Dynamic output power management for electronic smoking device

• US 10,398,176 B2
• Filed: 12/25/2014
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fontem Ventures BV (Imperial Tobacco Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Fontem Holdings 1 BV (Imperial Tobacco Group PLC)
• Inventors: Hon, Lik, Li, Zhuoran
• Primary Examiner(s): Hyeon, Hae Moon
• Application Number:
  US15/538,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20170367410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: 131328, 131329
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/50 Control or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/042 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/06 Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3317 Electromagnetic, inductive or dielectric measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/702 automatically during use
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8212 with means or measures taken for minimising energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8237 Charging means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0297 Heating of fluids for non specified applications

Abstract

A dynamic output power management unit for a heating circuit (100) of an electronic smoking device is disclosed, the heating circuit (100) having a heating element (10) connected to a power source (20) via a first switching element (30), the unit having at least one voltage detection device to detect voltage values at various points of the heating circuit (100); and a controller (2) configured to deriving a resistance of the heating element (10), estimating a discharge time or a power consumption value of the power source (20) such that an energy converted in a period of time is substantially identical to a predetermined energy conversion value for a same period of time.

Claims

1. An electronic smoking device comprising:

an atomizer including an electrical resistance heating element in a heating circuit;

a power source connected to the heating element and to a dynamic output power management system including;

a reference element having a substantially constant resistance;

a switching element operable to change from a first state to a second state to connect the reference element to the heating circuit and from the second state to the first state to disconnect the reference element from the heating circuit; and

a power management unit, comprising

at least one voltage detection device to detect one or more of an output voltage of the power source;

a voltage drop across the reference element;

a voltage drop across the heating element; and

a controller configured to change the switching element from the first state to the second state;

receive a first detection result from the voltage detection device;

derive a resistance of the heating element in the heating circuit;

change the switching element from the second state to the first state;

receive a second detection result from the voltage detection device; and

derive an active time of the heating circuit as a function of the resistance of the heating element and the second detection result, such that energy converted by the heating element in a period of time is substantially equal to a predetermined energy conversion value for the selected period of time.

2. The electronic smoking device of claim 1 wherein the voltage detection device detects the output voltage of the power source;

the voltage drop across the reference element; and

/or the voltage drop across the heating element at the beginning of a puff.

3. The electronic smoking device of claim 1 further including:

a tubular housing;

a liquid supply in the tubular housing for providing liquid to the heating element; and

with the atomizer, power source, the reference element, the switching element and the power management unit with in the tubular housing.

4. The electronic smoking device of claim 3 wherein the power source is a battery and the controller provides current from the battery to the heating element so that the product of the current times the voltage to the heating element varies by less than 15% over the charge life of the battery.

5. The electronic smoking device of claim 1 with the controller including a memory for storing a resistance value.

6. The electronic smoking device of claim 1 with the voltage detecting device detecting at least two of an output voltage of the power source;

a voltage drop across the reference element; and

a voltage drop across the heating element.

7. An electronic smoking device comprising:

an atomizer including an electrical resistance heating element in a heating circuit;

a power source connected to the heating element and to a dynamic output power management system including;

a reference element having a substantially constant resistance;

a switching element operable to change from a first state to a second state to connect the reference element to the heating circuit and from the second state to the first state to disconnect the reference element from the heating circuit; and

a power management unit, comprising

at least one voltage detection device to detect one or more of an output voltage of the power source;

a voltage drop across the reference element;

a voltage drop across the heating element; and

a controller configured to change the switching element from the first state to the second state;

receive a first detection result from the voltage detection device;

derive a resistance of the heating element in the heating circuit;

change the switching element from the second state to the first state;

receive a second detection result from the voltage detection device; and

derive an active time of the heating circuit as a function of the resistance of the heating element and the second detection result, such that energy converted by the heating element in a period of time is substantially equal to a predetermined energy conversion value for the selected period of time;

wherein the controller is configured to derive a pattern of a waveform based on the estimated discharging time and a predetermined discharging time for each puff; and

to generate a control waveform for the switching element based on the derived pattern.