BR112019011018B1 - INDUCTION CHARGING SYSTEM FOR AN AEROSOL DELIVERY DEVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol delivery device is provided that includes at least one housing surrounding a reservoir configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition, and a controllable heating element for activating and vaporizing components of the aerosol precursor composition. The aerosol delivery device also includes a power source connected to and configured to provide power to an electrical load including the heating element, and an induction receiver connected to the power source, the induction receiver including a power coupling device. resonant receiver in which an alternating current is induced when exposed to an oscillating magnetic field, and a rectifier configured to convert the alternating current into a direct current from which the power source is rechargeable.

Description

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

[001] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices such as smoking articles and, more particularly, to aerosol delivery devices that can utilize electrically generated heat for aerosol production (e.g., smoking articles commonly referred to as electronic cigarettes). The smoking articles may be configured to heat an aerosol precursor, which may incorporate materials that may be made or derived from, or otherwise incorporate tobacco, the precursor being capable of forming an inhalable substance for human consumption.

FUNDAMENTALS

[002] Many devices have been proposed over the years as improvements, or alternatives, to tobacco products that require the combustion of tobacco for use. Many of these devices are purportedly designed to provide the sensations associated with smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, but without delivering considerable quantities of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products that result from burning tobacco. To this end, numerous alternative tobacco products, flavor generators, and medicinal inhalers have been proposed that utilize electrical energy to vaporize or heat a volatile material, or attempt to provide the sensations of cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking without burning tobacco to a significant degree. See, for example, the various smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and alternative heat generation sources set forth in the prior art described in U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0255702 to Griffith Jr. et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0000638 to Sebastian et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0096781 to Sears et al., Publication U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0096782 to Ampolini et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0059780 to Davis et al. and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15/222,615 to Watson et al., filed July 28, 2016, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. See also, for example, the various product implementations and heating configurations described in the background sections of U.S. Patent No. 5,388,594 to Counts et al. and 8,079,371 to Robinson et al., which are incorporated by reference.

[003] However, it may be desirable to provide aerosol delivery devices with improved electronic components, as this may prolong the usability of the devices.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[004] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices, methods of forming such devices, and elements of such devices. The present disclosure thus includes, without limitation, the following example implementations.

[005] Implementation of Example 1: A system comprising an aerosol delivery device equipped with a controllable heating element for activating and vaporizing components of an aerosol precursor composition, a power source connected to and configured to supply power to an electrical load including the heating element, and an induction receiver connected to the power source and including a resonant receiver coupling device; and a charger for the aerosol delivery device, the charger including an induction transmitter including a transmitter coupling device and a pulse width modulation (PWM) inverter configured to drive the transmitter coupling device, the PWM including: a bridge circuit connected to the transmitter coupling device; and a PWM controller incorporated as an integrated circuit and configured to send a PWM signal to the bridge circuit configured to drive the transmitter coupling device to generate an oscillating magnetic field and induce an alternating current in the resonant receiver coupling device when exposed to the oscillating magnetic field, the induction receiver further includes a rectifier configured to convert the alternating current to a direct current from which the power source is rechargeable.

[006] Example Implementation 2: The system of any previous example implementation, or any combination of any previous example implementations, wherein the power source is or includes a rechargeable supercapacitor, rechargeable solid-state battery or ion battery. rechargeable lithium.

[007] Example Implementation 3: The system of any previous example implementation, or any combination of any previous example implementations, wherein the charger further includes a power source, and the power source is or includes a rechargeable supercapacitor, rechargeable solid-state battery or rechargeable lithium-ion battery configured to power the PWM inverter.

[008] Example Implementation 4: The system of any previous example implementation, or any combination of any previous example implementations, wherein the charger further includes a constant voltage regulator between the power source and the PWM inverter, and configured to maintain a constant voltage level in the PWM inverter.

[009] Example Implementation 5: The system of any previous example implementation, or any combination of any previous example implementations, wherein the power source further includes terminals connectable with a power source from which the rechargeable supercapacitor is downloadable.

[0010] Example Implementation 6: The system of any previous example implementation, or any combination of any previous example implementations, wherein the power source further includes the power source, the power source is or includes a rechargeable supercapacitor , and the power source is or includes a rechargeable solid-state battery or rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

[0011] Example Implementation 7: The system of any previous example implementation, or any combination of any previous example implementations, wherein the bridge circuit is a half-bridge composed of a pair of transistors and a pair of diodes.

[0012] Implementation of Example 8: An aerosol delivery device comprising at least one housing surrounding a reservoir configured to retain an aerosol precursor composition; a controllable heating element for activating and vaporizing components of the aerosol precursor composition; a power source connected to and configured to supply power to an electrical load including the heating element; and an induction receiver connected to the power source, the induction receiver including a resonant receiver coupling device in which an alternating current is induced when exposed to an oscillating magnetic field, and a rectifier configured to convert the alternating current to direct current from which the power source is rechargeable.

