RU2832074C2 - Circuit of non-inverting amplifier for aerosol delivery device - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: electrical engineering; aerosol-generating systems.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates namely to aerosol delivery devices such as smoking articles, and more particularly to aerosol delivery devices that can use electrically generated heat to produce an aerosol. The aerosol delivery device includes terminals configured to connect a power source to the aerosol delivery device, and a heating element configured to convert electricity into heat and thereby evaporate components of the aerosol precursor composition. The aerosol delivery device also includes a step-up converter configured to step up the voltage from the power source to a higher voltage, and an inverter configured to convert the higher voltage to an additional negative voltage. The aerosol delivery device further includes at least one non-inverting amplifier circuit that includes an operational amplifier configured to receive a voltage from a power supply as an input voltage and to receive a higher voltage and an additional negative voltage as supply voltages. At least one non-inverting amplifier circuit is configured to amplify an input voltage to an output voltage and provide a continuous output current.

EFFECT: generation of positive and negative voltage to power the operational amplifier to provide a higher continuous current to power the heating element.

18 cl, 9 dwg

Description

AREA OF TECHNOLOGY

[0001] The present invention relates to aerosol delivery devices, such as smoking articles, and more particularly to aerosol delivery devices that can use electrically generated heat to produce an aerosol (e.g., smoking articles commonly referred to as electronic cigarettes). The smoking articles can be configured to heat an aerosol precursor, which can include materials that can be made or obtained from tobacco, or otherwise include tobacco, wherein said precursor is capable of forming an inhalable substance for human consumption.

LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY

[0002] Over the years, a variety of smoking articles have been proposed as an improvement or alternative to smoking products based on the combustion of tobacco. Some exemplary alternatives include devices in which a solid or liquid fuel is burned to transfer heat to the tobacco or in which a chemical reaction is used to provide such a heating source. Additional exemplary alternatives use electrical energy to heat the tobacco and/or other aerosol-generating substrate materials, such as those described in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 (Worm et al.), which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The intent of improvements or alternatives to smoking products has typically been to provide the sensations associated with smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, but without delivering significant amounts of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products. To this end, a variety of smoking products, aroma generators, and medicinal inhalers have been proposed that use electrical energy to vaporize or heat a volatile material or attempt to provide the sensations of smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes without substantially burning the tobacco. See, for example, the various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and heat generating sources disclosed in the prior art represented by U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 (Robinson et al.) and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2013/0255702 (Griffith Jr. et al.) and 2014/0096781 (Sears et al.), which are incorporated herein by reference. Also see, for example, the various types of electrically powered smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and heat generating sources referenced by trademark and trade information source in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0220232 (Bless et al.), which is incorporated herein by reference. Additional types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and electrically powered heat generating sources referenced by trademark and trade information are listed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0245659 (DePiano et al.), which is also incorporated herein by reference. Other representative cigarettes or smoking articles that have been described and, in some cases, commercially available include those described in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,735,217 (Gerth et al.); U.S. Patent Nos. 4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,875 (Brooks et al.); U.S. Patent No. 5,060,671 (Counts et al.); U.S. Patent No. 5,249,586 (Morgan et al.); US Patent No. 5,388,594 (Counts et al.); US Patent No. 5,666,977 (Higgins et al.); US Patent No. 6,053,176 (Adams et al.); US Patent No. 6,164,287 (White); US Patent No. 6,196,218 (Voges); US Patent No. 6,810,883 (Felter et al.); US Patent No. 6,854,461 (Nichols); US Patent No. 7,832,410 (Hon); US Patent No. 7,513,253 (Kobayashi); US Patent No. 7,726,320 (Robinson et al.); U.S. Patent No. 7,896,006 (Hamano); U.S. Patent No. 6,772,756 (Shayan); U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0095311 (Hon); U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2006/0196518, 2009/0126745, and 2009/0188490 (Hon); U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0272379 (Thorens et al.); U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2009/0260641 and 2009/0260642 (Monsees et al.); U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2008/0149118 and 2010/0024834 (Oglesby et al.); in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0307518 (Wang) and in WO 2010/091593 (Hon), which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] Representative products that are similar in many attributes to cigarettes, cigars, or smoking pipes of traditional types have been marketed as ACCORD ^® , manufactured by Philip Morris Incorporated; ALPHA™, JOYE 510™, and M4™, manufactured by InnoVapor LLC; CIRRUS™ and FLING™, manufactured by White Cloud Cigarettes; BLU™, manufactured by Fontem Ventures BV; COHITA™, COLIBRI™, ELITE CLASSIC™, MAGNUM™, PHANTOM™, and SENSE™, manufactured by EPUFFER ^® International Inc.; DUOPRO™, STORM™, and VAPORKING ^® , manufactured by Electronic Cigarettes, Inc.; EGAR™ manufactured by Egar Australia; eGo-C™ and eGo-T™ manufactured by Joyetech; ELUSION™ manufactured by Elusion UK Ltd; EONSMOKE ^® manufactured by Eonsmoke LLC; FIN™TM manufactured by FIN Branding Group, LLC; SMOKE ^® manufactured by Green Smoke Inc. USA; GREENARETTE™ manufactured by Greenarette LLC; HALLIGAN™, HENDU™, JET™, MAXXQ™, PINK™ and PITBULL™ manufactured by SMOKE STICK ^® ; HEATBAR™ manufactured by Philip Morris International, Inc.; HYDRO IMPERIAL™ and LXE™ manufactured by Crown7; LOGIC™ and THE CUBAN™, manufactured by LOGIC Technology; LUCI ^® , manufactured by Luciano Smokes Inc.; METRO ^® , manufactured by Nicotek, LLC; NJOY ^® and ONEJOY™, manufactured by Sottera, Inc.; NO. 7™, manufactured by SS Choice LLC; PREMIUM ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE™, manufactured by PremiumEstore LLC; RAPP E-MYSTICK™, manufactured by Ruyan America, Inc.; RED DRAGON™, manufactured by Red Dragon Products, LLC; RUYAN ^® , manufactured by Ruyan Group (Holdings) Ltd.; SF ^® , manufactured by Smoker Friendly International, LLC; GREEN SMART SMOKER ^® , manufactured by The Smart Smoking Electronic Cigarette Company Ltd.; SMOKE ASSIST ^® , manufactured by Coastline Products LLC; SMOKING EVERYWHERE ^® , manufactured by Smoking Everywhere, Inc.; V2CIGS™, manufactured by VMR Products LLC; VAPOR NINE™, manufactured by VaporNine LLC; VAPOR4LIFE ^® , manufactured by Vapor 4 Life, Inc.; VEPPO™, manufactured by E-CigaretteDirect, LLC; VUSE ^® , manufactured by RJ Reynolds Vapor Company; MISTIC MENTHOL product, manufactured by Mistic Ecigs; the VYPE product, manufactured by CN Creative Ltd; IQOS™, manufactured by Philip Morris International; GLO™, manufactured by British American Tobacco Company; MARK TEN products, manufactured by Nu Mark LLC; and the JUUL product, manufactured by Juul Labs, Inc. Other electrically powered aerosol delivery devices, and in particular devices that have been characterized as so-called electronic cigarettes, have been marketed under the trade names COOLER VISIONS™; DIRECT E-CIG™; DRAGONFLY™; EMIST™; EVERSMOKE™; GAMUCCI ^® ; HYBRID FLAME™; KNIGHT STICKS™; ROYAL BLUES™; SMOKETIP ^® and SOUTH BEACH SMOKE™.

