Aerosol provision system

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application disclose an aerosol provision system comprising an upper housing and a lower housing that are configured to move relatively between a first relative position and a second relative position along a height direction; when the upper housing and the lower housing are located in the first relative position, an inhalation unit is hidden inside the housings; when the upper housing and the lower housing are located in the second relative position, the inhalation unit extends out of a first opening; based on this structure, users can apply external force to the housings of the aerosol provision system, causing relative movement between the upper housing and the lower housing, which allows a mouthpiece of the inhalation unit to be fully hidden in the aerosol provision device or extend out of the opening of the upper housing, to keep the mouthpiece free from contamination after use while ensuring portability and ease of use, simplifying the structure and improving the user experience.

Description

[0001] AEROSOL PROVISION SYSTEM

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of aerosol provision technology, and particularly to an aerosol provision system.

[0004] Technical Background

[0005] At present, e-cigarette products on the market are not provided with protective covers or any protective measures for the mouthpiece (the part where the users come into contact with the inhalation unit during inhalation), which makes the mouthpiece always exposed to the environment, easily contaminated by dust, oil stains, etc., and may even cause health problems for users. For a small number of e-cigarette products, they can be placed as a whole in a storage bag or box after use, although this helps to solve the hygiene problem of the mouthpiece to a certain extent, the mouthpiece is also prone to contamination or dirtiness during carrying and storage, moreover, users need to open the box and then take out the products by hand, which is not very good for the user experience to some extent and affects the user experience. On the other hand, the e-cigarette industry also hopes to create more innovative and technological products to provide users with different user experiences.

[0006] Summary

[0007] The present application aims to solve at least one of the technical problems present in the prior art. Therefore, the present application puts forward an aerosol provision system.

[0008] In the first aspect, the present application provides an aerosol provision system comprising: an upper housing, a lower housing; the upper housing and the lower housing are configured to move relatively between a first relative position and a second relative position along a height direction; the top of the upper housing is provided with a first opening, the lower housing has an accommodating chamber, the top of the accommodating chamber is provided with a second opening, and the interior of the accommodating chamber is used to place an inhalation unit with a mouthpiece; the projections of the first opening and the second opening along the height direction overlap at least partially, so that when the upper housing and the lower housing move relative to each other, the mouthpiece is movable relative to the upper housing and the lower housing to extend out of the first opening or return back into the first opening; when the upper housing and the lower housing are located in the first relative position, the inhalation unit is hidden in the first opening, the distance between the top of the upper housing and the top of the lower housing in the height direction is a first distance; when the upper housing and the lower housing are located in the second relative position, the inhalation unit extends out of the first opening, the distance between the top of the upper housing and the top of the lower housing in the height direction is a second distance; the first distance is less than the second distance.

[0009] Further, the accommodating chamber of the lower housing is provided with a support part therein for supporting the inhalation unit; the aerosol provision system further comprises a drive assembly used to convert the movement of the upper housing relative to the lower housing into the movement of the support part relative the lower housing along the height direction.

[0010] Further, the drive assembly comprises: a first transmission part, connected to the upper housing; a second transmission part, connected to the support part, and in transmission connection with the first transmission part; the first transmission part and the second transmission part are used to drive the support part to move relative to the upper housing and the lower housing when the upper housing and the lower housing move between the first relative position and the second relative position.

[0011] Further, when the upper housing and the lower housing move from the first relative position towards the second relative position, the drive assembly is used to drive the support part to rise, and to make the rising speed of the support part greater than the relative movement speed between the upper housing and the lower housing; when the upper housing and the lower housing move from the second relative position towards the first relative position, the drive assembly is used to drive the support part to descend, and to make the descent speed of the support part greater than the relative movement speed between the upper housing and the lower housing.

[0012] Further, the drive assembly further comprises a third transmission part connected to the lower housing and connected to the first transmission part; there is a first transmission ratio between the first transmission part and the second transmission part, and there is a second transmission ratio between the third transmission part and the first transmission part; the first transmission ratio is greater than the second transmission ratio.

[0013] Further, the first transmission part and the second transmission part are in meshing transmission.

[0014] Further, the first transmission part and the third transmission part are in meshing transmission.

[0015] Further, the first transmission part is a gear, and the second transmission part is a rack fixed to the support part and extending along the height direction.

[0016] Further, the first transmission part is a gear, and the third transmission part is a rack fixed to the lower housing and extending along the height direction.

[0017] Further, the aerosol provision system further comprises a dust cover used for opening or closing the first opening. By providing the dust cover, the first opening can be closed when the aerosol provision system is not in use to ensure the hygiene inside the aerosol provision system.

[0018] Further, the aerosol provision system further comprises a dust cover drive part rotatable with a rotating shaft of the first transmission part, and the dust cover drive part is connected to the dust cover to drive the dust cover to move.

[0019] Further, the dust cover drive part is a dial coaxially and fixedly connected to the first transmission part; the dial is provided with a guide rail, the dust cover has a transmission part and a cover body connected to one end of the transmission part, and the other end of the transmission part is provided with a sliding part located within the guide rail and slidable along the guide rail.

[0020] Further, the guide rail comprises a linear part and an arc part, and the arc part is arranged coaxially to the dial; the linear part is located on a radial inner side of the arc part and is connected to and in fluid communication with a circumferential end of the arc part.

[0021] Further, the guide rail is a groove, and the sliding part is a sliding block extending into the groove.

[0022] In the above one or more technical solutions of the aerosol provision system of the present application, users can apply external force to the housings of the aerosol provision system, causing relative movement between the upper housing and the lower housing, which allows a mouthpiece of the inhalation unit to be fully hidden in the aerosol provision device or extend out of the opening of the upper housing, to keep the mouthpiece free from contamination after use while ensuring portability and ease of use, simplifying the structure and improving the user experience.

[0023] Additional aspects and advantages of the application will be partially described in the following description, some will become apparent from the following description, and others will be learned through the practice of the application.