[0013] Example Implementation 9: The aerosol delivery device of any previous example implementation, or any combination of any previous example implementations, wherein the power source is or includes a rechargeable supercapacitor, rechargeable solid-state battery or rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

[0014] Implementation of Example 10: A control body coupled or attachable to a cartridge to form an aerosol delivery device, the cartridge including a reservoir configured to retain an aerosol precursor composition and a controllable heating element for activating and vaporizing components of the aerosol precursor composition, the control body comprising a housing; and within the housing, a power source connected to and configured to supply power to an electrical load including the heating element when the control body is coupled to the cartridge; and an induction receiver connected to the power source, the induction receiver including a resonant receiver coupling device in which an alternating current is induced when exposed to an oscillating magnetic field, and a rectifier configured to convert the alternating current to direct current from which the power source is rechargeable.

[0015] Example Implementation 11: The control body of any previous example implementation, or any combination of any previous example implementations, wherein the power source is or includes a rechargeable supercapacitor, rechargeable solid-state battery or Rechargeable lithium-ion.

[0016] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be evident from reading the following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below. The present disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements set forth in this disclosure, regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly combined or otherwise referred to in a specific example implementation described herein. This disclosure is intended to be read holistically, so that any separable features or elements of the disclosure, in any of its aspects and example implementations, are viewed as combinable, unless the context of the disclosure clearly dictates otherwise.

[0017] It will therefore be appreciated that this Brief Summary is provided merely for the purpose of summarizing some example implementations so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the example implementations described above are merely examples and should not be construed to restrict the scope or spirit of the disclosure in any way. Other example implementations, aspects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of some of the described example implementations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Having thus described the disclosure in the general terms mentioned above, reference will now be made to the attached drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in which:

[0019] Figure 1 illustrates a side view of an aerosol delivery device including a cartridge coupled to a control body, in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 2 is a partially cut away view of the aerosol delivery device in accordance with various example implementations;

[0021] Figure 3 is a system including the aerosol delivery device and a charger for the aerosol delivery device, in accordance with various example implementations; It is

[0022] Figures 4 and 5 illustrate various elements of the loader and control body, according to various example implementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present disclosure will now be described in more detail below with reference to example implementations thereof. These example implementations are described so that this disclosure is exhaustive and complete and fully conveys the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. In fact, the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations are provided so that this disclosure satisfies applicable legal requirements. As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, “the” and the like include plural references unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, although reference may be made to quantitative measurements, values, geometric relationships or the like, unless otherwise indicated, any one or more of them, if not all, may be absolute or approximated to account for acceptable variations that may occur, such as those due to engineering tolerances or similar.

[0024] As described below, example implementations of the present disclosure relate to aerosol delivery devices. Aerosol delivery devices in accordance with the present disclosure utilize electrical energy to heat a material (preferably without burning the material to any significant degree) to form an inhalable substance; and the components of such systems are in the form of articles most preferably compact enough to be considered portable devices. That is, the use of components of preferred aerosol delivery devices does not result in the production of smoke in the sense that the aerosol results primarily from byproducts of combustion or pyrolysis of tobacco, but rather, the use of these preferred systems results in the production of vapors. resulting from the volatilization or vaporization of certain components incorporated in them. In some exemplary implementations, components of aerosol delivery devices may be characterized as electronic cigarettes, and such electronic cigarettes preferably incorporate tobacco and/or tobacco-derived components and thereby deliver tobacco-derived components in aerosol form.

[0025] Aerosol generating parts of certain preferred aerosol delivery devices can provide many of the sensations (e.g., inhalation and exhalation rituals, types of tastes or flavors, organoleptic effects, physical sensation, usage rituals, visual cues such as those provided by visible aerosol and the like) from smoking a cigarette, cigar or pipe that is employed by lighting and burning tobacco (and therefore inhaling tobacco smoke), without any substantial degree of combustion of any component thereof. For example, the user of an aerosol-generating part of the present invention can hold and use that part in much the same way as a smoker using a traditional type of smoking article, sucking on one end of that part for inhalation of aerosol produced by that part. ask, take or suck puffs at selected intervals of time, and so on.

[0026] Although the systems are generally described herein in terms of implementations associated with aerosol delivery devices, such as so-called “electronic cigarettes”, it should be understood that the mechanisms, components, features and methods can be embodied in many different forms. and associated with a variety of articles. For example, the description provided herein may be employed in conjunction with implementations of traditional smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), heat-not-burn cigarettes, and packaging related to any of the products disclosed herein. Therefore, it should be understood that the description of the mechanisms, components, features and methods disclosed herein are discussed in terms of implementations relating to aerosol delivery devices by way of example only, and may be incorporated and used in various other products and methods. .

[0027] The aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure can also be characterized as being vapor producing articles or medication delivery articles. Thus, such articles or devices may be adapted so as to deliver one or more substances (e.g., flavors and/or active pharmaceutical ingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, inhalable substances may be substantially in the form of a vapor (i.e., a substance that is in the gaseous phase at a temperature below its critical point). Alternatively, inhalable substances may be in the form of an aerosol (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas). For purposes of simplicity, the term “aerosol” as used herein is intended to include vapors, gases and aerosols of a form or type suitable for human inhalation, whether visible or not, and in a form that may or may not be considered to be smoke-like. .

[0028] In use, the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure may be subject to many of the physical actions employed by an individual in using a traditional type of smoking article (e.g., a cigarette, cigar, or pipe that is used for lighting and inhaling tobacco). For example, the user of an aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may hold that article much like a traditional type of smoking article, suck on one end of that article to inhalate aerosol produced by that article, take puffs at intervals of selected time, etc.