[0005] However, it is preferable to provide aerosol delivery devices with improved electronic equipment, such as those that can improve the convenience of use of the devices.

DISCLOSURE OF THE ESSENCE OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention relates to aerosol delivery devices that are capable of generating an aerosol and that, in some embodiments, may be referred to as electronic cigarettes or heat-not-burn cigarettes. The present disclosure includes, without limitation, the following example embodiments.

[0007] Example of implementation 1: an aerosol delivery device comprising: terminals configured to connect a power source to the aerosol delivery device; a heating element configured to convert electricity into heat and thereby evaporate components of the aerosol precursor composition; a step-up converter configured to increase the voltage from the power source to a higher voltage; an inverter configured to convert the higher voltage to an additional negative voltage; and at least one non-inverting amplifier circuit connected to the heating element and comprising an operational amplifier configured to receive a voltage from the power source as an input voltage and to receive the higher voltage and the additional negative voltage as supply voltages, wherein said at least one non-inverting amplifier circuit is configured to amplify the input voltage to an output voltage and to provide a continuous output current from which the heating element is supplied with power.

[0008] Embodiment example 2: An aerosol delivery device according to any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the power source includes a single battery or a single battery cell.

[0009] Embodiment example 3: An aerosol delivery device according to any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the power source is or includes a single lithium-ion battery (LiB) and the step-up converter is configured to step up the voltage from the single LiB to a higher voltage.

[0010] Embodiment Example 4: An aerosol delivery device according to any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the continuous output current is at least about 9 amperes.

[0011] Implementation example 5: an aerosol delivery device according to any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein at least one non-inverting amplifier circuit includes a plurality of operational amplifiers, each of which is configured to receive a voltage from a power source as an input voltage and to receive a higher voltage and an additional negative voltage as supply voltages, wherein the plurality of operational amplifiers are configured to amplify the input voltage to corresponding output voltages and to provide corresponding continuous output currents from which the heating element is powered.

[0012] Embodiment example 6: An aerosol delivery device according to any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein a plurality of operational amplifiers are arranged such that a sum of the corresponding continuous output currents is supplied to the heating element.

[0013] Example of implementation 7: An aerosol delivery device according to any preceding example of implementation or any combination of any preceding examples of implementation, in which a plurality of operational amplifiers are arranged such that a sum of the respective output voltages is supplied to the heating element.

[0014] Embodiment example 8: An aerosol delivery device according to any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the aerosol precursor composition comprises a liquid, solid, or semi-solid.

[0015] Embodiment example 9: An aerosol delivery device according to any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the inverter includes a logic gate configured to invert a higher voltage to an additional negative voltage.

[0016] An embodiment example 10: a control housing for an aerosol delivery device, comprising: terminals configured to connect a power source to the control housing; a heating element or second terminals configured to connect the heating element to the control housing, wherein the heating element is configured to convert electricity into heat and thereby evaporate components of the aerosol precursor composition; a step-up converter configured to increase the voltage from the power source to a higher voltage; an inverter configured to convert the higher voltage to an additional negative voltage; and at least one non-inverting amplifier circuit connected to the heating element or the second terminals and comprising an operational amplifier configured to receive a voltage from the power source as an input voltage and to receive the higher voltage and the additional negative voltage as supply voltages, wherein said at least one non-inverting amplifier circuit is configured to amplify the input voltage to an output voltage and to provide a continuous output current, from which the heating element is provided power.

[0017] Implementation example 11: A control housing according to any preceding implementation example or any combination of any preceding implementation examples, wherein the power source includes a single battery or a single battery cell.

[0018] Implementation example 12: The control housing of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the power source is or includes a single lithium-ion battery (LiB), and the step-up converter is configured to step up the voltage from the single LiB to a higher voltage.

[0019] Implementation example 13: The control housing of any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the continuous output current is at least about 9 amperes.

[0020] Implementation example 14: a control housing according to any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein at least one non-inverting amplifier circuit includes a plurality of operational amplifiers, each of which is configured to receive a voltage from a power source as an input voltage and to receive a higher voltage and an additional negative voltage as supply voltages, wherein the plurality of operational amplifiers are configured to amplify the input voltage to corresponding output voltages and to provide corresponding continuous output currents from which the heating element is supplied.

[0021] Implementation example 15: a control housing according to any preceding implementation example or any combination of any preceding implementation examples, in which a plurality of operational amplifiers are arranged such that the heating element is supplied with a sum of the corresponding continuous output currents.

[0022] Implementation example 16: a control housing according to any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, in which a plurality of operational amplifiers are arranged such that a sum of the respective output voltages is supplied to the heating element.

[0023] Embodiment example 17: A control body according to any preceding embodiment or any combination of any preceding embodiments, wherein the aerosol precursor composition comprises a liquid, solid, or semi-solid.

[0024] Implementation example 18: The inverter includes a logic gate configured to invert a higher voltage into an additional negative voltage.

[0025] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from reading the following detailed description with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below. The disclosure of the present invention includes any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements disclosed in this invention, regardless of whether such features or elements are intentionally combined or otherwise set forth in a particular embodiment described herein. This invention is intended to be read as a whole, so that any individual features or elements of the invention in any of its aspects and example embodiments should be considered as combinable unless the context of the invention clearly dictates otherwise.