[0024] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] With reference to the accompanying drawings, the disclosure of the present application will become more understandable. Those skilled in the art can easily understand that these drawings are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Moreover, similar numbers in the figures are used to represent similar components, wherein:

[0026] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an aerosol provision system in a hygienic state in an implementation;

[0027] Figure 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of Figure 1 from another perspective; Figure 3 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an aerosol provision system in an inhalation state in an implementation;

[0028] Figure 4 is an exploded three-dimensional schematic diagram of an aerosol provision system in an implementation;

[0029] Figure 5 is a further exploded schematic diagram of the aerosol provision system shown in Figure 4;

[0030] Figure 6 is a rear view of the exploded schematic diagram of the aerosol provision system shown in Figure 5;

[0031] Figure 7 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an aerosol provision system in an embodiment;

[0032] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the dust cover in an open position in the embodiment shown in Figure 7;

[0033] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the matching between the dust cover and the dial in the embodiment shown in Figure 7;

[0034] Figure 10 is an exploded schematic diagram of an upper housing and a support part in an embodiment;

[0035] Figure 11 is an exploded schematic diagram of a lower housing in an embodiment;

[0036] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the matching between a lower housing support and a support part in an embodiment;

[0037] Figure 13 is an exploded schematic diagram of an upper housing in an embodiment;

[0038] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between an upper housing support and a lower housing support in an embodiment;

[0039] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between a dust cover and an upper housing in an embodiment; and

[0040] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between an upper housing body and an upper housing support in an embodiment.

[0041] Detailed Description

[0042] The following describes some embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are only for explaining the technical principles of the present application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application.

[0043] As used herein, the term “delivery system” is intended to encompass systems that deliver at least one substance to a user in use, and includes: combustible aerosol provision systems, such as cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, and tobacco for pipes or for roll-your-own or for make-your-own cigarettes (whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, tobacco substitutes or other smokable material); non-combustible aerosol provision systems that release compounds from an aerosolgenerating material without combusting the aerosol-generating material, such as electronic cigarettes, tobacco heating products, and hybrid systems to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials; and aerosol-free delivery systems that deliver the at least one substance to a user orally, nasally, transdermally or in another way without forming an aerosol, including but not limited to, lozenges, gums, patches, articles comprising inhalable powders, and oral products such as oral tobacco which includes snus or moist snuff, wherein the at least one substance may or may not comprise nicotine.

[0044] According to the present disclosure, a “combustible” aerosol provision system is one where a constituent aerosol-generating material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof) is combusted or burned during use in order to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.

[0045] In some embodiments, the delivery system is a combustible aerosol provision system, such as a system selected from the group consisting of a cigarette, a cigarillo and a cigar.

[0046] In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to a component for use in a combustible aerosol provision system, such as a filter, a filter rod, a filter segment, a tobacco rod, a spill, an aerosol-modifying agent release component such as a capsule, a thread, or a bead, or a paper such as a plug wrap, a tipping paper or a cigarette paper.

[0047] According to the present disclosure, a “non-combustible” aerosol provision system is one where a constituent aerosol-generating material of the aerosol provision system (or component thereof) is not combusted or burned in order to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.

[0048] In some embodiments, the delivery system is a non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a powered non-combustible aerosol provision system.

[0049] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaping device or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), although it is noted that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol-generating material is not a requirement.

[0050] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is an aerosolgenerating material heating system, also known as a heat-not-burn system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system.

[0051] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system is a hybrid system to generate aerosol using a combination of aerosol-generating materials, one or a plurality of which may be heated. Each of the aerosol-generating materials may be, for example, in the form of a solid, liquid or gel and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. The solid aerosol-generating material may comprise, for example, tobacco or a non-tobacco product.

[0052] Typically, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise a noncombustible aerosol provision device and a consumable for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device.

[0053] In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to consumables comprising aerosolgenerating material and configured to be used with non-combustible aerosol provision devices. These consumables are sometimes referred to as articles throughout the disclosure.

[0054] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system, such as a non- combustible aerosol provision device thereof, may comprise a power source and a controller. The power source may, for example, be an electric power source or an exothermic power source. In some embodiments, the exothermic power source comprises a carbon substrate which may be energised so as to distribute power in the form of heat to an aerosol-generating material or to a heat transfer material in proximity to the exothermic power source.

[0055] In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol provision system may comprise an area for receiving the consumable, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a mouthpiece, a filter and / or an aerosol-modifying agent.

[0056] In some embodiments, the consumable for use with the non-combustible aerosol provision device may comprise aerosol-generating material, an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a filter, a mouthpiece, and / or an aerosolmodifying agent.

[0057] In some embodiments, the delivery system is an aerosol-free delivery system that delivers at least one substance to a user orally, nasally, transdermally or in another way without forming an aerosol, including but not limited to, lozenges, gums, patches, articles comprising inhalable powders, and oral products such as oral tobacco which includes snus or moist snuff, wherein the at least one substance may or may not comprise nicotine.

[0058] In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered may be an aerosol-generating material or a material that is not intended to be aerosolised. As appropriate, either material may comprise one or more active constituents, one or more flavours, one or more aerosolformer materials, and / or one or more other functional materials.

[0059] In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered comprises an active substance. The active substance as used herein may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to achieve or enhance a physiological response. The active substance may for example be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, psychoactives. The active substance may be naturally occurring or synthetically obtained. The active substance may comprise for example nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or constituents, derivatives, or combinations thereof. The active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of tobacco, cannabis or another botanical.

[0060] In some embodiments, the active substance comprises nicotine. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises caffeine, melatonin or vitamin B12.

[0061] As noted herein, the active substance may comprise one or more constituents, derivatives or extracts of cannabis, such as one or more cannabinoids or terpenes.

[0062] As noted herein, the active substance may comprise or be derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof. As used herein, the term "botanical" includes any material derived from plants including, but not limited to, extracts, leaves, bark, fibres, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, husk, shells or the like. Alternatively, the material may comprise an active compound naturally existing in a botanical, obtained synthetically. The material may be in the form of liquid, gas, solid, powder, dust, crushed particles, granules, pellets, shreds, strips, sheets, or the like.

