Aerosol-generating system for generating inhalable aerosols

Abstract

The present invention relates to an aerosol-generating system for generating an inhalable aerosol wherein the system comprises: an electric heater for vaporizing an aerosol-forming substance, a battery for powering the electric heater, a control unit, a device part comprising the battery and the control unit; the invention relates to an aerosol-forming device comprising a device part, a control unit for receiving an aerosol-forming substance, and a replaceable cartridge for receiving an aerosol-forming substance, where the control unit is configured to detect whether the replaceable cartridge is connected to the device part, and where the control unit is further configured to prevent charging of the battery when the control unit detects that the replaceable cartridge is connected to the device part. The invention further relates to a method for controlling an aerosol-generating system.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application entitled “Anti-overheating aerosol generating system”, with an international application date of March 15, 2018, an international application number of PCT / EP2018 / 056547, and a national application number of 201880024152.1. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to an aerosol generating system for generating an inhalable aerosol, wherein the system comprises an electric heater for vaporizing an aerosol generating substance and a battery for powering the electric heater. Background Art

[0003] In conventional aerosol generating systems, such as electronic cigarettes, aerosol generating substances, such as e-liquids, are vaporized with the aid of an electric heater. The electric heater is powered by a battery. The battery can be charged, for example, with the aid of a USB cable and a corresponding USB port in the system. However, the battery poses a potential problem because the battery may burn or cause a sudden increase in internal pressure. This situation may occur due to high battery temperature. High battery temperature may damage the internal cells of the battery, resulting in a short circuit. The battery temperature may increase during battery charging, because the power delivered to the battery generates heat, but sometimes also because external components such as electronic components are close to the battery. Under high temperature conditions, the battery will generate more and more heat in a "thermal runaway" condition. High temperatures may also occur due to overcharging of the battery, that is, when the charging current provided to the battery is greater than the charging current the battery is designed to have. High temperatures in the battery may also be caused by overvoltage, overcharge current, overdischarge current, overdischarge voltage, recharging a completely exhausted battery, or charging or discharging the battery at excessively high or low ambient temperatures, which may cause internal damage to the battery.

[0004] An internally damaged battery close to the face of a user taking a puff may put the user in an adverse situation. It is therefore an object of the present invention to prevent adverse situations for the user using an aerosol generating system. Summary of the invention

[0005] This problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. In this regard, the invention proposes an aerosol generating system for generating an inhalable aerosol. The system comprises an electric heater for vaporizing an aerosol-forming substance and a battery for powering the electric heater. The system further comprises a control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to detect whether the electric heater is operating and whether the battery is being charged. The control unit is further configured to prevent the battery from being charged when the electric heater is operating, and to prevent the electric heater from operating when the battery is being charged.

[0006] Providing a control unit that only allows charging of the battery or operation of the heater ensures that the user cannot puff during charging of the battery. Furthermore, the user cannot charge the battery during puffing. As described above, the likelihood of internal damage to the battery is highest during charging of the battery due to the increase in temperature during charging of the battery. Furthermore, using the system, i.e. puffing, may additionally increase the temperature of the battery due to the power being transferred from the battery towards the heater and also due to the heater temperature. During charging, the present invention prevents this additional heat generation from occurring during operation of the heater. Thus, the likelihood of internal damage to the battery is reduced. Furthermore, if internal damage to the battery occurs, an uncomfortable situation for the user can be prevented because the user is not puffing during charging.

[0007] According to aspects of the invention, the control unit may detect charging of the battery when a USB cable is connected to a USB port of the system.Detecting connection of a USB cable to a USB port of the system to charge the battery may be facilitated by any conventional means.

[0008] Any suitable charging of the battery may be detected by the control unit. For example, a USB type connector may be used for charging the battery, the connector being, for example, a Micro USB or USB type C connector. A custom connector or cable that interfaces with the USB connector may be used. In this case, the USB cable may be plugged into the custom connector or cable. The other side of the custom connector or cable may be connected to the aerosol generating system. A custom charger may also be used that is directly connected to, for example, an AC adapter or a USB port of a PC on one side and directly connected to the aerosol generating system on the other side, with or without a cable between the charger and the system. A custom AC adapter may also be used. In this case, a custom AC adapter with or without a custom cable is used. The aerosol generating system may be plugged into the AC adapter or into a cable connected to the AC adapter. Any proprietary charging system may be used. In addition, wireless charging of the battery, such as inductive charging, may be used and detected by the control unit. In order to detect the charging of the battery, conventional sensors may be used.

