RU2772270C1 - Temperature adjustment system and method for an electronic vapour providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: controlling.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to a temperature adjustment system for an electronic vapour providing system, to a temperature adjustment method for an electronic vapour providing system, and to a machine-readable data carrier storing computer-executed instructions. The temperature adjustment system for an electronic vapour providing system (EVPS) comprises a sensor for detecting at least one air flow parameter in the EVPS and a user interface configured to receive an indication from the user that the EVPS inhalation was too hot. The system also comprises a processor configured to detect, in response to the received indication, whether the difference in at least one air flow parameter deviates from the expected value by a predetermined amount, and if it does, the processor is configured to change at least the first aspect of the steam generation process to reduce the vapour temperature in the mouthpiece, based on the sensor data corresponding to said at least one air flow parameter in response to the received instruction.

EFFECT: ensured adjustment of the vapour temperature.

22 cl, 8 dwg

Description

The technical field to which the invention belongs

The present invention relates to a calibration device and a method.

State of the art

Electronic vapor delivery systems (EVPS), such as electronic cigarettes and other aerosol delivery systems, are complex devices containing a power source sufficient to vaporize a volatile material, along with a control circuit, a heating element, and typically a liquid payload. Some EVPS also contain communication systems and/or computing capabilities.

In use, the device is designed to deliver vapor containing the volatile material to the user for puffing, typically by heating the payload portion to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the volatile material.

However, some users, due to individual sensitivities or unusual puff patterns, may find that the steam produced is too hot.

The present invention aims to alleviate or mitigate this problem.

Disclosure of the essence of the invention

In a first aspect, a temperature control system for an electronic steam supply system according to claim 1 is provided.

In another aspect, a temperature control method for an electronic steam supply system according to claim 15 is provided.

Additional relevant aspects and features of the invention are defined in the appended claims.

Brief description of the drawings

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

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of an electronic cigarette in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of an electronic cigarette control unit in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

3 is a schematic representation of an electronic cigarette processor in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a schematic representation of an electronic cigarette in communication with a mobile terminal according to embodiments of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of an electronic cigarette cartomizer;

Fig. 6 is a schematic representation of an electronic cigarette vaporizer or heater;

Fig. 7 is a schematic representation of a mobile terminal according to embodiments of the present invention; and

8 is a flow chart of a temperature control method for an electronic steam supply system in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

Implementation of the invention

A calibration device and a method are disclosed. The following description provides a number of specific details to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. However, one skilled in the art will appreciate that these specific details should not be used to practice the present invention. Conversely, specific details known to the person skilled in the art are omitted as necessary for the sake of clarity.

To explain the background, electronic vapor delivery systems such as e-cigarettes and other aerosol delivery systems typically contain a reservoir for a liquid that vaporizes and is typically nicotine (which is sometimes referred to as "e-liquid" or "vaping liquid"). electronic cigarettes). When the user inhales air through the device, an electrical heater (eg, a resistance heater) is activated to vaporize a small amount of liquid, effectively generating an aerosol which is thereby inhaled by the user. The liquid may contain nicotine in a solvent such as ethanol or water, together with glycerin or propylene glycol to promote aerosolization, and may also include one or more additional flavors. One of skill in the art will be aware of many different liquid formulations that can be used in electronic cigarettes and other similar devices.

The practice of inhaling the vaporized liquid in this way is commonly known as "vaping".

An electronic cigarette may have an interface to support communication with external devices. This interface can be used, for example, to download control parameters and/or updated software to an electronic cigarette from an external source. Alternatively or additionally, the interface may be used to download data from the electronic cigarette to an external system. The downloaded data may, for example, be e-cigarette usage parameters, failure conditions, etc. As one skilled in the art would know, a lot of data can be exchanged between an electronic cigarette and one or more external systems (eg, which could be another electronic cigarette).

In some cases, an e-cigarette interface communicates with an external system through a wired connection, such as a USB connection, using a micro, mini, or regular USB connection in the e-cigarette. In addition, the electronic cigarette interface communicates with an external system via a wireless connection. Such a wireless connection has certain advantages over a wired connection. For example, the user does not need any additional cables to establish such a connection. Additionally, the user has a greater degree of mobility, greater flexibility in establishing a connection and choosing paired devices.

The term "electronic cigarette" is used throughout this specification, however, the term may be used interchangeably with an electronic vapor delivery system, an aerosol delivery device, and other similar terminology.

Figure 1 shows a schematic representation (exploded) of an electronic cigarette 10 in accordance with some embodiments of the invention (not to scale). An electronic cigarette includes a housing or control unit 20 and a cartomizer 30. Cartomizer 30 includes a reservoir 38 for liquid, typically including nicotine, a heater 36, and a mouthpiece 35. Electronic cigarette 10 has a longitudinal or cylindrical axis that extends along a center line e-cigarette from the mouthpiece 35 at one end of the cartomizer 30 to the opposite end of the control unit 20 (commonly referred to as the tip). This longitudinal axis is shown in FIG. 1 by the dotted line LA.

The liquid reservoir 38 in the cartomizer may hold the e-liquid directly in liquid form, or may use some absorbent structure such as a foam or cotton matrix, etc. as the liquid holding means. Liquid is then supplied from delivery reservoir 38 to a vaporizer containing heater 36. For example, liquid may flow by capillary action from reservoir 38 to heater 36 through a wick (not shown in FIG. 1).

In other devices, the liquid may be in the form of plant material or some other plant-derived material (eg, solid material). In this case, the liquid may be considered to be the volatile matter in the material, which evaporates when the material is heated. It should be noted that devices containing this type of material generally do not require a wick to deliver liquid to the heater, but rather provide a suitable arrangement of the heater relative to the material to provide suitable heating.

It should also be noted that other forms of payload delivery other than liquid, such as heating a solid material (such as a processed tobacco leaf) or a gel, may equally be considered. In such cases, the vaporized volatiles provide the active ingredient of the vapor/aerosol for inhalation. It is to be understood that references herein to "liquid", "electronic cigarette liquid", etc. equally encompass other payload delivery methods, and similarly, references to "reservoir" or the like equally encompass other storage media such as a container for solid materials.

The control unit 20 includes a rechargeable cell or battery 54 (hereinafter referred to as a battery) for powering the electronic cigarette 10, and a printed circuit board (PCB) 28 and/or other electronic component for overall control of the electronic cigarette.

The control unit 20 and the cartomizer 30 are separated from each other as shown in FIG. 1, but when using the device 10 they are connected together, for example by means of a screw connection or a bayonet fitting. The connectors on the cartomizer 30 and the control unit 20 are schematically indicated in FIG. 1 as 31B and 21A, respectively. This connection between the cartomizer control unit and the cartomizer provides the mechanical and electrical connection between them.