[0063] Example botanicals are tobacco, eucalyptus, star anise, hemp, cocoa, cannabis, fennel, lemongrass, peppermint, spearmint, rooibos, chamomile, flax, ginger, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, licorice (liquorice), matcha, mate, orange skin, papaya, rose, sage, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, clove, cinnamon, coffee, aniseed (anise), basil, bay leaves, cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lavender, lemon peel, mint, juniper, elderflower, vanilla, Wintergreen, beefsteak plant, curcuma, turmeric, sandalwood, cilantro, bergamot, orange blossom, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, geranium, mulberry, ginseng, theanine, theacrine, maca, ashwagandha, damiana, guarana, chlorophyll, baobab or any combination thereof. The mint may be chosen from the following mint varieties: Mentha Arventis, Mentha c.v., Mentha niliaca, Mentha piperita, Mentha piperita citrata c.v., Mentha piperita c.v, Mentha spicata crispa, Mentha cardifolia, Memtha longifolia, Mentha suaveolens variegata, Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata c.v. and Mentha suaveolens.

[0064] In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is tobacco. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected from eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa and hemp. In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or derived from one or more botanicals or constituents, derivatives or extracts thereof and the botanical is selected from rooibos and fennel.

[0065] In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered comprises a flavour. As used herein, the terms "flavour" and "flavourant" refer to materials which, where local regulations permit, may be used to create a desired taste, aroma or other somatosensorial sensation in a product for adult consumers. They may include naturally occurring flavour materials, botanicals, extracts of botanicals, synthetically obtained materials, or combinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, licorice (liquorice), hydrangea, eugenol, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf, chamomile, fenugreek, clove, maple, matcha, menthol, Japanese mint, aniseed (anise), cinnamon, turmeric, Indian spices, Asian spices, herb, Wintergreen, cherry, berry, red berry, cranberry, peach, apple, orange, mango, clementine, lemon, lime, tropical fruit, papaya, rhubarb, grape, durian, dragon fruit, cucumber, blueberry, mulberry, citrus fruits, Drambuie, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, aloe vera, cardamom, celery, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, khat, naswar, betel, shisha, pine, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, orange blossom, cherry blossom, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sage, fennel, wasabi, piment, ginger, coriander, coffee, hemp, a mint oil from any species of the genus Mentha, eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, lemongrass, rooibos, flax, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus, laurel, mate, orange skin, rose, tea such as green tea or black tea, thyme, juniper, elderflower, basil, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lemon peel, mint, beefsteak plant, curcuma, cilantro, myrtle, cassis, valerian, pimento, mace, damien, marjoram, olive, lemon balm, lemon basil, chive, carvi, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphene), flavour enhancers, bitterness receptor site blockers, sensorial receptor site activators or stimulators, sugars and / or sugar substitutes (e.g., sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharine, cyclamates, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, or mannitol), and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, botanicals, or breath freshening agents. They may be imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example, liquid such as an oil, solid such as a powder, or gas.

[0066] In some embodiments, the flavour comprises menthol, spearmint and / or peppermint. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components of cucumber, blueberry, citrus fruits and / or redberry. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises eugenol. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from tobacco. In some embodiments, the flavour comprises flavour components extracted from cannabis.

[0067] In some embodiments, the flavour may comprise a sensate, which is intended to achieve a somatosensorial sensation which are usually chemically induced and perceived by the stimulation of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve), in addition to or in place of aroma or taste nerves, and these may include agents providing heating, cooling, tingling, numbing effect. A suitable heat effect agent may be, but is not limited to, vanillyl ethyl ether and a suitable cooling agent may be, but not limited to eucolyptol, WS-3.

[0068] Aerosol-generating material is a material that is capable of generating aerosol, for example when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. Aerosol-generating material may, for example, be in the form of a solid, liquid or gel which may or may not contain an active substance and / or flavourants. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may comprise an “ amorphous solid ” , which may alternatively be referred to as a “monolithic solid ” (i.e. non-fibrous). In some embodiments, the amorphous solid may be a dried gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material that may retain some fluid, such as liquid, within it. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may for example comprise from about 50wt%, 60wt% or 70wt% of amorphous solid, to about 90wt%, 95wt% or 100wt% of amorphous solid.

[0069] The aerosol-generating material may comprise one or more active substances and / or flavours, one or more aerosol-former materials, and optionally one or more other functional material.

[0070] The aerosol-former material may comprise one or more constituents capable of forming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol-former material may comprise one or more of glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1 ,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-Erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, a diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, a diacetin mixture, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, and propylene carbonate.

[0071] The one or more other functional materials may comprise one or more of pH regulators, colouring agents, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers, and / or antioxidants.

[0072] The material may be present on or in a support, to form a substrate. The support may, for example, be or comprise paper, card, paperboard, cardboard, reconstituted material, a plastics material, a ceramic material, a composite material, glass, a metal, or a metal alloy. In some embodiments, the support comprises a susceptor. In some embodiments, the susceptor is embedded within the material. In some alternative embodiments, the susceptor is on one or either side of the material.

[0073] A consumable is an article comprising or consisting of aerosol-generating material, part or all of which is intended to be consumed during use by a user. A consumable may comprise one or more other components, such as an aerosol-generating material storage area, an aerosol-generating material transfer component, an aerosol generation area, a housing, a wrapper, a mouthpiece, a filter and / or an aerosol-modifying agent. A consumable may also comprise an aerosol generator, such as a heater, that emits heat to cause the aerosol- generating material to generate aerosol in use. The heater may, for example, comprise combustible material, a material heatable by electrical conduction, or a susceptor.

[0074] A susceptor is a material that is heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The susceptor may be an electrically-conductive material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes induction heating of the heating material. The heating material may be magnetic material, so that penetration thereof with a varying magnetic field causes magnetic hysteresis heating of the heating material. The susceptor may be both electrically-conductive and magnetic, so that the susceptor is heatable by both heating mechanisms. The device that is configured to generate the varying magnetic field is referred to as a magnetic field generator, herein.