[0026] It should be understood, therefore, that this summary of the invention is provided only for the purpose of summarizing certain exemplary embodiments so as to provide a basic understanding of certain aspects of the invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments described above are merely exemplary and should not be construed as in any way narrowing the scope or spirit of the invention. Other exemplary embodiments, aspects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which show, by way of example, the principles of some of the described exemplary embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] Following the above general description of aspects of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in which:

[0028] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an aerosol delivery device comprising a cartridge and a control body that are connected to each other according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] FIG. 2 is a partially sectioned view of the aerosol delivery device of FIG. 1, in which the cartridge and control body are separated from each other according to an embodiment;

[0030] FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views of an aerosol delivery device comprising a control body and an aerosol source element that are respectively connected to and disconnected from each other, according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] FIGS. 5 and 6 show, respectively, a front view and a sectional view of the aerosol delivery device of FIGS. 3 and 4 according to an embodiment; and

[0032] FIG. 7 shows an electrical diagram of an aerosol delivery device according to various embodiments of the present invention; and

[0033] FIGS. 8 and 9 show electrical circuit diagrams of components of an aerosol delivery device according to embodiments.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] The present invention is described in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof. These exemplary embodiments are described in such a way that the present disclosure provides a complete and thorough description of the present invention for one skilled in the art. Indeed, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be considered as limited to the embodiments shown herein; on the contrary, these embodiments are provided so that the present invention complies with applicable legal requirements. In this description and in the appended claims, a grammatical construction indicating that an element is given in the singular also includes the plural unless the context of the invention clearly dictates otherwise. Furthermore, although reference may be made herein to quantities, values, geometric relationships or the like, unless otherwise indicated, any one or more, if not all, of them may be absolute or approximate in order to take into account reasonable variations that may occur, for example, due to technical tolerances or the like.

[0035] As described below, exemplary embodiments provided in the present disclosure relate to aerosol delivery devices. Aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure use electrical energy to heat a material (preferably without burning the material to any significant extent) to form an inhalable substance; and components of such systems are in the form of articles that are most preferably compact enough to be considered portable devices. In other words, use of components of preferred aerosol delivery devices does not result in the formation of smoke in the sense that the aerosol is primarily generated from by-products of combustion or pyrolysis of tobacco, but rather, use of said preferred systems results in the formation of vapors generated during the process of vaporization or evaporation of certain components included therein. In some exemplary embodiments, components of the aerosol delivery devices may be characterized as electronic cigarettes, and said electronic cigarettes most preferably include tobacco and/or components derived from tobacco, and thus deliver components derived from tobacco in the form of an aerosol.

[0036] Aerosol-generating components of certain preferred aerosol delivery devices may provide a variety of sensations (e.g., inhalation and exhalation rituals, flavor and aroma types, organoleptic effects, physical sensation, rituals of use, visual cues such as those provided by a visible aerosol, and the like) of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or smoking pipe that are caused by lighting and burning tobacco (and then inhaling the tobacco smoke) without substantially burning any of their components. For example, a user of an aerosol delivery device according to some example embodiments of the disclosure of the present invention may hold and use the component in a manner similar to a smoker using a traditional type of smoking article, by drawing on one end of the component to inhale the aerosol generated by the component, by puffing or inhaling at selected intervals, and the like.

[0037] Although the systems are generally described herein in terms of embodiments related to aerosol delivery devices such as so-called "electronic cigarettes," "heated tobacco products," and the like, it should be understood that the mechanisms, components, features, and methods may be embodied in a variety of different forms and associated with different articles. For example, the description provided herein may be used in conjunction with embodiments of traditional smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.), heated-but-not-burning cigarettes, and associated with packaging for any of the products disclosed herein. Accordingly, it should be understood that the description of the mechanisms, components, features, and methods disclosed herein are provided in terms of embodiments related to aerosol delivery devices by way of example only, and may be implemented and used in various other products and methods.

[0038] The disclosed aerosol delivery devices may also be characterized as vapor-generating articles or drug delivery articles. Thus, such articles or devices may be adapted to deliver one or more substances (e.g., flavoring agents and/or pharmaceutical active ingredients) in a form or state suitable for inhalation. For example, the inhalable substances may be substantially in the form of a vapor (e.g., a substance that is in the gaseous phase at a temperature below its critical point). Alternatively, the inhalable substances may be in the form of an aerosol (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas). For simplicity, the term "aerosol" as used herein is intended to refer to vapors, gases, and aerosols of a form or type that are suitable for inhalation by a person, whether or not they are visible and whether or not they have a form that can be considered "smoke-like."

[0039] In use, the proposed aerosol delivery devices can be used in various physical actions of a person using a smoking article of a traditional type (for example, a cigarette, cigar or pipe, which is consumed by lighting and inhaling tobacco). For example, a user of the aerosol delivery device of the present invention can hold this article as a smoking article of a traditional type, puffing through one end of said article to inhale the aerosol formed by this article, puffing at selected intervals of time, and the like.

[0040] Aerosol delivery devices according to the disclosure of the present invention generally comprise a number of components located inside an outer housing, which may be referred to as a body or shell. The overall design of the housing may vary, and the configuration or format of the housing, which may define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device, may also vary. Typically, an elongated housing resembling the shape of a cigarette or cigar may be formed from a single housing, or the elongated housing may be formed from two or more separable housings. For example, the aerosol delivery device may comprise an elongated housing, which may be substantially tubular in shape and thus resemble the shape of a conventional cigarette or cigar. In one example, all of the components of the aerosol delivery device are located in a single housing. Alternatively, the aerosol delivery device may comprise two or more housings that are connected and detachable. For example, an aerosol delivery device may have at one end a control body comprising a housing comprising one or more reusable components (e.g., a battery such as a rechargeable battery, a rechargeable supercapacitor, a solid-state battery, a thin-film solid-state battery, a lithium-ion or hybrid lithium-ion supercapacitor, and various electronic equipment for controlling the operation of this article), and at the other end an outer housing or shell removably attached thereto comprising a disposable part (e.g., a disposable cartridge containing a fragrance). More specific formats, configurations and arrangements of components located within a unit such as a single housing or within a unit such as a housing configured to be separated and consisting of a plurality of parts will be apparent in light of the further disclosure of the invention presented below. In addition, the design of various aerosol delivery devices and the arrangement of components can be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. It should be understood that alternative non-tubular housing form factors may also be used, including, for example, device housings having a shape and size typically approximating a pack of cigarettes, and form factors such as those used in the GLO™ products manufactured by British American Tobacco and IQOS™ products manufactured by Philip Morris International.