When the control box is disconnected from the cartomizer, the electrical connection 21A on the control box, which is used to connect to the cartomizer, can also serve as a charger socket (not shown). The other end of this charger can be connected to the USB recharge port 54 in the electronic cigarette control box. In other embodiments, the implementation of the electronic cigarette may be provided with (for example) a cable for direct connection between the electrical connection 21A and the USB connector.

The control box has one or more air inlets adjacent to the printed circuit board 28. These holes connect to the air passage through the control box to the air passage of connector 21A. It is then connected via an air path through the cartomizer 30 to the mouthpiece 35. It should be noted that the heater 36 and the fluid reservoir 38 are configured to provide an air passage between the connector 31B and the mouthpiece 35. This air passage may extend through the center of the cartomizer 30 to the reservoir 38 for liquid, bounded by an annular area around this central tract. Alternatively (or additionally), the airflow channel may extend between the liquid reservoir 38 and the outer casing of the cartomizer 30.

When the user inhales through the mouthpiece 35, air is drawn into the control unit 20 through one or more air inlets. This airflow (or associated pressure change) is detected by a sensor, such as a pressure sensor, which in turn activates the heater 36 to vaporize the nicotine liquid supplied from reservoir 38. The airflow passes from the control unit to the vaporizer where the airflow is combined with vapors of nicotine. This combination of airflow and nicotine vapor (essentially an aerosol) then passes through the cartomizer 30 and exits the mouthpiece 35 for inhalation by the user. The cartomizer 30 can be detached from the control unit and removed when the nicotine liquid is used up (and then replaced with another cartomizer).

It should be understood that the electronic cigarette 10 shown in FIG. 1 is by way of example only, and many other implementations may be accepted. For example, in some implementations, cartomizer 30 is separated into a cartridge containing liquid reservoir 38 and a separate evaporator portion containing heater 36. In this configuration, the cartridge may be removed after the liquid in reservoir 38 is used up, but a separate evaporator portion containing heater 36 is retained. Alternatively, the electronic cigarette may be provided with a cartomizer 30 as shown in FIG. 1, or manufactured as a one-piece (single-piece) device, but the liquid reservoir 38 is a (replaceable) cartridge. Additional possible differences from the arrangement shown in FIG. 1 are that the heater 36 may be located at the opposite end of the cartomizer 30, i.e., between the liquid reservoir 38 and the mouthpiece 35, or the heater 36 may be located along the central axis LA of the cartomizer. , and the liquid reservoir is in the form of an annular structure which is located radially outside the heater 35.

A person skilled in the art is also aware of a number of possible changes to the control unit 20. For example, airflow may enter the control box at the handpiece, i.e., at the opposite end of connector 21A, in addition to or instead of airflow adjacent PCB 28. In this case, airflow is typically drawn towards the cartomizer along the passage between the battery battery 54 and the outer wall of the control unit. Similarly, the control unit may include a printed circuit board located on or near the handpiece, for example, between the battery and the handpiece. This PCB can be provided in addition to or instead of PCB 28.

In addition, the electronic cigarette may be provided with a charging connector on the tip or support charging operation through a socket elsewhere in the device in addition to or instead of a charging connector at the connection point between the cartomizer and the control box. (It is understood that some electronic cigarettes are provided as essentially integrated units, in which case the user cannot remove the cartomizer from the control unit). Other e-cigarettes may also support wireless (inductive) charging in addition to (or instead of) wired charging.

The above discussion of potential variations of the electronic cigarette shown in Figure 1 is an example. One of skill in the art is aware of additional potential variations (and combinations of variations) of the electronic cigarette 10.

Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of the main functional components of the electronic cigarette 10 (figure 1) in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. It should be noted that FIG. 2 primarily illustrates electrical connections and functionality, and the description is not intended to indicate the physical size of the various components, nor to describe in detail their physical placement within the control unit 20 or cartomizer 30. In addition to Therefore, it will be understood that at least some of the components shown in FIG. 2 located within the control unit 20 may be mounted on the printed circuit board 28. works in conjunction with PCB 28, but may not be physically installed on the PCB itself. For example, these components may be located on one or more additional printed circuit boards, or may be installed separately (eg, battery 54).

As shown in FIG. 2, the cartomizer includes a heater 310 that receives power through connector 31B. The control unit 20 includes an electrical outlet or connector 21A for connection to a corresponding connector 31B of the cartomizer 30 (or possibly a USB charger). This provides electrical communication between the control unit 20 and the cartomizer 30.

The control unit 20 further includes a sensor unit 61 that is located in or adjacent to the air path extending through the control unit 20 from the air inlet(s) to the outlet (to the cartomizer 30 via connector 21A). The sensor package includes a pressure sensor 62 and a temperature sensor 63 (also in or near this air path). The control unit further includes a capacitor 220, a processor 50, a field effect transistor (FET) switch 210, a battery 54, and input and output devices 59, 58.

Operation of processor 50 and other electronic components such as pressure sensor 62 is typically controlled at least in part by software programs running on the processor (or other components). Such software programs may be stored in non-volatile memory, such as ROM, which may be integrated directly into processor 50 or may be a separate component. If necessary, the processor 50 can access the ROM to download and execute individual software programs. The processor 50 also contains appropriate connectors, such as pins or pads (plus appropriate control software), to connect, if necessary, to other devices in the control unit 20, such as a pressure sensor 62.

One or more output devices 58 may provide video, audio, and/or tactile output. For example, one or more output devices may include a speaker 58, a vibrator, and/or one or more lights. Light bulbs are typically made up of one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) which may have the same or different colors (or may be multi-colored). In the case of using multi-color LEDs, different colors are obtained by switching different colors, for example, red, green or blue LEDs, possibly at different relative brightness levels to give a corresponding relative color change. By installing red, green and blue LEDs together, it is possible to provide a complete set of colors, while if only two of the three red, green and blue LEDs are provided, only the corresponding sub-range of colors can be obtained.

The output of the output device may be used to signal various conditions or states of operation of the electronic cigarette to the user, such as a low battery warning. Different output signals can be used to signal different states or conditions. For example, if output device 58 is a loudspeaker, different states or conditions may be represented by tones or beeps of different pitches and/or durations and/or by providing multiple such tones or tones. Alternatively, if output device 58 includes one or more lights, different states or conditions can be represented using different colors, light or continuous illumination pulses, different pulse durations, and so on. For example, one indicator light may be used to display a low battery warning, while another indicator light may be used to indicate low fluid reservoir 58. It is understood that a given electronic cigarette may include output devices to support several different output modes (audio, video), etc.

