Heating control arrangement for an electronic smoking article and associated system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9423152-B2
Application number	US-201313837542-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

A method is provided for controlling heating of an aerosol precursor arrangement of an electronic smoking article. An average power is directed from a power source to a heating device arranged to heat the aerosol precursor arrangement and a heating time period commensurately initiated. The average power corresponds to a selected power set point associated with the power source. An actual power directed to the heating device is determined as a product of a voltage at, and a current through, the heating device. The actual power is compared to the average power, and the average power is adjusted to direct the actual power toward the selected power set point. The actual power is periodically determined and compared to the average power, and the average power adjusted toward the selected power set point, until expiration of the heating time period. An associated apparatus and computer program product are also provided.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. A method of controlling heating of an aerosol precursor arrangement of an electronic smoking article, comprising:
directing power from a power source to turn a heating device on to heat the aerosol precursor arrangement and commensurately initiating a heating time period; and at a periodic rate until expiration of the heating time period,
determining a moving window of measurements of instantaneous actual power directed to the heating device, each measurement of the window of measurements being determined as a product of a voltage at the heating device and a current through the heating device;
calculating a simple moving average power directed to the heating device based on the moving window of measurements a instantaneous actual power;
comparing the simple moving average power to a selected power set point associated with the power source; and
adjusting the power directed from the power source to turn the heating device off or on at the periodic rate at each instance in which the simple moving average power is respectively above or below the selected power set point.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein initiating a heating time period by directing power from a power source to a heating device, further comprises actuating a switch device, in electrical communication between the power source and the heating device, to direct an electrical current flow from the power source to the heating device.

3. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining a voltage at the heating device by comparing an actual voltage at the heating device to a reference voltage.

4. A method according to claim 3 , wherein the actual voltage at the heating device is between a low value of about 2.0 V and a high value of about 4.2 V, and comparing an actual voltage at the heating device to a reference voltage further comprises applying a voltage divider to the actual voltage and comparing the divided voltage to an internal reference voltage of a processor, the divided voltage having low and high values corresponding to the low and high values of the actual voltage.

5. A method according to claim 4 , wherein comparing the divided voltage to an internal reference voltage of a processor further comprises comparing the divided voltage to an internal reference voltage greater than the high value of the divided voltage.

6. A method according to claim 4 , wherein applying a voltage divider further comprises multiplying the actual voltage at the heating device by a ratio of a second resistor to a sum of a first resistor and the second resistor.

7. A method according to claim 6 , wherein applying a voltage divider further comprises applying a voltage divider comprising a first resistor of between about 500 kOhm and about 1000 kOhm, and a second resistor of between about 100 kOhm and about 500 kOhm.

8. A method according to claim 6 , wherein applying a voltage divider further comprises applying a voltage divider comprising a first resistor and a second resistor, having a resistance ratio therebetween of between about 1:1 and about 10:1.

9. A method according to claim 6 , wherein applying a voltage divider further comprises applying a voltage divider comprising a first resistor and a second resistor, having a resistance ratio therebetween of about 5:1.

10. A method according to claim 6 , wherein applying a voltage divider further comprises applying a voltage divider comprising a first resistor and a second resistor, having a resistance ratio therebetween corresponding to a ratio of the internal reference voltage of the processor to the high value of the divided voltage.

11. A method according to claim 4 , wherein applying a voltage divider further comprises applying a voltage divider to the actual voltage so as to form a representation of an input voltage to a voltage analog-to-digital converter of a processor.

12. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining a current through the heating device by determining a voltage drop across a resistor serially disposed between the heating device and the power source.

13. A heating-control apparatus for an aerosol precursor arrangement of an electronic smoking article, comprising:
a heating device arranged to heat the aerosol precursor arrangement;
a power source in communication with the heating device; and
a controller in communication with the heating device and the power source, the controller having a processor configured to at least:
direct the power source to provide power to turn the heating device on and commensurately initiate a heating time period; and at a periodic rate until expiration of the beating time period,
determine a moving window of measurements of instantaneous actual power directed to the heating device, each measurement of the window of measurements being determined as a product of a voltage at the heating device and a current through the heating device;

calculate a simple moving average power directed to the heating device based on the moving window of measurements of instantaneous actual power;
compare the simple moving average power to a selected power set point associated with the power source; and
adjust the power directed from the power source to turn the heating device off or on at the periodic rate at each instance in which the simple moving average power is respectively above or below the selected power set point.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to actuate a switch device, in electrical communication between the power source and the heating device, to direct an electrical current flow from the power source to the heating device.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine a voltage at the heating device by comparing an actual voltage at the heating device to a reference voltage.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the actual voltage at the heating device is between a low value of about 2.0 V and a high value of about 4.2 V, and wherein the controller is further configured to apply a voltage divider to the actual voltage and compare the divided voltage to an internal reference voltage of the processor, the divided voltage having low and high values corresponding to the low and high values of the actual voltage.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to compare the divided voltage to an internal reference voltage greater than the high value of the divided voltage.

18. An apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to multiply the actual voltage at the heating device by a ratio of a second resistor to a sum of a first resistor and the second resistor.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the controller is further configured to apply a voltage divider comprising a first resistor of between about 500 kOhm and about 1000 kOhm, and a second resistor of between about 100 kOhm and about 500 kOhm.

20. An apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the controller is further configured to apply a voltage divider comprising a first resistor and a second resistor, having a resistance ratio therebetween of between about 1:1 and about 10:1.

21. An apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the controller is further configured to apply a voltage divider comprising a first resistor and a second resistor, having a resistance ratio therebetween of about 5:1.

22. An apparatus according to

Assignees

• Reynolds Tobacco Co R

Inventors

• Ampolini Frederic Philippe
• Galloway Michael Ryan
• Ingham Scott
• East Allen Michael
• Kimsey Glen
• Anderson Keith William
• Henry Jr Raymond C

Classifications

• F24H9/0005 Primary

  for water heaters · CPC title

• A24F47/00

  Smokers' requisites not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• H05B1/0202

  Switches · CPC title

• A24F40/50 Primary

  Control or monitoring · CPC title

• A24F40/51

  Arrangement of sensors · CPC title