Electrically heated aerosol-generating system

• US 10,333,330 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2015
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philip Morris Products SA (Philip Morris Limited)
• Original Assignee: Philip Morris Products SA (Philip Morris Limited)
• Inventors: Holzherr, Raphael
• Primary Examiner(s): Pacheco, Alexis B
• Application Number:
  US15/303,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20170033568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 320134, 320135, 320137, 30132, 30134, 30150, 30151, 30152, 30153, 30154
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/20 Devices using solid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/53 Monitoring, e.g. fault detection
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/90 Arrangements or methods specially adapted for charging batteries thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00041 in response to measured battery parameters, e.g. voltage, current or temperature profile
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007192 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0244 Heating of fluids H05B1/0247 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/021 Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A method of controlling an electrically heated aerosol-generating system is provided, the system including a charging device including a first rechargeable power supply, and an electrically heated aerosol-generating device configured to receive an aerosol-generating substrate and including a second rechargeable power supply, and at least one electrical heating element; and the method including monitoring an ambient temperature adjacent the charging device, determining a charging current, for charging the rechargeable power supply of the charging device, in dependence on the ambient temperature, and charging the rechargeable power supply of the charging device at the determined charging current. There is also provided a system and device for performing the method.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an electrically heated aerosol-generating system, the electrically heated aerosol-generating system comprising a charging device comprising a first rechargeable power supply, an electrically heated aerosol-generating device configured to receive an aerosol-generating substrate and comprising a second rechargeable power supply, and at least one electrical heating element, the method comprising:

monitoring an ambient temperature adjacent the charging device;

determining a charging current, for charging the first rechargeable power supply of the charging device, in dependence on the ambient temperature; and

charging the first rechargeable power supply of the charging device at the determined charging current, wherein;

when the ambient temperature is within a first predetermined temperature range, the charging current is less than about 0.1 C,

when the ambient temperature is within a second predetermined temperature range, the charging current is greater than about 0.1 C, and

when the ambient temperature is above a predetermined temperature, preventing the charging of the first rechargeable power supply.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, when the first rechargeable power supply of the charging device is being charged, indicating to a user what charging current is being provided to the first rechargeable power supply.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a discharging current for the first rechargeable power supply of the charging device, for charging the second rechargeable power supply of the electrically heated aerosol-generating device; and

charging the second rechargeable power supply of the electrically heated aerosol-generating device at the determined discharging current, wherein;

when the ambient temperature is within a third predetermined temperature range, the discharging current is between about 0.1 C and about 0.3 C,

when the ambient temperature is within a fourth predetermined temperature range, the discharging current is between about 0.8 C and about 1.2 C, and

when the ambient temperature is above a predetermined temperature, preventing the discharging of the first rechargeable power supply.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising, when the first rechargeable power supply of the charging device is being discharged, indicating to a user what discharging current is being provided to the second rechargeable power supply of the electrically heated aerosol-generating device.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring the ambient temperature adjacent the electrically heated aerosol-generating device; and

providing a charging current to the second rechargeable power supply of the electrically heated aerosol-generating device for recharging the second rechargeable power supply, in dependence on the ambient temperature, wherein;

when the ambient temperature adjacent the electrically heated aerosol-generating device is within a predetermined temperature range, providing a charging current of about 10 C to the second rechargeable power supply, and

when the ambient temperature adjacent the electrically heated aerosol-generating device is outside the predetermined temperature range, preventing the charging current from being supplied to the second rechargeable power supply.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring the ambient temperature is performed with a frequency of about once per minute to about 5 times per minute.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the determining the charging current is performed in dependence on a weighted average of the monitored ambient temperature.

8. A method of controlling an electrically heated aerosol-generating device configured to receive an aerosol-generating substrate, the device comprising a rechargeable power supply and at least one electrical heating element, the method comprising:

monitoring an ambient temperature adjacent the device; and

providing power to the at least one electrical heating element from the rechargeable power supply in dependence on the ambient temperature adjacent the device, wherein;

when the ambient temperature adjacent the device is within a predetermined temperature range, providing the power to the at least one electrical heating element, and

when the ambient temperature adjacent the device is outside the predetermined temperature range, preventing the power from being supplied to the at least one electrical heating element.