[0029] Aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure generally include various components provided within an outer body or casing, which may be referred to as a housing. The overall design of the outer body or housing may vary, and the shape or configuration of the outer body which may define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device may vary. Typically, an elongated body similar to the shape of a cigarette or cigar may be formed from a single unitary housing or the elongated housing may be formed from two or more separable bodies. For example, an aerosol delivery device may comprise an elongated housing or body which may have a substantially tubular shape and, as such, resemble the shape of a conventional cigarette or cigar. In one example, all aerosol delivery device components are contained within a housing. Alternatively, an aerosol delivery device may comprise two or more housings which are joined together and are separable. For example, an aerosol delivery device may have at one end a control body comprising a housing containing one or more reusable components, e.g., an accumulator such as a rechargeable battery and/or rechargeable supercapacitor, and various electronics for controlling the operation thereof. article), and at the other end and removably attachable thereto, a body or outer casing containing a disposable portion (for example, a disposable flavor-containing cartridge). More specific shapes, configurations and arrangements of components within the single housing unit type or within a multiple-piece separable housing unit type will be apparent in light of the further description provided herein. Additionally, various aerosol delivery device designs and component arrangements can be appreciated after consideration of commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices.

[0030] Aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure more preferably comprise some combination of a power source (i.e., a source of electrical energy), at least one control component (e.g., means for actuating, controlling, regulating and stopping the generation of heat, such as controlling the flow of electrical current from the power source to other components of the article - e.g., a microprocessor, individually or as part of a microcontroller), a heater or heat generator (e.g., a electrical resistance element or other component, alone or in combination with one or more additional elements may be commonly referred to as an "atomizer"), an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., generally a liquid capable of producing an aerosol upon application of sufficient heat, such as ingredients commonly referred to as “smoke juice”, “e-liquid” and “e-juice”), and a mouth end region or tip to allow extraction from the aerosol device for aerosol inhalation (e.g. , an air flow defined path through the article such that the generated aerosol can be withdrawn from it after sucking).

[0031] The alignment of components within the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may vary. In specific implementations, the aerosol precursor composition may be located near an end of the aerosol delivery device that may be configured to be positioned near a user's mouth so as to maximize aerosol delivery to the user. Other settings, however, are not deleted. Generally, the heating element may be positioned sufficiently close to the aerosol precursor composition so that heat from the heating element may volatilize the aerosol precursor (as well as one or more flavorings, medicaments, or the like which may likewise be provided for delivery to a user) and form an aerosol for delivery to the user. When the heating element heats the aerosol precursor composition, an aerosol is formed, released or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by a consumer. It should be noted that the foregoing terms are intended to be interchangeable, so that reference to release, release, liberate or released includes form or generate, form or beget, form or beget, and formed or generated. Specifically, an inhalable substance is released in the form of a vapor or aerosol or mixture thereof, which terms are also used interchangeably herein, unless otherwise specified.

[0032] As noted above, the aerosol delivery device may incorporate a battery or other source of electrical power to provide sufficient current flow to provide various functionalities to the aerosol delivery device, such as powering a heater, powering control systems, feed indicators and the like. The power source can take on multiple implementations. Preferably, the energy source is capable of providing sufficient energy to rapidly heat the heating element to provide aerosol formation and power the aerosol delivery device through use for a desired period of time. The power source is preferably sized to fit conveniently within the aerosol delivery device so that the aerosol delivery device can be easily handled. Additionally, a preferred energy source is of a sufficiently light weight so as not to detract from a desirable smoking experience.

[0033] More specific shapes, configurations, and component arrangements within the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure will be apparent in light of the additional disclosure provided below. Additionally, the selection and arrangement of various components of the aerosol delivery device can be appreciated after consideration of commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Furthermore, the arrangement of components within the aerosol delivery device can also be appreciated after consideration of commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Examples of commercially available products for which their components, methods of operation thereof, included materials and/or other attributes thereof may be included in the devices of the present disclosure have been marketed as ACCORD ® by Philip Morris Incorporated; ALPHA™, JOYE 510™ and M4™ from InnoVapor LLC; CIRRUS™ and FLING™ from White Cloud Cigarretes; BLU™ from Lorillard Technologies, Inc.; COHITA™, COLIBRI™, ELITE CLASSIC™, MAGNUM™, PHANTOM™ and SENSE™ from Epuffer ® International Inc.; DuoPro™, Storm™ and VAPORKING ® by Electronic Cigarettes, Inc.; EGAR™ from Egar Australia; eGo-C™ and eGo-T™ from Joyetech; ELUSION™ by Elusion UK Ltd; EONSMOKE ® by Eonsmoke LLC; FIN™ by FIN Branding Group, LLC; SMOKE ® by Green Smoke Inc. USA; GREENARETTE™ by Greenarette LLC; HALLIGAN™, HENDU™, JET™, MAXXQ™, PINK™ and PITBULL™ by Smoke Stik ®; HEATBAR™ by Philip Morris International, Inc.; HYDRO IMPERIAL™ and LXE™ from Crown7; LOGIC™ and THE CUBAN™ by LOGIC Technology; LUCI ® by Luciano Smokes Inc.; METRO ® by Nicotek, LLC; NJOY ® and ONEJOY™ by Sottera, Inc.; AT THE. 7™ by SS Choice LLC; PREMIUM ELETRONIC CIGARETTE™ by PremiumEstore LLC; RAPP E-MYSTICK™ by Ruyan America, Inc.; RED DRAGON™ by Red Dragon Products, LLC; RUYAN ® by Ruyan Group (Holdings) Ltd.; SF® by Smoker Friendly International, LLC; GREEN SMART SMOKER ® by The Smart Smoking Electronic Cigarette Company Ltd.; SMOKE ASSIST® by Coastline Products LLC; SMOKIN EVERYWHERE® by Smoking Everywhere, Inc.; V2CIGS™ from VMR Products LLC; VAPOR NINE™ by VaporNine LLC; VAPOR4LIFE ® by Vapor 4 Life, Inc.; VEPPO™ by E-CigaretteDirect, LLC; AVIGO, VUSE, VUSE CONNECT, VUSE FOB, VUSE HYBRID, ALTO, aLTO+, MODO, CIRO, FOX+FOG, and SOLO+ from RJ Reynolds Vapor Company; MISTIC MENTHOL from Mistic Ecigs; and VYPE from CN Creative Ltd. Still other electrically powered aerosol delivery devices, and in particular those devices that have been characterized as so-called electronic cigarettes, have been marketed under the trade names COOLER VISIONS™; DIRECT E-CIG™; DRAGONFLY™; EMIST™; EVERSMOKE™; GAMUCCI ®; HYBRID FLAME™; KNIGHT STICKS™; ROYAL BLUES™; SMOKETIP ®; SOUTH BEACH SMOKE™.

