Aerosol-generating system with adjustable pump flow rate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10856571-B2
Application number	US-202016889043-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2020
Priority date	Nov 29, 2016
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

A method of generating an aerosol in an aerosol-generating system includes storing liquid aerosol-forming substrate in a liquid storage portion and delivering via a pump a liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid storage portion to an atomizer. The method also includes sensing a puff via a a puff sensor in an airflow path of the aerosol-generating system and determining a puff intensity during the puff via a controller. The delivery flow rate of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate to the atomizer is adjusted in response to the determined puff intensity.

First claim

We claim:

1. An aerosol-generating system, the system comprising:
a housing including,
an air inlet, and
an air outlet;

a vaporizer configured to vaporize an aerosol-forming substrate;
a storage portion configured to contain the aerosol-forming substrate;
a pump configured to deliver the aerosol-forming substrate from the storage portion to the vaporizer;
a puff sensor in an airflow path, the airflow path between the air inlet and the air outlet, the puff sensor configured to sense a puff, and
a controller configured to determine a puff intensity based on an output from the puff sensor and adjust a delivery flow rate of the pump in response to the determined puff intensity.

2. The aerosol-generating system of claim 1 , wherein the puff sensor is a pressure sensor.

3. The aerosol-generating system of claim 1 , wherein the vaporizer comprises a heating element.

4. The aerosol-generating system of claim 3 , wherein the heating element is a heating coil.

5. The aerosol-generating system of claim 4 , further comprising:
a channel through which the aerosol-forming substrate is delivered to the vaporizer.

6. The aerosol-generating system of claim 5 , wherein the channel has a diameter of about 1 mm to about 2 mm.

7. The aerosol-generating system of claim 5 , wherein the heating coil extends from the channel in a longitudinal direction.

8. The aerosol-generating system of claim 5 , wherein the heating coil extends transverse to the channel.

9. The aerosol-generating system of claim 5 , wherein the heating coil overlaps with an open end of the channel for up to about 3 mm.

10. The aerosol-generating system of claim 5 , wherein the heating coil is mounted around the channel.

11. The aerosol-generating system of claim 1 , wherein the pump is a micropump.

12. The aerosol-generating system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to adjust electrical power supplied to a heating element in response to the determined puff intensity.

13. The aerosol-generating system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cartridge including the storage portion; and
a main unit including a power supply and the vaporizer.

14. The aerosol-generating system of claim 13 , wherein the power supply includes a battery.

15. The aerosol-generating system of claim 1 , wherein the puff sensor is an airflow sensor.

Assignees

• Altria Client Services Llc

Inventors

• BESSANT Michel
• Mazur Ben
• Latorre Eva Saade
• Tabasso Alain

Classifications

• H05B1/0297

  Heating of fluids for non specified applications · CPC title

• A61M15/06 Primary

  Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes · CPC title

• A24F47/00 Primary

  Smokers' requisites not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• A24F40/485 Primary

  Valves; Apertures · CPC title

• A24F40/40

  Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts · CPC title