CN-122028824-A - Aerosol generating system comprising an aerosol generating device and a separate power supply unit

Abstract

The aerosol-generating system comprises a main device 2, a control unit 13 and a power supply unit (18). The power supply unit is configured to be electrically connected to and disconnected from the master device. The main device includes a battery assembly (30) and a power consumption device (14). The aerosol-generating system operates in a first mode of operation in which the battery assembly supplies power to the power-consuming device when the power supply unit is electrically disconnected from the main device, and in a second mode of operation in which the power supply unit supplies power to the power-consuming device when the power supply unit is electrically connected to the main device. The power supply unit and/or the battery assembly comprises a plurality of power sources (19, 20, 21;10, 11, 12), and the control unit is configured to supply power to the power consuming device by selecting from any one of the plurality of power sources.

Inventors

• R. N.R.A. Batista
• E. M. Valdez Rojas

Assignees

• 菲利普莫里斯生产公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20241018

Priority Date

20231018

Claims (14)

1. 1. An aerosol-generating system comprises a main device, a control unit and a power supply unit, Wherein the power supply unit is configured to be electrically connected to and disconnected from the master device, Wherein the master device comprises a battery assembly and a power consuming device, Wherein the control unit is configured to control the aerosol-generating system to operate in a first mode of operation in which the battery assembly supplies power to the power consuming device when the power supply unit is electrically disconnected from the main device, and in a second mode of operation in which the power supply unit supplies power to the power consuming device when the power supply unit is electrically connected to the main device, and Wherein the power supply unit and/or the battery assembly comprises a plurality of power supplies, and the control unit is configured to supply power to the power consumption device by selecting from any one of the plurality of power supplies.
2. 2. An aerosol-generating system according to claim 1, wherein in the second mode of operation the power supply unit supplies power to the power consuming device without charging a battery component of the main device.
3. 3. An aerosol-generating system according to any preceding claim, wherein in the second mode of operation the control unit disconnects the battery assembly from operative interconnection with the power consuming device.
4. 4. An aerosol-generating system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit is configured to verify a depletion level of the battery assembly and, in case the depletion level is below a predefined threshold and the power supply unit is electrically connected to the main device, the control unit is configured to control the aerosol-generating system to operate in the second mode of operation in which the power supply unit supplies power to the power consuming device without charging the battery assembly of the main device and/or in which the control unit disconnects the battery assembly from an operational interconnection with the power consuming device.
5. 5. An aerosol-generating system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit is configured to verify whether the aerosol-generating system is operating in the first mode of operation and to enable the second mode of operation in case the first mode of operation is not operating.
6. 6. An aerosol-generating system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the main device comprises a first power supply interface and a second power supply interface, wherein the first power supply interface is configured to be electrically connected to and disconnected from a charging device, preferably for charging the battery assembly, and wherein the power supply unit is configured to be electrically connected to and disconnected from the main device via the second power supply interface.
7. 7. An aerosol-generating system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the power supply unit comprises a battery compartment for holding commercially available battery units, preferably battery units of type a, AA, AAA, C, D, PP3, 18650, CR2032 or combinations thereof.
8. 8. An aerosol-generating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the power supply unit is configured to enable wireless power transfer, preferably by inductive coupling to the main device, particularly preferably for charging the battery assembly.
9. 9. An aerosol-generating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the power supply unit comprises at least one power supply, preferably a plurality of power supplies.
10. 10. An aerosol-generating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the battery assembly comprises at least one power source, preferably a plurality of power sources.
11. 11. An aerosol-generating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the power supply unit and/or the battery assembly comprises a plurality of power supplies of at least two different types.
12. 12. An aerosol-generating system according to any of the three preceding claims, wherein the at least one power source comprises a thin battery, a removable battery, a super capacitor, a rechargeable battery, a disposable battery or a combination thereof.
13. 13. A method of powering an aerosol-generating system according to any of the preceding claims, the method comprising: Operating the aerosol-generating system in the first mode of operation in which the battery assembly supplies power to the power consuming device when the power supply unit is electrically disconnected from the main device, and The aerosol-generating system is operated in the second mode of operation in which the power supply unit supplies power to the power consuming device when the power supply unit is electrically connected to the main device.
14. 14. Use of an aerosol-generating system according to any of claims 1 to 12 for powering the electrical power consuming device.

Description

Aerosol generating system comprising an aerosol generating device and a separate power supply unit Technical Field The present disclosure relates to an aerosol-generating device and an aerosol-generating system comprising a separate power supply unit. Background Conventional aerosol-generating systems or devices are configured to release an aerosol or vapor by heating an aerosol-forming substance in solid, liquid or amorphous form. In particular, some aerosol-generating systems are designed to operate by heating tobacco products. For this purpose, aerosol-generating systems typically comprise a handheld electronic device integrated with a heating unit. Once the tobacco product is inserted into the device, the heating unit provides the necessary heat output to release the active ingredient from the tobacco product. Another type of aerosol-generating system according to the type of vaporizer heats the aerosol-generating liquid from the cartridge to provide an aerosol for consumption by a user. Aerosol-generating devices also function as pharmaceutical nebulizers or aerosol generators for generating inhalable pharmaceutical compositions. In general, the portability of such systems is provided to consumers by integrating a power supply that meets the electrical requirements of the electronic components within the handheld electronic device. In some known systems, the power source includes a rechargeable battery mounted within the housing of the handheld electronic device. Alternatively, in other designs, the aerosol-generating system may integrate the primary device and a detachable power source, such as a rechargeable lithium ion battery or a conventional removable battery. During use, a user may experience power interruption due to limited battery capacity and may need to frequently replace the battery or recharge frequently. Disclosure of Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aerosol-generating system. The aerosol-generating system comprises a main device, a control unit and a power supply unit. The power supply unit is configured to be electrically connected to and disconnected from the master device. The main device includes a battery assembly and a power consumption device. The control unit is configured to control the aerosol-generating system to operate in a first mode of operation in which the battery assembly supplies power to the power consuming device when the power supply unit is electrically disconnected from the main device. The control unit is configured to control the aerosol-generating system to operate in a second mode of operation in which the power supply unit supplies power to the power consuming device when the power supply unit is electrically connected to the main device. In the second mode of operation, the power supply unit may supply power directly to the power consuming device. The power supply unit may be a portable power supply unit. The master device may comprise a control unit. Thus, in the event that the battery assembly of the master device is depleted, the battery assembly of the master device does not have to be first at least partially recharged before the master device can be reused. Thus, even in the event of battery exhaustion of the battery pack and/or when charging the battery pack, the user or consumer can continue to use the main device without any time delay. Thus, any waiting time for charging the battery is eliminated in case of a power interruption or malfunction, in particular in case of limited access to the power outlet or charging options. This significantly extends the interval of consumable consumption between battery charging events in a convenient and resilient manner. In the second operation mode, the power supply unit may supply power to the power consumption device without charging the battery assembly of the main device. Therefore, the power supply line from the battery assembly to the power consumption device can be bypassed by supplying the power demand of the power consumption device directly using the power of the power supply unit. In the second mode of operation, the control unit may disconnect the battery assembly from operative interconnection with the power consuming device. This may enable charging of the battery assembly while continuing to use the main device without any waiting time. The control unit may be configured to verify a depletion level of the battery assembly. In case the consumption level is below the predefined threshold and the power supply unit is electrically connected to the main device, the control unit may control the aerosol-generating system to operate in a second operation mode in which the power supply unit supplies power to the power consuming device without charging the battery component of the main device. Additionally or alternatively, in case the depletion level is below a predefined threshold and the power supply unit is electrically connected to the main device, t