewalls of the airflow channel, particularly the walls defining the vaporization chamber, so that parts protrude or extend into the inner diameter of the airflow path, thereby obstructing or blocking the forward movement of air along the airflow path. Thus, in some examples, modifications to the configuration of the airflow channel can largely be described by providing different shapes to the vaporization chamber.

[0137] FIG. 20 illustrates a simplified schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of an exemplary air flow channel and vaporization chamber modified to disturb the air flow in a turbulent manner. As before, a vaporizer (7) is located in the vaporization chamber (54), the upstream portion (52) of the air flow channel delivers air to the vaporization chamber (7) through the chamber inlet (53), and the vaporization chamber (54) has a chamber outlet (58) leading to the downstream portion (55) of the air flow channel. A plurality of fins (57) are provided protruding inward from both sides of the vaporizer (7) (or actually all sides of the vaporizer (7)) into the internal space of the vaporization chamber (54) from the side walls defining the vaporization chamber. Air entering the vaporization chamber (54) and moving within it collides with the fins (57) and is diverted, creating a turbulent airflow around the vaporizer (7), which allows the air to collect more vapor generated by the vaporizer (7) than in the case where the fins (57) are absent. This example is not limited to the described configuration, and any modifications that can change the amount of turbulence may be used. Additionally, the shaping of protrusions of different shapes and shapes placed at different locations within the vaporization chamber (54) may be alternatively used to provide more or less turbulent airflow around the vaporizer. To simplify the modification of the airflow path to adequately compensate for a specific first liquid type in any particular aerosol delivery system, the obstacles or protrusions may be shaped as inserts that can be placed within the vaporization chamber during manufacturing. Different sizes, shapes, and / or numbers of protrusions may be added to address a range of various first liquid types. Shapes may also be provided in the upstream portion (52) of the air flow path to impart some turbulence to the air flowing before it enters the vaporization chamber (54). For example, spiral grooves (steel wires) may be provided on the side walls of the upstream portion to create a spiral airflow in the vaporization chamber.

[0138] Additionally or alternatively, the vaporizer itself may be shaped to provide more or less turbulence to the air flowing over it. For example, if the vaporizer includes an electric heating element that typically has a planar shape, the planar element may be formed into a corrugated shape to provide a rough surface for the air to pass through. The size and / or number of corrugations may be selected to choose an appropriate level of disturbance to the airflow. Providing actual obstructions to the vaporizer itself can be efficient in that turbulence can be concentrated in the area immediately surrounding the vaporizer where the generated steam will be most dense.

[0139] Note that in the preceding description, references to higher and lower, or increased and decreased, larger and smaller amounts of vapor, vapor collection and aerosol mass, and similar terms are intended to indicate higher and lower (etc.) relative to the performance of the first liquid type in the absence of modification to the airflow path. Modification causes an increase or decrease compared to the unmodified configuration (specific configuration), and the purpose is to ensure that the aerosol mass in the puff of the first liquid in the modified configuration becomes the same as that in the specific configuration for the specific liquid.

[0140] At a high level, the above concepts can be generally summarized as follows: within an aerosol delivery system, the configuration of the air flow path is modified to change the efficiency of vapor collection from the vaporizer by the air flowing in the air path containing the vaporizer, thereby controlling the aerosol mass in the puff of a defined puff duration, which is intended to compensate for the difference in the vaporization behavior of the vaporized liquid—which is a first type of liquid—compared to the vaporization behavior of a specific type of liquid vaporized in an aerosol delivery system having a vaporizer in an air flow path of a specific (unmodified) configuration.

[0141] Therefore, modifications to the airflow paths are not limited to the specific examples described above; rather, any modification that alters the airflow in a manner that provides the necessary compensation for the vaporization behavior of different liquid types may be implemented. For example, any of the various approaches described above may be combined with one another in any combination.