One or more input devices 59 may be provided in various forms. For example, One or more input devices may be implemented as a button on the outside of an electronic cigarette, such as mechanical, electrical, or capacitive (touch) sensors. Some devices may support the purge process of an electronic cigarette as an input mechanism (such purge may be detected by pressure sensor 62, which will then also act as an input device 59) and/or the connection/disconnection of cartomizer 30 and control unit 20 as another form of input mechanism. . Again, it will be appreciated that a given electronic cigarette may include an input device 59 to support a variety of different input modes.

As noted above, the electronic cigarette 10 provides an air path from the air inlet through the electronic cigarette, past the pressure sensor 62 and the heater 310 in the cartomizer 30 to the mouthpiece 35. Thus, when the user inhales air through the mouthpiece of the electronic cigarette, the processor 50 detects such operation. inspiration based on information from the sensor 62 pressure. In response to such detection, the CPU supplies power from the battery 54 to the heater, which thereby heats and vaporizes the nicotine from the liquid from the liquid reservoir 38 for inhalation by the user.

In the specific implementation shown in FIG. 2, FET 210 is installed between battery 54 and connector 21A. This FET 210 acts as a switch. The processor 50 is connected to the gate of the FET to control the switch, thereby allowing the processor to turn on and off the power to the heater 310 from the battery 54 according to the condition of the detected airflow. It is understood that the heater current can be relatively large, for example in the range of 1-5 amps, and therefore an appropriate FET 210 must be used to support this current control process (similarly for any other form of switch that can be used in place of the FET 210).

To more accurately control the amount of power supplied from battery 54 to heater 310, a pulse width modulation (PWM) circuit may be used. The operation of the PWM circuit is based on a repetition period, for example 1 ms. During each such period, the switch 210 is turned on for a portion of the period and turned off for the remainder of the period. This is parameterized by a duty cycle where a duty cycle of 0 indicates that the switch is off for all periods (i.e., in fact, permanently off), a duty cycle of 0.33 indicates that the switch is on for a third of each period, a duty cycle of 0.66 indicates that the switch is on for two-thirds of each cycle, and a duty cycle of 1 means the FET is on for every cycle (i.e., in fact, always on). It is understood that the description is only given as exemplary operating cycle settings, and intermediate values may be used if necessary.

The use of PWM provides effective heater power, which is determined by the rated available power (based on battery output voltage and heater resistance) multiplied by the duty cycle. The processor 50 may, for example, use duty cycle 1 (ie, full power) at the start of inhalation to raise the temperature of the heater 310 to the desired operating temperature as quickly as possible. Upon reaching the desired operating temperature, the processor 50 may then reduce the duty cycle to some suitable value to supply the heater 310 with the desired operating power.

As shown in FIG. 2, processor 50 includes a communications interface 55 for establishing wireless communications, in particular for supporting Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) communications.

If desired, the heater 310 can be used as an antenna for use by the communication interface 55 to transmit and receive information wirelessly. One reason for this is that the control box 20 may have a metal case 202 while part of the cartomizer 30 may have a plastic case 302 (due to the fact that the cartomizer 30 is disposable, while the control box 20 is used permanently and therefore is beneficial). The metal housing acts as a shield or barrier that may interfere with the operation of the antenna located within the control box 20 itself. However, using the heater 310 as an antenna for wireless communication can prevent the metallic shielding effect due to the plastic housing of the cartomizer without adding additional components or complicating the design (or cost) of the cartomizer. Alternatively, a separate antenna (not shown) may be provided, or part of a metal housing may be used.

If the heater is used as an antenna, then, as shown in FIG. 2, the processor 50, in particular the communication interface 55, can be connected to the battery power line 54 to the heater 310 (via connector 31B) using a capacitor 220. This capacitive coupling occurs downstream of switch 210 because wireless communication can operate when the heater is not energized for heating (as described in more detail below). It should be appreciated that capacitor 220 helps prevent battery 54 from supplying power to heater 310 diverting power to processor 50.

It should be noted that capacitive coupling can be implemented using a more complex LC (inductor-capacitor) circuit, which can also provide resistance matching to the output of the communication interface 55. (As one of skill in the art would know, this impedance matching can help maintain proper signaling between communication interface 55 and heater 310 acting as an antenna, instead of drawing power back down the connection).

In some implementations, the processor 50 and communication interface are implemented using a Dialog DA14580 chip manufactured by Dialog Semiconductor PLC located in Reading, UK. Additional information (and specification) for this chip is available at http://www.dialog-semiconductor.com/products/bluetooth-smart/smartbond-da14580.

3 is a high-level and simplified view of a chip 50 including a communications interface 55 for supporting Bluetooth® low energy communications. This interface includes, in particular, a radio transceiver 520 for performing signal modulation and demodulation, etc., link layer hardware 512, and advanced encryption means 511 (128 bits). The output of the radio transceiver 520 is connected to an antenna (eg, a heater 310 acting as an antenna via capacitive coupling 220 and connectors 21A and 31B).

The remainder of the processor 50 includes a general purpose processor core 530, RAM 531, ROM 532, a one-time programming (OTP) block 533, a general purpose I/O system 560 (for communicating with other components on the printed circuit board 28), a power management block 540, and bridge circuit 570 for connecting two buses. Software instructions stored in ROM 532 and/or OTP block 533 may be loaded into RAM 531 (and/or memory provided as part of core 530) for execution by one or more processors in core 530. These software instructions cause processor 50 to execute various functionalities described herein, such as interfacing with the sensor unit 61, and, accordingly, control the operation of the heater. It should be noted that although the device shown in FIG. 3 acts as a communication interface 55 as well as a general purpose controller for the electronic steam system 10, in other embodiments these two functions may be shared between two or more different devices (chips ), for example, one chip can serve as the communication interface 55 and the other chip is a general purpose controller for the electronic steam system 10.

In some implementations, processor 50 may be configured to prevent wireless communications when the heater is being used to vaporize liquid from reservoir 38. For example, wireless communications may be paused, terminated, or not initiated when switch 210 is turned on. Conversely, if wireless communication continues, then activation of the heater can be prevented, for example, by ignoring airflow detection from sensor unit 61 and/or turning off switch 210 to turn off power to heater 310 during wireless communication.

One of the reasons for preventing heater 310 from simultaneously operating for both heating and wireless communication, in some embodiments, is to prevent possible interference from PWM control of the heater. The PWM control process is performed using its own frequency (based on the pulse repetition rate), although it is usually much lower than the frequency used for wireless communication, and the two frequencies can potentially interfere with each other. In some situations, such interference may not, in practice, cause any malfunction, and simultaneous operation of the heater 310 for both heating and wireless communication may be allowed (if necessary). This can be achieved, for example, by using techniques such as selecting signal levels and/or PWM frequencies appropriately, providing suitable filtering, and so on.