[0075] An aerosol-modifying agent is a substance, typically located downstream of the aerosol generation area, that is configured to modify the aerosol generated, for example by changing the taste, flavour, acidity or another characteristic of the aerosol. The aerosolmodifying agent may be provided in an aerosol-modifying agent release component, that is operable to selectively release the aerosol-modifying agent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be an additive or a sorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, comprise one or more of a flavourant, a colourant, water, and a carbon adsorbent. The aerosol-modifying agent may, for example, be a solid, a liquid, or a gel. The aerosol-modifying agent may be in powder, thread or granule form. The aerosol-modifying agent may be free from filtration material.

[0076] An aerosol generator is an apparatus configured to cause aerosol to be generated from the aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is a heater configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to heat energy, so as to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is configured to cause an aerosol to be generated from the aerosolgenerating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibration, increased pressure, or electrostatic energy.

[0077] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery systems (which may also be referred to as vapour delivery systems) such as nebulisers or e-cigarettes. Throughout the following description the term "e-cigarette" or "electronic cigarette" may sometimes be used, but it will be appreciated this term may be used interchangeably with aerosol delivery system I device and electronic aerosol delivery system I device. Furthermore, and as is common in the technical field, the terms "aerosol" and "vapour", and related terms such as "vaporise", "volatilise" and "aerosolise", may generally be used interchangeably.

[0078] Aerosol delivery systems (e-cigarettes) often, though not always, comprise a modular assembly comprising a reusable device part and a replaceable (disposable / consumable) cartridge part. Often, the replaceable cartridge part will comprise the aerosol-generating material and the vaporiser (which may collectively be called a “ cartomizer” ) and the reusable device part will comprise the power provision (e.g. rechargeable power source) and control circuitry. It will be appreciated these different parts may comprise further elements depending on functionality. For example, the reusable device part will often comprise a user interface for receiving user input and displaying operating status characteristics, and the replaceable cartridge device part in some cases comprises a temperature sensor for helping to control temperature. Cartridges are electrically and mechanically coupled to the control unit for use, for example using a screw thread, bayonet, or magnetic coupling with appropriately arranged electrical contacts. When the aerosol-generating material in a cartridge is exhausted, or the user wishes to switch to a different cartridge having a different aerosol-generating material, the cartridge may be removed from the reusable part and a replacement cartridge attached in its place. Systems and devices conforming to this type of two-part modular configuration may generally be referred to as two-part systems / devices.

[0079] It is common for electronic cigarettes to have a generally elongate shape. For the sake of providing a concrete example, certain embodiments of the disclosure will be taken to comprise this kind of generally elongate two-part system employing disposable cartridges. However, it will be appreciated that the underlying principles described herein may equally be adopted for different configurations, for example single-part systems or modular systems comprising more than two parts, refillable devices and single-use disposables, as well as other overall shapes, for example based on so-called box-mod high performance devices that typically have a boxier shape. More generally, it will be appreciated certain embodiments of the disclosure are based on aerosol delivery systems which are operationally configured to provide functionality in accordance with the principles described herein and the constructional aspects of systems configured to provide the functionality in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure is not of primary significance..

[0080] Various implementations will now be described in more detail.

[0081] Figure 1 and Figure 3 show three-dimensional schematic diagrams of an aerosol provision system 10 in different states according an embodiment. As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3, the aerosol provision system 10 comprises an upper housing 101 and a lower housing 102; the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 are movable relatively between a first relative position shown in Figure 1 and a second relative position shown in Figure 3 along a height direction X of the aerosol provision system 10.

[0082] Combining Figure 1 , Figure 2, Figure 4 and Figure 11 , and referring to Figure 3, the top of the upper housing 101 is provided with a first opening 1011 ; the lower housing 102 has an accommodating chamber 1021 , the top of the accommodating chamber 1021 is provided with a second opening 1022; the interior of the accommodating chamber 1021 is used to place an inhalation unit 200 with a mouthpiece 201 ; the projections of the first opening 1011 and the second opening 1022 along the height direction X overlap at least partially, so that when the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 move relative to each other, the mouthpiece 201 is movable relative to the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 to extend out of the first opening 1011 or return back into the first opening 1011 ; the accommodating chamber 1021 of the lower housing 102 is provided with a support part 103 therein for supporting the inhalation unit 200.

[0083] It should be noted that the inhalation unit 200 with the mouthpiece 201 may be a cigarette or a cartridge, which may be detachably mounted on the support part 103. Specifically, the cigarette or cartridge may be mounted to the support part 103 after the support part 103 is raised to a certain height. Of course, in an alternative embodiment, the inhalation unit 200 such as a cartridge may be pre-mounted on the support part 103 and go up and down together with the support part 103.

[0084] In this embodiment, the movement of the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 may be due to the stress applied to the upper housing 101 and / or the lower housing 102 by the user when holding the aerosol provision system 10. As a specific implementation, when the aerosol provision system 10 is in the hygienic state shown in Figure 1 , the user can apply a tensile force along the height direction X to the upper housing 101 and / or the lower housing 102, causing the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 to move away from each other, thereby changing the state of the aerosol provision system 10 to the inhalation state shown in Figure 3; when the aerosol provision system 10 is in the inhalation state shown in Figure 3, the user can apply compressive stress in the opposite direction of the tensile force to the upper housing 101 and / or the lower housing 102, causing the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 to move relatively close to each other, thereby changing the state of the aerosol provision system 10 to the hygienic state shown in Figure 1.

[0085] Specifically, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, when the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 are located in the first relative position, the inhalation unit 200 is hidden within the first opening 1011 , and the distance between the top of the upper housing 101 and the top of the lower housing 102 in the height direction X is a first distance L1 ;

[0086] As shown in Figure 3, when the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 are located in the second relative position, the inhalation unit 200 extends out of the first opening 1011 , and the distance between the top of the upper housing 101 and the top of the lower housing 102 in the height direction X is a second distance L2; wherein, the first distance L1 is less than the second distance L2.