[0142] FIG. 21 illustrates a flowchart of the steps of a fifth exemplary method for estimating the amount of liquid within an aerosol delivery system, which generally corresponds to the features of the preceding disclosure of the fourth compensation example. The method may be performed, for example, by a controller included within the aerosol delivery system within a device component of the aerosol delivery system that may be coupled to a cartridge or pod component to form a complete aerosol delivery system. In the first step S1D, a power level value is obtained, which is the level of power applied to the vaporizer of the aerosol delivery system during a puff taken by a user of the aerosol delivery system. The vaporizer is located within the airflow path through the aerosol delivery system and operates under the supply of electric power to generate an aerosol for the puff by vaporizing the liquid from the reservoir. In this example, the liquid in the reservoir is a first liquid type. The aerosol delivery system includes a modification compared to a specific aerosol delivery system that vaporizes a specific type of liquid different from the first liquid type. The modification is implemented to compensate for the difference in vaporization behavior between the first type of liquid and the specific type of liquid. Specifically, the modification includes a difference in the configuration of the airflow path where the vaporizer of the aerosol delivery system is located, compared to a specific configuration of the airflow path within the specific aerosol delivery system. The modification causes a difference in the airflow over or through the vaporizer for the collection of vapor formed from the first liquid. In the second step S2D (note that steps S1D ​​and S2D may be performed in reverse order or simultaneously), a puff duration value is obtained, which is the duration of the puff applied to the vaporizer at the power at the obtained power level value. Once the power level value and the puff duration value are obtained, the method proceeds to step S3D, where the mass of the aerosol in the puff is determined from the power level value and the puff duration value.The mass of the aerosol is determined using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol, which is a function fitted to empirical data from mass measurements of aerosols generated during puffs of known puff duration values ​​at previously known power level values ​​for a population of aerosol delivery systems having air flow paths of specific compositions while vaporizing specific liquid types. Once the mass of the aerosol in the puff is determined, the method proceeds to step S4D, where the amount of liquid in the reservoir is estimated using the determined mass of the aerosol and the known amount of liquid that was in the reservoir prior to the puff.

[0143] In conclusion, to solve various problems and advance technology, this disclosure illustrates various embodiments in which the claimed invention(s) may be practiced in an exemplary manner. The advantages and features of this disclosure are merely representative samples of embodiments and are not complete or / or exclusive. They are presented only to aid in understanding and teaching the claimed invention(s). It should be understood that the advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and / or other aspects of this disclosure should not be construed as limitations on the disclosure defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents thereof, and that other embodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. Various embodiments may suitably include, be composed of, or be composed of various combinations of disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc., other than those specifically described herein. This disclosure may include other inventions that are not currently claimed but may be claimed in the future.

Claims

Claim 1 An aerosol supply system comprises: a storage tank holding a liquid to be vaporized — said liquid is a first liquid type —; a vaporizer for vaporizing the liquid from said storage tank; and a controller, wherein the controller, Determining the mass of the aerosol generated by the vaporizer during the puff, from a power level value representing the level of power supplied to the vaporizer during the puff taken by the user and a puff duration value representing the duration of the puff, and using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for a specific aerosol delivery system that vaporizes a liquid of a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type; An aerosol providing system configured to estimate the amount of liquid in the storage tank after puffing using the mass of the aerosol determined above and the known amount of liquid in the storage tank prior to puffing; wherein the feature of the aerosol providing system is modified compared with the specific aerosol providing system to compensate for the difference in the vaporization behavior of the first liquid type compared with the specific liquid type. Claim 2 The aerosol supply system according to claim 1, wherein the features of the aerosol supply system include an initial amount of a first liquid in the storage tank, the composition of the first liquid, the configuration of the vaporizer, or the configuration of the air flow path in which the vaporizer is located. Claim 3 An aerosol delivery system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the equation is obtained by fitting empirical data from measurements of the mass of aerosols generated during puffs having known puff duration values ​​and known power level values, performed on a population of specific aerosol delivery systems having the specific liquid type. Claim 4 An aerosol supply system comprises: a reservoir holding an initial volume of a liquid to be vaporized — said liquid is a first liquid type —; a vaporizer