Abstract: Time-varying scent determined by audio-meaningful events, such as gun firing, in an audio signal is generated by first computing a spectrogram thereof. A fingerprint, each having feature points, can be extracted from the spectrogram over a time window. The plurality of feature points is hashed to give a hash code. A sequence of hash codes obtained over multiple time windows is correlated with predetermined hash-code segments of known audio-meaningful events stored in a database. A matched audio-meaningful event having a highest correlation is identified. The scent-generating recipe corresponding to the matched audio-meaningful event is retrieved. Atomizers are used to vaporize scent-generating substances to generate the time-variant scent. Since the hash code has a fixed length and a smaller size than the plurality of feature points, storage requirements of the database and computation requirements of correlation calculation are reduced by using the hash code rather than the plurality of feature points.

Abstract: A heat-not-burn tobacco-type device for heating a cigarette has a heater and a vaporizer. The heater heats the cigarette at a heating temperature not greater than 450° C. for discouraging formation of harmful substances, such as tar and carbon monoxide, during heating the cigarette. The vaporizer is used to vaporize a liquid for producing smoke and/or for enhancing a taste of the cigarette. The vaporizer and the heater are arranged to work simultaneously or independently to generate two bodies of aerosol, wherein these two bodies of aerosol pass through two independent gas channels and meet together for a smoker to inhale thereafter. Hence, the device not only meets visual needs of the smoker in the smoke and/or enhances the taste of the cigarette, but also discourages generation of the harmful substance.

Abstract: A piezoceramic based atomizer for atomizing high viscosity liquid is provided. The atomizer comprises a storing tank as a reservoir for storing the liquid, a receiving tank connecting to the storing tank, a piezoceramic based nozzle for forming micro-droplets of the liquid, and an external ultrasonic oscillation circuit. The nozzle comprises a liquid absorbing medium with at least one sunk area at one end for pumping and delivering the liquid, a holder for holding the absorbing medium, a micro-perforated membrane whose one side is attached on the side of the liquid absorbing medium having the sunk area, and an annular piezoceramic adhered to the other side of the membrane. The nozzle is configured such that the sunk area can balance the feeding rate and atomization rate of the liquid as well as hold the back pressure underneath the micro-perforated membrane, facilitating forming micro-droplets of the high viscosity liquid continuously.

Abstract: A bubble atomizer includes a cartridge having an open end, a liquid absorbing member provided inside the cartridge, a firing chamber covering the open end and formed with liquid outlets and liquid inlets through which liquid enters the firing chamber from the cartridge, and heaters mounted inside the firing chamber. The heaters are connected with a power electronics unit through a cable. Each heater has a thickness in micron to sub-micron scale. When a pulse signal generated is applied to the heaters, current generated heats up the heaters and vapor bubbles are formed on the heaters that generate pressure and push the liquid out of the firing chamber through the liquid outlets to thereby form droplets.