Inductive charging for aerosol delivery devices

Abstract

The present invention provides an aerosol delivery device comprising at least one housing enclosing a reservoir configured for holding an aerosol precursor composition; and a heating element controllable to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition. The aerosol delivery device further comprises: a power source connected to the electrical load and configured to provide power to the electrical load comprising the heating element; and an inductive receiver connected to the power source, the inductive receiver comprising: a resonant receiver coupling device that causes an alternating current when exposed to the oscillating magnetic field; and a rectifier configured to convert an alternating current into a direct current from which the power source is rechargeable.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with the application date of November 28, 2017, application number "201780074771.7", and invention name "Inductive Charging for Aerosol Delivery Devices". Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices such as smoking articles, and more particularly to aerosol delivery devices that can utilize electrical heat to generate an aerosol (e.g., smoking articles commonly referred to as electronic cigarettes). The smoking article can be configured to heat an aerosol precursor to form an inhalable substance for human consumption, and the aerosol precursor can be combined with a material that can be made from or derived from tobacco or otherwise combined with tobacco. Background Art

[0003] Many smoking devices have been proposed for many years as improvements or substitutes to the smoking products that need to burn tobacco for use. Many devices in these devices have been designed to provide the sensation associated with cigarette, cigar or pipe smoking, but do not deliver a large amount of incomplete combustion products and pyrolysis products produced due to tobacco burning. For this purpose, numerous smoking products, flavor generators and medicinal inhalers that have been replaced have been proposed, which utilize electric energy to evaporate or heat volatile materials, or attempt to provide the sensation of cigarette, cigar or pipe when tobacco is not burned to a great extent. See, for example, the various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and heat generation sources set forth in the background 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., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096782 to Ampolini et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0059780 to Davis et al., and U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 222,615 filed on July 28, 2016 by Watson et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. See also, for example, various embodiments of products and heating arrangements described in the background section of US Pat. Nos. 5,388,594 to Counts et al. and 8,079,371 to Robinson et al., which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] However, it would be desirable to provide an aerosol delivery device with improved electronics, such as to expand the usability of the device. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices, methods of forming such devices, and elements of such devices.The present disclosure includes, but is not limited to, the following examples.

[0006] Embodiment 1: A system comprising: an aerosol delivery device, the aerosol delivery device being equipped with a heating element that can be controlled to activate and evaporate components of an aerosol precursor composition; a power source connected to an electrical load and configured to provide power to the electrical load including the heating element; and an inductive receiver connected to the power source and comprising a resonant receiver coupling device; and a charger for the aerosol delivery device, the charger comprising an inductive transmitter, the inductive transmitter comprising a transmitter coupling device and a pulse width modulation (PWM) inverter configured to drive the transmitter coupling device, the PWM inverter comprising: a bridge circuit connected to the transmitter coupling device; and a PWM controller, the PWM controller being in the form of an integrated circuit and configured to output a PWM signal to the bridge circuit, the bridge circuit being configured to drive the transmitter coupling device to generate an oscillating magnetic field and causing alternating current when the resonant receiver coupling device is exposed to the oscillating magnetic field, the inductive receiver also comprising a rectifier, the rectifier being configured to convert the alternating current into direct current, and the power supply can be recharged from the direct current.

[0007] Embodiment 2: The system of any preceding embodiment or any combination thereof, wherein the power source is or includes a rechargeable supercapacitor, a rechargeable solid-state battery, or a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

[0008] Embodiment 3: The system of any of the preceding embodiments or any combination thereof, wherein the charger further comprises a power source, and the power source is or comprises a rechargeable supercapacitor, a rechargeable solid-state battery, or a rechargeable lithium-ion battery configured to power the PWM inverter.

[0009] Embodiment 4: The system of any preceding embodiment or any combination thereof, wherein the charger further comprises a constant voltage regulator between the power source and the PWM inverter and configured to maintain a constant voltage level in the PWM inverter.

[0010] Embodiment 5: The system of any preceding embodiment or any combination thereof, wherein the power source further comprises a terminal connectable to an energy source from which the rechargeable supercapacitor can be charged.

[0011] Embodiment 6: The system of any preceding embodiment or any combination thereof, wherein the power source further comprises an energy source, the energy source is or comprises a rechargeable capacitor, and the energy source is or comprises a rechargeable solid-state battery or a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

[0012] Embodiment 7: The system of any preceding embodiment or any combination thereof, wherein the bridge circuit is a half-bridge circuit consisting of a pair of transistors and a pair of diodes.

[0013] Embodiment 8: An aerosol delivery device comprising: at least one shell enclosing a reservoir configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition; a heating element that can be controlled to activate and evaporate components of the aerosol precursor composition; a power source connected to an electrical load and configured to provide power to the electrical load including the heating element; and an inductive receiver connected to the power source, the inductive receiver comprising a resonant receiver coupling device that induces alternating current when the resonant receiver coupling device is exposed to an oscillating magnetic field; and a rectifier configured to convert the alternating current into direct current, and the power source can be recharged from the direct current.

