Differential pressure sensor for aerosol delivery device

Abstract

To provide an improved electronic device for aerosol delivery equipment that can extend the usefulness of the device. [Solution] The aerosol delivery device includes at least one housing, a heating element, a sensor, and a microprocessor coupled to the heating element and the sensor. The at least one housing surrounds a reservoir configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition. The sensor generates a measurement of the differential pressure between the ambient atmospheric pressure and the pressure caused by the airflow through at least a portion of the aerosol delivery device. The sensor also converts the measurement of the differential pressure into a corresponding electrical signal. The microprocessor receives the corresponding electrical signal and operates in active mode only when the differential pressure is at least a threshold differential pressure. In active mode, the microprocessor controls the heating element to activate and vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices such as smoking articles, and more particularly to aerosol delivery devices (e.g., smoking articles commonly referred to as electronic cigarettes) that may utilize electrically generated heat for aerosol generation. The smoking article may be configured to heat an aerosol precursor that can be manufactured from tobacco, derived from tobacco, or otherwise incorporate materials that can incorporate tobacco, and the precursor can form an inhalable substance for human consumption.

Background Art

[0002] Over the years, numerous devices have been proposed as improvements or alternatives to smoking products that require the combustion of tobacco for use. Many of these devices, so to speak, provide a sensation associated with smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, but are designed not to deliver the substantial amounts of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products resulting from the burning of tobacco. For this purpose, many alternative smoking products, flavor generators, and medicinal inhalers have been proposed that utilize electrical energy to vaporize or heat volatile materials, or attempt to provide the sensation of smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes without significantly burning tobacco. For example, see the various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and heat sources described in the background art of the following publications, all of which are incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 by Collett et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 by Griffith Jr. et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0000638 by Sebastian et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 by Sears et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096782 by Ampolini et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0059780 by Davis et al., and U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 222,615 filed on 28 July 2016. See also, for example, the various embodiments of the product and heating configuration described in the background art sections of U.S. Patent No. 5,388,594 by Counts et al. and U.S. Patent No. 8,079,371 by Robinson et al., which are incorporated by reference. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0000638 [Patent Document 4] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 [Patent Document 5] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096782 [Patent Document 6] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0059780 [Patent Document 7] U.S. Patent No. 5,388,594 [Patent Document 8] U.S. Patent No. 8,079,371 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] However, it may be desirable to provide aerosol delivery devices with improved electronic equipment that can extend the usefulness of the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] This disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices, methods for forming such devices, and elements of such devices. This disclosure includes, but is not limited to, the following exemplary embodiments.

[0006] Exemplary Embodiment 1: An aerosol delivery device comprising: at least one housing surrounding a reservoir configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition; a heating element; a sensor configured to generate a measurement of the differential pressure between ambient atmospheric pressure and the pressure caused by the airflow through at least a portion of the aerosol delivery device, and configured to convert the measurement of the differential pressure into a corresponding electrical signal; and a microprocessor coupled to the heating element and the sensor, the microprocessor receiving the corresponding electrical signal and configured to operate in an active mode only when the differential pressure is at least a threshold differential pressure, and the microprocessor in active mode is configured to control the heating element to activate and vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition.

[0007] Exemplary Embodiment 2: An aerosol delivery device of any of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments, wherein the sensor is a micro-electromechanical system-based (MEMS-based) sensor.

[0008] Exemplary Embodiment 3: An aerosol delivery device of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, wherein the sensor is a multidirectional electromechanical pressure sensor configured to generate a differential pressure measurement based on the pressure applied to the sensor in different directions.

[0009] Exemplary Embodiment 4: An aerosol delivery device of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, wherein the sensor and microprocessor are potted in a waterproof material, thereby making the sensor and microprocessor waterproof or resistant to water, an aerosol precursor composition, or vaporized components of an aerosol precursor composition.

[0010] Exemplary Embodiment 5: An aerosol delivery device of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, wherein the microprocessor responds to an electrical signal having only a predetermined frequency of a corresponding electrical signal from a sensor, preventing electrical signals having other frequencies from devices outside the aerosol delivery device from operating the microprocessor in active mode.

[0011] Exemplary Embodiment 6: The sensor is capable of operating in a frequency mode selectable from a plurality of frequency modes, and the microprocessor is configured to select and control the frequency mode of the sensor, the plurality of frequency modes including a first frequency mode and a second frequency mode, the first frequency mode being at a higher frequency, the power consumption by the sensor being lower, and the resolution of the measurement being lower, with the second frequency mode being at a lower frequency, the power consumption by the sensor being higher and the resolution of the measurement being higher, in any of the above-described exemplary embodiments or any combination of the above-described exemplary embodiments of an aerosol delivery device.