4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a Bluetooth® low energy communication between an electronic cigarette 10 and an app running on a smartphone 400 or other suitable mobile communication device (such as a tablet, laptop, smart watch, etc.). ). Such messages can be used for a wide variety of purposes, such as updating software on the electronic cigarette 10, retrieving usage data and/or diagnosing the electronic cigarette 10, resetting or unlocking the electronic cigarette 10, managing the settings of the electronic cigarette, etc. .d.

In general terms, when the electronic cigarette 10 is turned on, for example by the input device 59 or possibly by connecting the cartomizer 30 to the control unit 20, then this fact can initiate a Bluetooth® low energy communication. If this outgoing communication is received by the smartphone 400, then the smartphone 400 requests to establish a connection with the electronic cigarette 10. The electronic cigarette may notify the user of this request via the output device 58 and may be idle until the user accepts or rejects the request via the input device 59 . Assuming the request is accepted, the electronic cigarette 10 may communicate with the smartphone 400. It should be noted that the electronic cigarette may store the identity information of the smartphone 400 and automatically accept future connection requests from that smartphone. Once the connection is established, smartphone 400 and electronic cigarette 10 operate in a client-server mode, with the smartphone acting as a client that initiates and sends requests to the electronic cigarette, which therefore acts as a server (and responds to appropriate requests as needed).

The Bluetooth® low energy link (also known as Bluetooth Smart®) implements the IEEE 802.15.1 standard and operates at a frequency of 2.4-2.5 GHz, corresponding to a wavelength of approximately 12 cm, data rates up to 1 Mbps , the connection establishment time is less than 6 ms and the average power consumption can be very low, on the order of 1 mW or less. The Bluetooth low energy communication distance can be up to 50 m. However, for the situation shown in Fig. 4, the electronic cigarette 10 and the smartphone 400 typically belong to the same person and will therefore be much closer. to each other, for example, 1m. For more information on Bluetooth Low Energy communications, please visit http://www.bluetooth.com/Pages/Bluetooth-Smart.aspx

Obviously, the electronic cigarette 10 may support other communication protocols for communicating with the smartphone 400 (or any other suitable device). Such other communication protocols may be in place of or in addition to Bluetooth low energy communication. Examples of such other communication protocols include Bluetooth® communication (rather than low energy communication), see, for example, www.bluetooth.com, Near Field Communication (NFC) according to ISO 13157, and Wi-Fi®. NFC communications operate at much lower wavelengths than Bluetooth communications (13.56MHz) and typically have a much shorter range, say <0.2m. However, this short range is still compatible with most use cases, as shown in Fig.4. Meanwhile, low power WiFi® communication standards such as IEEE802.11ah, IEEE802.11v or the like may be used to establish communication between the electronic cigarette 10 and the remote device. In each case, a suitable communications chipset may be installed on circuit board 28 either as part of processor 50 or as a separate component. One of skill in the art will be aware of other wireless communication protocols that may be used in electronic cigarette 10.

FIG. 5 is an exploded schematic view of an exemplary cartomizer 30, in accordance with some embodiments. The cartomizer has an outer plastic body 302, a mouthpiece 35 (which may be provided as part of the body), a vaporizer 620, a hollow inner tube 612, and a connector 31B for attaching to the control box. The airflow path through the cartomizer 30 begins with an air inlet through connector 31B, then through the inside of the vaporizer 625 and hollow tube 612, and finally through the mouthpiece 35. The cartomizer 30 holds liquid in the annular region between (1) the plastic housing 302 and ( 2) evaporator 620 and inner tube 612. Connector 31B is provided with a seal 635 to help keep liquid in this area and prevent leakage.

FIG. 6 is an exploded schematic view of the evaporator 620 of the cartomizer 30 shown in FIG. The evaporator 620 has a substantially cylindrical body (tray) formed from two components 627A, 627B, each of which has a substantially semicircular cross section. When assembled, the edges of the components 627A, 627B do not fully abut each other (at least not along their entire length), but rather a small gap 625 remains (as shown in FIG. 5). This gap allows liquid from the external reservoir around the evaporator and tube 612 to enter the inside of the evaporator 620.

Figure 6 shows one of the components 627B of the evaporator supporting the heater 310. Two connectors 631A, 631B are provided for supplying power (and a wireless signal) to the evaporator 310. In particular, these connectors 631A, 631B connect the heater to connector 31B and from there to block 20 control. (It should be noted that connector 631A is connected to pad 632A at the far end of evaporator 620 from connector 31B by an electrical connection that extends under heater 310 and is not visible in FIG. 6).

The heater 310 includes a heating element formed from a metal fiber sintered material and is typically made in the form of a sheet or porous conductive material (such as steel). However, it will be appreciated that other porous conductive materials may be used. The total resistance of the heating element in the example of Fig. 6 is approximately 1 ohm. However, it will be understood that other resistance values may be chosen, for example, taking into account the available battery voltage and the required temperature/power dissipation characteristics of the heating element. In this regard, appropriate characteristics can be selected in accordance with the desired aerosol (vapor) generation characteristics for the device, depending on the source liquid of interest.

The main portion of the heating element is typically rectangular in shape with a length (ie, in the direction between connector 31B and contact 632A) of approximately 20 mm and a width of approximately 8 mm. The thickness of the sheet containing the heating element in this example is approximately 0.15 mm.

As can be seen in FIG. 6, the generally rectangular main portion of the heating element has slots 311 extending inwardly from each longer side. These slots 311 engage pins 312 provided by the evaporator body component 627B, thereby helping to hold the heating element in position relative to the body components 627A, 627B.

The slits extend inward for about 4.8 mm and are about 0.6 mm wide. The inwardly extending slots 311 are separated from each other by approximately 5.4 mm on each side of the heating element, with the inwardly extending slots from opposite sides being offset from each other by approximately half that distance. The consequence of this arrangement of the slots is that the current flow along the heating element is effectively forced to follow a tortuous path, resulting in a concentration of current and electrical power around the ends of the slots. Having different current densities and powers at different locations in the heating element means that regions of relatively high current density are formed that become hotter than regions of relatively low current density. This effectively provides the heating element with a range of different temperatures and temperature gradients, which may be desirable in the context of aerosol delivery systems. This is because different components of the source liquid may vaporize at different temperatures, and therefore providing the heating element with a range of temperatures may simultaneously vaporize several different components in the source fluid.

The heater 310 shown in FIG. 6, having a substantially planar shape elongated in one direction, is well suited to function as an antenna. In combination with the metal casing 202 of the control unit, the heater 310 forms an approximate dipole setup that is typically of the same order of magnitude physical size as the Bluetooth low energy wavelength, i.e. a few centimeters (which is allowed as for the heater 310 , and for the metal housing 202) with a wavelength of approximately 12 cm.