[0041] As will be described in more detail below, aerosol delivery devices according to the disclosure of the present invention comprise some combination of a power source (e.g., an electrical power source), at least one control component (e.g., means for actuating, controlling, regulating, and shutting off the power supply to generate heat, such as by controlling the flow of electrical current from the power source to other components of the aerosol delivery device), a heating element (e.g., an electrical resistive heating element or other component, and/or an inductive coil or other suitable components, and/or one or more radiant heating elements), an aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a solid tobacco material, a semi-solid tobacco material, or a liquid aerosol precursor composition) capable of generating an aerosol when exposed to a sufficient amount of heat, and a mouth end or tip region for allowing a draw to be made through the aerosol delivery device to inhale the aerosol (e.g., providing a predetermined air flow path through the article such that the generated aerosol can be expelled therefrom after the draw has been made). puffs). In some embodiments, the power source includes a single battery or a single battery cell. The power source may supply power to the heating element, which is designed to convert electricity into heat and thereby evaporate the components of the aerosol precursor composition.

[0042] In the proposed aerosol delivery device, the alignment of the components may be different. In particular embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may be located near the end of the aerosol delivery device, which may be configured to be positioned closer to the user's mouth to maximize the delivery of the aerosol to the user. However, other configurations are not excluded. In general, the heating element may be located close enough to the aerosol precursor composition so that heat from the heating element can vaporize the aerosol precursor (as well as one or more flavors, medications, etc., which may also be provided for delivery to the user) and form an aerosol for delivery to the user. When the heating element heats the aerosol precursor composition, the aerosol is formed, released, or generated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by the consumer. It should be noted that the above terms should be considered interchangeable, so that forms of the said term such as "release", "release", "releases" or "released" include forms such as "form" or "generate", "forming" or "generating", "forms" or "generates" and "formed" or "generated". In particular, the respirable substance is released in the form of a vapor or an aerosol, or a mixture thereof, and such terms are also used interchangeably herein, unless otherwise indicated.

[0043] As indicated above, the aerosol delivery device may comprise a battery, a supercapacitor, a solid-state battery or other power source for providing an electric current flow sufficient to provide various functions of the aerosol delivery device, such as powering the heating element, powering the control systems, powering the indicators and the like. The power source may have various embodiments. Preferably, the power source is configured to supply sufficient energy to quickly activate the heating element to ensure the formation of the aerosol and to supply energy to the aerosol delivery device for its use for the desired period of time. The power source is preferably of a size suitable for convenient placement in the aerosol delivery device such that the aerosol delivery device can be conveniently used. In addition, the preferred power source is made sufficiently light and does not interfere with the desired smoking process.

[0044] More specific formats, configurations and arrangements of components in an aerosol delivery device according to the present invention will be apparent in light of the further disclosure of the invention presented below. In addition, the selection of various components of aerosol delivery devices can be understood by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices. Further, the arrangement of components within an aerosol delivery device can also be appreciated by considering commercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices.

[0045] As described below, the present invention relates to aerosol delivery devices. Aerosol delivery devices may be configured to heat an aerosol precursor composition (sometimes referred to as a means in the form of an inhalable substance) to produce an aerosol (an inhalable substance). The aerosol precursor composition may comprise one or more of the following: a solid tobacco material, a semi-solid tobacco material, or a liquid aerosol precursor composition. In some embodiments, aerosol delivery devices may be configured to heat and produce an aerosol from a fluid aerosol precursor composition (e.g., a liquid aerosol precursor composition). Such an aerosol delivery device may be a so-called electronic cigarette. In other embodiments, aerosol delivery devices may comprise devices with heating, but without combustion.

[0046] The liquid aerosol precursor composition, also referred to as a vapor precursor composition or "e-liquid," may contain various components, including, for example, a polyhydric alcohol (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol, or a mixture thereof), nicotine, tobacco, tobacco extract, and/or flavorings. In some examples, the aerosol precursor composition contains glycerin and nicotine.

[0047] Some liquid aerosol precursor compositions that can be used in combination with various embodiments can include one or more acids, such as levulinic acid, succinic acid, lactic acid, pyruvic acid, benzoic acid, fumaric acid, combinations thereof, and the like. Incorporation of the acid(s) into liquid aerosol precursor compositions that include nicotine can provide a protonated liquid aerosol precursor composition that includes nicotine as a salt. Representative types of liquid aerosol precursor components and compositions are known and are described 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 Application Publication No. 2013/0008457 to Zheng et al.; No. 2015/0020823 to Lipowicz et al. and No. 2015/0020830 to Koller, as well as PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2014/182736 to Bowen et al. and U.S. Patent No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other aerosol precursors that can be used include aerosol precursors that are included in any of a number of the representative products noted above. Also preferred are so-called "smoke juices" for electronic cigarettes, which are available from Johnson Creek Enterprises LLC. Other additional examples of aerosol precursor compositions are sold under the trademarks BLACK NOTE, COSMIC FOG, THE MILKMAN E-LIQUID, FIVE PAWNS, THE VAPOR CHEF, VAPE WILD, BOOSTED, THE STEAM FACTORY, MECH SAUCE, CASEY JONES MAINLINE RESERVE, MITTEN VAPORS, DR. CRIMMY’S V-LIQUID, SMILEY E LIQUID, BEANTOWN VAPOR, CUTTWOOD, CYCLOPS VAPOR, SICBOY, GOOD LIFE VAPOR, TELEOS, PINUP VAPORS, SPACE JAM, MT. BAKER VAPOR, and JIMMY THE JUICE MAN. The aerosol precursor may be used with embodiments of effervescent materials described, by way of example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0055494 to Hunt et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. In addition, the use of effervescent 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 Pather 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 Application Publication No. 2010/0018539 to Brinkley et al. and PCT Patent Application No. WO 97/06786 to Johnson et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0048] Representative types of substrates, reservoirs, or other components for supporting an aerosol precursor are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,528,569 to Newton, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0261487 to Chapman et al., 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. Also, various adsorbent materials, as well as the design and operation of these adsorbent materials in certain types of electronic cigarettes, are described in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,640 to Sears et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0049] In other embodiments, aerosol delivery devices may comprise heating, but not combustion, devices 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-bearing tobacco paste). The aerosol precursor composition may comprise tobacco-containing pellets, tobacco pieces, tobacco strips, reconstituted tobacco material, or combinations thereof, and/or a mixture of finely divided tobacco, tobacco extract, spray-dried extract, or other form of tobacco mixed with optional inorganic materials (such as calcium carbonate), optional flavorants, and aerosol-forming materials to form a substantially solid or moldable (e.g., extruded) substrate. Representative types and compositions of solid and semi-solid aerosol precursor compositions 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 Application Publication No. 2015/0083150 to Conner et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0157052 to Ademe et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0000188 to Nordskog et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Additional representative types of solid and semi-solid aerosol precursor compositions and arrangements include those found in the NEOSTIKS™ aerosol source consumables for the GLO™ product manufactured by British American Tobacco and in the HEETS™ aerosol source consumables for the IQOS™ product manufactured by Philip Morris International, Inc.