[0012] Exemplary Embodiment 7: A control body comprising a housing and a sensor configured to generate a measurement of the differential pressure between ambient atmospheric pressure and the pressure caused by an airflow through at least a portion of the control body, and configured to convert the measurement of the differential pressure into a corresponding electrical signal, and a microprocessor connected to the heating element and the sensor when the control body is connected to the cartridge, the microprocessor receiving the corresponding electrical signal and configured to operate in active mode only when the differential pressure is at least a threshold differential pressure, the active mode microprocessor configured to control the heating element to activate and vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition.

[0013] Exemplary Embodiment 8: A control body of any of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments, wherein the sensor is a micro-electromechanical system-based (MEMS-based) sensor.

[0014] Exemplary Embodiment 9: A control body of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, which is a multidirectional electromechanical pressure sensor configured to generate a differential pressure measurement based on pressure applied to the sensor in different directions.

[0015] Exemplary Embodiment 10: A control body of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, wherein the sensor and microprocessor are potted in a waterproof material, thereby making the sensor and microprocessor waterproof or resistant to water, an aerosol precursor composition, or vaporized components of an aerosol precursor composition.

[0016] Exemplary Embodiment 11: A control body of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, wherein the microprocessor responds to electrical signals from a sensor having only a predetermined frequency, thereby preventing electrical signals from devices outside the control body having other frequencies from operating the microprocessor in active mode.

[0017] Exemplary Embodiment 12: The sensor is capable of operating in a frequency mode selectable from a plurality of frequency modes, and the microprocessor is configured to select and control the frequency mode of the sensor, the plurality of frequency modes including a first frequency mode and a second frequency mode, the first frequency mode being at a higher frequency, the power consumption by the sensor being lower and the resolution of the measurement being lower, with the second frequency mode being at a lower frequency, the power consumption by the sensor being higher and the resolution of the measurement being higher, the control body of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments or any combination of any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0018] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the Disclosure will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description, along with the accompanying drawings which are briefly described below. The Disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements described herein, whether such features or elements are expressly combined in the specific exemplary embodiments described herein or otherwise enumerated. The Disclosure is intended to be read as a whole so that any separable features or elements of the Disclosure appear to be combinable in any aspect or exemplary embodiment, unless the context of the Disclosure clearly indicates otherwise.

[0019] Therefore, it is to be understood that this summary is provided only for the purpose of summarizing some exemplary embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the exemplary embodiments described above are merely examples and should never be construed as narrowing the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. Other exemplary embodiments, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings that illustrate the principles of some of the described exemplary embodiments by way of example.

[0020] Thus, the present disclosure has been described in the foregoing general terms and reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] [Figure 1] A side view of an aerosol delivery device including a cartridge coupled to a control body, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, is shown. [Figure 2] A partially cut-away view of an aerosol delivery device according to various exemplary embodiments.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to its exemplary embodiments. These exemplary embodiments are described so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. In fact, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy the applicable legal requirements. The singular forms "a", "an", "the", etc. used in this specification and the appended claims include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0023] As described below, exemplary 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 significantly burning the material) to form an inhalable substance. Components of such systems are in the form of articles small enough to be considered handheld devices, most preferably. That is, since the aerosol is mainly produced from the byproducts of the combustion or thermal decomposition of tobacco, no smoke is produced when using the components of preferred aerosol delivery devices; rather, when using those preferred systems, the result is the production of vapor due to the volatilization or vaporization of certain components incorporated therein. In some exemplary embodiments, components of aerosol delivery devices may be characterized as e-cigarettes, which most preferably incorporate tobacco and / or tobacco-derived components and thereby deliver tobacco-derived components in aerosol form.

[0024] A particular aerosol-generating component of a preferred aerosol delivery device can produce a number of sensations of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe (e.g., the form of inhalation and exhalation, the type of taste or flavor, the sensory stimulation effect, the physical feel, the form of use, the visual stimulation such as that produced by a visible aerosol) without any of its components substantially burning. For example, a user of the aerosol-generating component of the Disclosure can hold and use the component in the same way a smoker uses a conventional type of smoking article, inhaling the aerosol produced by the component from one end of the component, and puffing at selected time intervals.

[0025] While the systems described herein generally relate to embodiments of aerosol delivery devices such as so-called "electronic cigarettes," it should be understood that the mechanisms, components, features, and methods may be embodied in many different forms and relate to various articles. For example, the descriptions provided herein may be used in combination with conventional smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), heat-not-burn cigarettes, and related packaging embodiments for any of the products disclosed herein. Therefore, it should be understood that the descriptions of mechanisms, components, features, and methods disclosed herein are discussed merely as examples relating to embodiments of aerosol delivery devices and may be embodied and used in various other products and methods.