[0014] Embodiment 9: The aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment or any combination thereof, wherein the power source is or comprises a rechargeable supercapacitor, a rechargeable solid-state battery, or a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

[0015] Embodiment 10: A control body coupled to or capable of being coupled to a cartridge to form an aerosol delivery device, the cartridge comprising: a reservoir configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition; and a heating element controllable to activate and evaporate components of the aerosol precursor composition, the control body comprising: a shell; and within the shell, a power source connected to an electrical load and configured to provide power to the electrical load including the heating element when the control body is coupled to the cartridge; and an inductive receiver connected to the power source, the inductive receiver comprising a resonant receiver coupling device that induces alternating current when the resonant receiver coupling device is exposed to an oscillating magnetic field; and a rectifier configured to convert the alternating current into direct current, from which the power source can be recharged.

[0016] Embodiment 11: The control subject of any preceding embodiment or any combination thereof, wherein the power source is or includes a rechargeable supercapacitor, a rechargeable solid-state battery, or a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

[0017] By reading the following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings briefly described below, these and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent. The present disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements set forth in the present disclosure, regardless of whether such features or elements are explicitly combined or otherwise referenced in the specific example embodiments described herein. The present disclosure is intended to be read as a whole so that any separable features or elements of the present disclosure in its aspects and example embodiments should be considered combinable unless the context of the present disclosure clearly states otherwise.

[0018] Therefore, it will be understood that the present disclosure is provided only for the purpose of summarizing some example embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the present disclosure. Therefore, it will be understood that the example embodiments described above are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope or spirit of the present disclosure in any way. Other embodiments, aspects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the principles of some of the described embodiments by way of example. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Having thus described the present disclosure in the foregoing summary manner, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in which:

[0020] Figure 1 illustrates a side view of an aerosol delivery device including a cartridge coupled to a control body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of an aerosol delivery device according to various embodiments;

[0022] Figure 3 is a diagram of a system including an aerosol delivery device and a charger for the aerosol delivery device according to various embodiments;

[0023] Figure 4 and 5 A diagram illustrating various charger components and a control subject according to various embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The present disclosure will now be described more fully below with reference to embodiments of the present disclosure. These embodiments are described so that the present disclosure is thorough and complete, and the scope of the present disclosure is fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. In fact, the present disclosure can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the implementations set forth herein; on the contrary, these implementations are provided so that the present disclosure will meet applicable legal requirements. As used in the specification and the appended claims, unless the context clearly provides otherwise, the singular forms "a / an", "the" and similar terms include multiple indicators. In addition, although reference may be made here to quantitative measurements, values, geometric relationships, etc., unless otherwise stated, any one or more (if not all) of these references may be absolute or approximate to illustrate acceptable changes that may occur, such as changes due to engineering tolerances, etc.

[0025] As described below, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to aerosol delivery devices. Aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure use electrical energy to heat a material (preferably without burning the material to any significant extent) to form an inhalable substance; and the components of such systems are in the form of an article, most preferably a sufficiently compact type that is considered a handheld device. That is, the use of the components of the preferred aerosol delivery device does not result in the generation of smoke in the sense of an aerosol produced primarily as a byproduct of tobacco combustion or pyrolysis, but rather, the use of those preferred systems results in the generation of steam caused by the volatilization or evaporation of certain components incorporated therein. In some embodiments, the components of the aerosol delivery device may be characterized as an electronic cigarette, and those electronic cigarettes most preferably incorporate tobacco and / or components derived from tobacco, and thus deliver components derived from tobacco in the form of an aerosol.

[0026] The aerosol-generating member of certain preferred aerosol delivery devices can provide many of the sensations of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe used by lighting and burning tobacco (and thus inhaling tobacco smoke) (e.g., the inhalation and exhalation ritual, the type of taste or flavor, the sensory effect, the physical sensation, the ritual of use, visual cues such as those provided by a visible aerosol, etc.), without any substantial degree of combustion of any of its components. For example, a user of the aerosol-generating member of the present disclosure can hold and use the member much like a smoker uses a conventional type of smoking article, draw on one end of the member to inhale the aerosol generated by the member, take or draw puffs at selected time intervals, and so on.

[0027] Although the systems described herein are generally associated with embodiments in the context of aerosol delivery devices, such as so-called "e-cigarettes," it should be understood that the mechanisms, components, features, and methods may be implemented in different forms and in connection with various articles. For example, the descriptions provided herein may be used in conjunction with packaging of traditional smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), heat-not-burn cigarettes, and any of the articles disclosed herein. Thus, it should be understood that the descriptions of the mechanisms, components, features, and methods disclosed herein are discussed only by way of example in terms of embodiments related to aerosol delivery devices, and may be embodied and used in various other products and methods.

[0028] Aerosol delivery equipment of the present disclosure can also be characterized as steam generation goods or drug delivery goods.Therefore, this goods or equipment can be adapted to provide one or more materials (for example, flavoring agent and / or active pharmaceutical ingredient) in inhalable form or state.For example, inhalable material can be basically in steam form (that is, material in gas phase at a temperature lower than its critical point).Alternately, inhalable material can be aerosol form (that is, suspension of fine solid particles or droplets in gas).For simplicity, no matter whether visible and no matter whether it is a form that may be regarded as smoke-like, the term "aerosol" as used herein is intended to include steam, gas and aerosol of a form or type suitable for human inhalation.