While FIG. 6 shows one shape and configuration of heater 310 (heating element), one skilled in the art will be aware of various other possibilities. For example, the heater may be in the form of a coil or some other configuration of resistive wire. Another possibility is that the heater is in the form of a tube containing the liquid to be vaporized (eg some form of tobacco product). In this case, the tube may be used primarily to deliver heat energy from the point of generation (eg by a coil or other heating element) to the liquid to be evaporated. In this case, the tube still acts as a heater for the liquid being heated. Such configurations may again be used as an antenna to support wireless communication configurations.

As previously noted, the respective electronic cigarette 10 can communicate with the mobile communication device 400, for example by grouping devices using the Bluetooth® Low Energy communication protocol.

Therefore, it is possible to provide additional functionality to an electronic cigarette and/or a system comprising an electronic cigarette and a smartphone by providing suitable programming instructions (eg, in the form of an application) to run on the smartphone.

Figure 7 illustrates a typical smartphone 400 containing a central processing unit (CPU) (410). The CPU may communicate with smartphone components either via direct connections or via I/O bridge 414 and/or bus 430, if applicable.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the CPU interacts directly with memory 412, which may include persistent memory such as Flash® memory for storing the operating system and applications (applications) and volatile memory such as RAM for storing data. that are used by the CPU. As a rule, permanent and volatile memory are formed by physically separate blocks (not shown). Additionally, the memory may separately contain an external memory, such as a microSD card, as well as subscriber information in a subscriber information module (SIM) (not shown).

The smartphone may also include a graphics processing unit (GPU) 416 . The GPU may communicate directly with the CPU or via an I/O bridge, or may be part of the CPU. The GPU may share RAM with the processor, or may have its own dedicated RAM (not shown) and may be connected to the mobile phone display 418. The display is typically a liquid crystal display (LCD) or organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, but may be any suitable display technology such as electronic ink. Optionally, the GPU may also be used to drive one or more smartphone speakers 420.

Alternatively, a loudspeaker can be connected to the CPU via an I/O bridge and bus. Other smartphone components may be similarly connected via the bus, including a touch surface 432 such as a capacitive touch surface overlaid on the screen to provide touch input to the device, a microphone 434 for receiving speech from the user, one or more cameras 436 for capturing images, a block 438 global positioning system (GPS) to obtain the estimated geographic location of smartphones and means 440 wireless communication.

In turn, the wireless communication means 440 may comprise several separate wireless communication systems that adhere to different standards and/or protocols, such as Bluetooth® communication (standard or low energy options), short range communication and Wi-Fi®, as described earlier, as well as telephone communication based on 2G, 3G and/or 4G communications.

Typically, systems are powered by a rechargeable battery (not shown), which can be charged via a power connector (not shown), which in turn can be part of a data line such as USB (not shown).

Obviously, different smartphones may include different features (such as a compass or buzzer) and may omit some of the features listed above (such as a touch surface).

Thus, more generally, in an embodiment of the present invention, an appropriate remote device, such as a smartphone 400, will include a CPU and memory for storing and running an application, and a wireless communication means configured to initiate and maintain wireless communication with the electronic cigarette 10 Note, however, that the remote device may be a device that has capabilities such as a tablet, laptop, smart TV, or the like.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the temperature control system for an electronic vapor delivery system (EVPS) 10 (such as an electronic cigarette) includes a mouthpiece 35 optionally including a temperature sensor 63 thermally coupled to the user's vapor flow path. The EVPS also includes a sensor 62 for detecting at least one airflow parameter within the electronic cigarette, optionally also within the mouthpiece, and typically between the mouthpiece and the EVPS heater. The system also includes a user interface (418, 432) configured to receive an indication from the user that the e-cigarette puff was too hot, and a processor (50, 410) configured to change at least a first aspect of the vapor generation process to reduce steam temperature in the mouthpiece based on data from the temperature sensor and at least one parameter of the air flow sensor.

Therefore, during operation, if the user signals that a given puff is too hot, such as by pressing a button (not shown) on the EVPS or by interacting with the touch screen on the associated device, as described later in this document, then the temperature control system uses at least at least one airflow parameter and, if necessary, temperature data to reduce the likelihood of the event reoccurring by adjusting at least one EVPS operating parameter and/or by informing the user how to adapt their own behavior as an additional component of the entire inhalation system.

However, it should also be understood that the user should not be expected to be sufficiently aware of the vapor temperature at the measurement point in the EVPS to be able to set a target temperature there that would have a significant impact on the hot puff problem and would not adversely affect to the evaporation process. Moreover, such a target temperature may not be suitable for all circumstances.

Thus, embodiments of the present invention do not set a predetermined target temperature and in this case implement feedback to maintain that temperature during the puff.

Rather, the system relies on environmental data and an indication that a given puff was too hot to determine settings for subsequent environmental conditions that should avoid subsequent puffs being considered too hot.

It should be appreciated that an electronic vapor delivery system (EVPS) will heat a payload (whether it be a liquid or gel for vaporization or a tobacco-based product for non-combustible heating to release volatiles) resulting in vapor that is a combination of ambient air and aerosolized payloads (in this document, the term "aerosolized" is used as a general term for any payload or derivative of a payload that is mixed into an air stream, either through evaporation, volatilization, or any other suitable mechanism). As a result, the steam temperature will be higher than the ambient temperature.

In a well-designed EVPS, the flow path between the heater and the mouthpiece will be long enough for the vapor to reach the mouthpiece at a temperature that is convenient for subsequent puffs by typical users.

However, it should be understood that this construction may be based on certain assumptions that are not always correct. These assumptions may relate to the environmental conditions in which the EVPS is used or how the user directly interacts with the device.

Ambient conditions that may affect the temperature of the vapor in the mouthpiece may include, for example, the humidity of the ambient air (because water has a higher heat capacity than air and therefore can retain and transfer more heat from the heater; high the proportion of water in the air can lead to a higher heat capacity of the steam and therefore more heat transfer to the user).

Likewise, ambient air temperature can vary greatly across the globe, being 0°C or colder in some countries and more than 40°C in others. It can be understood that introducing identical amounts of an identical hot aerosolized payload into such different ambient air will result in a different overall vapor temperature at the mouthpiece.

Meanwhile, the air flow rate may vary depending on the altitude and, in particular, due to the instantaneous wind direction with respect to the EVPS air inlets. It should be understood that at a constant heating rate, a lower airflow will result in a proportionately larger aerosolized payload per unit volume of air within the EVPS. As a result, the average temperature of this unit volume of air will be proportionately higher and therefore may still have an unsatisfactory mouthpiece temperature and/or, similarly, may have a higher heat capacity due to an increase in the proportion of aerosolized payload that can be carried by the user.

