Sensor apparatuses and systems

Abstract

A sensor apparatus may include a conduit structure including an inner surface defining a conduit extending through an interior of the conduit structure, an inlet structure coupled to an end of the conduit structure, and a plurality of sensor devices in hydrodynamic contact with the conduit. The inlet structure may couple with an outlet end of an external tobacco element to hold the outlet end of the external tobacco element in fluid communication with an inlet opening of the conduit structure, such that the conduit structure may receive a generated aerosol from the external tobacco element at the inlet opening, and draw an instance of aerosol through the conduit towards an outlet opening. The instance of aerosol may include at least a portion of the generated aerosol. Each sensor device may generate sensor data indicating a pressure of the instance of aerosol through a separate portion of the conduit.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A sensor apparatus, comprising:
 a conduit structure including an inlet opening, an outlet opening, and an inner surface defining a conduit extending between the inlet opening and the outlet opening through an interior of the conduit structure;   an inlet structure coupled to an inlet opening-proximate end of the conduit structure, the inlet structure further configured to couple with an outlet end of an external tobacco element to hold the outlet end of the external tobacco element in fluid communication with the inlet opening of the conduit structure, such that the conduit structure is configured to
 receive a generated aerosol from the external tobacco element at the inlet opening, and 
 draw an instance of aerosol through at least a portion of the conduit to the outlet opening, the instance of aerosol including at least a portion of the generated aerosol; 
   an orifice structure partitioning the conduit into separate conduit portions, the orifice structure including an orifice having a reduced diameter relative to a diameter of the conduit, such that the conduit structure is configured to direct the instance of aerosol to pass through the orifice towards the outlet opening;   an adjustable intake device, configured to control a flow rate of the instance of aerosol through at least the portion of the conduit to the outlet opening; and   a plurality of sensor devices in hydrodynamic contact with separate conduit portions of the conduit on opposite sides of the orifice structure, each sensor device configured to generate sensor data indicating a pressure of the instance of aerosol drawn through a separate portion of the conduit,   wherein the sensor apparatus is configured to generate information indicating a flow rate of the instance of aerosol drawn through at least the portion of the conduit to the outlet opening based on a difference between pressures indicated by respective instances of sensor data generated by the plurality of sensor devices in hydrodynamic contact with the separate conduit portions of the conduit on opposite sides of the orifice structure,   wherein the sensor apparatus is configured to control the adjustable intake device.   
     
     
         2 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a communication interface configured to establish a communication link with an external computing device, the communication interface further configured to communicate a sensor data stream, between the sensor apparatus and the external computing device via the communication link, the sensor data stream providing a real-time indication of the flow rate of the instance of aerosol through at least the portion of the conduit to the outlet opening.   
     
     
         3 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the communication interface is a wireless communication interface and the communication link is a wireless network communication link. 
     
     
         4 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the sensor apparatus is configured to control the adjustable intake device based on a feedback control signal received from the external computing device at the communication interface. 
     
     
         5 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an adjustable valve device configured to control a cross-sectional flow area of a portion of the conduit.   
     
     
         6 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the adjustable intake device is between the adjustable valve device and the orifice. 
     
     
         7 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an adjustable vent device configured to control a flow rate of the instance of aerosol through at least the portion of the conduit to the outlet opening.   
     
     
         8 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the adjustable intake device is between the adjustable vent device and the orifice. 
     
     
         9 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the information includes a flow rate of bypass aerosol flowing through the adjustable vent device. 
     
     
         10 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the information includes a flow rate of aerosol that does not flow through the adjustable vent device. 
     
     
         11 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the adjustable intake device is configured to draw a stream of air into the conduit independently from the external tobacco element. 
     
     
         12 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the sensor apparatus is configured to control the adjustable intake device to cause an aerosol draw pattern of the instance of aerosol drawn through at least the portion of the conduit to the outlet opening of the sensor apparatus over a period of time to conform to a threshold aerosol draw pattern, the aerosol draw pattern being associated with the sensor data.   
     
     
         13 . A system, comprising:
 the sensor apparatus of  claim 1 ; and   a computing device communicatively linked to a communication interface of the sensor apparatus via a communication link,   wherein the sensor apparatus is configured to communicate, between the sensor apparatus and the computing device via the communication link, a data stream providing a real-time indication of the flow rate of the instance of aerosol drawn through at least the portion of the conduit to the outlet opening, the data stream including information associated with the sensor data,   wherein at least one device of the sensor apparatus or the computing device is configured to process the information associated with the sensor data to generate topography information associated with at least one of the sensor apparatus and the external tobacco element,   wherein the topography information includes an aerosol draw pattern of the instance of aerosol drawn through the conduit over a period of time, the aerosol draw pattern associated with the sensor data, the aerosol draw pattern representing a time variation of a cumulative amount of aerosol in one or more instances of aerosol drawn through the conduit during a given time period, from a null value at a start of the given time period to a total cumulative amount at an end of the given time period,   wherein the computing device is configured to display the topography information to provide graphical representations of
 the time variation of the cumulative amount of aerosol in the one or more instances of aerosol drawn through the conduit during the given time period, 
 a time variation of a threshold cumulative amount of aerosol drawn through the conduit during the given time period, the threshold cumulative amount of aerosol varying with time over the given time period, and 
 a difference between the cumulative amount of aerosol and the threshold cumulative amount of aerosol at multiple given times throughout the given time period. 
   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the communication interface is a wireless communication interface and the communication link is a wireless network communication link. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein
 the at least one device is the computing device,   the computing device is further configured to communicate a feedback control signal to the sensor apparatus according to a determination of whether the aerosol draw pattern conforms to a threshold aerosol draw pattern, and   the sensor apparatus is configured to control a flow rate of the portion of the generated aerosol through the conduit based on the feedback control signal.   
     
     
         16 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the external tobacco element.   
     
     
         17 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the adjustable intake device is upstream of the plurality of sensor devices. 
     
     
         18 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the information includes a flow rate of bypass air through the adjustable intake device. 
     
     
         19 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the information includes a flow rate of aerosol passing through the outlet. 
     
     
         20 . The sensor apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the information includes a flow rate of aerosol passing through the orifice.