[0050] In various embodiments, the respirable substance may in particular be a tobacco component or a tobacco-derived material (i.e., a material that is naturally present in tobacco and that can be directly isolated from tobacco or produced synthetically). For example, the aerosol precursor composition may comprise a tobacco extract or fractions thereof combined with an inert support. The aerosol precursor composition may also comprise unburned tobacco or a composition comprising unburned tobacco that, when heated to a temperature below its combustion temperature, releases the respirable substance. In some embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may comprise tobacco condensates or fractions thereof (i.e., condensed components of smoke generated by combustion of tobacco that release flavorings and, possibly, nicotine).

[0051] The tobacco materials used in the present invention may vary and may include, for example, flue-cured tobacco, Burley tobacco, oriental tobacco or Maryland tobacco, dark tobacco, dark fire-cured tobacco and shag, as well as other rare or specialty tobaccos or mixtures thereof. The tobacco materials may also include so-called "blended" forms and processed forms, such as processed tobacco stems (e.g., cut twisted or cut air stems), expanded tobacco (e.g., air-exploded tobacco such as dry ice expanded tobacco (DIET), preferably in the form of cut filler), reconstituted tobaccos (e.g., reconstituted tobaccos produced using paper or cast sheet manufacturing processes). Various representative tobacco types, processed tobacco types, and tobacco blend types are shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,836,224 to Lawson et al.; U.S. Patent No. 4,924,888 to Perfetti et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,056,537 to Brown et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,159,942 to Brinkley et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,220,930 to Gentry; U.S. Patent No. 5,360,023 to Blakley et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,701,936 to Shafer et al.; U.S. Patent No. 7,011,096 to Li et al.; in U.S. Patent No. 7,017,585 to Li et al.; in U.S. Patent No. 7,025,066 to Lawson et al.; in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0255965 to Perfetti et al.; in PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 02/37990 to Bereman and Bombick et al., Fund. Appl. Toxicol., 39, pp. 11-17, which are incorporated herein by reference. Additional examples of tobacco compositions that can be used in a smoking device, including in accordance with the present invention, are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0052] In addition, the aerosol precursor composition may comprise an inert support having a respirable substance or a precursor thereof embedded therein or otherwise applied thereto. For example, a liquid containing a respirable substance may be applied to, absorbed by, or adsorbed into the inert support such that, upon heating, the respirable substance is released in a form that can be extracted from the article according to the invention by applying positive or negative pressure. According to some aspects, the aerosol precursor composition may comprise a mixture of flavored and aromatic tobaccos in the form of a cut filler. In another aspect, the aerosol precursor composition may comprise a reconstituted tobacco material such as that described in U.S. Patent No. 4,807,809 to Pryor et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,889,143 to Pryor et al., and U.S. Patent No. 5,025,814 to Raker, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. For additional information regarding a suitable aerosol precursor composition, see U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 15/916,834 to Sur et al., filed March 9, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0053] Regardless of the type of heated aerosol precursor composition, aerosol delivery devices may comprise a heating element configured to heat the aerosol precursor composition. In some embodiments, the heating element is an induction heater. Such heaters often comprise an induction transmitter and an induction receiver. The induction transmitter may comprise a coil configured to create an oscillating magnetic field (e.g., a magnetic field that varies periodically over time) when an alternating current is directed therethrough. The induction receiver may be at least partially located or housed in the induction transmitter and may include a conductive material (e.g., a ferromagnetic material or an aluminum-coated material). By directing an alternating current through the induction transmitter, eddy currents may be created in the induction receiver due to induction. The eddy currents flowing through the resistance of the material forming the induction receiver may heat it using Joule heating (i.e., due to the Joule effect). An induction receptacle, which may form an atomizer, may be heated wirelessly to form an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition located near the induction receptacle. Various embodiments of an aerosol delivery device with an induction heater are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0127722 to Davis et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0202266 to Sur et al., and U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 15/352,153 to Sur et al., filed November 15, 2016, U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 15/799,365 to Sebastian et al., filed October 31, 2017, and U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 15/836,086 to Sur, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0054] In other embodiments, including those described more particularly herein, the heating element is a conductive-type heater, such as in the case of a resistive electric heater. These heaters can be configured to generate heat when an electric current is passed therethrough. In various embodiments, the conductive-type heater can be formed in various forms, such as foils, foams, disks, coils, fibers, wires, films, threads, strips, tapes, or cylinders. Such heaters often comprise a metallic material and are configured to generate heat as a result of electrical resistance associated with the passage of an electric current therethrough. Such resistive heaters can be positioned near the aerosol precursor composition to heat it to form an aerosol. A variety of conductive substrates that can be used with the present invention are described in the above-mentioned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0255702 to Griffith et al.

[0055] In some embodiments, aerosol delivery devices may comprise a control body and a cartridge in the case of so-called electronic cigarettes, or a control body and an aerosol source element in the case of so-called heated-but-not-combusted devices. In the case of both electronic cigarettes and heated-but-not-combusted devices, the control body may be reusable, while the cartridge/aerosol source element may be configured to allow a limited number of uses and/or configured to allow a single use. The cartridge/aerosol source element may comprise an aerosol precursor composition. To heat the aerosol precursor composition, the heating element may be located in contact with or near the aerosol precursor composition, such as across the width of the control body and the cartridge, or in the control body in which the aerosol source element may be located. The control body may comprise a power source which may be rechargeable or replaceable and thus the control body may be reused with multiple cartridges/elements as an aerosol source.

[0056] The control body may also comprise means for activating the aerosol delivery device, such as a button, a touch surface, or the like for manually operating the device. Additionally or alternatively, the control body may comprise a flow sensor for detecting when the user puffs on the cartridge/element as an aerosol source, thereby activating the aerosol delivery device.