[0009] The control unit can detect that a USB cable is connected to the USB port of the system or that the battery is being charged by other means, and in this case prevent the heater from operating. As long as the battery is being charged, the control unit will prevent the heater from heating, even if the user is detected to be puffing. In this regard, the system may include a puff sensor, such as an airflow sensor that measures the airflow rate, or an on-off button. In addition, the puff sensor can be configured as a pressure sensor that measures the pressure of the air inside the system, which is sucked by the user through the airflow path of the system during the puff. Typically, the control unit activates the heater after the user is detected to be puffing by this sensor. However, if the control unit has detected that the battery is being charged, the control unit prevents the activation of the heater.

[0010] The control unit may be configured to detect whether a replaceable cartridge for receiving an aerosol-forming substance is connected. The control unit may be further configured to prevent charging of the battery when the control unit detects the presence of such a cartridge.

[0011] The cartridge can be adapted to store an aerosol-forming substrate to be supplied to the electric heater. The cartridge can be configured as a container or reservoir for storing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The cartridge may be capable of being connected by a corresponding coupling member, such as a self-healing pierceable diaphragm, hermetically sealed to resist the surrounding atmosphere. The cartridge can be configured as a replaceable cartridge, such as a storage tank or a container. The electric heater can be included in the cartridge. In this case, the control unit and the battery are enclosed in the device portion, and the replaceable cartridge can be configured to be connected to the device portion. The electric heater can also be enclosed in the housing together with the battery and the control unit so that the replaceable cartridge can be connected to the housing and only includes the aerosol-forming substrate.

[0012] The connection of such a cartridge may indicate that the user wants to draw and therefore activate the heater.Thus, upon detecting that the cartridge is connected to the device part or housing, the control unit may prevent the battery from charging.

[0013] The control unit may be further configured to detect activation of the electric heater and to prevent charging of the battery when activation of the electric heater is detected.

[0014] As described above, suction can be detected by means of a sensor. The sensor thus detects the start of the electric heater. The sensor may be provided as an on-off button, an airflow sensor or a pressure sensor. The electric heater may be activated by pressing the on-off button for the duration of the user's suction. In addition, the sensor may be provided as an airflow sensor measuring an airflow rate, which is a parameter characterizing the amount of air drawn through the airflow path of the system for a period of time. Depending on the detected airflow rate, suction may be detected. In this regard, suction may be detected when the airflow exceeds a predetermined threshold. If the sensor is provided as a pressure sensor, the pressure difference or pressure drop between the pressure of the ambient air outside the system and the pressure of the air drawn through the system by the user may be measured by the sensor. The pressure of the air may be detected at the air inlet of the system through which the air flows, and the air inlet is preferably a semi-open inlet, a mouth end of the system, an aerosol forming chamber, or any other passage or chamber in the system. When the user draws on the system, a negative pressure or vacuum may be generated inside the system, wherein the negative pressure may be detected by a pressure sensor.

[0015] The control unit may be connected to the sensor to receive the sensor input. When activation of the heater is detected by the sensor, the control unit detects whether the battery is being charged at this time. If the battery is being charged, the control unit blocks operation of the heater. However, if the control unit detects that the battery is not being charged, the control unit allows activation of the heater and simultaneously blocks charging of the system. For example, if a USB cable is plugged into a USB port of the system during a user's puff, charging of the battery is blocked as long as the user's puff continues. Only after the user's puff has ended does the control unit allow charging of the battery. In this case, further puffs by the user will not cause activation of the electric heater because charging of the system is now detected by the control unit, and therefore, the control unit blocks subsequent operation of the heater as long as the battery is being charged.

[0016] Instead of or in addition to the puff sensor as described above, the system may also include a temperature sensor for detecting activation of the electric heater. Furthermore, a current sensor may be employed for detecting activation of the electric heater. These sensors may be used to detect that the user wants to activate the heater. The control unit may only allow activation of the heater if charging is not detected. If the heater detects that the battery is being charged, activation of the electric heater is prevented.

[0017] A charging sensor may be employed for detecting the charging of the battery. This sensor is connected to the control unit so that the control unit can prevent the electric heater from activating during charging. Typically, charging is detected by detecting the presence of a voltage on one pin of the aerosol generating system. For this purpose, an electrical component such as a microcontroller or a charger IC may be employed. The BQ24250 2A single input I2C / stand-alone switch mode Li-ion battery charger from Texas Instruments may be used for this purpose.

[0018] All the above mentioned sensors may be connected to the control unit such that the outputs of these sensors may be collected and processed by the control unit. Furthermore, the sensors may be an integral part of the control unit.