Meanwhile, the air pressure itself can be divided into two components: the static air pressure, related, for example, to altitude and weather, can indicate the density of the air and, therefore, can affect the amount of heat transferred. Meanwhile, dynamic air pressure in the context of EVPS is a function of airflow, with faster airflow associated with air pressure drop. Generally, the range of change of static air pressure will be small compared to airflow pressure drop due to airflow. It is also obvious that the change in pressure due to airflow can be calibrated or compared to the static air pressure and therefore the dynamic component can be extracted and measured separately. Thus, it will be understood that the airflow rate can be used as an indicator of dynamic pressure and vice versa.

In this case, the drop in dynamic air pressure associated with the increase in air flow is generally a good factor, as it distributes the aerosolized payload over a larger volume of air. Conversely, a drop in static air pressure reduces the density of the surrounding air and may also correspondingly lower the evaporation temperature of the payload, meaning that with identical heating, more aerosolized payload can be created and mixed with less air, again resulting in greater potential heat transfer to the user.

It will also be understood that the dynamic air pressure or similarly the air flow rate may be a function of the inhalation profile of the user itself; if, for example, the user first inhales sharply on the EVPS to create an airflow or dynamic pressure drop sufficient to start heating the payload, but then only takes a light puff (what might be called a pinpointed shallow breath), the airflow will drop and the dynamic pressure will increase , and a single dose of hot aerosolized payload can be delivered into a relatively small volume of air, creating a hot puff as soon as it reaches the user.

Thus, when the user indicates via the user interface that the puff was too hot, in embodiments of the present invention, the temperature control system may assume that either the environmental factor has deviated from the expected allowable values, or the user's inhalation profile needs to be adjusted.

In embodiments of the present invention, the processor may determine if an environmental factor is a likely factor. Thus, in response to a received indication from the user that the EVPS puff was too hot, the processor can be configured to determine if the difference in at least one airflow parameter deviates from the expected value by a predetermined amount, and if it thus, the processor may be configured to change at least a first aspect of the steam generation process based on at least one airflow parameter.

As discussed above, at least one airflow parameter can be humidity, and if it is higher than expected by a given amount (e.g., humidity level is above given tolerances when more latent heat can be expected) for storage through a combination of moist air and aerosolized payload), the processor may be configured to change one or more of: the effective heating temperature of the EVPS heater and the effective air inlet area EVPS.

Similarly, at least one air flow parameter may be the ambient air temperature before heating, and if it is higher than the expected value by a given amount (for example, at a level exceeding given allowable values, when it can be expected that the additional contribution of a fixed level of heat to the existing exceeds a threshold level), the processor is configured to change one or more of: the effective heating temperature of the EVPS heater and the effective air inlet area EVPS.

Similarly, at least one airflow parameter may be static air pressure, and if it is below the expected value by a predetermined amount (for example, at a level where the air density may not be sufficient to average the heat of a hot aerosolized payload, or when the evaporation temperature of the useful load drops to such an extent that too much hot aerosolized payload is generated for the standard amount of heating), the processor is configured to change one or more of: the effective heating temperature of the EVPS heater and the effective air inlet area EVPS.

In each case, the change may take the form of a processor configured to increase the effective area of the EVPS air inlet, for example by reducing the default constriction in the airflow path with an actuator, thereby increasing the airflow cross section, or similarly opening an additional passage for air inlet, for example by means of a valve or similar actuator.

Alternatively or additionally, in each case, the change may take the form of a processor configured to reduce the effective heating temperature of the EVPS heater by a predetermined amount, while the resulting effective heating temperature of the heater remains above the evaporative temperature of the EVPS payload.

The setpoint may be relative to a user indication and may be either fixed (e.g., in 10 degree Celsius increments for each instruction received) or proportional to a sliding scale of discomfort when the user interface to the user provides such input (e.g., the commands "confirmed", "too hot" or "too hot" can lead to different temperature drops).

Alternatively, or additionally, the setpoint may refer to the extent to which one or each airflow parameter deviates from expected norms based on predetermined ratios (eg, empirically determined). In other words, the processor may be configured to reduce the effective heating temperature of the heater by an amount dependent on a difference between a detected and an expected value of at least one airflow parameter.

Thus, for example, the effective temperature of the heater may be reduced by an amount corresponding to the extent to which the ambient temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold. Optionally, if the user indicates a strong adverse reaction, compliance may be weighted with this indication to further reduce the temperature (or equivalently, the predetermined threshold may be lowered). Similar relationships can be provided for the expected humidity threshold and the static air pressure threshold.

If several airflow parameters are being measured, multivariate solutions can be calculated; therefore, for example, high humidity can be partly offset by high static air pressure. Meanwhile, the low static air pressure allows the temperature of the heater to be reduced to an even lower temperature due to the lower evaporation temperature in response to exceeding one of the other parameters.

In addition, it will also be understood that when a temperature sensor is incorporated into the mouthpiece of the EVPS, a direct reading of the vapor temperature can be obtained, which the user perceives as a hot puff. A default temperature can be set, which has been empirically found to be too high for users, and can be used to trigger a "hot puff" virtual user prompt. Similarly, the average temperature at which the user indicates a hot puff may be set over time (e.g., in response to the last N indications, ignoring the lowest value if necessary), and it may similarly be used to trigger the user's virtual indication "hot puff". puff", for example, if the detected temperature is higher than this average temperature by the set value. In addition, it will also be understood that this temperature reading can be used to determine the effectiveness of the softening actions described herein and, if necessary, to provide feedback to achieve a softening action, for example, to reduce the temperature of the steam in the mouthpiece by M degrees from temperature at which the hot puff was specified.

The processor may be configured to reduce the effective heating temperature of the EVPS heater by one or more of: directly reducing the heater temperature; heater duty cycle changes (for example, if the heater or power supply circuitry is fixed, so the effective temperature can be changed); and reducing the preheat temperature of the heater (when the heater takes a finite amount of time to reach and possibly exceed the evaporating temperature, lowering the preheat level reduces the time that the heater is at maximum temperature). Obviously, any suitable combination of such methods can be used.

In addition to humidity, ambient temperature, and static pressure, which can be assumed to be related to the environment, there is also air flow or dynamic air pressure, which can be related to the environment (due to wind, for example), but, typically arise from the inhalation behavior of the user.

In any case, as with other environmental factors, if at least one airflow parameter is airflow, and if it is below the expected value by a predetermined amount, then the processor may similarly be configured to change one or more of the parameters. from: EVPS heater effective heating temperature; and effective area of the EVPS air inlet, similar to those described earlier in this document.

Similarly, if at least one airflow parameter is dynamic air pressure, and if it exceeds the expected value by a predetermined amount (for example, due to insufficient airflow, if necessary taking into account the current static air pressure), then the processor is configured with the ability to change one or more parameters selected from a list including: effective heating temperature of the EVPS heater; and the effective area of the EVPS air inlet, similar to that described earlier in this document.