[0026] The aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure can also be characterized as vapor-generating articles or drug delivery articles. Such articles or devices can therefore be adapted to deliver one or more substances (e.g., flavors and / or pharmaceutically active ingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, the inhalable substance may be substantially in vapor form (i.e., a substance in the gas phase at a temperature below its critical point). Alternatively, the inhalable substance may be in aerosol form (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or droplets in a gas). For clarity, the term “aerosol” as used herein means including vapors, gases and aerosols in forms or types suitable for human inhalation, whether visible or in a form that can be considered fuzzy.

[0027] The aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may, when in use, undergo many of the physical actions performed by an individual when using conventional types of smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, or pipes used by lighting and inhaling a tobacco). For example, a user of the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may hold the article, which is very similar to conventional types of smoking articles, and inhale from one end of the article to inhale the aerosol generated by the article, or puff on it at selected time intervals.

[0028] The aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure generally include several components housed within an outer body or shell, which may be called a housing. The overall design of the outer body or shell is modifiable, and the form or configuration of the outer body, which can define the overall dimensions and shape of the aerosol delivery device, is modifiable. Typically, an elongated body resembling the shape of a cigarette or cigar may be formed from a single, integrated housing, or the elongated housing may be formed from two or more separable bodies. For example, an aerosol delivery device may include an elongated shell or body whose shape may be substantially tubular and thus resembling the shape of a conventional cigarette or cigar. In one example, all components of the aerosol delivery device are housed within a single housing. Alternatively, the aerosol delivery device may include two or more housings that are joined and separable. For example, an aerosol delivery device may have a control body at one end, which includes a housing for one or more reusable components (e.g., a rechargeable battery and / or a rechargeable supercapacitor, and various electronic devices for controlling the operation of the items), and at the other end, an outer body or shell that houses a disposable component (e.g., a disposable flavor-containing cartridge) that can be detachably connected thereto. More specific forms, configurations, and arrangements of components within a single-housing type unit or a multi-component separable housing type unit will become apparent in light of further disclosures provided herein. Furthermore, by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices, various aerosol delivery device designs and component arrangements can be understood.

[0029] The aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure most preferably includes any combination of a power source (i.e., an electrical power source), at least one control component (means for operating, controlling, regulating and stopping power for heating, such as by controlling the flow of 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 heating element (e.g., an electrical resistance heating element or other component) or a vibrating piezoelectric mesh, which may be commonly referred to as a “sprayer,” either alone or in combination with one or more further elements, an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a liquid that can generally produce an aerosol when sufficiently heated, such as components commonly referred to as “smoke juice,” “e-liquid,” and “e-juice”), and a mouth end region or tip that allows suction in the aerosol delivery device for aerosol inhalation (e.g., a defined airflow path through the article such that the generated aerosol can be drawn out upon inhalation).

[0030] The alignment of components within the aerosol delivery device of this disclosure is modifiable. In certain embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may be positioned near the end of the aerosol delivery device, which may be configured to be positioned close to the user's mouth, to maximize aerosol delivery to the user. However, other configurations are not excluded. Generally, a heating element may be positioned close enough to the aerosol precursor composition so that heat from the heating element volatilizes the aerosol precursor (as well as one or more flavorings, drugs, etc., which may be provided for delivery to the user), thereby forming an aerosol for delivery 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 inhalation by the consumer. It should be noted that the terms herein are paraphrasable to include form or generate, forming or generating, forms or generates, and formed or generated. Specifically, inhalable substances are released in the form of vapors, aerosols, or mixtures thereof, and such terms are used interchangeably herein unless otherwise specified.

[0031] As described above, the aerosol delivery device may incorporate a battery or other power source to provide sufficient current to provide various functions to the aerosol delivery device, such as powering a heater, a control system, or an indicator. The power source can take various embodiments. Preferably, the power source can deliver enough power to rapidly heat the heating element to provide aerosol formation and can power the aerosol delivery device throughout use for a desired duration. Preferably, the power source is sized to fit conveniently inside the aerosol delivery device so that the aerosol delivery device can be easily handled. Furthermore, a preferred power source is sufficiently lightweight so as not to impair the desired smoking experience.