[0019] The control unit may be part of the circuit and may include a microprocessor, which may be a programmable microprocessor. The circuit may include further electrical components. The control unit may be configured to regulate the supply of power to the electric heater. Power may be supplied to the electric heater continuously after activation of the electric heater, or may be supplied only intermittently, for example on a puff-by-puff basis. Power may be supplied to the electric heater in the form of current pulses. The control unit may be configured to monitor the resistance of the electric heater, and preferably control the supply of power to the electric heater depending on the resistance of the electric heater.

[0020] The battery may have a capacity that allows sufficient energy to be stored for one or more puffs by a user. For example, the battery may have sufficient capacity to allow continuous aerosol generation for a period of about 6 minutes or for a period of multiples of 6 minutes. In another example, the battery may have sufficient capacity to allow a predetermined number of puffs or discontinuous electric heater activations.

[0021] The battery and the control unit and the electric heater may be arranged in the housing of the aerosol generating system. In order to allow ambient air to enter the system, the wall of the housing may be provided with at least one semi-open inlet, which is preferably a wall opposite to the electric heater, such as a bottom wall. The semi-open inlet preferably allows air to enter the system, but does not allow air or liquid to leave the system through the semi-open inlet. The semi-open inlet may, for example, be a semi-permeable diaphragm, which can only allow air to pass in one direction, but is airtight and liquid-tight in the opposite direction. The semi-open inlet may also, for example, be a one-way valve. Preferably, the semi-open inlet allows air to pass through the inlet only if certain conditions are met, such as a minimum depression in the system or a certain volume of air passing through the valve or diaphragm.

[0022] The aerosol-forming substrate for generating an aerosol is a substrate that can release the volatile compounds that can form an aerosol. As described above, the aerosol-forming substrate can be contained in a tube, and the tube is preferably provided as a replaceable tube. The aerosol-forming substrate can also be arranged in a storage tank in the housing of the system. The storage tank can be a refillable storage tank. Volatile compounds can be released by heating the aerosol-forming substrate. The aerosol-forming substrate can include a plant material. The aerosol-forming substrate can include tobacco. The aerosol-forming substrate can include a tobacco-containing material containing volatile tobacco flavor compounds, and after heating, the compound just releases from the aerosol-forming substrate. The aerosol-forming substrate can alternatively include a tobacco-free material. The aerosol-forming substrate can include a homogenized plant material.

[0023] The aerosol forming substrate may include at least one aerosol forming agent. An aerosol forming agent is any suitable known compound or mixture of compounds that promotes the formation of a thick and stable aerosol when in use and is substantially resistant to thermal degradation at the operating temperature of the system. The liquid aerosol forming substrate may include other additives and ingredients, such as flavorings. The liquid aerosol forming substrate may include water, solvents, ethanol, plant extracts, and natural or artificial flavorings. The liquid aerosol forming substrate may include nicotine.

[0024] The heater may be exemplarily a heated coil, a heated capillary, a heated mesh or a heated metal plate. The heater may be exemplarily a resistive heater that receives power and converts at least part of the received power into thermal energy. The heater may include only a single heating element or multiple heating elements. The temperature of the heating element or the multiple heating elements is preferably controlled by a control unit.

[0025] In any of the above embodiments, the heater preferably comprises an electrically resistive material.

[0026] The present invention also proposes a method for controlling an aerosol generating system. The method comprises the following steps: providing an aerosol generating system, the aerosol generating system comprising an electric heater for vaporizing an aerosol forming substance, a battery for powering the electric heater, and a control unit. The method further comprises the following steps: detecting by the control unit whether the electric heater is operating and whether the battery is being charged. The method further comprises the following steps: preventing the battery from being charged when the electric heater is operating, and preventing the electric heater from operating when the battery is being charged.

[0027] The terms "charging" and "operating" define the corresponding states of the battery and the electric heater, respectively. From the start of battery charging to the end of battery charging, the battery is in the charging state, i.e., "charging". From the start of heating by the electric heater to the end of active heating by the electric heater, the electric heater is in the operating state, i.e., "operating". BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The present invention will be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Figure 1 An illustrative cross-sectional view of an aerosol generating system with a charging cable is shown.

[0030] Figure 2 An illustrative cross-sectional view of an aerosol generating system with a cartridge is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] exist Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , an aerosol generating system is depicted. The components of the system are arranged within a housing 1 of the system. These components are a control unit 2, a battery 3 and an electric heater 4. The aerosol generating system may include further components which are not shown in FIG. Figure 1 Depicted in.

[0032] The battery 3 stores electricity, which can be supplied to the electric heater 4 to heat the electric heater. The power supply from the battery 3 to the electric heater 4 is controlled by the control unit 2. Therefore, the control unit 2 is provided to activate the electric heater 4, in which case the electric heater 4 is heated by means of the electricity from the battery 3.