In embodiments of the present invention, a sensor (either one used for any of the above sensor functions, or a separate sensor) may optionally detect instantaneous airflow rates or proxy values such as dynamic air pressure or possibly air/steam temperature, which will vary depending on the airflow over the heater.

The processor may then be configured to momentarily change the effective heating temperature of the EVPS heater in response to this sensor data. Thus, when the air flow drops, with a possible increase in the temperature of the inhaled air, the heater can also reduce its temperature (outside the operating range) to compensate, allowing some slowdown in heating.

In addition, the processor may be configured to model the user's inhalation profile based on the instantaneous airflows detected by the sensor during inhalation, the inhalation profile indicative of the airflow during the inhalation action performed by the user.

In other words, using data indicative of air flow or something similar as described above, the processor may construct one or more models of the user's inhalation pattern or patterns. If such a model indicates that the inhalation may be such as to result in low airflow during at least part of the inhalation action, the processor may anticipate the hot puff and change at least the first aspect of the steam generation process, as described earlier herein, to response to the inhalation profile.

Thus, a user who, for example, first inhaled sharply and then inhaled slowly or shallowly would cause the heater to activate and then slowly flow through it, which could result in a hot puff. This hot puff, in turn, may also depend on other factors measured by sensors, if provided, such as ambient temperature, ambient static pressure, and/or humidity, and these may be included in the model, or separate model, where any of these used parameters exceeds the specified threshold deviation from the expected value.

Thus, if the user indicates that a hot puff is occurring, this may be related to the inhalation profile. In addition, the user provides multiple indications of hot puffs during use, wherein a count, bar graph, or other indication of the strength of the interaction may be provided in connection with the inhalation profile, thereby identifying inhalation profiles that are particularly problematic for the user.

In any case, when the user initiates an inhalation that appears to match the inhalation profile associated with a hot puff, the processor can take mitigating actions during the generation process, as described earlier in this document, for example, by changing airflow channels or behavior. heater, therefore reducing the likelihood that the remainder of the user's inhalation action will result in a hot puff.

However, if in order to change the vapor production process, either in response to an inhalation profile or in response to a user indication that the current environmental conditions are causing a hot puff, as described earlier in this document, the processor calculates the effective temperature change for the heater, which will be below the evaporating temperature of the EVPS payload, then the system notifies the user. In other words, if the user's hot puff instructions cannot be corrected by available means within the normal operating parameters of the EVPS, the temperature control system will notify the user. The user can then decide to either not use the EVPS until environmental conditions change (for example, until they are out of a windy, hot, or humid environment), or they can decide to continue using the device, knowing and accepting, that hot puffs are possible, but have been kept to a minimum as far as the system allows.

The notification may take any suitable form, such as a warning light, an audible signal, or haptic feedback such as a vibration built into the EVPS, alternatively when the EVPS communicates with a remote device such as a mobile phone, tablet computer, or the like. etc., the notification may be provided through such a device again, for example in the form of a warning light, an audible signal or tactile feedback, or in the form of a message displayed on a mobile phone display. Such a display may provide useful information such as the likely source of the hot puff being one or more environmental factors as described above, or due to an aspect of the user's inhalation profile; in this latter case, the user may try to inhale in a different way.

It should be understood that if the EVPS communicates with a remote device, such as a mobile phone, then the processor may be located in that remote device, and therefore the temperature control system will consist of both the EVPS and the remote device. In this case, sensor data, etc. may be transmitted from the EVPS, but subsequent analysis may be performed by the mobile phone, followed by commands to change one or more aspects of the steam generation process, transmitted back to the EVPS from the mobile phone. Similarly, inhalation profiles, etc. can be collected in the mobile phone and stored in it. Such profiles and other associated data about the environment and other operating parameters associated with hot puffs can in turn be associated with a user account so that the relevant information can be accessed from different phones or other remote devices (e.g. dashboard Bluetooth-enabled vehicle) when a user-registered EVPS connects to them.

Finally, while the above description assumes that the processor makes adjustments to the steam generation process in response to a hot puff notification, alternatively or additionally, the processor may provide instructions to the user on how changes to the EVPS settings can be made to reduce the likelihood of a hot puff occurring. . It may be the case that such a change cannot be automatically performed by EVPS; for example, the air inlet can be manually moved by the user, but not controlled by the processor due to the lack of an actuator in the EVPS; however, the processor may inform the user via the user interface to adjust the air inlet.

Similarly, other parameters can be adjusted, but without directly controlling the processor; for example, if the user has installed a battery with a non-standard current, this may cause the EVPS to generate more heat than intended; however, the processor can detect such a high current and inform the user that the battery is substandard and is causing hot puffs. Similarly, the processor may offer an alternative modification to the EVPS, such as using a longer mouthpiece, where the mouthpiece is interchangeable so that the vapor has more time to mix and cool between the heater and the user's mouth.

Similarly again, the processor may provide feedback on how the user can adjust their inhalation profile to reduce the likelihood of a hot puff, for example, by illustrating the user's inhalation flow rate and suggesting where during inhalation the air flow rate can be increased or , respectively, reduce the initial air flow if it is used to set the heating temperature. The processor may provide instructions, for example, to track the instantaneous air flow in one or more inhalation patterns designed to reduce hot puffs, for example, through uniform inhalation with moderate air flow.

As also shown in FIG. 8, a temperature control method for an electronic steam supply system (EVPS) comprises:

in a first step s810, obtaining airflow sensor data from a sensor capable of detecting at least one airflow parameter in the EVPS, as described earlier herein;

in a second step s820, detecting whether an indication is received from the user that the EVPS puff was too hot, as described earlier herein; and if so

in a third step s830, changing at least a first aspect of the steam generation process to reduce the temperature of the steam in the mouthpiece based on sensor data from at least one airflow parameter, as described earlier herein.

For a person skilled in the art it will be obvious that changes in the above method, corresponding to the operation of various embodiments of the device, as described and claimed in this document, are contemplated within the scope of the present invention, including, but not limited to:

- detecting whether the difference in at least one air flow parameter deviates from the expected value by a predetermined amount, and if so, changing at least the first aspect of the steam generation process depending on at least one air flow parameter;

- at least one air flow parameter contains the air flow rate, and if it is lower than the expected value by a predetermined amount, the method comprises the step of changing one or more parameters selected from a list including the effective heating temperature of the EVPS heater and the effective area of the inlet opening air EVPS;

- at least one air flow parameter contains one or more parameters selected from a list including dynamic air pressure, humidity and temperature of the ambient air before heating, and each parameter exceeds the expected value by a corresponding predetermined amount, the method comprises the step of changing one or more parameters selected from a list including an effective EVPS heater heating temperature and an effective EVPS air inlet area;

the step of changing an aspect of the steam generation process comprises lowering the effective heating temperature of the EVPS heater by one or more steps selected from a list including lowering the heater temperature, changing the heater duty cycle, and lowering the heater preheat temperature;

- if the effective heating temperature of the heater must be reduced to a temperature below the evaporation temperature of the VPS payload, notifying the user;

- determination of the instantaneous air flow and the instantaneous change in the effective heating temperature of the VPS heater in response to the instantaneous air flow;

modeling a user's inhalation profile based on the instantaneous airflow during a puff, the inhalation profile indicating airflow during a user's puff action and changing at least a first aspect of the steam generation process depending on the inhalation profile; and

the steps of obtaining temperature sensor data and airflow sensor data performed in the EVPS, the method comprising the step of transmitting temperature sensor data and airflow sensor data to a remote processor, configured to calculate a change in at least a first aspect of the steam generation process.

