Intelligent Charger for Aerosol Delivery Devices

Abstract

The intelligent charger for an aerosol delivery device includes a housing, a first connector and a second connector connected to the housing, and a power management integrated circuit (PMIC). The first connector is configured to engage with a control body of the aerosol delivery device. The second connector is configured to engage with a power supply source, and the power supply source is controllable to connect to a power source of the control body and provide power to recharge the power source when the first connector is engaged with the control body and the second connector is engaged with the power supply source. The PMIC is configured to obtain a measurement of the temperature of the power source, compare the temperature with a predetermined temperature range, and control the power provided by the power supply source to maintain the temperature within the predetermined temperature range during recharging.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Many devices have been proposed over the years as an improvement or replacement for smoking products that require the burning of tobacco for use. Many of these devices are designed to purportedly provide the sensation associated with smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, but without delivering significant amounts of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products resulting from the burning of tobacco. For this purpose, many alternative smoking products, flavor generators, and medicinal inhalers have been proposed that utilize electrical energy to vaporize or heat volatile materials or attempt to provide the sensation of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe without significantly burning tobacco. See, for example, the various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and heat sources described in the background art of U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 to Griffith Jr. et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0000638 to Sebastian et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 to Sears et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096782 to Ampolini et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0059780 to Davis et al., and U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 222,615 to Watson et al., filed July 28, 2016, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. See also, for example, the various embodiments of products and heating configurations described in the background sections of U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,594 to Counts et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 8,079,371 to Robinson et al., which are incorporated by reference. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 [Patent Document 2] US Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0255702 [Patent Document 3] US Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0000638 [Patent Document 4] US Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096781 [Patent Document 5] US Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0096782 [Patent Document 6] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0059780 [Patent Document 7] U.S. Patent No. 5,388,594 [Patent Document 8] U.S. Patent No. 8,079,371 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

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

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

[0006] Exemplary embodiment 1: An intelligent charger for an aerosol delivery device comprising: a housing; a first connector coupled to the housing and configured to engage with a control body coupled or connectable to a cartridge to form an aerosol delivery device, the cartridge equipped with a heating element and containing an aerosol precursor composition, the control body including a power source configured to provide power to the heating element to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition; a second connector coupled to the housing and configured to engage with a power supply source, the power supply source connected to the power supply when the first connector is engaged with the control body and the second connector is engaged with the power supply, the power supply source being controllable to provide power to recharge the power supply; and a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) configured to obtain a measurement of the temperature of the power supply, compare the temperature with a predetermined temperature range, and control the power provided by the power supply to maintain the temperature within the predetermined temperature range during recharging.

[0007] Exemplary Embodiment 2: The intelligent charger of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein the PMIC is programmable via an I2C interface to cause the power supply to provide a charging current of up to 650 mA.

[0008] Exemplary Embodiment 3: The intelligent charger of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein the PMIC is configured to control the power provided by the power supply based on a predefined charging profile of the power source.

[0009] Exemplary Embodiment 4: The intelligent charger of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein the predefined charging profile is a non-linear charging profile of the power source, which is a non-linear power source.

[0010] Exemplary Embodiment 5: The intelligent charger of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein the power source is a battery including an anode and a cathode disposed in an electrolyte, and the PMIC is configured to receive a predefined charging profile from an external computing device configured to create the predefined charging profile from a characterization of at least the electrodes.

[0011] Exemplary Embodiment 6: The intelligent charger of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiments, wherein the intelligent charger further comprises a detection device coupled to the PMIC and configured to detect a type of the power supply source, and the PMIC is configured to set a current limit of the power provided by the power supply source based on the type of the power supply source detected by the detection device.

[0012] Exemplary Embodiment 7: The intelligent charger of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, including wherein the detection device being configured to detect the type of power source is configured to detect the type of power from a plurality of different types of power sources, including USB 2.0, USB 3.0, a USB host port, a car charger, or a wall charger.

[0013] Exemplary Embodiment 8: The intelligent charger of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein the power supply includes a terminal or a thermistor coupled to the PMIC, and wherein the PMIC being configured to obtain a temperature measurement of the power supply includes being configured to obtain a temperature measurement from the terminal or thermistor.

[0014] Exemplary Embodiment 9: The intelligent charger of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein the PMIC includes a low dropout regulator configured to regulate the output voltage of the power supply, and the power supply is rechargeable from the power supply.

[0015] Exemplary Embodiment 10: The intelligent charger of any preceding exemplary embodiment, or any combination of any preceding exemplary embodiment, wherein the low dropout regulator is configured as a soft switch to minimize voltage spikes on the output voltage.