[0034] Additional manufacturers, designers and/or assignees of components and related technologies that may be employed in the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure include Shenzhen Jieshibo Technology of Shenzhen, China; Shenzhen First Union Technology from Shenzhen City, China; Safe Cig of Los Angeles, CA; Janty Asia Company of the Philippines; Joyetech Changzhou Electronics from Shenzhen, China; SIS Resources; B2B International Holdings of Dover, DE; Evolv LLC of OH; Montrade of Bologna, Italy; Shenzhen Bauway Technology from Shenzhen, China; Global Vapor Trademarks Inc. of Pompano Beach, FL; Steam Corp. from Fort Lauderdale, FL; Nemtra GMBH of Raschau-Markersbach, Germany, Perrigo L. Co. of Allegan, MI; Needs Co., Ltd.; Smokefree Innotec of Las Vegas, NV; McNeil AB of Helsingborg, Sweden; Chong Corp; Alexza Pharmaceuticals of Mountain View, CA; BLEC, LLC of Charlotte, NC; Gaitrend Sarl from Rohrbach-lès-Bitche, France; FeelLife Bioscience International of Shenzhen, China; Vishay Electronic BMGH from Selb, Germany; Shenzhen Smaco Technology Ltd. of Shenzhen, China; Vapor Systems International of Boca Raton, FL; Exonoid Medical Devices from Israel; Shenzhen Nowotech Electronics from Shenzhen, China; Minilogic Device Corporation, Hong Kong, China; Shenzhen Kontle Electronics, of Shenzhen, China, and Fuma International, LLC, of Medina, OH, 21st Century Smoke of Beloit, WI, and Kimree Holdings (HK) Co. Limited, of Hong Kong, China.

[0035] In various examples, an aerosol delivery device may comprise a reservoir configured to retain the aerosol precursor composition. The reservoir may in particular be formed from a porous material (e.g. a fibrous material) and thus may be referred to as a porous substrate (e.g. a fibrous substrate).

[0036] A fibrous substrate useful as a reservoir in an aerosol delivery device may be a woven or non-woven material formed by a plurality of fibers or filaments and may be formed by one or both of natural fibers and synthetic fibers. For example, a fibrous substrate can comprise a fiberglass material. In particular examples, a cellulose acetate material may be used. In other example implementations, a carbon material could be used. A reservoir may be substantially in the form of a container and may include a fibrous material included therein.

[0037] Figure 1 illustrates a side view of an aerosol delivery device 100 including a control body 102 and a cartridge 104, in accordance with various example implementations of the present disclosure. In particular, Figure 1 illustrates the control body and the cartridge coupled to each other. The control body and cartridge may be detachably aligned in a functional relationship. Various mechanisms can connect the cartridge to the control body to result in threaded engagement, press-fit engagement, interference fit, magnetic engagement, or the like. The aerosol delivery device may be substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular-shaped, or substantially cylindrical in some exemplary implementations when the cartridge and control body are in an assembled configuration. The aerosol delivery device may also be substantially rectangular or rhomboidal in cross-section, which may cause it to be more compatible with a substantially flat or thin-film power source, such as a power source including a flat battery. The cartridge and control body may include respective housings or separate outer bodies, which may be formed from any of a number of different materials. The housing may be formed from any structurally suitable material. In some examples, the housing may be formed of a metal or alloy, such as stainless steel, aluminum or the like. Other suitable materials include various plastics (e.g. polycarbonate), metallization on plastic, ceramics and the like.

