Quasi-resonant flyback converter for induction-based aerosol delivery devices

Abstract

An aerosol delivery device is provided, comprising an aerosol precursor composition and a quasi-resonant flyback converter configured to vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition to generate an aerosol. [Solution] The quasi-resonant flyback converter 1700 includes a transformer 1702 containing an inductive transmitter L1 and an inductive receiver, and a capacitor C that forms a tank circuit together with the inductive transmitter. The quasi-resonant flyback converter also includes a transistor that can be switched in the cycle to cause the inductive transmitter to generate an oscillating magnetic field, induce an alternating voltage in the inductive receiver when exposed to the oscillating magnetic field, and cause the alternating voltage to generate heat in the inductive receiver, thereby vaporizing the components of the aerosol precursor composition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices such as electronic cigarettes and non-combustion heated tobacco, and more particularly to induction-based aerosol delivery devices. The aerosol delivery device may be configured to heat an aerosol precursor composition made from, extracted from, or otherwise incorporating tobacco to form an inhalable substance for human consumption.

Background Art

[0002] Over the years, many smoking articles have been proposed as improved or alternative smoking articles based on combusting tobacco for use. Exemplary alternatives include devices in which a solid fuel or a liquid fuel is combusted to transfer heat to the tobacco or in which a chemical reaction is used to provide such a heat source. Examples include the smoking article described in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The point of improvements or alternatives to smoking articles is typically to provide the sensation associated with smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe without delivering a significant amount of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products. To this end, numerous smoking products, flavoring agents, and medicinal inhalers have been proposed that attempt to provide the sensation of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe without using electrical energy to vaporize or heat volatile materials or burning tobacco to a significant degree. See, for example, U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 to Griffith Jr. et al.; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 to Sears et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, see also, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0220232 to Bless et al., which lists various types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electric heating sources referenced by the brand name and brand provider, and this patent is incorporated herein by reference. Additional types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electric heating sources referenced by the brand name and brand provider are enumerated in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0245659 to DePiano et al., and this patent is also incorporated herein by reference.As described, other representative cigarettes or smoking articles sold on the market are referred to in some examples in U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; U.S. Patents No. 4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,875 to Brooks et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,388,594 to Counts et al.; Hi U.S. Patent No. 5,666,977 for ggins et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,053,176 for Adams et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,164,287 for White; U.S. Patent No. 6,196,218 for Voges; U.S. Patent No. 6,810,883 for Felter et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,854,461 for Nichols; U.S. Patent No. 7,832,410 for Hon; U.S. Patent No. 7,513 for Kobayashi U.S. Patent Publication No. 253; U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 for Robinson et al.; U.S. Patent No. 7,896,006 for Hamano; U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 for Shayan; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009 / 0095311 for Hon; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006 / 0196518, No. 2009 / 0126745, and No. 2009 / 0188490 for Hon; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009 / 0 This includes the patents described in Patent No. 272379; U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2009 / 0260641 and 2009 / 0260642 to Monsees et al.; U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2008 / 0149118 and 2010 / 0024834 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 to Wang; and the patents described in International Publication No. 2010 / 091593 to Hon, which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] Representative products that share many of the attributes of traditional cigarettes, cigars, or pipes include: ACCORD(R) by Philip Morris Incorporated; ALPHA(TM), JOYE 510(TM), and M4(TM) by InnoVapor LLC; CIRRUS(TM) and FLING(TM) by White Cloud Cigarettes; BLU(TM) by Lorillard Technologies; COHITA(TM) by EPUFFER(R) International; COLIBRI(TM); ELITE CLASSIC(TM); MAGNUM(TM); PHANTOM(TM) and SENSE(TM); DUOPRO(TM); STORM(TM) and VAPORKING(R) by Electronic Cigarettes; EGAR(TM) by Egar Australia; eGo-C(TM) and eGo-T(TM) by Joyetech; ELUSION(TM) by Elusion UK Ltd; EONSMOKE(R) by Eonsmoke LLC; FIN(TM) by FIN Branding Group, LLC; and Green (USA). SMOKE(R) by Smoke Inc.; GREENARETTE(TM) by Greenarette LLC; HALLIGAN(TM), HENDU(TM), JET(TM), MAXXQ(TM), PINK(TM), and PITBULL(TM) by Smoke Stik(R); HEATBAR(TM) by Philip Morris International; HYDRO IMPERIAL(TM) and LXE(TM) from Crown7; LOGIC(TM) and THE CUBAN(TM) by LOGIC Technology; LUCI(R) by Luciano Smokes Inc.; METRO(R) by Nicotek, LLC; NJOY(R) and ONEJOY(TM) by Sottera Inc.; NO. by SS Choice LLC.7(TM); PREMIUM ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE(TM) by PremiumEstore LLC; RAPP E-MYSTICK(TM) by Ruyan America; RED DRAGON(TM) by Red Dragon Products, LLC; RUYAN(R) by Ruyan Group(Holdings)Ltd; SF(R) by Smoker Friendly International, LLC; GREEN SMARTSMOKER(R) by Smart Smoking Electronic Cigarette Company Ltd; SMOKE ASSIST(R) by Coastline Products LLC; SMOKING EVERYWHERE(R) by Smoking Everywhere; V2CIGS(TM) by VMR Products LLC; VAPOR NINE(TM) by VaporNine LLC; VAPOR4LIFE(R) by VAPOR 4 LIFE; VEPPO(TM) by E-CigaretteDirect, LLC; VUSE(R) by RJReynolds Vapor Company; MISTIC MENTHOL products by Mistic Ecigs; and CN Creative It is sold as a Vype product by Ltd. Furthermore, other electric aerosol delivery devices, particularly those characterized as so-called e-cigarettes, are sold under the brand names COOLER VISIONS™; DIRECT E-CIG™; DRAGONFLY™; EMIST™; EVERSMOKE™; GAMUCCI®; HYBRID FLAME™; KNIGHT STICKS™; ROYAL BLUES™; SMOKETIP®; and SOUTH BEACH SMOKE™. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 [Patent Document 4] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 [Patent Document 5] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0220232 [Patent Document 6] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0245659 [Patent Document 7] U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 [Patent Document 8] U.S. Patent No. 4,922,901 [Patent Document 9] U.S. Patent No. 4,947,874 [Patent Document 10] U.S. Patent No. 4,947,875 [Patent Document 11] U.S. Patent No. 5,060,671 [Patent Document 12] U.S. Patent No. 5,249,586 [Patent Document 13] U.S. Patent No. 5,388,594 [Patent Document 14] U.S. Patent No. 5,666,977 [Patent Document 15] U.S. Patent No. 6,053,176 [Patent Document 16] U.S. Patent No. 6,164,287 [Patent Document 17] U.S. Patent No. 6,196,218 [Patent Document 18] U.S. Patent No. 6,810,883 [Patent Document 19] U.S. Patent No. 6,854,461 [Patent Document 20] U.S. Patent No. 7,832,410 Specification [Patent Document 21] U.S. Patent No. 7,513,253 Specification [Patent Document 22] U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 Specification [Patent Document 23] U.S. Patent No. 7,896,006 Specification [Patent Document 24] U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 Specification [Patent Document 25] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0095311 Specification [Patent Document 26] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006 / 0196518 Specification [Patent Document 27] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0126745 Specification [Patent Document 28] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0188490 Specification [Patent Document 29] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0272379 Specification [Patent Document 30] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0260641 Specification [Patent Document 31] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0260642 Specification [Patent Document 32] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008 / 0149118 Specification [Patent Document 33] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0024834 Specification [Patent Document 34] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 Specification [Patent Document 35] International Publication No. 2010 / 091593 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0006] Products that produce the taste and sensation of smoking by electrically heating tobacco or tobacco-derived materials have suffered from inconsistent performance characteristics. Electrically heated smoking devices have often been further limited by the need for large battery capacity. Therefore, it is desirable to provide smoking articles that can provide the sensation of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe without substantial combustion, and that do so by induction heating. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This disclosure relates to an aerosol delivery device configured to generate an aerosol, which in some embodiments may be called an e-cigarette or a non-combustion heated tobacco device. As described below, the aerosol delivery device includes a quasi-resonant flyback converter with a transformer, which includes an inductive transmitter and an inductive receiver. The inductive transmitter may include a coil configured to produce an oscillating magnetic field (e.g., a magnetic field that changes in a cycle over time) when an alternating current is directed through it. The inductive receiver may be at least partially received within the inductive transmitter and may also include a conductive material. Thus, by directing an alternating current through the inductive transmitter, eddy currents can be generated within the inductive receiver via induction. Eddy currents flowing through the resistance of the material defining the inductive receiver may heat the inductive receiver by Joule heating. Thus, the inductive receiver, which may define an atomizer, can be heated wirelessly to form an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition positioned in close proximity to the inductive receiver. As used herein, wireless heating refers to heating occurring through an atomizer that is not physically or electrically connected to an (electrical) power source.

[0008] This disclosure includes, without limitation, examples of the following exemplary embodiments.

[0009] Exemplary Embodiment 1: An aerosol delivery device comprising an aerosol precursor composition and a quasi-resonant flyback converter configured to vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition to generate an aerosol, wherein the quasi-resonant flyback converter comprises a transformer including an inductive transmitter and an inductive receiver; a capacitor forming a tank circuit together with the inductive transmitter; and a transistor, the transistor being switchable to cause the inductive transmitter to generate an oscillating magnetic field and induce an alternating voltage in the inductive receiver when exposed to the oscillating magnetic field, the alternating voltage causing the inductive receiver to generate heat and vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition, each cycle comprising an on-interval and an off-interval, during which the transistor is switched on and current flows through the inductive transmitter A quasi-resonant flyback converter is an aerosol delivery device that enables the inductive transmitter to generate a magnetic field from which the inductive transmitter stores energy, and during the off-interval, the transistor is switched off, disabling the current through the inductive transmitter and causing the magnetic field to collapse, which in turn causes energy to be transferred from the inductive transmitter to the inductive receiver, charging the capacitor and generating a voltage waveform at the drain of the transistor, with two input terminals between the capacitor and the drain of the transistor, and further comprising a comparator coupled on both sides of the capacitor, the comparator being configured to detect a trough in the voltage waveform during the off-interval when the transistor is switched off and generate an output accordingly to switch the transistor on during the on-interval.

[0010] Exemplary Embodiment 2: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, wherein the aerosol precursor composition comprises a solid tobacco material, a semi-solid tobacco material, or a liquid aerosol precursor composition.