[0016] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below. The present disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four, or more features or elements described in this disclosure, regardless of whether such features or elements are explicitly combined or otherwise recited in a specific exemplary embodiment described herein. The present disclosure is intended to be read as a whole such that any separable features or elements of the disclosure appear combinable, in any of its aspects and exemplary embodiments, unless the context of the disclosure clearly dictates otherwise.

[0017] It will therefore be understood that this summary is provided only for purposes of summarizing some exemplary embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it will be understood that the exemplary embodiments described above are merely examples, and should not be construed in any way as narrowing the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. Other exemplary embodiments, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of some described exemplary embodiments.

[0018] Having thus described the disclosure in general terms above, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 shows a side view of an aerosol delivery device including a cartridge coupled to a control body according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1A-1C are partial cutaway views of aerosol delivery devices according to various exemplary embodiments. [Figure 3] 1 is a partial cutaway view of an intelligent charger that can be coupled to a control body of an aerosol delivery device, according to various exemplary embodiments. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an intelligent charger coupled to an external computing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof. These exemplary embodiments are described so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Indeed, this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," "the," etc., include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0021] As described below, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to aerosol delivery devices. Aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure use electrical energy to heat a material (preferably without significantly burning the material) to form an inhalable substance. Components of such systems most preferably have the form of an item small enough to be considered a handheld device. That is, the use of preferred aerosol delivery device components does not produce smoke, in the sense that the aerosol is primarily generated from by-products of tobacco combustion or pyrolysis; rather, the use of these preferred systems results in the production of vapor due to the volatilization or evaporation of certain components incorporated therein. In some exemplary embodiments, the aerosol delivery device components may be characterized as electronic cigarettes, which most preferably incorporate tobacco and / or tobacco-derived components and thereby deliver the tobacco-derived components in aerosol form.

[0022] The aerosol-generating components of certain preferred aerosol delivery devices can provide many of the sensations (e.g., inhalation and exhalation patterns, types of tastes or flavors, organoleptic effects, physical sensations, modes of use, visual cues such as those provided by a visible aerosol, etc.) of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe used by lighting and burning tobacco (and thus inhaling tobacco smoke) without substantially burning any of its components. For example, a user of an aerosol-generating component of the present disclosure can hold and use the component, draw on one end of the component to inhale the aerosol generated by the component, and puff at selected time intervals, in the same way that a smoker would use a conventional type of smoking article.

[0023] Although the systems are generally described herein with respect to embodiments relating to aerosol delivery devices, such as so-called "electronic cigarettes," it should be understood that the features, components, features, and methods may be embodied in many different forms and relate to a variety of articles. For example, the descriptions provided herein may be used in combination with traditional smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), heat-not-burn cigarettes, and related packaging embodiments for any of the products disclosed herein. Accordingly, it should be understood that the descriptions of the features, components, features, and methods disclosed herein are discussed with respect to embodiments relating to aerosol delivery devices by way of example only, and may be embodied in and used in a variety of other products and methods.

[0024] The aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can also be characterized as a vapor-generating article or a drug delivery article. Accordingly, such articles or devices can be adapted to provide one or more substances (e.g., flavors and / or active pharmaceutical ingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, the inhalable substance can be substantially in vapor form (i.e., a substance in the gas phase at a temperature below its critical point). Alternatively, the inhalable substance can be in aerosol form (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas). For clarity, the term "aerosol" as used herein is meant to include vapors, gases, and aerosols in any form or type suitable for human inhalation, whether or not they are visible and whether or not they are in a form that can be considered smoky.

[0025] In use, the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can undergo many of the physical actions used by an individual when using a traditional type of smoking article (e.g., a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, which is used by lighting tobacco and inhaling. For example, a user of the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can hold the article, which is much like a traditional type of smoking article, draw on one end of the article to inhale the aerosol generated by the article, and puff for a selected time interval.

[0026] The aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure generally includes several components disposed within an outer body or shell, which may be referred to as a housing. The overall design of the outer body or shell can vary, and the type or configuration of the outer body can vary, which can define the overall dimensions and shape of the aerosol delivery device. Typically, an elongated body resembling the shape of a cigarette or cigar can be formed from a single, integral housing, or the elongated housing can be formed from two or more separable bodies. For example, the aerosol delivery device can include an elongated shell or body that can be substantially tubular in shape and thus resemble the shape of a traditional cigarette or cigar. In one example, all components of the aerosol delivery device are housed within a single housing. Alternatively, the aerosol delivery device can include two or more housings that are joined and separable. For example, an aerosol delivery device can have at one end a control body including a housing containing one or more reusable components (e.g., a storage battery, such as a rechargeable battery and / or a rechargeable supercapacitor, and various electronics for controlling the operation of the item), and at the other end an outer body or shell containing a disposable portion (e.g., a disposable flavor-containing cartridge) removably connectable thereto. More specific formats, configurations, and arrangements of components within a single-housing type unit or a multi-part separable-housing type unit will become apparent in light of the further disclosure provided herein. Additionally, various aerosol delivery device designs and component arrangements can be understood in light of commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices.