for vaporizing the liquid from said reservoir; and a controller, wherein the controller comprises: Determining the mass of the aerosol generated by the vaporizer during the puff, from a power level value representing the level of power supplied to the vaporizer during the puff taken by the user and a puff duration value representing the duration of the puff, and using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for an aerosol delivery system having a vaporizer of the same type and a reservoir holding a specific initial volume of a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type; An aerosol delivery system configured to estimate the amount of liquid in the storage tank after puffing using the mass of the aerosol determined above and a known amount of liquid in the storage tank prior to puffing; wherein the initial volume of a first type of liquid in the storage tank is modified compared to a specific initial volume to compensate for a difference in the vaporization behavior of the first type of liquid compared to the specific type of liquid. Claim 5 An aerosol delivery system according to claim 4, wherein the initial volume of the first type of liquid is selected to be N times the specific initial volume, and N is the ratio of the mass of aerosol generated by the vaporizer in a puff having the given puff duration value and the given power level value using the first liquid, compared to the mass of aerosol determined using the equation with the given puff duration value and the given power level value. Claim 6 In paragraph 4 or 5, N is an aerosol providing system that is less than 1 or equal to 1. Claim 7 In paragraph 4 or 5, N is greater than 1, an aerosol providing system. Claim 8 An aerosol delivery system, wherein in any one of claims 4 to 7, the equation is obtained by fitting empirical data from measurements of the mass of aerosol generated during puffs having known puff duration values ​​and known power level values, performed on a population of aerosol delivery systems having the same type of vaporizer and having the specific liquid type and the specific initial volume, or cartridges for said aerosol delivery systems. Claim 9 An aerosol delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the equation is obtained by linear fitting to empirical data. Claim 10 An aerosol delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the equation is obtained by nonlinear fitting to empirical data. Claim 11 An aerosol delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the controller is configured to store the equation and determine the mass of the aerosol for the puff by calculating the mass of the aerosol using the equation. Claim 12 An aerosol delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the controller stores a lookup table constructed using the equation and mapping power level values ​​or ranges of power level values ​​and puff duration values ​​or ranges of puff duration values ​​to mass values ​​of the aerosol, and is configured to determine the mass of the aerosol for the puff using the lookup table. Claim 13 An aerosol providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain the power level value and the puff duration value. Claim 14 A method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol dispensing system, comprising: a step of obtaining a power level value representing the level of power applied to a vaporizer of the aerosol dispensing system during a puff taken by a user — said vaporizer is configured to generate an aerosol by vaporizing a liquid from a reservoir of the aerosol dispensing system, said reservoir holds a liquid of a first liquid type —; a step of obtaining a puff duration value representing the duration of said puff; and a step of determining the mass of the aerosol generated by said vaporizer during said puff using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for a specific aerosol dispensing system that vaporizes a liquid of a specific liquid type different from said first liquid type, from said power level value and said puff duration value. The method comprises the step of estimating the amount of liquid in the storage tank after the puff using the mass of the aerosol determined above and the known amount of liquid in the storage tank prior to the puff; the feature of the aerosol delivery system is modified compared with the specific aerosol delivery system to compensate for the difference in the vaporization behavior of the first liquid type compared with the specific liquid type. Claim 15 A method for estimating the amount of liquid within an aerosol dispensing system, comprising: obtaining a power level value representing the level of power applied to a vaporizer of the aerosol dispensing system during a puff taken by a user — said vaporizer is configured to generate an aerosol by vaporizing a liquid from a reservoir of the aerosol dispensing system, said reservoir holds an initial volume of a liquid of a first liquid type —; obtaining a puff duration value representing the duration of said puff; and determining, from said power level value and said puff duration value, the mass of the aerosol generated by said vaporizer during the puff using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for an aerosol dispensing system having a reservoir holding a specific initial volume of a liquid of a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type, or for a cartridge for said aerosol dispensing system having a vaporizer of the same type and a reservoir holding a specific initial volume of a liquid of a specific liquid type different from said first liquid type, or for said cartridge; The method comprises the step of estimating the amount of liquid in the storage tank after puffing using the mass of the aerosol determined above and the known amount of liquid in the storage tank prior to puffing; the initial volume of the first type of liquid in