[0057] In various embodiments, the aerosol delivery device according to the disclosure of the present invention may take various general shapes, including, but not limited to, a general shape that can be defined as a substantially rod-shaped or substantially tubular shape or a substantially cylindrical shape. In the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings and described with reference thereto, the aerosol delivery device has a substantially circular cross-section, however, other cross-sectional shapes (e.g., oval, square, rectangle, triangle, etc.) are also encompassed by the disclosure of the present invention. The language describing the physical shape of the article may also be applied to its individual components, including the control body and the cartridge/element in the form of an aerosol source. In other embodiments, the control body may take another portable shape, such as the shape of a small box.

[0058] In more specific embodiments, the control body and the cartridge/element in the form of an aerosol source may be disposable or reusable. For example, the control body may have a power source such as a replaceable battery or a rechargeable battery, a solid-state battery, a thin-film solid-state battery, a rechargeable supercapacitor, a lithium-ion or hybrid lithium-ion capacitor, or the like. One example of a power source is a TKI-1550 lithium-ion battery manufactured by Tadiran Batteries GmbH of Germany. In another embodiment, a suitable power source may be a N50-AAA CADNICA nickel-cadmium cell manufactured by Sanyo Electric Company, Ltd., Japan. In other embodiments, a plurality of such batteries, for example, each providing 1.2 volts, may be connected in series.

[0059] In such a case, in some examples, the power source may be connected to any type of recharging technology and thus combined with it. Examples of suitable chargers include chargers that simply supply constant or pulsed direct current (DC) to the power source, fast chargers that add a control circuit, three-stage chargers, inductive power chargers, smart chargers, motion-powered chargers, pulse chargers, solar chargers, USB-based chargers and the like. In some examples, the charger includes a power adapter and any suitable charging circuit. In other examples, the charger includes a power adapter, and the control body is equipped with a charging circuit. In these other examples, the charger may sometimes be referred to simply as a power adapter.

[0060] The control body may comprise any number of different terminals, electrical connectors, and the like for connecting to a suitable charger and, in some examples, for connecting to other external devices for communication. More specific suitable examples include direct current (DC) connectors such as barrel connectors, cigarette lighter connectors, and USB connectors, including connectors designated USB 1.x (e.g., Type A, Type B), USB 2.0 and its updates and additions (e.g., Mini A, Mini B, Mini AB, Micro A, Micro B, Micro AB) and USB 3.x (e.g., Type A, Type B, Micro B, Micro AB, Type C), specially designed connectors such as the Apple Lightning connector, and the like. The control body may be directly connected to the charger or other external device, or they may be connected via a suitable cable that also has suitable connectors. In examples where they are connected by a cable, the control housing and the charger or other external device may have the same or different connector types, while the cable has a connector of one type or both connector types.

[0061] In examples including inductive power charging, the aerosol delivery device may be equipped with inductive wireless charging technology and include an inductive receiver for connecting to a wireless charger, charging pad, or the like that includes an inductive transmitter and uses inductive wireless charging (including, for example, wireless charging in accordance with the Qi wireless charging standard developed by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC)). Or the power source may be charged from the wireless charger via radio frequency (RF) waves. Examples of inductive wireless charging systems are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0112196 to Sur et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Also, in some embodiments, in the case of an electronic cigarette, the cartridge may be a disposable cartridge, as described in U.S. Patent No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0062] One or more connectors may be used to connect a power source to a charging technology, and some may include a charging case, a cradle, a charging base, a case, and the like. More specifically, for example, the control body may be configured to interact with a cradle that contains a USB connector for connecting to a power supply. More specifically, for example, the control body may be configured to be placed in and interact with a case that contains a USB connector for connecting to a power supply. In these and similar examples, the USB connector may be connected directly to the power source, or the USB connector may be connected to the power source through a suitable power adapter.

[0063] 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 October 21, 2015, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. With respect to the flow sensor, typical current regulating components and other current controlling 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.; U.S. Patent Nos. 4,922,901, 4,947,874, and 4,947,875 to Brooks et al.; in U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al.; in U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al.; in U.S. Patent No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al.; in U.S. Patent No. 8,205,622 to Pan, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 8,881,737 to Collet et al., in U.S. Patent No. 9,423,152 to Ampolini et al., in U.S. Patent No. 9,439,454 to Fernando et al., and in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0257445 to Henry et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0064] An input element may be included in the aerosol delivery device (and may replace or supplement the flow sensor). An input device may be included to allow a user to control functions of the device and/or to output information to the user. Any component or combination of components may be used as an input to control a function of the device. For example, one or more push buttons may be used as described in U.S. Publication No. 2015/0245658 to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Similarly, a touch screen may be used as described in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 14/643,626, filed March 10, 2015 to Sears et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. As a further example, components configured to recognize gestures based on predetermined movements of the aerosol delivery device may be used as an input device. See U.S. Publication No. 2016/0158782 to Henry et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. As another example, a capacitive sensor may be implemented on an aerosol delivery device to allow a user to provide input, such as by touching a surface of the device on which the capacitive sensor is implemented. In another example, a sensor configured to detect motion associated with the device (e.g., an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a photoelectric proximity sensor, etc.) may be implemented on an aerosol delivery device to allow a user to provide input. Examples of suitable sensors are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0132528 to Sur et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0158782 to Henry et al., which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0065] As noted above, the aerosol delivery device may comprise various electronic equipment, such as at least one control component. A suitable control component may comprise a plurality of electronic components and, in some examples, may be formed from a printed circuit board, such as a printed circuit board (PCB). In some examples, the electronic components include a processing circuit configured to perform data processing, execute applications, or other processing, monitoring, or control services according to one or more example implementations. The processing circuit may include a processor implemented in various forms, such as at least one processor core, a microprocessor, a coprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, or various other computing or processing devices including one or more integrated circuits, such as, for example, an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), a FPGA (field programmable gate array), some combinations thereof, and the like. In some examples, the processing circuit may include a memory coupled to or integrated into the processor that may store data, computer program instructions executable by the processor, some combination thereof, or the like.

[0066] In some examples, the control component may include one or more external input/output devices that may be coupled to or integrated into the processing circuit. More particularly, the control component may include a communication interface for providing a wireless connection to one or more networks, computing devices, or other devices on a suitable basis. Examples of suitable communication interfaces are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0261020 to Marion et al., the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Another example of a suitable communication interface is a wireless unit of the CC3200 single-chip microcontroller from Texas Instruments. And examples of suitable methods by which an aerosol delivery device can 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.