[0011] Exemplary Embodiment 3: A quasi-resonant flyback converter further comprising a first voltage divider and a second voltage divider whose inputs are coupled to both sides of a capacitor, and two input terminals of a comparator which are coupled to the outputs of the first voltage divider and the second voltage divider, and thus coupled to both sides of the capacitor, in any of the above-described exemplary embodiments or any combination of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0012] Exemplary Embodiment 4: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, wherein the comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, the coprocessor also configured to implement a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller which receives the output from the comparator and is configured accordingly to drive a transistor to be switched on for an on-interval.

[0013] Exemplary Embodiment 5: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, wherein the coprocessor is coupled to a comparator and a PWM controller and further configured to realize a glitch filter between the comparator and the PWM controller, the glitch filter is configured to receive the output of the comparator and remove glitch pulses therefrom to produce a filtered output, and the PWM controller is configured to receive the filtered output and accordingly drive a transistor to be switched on for an on-interval.

[0014] Exemplary Embodiment 6: The coprocessor is an aerosol delivery device embodied as a programmable system-on-a-chip (PSoC) of any of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments.

[0015] Exemplary Embodiment 7: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, wherein the comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, the coprocessor also configured to implement a glitch filter configured to receive the output of the comparator and remove glitch pulses therefrom.

[0016] Exemplary Embodiment 8: The coprocessor is an aerosol delivery device, embodied as a programmable system-on-a-chip (PSoC), according to any of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments or any combination thereof.

[0017] Exemplary Embodiment 9: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, wherein the comparator is realized by a coprocessor, which is embodied as a programmable system-on-chip (PSoC), and is configured to realize a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller, a glitch filter coupled to the comparator and the PWM controller, and between the comparator and the PWM controller, the glitch filter being configured to receive the output of the comparator and remove glitch pulses therefrom to produce a filtered output, and the PWM controller being configured to receive the filtered output and accordingly drive a transistor to be switched on for an on-interval.

[0018] Exemplary Embodiment 10: An aerosol delivery device, in any of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments or any combination thereof, in which the comparator is realized by individual electronic components or a circuit composed of discrete electronic components.

[0019] Exemplary Embodiment 11: The transistor has a drain-source on-resistance (R) that is inversely proportional to the switching time of the transistor and inversely proportional to the time it takes for an AC voltage to be induced in the inductive receiver and heat to be generated.DS(on) an aerosol delivery device having any of the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments, or any combination of any of the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments.

[0020] Exemplary Embodiment 12: An aerosol delivery device further comprising a power supply connected to an electrical load including a transformer, wherein the power supply is configured to supply current to the load, and the amount of heat generated in the induction receiver is directly proportional to the intensity of the current supplied by the power supply, according to any of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments or any combination thereof.

[0021] Exemplary Embodiment 13: An aerosol delivery device, according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, comprising a power supply comprising a rechargeable primary battery and a rechargeable secondary battery arranged in parallel.

[0022] Exemplary Embodiment 14: An aerosol delivery device according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, wherein the induction receiver includes a coil, and the amount of heat generated by the induction receiver is directly proportional to the length of the coil.

[0023] Exemplary Embodiment 15: A control body for an aerosol delivery device, the control body comprising a housing and; a quasi-resonant flyback converter within the housing, the housing having an opening defined at one end thereof, the opening defining a heating end and a mouth end, and configured to receive an aerosol source member containing an aerosol precursor composition, the quasi-resonant flyback converter comprising: a transformer including an inductive transmitter and an inductive receiver; a capacitor forming a tank circuit together with the inductive transmitter; and a transistor, the transistor being switchable in a cycle to cause the inductive transmitter to generate an oscillating magnetic field and induce an alternating voltage in the inductive receiver when exposed to the oscillating magnetic field, the alternating voltage causing the inductive receiver to generate heat, and when the aerosol source member is inserted into the housing, vaporizing the components of the aerosol precursor composition to generate an aerosol, each cycle having an on-interval and an off-interval and The control body for an aerosol delivery device includes, during the on-interval, a transistor is switched on, allowing current to flow through the inductive transmitter, causing the inductive transmitter to generate a magnetic field from which it stores energy; during the off-interval, the transistor is switched off, disabling current through the inductive transmitter, causing a collapse of the magnetic field, which results in the transfer of energy from the inductive transmitter to the inductive receiver, charging a capacitor and generating a voltage waveform at the drain of the transistor; the quasi-resonant flyback converter further comprises a comparator coupled on both sides of the capacitor, with two input terminals between the capacitor and the drain of the transistor, the comparator is configured to detect a trough in the voltage waveform during the off-interval when the transistor is switched off, and generate an output accordingly to switch the transistor on during the on-interval.

[0024] Exemplary Embodiment 16: A control body according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, of a quasi-resonant flyback converter, further comprising a first voltage divider and a second voltage divider, the inputs of which are coupled to both sides of a capacitor, and the two input terminals of a comparator, which are coupled to the outputs of the first voltage divider and the second voltage divider, respectively, and thus to both sides of the capacitor.

[0025] Exemplary Embodiment 17: A control body according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, wherein the comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, the coprocessor also configured to implement a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller configured to receive the output from the comparator and, accordingly, drive a transistor to be switched on for an on-interval.

[0026] Exemplary Embodiment 18: A control body according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, wherein the comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, the coprocessor also configured to implement a glitch filter configured to receive the output of the comparator and remove glitch pulses therefrom.

[0027] Exemplary Embodiment 19: A control body according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, wherein the comparator is realized by a coprocessor, which is realized as a programmable system-on-a-chip (PSoC), and is configured to realize a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller, a glitch filter coupled to the comparator and the PWM controller, and between the comparator and the PWM controller, the glitch filter being configured to receive the output of the comparator and remove glitch pulses therefrom to produce a filtered output, and the PWM controller being configured to receive the filtered output and accordingly drive a transistor to be switched on for an on-interval.

[0028] Exemplary Embodiment 20: The comparator is a control body of any of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, which is realized by individual electronic components or a circuit consisting of discrete electronic components.

[0029] Exemplary Embodiment 21: A control body for an aerosol delivery device, the control body comprising a housing and a quasi-resonant flyback converter located within the housing, the housing being coupled to or capable of coupling with a cartridge containing an inductive receiver and an aerosol precursor composition, the quasi-resonant flyback converter comprising: an inductive transmitter forming a transformer together with the inductive receiver; a capacitor forming a tank circuit together with the inductive transmitter; and a transistor, the transistor being switchable in a cycle to cause the inductive transmitter to generate an oscillating magnetic field, and when the housing is coupled to the cartridge and the inductive receiver is exposed to the oscillating magnetic field, the transistor to induce an alternating voltage within the inductive receiver, the alternating voltage causing the inductive receiver to generate heat, thereby vaporizing the components of the aerosol precursor composition and generating an aerosol, each cycle comprising an on-interval and an off-interval, and In the inter-interval, the transistor is switched on, allowing current to flow through the inductive transmitter, causing the inductive transmitter to generate a magnetic field from which it stores energy; in the off-interval, the transistor is switched off, disabling current through the inductive transmitter, causing a collapse of the magnetic field, which results in the transfer of energy from the inductive transmitter to the inductive receiver, charging the capacitor and generating a voltage waveform at the drain of the transistor; the quasi-resonant flyback converter further comprises a comparator coupled on both sides of the capacitor, between the two input terminals, the capacitor and the drain of the transistor, the comparator is configured to detect a trough in the voltage waveform during the off-interval when the transistor is switched off, and generate an output accordingly to switch the transistor on during the on-interval.

[0030] Exemplary Embodiment 22: A control body according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, of a quasi-resonant flyback converter, further comprising a first voltage divider and a second voltage divider, the inputs of which are coupled to both sides of a capacitor, and the two input terminals of a comparator, which are coupled to the outputs of the first voltage divider and the second voltage divider, and thus to both sides of the capacitor.

[0031] Exemplary Embodiment 23: A control body according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, wherein the comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, the coprocessor also configured to implement a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller which receives the output from the comparator and, accordingly, drives a transistor to be switched on for an on-interval.

[0032] Exemplary Embodiment 24: A control body according to any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, wherein the comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, the coprocessor also configured to implement a glitch filter configured to receive the output of the comparator and remove glitch pulses therefrom.

[0033] Exemplary Embodiment 25: The comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, which is implemented as a programmable system-on-chip (PSoC), and is also configured to implement a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller, a glitch filter between the comparator and the PWM controller, and between the comparator and the PWM controller. A control body according to any of the above exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, wherein a glitch filter is configured to receive the output of a comparator, remove glitch pulses therefrom, thereby generating a filtered output, and a PWM controller is configured to receive the filtered output and accordingly drive a transistor to be switched on for an on-interval.

[0034] Exemplary Embodiment 26: The comparator is a control body of any of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments, or any combination thereof, which is realized by individual electronic components or a circuit consisting of discrete electronic components.

[0035] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the Disclosure will become apparent from 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 particular exemplary embodiments described herein or otherwise enumerated. The Disclosure is intended to be read as a whole so that, unless the context of the Disclosure clearly indicates otherwise, any separable features or elements of the Disclosure are considered to be combinable in any aspect or exemplary embodiment.

[0036] Therefore, it should be understood that this brief overview is provided solely for the purpose of summarizing some exemplary embodiments to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that the above exemplary embodiments are merely examples and should not be construed in any way as to narrow the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. Other exemplary embodiments, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description, together with the accompanying drawings illustrating the principles of some described exemplary embodiments.

[0037] While the above general terminology has been used to describe this disclosure, please refer to the attached drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to a specific scale. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0038] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of an aerosol delivery device comprising coupled cartridges and a control body, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] A perspective view of an aerosol delivery device comprising a control body and cartridges separated from each other, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is an exploded assembly view of the control body, in which the induction transmitter defines a tubular configuration, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view of the control body in Figure 1, in which the induction transmitter defines a tubular configuration, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view of the control body in Figure 1, in which the inductive transmitter defines a coil-shaped configuration according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 1 is an exploded view of the cartridge, according to an exemplary embodiment, in which the substrate extends into an internal compartment defined by the container. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge shown in Figure 1, according to an exemplary embodiment, in which the substrate extends into an internal compartment defined by the container. [Figure 8] This is a cross-sectional view of the aerosol delivery device of Figure 1, including the control body of Figure 3 and the cartridge of Figure 6, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a perspective view of an aerosol delivery device comprising coupled control bodies and an aerosol source member, according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] This is a perspective view of an aerosol delivery device comprising a control body and an aerosol source member, separated from each other, according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11]This is a front view of an aerosol delivery device according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol delivery device according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 13] This is a front view of an aerosol delivery device according to another exemplary embodiment. [Figure 14] This is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol delivery device according to another exemplary embodiment. [Figure 15] This is a front view of a support cylinder according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 16] This is a cross-sectional view of a support cylinder according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 17] This figure shows a quasi-resonant flyback converter according to several exemplary embodiments. [Figure 18] This figure shows a quasi-resonant flyback converter according to several exemplary embodiments. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0039] This disclosure is described more fully below with reference to its exemplary embodiments. These exemplary embodiments are described in such a way as to make this disclosure thorough and complete and to adequately convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. In fact, this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein; rather, these embodiments are provided to satisfy the legal requirements to which this disclosure is applicable. As used in the specification and the appended claims, singular nouns such as “a,” “an,” “the,” etc., refer to multiple subjects unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Also, while this specification may refer to quantitative measures, values, geometric relationships, etc., unless otherwise specified, one or more of these may be absolute values ​​or approximations to describe acceptable variations that may occur due to technical tolerances, etc.