9. An electrically heated aerosol-generating system, comprising:

an electrically heated aerosol-generating device configured to receive an aerosol-generating substrate, the device comprising;

a heating element, and

a first rechargeable power supply configured to supply power to the heating element; and

a charging device configured to receive the electrically heated aerosol-generating device, the charging device comprising;

a cavity configured to receive the electrically heated aerosol-generating device,

a second rechargeable power supply configured to charge the first rechargeable power supply of the electrically heated aerosol-generating device,

a temperature sensor configured to sense an ambient temperature adjacent the charging device, and

a controller configured to control the supply of power to the second rechargeable power supply from an external power source to recharge the second rechargeable power supply, in dependence on the ambient temperature adjacent the charging device, wherein;

when the ambient temperature adjacent the charging device is within a first predetermined range, the controller is configured to provide a charging current of less than about 0.1 C,

when the ambient temperature adjacent the charging device is within a second predetermined range, the controller is configured to provide a charging current of greater than about 0.1 C, and

when the ambient temperature adjacent the charging device is above a predetermined temperature, preventing the charging of the second rechargeable power supply.

10. The system according to claim 9, the charging device further comprising an indicator configured to indicate to a user what charging current is being provided to the second rechargeable power supply, when the second rechargeable power supply of the charging device is being charged.

11. The system according to claim 9,

wherein the charging device controller is further configured to control the supply of power from the second rechargeable power supply to the electrically heated aerosol-generating device to recharge the first rechargeable power supply, wherein:

when the ambient temperature adjacent the charging device is within a third predetermined temperature range, the controller is further configured to provide a discharging current between about 0.1 C and about 0.3 C to the first rechargeable power supply of the electrically heated aerosol-generating device,

when the ambient temperature adjacent the charging device is within a fourth predetermined temperature range, the controller is further configured to provide a discharging current between about 0.8 C and about 1.2 C to the first rechargeable power supply of the electrically heated aerosol-generating device, and

when the ambient temperature adjacent the charging device is above a predetermined temperature, the controller is further configured to prevent discharging of the second rechargeable power supply.

12. The system according to claim 11, the charging device further comprising an indicator configured to indicate to a user what discharging current is being provided to the first rechargeable power supply of the electrically heated aerosol-generating device when the second rechargeable power supply of the charging device is being discharged.

13. The system according to claim 9, the electrically heated aerosol-generating device further comprising another temperature sensor configured to sense an ambient temperature adjacent the electrically heated aerosol-generating device,

wherein the charging device controller is further configured to control the supply of power from the second rechargeable power supply to the first rechargeable power supply to recharge the first rechargeable power supply in dependence on the ambient temperature adjacent the electrically heated aerosol-generating device, wherein:

when the ambient temperature adjacent the electrically heated aerosol-generating device is within a predetermined temperature range, the controller is further configured to provide a charging current of about 10 C to the first rechargeable power supply, and

when the ambient temperature adjacent the electrically heated aerosol-generating device is outside the predetermined temperature range, the controller is further configured to prevent the charging current from being supplied to the first rechargeable power supply.

14. An electrically heated aerosol-generating device configured to receive an aerosol-generating substrate, comprising:

a heating element;

a rechargeable power supply configured to supply power to the heating element;

a temperature sensor configured to sense an ambient temperature adjacent the device; and

a controller configured to control a supply of power from the rechargeable to the heating element in dependence on the ambient temperature adjacent the device, wherein;

when the ambient temperature adjacent the device is within a predetermined temperature range, the controller is configured to supply power to the heating element, and

when the ambient temperature adjacent the device is outside the predetermined temperature range, the controller is configured to prevent power from being supplied to the heating element.

15. The device according to claim 14, further comprising an indicator configured to indicate to a user when the ambient temperature adjacent the device is outside the predetermined temperature range.