[0032] More specific forms, configurations, and arrangements of components within the aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure will become apparent in light of the further disclosures provided below. Furthermore, by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices, the selection and arrangement of components in various aerosol delivery devices can be understood. Additional information regarding the forms, configurations, and arrangements of components within the aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure and commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices can be found in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 291,771, filed October 12, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0033] Figure 1 shows a side view of an aerosol delivery device 100 including a control body 102 and a cartridge 104 according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, Figure 1 shows the control body and cartridge connected to each other. The control body and cartridge may be detachably aligned in a functional relationship. Various mechanisms may connect the cartridge to the control body, resulting in screw engagement, press-fit engagement, interlocking fit, magnetic engagement, etc. In some exemplary embodiments, when the cartridge and control body are in an assembled configuration, the aerosol delivery device may be substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical. The aerosol delivery device may also have substantially rectangular, rhomboid, or triangular cross-sections, polyhedral shapes, etc., some of which may result in good compatibility with substantially flat or thin-film power sources, such as power sources including flat batteries.

[0034] The control body 102 and the cartridge 104 may each include separate housings or outer bodies which may be formed from one of several different materials. The housings may be formed from any suitable structurally stable material. In some examples, the housings may be formed from metals or alloys such as stainless steel or aluminum. Other suitable materials include various plastics (e.g., polycarbonate), metal plating on plastic, ceramics, and the like.

[0035] In some exemplary embodiments, either or both of the control body 102 or the cartridge 104 of the aerosol delivery device 100 may be described as disposable or reusable. For example, the control body may have a replaceable battery, a rechargeable battery (e.g., a rechargeable thin-film solid battery) or a rechargeable supercapacitor, or any combination thereof. Thus, the control body may be combined with any type of recharging technology, including connection to a typical wall outlet, connection to a car charger (i.e., a cigarette lighter socket), connection to a computer via a universal serial bus (USB) cable or connector, connection to a photovoltaic cell (sometimes called a solar cell) or a solar panel for a solar cell, wireless connection to radio frequency (RF), wireless connection to an induction-based charging pad or connection to an RF-DC converter. Furthermore, in some exemplary embodiments, the cartridge may include a disposable cartridge such as those disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,639 by Chang et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0036] Figure 2 further illustrates an aerosol delivery device 100 according to several exemplary embodiments. As can be seen in the cutaway diagram shown therein, the aerosol delivery device may also include a control body 102 and a cartridge 104, each containing several respective components. The components shown in Figure 2 are representative of components that may be present in the control body and cartridge and are not intended to limit the scope of components covered by this disclosure. As shown, for example, the control body may be formed from a control body shell 206 that may include control components 208 (e.g., a microprocessor individually or as part of a microcontroller), a flow sensor 210, a power supply 212 and one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 214, quantum dot-compatible LEDs, etc., and such components may be variably alignable. 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 any combination thereof. Some examples of suitable power sources are provided in U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 918,926, filed October 21, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference. Other examples of suitable power sources are provided in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0283855, published by Hawes et al., published by Fernando

[0037] LED214 may be an example of a suitable visual indicator that may be provided in the aerosol delivery device 100. In addition to visual indicators such as LEDs and quantum dot-compatible LEDs, other indicators such as audible indicators (e.g., speakers) and tactile indicators (e.g., vibration motors) may be included, or may be used in place of them.

[0038] The cartridge 104 can be formed from a cartridge shell 216 containing a heater 222 (sometimes called a heating element) surrounding a reservoir 218 configured to hold the aerosol precursor composition. In various configurations, this structure may also be called a tank. Thus, terms such as “cartridge” and “tank” can be used interchangeably to refer to the shell or other housing that surrounds the reservoir of the aerosol precursor composition and contains the heater.

[0039] As shown, in some examples, the reservoir 218 may be in fluid communication with a liquid transport element 220 configured to wick or otherwise transport the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir housing to the heater 222. In some examples, a valve may be located between the reservoir and the heater and configured to control the amount of aerosol precursor composition sent or delivered from the reservoir to the heater.

[0040] The heater 222 may be formed using various example materials configured to generate heat when an electric current is applied. These example heaters may be resistance heating elements such as wire coils and microheaters. Examples of materials that may form the heating element include Kanthal (FeCrAl), nichrome, 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 yarns) and ceramics (e.g., positive temperature coefficient ceramics or negative temperature coefficient ceramics). Exemplary embodiments of heaters or heating elements useful for aerosol delivery devices according to this disclosure are further described below and can be incorporated into devices such as those described herein.

[0041] An opening 224 may be present within the cartridge shell 216 (for example, at the mouth end) to allow the formed aerosol to be released from the cartridge 104.

[0042] The cartridge 104 may also include one or more electronic components 226, which may include integrated circuits, memory components (e.g., EEPROM, flash memory), sensors, etc. The electronic components may be configured to communicate with the control components 208 and / or external devices by wired or wireless means. The electronic components may be located anywhere within the cartridge or its base 228.