[0038] In some example implementations, one or both of the control body 102 or the cartridge 104 of the aerosol delivery device 100 may be referred to as being disposable or as being reusable. For example, the control body may have a replaceable battery or a rechargeable battery and therefore may be combined with any type of recharging technology, including connection to a regular outlet, connection to a car charger (i.e., a receptacle cigarette lighter socket), connection to a computer, such as via a universal serial bus (USB) cable or connector, connection to a photovoltaic cell (sometimes called a solar cell) or a solar cell solar panel, or connection to an RF-to-DC converter. Furthermore, in some exemplary implementations, the cartridge may comprise a single-use cartridge, as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0039] Figure 2 more particularly illustrates the aerosol delivery device 100, in accordance with some example implementations. As seen in the sectional view illustrated here, again, the aerosol delivery device may comprise a control body 102 and a cartridge 104, each of which includes a number of respective components. The components illustrated in Figure 2 are representative of the components that may be present in a control body and cartridge, and are not intended to limit the scope of components that are encompassed by the present disclosure. As shown, for example, the control body may be formed by a control body housing 206 which may include a control component 208 (e.g., a microprocessor individually or as part of a microcontroller), a flow sensor 210, a power source 212 and one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) 214, quantum dot enabled LEDs or the like, and such components may be variably aligned. The power source may include, for example, a battery (single-use or rechargeable), rechargeable supercapacitor, rechargeable solid-state battery (SSB), rechargeable lithium-ion battery (LiB) or the like, or some combination thereof. Some examples of a suitable power source are provided in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/918,926 to Sur et al., filed October 21, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference. The LED can be an example of a suitable visual indicator with which the aerosol delivery device can be equipped. Other indicators, such as audio indicators (e.g. speakers), haptic indicators (e.g. vibration motors) or the like, may be included in addition to or as an alternative to visual indicators such as LED, quantum dot enabled LEDs .

[0040] Cartridge 104 may be formed by a cartridge shell 216 surrounding a reservoir 218 configured to retain the aerosol precursor composition, and including a heater 220 (sometimes referred to as a heating element). In various configurations, this structure can be called a tank; and accordingly, the terms "cartridge", "tank" and the like may be used interchangeably to refer to a casing or other housing surrounding a reservoir for the aerosol precursor composition, and including a heater.

[0041] As shown, in some examples, the reservoir 218 may be in fluid communication with a liquid transport member 222 adapted to absorb or otherwise transport an aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir housing to the heater 220. In In some examples, a valve may be positioned between the reservoir and the heater, and configured to control an amount of aerosol precursor composition passed or delivered from the reservoir to the heater.

[0042] Various examples of materials configured to produce heat when electrical current is applied therethrough may be employed to form the heater 220. The heater in these examples may be a resistive heating element such as a wire coil, microheater, or the like. . Examples of materials from which the heating element may be formed include Kanthal (FeCrAl), nickel-chromium, stainless steel, molybdenum disilicide (MoSi2), molybdenum silicide (MoSi), aluminum doped molybdenum disilicide (Mo (Si, Al)2), graphite and graphite-based materials (e.g. carbon-based foams and threads) and ceramics (e.g. positive or negative temperature coefficient ceramics). Exemplary implementations of heaters or heating members useful in aerosol delivery devices in accordance with the present disclosure are further described below, and may be incorporated into devices as illustrated in Figure 2 as described herein.

[0043] An opening 224 may be present in the cartridge housing 216 (e.g., at the mouth end) to enable the exit of the aerosol formed from the cartridge 104.

[0044] Cartridge 104 may also include one or more electronic components 226, which may include an integrated circuit, a memory component (e.g., EEPROM, flash memory), a sensor, or the like. The electronic components may be adapted to communicate with the control component 208 and/or with an external device via wired or wireless means. The electronic components can be positioned anywhere inside the cartridge or on its base 228.

[0045] Although the control component 208 and the flow sensor 210 are illustrated separately, it is understood that various electronic components including the control component and the flow sensor can be combined on a printed circuit board (PCB) that supports and electrically connects electronic components. Furthermore, the PCB can be positioned horizontally with respect to the illustration in Figure 1, in that the PCB can be longitudinally parallel to the central axis of the control body. In some examples, the airflow sensor may comprise its own PCB or other base element to which it may be connected. In some examples, a flexible PCB may be used. A flexible PCB can be configured into a variety of shapes, including substantially tubular shapes. In some examples, a flexible PCB may be combined with, layered on, or form part or all of a heater substrate.

[0046] The control body 102 and the cartridge 104 may include components adapted to facilitate fluid engagement between them. As illustrated in Figure 2, the control body may include a coupler 230 with a cavity 232 therein. The base 228 of the cartridge may be adapted to engage the coupler and may include a projection 234 adapted to fit within the cavity. Such engagement can facilitate a stable connection between the control body and the cartridge, as well as establish an electrical connection between the power source 212 and the control component 208 in the control body and the heater 220 in the cartridge. Additionally, the control body housing 206 may include an air inlet 236, which may be a notch in the housing where it connects to the coupler that allows ambient air to pass around the coupler and into the housing where it then passes through the cavity. 232 from the coupler and to the cartridge through projection 234.