[0027] The aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure most preferably includes some combination of a power source (i.e., a source of electrical power), at least one control component (e.g., a means for activating, controlling, regulating, and terminating electrical power for heat generation, such as by controlling the flow of current from the power source to other components of the article (e.g., a microprocessor, either individually or as part of a microcontroller)), a heater or heat-generating member (e.g., an electrical resistance heating element or other component) or a vibrating piezoelectric mesh, which may be commonly referred to as an "atomizer," alone or in combination with one or more additional elements, an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a liquid that can generally generate an aerosol upon application of sufficient heat, such as ingredients commonly referred to as "smoke juice," "e-liquid," and "e-juice"), and a mouth-end region or tip that allows for drawing on the aerosol delivery device for aerosol inhalation (e.g., a defined air flow path through the article so that the generated aerosol may be drawn upon inhalation).

[0028] The positioning of components within the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure is variable. In certain embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition can be positioned near an end of the aerosol delivery device that can be configured to be positioned proximate the user's mouth to maximize aerosol delivery to the user, although other configurations are not excluded. Generally, the heating element is positioned sufficiently close to the aerosol precursor composition so that heat from the heating element can volatilize the aerosol precursor (as well as one or more flavorings, medicaments, etc. that may be provided for delivery to the user) to form an aerosol for delivery to the user. When the heating element heats the aerosol precursor composition, an aerosol is formed, released, or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by the consumer. It should be noted that the foregoing terms mean that references to release, releasing, releases, or released can be interpreted to include form or generate, forming or generating, forms or generates, and formed or generated. Specifically, inhalable substances are released in the form of vapors or aerosols or mixtures thereof, and such terms are used interchangeably herein unless otherwise specified.

[0029] As described above, the aerosol delivery device may incorporate a battery or other power source to provide sufficient current to provide various functions for the aerosol delivery device, such as powering the heater, powering the control system, powering the indicators, etc. The power source can take a variety of embodiments. Preferably, the power source is capable of delivering sufficient power to rapidly heat the heating element to provide aerosol formation and power the aerosol delivery device throughout use for a desired duration. The power source is preferably sized to fit conveniently within the aerosol delivery device so that the aerosol delivery device can be easily handled. Furthermore, preferred power sources are sufficiently lightweight so as not to detract from the desired smoking experience.

[0030] More specific types, configurations, and arrangements of components within the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure will become apparent in light of the further disclosure provided below. Furthermore, the selection and arrangement of components of various aerosol delivery devices can be understood in light of commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Additional information regarding the types, configurations, and arrangements of components within the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure and commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices can be found in U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 291,771, filed October 12, 2016, to Sur et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a side view of an aerosol delivery device 100 including a control body 102 and a cartridge 104 according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 1 shows the control body and cartridge coupled to one another. The control body and cartridge may be removably aligned in a functional relationship. Various mechanisms may connect the cartridge to the control body to provide a threaded engagement, a press-fit engagement, an interference fit, a magnetic engagement, or the like. In some exemplary embodiments, when the cartridge and control body are in an assembled configuration, the aerosol delivery device may be substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular, or substantially cylindrical in shape. The aerosol delivery device may also be substantially rectangular, diamond-shaped, or triangular in cross-section, multi-sided, or the like, some of which may provide excellent compatibility with substantially flat or thin-film power sources, such as those including flat batteries.

[0032] The control body 102 and cartridge 104 may include separate respective housings or outer bodies that may be formed from any of several different materials. The housings may be formed from any suitable structurally stable material. In some examples, the housings may be formed from metals or alloys such as stainless steel, aluminum, etc. Other suitable materials include various plastics (e.g., polycarbonate), metal plating on plastic, ceramics, etc.