[0043] Although the control component 208 and the flow sensor 210 are shown separately, it should be understood that various electronic components, including the control component and the flow sensor, may be combined on an electronically printed circuit board (PCB) that supports and electrically connects the electronic components. Furthermore, the PCB may be oriented horizontally to the diagram in Figure 1, in that the PCB may be parallel in the longitudinal direction to the central axis of the control body. In some examples, the air flow sensor may include its own PCB or other base element to which it can be mounted. In some examples, a flexible PCB may be used. The flexible PCB may be configured in various shapes, including substantially tubular shapes. In some examples, the flexible PCB may be combined with a heater substrate, laminated on a heater substrate, or form part or all of a heater substrate.

[0044] The control body 102 and cartridge 104 may include components configured to facilitate fluid engagement between them. As shown in Figure 2, the control body may include a coupler 230 having a cavity 232 inside. The base 228 of the cartridge may be configured to engage with the coupler and may include a projection 234 configured to fit into the cavity. Such engagement facilitates a stable connection between the control body and the cartridge and establishes an electrical connection between the power supply 212 and control components 208 in the control body and the heater 222 in the cartridge. Furthermore, the control body shell 206 may include an air intake 236, which may be a notch in the shell, where the notch is connected to the coupler, allowing ambient air around the coupler to pass through and into the shell, then through the cavity 232 of the coupler, and into the cartridge via the projection 234.

[0045] Useful couplers and bases provided herein are described in Novak et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0261495, which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the coupler 230 may define an outer circumference 238 configured to pair with the inner circumference 240 of the base 228. In one example, the inner circumference of the base may define a radius substantially equal to or slightly larger than the radius of the outer circumference of the coupler. Furthermore, the coupler may define one or more protrusions 242 on its outer circumference configured to engage with one or more recesses 244 defined on the inner circumference of the base. However, the base may be connected to the coupler using various other example structures, shapes and components. In some examples, the connection between the base of the cartridge 104 and the coupler of the control body 102 may be substantially permanent, while in other examples the connection between them may be detachable, for example, the control body may be reused with one or more additional cartridges which may be disposable and / or refillable.

[0046] The reservoir 218 shown in Figure 2 may be a container or a fibrous reservoir, as described herein. For example, in this example, the reservoir may include one or more layers of nonwoven fibers substantially formed in the shape of a tube surrounding the interior of a cartridge shell 216. An aerosol precursor composition can be held within the reservoir. For example, liquid components may be adsorbed and held by the reservoir. The reservoir may be fluidly connected to a liquid transport element 220. In this example, the liquid transport element can transport the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir to a heater 222, which is in the form of a metal wire coil, by capillary action. Thus, the heater is in a heating arrangement with the liquid transport element. Exemplary embodiments of reservoirs and transport elements useful for aerosol delivery devices according to this disclosure are described below, and such reservoirs and / or transport elements may be incorporated into devices such as those described herein. In particular, certain combinations of heating members and transport elements, as described below, may be incorporated into devices such as those described herein.

[0047] In some examples, a microfluidic chip may be embedded in the reservoir 218, and the amount and / or mass of the aerosol precursor composition delivered from the reservoir may be controlled by a micropump, such as one based on microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology. The heater 222 may be configured to perform radio frequency induction heating of the aerosol precursor composition without physical contact with a wick or the aerosol precursor composition, as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 934,763 filed November 6, 2015 to Davis et al., which is incorporated by reference. Other exemplary embodiments of reservoirs and transport elements useful for aerosol delivery devices according to this disclosure are further described below, and such reservoirs and / or transport elements may be incorporated into devices such as those described herein. In particular, certain combinations of heating members and transport elements, as further described below, may be incorporated into devices such as those described herein. Other exemplary embodiments of reservoirs and transport elements useful for aerosol delivery devices according to this disclosure are described further below, and such reservoirs and / or transport elements may be incorporated into devices such as those described herein. In particular, certain combinations of heating members and transport elements, as described further below, may be incorporated into devices such as those described herein.

[0048] When used, the user inhales into 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. Inhalation at the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device draws ambient air into the intake port 236, passing 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 inhaled air combines with the formed vapor to form an aerosol. The aerosol is blown away from the heater, inhaled, or otherwise drawn out through the opening 224 in the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device.

[0049] In some examples, the aerosol delivery device 100 may include several additional software control functions. For example, the aerosol delivery device may include a power protection circuit configured to detect power input, load to power terminals, and charge input. The power protection circuit may include short-circuit protection, undervoltage lockout and / or overvoltage charge protection, and 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 prohibit power charging (in particular of any battery) if the ambient temperature falls below a certain temperature (e.g., 0°C) or exceeds a certain temperature (e.g., 45°C) before charging starts or during charging.