[0040] 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 burning the material to a significant degree) to form an inhalable substance; and components of such systems have the form of articles that are compact enough to be considered handheld devices. That is, the use of preferred aerosol delivery device components does not result in the production of smoke in the sense that the aerosol is mainly produced from by-products of the combustion or thermal decomposition of tobacco; rather, the use of these preferred systems results in the production of vapor resulting from 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 thus deliver tobacco-derived components in aerosol form.

[0041] Aerosol generators of certain preferred aerosol delivery devices can provide many of the sensations of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe used by igniting and burning (and thus inhaling tobacco smoke) without causing any substantial degree of combustion of any of its components (e.g., the act of inhaling and exhaling, the type of taste or flavor, sensory effects, physical sensations, the act of use, and visual cues such as those provided by the visible aerosol). For example, a user of the aerosol generator of the Disclosure can hold and use the element in the same way a smoker uses a traditional type of smoking article, drawing one end of the element for inhalation of the aerosol produced by the element and puffing at selected time intervals.

[0042] While this specification generally describes embodiments relating to 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 may be associated with a variety of articles. For example, the descriptions provided herein may be used in conjunction with embodiments of relevant packaging for traditional smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), non-combustible heated cigarettes, and any of the products disclosed herein. Therefore, it should be understood that the descriptions of mechanisms, components, features, and methods disclosed herein are discussed in terms of embodiments relating to aerosol delivery devices as examples only and may be embodied and used in a variety of other products and methods.

[0043] The aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure may also be characterized as vapor products 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 simplicity, the term “aerosol” as used herein means including vapors, gases and aerosols, whether visible or not, and regardless of whether they are in a form or type suitable for human inhalation, and regardless of whether they can be considered similar to smoke.

[0044] During use, the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may be subject to many of the physical actions taken by an individual when using traditional types of smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, which are utilized by lighting and inhaling the tobacco). For example, a user of the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure may hold the article, which is very similar to a traditional type of smoking article, and may inhale one end of the article and puff at selected time intervals to inhale the aerosol produced by the article.

[0045] The aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure generally include several components housed within an outer body or shell, which may also be referred to as a housing. The overall design of the outer body or shell may vary, and the style or configuration of the outer body may differ, which may define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device. Typically, an elongated body resembling the shape of a cigarette or cigar may be formed from a single, integrally molded housing, or the elongated housing may be formed from two or more separable bodies. For example, an aerosol delivery device may be substantially tubular in shape and may comprise an elongated shell or body, and thus may resemble 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 comprise two or more housings that are joined and separable. For example, an aerosol delivery device may have a control body at one end, comprising a housing that contains one or more reusable components (e.g., an accumulator such as a rechargeable battery and / or a rechargeable supercapacitor, and various electronic devices for controlling the operation of the item), and an outer body or shell at the other end, comprising a disposable component thereto that is detachably connected (e.g., a disposable cartridge containing flavor). More specific forms, configurations, and arrangements of components within a single housing-type unit or within a multi-component separable housing-type unit will be evident in light of further disclosures provided herein. Furthermore, considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices, various designs and component arrangements of aerosol delivery devices can be understood.

[0046] The aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure most preferably comprise a power source (i.e., an electrical power source), at least one control component (means for operating, controlling, regulating and stopping the power to generate heat, for example, by controlling the flow of current from the power source to other components of the aerosol delivery device), a heater (e.g., an electric resistance heater or an induction heater, or one or more components commonly referred to as part of the “atomizer”), an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a solid tobacco material, a semi-solid tobacco material, or a liquid aerosol precursor composition), and any combination of a mouth end region or tip (e.g., an air channel defined to pass through the article so that the generated aerosol can be drawn out there upon inhalation).

[0047] The alignment of components within the aerosol delivery device of this disclosure may be modified. 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 in order to maximize aerosol delivery to the user. However, other configurations are not excluded. Generally, the heater may be positioned close enough to the aerosol precursor composition so that heat from the heater can volatilize the aerosol precursor (as well as one or more flavorings, drugs, etc., which may also be provided for delivery to the user) and form an aerosol for delivery to the user. When the heater heats the aerosol precursor composition, the aerosol is formed, released, or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by the consumer. Note that the terms used herein are interchangeable to include form or generate, forming or generating, and formed or generated. Specifically, inhalable substances are released in the form of vapors, aerosols, or mixtures thereof, and such terms are also used interchangeably herein unless otherwise specified.

[0048] As described above, the aerosol delivery device may incorporate a battery or other power source to supply sufficient current to provide the aerosol delivery device with various functionalities, such as powering the heater, powering the control system, and powering the indicator. The power source can take various embodiments. Preferably, the power source is capable of delivering sufficient power to rapidly activate the heater to provide aerosol formation and to power the aerosol delivery device through use for a desired duration. The power source is preferably 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.

[0049] More specific forms, configurations, and arrangements of the components within the aerosol delivery devices of this disclosure will become apparent in light of the further disclosures provided below. Furthermore, the selection of components for various aerosol delivery devices can be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Furthermore, the arrangement of components within the aerosol delivery devices can also be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices.

[0050] As described below, this disclosure relates to an aerosol delivery device. The aerosol delivery device may be configured to generate an aerosol by heating an aerosol precursor composition. The aerosol precursor composition may comprise one or more of solid tobacco materials, semi-solid tobacco materials, and liquid aerosol precursor compositions. In some embodiments, the aerosol delivery device may be configured to heat a fluid aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a liquid aerosol precursor composition) to generate an aerosol therefrom. Such an aerosol delivery device may include a so-called e-cigarette.

[0051] Representative types of liquid aerosol precursor components and formulations are described and characterized in U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al.; U.S. Patent No. 9,254,002 to Chong et al.; and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013 / 0008457 to Zheng et al.; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0020823 to Lipowicz et al.; and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0020830 to Koller, as well as International Publication No. 2014 / 182736 to Bowen et al.; and U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., and these disclosures are incorporated herein by reference. Other aerosol precursors that may be used include aerosol precursors incorporated into any of the representative products identified above. Also desirable is the so-called “smoke juice” for e-cigarettes available from Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC. Embodiments of foaming materials may be used in conjunction with aerosol precursors, as described, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0055494 to Hunt et al., which is incorporated by reference into the present invention. Furthermore, the use of foaming materials is described, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 4,639,368 to Niazi et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,178,878 to Wehling et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,223,264 to Wehling et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,974,590 to Pater et al.; U.S. Patent No. 7,381,667 to Bergquist et al.; U.S. Patent No. 8,424,541 to Crawford et al.; U.S. Patent No. 8,627,828 to Strickland et al.; and U.S. Patent No. 9,307,787 to Sun et al., as well as U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010 / 0018539 to Brinkley et al.; and International Patent Publication No. 97 / 06786 to Johnson et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0052] In other embodiments, the aerosol delivery device may also comprise a non-combustion heating device configured to heat a solid aerosol precursor composition (e.g., an extruded tobacco rod) or a semi-solid aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a glycerin-containing tobacco paste). Representative types of solid and semi-solid aerosol precursor compositions and formulations are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,424,538 to Thomas et al.; U.S. Patent No. 8,464,726 to Sebastian et al.; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0083150 to Conner et al.; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0157052 to Ademe et al.; and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017 / 0000188 to Nordskog et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0053] Regardless of the type of aerosol precursor composition to be heated, the aerosol delivery device may include a heater configured to heat the aerosol precursor composition. In some embodiments, the heater is an induction heater. Such a heater often comprises an induction transmitter and an induction receiver. The induction transmitter may include a coil configured to produce an oscillating magnetic field (e.g., a magnetic field that changes in a cycle over time) when an alternating current is passed through it. The induction receiver may be at least partially received within the induction transmitter and may also include a conductive material. By passing an alternating current through the induction transmitter, eddy currents can be generated within the induction receiver via induction. Eddy currents flowing through the resistance of the material defining the induction receiver may heat it by Joule heating (i.e., by the Joule effect). The induction receiver may also define an atomizer, which may be wirelessly heated to form an aerosol from the aerosol precursor composition placed in close proximity to the induction receiver.

[0054] The amount of heat generated by an inductive receiver may be proportional to the square of the current multiplied by the electrical resistance of the inductive receiver material. In embodiments of inductive receivers containing ferromagnetic materials, heat may also be generated by magnetic hysteresis loss. Several factors contribute to the temperature rise of the inductive receiver, including but not limited to proximity to the inductive transmitter, magnetic field distribution, electrical resistivity of the inductive receiver material, saturation magnetic flux density of the material, skin effect or depth, hysteresis loss, susceptibility, permeability, and dipole moment.

[0055] In this regard, both the inductive transmitter and the inductive receiver may include conductive materials. For example, the inductive transmitter and / or inductive receiver may include a variety of conductive materials, including metals such as copper and aluminum, alloys of conductive materials (e.g., diamagnetic, paramagnetic, or ferromagnetic materials), or other materials such as ceramics or glass embedded with one or more conductive materials. In another embodiment, the inductive receiver may include conductive particles. In some embodiments, the inductive receiver may be coated with or otherwise include a thermally conductive passivation layer (e.g., a thin layer of glass).

[0056] In some examples, the inductive transmitter and receiver may form an electrical transformer. In some examples, the transformer and associated circuitry, including a PWM inverter, may be configured to operate according to a preferred wireless power transmission standard, such as the Qi interface standard developed by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) interface standard developed by the Power Matters Alliance (PMA), or the Rezence interface standard developed by the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP).