[0029] In use, the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can be subjected to many of the physical actions that an individual employs in using a traditional type of smoking article (e.g., a cigarette, cigar, or pipe that is employed by lighting and inhaling tobacco. For example, a user of the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can hold the article much like a traditional type of smoking article, draw on one end of the article to inhale the aerosol generated by the article, take puffs at selected time intervals, and so on.

[0030] The aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure generally include several components provided within an outer body or outer shell (which may be referred to as a shell). The overall design of the outer body or shell may vary, and the type or configuration of the outer body that may define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device may vary. Typically, an elongated body having a shape similar to that of a cigarette or cigar may be formed by a single integral shell, or the elongated shell may be formed by two or more separable bodies. For example, an aerosol delivery device may include an elongated shell or body that may be substantially tubular in shape, and therefore resemble the shape of a conventional cigarette or cigar. In one embodiment, all components of the aerosol delivery device are contained within a shell. Alternatively, the aerosol delivery device may include two or more joined and separable shells. For example, an aerosol delivery device may have a control body at one end that includes a housing containing one or more reusable components (e.g., a battery such as a rechargeable battery and / or a supercapacitor and various electronic devices for controlling the operation of the article), and an outer body or housing at the other end that includes a disposable portion (e.g., a disposable flavored cartridge) that is removably coupled to the control body. More specific types, configurations, and arrangements of components within a single housing type unit or within a multi-piece detachable housing type unit will be apparent in view of the further disclosure provided herein. In addition, the designs and component arrangements of various aerosol delivery devices can be appreciated when considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices.

[0031] The aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure most preferably include some combination of the following components: a power source (i.e., a source of electrical power), at least one control component (e.g., a device for actuating, controlling, regulating, and stopping the power used for heat generation, such as by controlling the flow of current through the power source to other components of the article, such as a microprocessor alone or as part of a microcontroller), a heater or heat generating member (e.g., a resistive heating element or other component, which alone or in combination with one or more further components may generally be referred to as an "atomizer"), an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a liquid that is typically capable of producing an aerosol when sufficient heat is applied, such as ingredients commonly referred to as "smoke juice", "e-liquid", and "e-juice"), and a mouth end region or tip that allows suction on the aerosol delivery device to inhale the aerosol (e.g., a defined air flow path through the article so that the generated aerosol can be drawn therefrom when suction is applied).

[0032] The alignment of the components in the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can be changed.In a specific embodiment, the aerosol precursor composition can be located near the end of the aerosol delivery device, and the end of the aerosol delivery device can be configured to be positioned near the mouth of the user, so as to maximize the delivery of aerosol to the user. However, other configurations are not excluded.Usually, the heating element can be positioned sufficiently close to the aerosol precursor composition so that the heat from the heating element can volatilize the aerosol precursor (and one or more spices, medicines, etc. that can be provided for delivery to the user) and form an aerosol to deliver to the user.When the heating element heats the aerosol precursor composition, the aerosol is formed, released or generated in a physical form suitable for the consumer to inhale.It should be noted that the aforementioned terms mean that it is interchangeable, so that the reference to release (release, releasing, releases, or released) includes formation or generation (form or generate, forming or generating, forms or generates, and formed or generated). Especially, inhalable material is released in the form of steam or aerosol or its mixture, wherein these terms also can be used interchangeably in this article, unless otherwise stated.

[0033] As described above, the aerosol delivery device may include a battery or other electrical power source to provide current sufficient to provide various functions to the aerosol delivery device, such as power supply of a heater, power supply of a control system, power supply of an indicator, etc. The power supply may adopt various embodiments. Preferably, the power supply is capable of delivering sufficient power to quickly heat the heating element to provide aerosol formation and to power the aerosol delivery device by using the desired duration. Preferably, the size of the power supply is designed to be conveniently assembled in the aerosol delivery device so that the aerosol delivery device can be easily manipulated. In addition, the preferred power supply has a sufficiently light weight so as not to impair the desired smoking experience.

