HOT-WIRE CONTROL FOR AN ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE

• US 20140014126A1
• Filed: 07/11/2013
• Published: 01/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nu Mark Innovations, Ltd. (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Peleg, Eyal, Levy, Dorron, Cohen, David, Brooks, Harold
• Granted Patent: US 9,814,262 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 131/329
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/50 Control or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/53 Monitoring, e.g. fault detection
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/57 Temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/60 Devices with integrated user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/06 Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/16 using resistive elements resistive elements per se H01C, H01L
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1919 characterised by the type of controller
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/24 the sensing element having a resistance varying with temperature, e.g. a thermistor

Abstract

An electronic cigarette (“e-Cig”) may include functionality for monitoring and controlling the thermal properties of the e-Cig. The system and method described herein may monitor a temperature based on a resistor (i.e. hot wire) near the wick and model the thermal cycle of an e-Cig. The model can be used for controlling the temperature of the e-Cig and preventing burning. The temperature control may dictate optimal conditions for atomization and smoke generation in an e-Cig while avoiding hotspots and burning to the atomizer or cartomizer.

Claims

1. An electronic cigarette comprising:

a battery portion that includes a controller and provides power to the electronic cigarette; and

a cartomizer coupled with the battery portion that comprises;

an atomizer for generating a mist; and

a liquid container for providing a liquid that is used for the mist;

wherein the controller is configured for;

monitoring a heat transfer time constant; and

identifying when the heat transfer time constant exceeds a predetermined value.

2. The electronic cigarette of claim 1 wherein the predetermined value comprises a preset deviation ratio above an average of the heat transfer time constant.

3. The electronic cigarette of claim 1 wherein the identifying further comprises:

shutting off the power as an indication of depletion of the liquid container.

4. The electronic cigarette of claim 1 wherein the identifying further comprises:

notifying a user of a limited amount of use for the liquid container.

5. The electronic cigarette of claim 4 wherein when the liquid container is replaced, the monitoring of the heat transfer time constant is restarted.

6. The electronic cigarette of claim 1 wherein the battery portion further comprises:

a battery for providing the power to the electronic cigarette.

7. The electronic cigarette of claim 1 further comprising:

a heating coil that heats the liquid as part of a mist generation process where the mist is generated by the atomizer.

8. The electronic cigarette of claim 7, wherein the generation of the mist is controlled based on the identifying.

9. The electronic cigarette of claim 8, wherein the generation of the mist is reduced or slowed when the identifying occurs.

10. The electronic cigarette of claim 7, wherein a resistance of the heating coil is measured to determine a temperature.

11. The electronic cigarette of claim 10 wherein the monitoring of the heat transfer time constant comprises monitoring the temperature based on the resistance.

12. The electronic cigarette of claim 11 wherein the heat transfer time constant is based on the temperature.

13. An electronic cigarette comprising:

a battery portion that provides power to the electronic cigarette; and

a cartomizer coupled with the battery portion that comprises;

an atomizer for generating a mist;

a liquid container for providing a liquid that is used for the mist; and

a coil to supply the heat to the liquid;

wherein a coil resistance is measured for the coil to determine a temperature and a heat transfer time constant is calculated based on the determined temperature, further wherein a change in an average value of the heat transfer time constant indicates a depletion of the liquid.

14. The electronic cigarette of claim 13 further comprising a controller that determines the temperature and calculates the heat the transfer time constant and the change in the average.

15. The electronic cigarette of claim 13 wherein the change comprises a predetermined value above an average of the heat transfer time constant.

16. The electronic cigarette of claim 13 wherein the heat transfer time constant value is updated and the average is based over a time period.

17. The electronic cigarette of claim 13 wherein the change is identified in real time.

18. A method for monitoring an electronic cigarette comprising:

measuring a resistance for a heating element of the electronic cigarette;

calculating a temperature of the heating element based on the measured resistance and a resistance reference value associated with a cartomizer of the electronic cigarette;

monitoring the temperature to anticipate when a liquid container of the electronic cigarette will be depleted.

19. The electronic cigarette according to claim 18, further comprising:

determining whether the cartomizer is connected based on the measured resistance.

20. The electronic cigarette according to claim 19, wherein the determining further comprises determining whether the cartomizer is a new cartomizer that was recently installed.

21. The electronic cigarette according to claim 18, wherein the resistance is measured at set intervals when in a non-smoking mode and is measured upon a first puff when in a smoking mode.