[0057] In some embodiments, the aerosol delivery device may include a control body and a cartridge in the case of a so-called e-cigarette, or a control body and an aerosol supply member in the case of a non-combustion heating device. In either the case of an e-cigarette or a non-combustion heating device, the control body may be reusable, while the cartridge / aerosol supply member may be configured for a limited number of uses and / or be configured for single use. The cartridge / aerosol supply member may contain an aerosol precursor composition. To heat the aerosol precursor composition, a heater may be positioned in close proximity to the aerosol precursor composition, for example, across the control body and cartridge, or within the control body in which the aerosol supply member can be positioned. The control body may include a power supply that may be rechargeable or replaceable, thereby allowing the control body to be reused with multiple cartridges / aerosol supply members. The control body may also include a flow sensor for detecting when the user inhales the cartridge / aerosol supply member.

[0058] In more specific embodiments, one or both of the control unit and the cartridge / aerosol source component may be referred to as disposable or reusable. For example, the control unit may have a power source such as a replaceable or rechargeable battery, a solid cell, a thin-film solid cell, or a rechargeable supercapacitor, and may therefore be combined with any type of recharging technology, including connection to a wall charger, connection to a car charger (i.e., a cigarette lighter receptacle), and connection to a computer via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable or connector (USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, USB Type-C), a solar cell (sometimes referred to as a solar cell) or connection of a solar cell to a solar panel, or a wireless radio frequency (RF) based charger. Furthermore, in some embodiments in the case of e-cigarettes, the cartridge may include a single-use cartridge as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0059] Examples of power sources are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,484,155 to Peckerar et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0112191 to Sur et al., filed on 21 October 2015, and these disclosures are incorporated herein by reference. With respect to flow sensors, typical current regulating components, and other current control components including various microcontrollers, sensors, and switches for aerosol delivery devices, are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., all of which are described in U.S. Patents No. 4,922,901, 4,947,874 and 4,947,875 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., and U.S. Patent No. 8,205,622 to Pan, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Also, see the control scheme described in U.S. Patent No. 9,423,152 to Ampolini et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0060] Further components may also be used in the aerosol delivery device of this disclosure.For example, U.S. Patent No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al. discloses an indicator for smoking articles; U.S. Patent No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr. discloses a piezoelectric sensor associated with the mouthpiece of a device that detects the movement of the user's lips associated with inhaling and subsequently triggers heating of the heating device; U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al. discloses a blow sensor for controlling the flow of energy to a heating load array in response to a pressure drop through the mouthpiece; U.S. Patent No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al. discloses receptacles within smoking devices that include an identifier for detecting non-uniformity of the infrared transmittance of an inserted component and a controller that performs a detection routine when a component is inserted into the receptacle; U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al. describes a defined, viable power cycle with multiple differential phases; U.S. Patent No. 5,967,148 to Watkins et al. U.S. Patent No. 34,289 discloses photonic optronic components; U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al. discloses means for changing inhalation resistance throughout a smoking device; U.S. Patent No. 6,803,545 to Blake et al. discloses specific battery configurations for use in a smoking device; U.S. Patent No. 7,293,565 to Griffen et al. discloses various charging systems for use with a smoking device; U.S. Patent No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al. discloses computer interface means for a smoking device to facilitate charging and enable computer control of the device; U.S. Patent No. 8,689,804 to Fernando et al. discloses identification systems for a smoking device; and Flick's International Publication No. 2010 / 003480 discloses a fluid flow sensing system indicating puffing in an aerosol generating system; all of the aforementioned disclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0061] Further examples of materials or components that may be used herein with respect to electronic aerosol delivery articles include U.S. Patent No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,666,977 to Higgins et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,053,176 to Adams et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,164,287 to White; U.S. Patent No. 6,196,218 to Voges; U.S. Patent No. 6,810,883 to Felter et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,854,461 to Nichols; U.S. Patent No. 7,832,410 to Hon; U.S. Patent No. 7,513,253 to Kobayashi; U.S. Patent No. 7,896,006 to Hamano; U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 to Shayan; U.S. Patent No. U.S. Patent Nos. 8,156,944 and 8,375,957 for Japan; U.S. Patent No. 8,794,231 for Thorens et al.; U.S. Patent No. 8,851,083 for Oglesby et al.; U.S. Patent Nos. 8,915,254 and 8,925,555 for Monsees et al.; U.S. Patent No. 9,220,302 for DePiano et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006 / 0196518 for Hon This includes the specification of the patent application No. 2009 / 0188490; the U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0024834 to Oglesby et al.; the U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0307518 to Wang; the International Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 091593 to Hon; and the International Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 089551 to Foo, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Furthermore, the U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0099877 to Worm et al. discloses a capsule that may be included in an aerosol delivery device, and a fob-shaped configuration for an aerosol delivery device, which is incorporated herein by reference.Various materials disclosed in the aforementioned documents can be incorporated into the present device in various embodiments, and all of the aforementioned disclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0062] Figures 1 to 8 illustrate embodiments of an aerosol delivery device, including a control body and a cartridge, in the case of an e-cigarette. More specifically, Figure 1 shows an aerosol delivery device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the aerosol delivery device may include a control body 102 and a cartridge 104. The control body and cartridge can be aligned permanently or detachably in a functional relationship. In this regard, Figure 1 shows an aerosol delivery device in a coupled configuration, while Figure 2 shows an aerosol delivery device in a disconnected configuration. Various mechanisms may be used to connect the cartridge to the control body, resulting in screw engagement, press-fit engagement, interlocking fit, magnetic engagement, and the like. When the cartridge and control body are assembled, the aerosol delivery device may be substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical in some embodiments.

[0063] Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the control body 102 of an aerosol delivery device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the control body may comprise an induction transmitter 302, an outer body 304, a flow sensor 306 (e.g., a blow sensor or pressure switch), control components 308 (e.g., a microprocessor, individually or as part of a microcontroller, a printed circuit board (PCB) containing the microprocessor and / or microcontroller, etc.), a spacer 310, a power supply 312 (e.g., a battery that may be rechargeable and / or a rechargeable supercapacitor), a circuit board 314 with indicators (e.g., light-emitting diodes (LEDs)), a connector circuit 316, and an end cap 318.

[0064] In one embodiment, the indicator 314 may comprise one or more LEDs, quantum dot-based LEDs, and the like. The indicator can communicate with the control component 308 through the connector circuit 316 and may be illuminated, for example, while the user is inhaling from a cartridge coupled to the control body 102 (e.g., cartridge 104 in Figure 2) when detected by the flow sensor 306. The end cap 318 may be adapted to make visible the illumination provided beneath it by the indicator. Thus, the indicator may be illuminated during the use of the aerosol delivery device 100 to mimic the ignition end of a smoking article. However, in other embodiments, the indicator may be provided in various numbers, may take on different shapes, and may even be an opening in the outer body (for example, to emit sound when such an indicator is present).

[0065] Each component of the control body 102 may be at least partially received within the outer body 304. The outer body may extend from the engaging end 304' to the outer end 304''. The end cap 318 may be positioned at the outer end of the outer body and engaged with it. Thereafter, the end cap, which may be translucent or transparent, may be illuminated by the indicator 314 to mimic the ignition end of a smoking article or to perform other functions as described above. The opposite engaging end of the outer body may be configured to engage with the cartridge 104.

[0066] Figure 4 schematically shows a partial cross-sectional view of the control body 102 adjacent to the engaging end 304' of the outer body 304. As shown, the induction transmitter 302 may extend near the engaging end of the outer body. In one embodiment, the induction transmitter may be defined as a tubular configuration, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. As shown in Figure 4, the induction transmitter may include a coil support 402 and a coil 404. The coil support may be defined as a tubular configuration and may be configured to support the coil so that the coil does not move and come into contact with an induction receiver or other structure, thereby preventing a short circuit. The coil support may include a non-conductive material which may be substantially transparent to the oscillating magnetic field generated by the coil. The coil may be embedded in the coil support or otherwise coupled to the coil support. In the illustrated embodiment, the coil is engaged with the inner surface of the coil support to reduce any losses associated with transmitting the oscillating magnetic field to the induction receiver. However, in other embodiments, the coil may be positioned on the outer surface of the coil support or completely embedded in the coil support. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the coil may include electrical traces or wires printed on or otherwise coupled to the coil support. In any embodiment, the coil can have a helical configuration.

[0067] In an alternative embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the induction transmitter 302 may include a coil 404 without a coil support 402. In each embodiment, the induction transmitter may define an internal chamber 406 into which the induction transmitter extends.

[0068] As further shown in Figures 3 to 5, in some embodiments, the induction transmitter 302 may be coupled to a support member 320. The support member may be configured to engage with the induction transmitter and support it within the outer body 304. For example, the induction transmitter may be embedded in or otherwise coupled to the support member so that the induction transmitter is fixed and positioned within the outer body. In another example, the induction transmitter may be injection molded into the support member.

[0069] The support member 320 may engage with the inner surface of the outer body 304 to provide alignment of the support member with respect to the outer body. As a result of the fixed coupling between the support member and the inductive transmitter 302, the longitudinal axis of the inductive transmitter can extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the outer body. Thus, the inductive transmitter can be positioned so as not to contact the outer body in order to avoid the transmission of current from the inductive transmitter to the outer body. However, in some embodiments, as shown in Figure 5, an optional insulator 502 may be positioned between the inductive transmitter 302 and the outer body 304 to prevent contact between them. As can be understood, the insulator and support member may include any non-conductive material such as insulating polymers (e.g., plastic or cellulose), glass, rubber, and porcelain. Alternatively, the inductive transmitter may contact the outer body in embodiments where the outer body is formed from a non-conductive material such as plastic, glass, rubber, or porcelain.

[0070] As will be described in detail below, the induction transmitter 302 may be configured to receive current from the power supply 312 and wirelessly heat the cartridge 104 (see, for example, Figure 2). Thus, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the induction transmitter may include an electrical connector 408 configured to supply current thereto. For example, the electrical connector may connect the induction transmitter to a control component. Thereafter, the current from the power supply may be selectively directed to the induction transmitter when controlled by the control component. For example, the control component 312 may direct current from the power supply (see, for example, Figure 3) to the induction transmitter when the flow sensor 306 detects inhalation in the aerosol delivery device 100. The electrical connector may include, as an example, terminals, wires, or any other embodiment, which are configured to transmit current through them. Furthermore, the electrical connector may include a negative electrical connector and a positive electrical connector.

[0071] In some embodiments, the power supply 312 may comprise a battery and / or a rechargeable supercapacitor capable of supplying DC. As described elsewhere in this specification, the operation of the aerosol delivery device may require directing an AC current to the induction transmitter 302 to generate an oscillating magnetic field in order to induce eddy currents in the induction receiver. Thus, in some embodiments, the control component 308 of the control body 102 may include an inverter or inverter circuit configured to convert the DC supplied by the power supply into an AC current supplied to the induction transmitter.

