Aerosol generating system having means for handling consumption of a liquid subtrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9763476-B2
Application number	US-201113996725-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2011
Priority date	Dec 24, 2010
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

There is provided an electrically operated aerosol generating system for receiving an aerosol-forming substrate. The system includes a liquid storage portion for storing liquid aerosol-forming substrate, an electric heater including at least one heating element for heating the liquid aerosol-forming substrate, and electric circuitry configured to monitor activation of the electric heater and estimate an amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate remaining in the liquid storage portion based on the monitored activation. There is also provided a method in an electrically operated aerosol generating system including a liquid storage portion for storing liquid aerosol-forming substrate and an electric heater including at least one heating element for heating the liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the method including monitoring activation of the electric heater and estimating an amount of liquid aerosol-forming substrate remaining in the liquid storage portion based on the monitored activation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrically operated aerosol generating system configured to receive an aerosol-forming substrate, the system comprising:
a liquid storage portion configured to store a liquid aerosol-forming substrate;
an electric heater comprising at least one heating element configured to heat the liquid aerosol-forming substrate; and
electric circuitry configured to
monitor activation of the electric heater,
estimate an amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate remaining in the liquid storage portion based on the monitored activation, and
estimate a consumed amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate based on a first equation relating heating element temperature or resistance to liquid aerosol-forming substrate consumption up to a first threshold of temperature or resistance, and based on a second equation relating heating element temperature or resistance to liquid aerosol-forming substrate consumption above the first threshold.

2. The electrically operated aerosol generating system according to claim 1 , wherein the electric circuitry is further configured to estimate a consumed amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate, and to subtract the consumed amount from a known initial amount to provide an estimate of an amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate remaining in the liquid storage portion.

3. The electrically operated aerosol generating system according to claim 1 , wherein the electric circuitry is further configured to monitor activation of the electric heater by monitoring a temperature or a resistance of the at least one heating element over time.

4. The electrically operated aerosol generating system according to claim 1 , wherein the second equation is dependent on power applied to the at least one heating element.

5. The electrically operated aerosol generating system according to claim 1 , wherein the first equation is independent of power applied to the at least one heating element.

6. The electrically operated aerosol generating system according to claim 1 , wherein the first threshold is a boiling point of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate.

7. The electrically operated aerosol generating system according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second equations are stored in the electric circuitry.

8. The electrically operated aerosol generating system according to claim 7 , wherein a plurality of different first and second equations are stored in the electric circuitry for different compositions of liquid aerosol-forming substrate and for different power levels.

9. The electrically operated aerosol generating system according to claim 1 , wherein the electric circuitry is further configured to measure an electrical resistance of the at least one heating element, and to ascertain a temperature of the at least one heating element from a measured electrical resistance.

10. The electrically operated aerosol generating system according to claim 1 , further comprising a capillary wick configured to convey the liquid aerosol-forming substrate from the liquid storage portion to the electric heater.

11. A method, comprising:
providing an electrically operated aerosol generating system comprising a liquid storage portion configured to store a liquid aerosol-forming substrate and an electric heater comprising at least one heating element configured to heat the liquid aerosol-forming substrate;
monitoring, by electric circuitry, activation of the electric heater and estimating, by the electric circuitry, an amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate remaining in the liquid storage portion based on the monitored activation; and
estimating, by the electric circuitry, a consumed amount of the liquid aerosol-forming substrate based on a first equation relating heating element temperature or resistance to liquid aerosol-forming substrate consumption up to a first threshold of temperature or resistance, and based on a second equation relating heating element temperature or resistance to liquid aerosol-forming substrate consumption above the first threshold.

Assignees

• Flick Jean-Marc
• Philip Morris Products Sa

Inventors

• Flick Jean-Marc

Classifications

• A61M2016/0021

  with a proportional output signal, e.g. from a thermistor · CPC title

• A61M2205/8206

  battery-operated · CPC title

• A61M11/042

  electrical · CPC title

• A61M15/06

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

• A61M2205/3389

  Continuous level detection (A61M2205/3393 takes precedence) · CPC title