[0033] In some exemplary embodiments, one or both of the control body 102 or cartridge 104 of the aerosol delivery device 100 may be referred to as disposable or reusable. For example, the control body may have a replaceable battery, a rechargeable battery (e.g., a rechargeable thin-film solid-state battery), or a rechargeable supercapacitor, and thus may be combined with any type of recharging technology, including connection to a typical wall outlet, a connection to an automobile charger (i.e., cigarette lighter socket), a connection to a computer through a universal serial bus (USB) cable or connector, or the like, a photovoltaic cell (sometimes called a solar cell) or solar panel, a wireless connection to a radio frequency (RF), a wireless connection to an induction-based charging pad, or a connection to an RF-DC converter. Some examples of suitable recharging technologies are described below. Furthermore, in some exemplary embodiments, the cartridge may include a disposable cartridge such as that disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0034] FIG. 2 more specifically illustrates an aerosol delivery device 100 according to some exemplary embodiments. As can be seen in the cutaway view shown therein, the aerosol delivery device can again include a control body 102 and a cartridge 104, each containing several respective components. The components shown in FIG. 2 are representative of components that may be present within the control body and cartridge and are not intended to limit the scope of components encompassed by the present disclosure. As shown, for example, the control body can be formed from a control body shell 206 that can include a control component 208 (e.g., a microprocessor, either separately or as part of a microcontroller), a flow sensor 210, a power source 212, and one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 214, quantum dot-enabled LEDs, etc., and such components can be variably aligned. The power source can include, for example, a battery (disposable or rechargeable), a rechargeable supercapacitor, a rechargeable solid-state battery (SSB), a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (LiB), etc., or some combination thereof. Some examples of suitable power sources are provided in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 918,926 to Sur et al., filed October 21, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference. Other examples of suitable power sources are provided in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0283855 to Hawes et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0014125 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0243410 to Nichols et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0313901 to Fernando et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0230117 to Fernando et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0035] LED 214 may be one example of a suitable visual indicator that may be included in aerosol delivery device 100. In addition to or in place of visual indicators such as LEDs, quantum dot-enabled LEDs, etc., other indicators may be included, such as audio indicators (e.g., speakers), tactile indicators (e.g., vibration motors), etc.

[0036] The cartridge 104 can be formed from a cartridge shell 216 that encloses a reservoir 218 configured to hold the aerosol precursor composition and includes a heater 222 (sometimes called a heating element). In various configurations, this structure may be referred to as a tank. Thus, the terms "cartridge," "tank," and the like can be used interchangeably to refer to a shell or other housing that encloses a reservoir of the aerosol precursor composition and includes a heater.

[0037] As shown, in some examples, reservoir 218 may be in fluid communication with a liquid transport element 220 configured to wick or otherwise transport the aerosol precursor composition stored within the reservoir housing to a heater 222. In some examples, a valve may be disposed between the reservoir and the heater and configured to control the amount of aerosol precursor composition pumped or delivered from the reservoir to the heater.

[0038] Various example materials configured to generate heat upon application of an electric current may be used to form the heater 222. These example heaters may be resistive heating elements such as wire coils, microheaters, etc. Examples of materials from which the heating element may be formed include Kanthal (FeCrAl), nichrome, stainless steel, molybdenum disilicide (MoSi), molybdenum silicide (MoSi), aluminum-doped molybdenum disilicide (Mo(Si,Al)), graphite and graphite-based materials (e.g., carbon-based foams and yarns), and ceramics (e.g., positive temperature coefficient ceramics or negative temperature coefficient ceramics). Exemplary embodiments of heaters or heating elements useful in aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure are further described below and can be incorporated into devices as described herein.

[0039] An opening 224 may be present in the cartridge shell 216 (eg, at the mouth end) to allow the formed aerosol to be released from the cartridge 104 .

[0040] The cartridge 104 may also include one or more electronic components 226, which may include integrated circuits, memory components (e.g., EEPROM, flash memory), sensors, etc. The electronic components may be configured to communicate with the control component 208 and / or external devices by wired or wireless means. The electronic components may be located anywhere within the cartridge or its base 228.

[0041] While the control component 208 and the flow sensor 210 are shown separately, it should be understood that various electronic components, including the control component and the flow sensor, may be combined on an electronic printed circuit board (PCB) that supports and electrically connects the electronic components. Furthermore, the PCB may be oriented horizontally relative to the view of FIG. 1 , in that the PCB may be longitudinally parallel to the central axis of the control body. In some examples, the air flow sensor may include its own PCB or other base element to which it may be mounted. In some examples, a flexible PCB may be utilized. The flexible PCB may be configured in various shapes, including a substantially tubular shape. In some examples, the flexible PCB may be combined with, laminated on, or form part or all of the heater substrate.