[0072] Figure 6 shows an exploded assembly view of a cartridge 600, which in some examples may correspond to cartridge 104 in Figure 1. As shown, the cartridge 600 may include an induction receiver 602, an outer body 604, a container 606, a sealing member 608, and a substrate 610 which may contain an aerosol precursor composition. The outer body 604 may extend between the engaging end 604' and the outer end 604''. Some or all of the remaining components of the cartridge 600 may be positioned at least partially inside the outer body 604.

[0073] The cartridge 600 may additionally include a mouthpiece 612. The mouthpiece 612 may be integrated with the outer body 604 or the container 606, or it may be a separate component. The mouthpiece 612 may be positioned at the outer end 604'' of the outer body 604.

[0074] Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the assembled cartridge 600. As shown, the container 606 may be received within the outer body 604. Furthermore, the sealing member 608 can engage with the container 606 to define the internal compartment 614. As further shown in Figure 7, in some embodiments, the sealing member 608 may also engage with the outer body 604.

[0075] In some embodiments, the sealing member 608 may include an elastic material such as rubber or silicone. In these embodiments, the sealing member 608 can be compressed to form a tight seal with the container 606 and / or the outer body 604. Adhesives may be used to further improve the sealing between the sealing member 608 and the container 606 and / or between the sealing member 608 and the outer body 604. In other embodiments, the sealing member 608 may include an inelastic material such as plastic or metal. In these embodiments, the sealing member 608 may be bonded or welded (e.g., via ultrasonic welding) to the container 606 and / or the outer body 604. Thus, through one or more of these mechanisms, the sealing member 608 can close and substantially seal the internal compartment 614.

[0076] The induction receiver 602 may be engaged with the sealing member 608. In one embodiment, the induction receiver 602 may be partially embedded in the sealing member 608. For example, the induction receiver 602 may be injection molded into the sealing member 608 so that a tight seal and connection is formed between them. Thus, the sealing member 608 can hold the induction receiver in a desired position. For example, the induction receiver 602 may be positioned such that its longitudinal axis extends substantially coaxially with the longitudinal axis of the outer body 604.

[0077] Furthermore, the substrate 610 may engage with the sealing member 608. In one embodiment, the substrate 610 may extend through the sealing member 608. In this regard, the sealing member 608 may define an opening 616 extending through it, through which the substrate 610 is received. This allows the substrate 610 to extend into the internal compartment 614. For example, as shown in Figure 7, the end of the substrate 610 may be received in a pocket 618 defined by the container 606. Thus, the container 606 and the sealing member 608 can engage with the substrate 610 and cooperate to maintain the substrate in the desired position. For example, the longitudinal axis of the substrate 610 may be positioned substantially coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the induction receiver 602. This allows, as illustrated, in some embodiments, the substrate 610 to be positioned close to the induction receiver 602 but not in contact with it. By avoiding direct contact between the substrate 610 and the induction receiver 602, the induction coil can remain in a state with little accumulation of residue from use, and therefore the cartridge can optionally be refilled with the aerosol precursor composition and / or new substrate, or otherwise reused. However, as discussed below, direct contact between the substrate and the induction receiver may be preferred in some embodiments.

[0078] In embodiments of the cartridge 104 in which the aerosol precursor composition contains a liquid or other fluid, the substrate 610 may be configured to hold the aerosol precursor composition therein and release vapor therefrom when heat is applied by the induction receiver 602 in the manner described above. In some embodiments, the substrate 610 can hold a sufficient amount of aerosol precursor composition to last for a desired length. In other embodiments, it may be preferable to prepare a cartridge 104 with an increased capacity of aerosol precursor composition. Examples of materials that can be used in the substrate 610 in embodiments in which the substrate is configured to hold a fluid aerosol precursor composition include porous ceramics, carbon, cellulose acetate, polyethylene terephthalate, glass fibers, and porous sintered glass.

[0079] In this regard, as shown as an example in Figures 6 and 7, in one embodiment the container 606 may include a reservoir and the internal compartment 614 may be configured to receive the liquid aerosol precursor composition. In this embodiment the substrate 610 may include a liquid transport element (e.g., a wick) configured to receive the aerosol precursor composition from the internal compartment 614 and transport the aerosol precursor composition along it. Thus the aerosol precursor composition can be transported from the internal compartment 614 to a position along the longitudinal length of the substrate 610 around which the induction receiver 602 extends.

[0080] To the extent that it can be understood, the embodiment of cartridge 600 shown in Figure 7 is provided for illustrative purposes only. In this regard, various alternative embodiments of cartridge 104 are provided herein as other examples. Although embodiments of the cartridge are described herein separately, it should be noted that each component and each of its features can be combined in any way unless otherwise noted herein. Other embodiments of the aerosol delivery device, control body, and cartridge are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2017 / 0127722 to Davis et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication 2017 / 0202266 to Sur et al.; and U.S. Patent Application 15 / 352,153 to Sur et al., filed November 15, 2016, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, various examples of control components and the functions performed thereby are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096782 to Sears et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0081] As described above, each of the cartridges 104 of this disclosure is configured to work in conjunction with the control body 102 to generate an aerosol. As an example, Figure 8 shows a cartridge 600 engaged with the control body. As shown in the figure, when the control body is engaged with the cartridge 600, the induction transmitter 302 can at least partially, preferably substantially, and more preferably completely surround the induction receiver 602 (for example, by extending around it). Furthermore, the induction transmitter 302 may extend along at least a portion of the longitudinal length of the induction receiver 602, preferably along most of the longitudinal length of the induction receiver, and most preferably along substantially all of the longitudinal length of the induction receiver.

[0082] Therefore, the induction receiver 602 may be positioned inside the internal chamber 406 into which the induction transmitter 302 extends. Thus, when the user sucks on the mouthpiece 612 of the cartridge 600, the pressure sensor 306 can detect the sucking. This allows the control component 308 to direct current from the power supply 312 (see, for example, Figure 3) to the induction transmitter 302. This allows the induction transmitter 302 to generate an oscillating magnetic field. As a result of the induction receiver 602 being received into the internal chamber 406, the induction receiver may be exposed to the oscillating magnetic field generated by the induction transmitter 302.

[0083] According to exemplary embodiments, a change in current in the inductive transmitter 302, when directed from the power supply 312 (see, for example, Figure 3) to the inductive transmitter 302 by the control component 308, generates an alternating current electromagnetic field that penetrates the inductive receiver 602, thereby generating eddy currents within the inductive receiver that heat the receiver by the Joule effect, as described above. The alternating current electromagnetic field may be generated by directing an alternating current to the inductive transmitter 302. As noted above, in some embodiments, the control component 308 may include an inverter or inverter circuit configured to convert a direct current supplied by the power supply 312 into an alternating current supplied to the inductive transmitter 302.

[0084] Therefore, the induction receiver 602 can be heated. The heat generated by the induction receiver 602 can heat the substrate 610 containing the aerosol precursor composition, resulting in the generation of the aerosol 802. Therefore, the induction receiver 602 may include an atomizer. By positioning the induction receiver 602 around the substrate 610 at a substantially uniform distance from it (for example, by aligning the longitudinal axis of the substrate with the longitudinal axis of the induction receiver), the substrate and the aerosol precursor composition may be heated substantially uniformly.

[0085] The aerosol 802 may move around or through the induction receiver 602 and the induction transmitter 302. For example, as shown in one embodiment, the induction receiver 602 may include a mesh, screen, helix, braid, or other porous structure defining a plurality of holes extending through it. In other embodiments, the induction receiver may include a rod embedded in the substrate or otherwise in contact with the aerosol precursor composition, a plurality of beads or particles embedded in the substrate or otherwise in contact with the aerosol precursor composition, or a sintered structure. In each of these embodiments, the aerosol 802 may freely pass through the induction receiver 602 and / or the substrate to allow the aerosol to pass through the mouthpiece to the user.

[0086] The aerosol 802 can mix with air 804 entering through an inlet 410 (see, for example, Figure 4), which may be defined within a control body 102 (e.g., an outer body 304). Thus, the mixed air and aerosol 806 may be directed towards the user. For example, the mixed air and aerosol 806 may be directed towards the user through one or more through-holes 626 defined in the outer body 604 of the cartridge 600. In some embodiments, a sealing member 608 may further include through-holes 628 extending through it, which may be aligned with through-holes 626 defined to pass through the outer body 604. However, as can be understood, the flow pattern through the aerosol delivery device 100 may vary in any of the above specific configurations in various ways without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0087] Figures 9 to 16 illustrate embodiments of an aerosol delivery device including a control body and an aerosol source member in the case of a non-combustion heating appliance. More specifically, Figure 9 shows an aerosol delivery device 900 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The aerosol delivery device may include a control body 902 and an aerosol source member 904. In various embodiments, the aerosol source member and the control body can be aligned permanently or detachably in a functional relationship. In this regard, Figure 9 shows an aerosol delivery device in a coupled configuration, while Figure 10 shows an aerosol delivery device in a disconnected configuration. Various mechanisms may connect the aerosol source member to the control body, resulting in screw engagement, press-fit engagement, interlocking fit, magnetic engagement, and the like. In various embodiments, the control body of the aerosol delivery device may be substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical (for example, as in the embodiments of the present disclosure shown in Figures 9 to 14). In other embodiments, the control unit may take the form of a different handheld shape, such as a small box.

[0088] In various embodiments of this disclosure, the aerosol source member 904 may include a heating end 1002 configured to be inserted into a control body 902 and a mouth end 1004 through which the user inhales to produce an aerosol. In various embodiments, at least a portion of the heating end may include an aerosol precursor composition 1006 (sometimes referred to as an inhalable substance medium). The aerosol precursor composition may include tobacco-containing beads, tobacco shreds, tobacco pieces, reconstituted tobacco material, or combinations thereof, and / or mixtures of other tobacco forms mixed with aerosol-forming material that forms a substantially solid or moldable (e.g., extrudeable) substrate. In various embodiments, the aerosol source member or a portion thereof may be wrapped in an overlap material 1008 which may be formed of any material useful to provide the aerosol source member with additional structure and / or support. In various embodiments, the overlap material may include a material that resists heat transfer and may include other fibrous materials such as paper or cellulose material. The overlap material may also include at least one filler material embedded in or dispersed within the fibrous material. In various embodiments, the filler material may be in the form of water-insoluble particles. Furthermore, the filler material may incorporate inorganic components. In various embodiments, the overlap may be formed from multiple layers, such as an underlying bulk layer, and an on top layer, such as the wrapping paper typical in cigarettes. Such materials include, for example, lightweight “rag fibers” such as flax, hemp, sisal, rice straw, and / or esparto.