[0034] In view of the further disclosure provided below, more specific types, configurations, and arrangements of components within the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure will be apparent. In addition, the selection and arrangement of various aerosol delivery device components can be understood when considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Further, the arrangement of components within the aerosol delivery device can also be appreciated when considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Examples of commercially available products (for which components, methods of operation, materials included therein, and / or other attributes thereof may be included in the devices of the present disclosure) have been marketed as the following products: Philip Morris Incorporated's ALPHA by InnoVapor LLC TM、JOYE 510 TM and M4 TM ; CIRRUS by White Cloud Cigarettes TM and FLING TM ;BLU by Lorillard Technologies, Inc. TM ; COHITA International Inc. TM 、COLIBRI TM ,ELITE CLASSIC TM 、MAGNUM TM PHANTOM TM and SENSE TM ; DUOPRO by Electronic Cigarettes, Inc. TM 、STORM TM and EGAR by Egar Australia TM ; Joyetech eGo-T TM ; ELUSION by Elusion UK Ltd TM ; Eonsmoke LLC FIN Branding Group, LLC TM ;Green Smoke Inc.USA GREENARETTE by Greenarette LLC TM ;Smoke HALLIGAN TM 、HENDU TM 、JET TM , MAXXQ TM PINK TM and PITBULL TM ; HEATBAR by Philip Morris International, Inc. TM ; HYDRO IMPERIAL from Crown7 TM and LXE TM ;LOGICTechnology's LOGIC TM and THE CUBAN TM ;Luciano Smokes Inc. Nicotek, LLC Sottera, Inc. and ONEJOY TM SS Choice LLC’s No.7 TM ; PREMIUM ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE by PremiumEstoreLLC TM ; RAPP E-MYSTICK by Ruyan America, Inc. TM ; RED DRAGON of RedDragon Products, LLC TM ; Ruyan Group (Holdings) Ltd. SmokerFriendly International,LLC GREEN SMART by The Smart Smoking Electronic CigaretteCompany Ltd. SMOKE by Coast Line Products LLC SMOKING by Smoking Everywhere, Inc. V2CIGS by VMR Products LLC TM ; VAPOR NINE of VaporNine LLC TM ; Vapor 4 Life, Inc. VEPPO by E-CigaretteDirect, LLC TM ; AVIGO, VUSE, VUSECONNECT, VUSE FOB, VUSE HYBRID, ALTO, ALTO+, MODO, CIRO, FOX+FOG and SOLO+ by RJReynolds Vapor Company; MISTIC MENTHOL by Mistic Ecigs and VYPE by CN Creative Ltd. Still other electrically powered aerosol delivery devices and specifically those that have been characterized as so-called electronic cigarettes have been marketed under the following trade names: COOLERVISIONS TM 、DIRECT E-CIG TM 、DRAGONFLY TM EMIST TM 、EVERSMOKE TM , HYBRIDFLAME TM 、KNIGHT STICKS TM、ROYAL BLUES TM 、 SOUTH BEACH SMOKE TM 。

[0035] Additional manufacturers, designers and / or assignees of components and related technologies that may be employed in the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure include: Shenzhen Jieshibo Technology Co., Ltd. of Shenzhen, China; Shenzhen First United Technology Co., Ltd. of Shenzhen, China; Safe Cig, Inc. of Los Angeles, California; Janty Asia Company of the Philippines; Joyetech Changzhou Electronics of Shenzhen, China; SIS Resources; B2B International Holdings of Dover, Germany; Evolv LLC of Ohio; Montrade of Bologna, Italy; Bauway Technology of Shenzhen, China; Global Vapor Trademarks Inc. of Pompano Beach, Florida; Vapor Corp. of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Nemtra GMBH of Lachau-Markbach, Germany; Perrigo L., Inc. of Allegan, Michigan; L.Co.); Needs Co., Ltd.); Smokefree Innotec, Las Vegas, Nevada; McNeil AB, Helsingborg, Sweden; Chong Corp; Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Mountain View, California; BLEC, LLC, Charlotte, North Carolina; Gaitrend Sari, Rohrbach-Lebitt, France; FeelLife Bioscience International, Shenzhen, China; Vishay Electronic GMBH, Selb, Germany; Smaco Technology Ltd, Shenzhen, China; Vapor Systems International, Boca Raton, Florida; Exonoid Medical Devices, Israel; Shenzhen Nowotech Electronic, Shenzhen, China; Mini logic Device Corporation, Hong Kong, China; Shenzhen Kontie Electronics, Shenzhen, China Electronics; and Fuma International, LLC of Medina, Ohio, and 21st Century Smoke of Beloit, Wisconsin.

[0036] In various examples, the aerosol delivery device may include a reservoir configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition. The reservoir may be formed of a porous material (eg, a fibrous material), among other things, and may therefore be referred to as a porous substrate (eg, a fibrous substrate).

[0037] The fiber substrate used as a reservoir in an aerosol delivery device can be a woven or nonwoven material formed of a plurality of fibers or filaments, and can be formed of one or both of natural fibers and synthetic fibers. For example, the fiber substrate can include a glass fiber material. In a specific example, a cellulose acetate material can be used. In other example embodiments, a carbon material can be used. The reservoir can be substantially in the form of a container and can include a fiber material included therein.

[0038] Figure 1 A side view of an aerosol delivery device 100 including a control body 102 and a cartridge 104 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Specifically, Figure 1 The control body and the cartridge coupled to each other are shown. The control body and the cartridge are detachably configured in a functional relationship. Various mechanisms can be used to connect the cartridge to the control body, thereby producing threaded engagement, press-fit engagement, interference fit, magnetic engagement, etc. In some embodiments, when the cartridge and the control body are assembled together, the aerosol delivery device is substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical. The cross-section of the aerosol delivery device can also be substantially rectangular or rhombus-shaped, so that it can be better compatible with a substantially flat power source or a thin film power source (such as a power source including a flat battery). The cartridge and the control body may include a separate, separate housing or outer body formed by any of a variety of different materials. The housing may be formed by any suitable structurally sound material. In some examples, the housing may be formed by a metal or alloy such as stainless steel, aluminum, etc. Other suitable materials include various plastics (e.g., polycarbonate), metal-plating over plastic, ceramics, etc.