the storage tank is modified compared to the specific initial volume to compensate for the difference in the vaporization behavior of the first type of liquid compared to the specific type of liquid. Claim 16 An aerosol supply system comprises: a storage tank holding a liquid to be vaporized — said liquid is a first liquid type —; a vaporizer for vaporizing the liquid from said storage tank; and a controller, wherein the controller, Determining the mass of the aerosol generated by the vaporizer during the puff, from a power level value representing the level of power supplied to the vaporizer during the puff taken by the user and a puff duration value representing the duration of the puff, and using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for an aerosol delivery system having the same type of vaporizer and a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type; An aerosol delivery system configured to estimate the amount of liquid in the storage tank after puffing using the mass of the aerosol determined above and the known amount of liquid in the storage tank prior to puffing; wherein the composition of the first liquid type is modified by comparison with the specific liquid type so that the first liquid type has the same vaporization behavior as the specific liquid type. Claim 17 An aerosol delivery system according to claim 16, wherein the composition of the first liquid type is selected such that the mass of the aerosol produced by the vaporizer in a puff having a given puff duration value and a given power level value using the first liquid type is equal to the mass of the aerosol determined using the equation with the given puff duration value and the given power level value. Claim 18 An aerosol delivery system according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the composition of the first liquid type comprises nicotine in a ratio different from that of the specific liquid type. Claim 19 An aerosol providing system according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the composition of the first liquid type comprises a flavoring or flavorings different from the specific liquid type. Claim 20 An aerosol providing system according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein the first liquid type has a composition different from the specific liquid type but has the same viscosity. Claim 21 An aerosol providing system according to any one of claims 16 to 20, wherein the first liquid type has a ratio of propylene glycol to vegetable glycerin that is different from the specific liquid type. Claim 22 An aerosol providing system according to any one of claims 16 to 20, wherein the first liquid type has the same ratio of propylene glycol to vegetable glycerin as the specific liquid type. Claim 23 An aerosol delivery system according to any one of claims 16 to 22, wherein the equation is obtained by fitting empirical data from measurements of the mass of aerosols generated during puffs having known puff duration values ​​and known power level values, performed on a population of aerosol delivery systems having the same type of vaporizer and the specific type of liquid. Claim 24 An aerosol delivery system, wherein in any one of claims 16 to 23, the equation is obtained by linear fitting to empirical data. Claim 25 An aerosol delivery system, wherein in any one of claims 16 to 23, the equation is obtained by nonlinear fitting to empirical data. Claim 26 An aerosol delivery system according to any one of claims 16 to 25, wherein the controller is configured to store the equation and determine the mass of the aerosol for the puff by calculating the mass of the aerosol using the equation. Claim 27 An aerosol delivery system according to any one of claims 16 to 25, wherein the controller stores a lookup table constructed using the equation and mapping power level values ​​or ranges of power level values ​​and puff duration values ​​or ranges of puff duration values ​​to mass values ​​of the aerosol, and is configured to determine the mass of the aerosol for the puff using the lookup table. Claim 28 An aerosol providing system according to any one of claims 16 to 27, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain the power level value and the puff duration value. Claim 29 An aerosol supply system according to any one of claims 16 to 28, further comprising an indicator for displaying to the user the amount of liquid in the storage tank, and wherein the controller is configured to operate the indicator to display the estimated amount of liquid in the storage tank. Claim 30 A method for estimating the amount of liquid within an aerosol dispensing system, comprising: a step of obtaining a power level value representing the level of power applied to a vaporizer of the aerosol dispensing system during a puff taken by a user — said vaporizer is configured to generate an aerosol by vaporizing a liquid from a reservoir of the aerosol dispensing system, said reservoir holds a liquid of a first liquid type —; a step of obtaining a puff duration value representing the duration of said puff; and a step of determining the mass of the aerosol generated by said vaporizer during the puff using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for an aerosol dispensing system having a vaporizer of the same type and a specific liquid type different from said first liquid type, or for a cartridge for said aerosol dispensing system, from said power level value and said puff duration value. The method comprises the step of estimating the amount of liquid in the storage tank after the puff using the mass of the aerosol determined above and the known amount of liquid in the storage tank prior to the puff; wherein the first liquid type has a composition modified by comparison with the specific liquid type so that the first liquid type has the same vaporization behavior as the specific liquid type. Claim 31 