[0067] Other additional components may be used in the disclosed aerosol delivery device. One example of a suitable component is an indicator, such as light emitting diodes, quantum dot light emitting diodes, or the like, that can glow when the aerosol delivery device is in use. Examples of suitable light emitting diode components, as well as their design 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.

[0068] Other operation indicators are also encompassed by the disclosure of the present invention. For example, visual operation indicators also include changes in light color or intensity to indicate the progress of smoking. Tactile (haptic) operation indicators and sound (audio) operation indicators are similarly encompassed by the present disclosure. Moreover, combinations of such operation indicators are also suitable for use in a single smoking article. According to another aspect, the aerosol delivery device may comprise one or more indicators or features, such as, for example, a display, configured to provide information corresponding to the operation of the smoking article, such as, for example, the amount of power remaining in the power source, the progress of the smoking process, an indication corresponding to the activation of the heat source, and/or the like.

[0069] Other components are also discussed. For example, U.S. Patent No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al. discloses indicators for smoking articles; U.S. Patent No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel Jr. discloses piezoelectric sensors that can be formed at the mouthpiece end of the device to detect lip activity of the user associated with the execution of a puff and subsequently initiate heating; U.S. Patent No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al. discloses a puff sensor for controlling the flow of energy in a heat load array in response to the draw resistance of the mouthpiece; U.S. Patent No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al. discloses receptacles in a smoking device that include an identifier that detects a discontinuity in the infrared transmittance of an inserted component and a controller that executes a detection program when the component is inserted into the receptacle; U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al. describes a specific executable power cycle with multiple differential phases; U.S. Patent No. 5,934,289 to Watkins et al. discloses photonic optocoupler components; U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al. discloses means for varying the draw resistance through a smoking device; U.S. Patent No. 6,803,545 to Blake et al. discloses certain battery configurations for use in smoking devices; U.S. Patent No. 7,293,565 to Griffen et al. discloses various charging systems for use with smoking devices; U.S. Patent No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al. discloses computer communication means for smoking devices for facilitating charging and allowing automated monitoring of the device; U.S. Patent No. 8,689,804 to Fernando et al. discloses identification systems for smoking devices; and PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2010/003480 to Flick discloses a fluid flow sensing system indicating the presence of a puff in an aerosol generation system; the contents of each of the foregoing inventions being incorporated herein by reference.

[0070] Further examples of components related to electronic aerosol delivery articles and disclosing materials and components that can be used in the present article are described in U.S. Patents Nos. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.; 5,666,977 to Higgins et al.; 6,053,176 to Adams et al.; 6,164,287 to White; 6,196,218 to Voges; 6,810,883 to Felter et al.; 6,854,461 to Nickols; 7,832,410 to Hon; #7,513,253 by Kobayashi; #7,896,006 by Hamano; #6,772,756 by Shayan; #8,156,944 and #8,375,957 by Hon; #8,794,231 by Thorens et al.; #8,851,083 by Oglesby et al.; #8,915,254 and 8,925,555 by Monsees et al.; #9,220,302 by DePiano et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2006/0196518 and 2009/0188490 to Hon; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0024834 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0307518 to Wang; PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2010/091593 to Hon; and PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2013/089551 to Foo, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Additionally, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0099877 to Worm et al. discloses capsules that can be included in aerosol delivery devices and configurations for keychain aerosol delivery devices and is incorporated herein by reference. Various materials disclosed in the above-mentioned documents may be incorporated into the present devices in various embodiments, and all of the above disclosures are incorporated herein by reference.

[0071] Other features, controls, or components that may be included in the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,934,289 to Watkins et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al., U.S. Patent No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,365,742 to Hon, U.S. Patent No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0016550 to Katase, U.S. Patent No. 8,689,804 to Fernando et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0192623 to Tucker et al., U.S. Patent No. 9,427,022 to Leven et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0180553 to Kim et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0000638 to Sebastian et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0261495 to Novak et al., and U.S. Patent No. 9,220,302 to DePiano et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0072] FIGS. 1 and 2 show embodiments of an aerosol delivery device comprising a control body and a cartridge in the case of an electronic cigarette. More particularly, FIGS. 1 and 2 show an aerosol delivery device 100 according to an embodiment of the disclosure of the present invention. As indicated, the aerosol delivery device may comprise a control body 102 and a cartridge 104. The control body and the cartridge may be aligned to provide the ability to operate continuously or to be detachably operated. In this regard, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the aerosol delivery device in a connected configuration, and FIG. 2 shows a side view in partial section of the aerosol delivery device in a disconnected configuration. In some embodiments, the aerosol delivery device may be, for example, substantially rod-shaped, substantially tubular in shape, or substantially cylindrical in shape when the control body and cartridge are in an assembled configuration.

[0073] The control body 102 and the cartridge 104 may be configured to cooperate with each other using a plurality of connections, such as a tight fit (or interference fit) connection, a threaded connection, a magnetic connection, and the like. Thus, the control body may comprise a first interacting element (e.g., a mating element) that is configured to cooperate with a second interacting element (e.g., a connector) on the cartridge. The first interacting element and the second interacting element may be reversible. As an example, both the first interacting element and the second interacting element may have an external thread, and the other may have an internal thread. As a further example, both the first interacting element and the second interacting element may be a magnet, and the other may be a metal or a matching magnet. In particular embodiments, the interacting elements may be formed directly by existing components of the control body and the cartridge. For example, the casing of the control body may form a cavity at its end, which is designed to accommodate at least a part of the cartridge (for example, a storage tank or another shell-forming element of the cartridge). In particular, the storage tank of the cartridge may be at least partially accommodated in the cavity of the control body, while the mouthpiece of the cartridge is located outside the cavity of the control body. The cartridge may be retained in the cavity formed by the casing of the control body, for example, by means of an interference fit (for example, by using clamps and/or other elements that create an interference interaction between the outer surface of the cartridge and the inner surface of the wall forming the cavity of the control body), by means of magnetic interaction (for example, by using magnets and/or magnetic metals located inside the cavity of the control body and placed on the cartridge) or other suitable methods.