It will be appreciated that the above methods may be performed on conventional hardware, suitably adapted according to software instructions or by adding or replacing specialized hardware.

Thus, the required adaptation to existing parts of a conventional equivalent device can be implemented as a computer program product containing processor-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as floppy disk, optical disk, hard disk, PROM, RAM, flash memory. or any combination of these or other storage media, or implemented in hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or other configurable circuit suitable for use in adapting a conventional equivalent device. Separately, such a computer program may be transmitted via data signals over a network such as Ethernet, a wireless network, the Internet, or any combination of these or other networks.

Claims (87)

1. Temperature control system for electronic steam supply system (EVPS), comprising: a sensor for detecting at least one air flow parameter in the EVPS; a user interface configured to receive an indication from the user that the EVPS puff was too hot; and a processor capable of detecting, in response to the received indication, whether the difference in at least one airflow parameter deviates from the expected value by a predetermined amount, and if so, the processor is configured to change at least a first aspect of the steam generation process to reduce the steam temperature in the mouthpiece, based on sensor data corresponding to said at least one airflow parameter in response to the received indication. 2. An EVPS temperature control system according to claim 1, wherein: at least one air flow parameter is air flow, and if it is below the expected value by a given amount, the processor is configured to change one or more parameters selected from a list including: i) EVPS heater heating temperature and ii) EVPS air inlet area. 3. An EVPS temperature control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: at least one air flow parameter is dynamic air pressure, and if it is higher than the expected value by a given amount, the processor is configured to change one or more parameters selected from a list including: i) EVPS heater heating temperature and ii) EVPS air inlet area. 4. An EVPS temperature control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: at least one air flow parameter is humidity, and if it is higher than the expected value by a given value, the processor is configured to change one or more parameters selected from a list including: i) EVPS heater heating temperature and ii) EVPS air inlet area. 5. An EVPS temperature control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: at least one airflow parameter is the ambient air temperature before heating, and if it is higher than the expected value by a given value, the processor is configured to change one or more parameters selected from a list including: i) EVPS heater heating temperature and ii) EVPS air inlet area. 6. An EVPS temperature control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: at least one air flow parameter is static air pressure, and if it is below the expected value by a given amount, the processor is configured to change one or more parameters selected from a list including: iii) EVPS heater heating temperature and iv) EVPS air inlet area. 7. An EVPS temperature control system according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein: the processor is configured to reduce the heating temperature of the EVPS heater by a predetermined amount, while the resulting heating temperature of the heater remains above the evaporation temperature of the EVPS payload. 8. An EVPS temperature control system according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein: the processor is configured to reduce the heating temperature of the EVPS heater using one or more operations selected from a list including: i) lowering the heater temperature; ii) changing the duty cycle of the heater and iii) lowering the heater preheat temperature. 9. The temperature control system for EVPS according to claim 8, in which: the processor is configured to reduce the heating temperature of the heater by an amount depending on the difference between the detected and expected value of at least one air flow parameter. 10. An EVPS temperature control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising: air flow sensor; and the processor is configured to instantaneously change the heating temperature of the EVPS heater in response to the sensor data. 11. An EVPS temperature control system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: the processor is configured to model a user's inhalation profile based on airflow rates detected by the sensor during a puff, the inhalation profile indicative of an airflow rate during a puffing action performed by the user; and the processor is configured to change at least the first aspect of the vapor generation process depending on the inhalation profile. 12. Temperature control system for EVPS according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that it is configured to notify the user, when computed by the processor, the heater temperature changes below the evaporative temperature of the EVPS payload. 13. An EVPS temperature control system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein: The EVPS comprises a wireless communication unit configured to communicate with a remote device; and the processor is located in the remote device. 14. A temperature control method for an electronic steam supply system (EVPS), comprising the steps of: receiving airflow sensor data from a sensor configured to detect at least one airflow parameter in the EVPS; determining if an indication is received from the user that the EVPS puff was too hot; determining, in response to the received indication, whether the difference in at least one air flow parameter deviates from the expected value by a predetermined amount, and if so, changing at least the first aspect of the steam generation process to reduce the temperature of the steam in the mouthpiece, based on sensor data corresponding to the specified at least one air flow parameter. 15. The method according to claim 14, in which at least one air flow parameter contains air flow; and if it is below the expected value by a predetermined amount, the method further comprises changing one or more parameters selected from a list including: i) EVPS heater heating temperature and ii) EVPS air inlet area. 16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, in which at least one airflow parameter contains one or more parameters selected from a list including: i) dynamic air pressure; ii) humidity and iii) ambient air temperature before heating, and if one or each of the parameters exceeds the expected value by a corresponding predetermined amount, the method further comprises modifying one or more parameters selected from a list including: i) EVPS heater heating temperature and ii) EVPS air inlet area. 17. The method of any one of claims 14-16, wherein the step of changing an aspect of the steam generation process comprises a sub-step of lowering the heating temperature of the EVPS heater by one or more steps selected from a list including: i) lowering the heater temperature; ii) changing the duty cycle of the heater and iii) lowering the heater preheat temperature. 18. The method of any one of claims 14 to 17, further comprising notifying the user if the heating temperature of the heater needs to be reduced to a temperature below the evaporation temperature of the VPS payload. 19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, comprising the steps of: determine the air flow and carry out an instantaneous change in the heating temperature of the VPS heater depending on the air flow. 20. The method according to any one of claims 14-19, comprising the steps: modeling a user's inhalation profile based on airflow during a puff, the inhalation profile indicating airflow during a user's puff action; and changing at least the first aspect of the steam generation process depending on the inhalation profile. 21. The method according to any one of claims 14-20, wherein the steps of obtaining temperature sensor data and airflow sensor data are performed in the EVPS, the method comprising: transmitting the temperature sensor data and the airflow sensor data to a remote processor configured to calculate a change in at least the first aspect of the steam generation process. 22. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions causing the computer system to execute the method according to any one of claims 14-21.

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