Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: an elongate housing, and an aerosolisation module detachably insertable into the housing, the module including a vibratable transducer to aerosolise a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, electrical contacts in communication with the transducer to connect with corresponding contacts of the housing, and an electrically conductive membrane including an aerosol generation zone, the transducer coupled to the membrane to vibrate it, and a portion of the membrane forming electrical contacts of the module, the housing containing a power source and configured to detachably receive the module to establish a detachable electrical connection, a sidewall of the housing including an aperture defining an access opening to a cavity within the housing and containing the contacts, and the contacts of the housing and the module being configured such that insertion of the module into the cavity results in electrical connection between the contacts of the housing and the module.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a reservoir containing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate; an aerosol-generating element configured to generate an aerosol from the liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the aerosol-generating element including an electrically operated, vibrating transducer; an electrically operated pump configured to deliver the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the reservoir to the aerosol-generating element; and control circuitry connected to the pump and the transducer, the control circuitry being configured to control operation of the pump in dependence on one or more operating parameters of the transducer. A method of operating the aerosol-generating device is also provided.

Abstract: An aerosol generator configured to generate an aerosol from an aerosol-forming substrate is provided, the aerosol generator including: a non-thermal aerosol-generating element configured to aerosolise an aerosol-forming substrate; at least one air inlet; at least one air outlet; a chamber between the air inlet and the air outlet, the non-thermal aerosol-generating element being arranged in the chamber and being further configured to release aerosolised aerosol-forming substrate into the chamber; an airflow path extending through the chamber between the air inlet and the air outlet, via the non-thermal aerosol-generating element; and a side wall circumscribing the non-thermal aerosol-generating element, the side wall having a curved surface defining a curved surface of the chamber, the air inlet extending through the side wall and being configured to direct air into the chamber in a direction tangential to the curved surface of the chamber.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a vibratable transducer configured to aerosolise a liquid aerosol-forming substrate; and a controller coupled to the transducer, the controller being configured to provide a driving signal for vibrating the transducer, in which all or part of the driving signal defines a sensory output of the transducer detectable by at least one of an auditory sense of a user and a touch sense of a user, and adjust the driving signal such that the sensory output is indicative of a state of the aerosol-generating device. An aerosol-delivery system, and a method of operating an aerosol-generating device having a vibratable transducer, are also provided.

Abstract: An aerosol-generator for an aerosol-generating device is provided, the aerosol-generator including: a plurality of surface acoustic wave atomisers, each surface acoustic wave atomiser including: a substrate including an active surface, and at least one transducer disposed on the active surface of the substrate to generate surface acoustic waves on the active surface; an atomisation region defined between the substrates of the plurality of surface acoustic wave atomisers; and a supply element arranged to supply a liquid aerosol-forming substrate to the atomisation region. An aerosol-generating device including the aerosol-generator is also provided.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a membrane having an aerosol-generation zone, in which the aerosol-generation zone includes a plurality of nozzles, the plurality of nozzles being the only nozzles in the aerosol-generation zone; and an actuator coupled to the membrane, in which the actuator is configured to excite the membrane to induce a vibration of the membrane at one or more predetermined modal frequencies of the membrane such that a liquid aerosol-forming substrate passing through the plurality of nozzles is aerosolised, in which more than 50% of the plurality of nozzles are located closer to antinodes than to nodes of the membrane, where the antinodes and the nodes correspond to the membrane being excited at the one or more predetermined modal frequencies of the membrane, and in which the membrane progressively changes in thickness from a centre of the membrane to a peripheral edge of the membrane.

Abstract: An aerosol-generator for an aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a surface acoustic wave atomiser including: a substrate including an active surface defining an atomisation region, first and second transducers positioned on the active surface; first and second supply elements to respectively supply first and second liquid aerosol-forming substrates to the atomisation region; a controller to provide first and second drive signals respectively to the first and the second transducers to generate surface acoustic waves on the active surface, provide the first drive signal only when the first substrate is supplied to the atomisation region by the first supply element, and provide the second drive signal only when the second substrate is supplied to the atomisation region by the second supply element. An aerosol-generating device including the aerosol-generator is also provided.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a piezoelectric transducer; drive circuitry connected to the piezoelectric transducer and configured to apply an oscillating current to the transducer; and control circuitry connected to the drive circuitry and configured to monitor a resonant behavior of the piezoelectric transducer, the control circuitry being further configured to control the operation of the drive circuitry based on the resonant behavior of the piezoelectric transducer, in which the piezoelectric transducer forms part of a transducer assembly in a liquid pump, and the transducer assembly includes a membrane or surface configured to contact a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the transducer assembly being configured to drive the membrane or surface into vibration, the vibration of the membrane or surface forcing the liquid through an adjacent liquid valve in the liquid pump. A method of operating an aerosol generating device is also provided.