[0087] Continuing to refer to Figure 1 , the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 may be configured as housings with approximately the same length and width perpendicular to the height direction X of the aerosol provision system 10, so that when the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 are in the first relative position, the bottom of the upper housing 101 abuts against the top of the lower housing 102, increasing the overall design aesthetic of the aerosol provision system 10 in the hygienic state; when the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 are in the second relative position, there is a gap between the bottom of the upper housing 101 and the top of the lower housing 102.

[0088] It should be understood that the relationship between the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 may also be one of the following matching configurations:

[0089] The upper housing 101 is sleeved outside the lower housing 102, or the upper housing

[0090] 101 is sleeved inside the lower housing 102; or, when the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 are in the first relative position and / or the second relative position, the aforementioned sleeved matching relationship can be maintained; the use of the sleeved design may prevent gaps in the height direction X between the two housings during relative movement of the two housings, thereby avoiding the entry of dust into the interior of the housings.

[0091] In some implementations, the aerosol provision system 10 further comprises a drive assembly used to convert the movement of the upper housing 101 relative to the lower housing

[0092] 102 into the movement of the support part 103 relative to the lower housing 102 along the height direction X.

[0093] To hide the mouthpiece 201 of the inhalation unit 200 within the first opening 1011 when the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 are in the first relative position, and extend out of the first opening 1011 when the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 are in the second relative position, the drive assembly may be configured as follows:

[0094] When the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 move from the first relative position towards the second relative position, the drive assembly drives the support part 103 to rise, and makes the rising speed of the support part 103 greater than the relative movement speed between the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102;

[0095] When the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 move from the second relative position towards the first relative position, the drive assembly drives the support part 103 to descend, and makes the descent speed of the support part 103 greater than the relative movement speed between the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102.

[0096] As a specific implementation, Figure 4 shows an exploded three-dimensional schematic diagram of the aerosol provision system 10, Figure 5 shows a further exploded three-dimensional schematic diagram of the aerosol provision system 10 shown in Figure 4, and Figure 6 is a rear view of the exploded three-dimensional schematic diagram shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 4 - Figure 6, the drive assembly comprises a first transmission part 1031 connected to the upper housing 101 , and a second transmission part 1032 connected to the support part 103; the first transmission part 1031 is in transmission connection with the second transmission part 1032; when the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 move between the first relative position shown in Figure 1 and the second relative position shown in Figure 3, the first transmission part 1031 and the second transmission part 1032 are used to drive the support part 103 to move relative to the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102.

[0097] In a specific implementation, a user can apply an external force to the upper housing 101 and / or the lower housing 102 of the aerosol provision system 10, causing relative movement between the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 along the height direction X, and through the transmission between the first transmission part 1031 and the second transmission part 1032, the displacement between the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 is converted to drive the movement of the support part 103;

[0098] For example, the user can apply a tensile force along the height direction X to the upper housing 101 and / or the lower housing 102 of the aerosol provision system 10 shown in Figure 1 , causing the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 to move away from each other, and during this process, the transmission between the first transmission part 1031 and the second transmission part 1032 drives the support part 103 to rise along the height direction X; or, the user can apply a compressive stress to the upper housing 101 and / or the lower housing 102 of the aerosol provision system 10 shown in Figure 3, causing the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 to move relatively close to each other, then the transmission between the first transmission part 1031 and the second transmission part 1032 drives the support part 103 to descend along the height direction X.

[0099] Wherein, as an implementation, the first transmission part 1031 and the second transmission part 1032 are in meshing transmission, for example, the first transmission part 1031 is a gear, and the second transmission part 1032 is a rack.

[0100] It should be noted that the first transmission part 1031 and the second transmission part 1032 are not limited to meshing transmission, and may also adopt other transmission methods; the specific implementation of meshing transmission is not limited to gears and racks.

[0101] Continuing to refer to Figure 4 to Figure 6, the drive assembly further comprises a third transmission part 1033 connected to the lower housing 102 and connected to the first transmission part 1031 , the relative movement between the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 is transmitted to the first transmission part 1031 through the third transmission part 1033, and then the first transmission part 1031 drives the second transmission part 1032 to drive the support part 103. To achieve a situation where the rising speed and the descent speed of the support part 103 is greater than the relative movement speed between the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 away from or close to each other, as one implementation, a first transmission ratio between the first transmission part 1031 and the second transmission part 1032 is greater than a second transmission ratio between the first transmission part 1031 and the third transmission part 1033.

[0102] Based on the aforementioned implementation, the third transmission part 1033 and the first transmission part 1031 may also be in meshing transmission. As one implementation, the first transmission part 1031 is a gear, and the third transmission part 1033 is a rack fixed to the lower housing 102 and extending along the height direction X.

[0103] In one embodiment, the first transmission part 1031 may be configured as a gear that respectively meshes with a rack serving as the second transmission part 1032 and a rack serving as the third transmission part 1033, thus providing different numbers of teeth on the rack serving as the second transmission part 1032 and the rack serving as the third transmission part 1033 can achieve the first transmission ratio being greater than the second transmission ratio; or, the first transmission part 1031 may be configured as an incomplete gear, which comprises a first tooth segment meshing with the second transmission part 1032 and a second tooth segment meshing with the third transmission part 1033, and configuring the numbers of teeth on the first tooth segment and the second tooth segment may also achieve the first transmission ratio being greater than the second transmission ratio.

[0104] As shown in Figure 6, in another embodiment, the first transmission part 1031 may be configured as a first gear G1 and a second gear G2 that rotate coaxially. Wherein, the first gear G1 meshes with the second transmission part 1032, the second gear G2 meshes with the third transmission part 1033, and the radius of the first gear G1 is greater than that of the second gear G2, thereby achieving the first transmission ratio being greater than the second transmission ratio.

[0105] Based on the abovementioned structure, as shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8, the aerosol provision system 10 may be further provided with a dust cover 104, which is configured to move between a closed position where it seals the first opening 1011 and an opened position where it exposes the first opening 1011. By providing the dust cover 104, when the user stops using the aerosol provision system 10 and hides the inhalation unit 200 within the first opening 1011 , the first opening 1011 can be closed to further ensure the internal hygiene of the aerosol provision system 10.