[0042] The control body 102 and cartridge 104 may include components configured to facilitate fluid engagement therebetween. As shown in FIG. 2 , the control body may include a coupler 230 having a cavity 232 therein. The cartridge base 228 may be configured to engage with the coupler and may include a protrusion 234 configured to fit within the cavity. Such engagement may facilitate a stable connection between the control body and the cartridge and establish an electrical connection between the power source 212 and control component 208 in the control body and the heater 222 in the cartridge. Additionally, the control body shell 206 may include an air inlet 236, which may be a notch in the shell that connects to the coupler, allowing ambient air around the coupler to pass into the shell, then through the coupler cavity 232, and into the cartridge via the protrusion 234.

[0043] Useful couplers and bases according to the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0261495 to Novak et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, as seen in FIG. 2 , coupler 230 may define an outer periphery 238 configured to mate with an inner periphery 240 of base 228. In one example, the inner periphery of the base may define a radius substantially equal to or slightly greater than the radius of the outer periphery of the coupler. Additionally, the coupler may define one or more protrusions 242 on its outer periphery configured to engage with one or more recesses 244 defined in the inner periphery of the base. However, various other example structures, shapes, and components may be used to couple the base to the coupler. In some examples, the connection between the base of cartridge 104 and the coupler of control body 102 may be substantially permanent, while in other examples, the connection therebetween may be releasable, e.g., the control body may be reused with one or more additional cartridges, which may be disposable and / or refillable.

[0044] The reservoir 218 shown in FIG. 2 may be a container or a fibrous reservoir, as described herein. For example, in this example, the reservoir may include one or more layers of nonwoven fibers substantially formed in the shape of a tube that surrounds the interior of the cartridge shell 216. An aerosol precursor composition may be held within the reservoir. For example, a liquid component may be adsorbed and retained by the reservoir. The reservoir may be fluidly connected to a liquid transport element 220. In this example, the liquid transport element may transport the aerosol precursor composition stored within the reservoir by capillary action to a heater 222, which is in the form of a metal wire coil. The heater is thus in a heating arrangement with the liquid transport element. Exemplary embodiments of reservoirs and transport elements useful in aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure are further described below, and such reservoirs and / or transport elements may be incorporated into devices as described herein. In particular, certain combinations of heating elements and transport elements, as described further below, may be incorporated into devices as described herein.

[0045] In some examples, a microfluidic chip may be embedded in reservoir 218, and the amount and / or mass of the aerosol precursor composition delivered from the reservoir may be controlled by a micropump, such as one based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. Heater 222 may be configured to perform radiofrequency-induced heating of the aerosol precursor composition without a wick or physical contact with the aerosol precursor composition, as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 14 / 934,763 to Davis et al., filed November 6, 2015, which is incorporated by reference. Other exemplary embodiments of reservoirs and transport elements useful in aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure are described further below, and such reservoirs and / or transport elements may be incorporated into devices as described herein. In particular, certain combinations of heating elements and transport elements, as described further below, may be incorporated into devices as described herein. Other exemplary embodiments of reservoirs and transport elements useful in aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure are described further below, and such reservoirs and / or transport elements can be incorporated into devices as described herein. In particular, certain combinations of heating elements and transport elements as described further below may be incorporated into devices as described herein.

[0046] In use, when a user inhales on the aerosol delivery device 100, airflow is detected by the flow sensor 210, activating the heater 222 to vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition. Inhalation at the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device causes ambient air to enter the intake port 236 and pass through the cavity 232 in the coupler 230 and the central opening in the protrusion 234 of the base 228. In the cartridge 104, the inhaled air combines with the formed vapor to form an aerosol. The aerosol is blown, inhaled, or otherwise drawn through the heater and exits through the opening 224 in the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device.

[0047] In some examples, the aerosol delivery device 100 may include several additional software control functions. For example, the aerosol delivery device may include a power protection circuit configured to detect the power input, the load on the power terminals, and the charging input. The power protection circuit may include short-circuit protection, undervoltage lockout and / or overvoltage charging protection, and battery temperature compensation. The aerosol delivery device may also include a component for measuring ambient temperature, and its control component 208 may be configured to control at least one functional element to inhibit power charging (particularly of any battery) if the ambient temperature falls below a certain temperature (e.g., 0°C) or exceeds a certain temperature (e.g., 45°C) before or during charging.

[0048] Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the control component 208 may include a microprocessor with an embedded analog-to-digital converter (ADC) useful for measuring the temperature of the heater 222. More specifically, for example, the microprocessor may be programmed to pass a fixed current through the heater and measure the voltage across the heater. The microprocessor may then be configured to calculate the resistance of the heater (R=V / I), which varies with temperature, from the current and voltage. The resistance may then be used to determine the temperature of the heater from a known relationship between resistance and the temperature of the heater material. This relationship may be expressed in various ways, such as a look-up table.