[0047] A coupler and a base useful in accordance with the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0261,495 to Novak et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, the coupler 230, as seen in Figure 2, may define an outer periphery 238 configured to mate with an inner periphery 240 of the base 228. In one example, the inner periphery of the base may define a radius that is substantially equal to, or slightly greater than, a radius from the outer periphery of the coupler. Furthermore, the coupler may define one or more protrusions 242 on the outer periphery configured to engage one or more recesses 244 defined on the inner periphery of the base. However, several other examples of structures, shapes and components can be used to couple the base to the coupler. In some examples, the connection between the cartridge base 104 and the control body coupler 102 may be substantially permanent, while in other examples the connection therebetween may be releasable such that, for example, the control body may be reused with one or additional cartridges that can be disposable and/or refillable.

[0048] The aerosol delivery device 100 may be substantially rod-shaped or substantially tubular-shaped or substantially cylindrical in some examples. In other examples, other shapes and dimensions are encompassed - for example, a rectangular or triangular cross-section, multifaceted shapes, or the like.

[0049] The reservoir 218 illustrated in Figure 2 may be a container or may be a fibrous reservoir, as presently described. For example, the reservoir may comprise one or more layers of non-woven fibers substantially formed into a tube that surrounds the interior of the cartridge housing 216 in this example. An aerosol precursor composition may be retained in the reservoir. Liquid components, for example, can be retained in an assortative manner by the reservoir. The reservoir may be in fluid connection with the liquid transport element 222. The liquid transport element may transport the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir through capillary action to the heater 220 which is in the form of a wire coil. metal in this example. As such, the heater is in a heating arrangement with the liquid transport element. Exemplary implementations of reservoirs and transport elements useful in aerosol delivery devices in accordance with the present disclosure are further described below, and such reservoirs and/or transport elements may be incorporated into devices as illustrated in Figure 2 as described herein. . In particular, specific combinations of heating members and transport elements, as further described below, may be incorporated into devices, as illustrated in Figure 2, as described herein.

[0050] In use, when a user sucks on the aerosol delivery device 100, the air flow is detected by the flow sensor 210, and the heater 220 is activated to vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition. Upon sucking into the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device, ambient air enters the air inlet 236 and passes through the cavity 232 in the coupler 230 and the central opening in the projection 234 of the base 228. In the cartridge 104, the sucked air combines with the vapor formed to form an aerosol. The aerosol is drawn, aspirated or otherwise withdrawn from the heater and out of the opening 224 in the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device.

[0051] In some examples, the aerosol delivery device 100 may include a number of additional software-controlled functions. For example, the aerosol delivery device may include a power source protection circuit configured to detect power source input, loads on the power source terminals, and charging input. Power supply protection circuit may include short circuit protection, undervoltage blocking and/or overcurrent charge protection, battery temperature compensation. The aerosol delivery device may also include components for measuring ambient temperature, and its control component 208 may be configured to control at least one functional element to inhibit charging of a power source - particularly any battery - if the temperature environment is below a certain temperature (e.g. 0°C) or above a certain temperature (e.g. 45°C) before starting charging or during charging.

[0052] Power delivery from power source 212 may vary throughout each puff into device 100 according to a power control mechanism. The device may include a "long blow" safety timer such that in the event a user or component failure (e.g., flow sensor 210) causes the device to attempt to blow continuously, the control component 208 may control at least one functional element to end the puff automatically after some period of time (eg four seconds). Also, the time between puffs on the device can be restricted to less than a period of time (eg 100 seconds). A watchdog safety timer can automatically restart the aerosol delivery device if its control component or running software becomes unstable and does not meet the timer within an appropriate time interval (e.g., eight seconds). Additional safety protection may be provided in the event of a defective or otherwise failed flow sensor 210, such as by permanently disabling the aerosol delivery device to prevent inadvertent heating. A blow limit switch can disable the device in the event a pressure sensor fails, causing the device to activate continuously without stopping after the maximum four second blow time.

[0053] The aerosol delivery device 100 may include a puff tracking algorithm configured to lock out the heater once a set number of puffs have been reached for an attached cartridge (based on the number of available puffs calculated in light of the e-liquid charge in the cartridge). The aerosol delivery device may include a sleep, standby, or low power mode function wherein power delivery may be automatically cut off after a defined period of non-use. Additional safety protection may be provided in that all charge/discharge cycles of the power source 212 may be monitored by the control component 208 throughout its life. After the power source has reached the equivalent of a predetermined number (e.g., 200) of full discharge and full recharge cycles, it may be declared depleted, and the control component may control at least one functional element to prevent charging. additional power source.