[0039] In some embodiments, one or both of the control body 102 and the cartridge 104 of the aerosol delivery device 100 can be referred to as disposable or reusable. For example, the control body can have a replaceable battery or a rechargeable battery, and can therefore be combined with any type of recharging technology, including connection to a typical wall socket, connection to a car charger (i.e., a cigarette lighter socket), connection to a computer (such as, via a universal serial bus (USB) cable or connector), connection to a photovoltaic cell (sometimes referred to as a solar cell) or a solar panel of a solar cell, or connection to an RF-DC converter. In addition, in some embodiments, the cartridge may include a disposable cartridge disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., which is cited in the present invention.

[0040] Figure 2 An aerosol delivery device 100 according to some embodiments is illustrated in greater detail. As seen in the cross-sectional view shown therein, the aerosol delivery device includes a control body 102 and a cartridge 104, each having a plurality of components. Figure 2The components illustrated in the figure are representative of the components that may be present in the control body and the cartridge, and are not intended to limit the scope of the components covered by the present disclosure. As shown, for example, the control body may be formed by a control body shell 206, which may include one or more of the following various electronic components: a control component 208 (e.g., a microprocessor alone or as part of a microcontroller), a flow sensor 210, a power supply 212, and one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) 214, (multiple) LEDs that allow quantum dots, etc., and the configuration of these components is variable. The power supply may include, for example, a battery (disposable or rechargeable), a rechargeable supercapacitor, a rechargeable solid-state battery (SSB), a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (LiB), etc., or some combination thereof. Some examples of suitable power supplies are provided in U.S. patent application serial number 14 / 918,926 filed by Sur et al. on October 21, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference. LEDs may be an example of suitable visual indicators that an aerosol delivery device may be equipped with. In addition to or as an alternative to visual indicators such as LEDs, quantum dot enabled LED(s), etc., other indicators such as audio indicators (e.g., speakers), tactile indicators (e.g., vibration motors), etc. may be included.

[0041] The cartridge 104 may be formed of a cartridge housing 216 that encloses a reservoir 218 configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition and includes a heater 222 (sometimes referred to as a heating element). In various configurations, this structure may be referred to as a tank; and accordingly, the terms "cartridge," "tank," and the like may be used interchangeably to refer to a housing or other enclosure that encloses a reservoir of an aerosol gas composition and includes a heater.

[0042] As shown, in some examples, the reservoir 218 can be in fluid communication with a liquid delivery element 220 that is adapted to wick or otherwise deliver an aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir housing to a heater 222. In some examples, a valve can be provided between the reservoir and the heater that is configured to control the amount of aerosol precursor composition transferred or delivered from the reservoir to the heater.

[0043] Various examples of materials that generate heat when an electric current flows can be used to form the heater 222. The heater in these examples can be a resistive heating element such as a wire coil, a micro heater, or the like. Example materials that can form the heating element include Kanthal (FeCrAl), Nichrome, stainless steel, MoSi 2), molybdenum silicide (MoSi), molybdenum disilicide doped with aluminum (Mo(Si,Al) 2 ), graphite and graphite-based materials (e.g., carbon-based foams and yarns), and ceramics (e.g., positive or negative temperature coefficient ceramics). Embodiments of heaters or heating members useful in aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure are further described below, and these embodiments may be included in aerosol delivery devices such as those described herein. Figure 2 In the device shown in the figure.

[0044] There may be an opening 224 in the cartridge housing 216 (eg, at the mouthpiece end) to allow the formed aerosol to be vented from the cartridge 104 .

[0045] The cartridge 104 may also include one or more electronic components 226, which may include integrated circuits, memory components (e.g., EEPROM, flash memory devices), sensors, etc. The electronic components may be adapted to communicate with the control component 208 and / or external devices via wired or wireless means. The electronic components may be located anywhere within the cartridge or its base 228.

[0046] Although the control component 208 and the flow sensor 210 are shown separately, it is understood that the various electronic components including the control component and the flow sensor can also be combined on an electronic printed circuit board (PCB) that supports and electrically connects these electronic components. Figure 1 In the illustration of , the air flow sensor is horizontally arranged in a manner parallel to the central axis of the control body in length. In some examples, the air flow sensor may include its own PCB or other base element to which it can be attached. In some examples, a flexible PCB may be utilized. The flexible PCB can be configured into a variety of shapes, including a substantially tubular shape. In some examples, the flexible PCB can be combined with a heater substrate, laminated to a heater substrate, or form part or all of a heater substrate.