An aerosol supply system comprises: a storage tank holding a liquid to be vaporized — said liquid is a first liquid type —; a vaporizer for vaporizing the liquid from said storage tank; and a controller, wherein the controller, Determining the mass of the aerosol generated by the vaporizer during the puff, from a power level value representing the level of power supplied to the vaporizer during the puff taken by the user and a puff duration value representing the duration of the puff, and using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for an aerosol delivery system having a vaporizer of a specific configuration and a liquid of a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type; An aerosol delivery system configured to estimate the amount of liquid in the storage tank after the puff using the mass of the aerosol determined above and the known amount of liquid in the storage tank prior to the puff; the vaporizer is modified compared with the specific configuration to compensate for the difference in the vaporization behavior of the first liquid type compared with the specific liquid type by delivering different amounts of thermal energy to vaporize the liquid from the level of supplied power. Claim 32 An aerosol delivery system according to claim 31, wherein the different amounts of thermal energy are selected such that the mass of the aerosol produced by the vaporizer in a puff using the first liquid and having a given puff duration value and a given power level value is equal to the mass of the aerosol determined using the equation with the given puff duration value and the given power level value. Claim 33 An aerosol delivery system according to claim 31 or 32, wherein the vaporizer is modified by having an electrical resistance different from that of the specific configuration. Claim 34 An aerosol supply system according to any one of claims 31 to 33, wherein the vaporizer comprises an electric heating element. Claim 35 In paragraph 34, the electric heating element has an electric resistance different from the specific configuration, in an aerosol delivery system. Claim 36 In paragraph 34, an aerosol supply system wherein one or more electrical connections of the electric heating element have an electrical resistance different from that of the specific configuration. Claim 37 In paragraph 34, an aerosol delivery system comprising one or more resistors in series with the electric heating element and having an electrical resistance different from that of the specific configuration. Claim 38 An aerosol delivery system according to any one of claims 31 to 37, wherein the equation is obtained by fitting empirical data from measurements of the mass of aerosols generated during puffs having known puff duration values ​​and known power level values, performed on a population of aerosol delivery systems having a vaporizer of the specific configuration and a liquid of the specific liquid type. Claim 39 An aerosol delivery system, wherein in any one of claims 31 to 38, the equation is obtained by linear fitting to empirical data. Claim 40 An aerosol delivery system, wherein in any one of claims 31 to 38, the equation is obtained by nonlinear fitting to empirical data. Claim 41 An aerosol delivery system according to any one of claims 31 to 40, wherein the controller is configured to store the equation and determine the mass of the aerosol for the puff by calculating the mass of the aerosol using the equation. Claim 42 An aerosol delivery system according to any one of claims 31 to 40, wherein the controller stores a lookup table constructed using the equation and mapping power level values ​​or ranges of power level values ​​and puff duration values ​​or ranges of puff duration values ​​to mass values ​​of the aerosol, and is configured to determine the mass of the aerosol for the puff using the lookup table. Claim 43 An aerosol providing system according to any one of claims 31 to 42, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain the power level value and the puff duration value. Claim 44 An aerosol supply system according to any one of claims 31 to 43, further comprising an indicator for displaying to the user the amount of liquid in the storage tank, and wherein the controller is configured to operate the indicator to display the estimated amount of liquid in the storage tank. Claim 45 A method for estimating the amount of liquid in an aerosol dispensing system, comprising: a step of obtaining a power level value representing the level of power applied to a vaporizer of the aerosol dispensing system during a puff taken by a user — said vaporizer is configured to generate an aerosol by vaporizing a liquid from a reservoir of the aerosol dispensing system, said reservoir holds a liquid of a first liquid type —; a step of obtaining a puff duration value representing the duration of said puff; and a step of determining the mass of the aerosol generated by said vaporizer during said puff using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for an aerosol dispensing system having a vaporizer of a specific configuration and a liquid of a specific liquid type different from said first liquid type, or for a cartridge for said aerosol dispensing system, from said power level value and said puff duration value. and the method comprises the step of estimating the amount of liquid in the storage tank after the puff using the mass of the aerosol determined above and the known amount of liquid in the storage tank prior to the puff; the vaporizer is modified compared with the specific configuration to deliver different amounts of thermal energy to vaporize the liquid from the level of supplied power and thereby compensate for the difference in the vaporization behavior of the first liquid type compared with the specific liquid type. Claim 46 An aerosol delivery system comprises: a reservoir holding a liquid to be vaporized — said liquid is a first liquid type —; a vaporizer for vaporizing the liquid from said reservoir — said vaporizer is located within an air flow path —; and a controller, wherein the controller comprises Determining the mass of the aerosol generated by the vaporizer during the puff, from a power level value representing the level of power supplied to the vaporizer during the puff taken by the user and a puff duration value representing the duration of the puff, and using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for an aerosol delivery system having a vaporizer located within an air flow path of a specific configuration and having a specific liquid type different from the first liquid type; An aerosol delivery system configured to estimate the amount of liquid in the storage tank after puffing using the mass of the aerosol determined above and the known amount of liquid in the storage tank prior to puffing; the air flow path is modified compared with the specific configuration to provide a different air flow passing through the vaporizer and thereby compensate for the difference in the vaporization behavior of the first liquid type compared with the specific liquid type. Claim 47 An aerosol delivery system according to claim 46, wherein different airflows passing through the vaporizer are selected such that the mass of the aerosol generated by the vaporizer in a puff using the first liquid and having a given puff duration value and a given power level value is equal to the mass of the aerosol determined using the equation with the given puff duration value and the given power level value. Claim 48 An aerosol delivery system according to claim 46 or 47, wherein the air flow path is modified to provide different volumes of air flow passing through the vaporizer for a given puff duration value. Claim 49 An aerosol delivery system according to claim 46 or 47, wherein the air flow path is modified to provide air flow of different speeds passing through the vaporizer. Claim 50 An aerosol delivery system according to claim 46 or 47, wherein the air flow path is modified by including different volumes of the chamber in which the vaporizer is located. Claim 51 An aerosol delivery system according to claim 46 or 47, wherein the air flow path is modified by including a different shape of the chamber in which the vaporizer is located. Claim 52 An aerosol supply system according to any one of claims 46 to 51, wherein the vaporizer comprises an electric heating element. Claim 53 An aerosol delivery system, wherein, in any one of claims 46 to 52, the equation is obtained by fitting empirical data from measurements of the mass of aerosols generated during puffs having known puff duration values ​​and known power level values, performed on a population of aerosol delivery systems having a specific type of liquid and a vaporizer of the same type located in the airflow path of the specific configuration. Claim 54 An aerosol delivery system, wherein in any one of claims 46 to 53, the equation is obtained by linear fitting to empirical data. Claim 55 In any one of claims 46 to 53, the aerosol delivery system, wherein the equation is obtained by nonlinear fitting to empirical data. Claim 56 An aerosol delivery system according to any one of claims 46 to 55, wherein the controller is configured to store the equation and determine the mass of the aerosol for the puff by calculating the mass of the aerosol using the equation. Claim 57 An aerosol delivery system according to any one of claims 46 to 55, wherein the controller stores a lookup table constructed using the equation and mapping power level values ​​or ranges of power level values ​​and puff duration values ​​or ranges of puff duration values ​​to mass values ​​of the aerosol, and is configured to determine the mass of the aerosol for the puff using the lookup table. Claim 58 An aerosol providing system according to any one of claims 46 to 57, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain the power level value and the puff duration value. Claim 59 An aerosol supply system according to any one of claims 46 to 58, further comprising an indicator for displaying to the user the amount of liquid in the storage tank, and wherein the controller is configured to operate the indicator to display the estimated amount of liquid in the storage tank. Claim 60 A method for estimating the amount of liquid within an aerosol dispensing system, comprising: obtaining a power level value representing the level of power applied to a vaporizer of the aerosol dispensing system during a puff taken by a user — said vaporizer is located within an airflow path and is configured to generate an aerosol by vaporizing a liquid from a reservoir of the aerosol dispensing system, said reservoir holds a liquid of a first liquid type —; obtaining a puff duration value representing the duration of said puff; and determining, from said power level value and said puff duration value, the mass of the aerosol generated by said vaporizer during the puff using an equation relating the power level and puff duration to the mass of the aerosol for an aerosol dispensing system having a vaporizer located within an airflow path of a specific configuration and having a liquid of a specific liquid type different from said first liquid type, or for a cartridge for said aerosol dispensing system. The method comprises the step of estimating the amount of liquid in the storage tank after the puff using the mass of the aerosol determined above and the known amount of liquid in the storage tank prior to the puff; the air flow path is modified compared with the specific configuration to provide a different air flow passing through the vaporizer and thereby compensate for the difference in the vaporization behavior of the first liquid type compared with the specific liquid type.

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