[0049] Power delivery from the power source 212 may vary over the course of each puff with the device 100 according to a power control mechanism. The device may include a “long puff” safety timer so that if a user or component (e.g., flow sensor 210) failure causes the device to attempt continuous puffs, the control component 208 may control at least one functional element to automatically terminate puffs after some period of time (e.g., 4 seconds). Additionally, the time between puffs with the device may be limited to less than a certain period of time (e.g., 100 seconds). A watchdog safety timer may automatically reset the aerosol delivery device if its control component or software running on the aerosol delivery device becomes unstable and does not service the timer within an appropriate time interval (e.g., 8 seconds). Further safety protection may be provided in the event of a defect or otherwise failure of the flow sensor 210, such as by permanently disabling the aerosol delivery device to prevent inadvertent heating. A puff limit switch may shut down the device if the pressure sensor fails, allowing continuous activation without shutting down the device after the maximum puff time of 4 seconds.

[0050] The aerosol delivery device 100 may include a puff tracking algorithm configured to lock out the heater once a defined number of puffs has been achieved for the attached cartridge (based on the number of available puffs calculated in light of the e-liquid charge in the cartridge). The aerosol delivery device may include a sleep, standby, or low-power mode feature, whereby power delivery may be automatically shut off after a defined period of non-use. Additional safety protection may be provided in that every charge / discharge cycle of the power source 212 may be monitored by the control component 208 over its lifetime. After the power source reaches a predetermined number (e.g., 200) equivalent of full discharge and full recharge cycles, the power source may be declared depleted, and the control component may control at least one functional element to prevent the power source from being further charged.

[0051] The various components of the aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosure can be selected from those described in the art and commercially available. An example of a battery that can be used in accordance with the present disclosure is described in U.S. Patent No. 9,484,155 to Peckerar et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0052] Aerosol delivery device 100 can incorporate sensor 210 or another sensor or detector for controlling the supply of power to heater 222 when aerosol generation is desired (e.g., when inhalation occurs during use). Thus, for example, a manner or method is provided for turning off power to the heater when inhalation is not occurring on the aerosol delivery device during use, and turning on power to activate or trigger heat generation by the heater during inhalation. Additional representative types of sensing or detection mechanisms, their structure and configuration, their components, and their general method of operation are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., and PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2010 / 003480 to Flick, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0053] Most preferably, the aerosol delivery device 100 incorporates a control component 208 or another control mechanism for controlling the amount of power to the heater 222 during inhalation. Representative types of electronic components, their structure and configuration, their characteristics, and their general method of operation are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,622 to Pan, U.S. Pat. No. 8,881,737 to Collet et al., U.S. Pat. No. 9,423,152 to Ampolini et al., U.S. Pat. No. 9,439,454 to Fernando et al., and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015 / 0257445 to Henry et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0054] Representative types of substrates, reservoirs, or other components for supporting aerosol precursors are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,528,569 to Newton, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0261487 to Chapman et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0059780 to Davis et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0216232 to Bless et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, various wicking materials and the configuration and operation of those wicking materials within particular types of electronic cigarettes are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,640 to Sears et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0055] The aerosol precursor composition, also referred to as a vapor precursor composition, may include various components including, for example, a polyhydric alcohol (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol, or mixtures thereof), nicotine, tobacco, tobacco extract, and / or flavorants. Representative types of aerosol precursor components and formulations are also described and characterized in U.S. Pat. No. 7,217,320 to Robinson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 9,254,002 to Chong et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2013 / 0008457 to Zheng et al., U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2015 / 0020823 to Lipowicz et al., and U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2015 / 0020830 to Koller, as well as PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2014 / 182736 to Bowen et al. and U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 222,615 to Watson et al., filed July 28, 2016, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other aerosol precursors that may be used include the aerosol precursors incorporated in VUSE® products by RJ Reynolds Vapor Company, BLU™ products by Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, MISTIC MENTHOL products by Mistic Ecigs, and VYPE products by CN Creative Ltd. Also desirable are so-called "smoke juices" for e-cigarettes available from Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC.

[0056] Embodiments of the foamable material can be used with the aerosol precursor and are described, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0055494 to Hunt et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Further, the use of foamable materials is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,368 to Niazi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,878 to Wehling et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,264 to Wehling et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,974,590 to Pather et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,667 to Bergquist et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,424,541 to Crawford et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 8,627,828 to Strickland et al., as well as U.S. Pat. No. 9,307,787 to Sun et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0018539 to Brinkley et al., and PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 97 / 06786 to Johnson et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Additional description of embodiments of aerosol precursor compositions, including descriptions of tobacco or tobacco-derived components contained therein, is provided in U.S. Patent Application Nos. 15 / 216,582 and 15 / 216,590, both to Davis et al., filed July 21, 2016, and incorporated herein by reference.