[0047] The control body 102 and the cartridge 104 may include components suitable for facilitating fluid engagement therebetween. Figure 2 As shown, the control body may include a coupler 230 having a cavity 232 therein. The base 228 of the cartridge may be adapted to engage the coupler and may include a protrusion 234 that fits the cavity. Such engagement may facilitate a stable connection between the control body and the cartridge, as well as establishing an electrical connection between the power supply 212 and the control component 208 in the control body and the heater 222 in the cartridge. Further, the control body housing 206 may include an air inlet 236, which may be a notch on the housing connected to the coupler that allows air around the coupler to pass through and enter the housing, then pass through the cavity 232 of the coupler within the housing and enter the cartridge through the protrusion 234.

[0048] Couplers and mounts useful for the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0261495 to Novak et al., which is cited in the present invention. For example, Figure 2 In one embodiment, the coupler 230 shown in the figure can define a circle of outer periphery 238 and cooperate with the inner periphery 240 of base 228. In one example, the radius defined by the inner periphery of the base is substantially equal to or slightly greater than the radius of the outer periphery of the coupler. Further, the coupler can define one or more projections 242 on the outer periphery, and the projection is configured to engage with one or more grooves 244 defined on the inner periphery of the base. However, the examples of various other structures, shapes and parts can also be adopted to couple the base to the coupler. In some examples, the connection between the base of the cartridge 104 and the coupler of the control body 102 can be substantially permanent, but in other examples, it can be a detachable connection, so that for example the control body can be reused with one or more other disposable and / or replaceable cartridges.

[0049] In some examples, the aerosol delivery device 100 can be substantially rod-shaped or substantially tubular or substantially cylindrical. In other examples, further shapes and sizes are contemplated, for example, rectangular or triangular cross-sections, multi-faceted shapes, and the like.

[0050] Figure 2 As described above, the reservoir 218 shown in the figure can be a container or a fiber reservoir. For example, in this example, the reservoir can include one or more layers of non-woven fibers, which are essentially formed into a tube surrounding the interior of the cartridge shell 216. The aerosol precursor composition can be stored in the reservoir. For example, the liquid component can be stored in the storage device by adsorption. The reservoir can be fluidly connected to the liquid transport element 220. In this example, the liquid transport element can transfer the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir to the heater 222 in the form of a metal coil via capillary action. Therefore, the heater and the liquid transport element adopt a heating arrangement. Embodiments of reservoirs and transport elements used in aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure are further described below, and such reservoirs and / or transport elements can be included in the aerosol delivery devices described herein. Figure 2 Specifically, a specific combination of heating components and conveying elements as further described below can be incorporated into the device as described herein. Figure 2 In the device shown in the figure.

[0051] In use, when a user draws on the aerosol delivery device 100, the flow sensor 210 detects the airflow and the heater 222 is activated to vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition. Drawing at the mouthpiece end of the aerosol delivery device causes ambient air to enter the air inlet 236 and pass through the cavity 232 in the coupler 230 and the central opening in the protrusion 234 of the base 228. In the cartridge 104, the drawn air combines with the formed vapor to form an aerosol. The aerosol is carried away, sucked away or drawn away from the heater at the mouthpiece end of the aerosol delivery device and sucked out of the opening 224.

[0052] In some examples, the aerosol delivery device 100 may include a variety of additional software-controlled functions. For example, the aerosol delivery device may include a power protection circuit configured to detect the power input, the load on the power terminals, and the charging input. The power protection circuit may include short circuit protection, undervoltage lockout and / or overvoltage charging protection, battery temperature compensation. The aerosol delivery device may also include a component for ambient temperature measurement, and its control component 208 may be configured to control at least one functional element to prevent power charging, especially charging of any battery, before charging begins or when the ambient temperature during charging is below a certain temperature (e.g., 0°C) or above a certain temperature (e.g., 45°C).

[0053] The power delivery from the power source 212 can vary with each puff of the device 100 according to the power control mechanism. The device may include a "long puff" safety timer so that in the event that a user or component failure (e.g., flow sensor 210) causes the device to attempt to puff continuously, the control component 208 may control at least one functional element to automatically terminate the puff after a period of time (e.g., 4 seconds). Further, the time interval between multiple puffs of the device may be limited to less than a period of time (e.g., 100 seconds). If the control component of the aerosol delivery device or the software running on the aerosol delivery device becomes unstable and cannot provide the service of the watchdog safety timer within an appropriate time interval (e.g., 8 seconds), the timer may automatically reset the aerosol delivery device. In the event that the flow sensor 210 is defective or otherwise fails, further safety protection may be provided, such as by permanently disabling the aerosol delivery device to prevent unintentional heating. In the event that a pressure sensor failure causes the device to be continuously activated without stopping after a maximum puff time of 4 seconds, the puff limit switch may deactivate the device.

[0054] The aerosol delivery device 100 may include a puff tracking algorithm that locks the heater once a defined number of puffs has been taken from an attached cartridge (based on the number of available puffs calculated from the e-liquid feed in the cartridge). The aerosol delivery device may include a sleep, standby, or low power mode function whereby power delivery may be automatically cut off after a defined period of non-use. The control component 208 may be used to detect all charge / discharge cycles over the life of the power source 212, thereby providing further safety protection. After the power source has reached a predetermined number (e.g., 200) of full discharge and full recharge cycles, it may be declared exhausted, and the control component may control at least one functional element to prevent further charging of the power source.