[0050] As an addition or alternative, in some examples, the control component 208 may include a microprocessor with an embedded analog-to-digital converter (ADC) useful for measuring the temperature of the heater 222. More specifically, for example, the microprocessor may be programmed to supply a fixed current to the heater and measure the voltage across the heater. The microprocessor may then be configured to calculate the heater's resistance (R=V / I), which changes with temperature, from the current and voltage. The resistance may then be used to determine the heater's temperature from a known relationship between the resistance and the temperature of the heater material. This relationship may be expressed in various forms, such as a lookup table.

[0051] Power delivery from power supply 212 may vary over the course of each revving using the device 100, according to a power control mechanism. The device may include a “long revving” safety timer so that if a user or component failure (e.g., flow sensor 210) causes the device to attempt continuous revving, the control component 208 may control at least one functional element to automatically terminate revving after a certain period (e.g., 4 seconds). Furthermore, the time between revvings using the device may be limited to less than a certain period (e.g., 100 seconds). The watchdog safety timer may automatically reset the aerosol delivery device if its control component or software running on the aerosol delivery device becomes unstable and fails to service the timer within a suitable time interval (e.g., 8 seconds). Further safety protections may be provided, such as permanently disabling the aerosol delivery device to prevent accidental overheating in the event of a defect or failure of the flow sensor 210. If the pressure sensor malfunctions and the device is continuously activated without stopping after a maximum revving time of 4 seconds, the rev limit switch may shut down the device.

[0052] The aerosol delivery device 100 may include a blow-tracking algorithm configured to lock out the heater when a defined number of blows are achieved for an installed cartridge (based on the number of available blows calculated in relation to the e-liquid filling in the cartridge). The aerosol delivery device may include sleep, standby, or low-power mode functions, thereby automatically shutting off power delivery after a defined period of inactivity. Additional safety protection may be provided in such a way that every charge / discharge cycle of the power supply 212 can be monitored by the control component 208 over its lifetime. After the power supply has reached a predetermined number of cycles (e.g., 200) equivalent to a full discharge and full recharge cycle, the power supply may be declared depleted, and the control component may control at least one functional element to prevent the power supply from being further charged.

[0053] Various components of the aerosol delivery device described herein can be selected from components described in the art and commercially available. Examples of batteries that can be used in accordance with this disclosure are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,484,155 by Peckerar et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0054] The aerosol delivery device 100 may incorporate a sensor 210 or another sensor or detector to control the supply of power to the heater 222 when aerosol generation is desired (for example, when drawn in during use). Thus, a configuration or method is provided for, for example, to turn off the power supply to the heater when not drawn in by the aerosol delivery device during use, and to turn on the power supply to activate or trigger the generation of heat by the heater during drawing. Additional representative types of sensing or detection mechanisms, their structures and configurations, their components, and their general methods of operation are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,261,424 by Sprinkel, Jr., U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 by McCafferty et al., and PCT Patent Application Publication WO2010 / 003480 by Flick, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0055] The aerosol delivery device 100 most preferably incorporates a control component 208 or another control mechanism for controlling the amount of power supplied to the heater 222 during suction. Typical types of electronic components, their structures and configurations, their characteristics, and their general methods of operation are all incorporated herein by reference in U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 by Gerth et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,947,874 by Brooks et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 by McCafferty et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 by Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,040,314 by Nguyen et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,205,622 by Pan, U.S. Patent Publication No. 8,881,737 by Collet et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 9,423,152 by Ampolini et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,439,454 by Fernando et al., and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0257445 by Henry et al.

[0056] Typical types of substrates, reservoirs, or other components for supporting aerosol precursors are described in Newton's U.S. Patent No. 8,528,569, Chapman et al.'s U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0261487, Davis et al.'s U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0059780, and Bless et al.'s U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0216232, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, various wicking materials and the composition and operation of those wicking materials in certain types of e-cigarettes are described in Sears et al.'s U.S. Patent No. 8,910,640, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0057] Aerosol precursor compositions, also called vapor precursor compositions, may contain a variety of components, such as polyhydric alcohols (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol, or mixtures thereof), nicotine, tobacco, tobacco extract, and / or flavorings. Representative types of aerosol precursor components and formulations are also described and characterized in U.S. Patent No. 7,217,320 by Robinson et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,254,002 by Chong et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 by Collett et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0008457 by Zheng et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0020823 by Lipowicz et al., and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0020830 by Koller, as well as PCT Patent Application Publication WO2014 / 182736 by Bowen et al. and U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 222,615 filed on 28 July 2016, and these disclosures are incorporated herein by reference. Other aerosol precursors that may be used include the aerosol precursors incorporated into RJReynolds Vapor Company's VUSE(R) products, Imperial Tobacco Group PLC's BLU(TM) products, Mistic Ecigs' MISTIC MENTHOL products, and CN Creative Ltd.'s VYPE products. The so-called "smoke juice" for e-cigarettes available from Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC is also desirable.