[0054] The various components of an aerosol delivery device in accordance with the present disclosure may be chosen from components described in the art and commercially available. Examples of batteries that can be used in accordance with the disclosure are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,484,155 to Peckerar et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0055] The aerosol delivery device 100 may incorporate the sensor 210 or other sensor or detector to control the delivery of electrical energy to the heater 220 when aerosol generation is desired (e.g., upon suction during use). As such, for example, a way or method is provided for turning off power to the heater when the aerosol delivery device is not used during use, and for turning on power to trigger or trigger heat generation by the heater during sucking. Additional representative types of detection or sensing mechanisms, structure and configuration thereof, their components, and general methods of operation thereof, are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr., U.S. Patent No. 5,372 .148 from McCafferty et al. and PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2010/003480 to Flick, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0056] The aerosol delivery device 100 most preferably incorporates the control component 208 or other control mechanism for controlling the amount of electrical energy to the heater 220 during suction. Representative types of electronic components, structure and configuration thereof, features thereof, and general methods of operation thereof, are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,205,622 to Pan, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 8,881,737 to Collet et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,423,152 to Ampolini et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,439,454 to Fernando et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0257445 to Henry et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0057] Representative types of substrates, reservoirs or other components for supporting the aerosol precursor are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,528,569 to Newton, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0261487 to Chapman et al., US Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0059780 by Davis et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0216232 to Bless et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, various wicking materials, and the configuration and operation of such wicking materials within certain types of electronic cigarettes, are set forth in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,640 to Sears et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0058] The aerosol precursor composition, also referred to as a vapor precursor composition, may comprise a variety of components including, by way of example, a polyhydric alcohol (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol or a mixture thereof), nicotine , tobacco, tobacco extract and/or flavorings. Representative types of aerosol precursor components and formulations are also set forth and characterized in U.S. Patent No. 7,217,320 to Robinson et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,254,002 to Chong et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,881. 737 to Collett et al., US Patent Publication No. 2013/0008457 to Zheng et al., US Patent Publication No. 2015/0020823 to Lipowicz et al. and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0020830 to Koller, as well as PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2014/182736 to Bowen et al. and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15/222,615 to Watson et al., filed July 28, 2016, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other aerosol precursors that can be used include the aerosol precursors that have been incorporated into the VUSE® product from RJ Reynolds Vapor Company, the BLUTM product from Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, the MISTIC MENTHOL product from Mistic Ecigs and the VYPE product from CN Creative Ltd Also desirable are so-called "smoke juices" for electronic cigarettes which are available from Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC.

[0059] Implementations of effervescent materials can be used with the aerosol precursor, and are described, by way of example, in US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0055494 to Hunt et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, the use of effervescent materials is described, for example, in US Patent No. 4,639,368 to Niazi et al., US Patent No. 5,178,878 to Wehling et al., US Patent No. 5,223. 264 to Wehling et al., US Patent No. 6,974,590 to Pather et al., US Patent No. 7,381,667 to Bergquist et al., US Patent No. 8,424,541 to Crawford et al. and U.S. Patent No. 8,627,828 to Strickland et al., as well as U.S. Patent No. 9307787 to Sun et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0018539 to Brinkley et al., and Publication No. PCT Patent Application No. WO 97/06786 to Johnson et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Additional description regarding implementations of aerosol precursor compositions, including description of the tobacco or tobacco-derived components included herein, is provided in U.S. Patent Application Nos. Ser. 15/216,582 and 15/216,590, each filed July 21 2016 and each to Davis et al., which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0060] Additional representative types of components that produce visual cues or indicators may be employed in the aerosol delivery device 100, such as visual indicators and related components, audio indicators, haptic indicators, and the like. Examples of suitable LED components, and configurations and uses thereof, are described in US Patent No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al., US Patent No. 8,499,766 to Newton, US Patent No. 8,539. 959 to Scatterday and U.S. Patent No. 9,451,791 to Sears et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0061] Still other features, controls or components that may be incorporated into the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,934,289 to Watkins et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,365,742 to Hon, U.S. Patent No. 8,402. 976 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0016550 to Katase, U.S. Patent No. 8,689,804 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0192623 to Tucker et al. ., US Patent No. 9,427,022 to Leven et al., US Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0180553 to Kim et al., US Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0000638 to Sebastian et al., US Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0261495 by Novak et al. and US Patent No. 9,220,302 to DePiano et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0062] As indicated above, the control component 208 includes a number of electronic components and, in some examples, may be formed by a PCB. Electronic components may include a microprocessor or processor core, and memory. In some examples, the control component may include a microcontroller with an integrated processor core and memory, and may further include one or more integrated input/output peripherals. In some examples, the control component may be coupled to a communications interface 246 to enable wireless communication with one or more appropriately enabled networks, computing devices, or other devices. Examples of suitable communication interfaces are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0261020 to Marion et al., the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Another example of a suitable communications interface is the CC3200 single-chip wireless microcontroller unit (MCU) from Texas Instruments. And examples of suitable ways in which the aerosol delivery device can be configured to communicate wirelessly are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0007651 to Ampolini et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0219933 to Henry, Jr. et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0063] According to some example implementations, the power source 212 of the control body 102 may be a rechargeable power source and thus may be combined with inductive charging technology. Examples of suitable wireless power transfer standards under which inductive charging can be implemented include the Qi interface standard developed by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), the Power Affairs Alliance (PMA) interface standard ) developed by PMA, the Rezence interface standard developed by the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), and the like.

[0064] Figure 3 illustrates a system 300 including aerosol delivery device 100 and a charger 302 for the aerosol delivery device, in accordance with various example implementations of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the charger may include a housing 304 within which the charger may carry various components for inductively charging the power source 212 of the control body 102, as shown and described more particularly in Figures 4 and 5. As shown more particularly in Figure 4, the charger includes an induction transmitter 402 including a transmitter coupling device 404 and a pulse width modulation (PWM) inverter 406 configured to drive the transmitter coupling device.