[0055] The various components of an aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosure may be selected from those described in the art and commercially available.Examples of batteries that may be used according to the present disclosure are described in US Patent Application Publication No. 9,484,155 to Peckerar et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0056] The aerosol delivery device 100 may include a sensor 210 or other sensor or detector for controlling the electrical power provided to the heater 222 when aerosol generation is desired (e.g., when puffing during use). In this way, for example, a way or method is provided to disconnect the power to the heater when the aerosol delivery device is not puffing during use and to turn on the power during puffing to actuate or trigger the heater to heat. Other representative types of sensing or detection mechanisms, their structures and configurations, 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 to McCafferty et al., and PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2010 / 003480 to Flick, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0057] The aerosol delivery device 100 most preferably includes a control component 208 or another control mechanism for controlling the amount of electrical power to the heater 222 during puffing. Representative types of electronic components, their structures and configurations, their features, 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 Application Publication No. 9,423,152 to Ampolini et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication 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 by reference into the present invention.

[0058] Representative types of substrates, reservoirs, or other components for supporting aerosol precursors are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,528,569 to Newton, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0261487 to Chapman et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0059780 to Davis et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0216232 to Bless et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. In addition, various wicking materials within certain types of electronic cigarettes and the configuration and operation of those wicking materials are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 8,910,640 to Sears et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0059] Aerosol precursor compositions, also known as vapor precursor compositions, may include various components, including, for example, a polyol (eg, glycerol, propylene glycol, or a mixture thereof), nicotine, tobacco, tobacco extracts, and / or flavorings. Representative types of aerosol precursor components and formulations are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,217,320 to Robinson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 9,254,002 to Chong et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2013 / 0008457 to Zheng et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2015 / 0020823 to Lipowicz et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 2015 / 0020830 to Koller, and PCT Patent WO 2014 / 182736 to Bowen et al., and U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 222,615 to Watson et al., filed on July 28, 2016, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other aerosol precursors that may be employed include those already included in the RJ Reynolds Vapor Company's Aerosol precursors in the products of ANTI-Cigarettes, BLU™ products produced by Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, MISTIC MENTHOL products produced by Mistic Ecigs, and VYPE products produced by CN Creative Ltd. So-called "tobacco juice" for electronic cigarettes sold by Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC is also preferred.

[0060] Embodiments of foaming materials may be used with aerosol precursors 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. Further, the use of foaming materials is described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,368 to Niazi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,878 to Wehl ing et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,264 to Wehling et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,974,590 to Pather et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,667 to Bergquist et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,424,541 to Crawford et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,627,828 to Strickland et al., U.S. Pat. No. 9,307,787 to Sun et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2010 / 0018539 to Brinkley et al., and PCT WO 97 / 06786 to Johnson et al., all of which are incorporated by reference into the present invention. Additional descriptions of embodiments of aerosol precursor compositions, including descriptions of components containing cigarettes or tobacco, are provided in U.S. patent applications Serial Nos. 15 / 216,582 and 15 / 216,590, filed by Davis et al. on July 21, 2016, respectively, which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0061] Additional representative types of components that produce visual cues or indicators, such as visual indicators and related components, audio indicators, tactile indicators, etc., may be employed in the aerosol delivery device 100. Examples of suitable LED components and their configurations and uses are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,499,766 to Newton, U.S. Pat. No. 8,539,959 to Scatterday, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 9,451,791 to Sears et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0062] Other features, controls, or components that may be incorporated into the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,289 to Watkins et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,365,742 to Hon, U.S. Pat. No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005 / 0016550 to Katase ...auer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischauer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Hon, U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fernando et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fernando et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fernando et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fernando et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,56 U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 8,689,804 to Tucker et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0192623 to Tucker et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 9,427,022 to Leven et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0180553 to Kim et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0000638 to Sebastian et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0261495 to Novak et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 9,2220,302 to DePiano et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0063] As previously described, the control component 208 includes several electronic components and is formed as a PCB in some examples. The electronic components may include a microprocessor or processor core and a memory. In some examples, the control component may include a microcontroller with an integrated processor core and memory, and the microcontroller may further include one or more integrated input / output peripherals. In some examples, the control component may be coupled to a communication interface 246 to enable wireless communication with one or more networks, computing devices, or other appropriately enabled devices. An example of a suitable communication interface is described in Marions et al. in U.S. Patent No. 2016 / 0261020, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference into the present invention. Another example of a suitable communication interface is the CC3200 single-chip wireless microcontroller unit (MCU) from Texas Instruments. And examples of suitable ways in which an aerosol delivery device can be configured for wireless communication are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0007651 of Ampolini et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0219933 of Henry, Jr. et al., all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety into the present invention.