[0106] As an implementation, the user may directly manually operate the dust cover 104, to move the dust cover 104 between the closed position and the open position. As another implementation, a transmission assembly may be further provided, that is, a dust cover drive part is provided to drive the movement of the dust cover 104 without interfering with the going up and down of the inhalation unit 200.

[0107] As shown in Figure 7 - Figure 8, the aerosol provision system 10 comprises a dust cover drive part rotatable with a rotating shaft of the first transmission part 1031 , and the dust cover drive part is connected to the dust cover 104 to drive the dust cover 104 to move.

[0108] As an implementation, as shown in Figure 4 - Figure 6, the dust cover drive part is a dial 105 fixedly connected coaxially with the first transmission part 1031 , in the abovementioned specific embodiment, the dial 105 is fixed coaxially with the first gear G1 and the second gear G2, and rotates along with the relative movement of the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102.

[0109] The drive method of the dial 105 for the dust cover 104 can be varied, for instance, the dust cover 104 may be made of a flexible material, allowing the dial 105 to convert its rotational motion into a rolling and releasing action of the dust cover 104, thereby facilitating the movement of the dust cover 104 to open or close the first opening 1011 ; for example, a pin hole may be arranged at a non-rotational center position of the dial 105, and a pin body that can be inserted into the pin hole is provided at one end of the dust cover 104, and as the dial 105 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, the flexible dust cover 104 is either rolled up or released to open or close the first opening 1011.

[0110] By further configuring the specific structure, the rotational motion of the dust cover 104 may be transformed into the translational movement of the dust cover 104.

[0111] As illustrated in Figure 9, the dial 105 is provided with a guide rail 1051 , the dust cover 104 has a transmission part 1041 and a cover body 1042 connected to one end of the transmission part 1041 , and the other end of the transmission part 1041 is provided with a sliding part 1041a located within the guide rail 1051 and slidable along the guide rail 1051.

[0112] The guide rail 1051 comprises a linear part 1051a and an arc part 1051b, and the arc part 1051b is arranged coaxially to the dial 105; the linear part 1051a is located on a radial inner side of the arc part 1051b and is connected to and in fluid communication with a circumferential end of the arc part 1051 b. It should be noted that the linear part 1051a may extend from the circumferential end of the arc part 1051b toward the rotational direction of the dial 105, and its direction of extension may be either the radial direction of the arc part 1051 b or a non-radial direction.

[0113] As a specific implementation, the guide rail 1051 is a groove formed in the dial 105, this groove may penetrate the dial 105 in the depth direction as shown in Figure 6, or it may not penetrate the dial 105 in the depth direction; the sliding part 1041a may be a sliding block extending into the groove. It should also be noted that the movement of the dust cover 104 between the closed position and the open position, and the going up and down of the support part 103, need to be configured so as not to interfere with each other. For example, the movement of the dust cover 104 and the support part 103 may be configured as follows:

[0114] While the dust cover 104 moves from the closed position to the open position, the support part 103 drives the inhalation unit 200 to rise, the dust cover 104 must move to the open position before the mouthpiece 201 extends out of the first opening 1011 ; this working mode may be achieved by adjusting the dimensions and parameters of each component based on the aforementioned structure, such as adjusting the length of the guide rail 1051 of the dial 105, the distance between the mouthpiece 201 and the first opening 1011 when the aerosol provision system 10 is in the hygienic state, and the transmission ratio between the first transmission part and the second transmission part, which will not be described exhaustively here;

[0115] Or, after the dust cover 104 has reached the open position, the support part 103 drives the inhalation unit 200 to rise; in this operational sequence, based on the aforementioned structure, the first transmission part may be an incomplete gear, when the dust cover 104 is in the closed position, the first transmission part is disengaged from the second transmission part, and when the dust cover 104 is in the open position, the first transmission part meshes with the second transmission part, and as the incomplete gear continues to rotate, it drives the upward movement of the support part 103;

[0116] Or, after the support part 103 drives the inhalation unit 200 to rise to a certain height and stops, the mouthpiece 201 is located within the first opening 1011 , then the dust cover 104 moves from the closed position to the open position, and the support part 103 drives the inhalation unit 200 to rise again until the mouthpiece 201 extends out of the first opening 1011 ; in this operational sequence, the driving of the first transmission part and the second transmission part may be configured as multi-stage intermittent driving, which may be achieved by, for example, using an incomplete gear with two spaced tooth segments, and adaptively adjusting the parameters such as dimensions of each component.

[0117] The working process of the aerosol provision system 10 in this specific implementation will be described below in conjunction with Figure 1 to Figure 9:

[0118] As shown in Figure 1 , the aerosol provision system 10 is in the hygienic state, at this time, the dust cover 104 seals the first opening 1011 of the upper housing 101 , the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 are in the first relative position, there is a distance L1 between the top of the upper housing 101 and the top of the lower housing 102, and the sliding part 1041 a of the dust cover 104 is inserted into the linear part 1051 a of the guide rail 1051 of the dial 105 and is located on the side of the linear part 1051a closer to the rotational axis of the dial 105; When the user applies a tensile stress along the height direction X to the upper housing 101 and / or the lower housing 102, as shown in Figure 8, the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 move relatively away from each other, the third transmission part 1033 moves downward relative to the first gear G1 of the first transmission part 1031 , thereby driving the first transmission part 1031 and the dial 105 arranged coaxially with the first transmission part 1031 to rotate clockwise; the sliding part 1041a of the dust cover 104 moves along the linear part 1051a to the end of the arc part 1051 b connected to the linear part 1051a as the dial 105 rotates, thereby moving the dust cover 104 to a position where it opens the first opening 1011 ; simultaneously, the support part 103, driven by the rotation of the second gear G2 through the second transmission part 1032, carries the inhalation unit 200 to rise along the height direction X, at this point, the mouthpiece 201 has not yet extended out of the first opening 1011.