[0065] The aerosol delivery device or, more particularly, its control body includes an induction receiver 408 connected to the power source 212, and including a resonant receiver coupling device 410 and rectifier 412. As also shown, the power source is connected to an electrical load 414 that includes the heater 222 when the control body 102 is coupled to the cartridge 104. More particularly, the electrical load may include the control component 208 (and its electrical components) and the heater , which can be coupled to the power source to form an electrical circuit. This may additionally include, for example, flow sensor 210, LED(s) 214, and the like.

[0066] The PWM inverter 406 includes a bridge circuit 416 connected to the transmitter coupling device 404, and which in some examples is a half-bridge composed of a pair of transistors such as metal-oxide-field effect transistors. semiconductor (MOSFETs), and a pair of diodes. The PWM inverter also includes a 418 PWM controller coupled to the bridge circuit. According to some examples, the PWM controller is embodied as an integrated circuit and configured to output a PWM signal to the bridge circuit configured to drive the transmitter coupling device to generate an oscillating magnetic field and induce an alternating current in the resonant receiver coupling device 410 when exposed to the oscillating magnetic field. The rectifier 412 is configured to convert the alternating current to a direct current from which the power source 212 is rechargeable. Examples of suitable PWM controllers include the bq500210 and bq500212A controllers from Texas Instruments, the STWBC series controllers from STMicroelectronics, and the like.

[0067] As also shown, in some examples, the charger 302 further includes a power source 420, such as a rechargeable supercapacitor, rechargeable SSB, or rechargeable LiB, configured to power the PWM inverter 406. In some additional examples, the device The aerosol delivery system further includes a constant voltage regulator 422 between the power source and the PWM inverter, and configured to maintain a constant voltage level in the PWM inverter. Examples of suitable voltage regulators include switching regulators, linear regulators such as low dropout regulators (LDO) and the like.

[0068] Figure 5 illustrates a power source 500 that may correspond to power source 420 in some examples. As shown, in some examples, the power source includes a rechargeable supercapacitor 502 configured to power the PWM inverter 406. In some additional examples, the power source further includes terminals 504 connectable to a power source 506 from which the rechargeable supercapacitor is chargeable. As indicated above, for example, the control body 104 can be combined with any type of charging technology (e.g., wall charger, car charger, computer, photovoltaic cell, solar cell solar panel, wireless RF-based charger). wire). And in still other examples, the power source further includes the power source, and the power source is or includes a rechargeable SSB or rechargeable LiB.

[0069] The foregoing description of the use of the article(s) may be applied to the various example implementations described herein through minor modifications, which may be apparent to one skilled in the art in light of the further disclosure provided herein. The above usage description, however, is not intended to limit the use of the article, but is provided to meet all necessary disclosure requirements of this disclosure. Any of the elements shown in the article(s) illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 or as otherwise described above may be included in an aerosol delivery device in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0070] Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure set forth herein will come to mind of one skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs having the benefit of the teachings set forth in the foregoing descriptions and associated drawings. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific implementations disclosed, and that modifications and other implementations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, although the foregoing descriptions and associated drawings describe example implementations in the context of certain example combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative implementations without departing from the scope of the attached claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as can be set out in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims (7)

1. System CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises: an aerosol delivery device (100) equipped with a controllable heating element (222) to activate and vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition, a power source (212) connected to and configured to supply power to an electrical load including the heating element (222), and an induction receiver (408) connected to the power source (212) and including a resonant receiver coupling device (410); and a charger (302) for the aerosol delivery device (100), the charger (302) including an induction transmitter (402) including a transmitter coupling device (404) and a pulse width modulation inverter ( PWM) (406) configured to drive the transmitter coupling device (404), the PWM inverter (406) including: a bridge circuit (416) connected to the transmitter coupling device (404); and a PWM controller (418) incorporated as an integrated circuit and configured to output a PWM signal to the bridge circuit (416) configured to drive the transmitter coupling device (404) to generate an oscillating magnetic field and induce a current alternating current in the resonant receiver coupling device (410) when exposed to the oscillating magnetic field, the induction receiver (408) further including a rectifier (412) configured to convert the alternating current to a direct current from which the power source (212) is rechargeable, wherein the charger (302) also includes a power source (420; 500) and the power source (420; 500) is or includes a rechargeable supercapacitor (502), and/or a rechargeable battery configured to power the PWM inverter (406). 2. System, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the energy source (212) is or includes a rechargeable supercapacitor (502), rechargeable solid state battery or rechargeable lithium ion battery. 3. System, according to claim 1 or 2, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the charger further includes a power source (212), and the power source (212) is or includes a rechargeable supercapacitor (502), battery rechargeable solid state or rechargeable lithium-ion battery configured to power the PWM inverter (406). 4. System, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the charger (302) further includes a constant voltage regulator (422) between the power source (420; 500) and the inverter PWM (406), and configured to maintain a constant voltage level in the PWM inverter (406). 5. System, according to any one of claims 1 to 4, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the power source (500) further includes terminals (504) connectable with a power source (506) from which the rechargeable supercapacitor (502) and/or the rechargeable battery are chargeable. 6. The system of claim 5, characterized by the fact that the power source (420; 500) further includes the power source, the power source (420; 500) is or includes a rechargeable supercapacitor ( 502), and the power source is or includes a rechargeable solid-state battery or rechargeable lithium-ion battery. 7. System, according to any one of claims 1 to 6, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that the bridge circuit (416) is a half-bridge composed of a pair of transistors and a pair of diodes.