[0064] According to some embodiments, the power source 212 of the control body 102 may be a rechargeable power source and thus may be combined with any type of rechargeable technology. Inductive charging may be implemented according to examples of suitable wireless power transfer standards including the Qi wireless interface standard promulgated by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) interface standard developed by the PMA, the Rezence interface standard developed by the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), and the like. Figure 3 is a diagram of a system 300 including an aerosol delivery device 100 and a charger 302 for the aerosol delivery device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 3 As shown, the charger includes a housing 304, wherein the charger may have various components for inductively charging the power source 212 of the control body 102, such as Figure 4 and 5 It is shown in more detail in FIG. Figure 4 As shown in more detail in FIG. 4 , the charger includes an inductive 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 specifically the control body of the aerosol delivery device, includes an inductive receiver 408 connected to a power source 212, and the inductive receiver 408 includes a resonant receiver coupling device 410 and a rectifier 412. As shown, when the control body 102 is coupled to the cartridge 104, the power source is connected to an electrical load 414 including a heater 222. More specifically, the electrical load may include the control component 208 (and electronic components) and a heater, which may be coupled to the power source to form a circuit. This may additionally include, for example, a flow sensor 210, (a plurality of) LEDs 214, and the like.

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

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

[0068] Figure 5 It is shown that in some examples, the power supply 500 may correspond to the power supply 420. As shown, in some examples, the power supply includes a rechargeable supercapacitor 502, which is configured to supply power to the PWM inverter 406. In some further examples, the power supply also includes a terminal 506 connected to an energy source 504, and the rechargeable supercapacitor can be charged from the energy source. As previously described, for example, the control body 104 can be combined with any type of rechargeable technology (e.g., a wall charger, a car charger, a computer, a photovoltaic cell, a solar panel of a solar cell, a wireless RF-based charger). And in another example, the power supply also includes an energy source, and the energy source is or includes a rechargeable SSB or a rechargeable LiB.

[0069] The foregoing description of the manner of use of the article (or articles) can be applied to the various example embodiments described herein with minor modifications, which are obvious to those skilled in the art in view of the further disclosure provided herein. However, the above description of the manner of use is not intended to limit the manner of use of the article, but is in accordance with all necessary requirements of the disclosure of the present disclosure. Figure 1-5 Any of the elements illustrated in or shown in the article(s) otherwise described above may be included in an aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosure.

[0070] Thanks to the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the associated drawings, the technical personnel in the field to which the present disclosure relates will understand the many modifications and other embodiments of the present disclosure set forth herein. Therefore, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and its modifications and other embodiment schemes are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. In addition, although the foregoing description and the associated drawings describe embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and / or functions, it should be understood that different combinations of elements and / or functions can be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, combinations of elements and / or functions different from those combinations explicitly described above are also contemplated, as with some of those set forth in the appended claims. Although specific terms are used herein, these terms are used only in a general sense and descriptive sense, and not for restrictive purposes.

Claims

1. An aerosol delivery system comprising: an aerosol delivery device controllable to activate and vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition, the aerosol delivery device being provided with a power source connected to and configured to provide power to an electrical load including an atomizer, and an inductive receiver connected to the power source and comprising a resonant receiver coupling device; as well as A charger for the aerosol delivery device, the charger comprising an inductive transmitter, the inductive transmitter comprising a transmitter coupling device and a pulse width modulation (PWM) inverter configured to drive the transmitter coupling device, the PWM inverter comprising: a bridge circuit connected to the transmitter coupling device; as well as a PWM controller embodied as an integrated circuit and configured to output a PWM signal to the bridge circuit, the bridge circuit configured to drive the transmitter coupling device to generate an oscillating magnetic field and induce an alternating current when the resonant receiver coupling device is exposed to the oscillating magnetic field, the inductive receiver also including a rectifier configured to convert the alternating current into a direct current from which the power supply can be recharged, wherein the charger further comprises a power source, and the power source is or comprises a rechargeable supercapacitor and / or a rechargeable battery configured to supply power to the PWM inverter, and The charger further includes a constant voltage regulator, which is located between the power source and the PWM inverter. The constant voltage regulator includes a switching regulator or a linear regulator and is configured to maintain a constant voltage level in the PWM inverter.

2. The aerosol delivery system according to claim 1, characterized in that The power source is or includes a rechargeable supercapacitor or a rechargeable battery.

3. The aerosol delivery system according to claim 1, characterized in that The power source includes a rechargeable battery, and the rechargeable battery is or includes a rechargeable solid-state battery or a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

4. The aerosol delivery system according to claim 1, characterized in that The power source also includes terminals connectable to an energy source, from which the rechargeable supercapacitor or rechargeable battery can be charged.

5. The aerosol delivery system according to claim 4, characterized in that The power supply further comprises the energy source, the energy source is or comprises a rechargeable capacitor, and the energy source is or comprises a rechargeable battery.

6. The aerosol delivery system according to claim 1, characterized in that The bridge circuit is a half-bridge circuit composed of a pair of transistors and a pair of diodes.

7. The aerosol delivery system of claim 2, wherein: The power source includes a rechargeable battery, and the rechargeable battery is or includes a rechargeable solid-state battery or a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

8. The aerosol delivery system according to claim 5, characterized in that The rechargeable battery is or includes a rechargeable solid-state battery or a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

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