[0058] Embodiments of the foaming material can be used in conjunction with the aerosol precursor, and embodiments of the foaming material are described, for example, in Hunt et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0055494, which is incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, the use of foaming materials is described, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 4,639,368 by Niazi et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,178,878 by Wehling et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,223,264 by Wehling et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,974,590 by Pater et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,381,667 by Bergquist et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,424,541 by Crawford et al., and U.S. Patent No. 8,627,828 by Strickland et al., as well as in U.S. Patent No. 9,307,787 by Sun et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0018539 by Brinkley et al., and PCT Patent Application Publication WO97 / 06786 by Johnson et al. Further descriptions relating to embodiments of the aerosol precursor composition, including a description of tobacco or tobacco-derived components contained in the aerosol precursor composition, are provided in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 216,582 and U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 216,590, both filed on 21 July 2016, and are incorporated herein by reference.

[0059] Visual indicators and related components, auditory indicators, tactile indicators, and other components that provide visual stimuli, or representative additional types of indicators, may be used in the aerosol delivery device 100. Examples of suitable LED components, as well as their configurations and uses, are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,154,192 by Sprinkel et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,499,766 by Newton, U.S. Patent No. 8,539,959 by Scatterday, and U.S. Patent No. 9,451,791 by Sears et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0060] Further features, controls, or components that can be incorporated into the aerosol delivery apparatus of this disclosure are incorporated herein by reference to U.S. Patent No. 5,967,148 by Harris et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,934,289 by Watkins et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 by Counts et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 by Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,365,742 by Hon, U.S. Patent No. 8,402,976 by Fernando et al., and U.S. Patent Publications of Katase. This is described in U.S. Patent No. 2005 / 0016550, U.S. Patent No. 8,689,804 by Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0192623 by Tucker et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,427,022 by Leven et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0180553 by Kim et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014 / 0000638 by Sebastian et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014 / 0261495 by Novak et al., and U.S. Patent No. 9,220,302 by DePiano et al.

[0061] As described above, the control component 208 includes several electronic components, which in some examples may be formed from a PCB. The electronic components may include a microprocessor or processor core and memory. In some examples, the control component may include a microcontroller having 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 communication interface 246 to enable wireless communication with one or more networks, computing devices or other appropriately enabled devices. An example of a preferred communication interface is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0261020 by Marion et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Another example of a preferred communication interface is the CC3200 single-chip wireless microcontroller unit (MCU) from Texas Instruments. Furthermore, examples of preferred configurations in which the aerosol delivery device may be configured for wireless communication are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0007651 by Ampolini et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0219933 by Henry, Jr. et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0062] According to some exemplary embodiments, the flow sensor 210 is configured to generate a measurement of the differential pressure between the ambient atmospheric pressure and the pressure caused by the airflow through at least a portion of the aerosol delivery device 100. The sensor is configured to convert the measurement of the differential pressure into a corresponding electrical signal, and a control component 208 (e.g., a microprocessor) is configured to receive the corresponding electrical signal. In some examples, the control component responds to electrical signals from the sensor having only a predetermined frequency, preventing electrical signals from devices outside the aerosol delivery device having other frequencies from operating the microprocessor in active mode. Also in some examples, the sensor and at least the microprocessor among the control components are potted in a waterproof material to make the sensor and microprocessor waterproof or resistant to water, the aerosol precursor composition, or vaporized components of the aerosol precursor composition.

[0063] In some examples, the flow sensor 210 can operate in a frequency mode selectable from multiple frequency modes, and a control component 208 (e.g., a microprocessor) is configured to select the frequency mode of the sensor and control it accordingly. In these examples, the multiple frequency modes include a first frequency mode and a second frequency mode. The first frequency mode is at a higher frequency than the second frequency mode, with lower power consumption by the sensor and lower resolution of the measurement. The second frequency mode is at a lower frequency, with higher power consumption by the sensor and higher resolution of the measurement.

[0064] In the example involving the differential pressure sensor described above, the control component 208 is configured to operate in active mode only when the differential pressure is at least a threshold differential pressure. In active mode, the control component is configured to control the heater 222 (heating element) to activate and vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition. In some examples, the control component is configured to control the heater to vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition in proportion to the differential pressure, such that more components are vaporized at larger differential pressures and fewer components are vaporized at smaller differential pressures (above the threshold differential pressure).