[0033] If the user puffs on the mouthport 5 of the system, a sensor such as an airflow sensor (not shown) detects the user's puff and activates the electric heater 4 by means of the control unit 2. However, the control unit 2 only allows activation of the electric heater 4 if the battery 3 is not being charged.

[0034] Figure 1 The system is shown in a state in which a charging cable 6 is connected to the system for charging the battery 3. The charging cable 6 is a USB cable connected to a corresponding USB port of the system.

[0035] Upon detecting that the charging cable 6 is connected to the system for charging the battery 3 , the control unit 2 prevents the electric heater 4 from activating, even if the user draws on the mouthpiece 5 .

[0036] However, if the user manages to activate the electric heater 4 by puffing on the mouth port 5 before connecting the charging cable 6 to the system, the control unit 2 will prevent subsequent charging of the battery 3 if the charging cable 6 is connected to the USB port after activating the electric heater 4 during the user's puff.

[0037] Figure 2Another embodiment is shown in which a cartridge 7 is connected to the system for supplying an aerosol-forming substrate to the system by conventional means for generating an aerosol. The cartridge 7 comprises a reservoir 8 for storing the aerosol-forming substrate. The cartridge 7 may be removably connected to the system by a coupling member 9. The coupling member 9 may comprise a pierceable septum. In another embodiment, the electric heater 4 may be part of the cartridge 7. In this embodiment, the housing 1 defines a portion of the device comprising a control unit 2 and a battery 3.

[0038] The control unit 2 is configured to detect whether the cartridge 7 is connected to the system. If the cartridge 7 is connected to the system, the control unit 2 blocks the charging of the battery 3. If the cartridge 7 is not connected to the system, the charging of the battery 3 is only enabled by the control unit 2. It should be noted that Figure 1 and 2 Both a cartridge 7 and a charging cable 6 are shown to be connected to the housing 1 of the system at the rear end. This is illustrative only. The housing 1 can be configured so that the cartridge 7 and the charging cable 6 can be attached at any location of the housing 1 except the mouthpiece 5.

[0039] The above features should be understood as illustrative. The skilled person will appreciate that these features can be combined within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating system for generating an inhalable aerosol, wherein the system comprises: an electric heater for vaporizing the aerosol-forming substance, a battery for powering the electric heater, Control unit, a device portion, which includes the battery and the control unit; and a replaceable cartridge for receiving an aerosol-forming substance, wherein the control unit is configured to detect whether the replaceable cartridge is connected to the device part, and Wherein the control unit is further configured to prevent charging of the battery when the control unit detects that the replaceable cartridge is connected to the device portion.

2. An aerosol generating system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to detect whether the battery is being charged, and wherein the control unit is configured to prevent the electric heater from operating when the battery is being charged.

3. An aerosol generating system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit detects charging of the battery when a USB cable is connected to a USB port of the system.

4. An aerosol generating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit is configured to detect activation of the electric heater, and wherein the control unit is configured to prevent the charging of the battery when activation of the electric heater is detected.

5. An aerosol generating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit is configured to detect activation of the electric heater, and wherein when the battery is charging, the control unit prevents operation of the heater after the detection of activation of the electric heater.

6. An aerosol generating system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the system further comprises a temperature sensor for detecting activation of the electric heater and / or a current sensor for detecting activation of the electric heater and / or a charging sensor for detecting charging of the battery, and wherein any one of these sensors is connected to the control unit.

7. A method for controlling an aerosol generating system, wherein the method comprises the following steps: i) providing an aerosol generating system comprising an electric heater for vaporising an aerosol-forming substance, a battery for powering the electric heater, a control unit, a device part comprising the battery and the control unit, and a replaceable cartridge for receiving the aerosol-forming substance, ii) detecting, by the control unit, whether the replaceable cartridge is connected to the device part, and iii) preventing charging of the battery by the control unit when the control unit detects that the replaceable cartridge is connected to the device portion.

8. The method according to claim 7, comprising the further step of detecting, by the control unit, whether the battery is being charged, and preventing, by the control unit, the electric heater from operating when the battery is being charged.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, comprising the further step of detecting, by the control unit, charging of the battery when a USB cable is connected to a USB port of the system.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, comprising the further step of detecting, by the control unit, activation of the electric heater, and preventing, by the control unit, the charging of the battery when activation of the electric heater is detected.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, comprising the further step of detecting activation of the electric heater by the control unit and preventing operation of the heater by the control unit after the detection of activation of the electric heater when the battery is being charged.

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