[0089] In various embodiments, the mouth end of the aerosol supply member 904 may include a filter 1010 which can be made of cellulose acetate or polypropylene material. In various embodiments, the filter may enhance the structural integrity of the mouth end of the aerosol supply member and / or provide filtration capacity as needed and / or provide resistance to suction. For example, an article according to the present invention may exhibit a pressure drop of about 50 to about 250 mm with an airflow of 17.5 cc / second. In another embodiment, the pressure drop may be about 60 mm to about 180 mm or about 70 mm to about 150 mm. The pressure drop value may be measured using a Filtrona filter test station (CTS series) available from Filtrona Instruments and Automation Ltd, or a quality test module (QTM) available from Cerulean Division of Molins, PLC. The thickness of the filter along the length of the mouth end of the aerosol supply member may vary, for example, from about 2 mm to about 20 mm, from about 5 mm to about 20 mm, or from about 10 mm to about 15 mm. In some embodiments, the filter may be separated from the overlap, or the filter may be held in place by the overlap.

[0090] Exemplary types of overlap materials, wrapping material components, and treated wrapping materials that may be used for overlap in this disclosure are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,105,838 to White et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,271,419 to Arzonico et al.; Patent No. 5,220,930 to Gentry; Patent No. 6,908,874 to Woodhead et al.; Patent No. 6,929,013 to Ashcraft et al.; Patent No. 7,195,019 to Hancock et al.; Patent No. 7,276,120 to Holmes; Patent No. 7,275,548 to Hancock et al.; International Publication No. 01 / 08514 to Fournier et al.; and International Publication No. 03 / 043450 to Hajaligol et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. Typical packaging materials are commercially available from Schweitzer-Maudit International as RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company grades 119, 170, 419, 453, 454, 456, 465, 466, 490, 525, 535, 557, 652, 664, 672, 676, and 680. The porosity of packaging materials can vary, often ranging from approximately 5 coresta units to approximately 30,000 coresta units, frequently from approximately 10 coresta units to approximately 90 coresta units, and often from approximately 8 coresta units to approximately 80 coresta units.

[0091] Otherwise, to maximize the delivery of aerosols and flavorings, which may be diluted by radial (i.e., external) air penetration through the overlap 1008, one or more layers of non-porous cigarette paper may be used to wrap the aerosol source member 904 (with or without the overlap). Examples of suitable non-porous cigarette paper are commercially available from Kimberly-Clark as KC-63-5, P878-5, P878-16-2 and 780-63-5. Preferably, the overlap is a material substantially impermeable to vapors formed during use of the article of the present invention. If necessary, the overlap may include resilient cardboard material, foil-lined paperboard, metal, polymer material, etc., which may be surrounded by the wrapping paper of the cigarette paper. The overlap may include chipping paper surrounding the components, as otherwise described herein, and may optionally be used to attach the filter material to the aerosol source member.

[0092] In various embodiments, other components may be present between the aerosol precursor composition 1006 and the mouth end 1004 of the aerosol source member 904, in which case the mouth end may include a filter. For example, in some embodiments, one or any combination of the following may be positioned between the aerosol precursor composition and the mouth end: a void; a phase change material for cooling air; a flavoring release medium; ion exchange fibers capable of selective chemiadsorption; aerogel particles as a filter medium; and other suitable materials.

[0093] Various embodiments of the present disclosure use an induction heater to heat the aerosol precursor composition 1006. The induction heater may comprise an induction transmitter and a transformer which may comprise an induction receiver. In various embodiments, one or both of the induction transmitter and / or induction receiver may be located in a control body and / or an aerosol source member. In some examples, the aerosol precursor composition may include a number of beads or particles embedded in or otherwise part of the aerosol precursor composition that can act as an induction receiver or facilitate that function.

[0094] Figure 11 shows a front view of an aerosol delivery device 900 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 12 shows a cross-sectional view of the aerosol delivery device of Figure 11. As shown in these figures, the aerosol delivery device of this exemplary embodiment includes a transformer comprising an inductive transmitter and an inductive receiver. In particular, the control body 902 of the illustrated embodiment may include a housing 1102 including an end cap with an opening 1104 defined at the engagement end, a flow sensor 1106 (e.g., a blow sensor or pressure switch), control components 1108 (e.g., a microprocessor, individually or as part of a microcontroller, such as a PCB containing a microprocessor and / or microcontroller), a power supply 1110 (e.g., a battery that may be rechargeable, and / or a rechargeable supercapacitor), and an indicator 1112 (e.g., an LED).

[0095] In one embodiment, the indicator 1112 may include one or more LEDs, such as quantum dot-based LEDs. The indicator communicates with a control component 1108 and, for example, when coupled to a control body 902, may light up when the user inhales the aerosol supply source member 904, as detected by the flow sensor 1106.

[0096] The control body 902 of the embodiments shown in Figures 11 and 12 includes an inductive transmitter and an inductive receiver that together form a transformer. The transformer of various embodiments of the present disclosure may take various forms and includes embodiments in which one or both of the inductive transmitter and / or inductive receiver are located within the control body or aerosol delivery device 900. In the particular embodiments shown in Figures 11 and 12, the inductive transmitter comprises a laminate material including a foil material 1114 surrounding a support member 1116 (a support cylinder as shown), and the inductive receiver of the depicted embodiment comprises multiple receiver prongs 1118 extending from a receiver base member 1120. In some embodiments, the foil material may include electrical traces printed thereon, for example, in some embodiments, the foil material may include one or more electrical traces that can form a helical pattern when positioned around the inductive receiver. In various embodiments, the inductive receiver and inductive transmitter may be constructed from one or more conductive materials, and in another embodiment, the inductive receiver may be constructed from ferromagnetic materials including, but not limited to, cobalt, iron, nickel, and combinations thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, the foil material is constructed from a conductive material, and the prongs of the receiver are constructed from a ferromagnetic material. In various embodiments, the base member of the receiver may be constructed from a non-conductive and / or insulating material.

[0097] As illustrated, the inductive transmitter (foil material 1114) may extend near the engaging end of the housing 1102 and may be configured to substantially surround a portion of the heating end 1002 of the aerosol source member 904 containing the aerosol precursor composition 1006. In this manner, the inductive transmitter of the illustrated embodiment may define a tubular configuration. As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the inductive transmitter may surround the support member 1116. The support cylinder may also define a tubular configuration and may be configured to support the foil material so that it moves to contact the prongs 1118 of the inductive receiver and thereby does not short-circuit. In this manner, the support cylinder may contain a non-conductive material which may be substantially transparent to the oscillating magnetic field generated by the foil material. In various embodiments, the foil material may be embedded in the support cylinder or otherwise coupled to the support cylinder. In the illustrated embodiment, the foil material is engaged with the outer surface of the support cylinder; however, in other embodiments, the foil material may be positioned on the inner surface of the support cylinder or completely embedded in the support cylinder.

[0098] In the illustrated embodiment, the support cylinder 1116 may also serve to facilitate proper positioning of the aerosol source member 904 when the aerosol source member is inserted into the housing 1102. In particular, the support cylinder may extend from the opening 1104 of the housing to the base member 1120 of the receiver. In the illustrated embodiment, the inner diameter of the support cylinder may be slightly larger than or approximately equal to the outer diameter of the corresponding aerosol source member (e.g., to create a slip fit) so that the support cylinder guides the aerosol source member into the proper position (e.g., lateral position) relative to the control body 902. In the illustrated embodiment, the control body is configured such that when the aerosol source member is inserted into the control body, the prongs 1118 of the receiver are positioned approximately radially centered over the heated end 1002 of the aerosol source member. In this configuration, when used in conjunction with an extruded aerosol precursor composition defining a tubular structure, the receiver prongs are positioned within a cavity defined by the inner surface of the extruded tubular structure and therefore do not come into contact with the inner surface of the extruded tubular structure.

[0099] In various embodiments, the transmitter support member 1116 may engage with the inner surface of the housing 1102 to provide alignment of the support member with respect to the housing. As a result of the fixed coupling between the support member and the inductive transmitter (foil material 1114), the longitudinal axis of the inductive transmitter can extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing. In various embodiments, the inductive transmitter may be positioned so as not to contact the housing in order to avoid the transmission of current from the transmitter coupling device to the outer body. In some embodiments, an insulator may be positioned between the inductive transmitter and the housing to prevent contact between them. As can be understood, the insulator and support member may include any non-conductive material such as insulating polymers (e.g., plastic or cellulose), glass, rubber, ceramic, and porcelain. Alternatively, the inductive transmitter may be in contact with the housing in embodiments where the housing is formed from a non-conductive material such as plastic, glass, rubber, ceramic, or porcelain.

[0100] Alternative embodiments are shown in Figures 13 and 14. Similar to the embodiments described with respect to Figures 11 and 12, the embodiments depicted in Figures 13 and 14 include an aerosol delivery device 1300 comprising a control body 1302 configured to receive an aerosol source member 1304. As described above, the aerosol source member may comprise a heating end configured to be inserted into the control body and a mouth end 1306 into which the user inhales to produce an aerosol. At least a portion of the heating end may contain an aerosol precursor composition 1308, which may include tobacco-containing beads, tobacco shreds, tobacco pieces, reconstituted tobacco materials, or combinations thereof, and / or mixtures of finely ground tobacco, tobacco extracts, spray-dried tobacco extracts, or mixtures of other tobacco forms mixed with an aerosol-forming material for forming a substantially solid or moldable (e.g., extrudeable) substrate. In various embodiments, the aerosol source member or a portion thereof may be wrapped in an overlap material 1310 which can be formed of any material useful for providing additional structure and / or support to the aerosol source member. In various embodiments, the overlap material may include a material that resists heat transfer and may include other fibrous materials such as paper or cellulose material. Various possible configurations of the overlap material are described with respect to the exemplary embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 4 above.

[0101] In various embodiments, the mouth end 1306 of the aerosol source member 1304 may include a filter 1312 which can be made of cellulose acetate or polypropylene material. As described above, in various embodiments, the filter can enhance the structural integrity of the mouth end of the aerosol source member and / or provide filtration capacity as needed and / or provide resistance to inhalation. In some embodiments, the filter may be separated from the overlap, or the filter may be held in place by the overlap near the cartridge. Various configurations of possible filter properties are described with respect to the exemplary embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 4 above.