[0065] In some examples, sensor 210 is a micro-electromechanical system-based (MEMS-based) sensor. In some examples, the sensor is a multidirectional electromechanical pressure sensor configured to generate differential pressure measurements based on pressure applied to the sensor in different directions. A suitable example of a MEMS-based sensor is the ZPA series MEMS atmospheric pressure sensor from Murata Manufacturing.

[0066] The foregoing description of the use of the articles(s) can be applied to the various exemplary embodiments described herein through minor modifications that may be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of further disclosures provided herein. However, the foregoing description of use is not intended to limit the use of the articles and is provided to satisfy all necessary requirements of the disclosure. Any elements shown in the articles shown in Figures 1 and 2, or otherwise described above, may be incorporated into the aerosol delivery apparatus according to the disclosure.

[0067] Many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure described herein will be conceivable to those skilled in the art, benefiting from the teachings presented in the preceding description and the accompanying drawings. Therefore, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, while the preceding description and the accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments in the context of specific exemplary combinations of elements and / or functions, it should be understood that different combinations of elements and / or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, various combinations of elements and / or functions other than those explicitly described above are also contemplated, for example, as described in some parts of the appended claims. Certain terms are used herein, but they are used in a general and descriptive sense only and not for limiting purposes.

Claims

1. Aerosol delivery device, A housing comprising at least one surrounding a reservoir configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition, Heating elements, A sensor configured to generate a measurement of the differential pressure between ambient atmospheric pressure and the pressure caused by the airflow passing through at least a portion of an aerosol delivery device, and configured to convert the measurement of the differential pressure into a corresponding electrical signal, Aerosol delivery device comprising a heating element and a microprocessor connected to a sensor, the microprocessor being configured to receive a corresponding electrical signal and to operate in active mode only when the differential pressure is at least a threshold differential pressure, and the microprocessor in active mode is configured to control the heating element to activate and vaporize components of an aerosol precursor composition.

2. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a micro-electromechanical system-based (MEMS-based) sensor.

3. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a multidirectional electromechanical pressure sensor configured to generate differential pressure measurements based on pressure applied to the sensor in different directions.

4. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor and microprocessor are potted in a waterproof material to make the sensor and microprocessor waterproof or resistant to water, an aerosol precursor composition, or vaporized components of an aerosol precursor composition.

5. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the microprocessor responds to an electrical signal from a sensor having only a predetermined frequency, thereby preventing electrical signals from an external device of the aerosol delivery device having other frequencies from operating the microprocessor in an active mode.

6. The sensor can operate in a selectable frequency mode from multiple frequency modes, and the microprocessor is configured to select and control the sensor's frequency mode. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the multiple frequency modes include a first frequency mode and a second frequency mode, the first frequency mode being at a higher frequency, having lower power consumption by the sensor and lower resolution of the measurement, with respect to the second frequency mode being at a lower frequency, having higher power consumption by the sensor and higher resolution of the measurement.

7. A control body connected to or connectable to a cartridge for forming an aerosol delivery device, the cartridge comprising a reservoir configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition and equipped with a heating element controllable to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition, the control body, The housing, and inside the housing, A sensor configured to generate a measurement of the differential pressure between ambient atmospheric pressure and the pressure caused by the airflow passing through at least a portion of the control body, and configured to convert the measurement of the differential pressure into a corresponding electrical signal, A control body comprising a microprocessor connected to a heating element and a sensor when the control body is connected to a cartridge, wherein the microprocessor is configured to receive a corresponding electrical signal and to operate in active mode only when the differential pressure is at least a threshold differential pressure, and the microprocessor in active mode is configured to control the heating element to activate and vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition.

8. The control body according to claim 7, wherein the sensor is a micro-electromechanical system-based (MEMS-based) sensor.

9. The control body according to claim 7, wherein the sensor is a multidirectional electromechanical pressure sensor configured to generate differential pressure measurements based on pressure applied to the sensor in different directions.

10. The control body according to claim 7, wherein the sensor and microprocessor are potted in a waterproof material to make the sensor and microprocessor waterproof or resistant to water, an aerosol precursor composition, or vaporized components of an aerosol precursor composition.

11. The control body according to claim 7, wherein the microprocessor responds to an electrical signal having only a predetermined frequency of a corresponding electrical signal from a sensor, preventing electrical signals of other frequencies from devices outside the control body from operating the microprocessor in an active mode.

12. The sensor can operate in a selectable frequency mode from multiple frequency modes, and the microprocessor is configured to select and control the sensor's frequency mode. The control body according to claim 7, wherein the multiple frequency modes include a first frequency mode and a second frequency mode, the first frequency mode being at a higher frequency, having lower power consumption by the sensor and lower resolution of the measurement, with respect to the second frequency mode being at a lower frequency, having higher power consumption by the sensor and higher resolution of the measurement.

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