Device and method for sensing mass airflow

• US 10,905,162 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2014
• Issued: 02/02/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fontem Ventures BV (Imperial Tobacco Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Fontem Holdings 4 B.V. (Imperial Tobacco Group PLC)
• Inventors: Alarcon, Ramon, Starman, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Ross, Dana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang, Ket D
• Application Number:
  US14/899,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20160366939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,420 Days
• Field of Search: 392368, 392386, 392390, 392394, 392397, 392389, 392403, 392404, 392406, 131328, 131329, 131330, 131187, 131273, 131904, 131194, 131270, 131271, 12820014, 12820017, 12820021, 12820022, 12820023, 12820312, 12820315, 12820418, 12820425, 12820327, 12820221, 12820227, 239650, 2391021, 2391022, 239338, 239350, 239135, 239309, 239340, 239346, 239373, 239426, 239433, 239434, 219494, 219497, 219499, 219501, 219505, 219483, 219485, 219486, 219492
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/51 Arrangement of sensors
• 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 2016/0021 with a proportional output signal, e.g. from a thermistor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/13 with means for the detection of operative contact with patient, e.g. lip sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3334 Measuring or controlling the flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3368 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8212 with means or measures taken for minimising energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/6888 Thermoelectric elements, e.g. thermocouples, thermopiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/76 Devices for measuring mass flow of a fluid or a fluent solid material
• 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

Abstract

A system, a method, a device and a computer program are provided for detecting and monitoring medium flow. The device comprises a flow sensor (350) that includes a thermopile (352), wherein the thermopile (352) may include a first thermocouple and a second thermocouple. The device can further comprise a microcontroller (340) that can be configured to generate a reference baseline and can further be configured to compare an output of the mass airflow sensor to the reference baseline (503). The heater element may comprise a heater resistor.

Claims

1. An electronic cigarette comprising:

a body;

an atomizer within the body, wherein the atomizer is configured to atomize a liquid solution;

a microcontroller configured to generate a reference baseline;

a power supply within the body and electrically connected to the microcontroller and the atomizer; and

a mass air flow sensor electrically connected to the microcontroller, wherein the mass air flow sensor comprises a substrate and a thermopile, wherein the mass air flow sensor is configured to generate a reference signal and to send signals to the microcontroller of medium flow,

wherein the microcontroller is configured to turn on the atomizer based on the signals from the mass air flow sensor, and wherein the microcontroller is set from a sleep mode to a non-sleep mode in response to a second signal, the microcontroller is set from the non-sleep mode to the sleep mode in response to a third signal, and the mass air flow sensor is driven at a low frequency cycle at the sleep mode, compared with the non-sleep mode, and wherein the reference baseline is created from the reference signal during the non-sleep mode and wherein the reference signal is normalized to the reference baseline when a change per time of the reference signal during the non-sleep mode is below a predetermined threshold.

2. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to compare an output of the mass airflow sensor to the reference baseline.

3. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the atomizer comprises a heater.

4. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller comprises a microcomputer, a memory, and an interface.

5. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is configured to use flow data to determine flow direction.

6. The electronic cigarette according to claim 5, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to limit activation of a heater based off of the direction of airflow.

7. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is configured to log medium flow data.

8. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is configured to use flow data to determine an amount of air flowing through the body.

9. The electronic cigarette according to claim 8, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to vary an output of power to the atomizer based off the amount of air flowing through the body.

10. An electronic cigarette comprising:

a first housing and a second housing;

an atomizer within the first housing, wherein the atomizer is configured to atomize a liquid solution;

a microcontroller within the second housing and comprising a data acquisition circuit and an analog-to-digital converter, wherein the microcontroller is configured to generate a reference baseline;

a power supply within the second housing and configured to be electrically connected to the microcontroller and the atomizer; and

a mass air flow sensor electrically connected to the microcontroller and configured to generate a reference signal, wherein the mass air flow sensor comprises a substrate and a thermopile, wherein the mass air flow sensor is configured to send signals to the microcontroller of medium flow, wherein the microcontroller is configured to turn on the atomizer based on the signals from the mass air flow sensor, and wherein the microcontroller is set from a sleep mode to a non-sleep mode in response to a second signal, the microcontroller is set from the non-sleep mode to the sleep mode in response to a third signal, the mass air flow sensor is driven at a low frequency cycle at the sleep mode, compared with the non-sleep mode, and wherein the reference baseline is created from the reference signal during the non-sleep mode and wherein the reference signal is normalized to the reference baseline when a change per time of the reference signal during the non-sleep mode is below a predetermined threshold, and

wherein the first housing is configured to be coupled to the second housing.

11. The electronic cigarette according to claim 10, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to compare an output of the mass air flow sensor to the reference baseline.

12. The electronic cigarette according to claim 10, wherein the atomizer comprises a heater.

13. The electronic cigarette according to claim 10, wherein the microcontroller comprises a microcomputer, a memory, and an interface.

14. The electronic cigarette according to claim 10, wherein the microcontroller is configured to used flow data to determine flow direction.

15. An electronic cigarette comprising:

an atomizer configured to atomize a liquid solution;

a microcontroller comprising a data acquisition circuit and an analog-to-digital converter, wherein the microcontroller is configured to generate a reference baseline;

a power supply electrically connected to the microcontroller and the atomizer; and

a mass air flow sensor comprising a thermopile and a mass air flow heater, and wherein the mass air flow sensor is electrically connected to the microcontroller and configured to generate a reference signal, wherein the mass air flow sensor is configured to send signals to the microcontroller of medium flow, wherein the microcontroller is configured to turn on the atomizer based on the signals from the mass air flow sensor, and wherein the microcontroller is set from a sleep mode to a non-sleep mode in response to a second signal, the microcontroller is set from the non-sleep mode to the sleep mode in response to a third signal, and the mass air flow sensor is driven at a low frequency cycle at the sleep mode, compared with the non-sleep mode, and wherein the reference baseline is created from the reference signal during the non-sleep mode and reference signal is normalized to the reference baseline when a change per time of the reference signal during the non-sleep mode is below a predetermined threshold.

16. The electronic cigarette according to claim 15, wherein the atomizer comprises an atomizer heater.

17. The electronic cigarette according to claim 15, wherein the microcontroller comprises a microcomputer, a memory, and an interface.