[0102] The control body 1302 may comprise a housing 1314 including an end cap containing an internally defined opening 1316, a flow sensor 1318 (e.g., a blow sensor or pressure switch), control components 1320 (e.g., a microprocessor, individually or as part of a microcontroller, such as a PCB containing a microprocessor and / or microcontroller), a power supply 1322 (e.g., a potentially rechargeable battery and / or a rechargeable supercapacitor), and an indicator 1324 (e.g., an LED). As described above, in one embodiment, the indicator may comprise one or more LEDs, quantum dot-based LEDs, and the like. The indicator may communicate with the control components and be illuminated, for example, when coupled to the control body, when the user inhales through the aerosol supply source member 1304, or when detected by the flow sensor. Examples of power supplies, sensors, and various other possible electrical components are described above with respect to the exemplary embodiments shown in Figures 11 and 12 above.

[0103] The control body 1302 of the embodiment shown in Figures 13 and 14 includes an inductive transmitter and an inductive receiver that together form a transformer. Transformers of various embodiments of the present disclosure may take various forms, including embodiments in which one or both of the inductive transmitter and / or inductive receiver are located within the control body and / or aerosol delivery device. In the particular embodiment shown in Figures 13 and 14, the inductive transmitter of the shown embodiment comprises a helical coil 1326 surrounding a support member 1328 (a support cylinder as shown). In various embodiments, the inductive receiver and inductive transmitter may be constructed from one or more conductive materials, and in another embodiment, the inductive receiver may be constructed from ferromagnetic materials including, but not limited to, cobalt, iron, nickel, and combinations thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, the helical coil is constructed from a conductive material. In another embodiment, the helical coil may include a non-conductive insulating cover / wrap material.

[0104] The inductive receiver in the illustrated embodiment comprises a single receiver prong 1330 extending from a receiver base member 1332. In various embodiments, the receiver prong, whether a single receiver prong or part of multiple receiver prongs, can have a variety of different geometric configurations. For example, in some embodiments, the receiver prong may have a cylindrical cross-section, and in some embodiments, it may include a solid structure, while in other embodiments, it may include a hollow structure. In other embodiments, the receiver prong may have a square or rectangular cross-section, and in some embodiments, it may include a solid structure, while in other embodiments, it may include a hollow structure. In various embodiments, the receiver prong may be constructed of a conductive material. In the illustrated embodiment, the receiver prong is constructed of a ferromagnetic material, including but not limited to cobalt, iron, nickel, and combinations thereof. In various embodiments, the receiver base member may be constructed of a non-conductive and / or insulating material.

[0105] As illustrated, the induction transmitter (helical coil 1326) may extend near the engaging end of the housing 1314 and may be configured to substantially surround the heated end portion of the aerosol source member 1304 containing the aerosol precursor composition 1310. As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the induction transmitter may surround the support member 1328. A support cylinder, which may define a tubular configuration, may be configured to support the helical coil so that the coil moves to contact the prongs 1330 of the induction receiver and thereby prevent a short circuit. In such a configuration, the support cylinder may contain a non-conductive material and may be substantially transparent to the oscillating magnetic field generated by the helical coil. In various embodiments, the helical coil may be embedded in the support cylinder or otherwise coupled to the support cylinder. In the illustrated embodiment, the helical coil engages with the outer surface of the support cylinder; however, in other embodiments, the helical coil may be positioned on the inner surface of the support cylinder or completely embedded within the support cylinder.

[0106] In the illustrated embodiment, the support cylinder 1328 may also serve to facilitate proper positioning of the aerosol source member 1304 when the aerosol source member is inserted into the housing 1314. In particular, the support cylinder may extend from the opening 1319 of the housing to the base member 1332 of the receiver. In the illustrated embodiment, the inner diameter of the transmitter source cylinder may be slightly larger than or approximately equal to the outer diameter of the corresponding aerosol source member (e.g., to create a slip fit) so that the support cylinder guides the aerosol source member to the proper position (e.g., a lateral position) relative to the control body 1302. In the illustrated embodiment, the control body is configured such that when the aerosol source member is inserted into the control body, the receiver prongs 1330 are positioned approximately radially centered over the heated end of the aerosol source member. In this configuration, when used in conjunction with an extruded aerosol precursor composition defining a tubular structure, the receiver prongs are positioned inside a cavity defined by the inner surface of the extruded tubular structure and therefore do not come into contact with the inner surface of the extruded tubular structure.

[0107] It should be noted that in some embodiments, the induction receiver may be part of an aerosol source member, for example, as part of the aerosol precursor composition of the aerosol source member. Such embodiments may include, or may not include, an additional induction receiver that is part of the control body. For example, the aerosol precursor composition may include a braided wire structure embedded in an extruded tube. The braided wire structure may include a series of interwoven cross wires that can be constructed from any one or more conductive materials, and may also be constructed from one or more ferromagnetic materials, including, but not limited to, cobalt, iron, nickel, and combinations thereof. In various embodiments, the braided wire structure may be in close proximity to the inner or outer surface of the aerosol precursor composition, or it may be located within the extruded tube structure.

[0108] In various embodiments, the transmitter support cylinder may engage with the inner surface of the housing to provide alignment of the support cylinder with respect to the housing. As a result of the fixed coupling between the support cylinder and the inductive transmitter, the longitudinal axis of the inductive transmitter can extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing. In various embodiments, the inductive transmitter may be positioned so as not to contact the housing in order to avoid the transmission of current from the transmitter coupling device to the outer body. In some embodiments, an insulator may be positioned between the inductive transmitter and the housing to prevent contact between them. As can be understood, the insulator and support cylinder may include any non-conductive material such as insulating polymers (e.g., plastic or cellulose), glass, rubber, ceramic, and porcelain. Alternatively, the inductive transmitter may be in contact with the housing in embodiments where the housing is formed from a non-conductive material such as plastic, glass, rubber, ceramic, or porcelain.

[0109] In some embodiments, the support cylinder and the receiver base member may comprise separate components, while in other embodiments, the support cylinder and the receiver base member may comprise a single integrated component. For example, Figure 15 shows a front view of a support member 1500 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 16 shows a cross-sectional view of the support cylinder 1500 of Figure 15. As shown in the drawings, the support cylinder comprises a tubular configuration configured to support an inductive transmitter, such as a helical coil. In such a configuration, the outer surface of the support cylinder may include one or more coil grooves 1502 that can be configured to guide, house, or otherwise support an inductive transmitter, such as a transmitter coil. As shown in Figure 16, the support cylinder may be integrated with a receiver base member 1504 that can be attached to one end of the support cylinder. Furthermore, in various embodiments, such as in the illustrated embodiment, a prong 1506 of a single receiver may be housed by and extend from the receiver base member. In various embodiments, the support cylinder and the inductive receiver (the receiver prongs in the illustrated embodiment) may be constructed of different materials to avoid creating a short circuit with the inductive transmitter. In particular, the support cylinder may include non-conductive materials such as insulating polymers (e.g., plastic or cellulose), glass, rubber, ceramics, porcelain, and combinations thereof, while the inductive receiver (the receiver prongs in the illustrated embodiment) may include conductive materials. In various embodiments, the inductive receiver (the receiver prongs in the illustrated embodiment) may be constructed from ferromagnetic materials including, but not limited to, cobalt, iron, nickel, and combinations thereof.

[0110] In the illustrated embodiment, the support cylinder is configured so that an induction transmitter, such as a helical coil, can engage with the outer surface of the support cylinder; however, in other embodiments, the support cylinder may be configured so that the induction transmitter is positioned on the inner surface of the transmitter support cylinder or is fully embedded in the support cylinder.

[0111] Other embodiments of the aerosol delivery device, control body, and aerosol source member are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 799,365 to Sebastian et al., filed October 31, 2017, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0112] In some examples of either e-cigarettes or non-combustion heating devices, a transformer including an inductive transmitter and an inductive receiver may be part of a quasi-resonant flyback converter. In this regard, Figure 17 shows a quasi-resonant flyback converter 1700 according to several exemplary embodiments. As shown, the quasi-resonant flyback converter includes a transformer 1702 including an inductive transmitter (indicated as inductor L1) and an inductive receiver (indicated as inductor L2). The inductive transmitter may correspond to an inductive transmitter of any of the exemplary embodiments above, including an inductive transmitter 302, foil 1114, or helical coil 1326. Similarly, the inductive receiver may correspond to an inductive receiver of any of the exemplary embodiments above, including an inductive receiver 602, receiver prong 1118, or receiver prong 1330.

[0113] As also shown, the quasi-resonant flyback converter 1700 includes a capacitor C (or parallel capacitor) that, together with the inductive transmitter L1, forms a tank circuit. The quasi-resonant flyback converter also includes a transistor Q1, such as a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). The transistor is switchable in the cycle to cause the inductive transmitter to generate an oscillating magnetic field and induce an alternating voltage in the inductive receiver L2 when exposed to the oscillating magnetic field. This alternating voltage causes the inductive receiver to generate heat, thereby vaporizing components of the aerosol precursor composition of the aerosol delivery device (e.g., apparatus 100, 900, 1300).

[0114] According to an exemplary embodiment, each cycle includes an on-interval and an off-interval. During the on-interval, transistor Q1 is switched on, enabling current to flow through the inductive transmitter L1, causing the inductive transmitter to generate a magnetic field from which it stores energy. During the off-interval, the transistor is switched off, disabling current through the inductive transmitter and causing the magnetic field to collapse. This collapse of the magnetic field results in the transfer of energy from the inductive transmitter to the inductive receiver L2, charging capacitor C, which in turn generates a voltage waveform at the drain D of the transistor (the transistor also includes a source S and a gate G).

[0115] The quasi-resonant flyback converter 1700 also includes a comparator U1 with two input terminals + and - coupled to both sides of the capacitor C, between the capacitor and the drain D of the transistor. In some examples, as also shown, the quasi-resonant flyback converter 1700 further includes a first voltage divider 1704a and a second voltage divider 1704b, whose inputs are coupled to both sides of the capacitor C. In these examples, the two input terminals + and - of the comparator U1 are coupled to the outputs of the first and second voltage dividers, respectively, and thus to both sides of the capacitor. The comparator is configured to detect a trough in the voltage waveform during the off-interval, when the transistor is switched off. Accordingly, the comparator is configured to generate an output to cause the transistor to switch on during the on-interval.

[0116] In some examples, the comparator U1 is implemented by a coprocessor 1706, such as a programmable system-on-chip (PSoC), a suitable example of which includes Cypress Semiconductor's CY8C4Axx family of PSOC(R) analog coprocessors. In other examples, the comparator U1 is implemented by discrete electronic components or by a circuit composed of discrete electronic components. This is shown in Figure 18 for a quasi-resonant flyback converter 1800, which is otherwise similar to the quasi-resonant flyback converter 1700 in Figure 17.

