Electrically operated aerosol-generating system with tilt sensor

1. An aerosol-generating device, comprising:

a liquid storage portion configured to hold a liquid aerosol-forming substrate;

an aerosol generator, the aerosol generator including an electric heater configured to at least partially vaporize the liquid aerosol-forming substrate;

a capillary wick configured to draw the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid storage portion to the aerosol generator, the aerosol generator in fluid communication with the liquid storage portion and the capillary wick;

a tilt sensor configured to sense an angle of orientation value of the liquid storage portion; and

electric circuitry including at least one processor operationally connected to a memory, the memory containing data on a relationship between the angle of orientation value and a depletion of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate,

the at least one processor being configured to

monitor the angle of orientation value as sensed by the tilt sensor, and

determine a depletion value of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate based on the angle of orientation value and the data, the at least one processor being configured to determine the depletion value while the aerosol-generating device is in any physical orientation during an operational use of the aerosol-generating device.

2. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the capillary wick is arranged to traverse the liquid storage portion near an end of the liquid storage portion.

3. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine the depletion value by

determining an amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate depleted from the liquid storage portion or a rate of depletion of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid storage portion.

4. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to

supply an electrical current from a power source to the aerosol generator; and

determine the depletion value further based on the electrical current supplied to the aerosol generator.

5. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the aerosol generator includes an electric heater with one or more electric heating elements.

6. The aerosol-generating device of claim 5 , wherein the electric circuitry is configured to

measure a resistance of the one or more electric heating elements.

7. The aerosol-generating device of claim 5 , wherein the aerosol-generating device comprises:

a temperature sensor arranged to sense a temperature of the one or more electric heating elements.

8. The aerosol-generating device of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to

monitor activation of the electric heater by monitoring a resistance or the temperature of the one or more heating elements over time; and

determine the depletion value further based on the resistance or the temperature of the one or more electric heating elements.

9. The aerosol-generating device of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to

determine the depletion value further based on a relationship between an electrical current supplied to the one or more electric heating elements and a resistance change or temperature change of the one or more electric heating elements.

10. The aerosol-generating device of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine the depletion value by

determining a first estimate of depletion based on one or more of:

an electrical current supplied to the aerosol generator,

a resistance or the temperature of the one or more electric heating elements, or

a relationship between the electrical current supplied to the one or more electric heating elements and a resistance change or temperature change of the one or more electric heating elements; and

determining a second estimate of depletion based on the first estimate of depletion and the angle of orientation value, the second estimate of depletion being the depletion value.

11. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to

determine an estimate of an amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate remaining in the liquid storage portion based on the depletion value.

12. The aerosol-generating device of claim 11 , wherein the at least one processor configured to

determine the estimate of the amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate held in the liquid storage portion by subtracting the depletion value from a known initial amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate in the liquid storage portion.

13. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the aerosol-generating device includes a main unit and a cartridge, the main unit including a power supply and the electric circuitry and the cartridge including the liquid storage portion.

14. The aerosol-generating device of claim 13 , wherein the main unit further comprises the tilt sensor arranged to sense the angle of orientation value when the cartridge is removably received by the main unit.

15. The aerosol-generating device of claim 13 , wherein the cartridge further comprises the tilt sensor arranged to sense the angle of orientation value.

16. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to

determine a rate of depletion based on the depletion value.

17. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein

the angle of orientation value is an angle between a longitudinal axis of the liquid storage portion and a vertical axis, the vertical axis being plum with gravity.

18. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the capillary wick is arranged to traverse the liquid storage portion near an end-most end of the liquid storage portion.

19. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 7 ,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine an estimate of depletion of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate based on one or more of,

an electrical current supplied to the aerosol generator,

a resistance or the temperature of the one or more electric heating elements, or

a relationship between the electrical current supplied to the one or more electric heating elements and a resistance change or temperature change of the one or more electric heating elements; and

determine the depletion value based further on the estimate of depletion.