[0057] Additional representative types of components or indicators that provide a visual cue, such as visual indicators and related components, audio indicators, tactile indicators, etc., may be used in the aerosol delivery device 100. Examples of suitable LED components and their construction and use are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,499,766 to Newton, U.S. Patent No. 8,539,959 to Scatterday, and U.S. Patent No. 9,451,791 to Sears et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0058] Still other features, controls, or components that can be incorporated into the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,289 to Watkins et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,365,742 to Hon, U.S. Pat. No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al., and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. Katase, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. No. 2005 / 0016550 to Fernando et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,689,804 to Tucker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2013 / 0192623 to Tucker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 9,427,022 to Leven et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2013 / 0180553 to Kim et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2014 / 0000638 to Sebastian et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2014 / 0261495 to Novak et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 9,220,302 to DePiano et al.

[0059] As described above, the control component 208 includes several electronic components and, in some examples, may be formed from a PCB. The electronic components may include a microprocessor or processor core and memory. In some examples, the control component may include a microcontroller with an integrated processor core and memory and may further include one or more integrated input / output peripherals. In some examples, the control component may be coupled to a communication interface 246 to enable wireless communication with one or more networks, computing devices, or other appropriately enabled devices. An example of a suitable communication interface is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0261020 to Marion et al., the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Another example of a suitable communication interface is the CC3200 single-chip wireless microcontroller unit (MCU) manufactured by Texas Instruments. Additionally, examples of suitable manners in which an aerosol delivery device may be configured to communicate wirelessly are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0007651 to Ampolini et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0219933 to Henry, Jr. et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0060] 3 illustrates an intelligent charger 300 for an aerosol delivery device 100, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the intelligent charger includes a housing 302 and a first connector 304 and a second connector 306 coupled to the housing. The first connector is configured to engage with a control body 102 coupled or connectable to a cartridge 104 to form an aerosol delivery device. As described above, the cartridge is equipped with a heater 222 (heating element) and contains an aerosol precursor composition, and the control body includes a power source 212 configured to provide power to the heater to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition (several other components of the control body are not shown in FIG. 2 ).

[0061] The second connector 306 is configured to engage a power supply 308 that is connected to the power source 212 when the first connector 304 is engaged with the control body 102 and the second connector is engaged with the power supply. The power supply is controllable to provide power to recharge the power source.

[0062] According to an exemplary embodiment, the charging voltage of the power source 212 may be adjusted based on its temperature. Such adjustment, often referred to as temperature compensation, is a charging function that helps ensure that the power source is not undercharged or overcharged, regardless of its temperature. Chemical reactions are affected by temperature. Because batteries and other similar power sources are electrochemical, they are also affected by temperature. More specifically, for example, cooler batteries often require a higher charging voltage to drive current through the battery plates and electrolyte, while warmer batteries often require a lower charging voltage to avoid unnecessary gassing and potential damage in the case of LiBs.

[0063] To provide the above temperature regulation, the intelligent charger 300 of the exemplary embodiment also includes a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 310 configured to obtain a measurement of the temperature of the power source 212. The PMIC is configured to compare the temperature to a predetermined temperature range and control the power provided by the power supply 308 to maintain the temperature within the predetermined temperature range during recharging.

[0064] In some examples, the PMIC 310 is programmable via an I2C interface (e.g., for a power supply 212 embodied as a LiB) to cause the power supply 308 to provide a charging current of up to 650 mA. A power source, such as a battery comprised of one or more cells, can be optimally charged according to a charging profile that relates charging current to cell voltage and state of charge (SoC). In some examples, the PMIC is configured to control the power provided by the power supply based on a predefined charging profile of the power source, such as a predefined constant current / constant voltage (CC / CV) charging profile. In some other examples, the predefined charging profile is a nonlinear charging profile for a power source that is a nonlinear power source.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 4 , in some examples where the power source 212 is a battery, it includes an anode disposed within an electrolyte and a cathode. In some of these examples, the PMIC 310 is configured to receive a predefined charging profile from an external computing device 402, such as a mobile computer (e.g., a portable computer, a mobile phone, a wearable computer), a desktop computer, a server computer, or the like, which may be wirelessly or wired (e.g., via an I2C interface) coupled to an intelligent charger. In another more application-specific example, the external computing device is a potentiostat, such as a Tektronix Model 2450-EC Graphical Potentiostat. The external computing device may be configured to create the predefined charging profile from at least the electrode characterization. The external computing device may create the predefined charging profile in several different ways, such as by determining and verifying a particular charging current SoC profile, which may then be transmitted to the PMIC.