[0117] Returning to Figure 17, in the example including the coprocessor 1706, the coprocessor may also be configured to implement a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller 1708 and / or a glitch filter 1710. The PWM controller receives the output from the comparator U1 and accordingly drives transistor Q1 to be switched on during the on-interval. The glitch filter may be coupled to and between the comparator and the PWM controller and is configured to receive the output of the comparator and remove glitch pulses from it, thereby producing a filtered output. In the example including both the PWM controller and the glitch filter, the PWM controller may receive the filtered output and accordingly drive a transistor to be switched on during the on-interval.

[0118] In some examples, transistor Q1 has a drain-source on-state resistance (R) that is inversely proportional to the switching time of the transistor. DS(on) ) has. In these examples, the on-state resistance is also directly proportional to the time it takes for an AC voltage to be induced in the induction receiver L2, thereby generating heat.

[0119] In some examples, aerosol delivery devices 100, 900, and 1300 further include power supplies V, such as power supplies 312, 1110, and 1322. In these examples, the power supplies are connected to an electrical load, including a transformer 1702, and are configured to supply current to the load. The amount of heat generated by the induction receiver L2 is directly proportional to the intensity of the current supplied by the power supplies. In some other examples, the power supplies include a rechargeable primary battery and a rechargeable secondary battery connected in parallel.

[0120] In some examples, the inductive receiver L2 includes a coil. In these examples, the amount of heat generated by the inductive receiver is directly proportional to the length of the coil.

[0121] Those skilled in the art will be able to envision many modifications and other embodiments of this disclosure by benefiting from the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings. Therefore, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope 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. An aerosol delivery device comprising an aerosol precursor composition and a quasi-resonant flyback converter configured to vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition to generate an aerosol, wherein the quasi-resonant flyback converter is A transformer including an induction transmitter and an induction receiver, A capacitor that forms a tank circuit together with the induction transmitter, Equipped with a transistor, The transistor is switchable during the cycle to cause the induction transmitter to generate an oscillating magnetic field and induce an AC voltage in the induction receiver when exposed to the oscillating magnetic field, and the AC voltage causes the induction receiver to generate heat, vaporizing the components of the aerosol precursor composition. Each cycle includes an on-interval and an off-interval. During the on-interval, the transistor is switched on, allowing current to flow through the inductive transmitter and causing the transmitter to generate a magnetic field from which it stores energy. During the off-interval, the transistor is switched off, disabling current through the inductive transmitter and causing the magnetic field to collapse. This collapse of the magnetic field results in the transfer of energy from the inductive transmitter to the inductive receiver, charging the capacitor and generating a voltage waveform at the transistor's drain. A quasi-resonant flyback converter is an aerosol delivery device in which two input terminals are located between the drains of a capacitor and a transistor, further comprising a comparator coupled to both sides of the capacitor, the comparator being configured to detect a trough in the voltage waveform during the off-interval when the transistor is switched off, and to generate an output accordingly to switch the transistor on during the on-interval.

2. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the aerosol precursor composition comprises a solid tobacco material, a semi-solid tobacco material, or a liquid aerosol precursor composition.

3. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the quasi-resonant flyback converter further comprises a first voltage divider and a second voltage divider, the inputs of which are coupled to both sides of a capacitor, and the two input terminals of a comparator are coupled to the outputs of the first voltage divider and the second voltage divider, respectively, and thus coupled to both sides of the capacitor.

4. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, which is also configured to implement a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller that receives the output from the comparator and is configured accordingly to drive a transistor to be switched on for an on-interval.

5. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 4, wherein the coprocessor is coupled to a comparator and a PWM controller and is further configured to realize a glitch filter between the comparator and the PWM controller, the glitch filter is configured to receive the output of the comparator and remove glitch pulses therefrom to produce a filtered output, and the PWM controller is configured to receive the filtered output and accordingly drive a transistor to be switched on for an on-interval.

6. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 4, wherein the coprocessor is embodied as a programmable system-on-a-chip (PSoC).

7. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, and the coprocessor is also configured to implement a glitch filter configured to receive the output of the comparator and remove glitch pulses therefrom.

8. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 7, wherein the coprocessor is embodied as a programmable system-on-a-chip (PSoC).

9. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, which is implemented as a programmable system-on-a-chip (PSoC) and is configured to implement a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller, coupled to the comparator and the PWM controller, and a glitch filter between the comparator and the PWM controller, the glitch filter being configured to receive the output of the comparator and remove glitch pulses therefrom to produce a filtered output, the PWM controller being configured to receive the filtered output and accordingly drive a transistor to be switched on for an on-interval.

10. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the comparator is realized by individual electronic components or a circuit composed of discrete electronic components.

11. A transistor has a drain-source on-resistance (R) that is inversely proportional to the transistor's switching time and directly proportional to the time it takes for an AC voltage to be induced in the inductive receiver and generate heat. ＤＳ（ｏｎ） The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, having ).

12. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, further comprising a power supply connected to an electrical load including a transformer, wherein the power supply is configured to supply current to the load, and the amount of heat generated in the induction receiver is directly proportional to the intensity of the current supplied by the power supply.

13. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 12, wherein the power source includes a rechargeable primary battery and a rechargeable secondary battery connected in parallel.

14. The aerosol delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the induction receiver includes a coil, and the amount of heat generated by the induction receiver is directly proportional to the length of the coil.

15. A control body for an aerosol delivery device, wherein the control body is It comprises a housing and a quasi-resonant flyback converter within the housing. The housing has an opening defined at one end, the opening defining the heating end and the mouth end, and is configured to receive an aerosol supply source member containing an aerosol precursor composition. Quasi-resonant flyback converters are A transformer including an induction transmitter and an induction receiver, A capacitor that forms a tank circuit together with the induction transmitter, Equipped with a transistor, The transistor is switchable during the cycle to cause the induction transmitter to generate an oscillating magnetic field and induce an AC voltage in the induction receiver when exposed to the oscillating magnetic field, the AC voltage causing heat to be generated in the induction receiver, and when the aerosol source member is inserted into the housing, the components of the aerosol precursor composition are vaporized to generate an aerosol. Each cycle includes an on-interval and an off-interval. During the on-interval, the transistor is switched on, allowing current to flow through the inductive transmitter and causing the transmitter to generate a magnetic field from which it stores energy. During the off-interval, the transistor is switched off, disabling current through the inductive transmitter and causing the magnetic field to collapse. This collapse of the magnetic field results in the transfer of energy from the inductive transmitter to the inductive receiver, charging the capacitor and generating a voltage waveform at the transistor's drain. A quasi-resonant flyback converter is a control body for an aerosol delivery device, further comprising two input terminals between the drains of a capacitor and a transistor, with a comparator coupled on both sides of the capacitor, the comparator being configured to detect a trough in the voltage waveform during the off-interval when the transistor is switched off, and to generate an output accordingly to switch the transistor on during the on-interval.

16. The control body according to claim 15, wherein the quasi-resonant flyback converter further comprises a first voltage divider and a second voltage divider whose inputs are coupled to both sides of a capacitor, and the two input terminals of a comparator are coupled to the outputs of the first voltage divider and the second voltage divider, respectively, and thus coupled to both sides of the capacitor.

17. The control body according to claim 15, wherein the comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, and the coprocessor is also configured to implement a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller configured to receive the output from the comparator and, accordingly, drive a transistor to be switched on for an on-interval.

18. The control unit according to claim 15, wherein the comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, and the coprocessor is also configured to implement a glitch filter configured to receive the output of the comparator and remove glitch pulses therefrom.

19. The comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, which is implemented as a programmable system-on-a-chip (PSoC) and is configured to implement a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller, coupled to the comparator and the PWM controller, and also to implement a glitch filter between the comparator and the PWM controller. The control body according to claim 15, wherein the glitch filter is configured to receive the output of a comparator and remove glitch pulses therefrom to produce a filtered output, and the PWM controller is configured to receive the filtered output and accordingly drive a transistor to be switched on for an on interval.

20. The control body according to claim 15, wherein the comparator is implemented by individual electronic components or a circuit composed of discrete electronic components.

21. A control body for an aerosol delivery device, wherein the control body is The housing comprises a quasi-resonant flyback converter located within the housing. The housing is equipped with an induction receiver and is coupled to, or can be coupled to, a cartridge containing an aerosol precursor composition. Quasi-resonant flyback converters are An induction transmitter that forms a transformer together with an induction receiver, A capacitor that forms a tank circuit together with the induction transmitter, Equipped with a transistor, The transistor is switchable during the cycle to cause the inductive transmitter to generate an oscillating magnetic field, and when the housing is coupled to the cartridge and the inductive receiver is exposed to the oscillating magnetic field, it induces an AC voltage within the inductive receiver, which generates heat in the inductive receiver, vaporizing the components of the aerosol precursor composition and generating an aerosol. Each cycle includes an on-interval and an off-interval. During the on-interval, the transistor is switched on, allowing current to flow through the inductive transmitter and causing the transmitter to generate a magnetic field from which it stores energy. During the off-interval, the transistor is switched off, disabling current through the inductive transmitter and causing the magnetic field to collapse. This collapse of the magnetic field results in the transfer of energy from the inductive transmitter to the inductive receiver, charging the capacitor and generating a voltage waveform at the transistor's drain. A quasi-resonant flyback converter is a control body for an aerosol delivery device, further comprising two input terminals between the drains of a capacitor and a transistor, with a comparator coupled on both sides of the capacitor, the comparator being configured to detect a trough in the voltage waveform during the off-interval when the transistor is switched off, and to generate an output accordingly to switch the transistor on during the on-interval.

22. The control body according to claim 21, wherein the quasi-resonant flyback converter further comprises a first voltage divider and a second voltage divider whose inputs are coupled to both sides of a capacitor, and the two input terminals of a comparator are coupled to the outputs of the first voltage divider and the second voltage divider, respectively, and thus coupled to both sides of the capacitor.

23. The control body according to claim 21, wherein the comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, which is also configured to implement a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller that receives the output from the comparator and is configured accordingly to drive a transistor to be switched on for an on-interval.

24. The control unit according to claim 21, wherein the comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, and the coprocessor is also configured to implement a glitch filter configured to receive the output of the comparator and remove glitch pulses therefrom.

25. The comparator is implemented by a coprocessor, which is implemented as a programmable system-on-a-chip (PSoC) and is configured to implement a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller, coupled to the comparator and the PWM controller, and also to implement a glitch filter between the comparator and the PWM controller. The control body according to claim 21, wherein the glitch filter is configured to receive the output of a comparator, remove glitch pulses therefrom, thereby generating a filtered output, and the PWM controller is configured to receive the filtered output and accordingly drive a transistor to be switched on for an on-interval.

26. The control body according to claim 21, wherein the comparator is implemented by individual electronic components or a circuit composed of discrete electronic components.

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