Lighter actuation system
AssigneePhilip Morris Incorporated
InventorsCharles W. Harris, H. Neal Nunnally, Robert L. Ripley, Masato Sano, Barry S. Smith
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Abstract
A cigarette identifier system comprising an infrared emitter and an infrared detector located across an opening of a cigarette receiver, wherein the sensor registers changes in the transmission of the infrared beam across the opening so as to detect the differences in transmissivity of dense and less dense and portions of an inserted cigarette.
Claims28
An electrical smoking system comprising a lighter and a cigarette:
- said cigarette characterized by a predetermined non-uniformity in infrared transmissivity at a location along said cigarette;
- said lighter comprising a cigarette-receiving receptacle and a cigarette identifier having a capacity to detect said predetermined non-uniformity in infrared transmissivity respective of a cigarette placed in said cigarette-receiving receptacle, said cigarette identifier comprising a source of infrared emission at a location along said cigarette-receiving receptacle and an infrared detector in cooperation with said source so that an output of said detector is indicative of infrared transmissivity across said location;
- said lighter further comprising a controller in communication with said detector, said controller configured to execute a routine for detecting said non-uniformity in infrared transmissivity responsively to said output of said detector as a cigarette is inserted in said receptacle;
- said controller further configured to enable execution of a power cycle of said lighter upon detection of said non-uniformity in infrared transmissivity.
A lighter of an electrical smoking system, said lighter comprising a cigarette-receiving receptacle and a cigarette identifier having a capacity to detect a predetermined non-uniformity in infrared transmissivity of a cigarette being placed in said cigarette-receiving receptacle;
- said cigarette identifier comprising a source of infrared emission at a location along said cigarette-receiving receptacle and an infrared detector in cooperation with said source such that an output of said detector is indicative of infrared transmissivity across said location;
- said lighter further comprising a controller in communication with said detector, said controller configured to execute a routine for detecting said predetermined non-uniformity in infrared transmissivity responsively to said output of said detector as a cigarette is inserted in said receptacle;
- said controller further configured to enable execution of a power cycle of said lighter upon detection of said predetermined non-uniformity.
A lighter of an electrical smoking system, said lighter comprising a cigarette-receiving receptacle and a cigarette identifier having a capacity to detect a predetermined non-uniformity in infrared transmissivity of a cigarette placed in said cigarette-receiving receptacle;
- said cigarette identifier comprising a source of infrared emission at a location along said cigarette-receiving receptacle and an infrared detector in opposing relation to said source so that an output of said detector is indicative of infrared transmissivity across said location;
- wherein said cigarette identifier further comprises a controller in communication with said output of said detector, said controller configured to execute:
- a first logic step of establishing a threshold count from said detector output when said cigarette-receiving receptacle is free of any cigarette;
- a peak signal test comprising the steps of establishing a minimum signal value amongst a first portion of said detector output, establishing a maximum signal value amongst a second portion of said detector output and comparing a difference between said minimum signal value and maximum signal value to a third value derived from said threshold count.
A lighter of an electrical smoking system, said lighter comprising a cigarette-receiving receptacle and a cigarette identifier, said cigarette identifier comprising:
- optical components in communication with said receptacle;
- an infrared source and infrared detector in cooperative relation with said optical components;
- a controller adapted to execute:
- a first routine for detecting an insertion of a cigarette in said receptacle;
- a second routine for detecting a predetermined non-uniformity in infrared transmissivity of a partially-filled cigarette when a partially-filled cigarette is inserted in said receptacle;
- a test routine for determining whether said optical components are too clouded for execution of said second routine;
- and
- a control logic sequence enabling a puff-actuated power cycle of the lighter pursuant to said second routine and alternatively, pursuant to said first routine if said second routine is disabled pursuant to said test routine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.