[0119] When the user continues to apply a tensile stress along the height direction X to the upper housing 101 and / or the lower housing 102, as shown in Figure 8, the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 are located in the second relative position, at this moment, there is a second distance L2 between the top of the upper housing 101 and the top of the lower housing 102, during this process, the third transmission part 1033 continues to move downward relative to the first gear G1 of the first transmission part 1031 , the first transmission part 1031 and the dial 105 continue to rotate clockwise, and since the sliding part 1041a of the dust cover 104 slides in the arc part 1051b during this process, the dust cover 104 remains in the position where it opens the first opening 1011 ; the second gear G2 of the first transmission part 1031 continues to drive the support part 103 to rise through the second transmission part 1032 until the mouthpiece 201 extends out of the first opening 1011. Thus, the aerosol provision system 10 completes the transition from the hygienic state to the inhalation state.

[0120] After the user finishes using the aerosol provision system 10, the user can apply a compressive stress to the upper housing 101 and / or the lower housing 102 of the aerosol provision system 10 in the inhalation state, the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 move relatively close to each other, based on the specific structure shown in Figure 1 - Figure 8, during this process, the third transmission part 1033 moves upward relative to the first gear G1 of the first transmission part 1031 , thereby driving the first transmission part 1031 and the dial 105 arranged coaxially with the first transmission part 1031 to rotate counterclockwise, and the support part 103 moves downward as the second gear G2 of the first transmission part 1031 engaged with the support part 103 rotates counterclockwise; simultaneously, the sliding part 1041 a of the dust cover 104 slides within the arc part 1051 b, moving from the end of the arc part 1051b away from the linear part 1051a to the end of the arc part 1051 b connected with the linear part 1051a; throughout this process, the dust cover 104 remains in the open position. The user continues to apply a compressive stress to the upper housing 101 and / or the lower housing 102 of the aerosol provision system 10, causing the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 to move relatively close to each other, the first gear G1 of the first transmission part 1031 continues to be driven to rotate counterclockwise by the second transmission part 1032, causing the sliding part 1041a of the dust cover 104 to slide along the linear part 1051a from the connection between the linear part 1051a and the arc part 1051 b, thereby driving the dust cover 104 to move from the open position toward the closed position; at the same time, the support part 103 continues to descend under the meshing transmission between the second gear G2 of the first transmission part 1031 and the second transmission part 1032, causing the mouthpiece of the inhalation unit 200 it carries to enter the first opening 1011 , until the distance between the top of the upper housing 101 and the top of the lower housing 102 is L1 , thereby completing the transition of the aerosol provision system 10 from the inhalation state to the hygienic state.

[0121] It should be noted that the aerosol provision system 10 may further be provided inside with an upper limit structure, allowing the inhalation unit 200 to stop at an appropriate position during its rising, so that the mouthpiece 201 may be fully exposed outside the first opening 1011 , and that the inhalation unit 200 and / or the support part 103 do not protrude too much from the first opening 1011.

[0122] The aerosol provision system 10 may further be provided inside with a lower limit structure, allowing the inhalation unit 200 to stop at an appropriate position during its descent.

[0123] It should be understood that the upper limit structure and the lower limit structure may be implemented using a variety of specific structures, as one implementation, the following description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0124] Figure 10 illustrates an exploded three-dimensional diagram of the upper housing 101 and the support part 103 in one embodiment, the projection of the first opening 1011 along the height direction X at least partially lies within the projection of the support part 103 along the height direction X, and when the aerosol provision system 10 is in the inhalation state, at least a portion of the support part 103 abuts against the top inner wall of the upper housing 101 , thereby achieving of the limitation of the extreme position of the upward movement of the support part 103 and the inhalation unit 200.

[0125] It should be noted that the cross-sections of the first opening 1011 and the support part 103 perpendicular to the height direction X may be circular, elliptical, regular polygonal, or other irregular shapes.

[0126] Further, Figure 11 illustrates an exploded schematic diagram of the lower housing 102, the lower housing 102 comprises a lower housing body 1022 and a lower housing support 1023 partially located inside the lower housing body 1022; wherein, the lower housing support 1023 is provided with a support part holder 1024 at a position corresponding to the first opening 1011 , and the support part holder 1024 has a certain thickness along the height direction X; Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the support part 103 and the lower housing support 1023 when the aerosol provision system 10 is in the hygienic state, at this time, the bottom surface of the support part 103 abuts against the top surface of the support part holder 1024, thereby limiting the extreme position of the descent movement of the support part 103.

[0127] Further, referring to Figure 13, the upper housing 101 comprises an upper housing body 1012 and an upper housing support at least partially located inside the upper housing body 1012; the upper housing support comprises a box 1013a, the box 1013a is hollow inside and has a lateral opening facing one side of the aerosol provision system 10; the upper housing support further comprises a cover plate 1013b used to seal the lateral opening. The rotating shaft C of the first transmission part 1031 is fixed inside the box 1013a, and both the first transmission part 1031 and the dial 105 are located inside the box 1013a.

[0128] When the aerosol provision system 10 is in the hygienic state, the cooperation relationship between the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 is as shown in Figure 14, the lower housing support 1023 comprises an extension part extending into the box 1013a of the upper housing 101 , the third transmission part 1033 is provided on the extension part, and the support part 103 and the extension part are respectively located on two sides of the rotating shaft C of the first transmission part 1031.

[0129] In addition, referring to Figure 15 and Figure 16, there is a gap between the top of the upper housing body 1012 and the top of the box 1013a, a through-hole 1013c in communication with the first opening 1011 is further provided at a position of the box 1013a corresponding to the first opening 1011 ; the transmission part 1041 and the sliding part 1041a of the dust cover 104 are also located within the box 1013a, and the cover body 1042 of the dust cover 104 is disposed in the gap between the top of the upper housing body 1012 and the top of the box 1013a and may move horizontally in this gap. When the dust cover 104 is in the open position, the cover body 1042 of the dust cover 104 is located in the gap at a position that does not obscure the through-hole 1013c, and when the dust cover 104 is in the closed position, the cover body 1042 of the dust cover 104 is located at a position that obscures the through-hole 1013c.