[0066] 3 , in some examples, the intelligent charger 300 further includes a detection device 312 coupled to the PMIC 310 and configured to detect a type of power source. In some other examples, the detection device is configured to detect a type of power from multiple different types of power sources, including USB 2.0, USB 3.0, a USB host port, a car charger, or a wall charger. In at least some examples that include a detection device, the PMIC is configured to set a current limit for the power provided by the power source 308 based on the type of power source detected by the detection device.

[0067] In some examples, the power supply 212 includes a terminal or thermistor 314 that is coupled to the PMIC 310 (when the first connector 304 is engaged with the control body 102). In these examples, the PMIC is configured to obtain a temperature measurement from the terminal or thermistor.

[0068] In some examples, the PMIC 310 includes a low dropout regulator 316 configured to regulate the output voltage of the power supply 308 from which the power supply 212 can be recharged. In some other examples, the low dropout regulator is configured as a soft switch to minimize voltage spikes in the output voltage.

[0069] One example of a suitable PMIC 310 is the Analog Devices model ADP5350 power management IC. This PMIC includes several additional features that may be beneficial in some exemplary embodiments. The PMIC can operate without an external sense resistor and includes battery chemistry compensation. The PMIC includes three 150 mA linear regulators that may be used for or in connection with wireless communications (e.g., Bluetooth), organic LED lighting, and the like. The PMIC also has five programmable LED outputs that are digitally programmable via an I2C interface.

[0070] The foregoing description of the use of the article(s) can be applied to the various exemplary embodiments described herein through minor modifications that may be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the further disclosure provided herein. However, the above description of use is not intended to limit the use of the article, but is provided to fulfill all necessary requirements of the present disclosure. Some of the elements shown in the article(s) shown in Figures 1-3 or otherwise described above may be included in an aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosure.

[0071] Many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure described herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the associated drawings. It is, therefore, to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, while the foregoing description and the associated drawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certain exemplary combinations of elements and / or functions, it is to be understood that different combinations of elements and / or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, various combinations of elements and / or functions other than those expressly described above are also contemplated, for example, as set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

1. 1. An intelligent charger for an aerosol delivery device, comprising: Housing and a first connector coupled to the housing and configured to engage with a control body of the aerosol delivery device, the control body including a power source configured to provide power to the aerosol delivery device to generate an aerosol from the aerosol precursor composition; a second connector coupled to the housing and configured to engage with a power supply source, the power supply source being connected to the power source when the first connector is engaged with the control body and the second connector is engaged with the power supply source, the power supply source being controllable to provide power to recharge the power source; a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) configured to take a measurement of the temperature of the power source, compare the temperature to a predetermined temperature range, and control the power provided by the power supply to maintain the temperature within the predetermined temperature range during recharging, the power management integrated circuit (PMIC) configured to control the power provided by the power supply based on a predefined charging profile of the power source; the power source is a battery including an anode and a cathode disposed in an electrolyte; An intelligent charger for an aerosol delivery device, wherein the PMIC is configured to receive a predefined charging profile from an external computing device, the predefined charging profile being generated from a characterization of at least the anode or cathode of the battery.

2. 10. The intelligent charger of claim 1, wherein the PMIC is programmable via an I2C interface to cause the power supply to provide a charging current of up to 650 mA.

3. 10. The intelligent charger of claim 1, wherein the predefined charging profile is a non-linear charging profile of the power source.

4. 10. The intelligent charger of claim 1, further comprising: a detection device coupled to the PMIC and configured to detect a type of power supply source, the PMIC configured to set a current limit of power provided by the power supply source based on the type of power supply source detected by the detection device.

5. 5. The intelligent charger of claim 4, wherein the detection device being configured to detect the type of power supply source comprises being configured to detect the type of power from a plurality of different types of power supply sources including USB 2.0, USB 3.0, a USB host port, a cigarette lighter socket, or a wall outlet.

6. 10. The intelligent charger of claim 1, wherein the power supply includes terminals or a thermistor coupled to the PMIC, and wherein the PMIC being configured to obtain a measurement of the temperature of the power supply includes being configured to obtain a measurement of the temperature from the terminals or the thermistor.

7. 10. The intelligent charger of claim 1, wherein the PMIC includes a low dropout regulator configured to regulate an output voltage of the power supply, the power supply being rechargeable from the power supply.

8. 8. The intelligent charger of claim 7, wherein the low dropout regulator is configured as a soft switch to minimize voltage spikes in the output voltage.

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