Abstract: A method includes generating an aerosol by heating, without combusting, an aerosol generating substrate (300) in a shisha device (100). The method further includes introducing at least one aerosol condensation particle to an airflow path (103) of the shisha device. The airflow path (103) carries the aerosol generated by the aerosol generating substrate to an outlet (104) of the shisha device for delivery to a user.

Abstract: An aerosol-generator for an aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a surface acoustic wave atomiser including: a substrate including an active surface defining an atomisation region, and at least one transducer positioned on the active surface to generate surface acoustic waves for defining an acoustic wavefront on the active surface; and a supply element arranged to supply a liquid aerosol-forming substrate to the atomisation region so that liquid aerosol-forming substrate in the atomisation region defines an interface between the active surface, the liquid aerosol-forming substrate, and the atmosphere, in which the at least one transducer and the supply element are configured so that a shape of the acoustic wavefront at the interface corresponds to a shape of at least part of the interface. An aerosol-generating device including the aerosol-generator is also provided.

Abstract: An aerosol-generator for an aerosol-generating device is provided, the aerosol-generator including: a surface acoustic wave atomiser including a substrate including an active surface defining at least one atomisation region, and at least one transducer positioned on the active surface to generate surface acoustic waves on the active surface; and a supply element arranged to supply a liquid aerosol-forming substrate to the atomisation region, the supply element including a channel extending through the substrate between an inlet to receive a supply of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate and an outlet positioned within the atomisation region of the active surface, in which the channel has at least one of a cross-sectional area that varies in a direction from the inlet to the outlet and a portion that extends in a non-perpendicular direction with respect to the active surface. An aerosol-generating device including the aerosol-generator is also provided.

Abstract: An aerosol-generator for an aerosol-generating device is provided, the aerosol-generator including: a surface acoustic wave atomiser including a substrate including an active surface defining an atomisation region, and a transducer disposed on the active surface of the substrate; a supply element arranged to supply a liquid aerosol-forming substrate to the atomisation region; and a controller configured to operate the transducer as an input transducer to generate surface acoustic waves on the active surface of the substrate, operate the transducer as an output transducer to sense surface acoustic waves on the active surface of the substrate, and receive an output signal from the transducer when the transducer is operated as the output transducer. An aerosol-generating device including the aerosol-generator is also provided.

Abstract: A method includes generating an aerosol by heating, without combusting, an aerosol generating substrate (300) in a shisha device (100). The method further includes introducing at least one aerosol condensation particle to an airflow path (103) of the shisha device. The airflow path (103) carries the aerosol generated by the aerosol generating substrate to an outlet (104) of the shisha device for delivery to a user.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods for the production of micro-structured substrates and their application in natural sciences and technology, in particular in semiconductor, microfluidic and analysis devices. It concerns a method of introducing a structure, such as a hole or cavity or channel or well or recess or a structural change by providing a controlled electrical discharge.

Abstract: A method of generating a hole or well in an electrically insulating or semiconducting substrate, a hole or well in a substrate generated by this method, and an array of holes or wells in a substrate generated by the method.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a glass substrate having a through hole, includes preparing a glass substrate having an average coefficient of thermal expansion in a range of 55×0?7/K to 120×10?7/K at 50° C. to 300° C., and a thickness of 0.2 mm or greater and 1 mm or less, and forming the through hole in the glass substrate using a laser-guided discharge technique.

Abstract: A device is used for drilling a substrate, in particular a device for generating a hole or recess or well in an electrically insulating or semiconducting substrate, more specifically a device for generating a plurality of holes or recesses or wells in an electrically insulating or semiconducting substrate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of generating a hole or recess or well in an electrically insulating or semiconducting substrate, and to a hole or recess or well in a substrate generated by this method. The invention also relates to an array of holes or recesses or wells in a substrate generated by the method. The invention also relates to a device for performing the method according to the present invention.

Abstract: A method of generating a hole or the like in an electrically insulating or semiconducting substrate, includes a) providing a substrate; b) melting a volume of material of the substrate; c) removing the molten volume of material by applying a voltage across the substrate using two electrodes, thereby applying a defined amount of electrical energy to the substrate and dissipating the electrical energy from the substrate, wherein the rate of dissipating the applied electrical energy is controlled by at least one current and/or power modulating element, the at least one current and/or power modulating element being part of the electrical connection between the voltage source and the electrodes, and wherein the current and/or power modulating element is a resistor, a capacitor, an inductor or any combination of the foregoing, with the proviso that, if there is only one current and/or power modulating element, it is not an ohmic resistor.

Abstract: A method of generating a hole or well in an electrically insulating or semiconducting substrate, a hole or well in a substrate generated by this method, and an array of holes or wells in a substrate generated by the method.