[0130] Furthermore, the aerosol provision system 10 further comprises a controller and a power supply. Wherein, the controller is used to control the power supply, thereby controlling the heating of the system.

[0131] It should be understood that the controller and power supply may be configured in various ways. Wherein, the controller may be programmable. The power supply may be any suitable source, such as a DC voltage source. In one embodiment, the power supply is a lithium-ion battery. Or, the power supply may be a nickel-metal hydride battery, a nickel- cadmium battery, or a lithium-based battery, such as lithium cobalt, lithium iron phosphate or lithium polymer batteries.

[0132] Wherein, the controller may be mounted on a circuit board, such as a printed circuit board, and the circuit board and the power supply may be arranged either separately or together within the aforementioned box 1013a and / or within the accommodating chamber 1021 of the lower housing 102, depending on the actual requirements.

[0133] The aerosol provision system 10 further comprises a heater element. Wherein, the heater element may be a heating needle, a heating coil, or other variations. In some embodiments, the heater element may be integrated into the inhalation unit, such as a cartridge.

[0134] It should be understood that the various implementations and embodiments in the description are described in a progressive manner, each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments, and the same and similar parts between the respective embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0135] In the description of this specification, the referential terminology "an embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples" means that specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are comprised in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the indicative expression of the above-mentioned terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the described specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable way in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0136] Moreover, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used merely for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the characteristics defined as "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly comprise at least one such characteristic. In the description of the present application, the term "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0137] In the present application, unless explicitly defined and limited, terms such as "mounting," "connecting," "connection," "fixing," etc., should be understood broadly. For instance, the connection can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection, or integrated; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediary medium, it can be the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless explicitly defined otherwise. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meanings of these terms in the context of the application based on the circumstances. Although the embodiments of the application have been shown and described above, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are exemplary and should not be considered as limiting the application. Those skilled in the art within the scope of the application can make variations, modifications, replacements, and variations to the above- described embodiments.

Claims

Claims1. An aerosol provision system, comprising: an upper housing and a lower housing; wherein the upper housing and the lower housing are configured to move between a first relative position and a second relative position along a height direction; wherein the top of the upper housing is provided with a first opening; wherein the lower housing has an accommodating chamber, the top of the accommodating chamber is provided with a second opening, and the interior of the accommodating chamber is used to place an inhalation unit with a mouthpiece; wherein projections along the height direction of each of the first opening and the second opening overlap at least partially, so that when the upper housing and the lower housing move relative to each other, the mouthpiece is movable relative to the upper housing and the lower housing to extend out of the first opening or return back into the first opening; wherein when the upper housing and the lower housing are located in the first relative position, the inhalation unit is hidden in the first opening, and the distance between the top of the upper housing and the top of the lower housing in the height direction is a first distance; and wherein when the upper housing and the lower housing are located in the second relative position, the inhalation unit extends out of the first opening, and the distance between the top of the upper housing and the top of the lower housing in the height direction is a second distance; and the first distance is less than the second distance.

2. The aerosol provision system according to claim 1 , wherein the accommodating chamber of the lower housing is provided with a support part therein for supporting the inhalation unit; and the aerosol provision system further comprises a drive assembly configured to convert a movement of the upper housing relative to the lower housing into a movement of the support part relative the lower housing along the height direction.

3. The aerosol provision system according to claim 2, wherein the drive assembly is configured to drive the support part to rise when the upper housing and the lower housing move from the first relative position towards the second relative position, and to make the speed of rising of the support part greater than the speed of relative movement between the upper housing and the lower housing; and wherein the drive assembly is configured to drive the support part to descend when the upper housing and the lower housing move from the second relative position towards the first relative position, and to make the speed of descent of the support part greater than the speed of relative movement between the upper housing and the lower housing.

4. The aerosol provision system according to claim 3, wherein the drive assembly comprises: a first transmission part, connected to the upper housing; a second transmission part, connected to the support part, and arranged in a transmission connection with the first transmission part; wherein the first transmission part and the second transmission part are configured to drive the support part to move relative to the upper housing and the lower housing when the upper housing and the lower housing move between the first relative position and the second relative position.

5. The aerosol provision system according to claim 4, wherein the drive assembly further comprises a third transmission part connected to the lower housing and connected to the first transmission part; wherein a first transmission ratio is defined between the first transmission part and the second transmission part, and a second transmission ratio is defined between the third transmission part and the first transmission part; wherein the first transmission ratio is greater than the second transmission ratio.

6. The aerosol provision system according to claim 5, wherein the first transmission part and the second transmission part are configured to have a meshing transmission.

7. The aerosol provision system according to claim 6, wherein the first transmission part and the third transmission part are configured to have a meshing transmission.

8. The aerosol provision system according to claim 7, wherein the first transmission part is a gear, and the second transmission part is a rack fixed to the support part and extending along the height direction.

9. The aerosol provision system according to claim 7, wherein the first transmission part is a gear, and the third transmission part is a rack fixed to the lower housing and extending along the height direction.

10. The aerosol provision system according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the system further comprises a dust cover configured for opening or closing the first opening.

11. The aerosol provision system according to claim 10, wherein the system further comprises a dust cover drive part rotatable with a rotating shaft of the first transmission part; wherein the dust cover drive part is connected to the dust cover to drive the dust cover to move.

12. The aerosol provision system according to claim 11 , wherein the dust cover drive part is a dial coaxially and fixedly connected to the first transmission part; wherein the dial is provided with a guide rail; wherein the dust cover has a transmission part and a cover body connected to one end of the transmission part; andwherein the other end of the transmission part is provided with a sliding part located within the guide rail and slidable along the guide rail.

13. The aerosol provision system according to claim 12, wherein the guide rail comprises a linear part and an arc part, the arc part being arranged coaxially to the dial; and wherein the linear part is located on a radial inner side of the arc part and is connected to and in fluid communication with a circumferential end of the arc part.

14. The aerosol provision system according to claim 13, wherein the guide rail is a groove, and the sliding part is a sliding block extending into the groove.

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