[0074] As can be seen from the sectional view shown in FIG. 2, each of the control body 102 and the cartridge 104 comprises a plurality of corresponding components. The components shown in FIG. 2 are a typical example of components that may be present in the control body and the cartridge and are not intended to limit the scope of components covered by the disclosure of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, for example, the control body may be formed by a housing 206 (sometimes referred to as a control body shell), which may include a control component 208 (e.g., a processing circuit and the like), a flow sensor 210, a power source 212 (e.g., a battery, a supercapacitor), and an indicator 214 (e.g., a light emitting diode, a quantum dot light emitting diode), and such components may be aligned in various ways. The power source may be rechargeable and the control component may include a non-inverting amplifier circuit configured to provide a continuous output current.

[0075] The cartridge 104 may be formed by a housing 216 (sometimes referred to as a cartridge shell) that encloses a reservoir 218 configured to hold an aerosol precursor composition and contains a heating element 220 (sometimes referred to as a heater). In various configurations, this structure may be referred to as a container; and accordingly, the terms "cartridge," "container," and the like may be used interchangeably to refer to a shell or other housing that encloses a reservoir for an aerosol precursor composition and contains a heating element.

[0076] As shown in the drawing, in some examples, the reservoir 218 may be in fluid communication with a liquid transfer element 222 configured to absorb or otherwise transfer an aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir housing to a heating element 220. In some examples, a valve may be located between the reservoir and the heating element and configured to control the amount of aerosol precursor composition passed or delivered from the reservoir to the heating element.

[0077] Various examples of materials capable of generating heat when an electric current is passed through them can be used to form the heating element 220. The heating element in these examples can be a resistive heating element such as a wire coil, a micro heater, and the like. Examples of materials from which the heating element can be made include fecral (FeCrAl), nichrome, nickel, stainless steel, indium tin oxide, tungsten, molybdenum disilicide (MoSi ₂ ), molybdenum silicide (MoSi), aluminum-doped molybdenum disilicide (Mo(Si,Al) ₂ ), titanium, platinum, silver, palladium, silver-palladium alloys, graphite and graphite-based materials (e.g., carbon-based foams and filaments), conductive ink, boron-doped silicon, and ceramics (e.g., positive or negative temperature coefficient ceramics). The heating element may be a resistive heating element or a heating element configured to generate heat by induction. The heating element may be coated with a thermally conductive ceramic such as aluminum nitride, silicon carbide, beryllium oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon nitride or composites thereof. Examples of embodiments of heating elements used in aerosol delivery devices according to the disclosure of the present invention are further described below, and may be included in devices such as those described herein.

[0078] An opening 224 may be located in the housing 216 (e.g., at the mouthpiece end) to allow the generated aerosol to exit the cartridge 104.

[0079] The cartridge 104 may also contain one or more electronic components 226, which may contain an integrated circuit, a memory component (e.g., an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory), a sensor, or the like. The electronic components may be configured to communicate with the control component 208 and/or with an external device via wired or wireless means. The electronic components may be located anywhere in the cartridge or its base 228.

[0080] Although the control component 208 and the flow sensor 210 are shown separately, it should be understood that various electronic components, including the control component and the flow sensor, can be combined on a circuit board (for example, a printed circuit board) that supports and electrically connects the electronic components. In addition, the circuit board can be located horizontally with respect to the illustration of FIG. 1, in which the circuit board can be longitudinally parallel to the central axis of the control housing. In some examples, the air flow sensor can include its own circuit board or other main element to which it can be attached. In some examples, a flexible circuit board can be used. The flexible circuit board can be made in various shapes, including substantially tubular shapes. In some examples, the flexible circuit board can be combined with the heater substrate, superimposed on it as a layer, or can form part or all of the heater substrate.

[0081] The control body 102 and the cartridge 104 may comprise components configured to facilitate fluid interaction with each other. As shown in FIG. 2, the control body may comprise a coupling element 230 having a cavity 232 therein. The base 228 of the cartridge may be configured to interact with the coupling element and may include a projection 234 configured to be embedded in the cavity. Such interaction may facilitate a stable connection between the control body and the cartridge, as well as establishing an electrical connection between the power source 212 and the control component 208 in the control body and the heating element 220 in the cartridge. Also, the casing 206 may comprise an air intake 236, which may be a recess in the casing in which it is connected to the coupling element, which allows air to pass from the environment around the coupling element into the casing, where it then passes through the cavity 232 of the coupling element into the cartridge through the protrusion 234.

[0082] A mating element and a base suitable for use in accordance with the disclosure of the present invention are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0261495 to Novak et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, the mating element 230, as shown in FIG. 2, may define an outer periphery 238 configured to mate with an inner periphery 240 of a base 228. In one example, the inner periphery of the base may have a radius substantially equal to or slightly greater than the radius of the outer periphery of the mating element. Also, the mating element may define one or more projections 242 on the outer periphery configured to cooperate with one or more recesses 244 formed in the inner periphery of the base. However, various other example designs, shapes, and components may be used to connect the base to the connector. In some examples, the connection between the base of the cartridge 104 and the mating element of the control body 102 may be substantially permanent, while in other examples, said connection therebetween may be detachable, so that, for example, the control body may be reused with one or more additional cartridges, which may be disposable and/or reusable.

[0083] 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 comprise one or more layers of nonwoven fiber substantially formed in the form of a tube enclosing the interior of the housing 216. The aerosol precursor composition may be contained in the reservoir. Liquid components may be retained by the reservoir, for example, by sorption. The reservoir may be in fluid communication with the liquid transfer element 222. In this example, the liquid transfer element may transfer the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir by capillary action or by means of a micropump to the heating element 220, which in this example is a coil of metal wire. Typically, the heating element is located in the heating device with the liquid transfer element.

[0084] In some examples, a microfluidic chip may be integrated into the reservoir 218, and the amount and/or mass of the aerosol precursor composition delivered from the reservoir may be controlled using a micropump, such as based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technologies. Other example embodiments of reservoirs and transfer elements used in aerosol delivery devices according to the disclosure of the present invention are further described herein, and such reservoirs and/or transfer elements may be included in devices, such as those described herein. In particular, specific combinations of heating elements and transfer elements, as further described herein, may be included in devices, such as those described herein.

[0085] In use, when a user draws on the aerosol delivery device 100, an air flow is detected by the flow sensor 210, and the heating element 220 is activated to vaporize the components of the aerosol precursor composition. Drawing on the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device causes air from the environment to enter the air intake 236 and pass through the cavity 232 in the interface element 230 and the central opening in the projection 234 of the base 228. In the cartridge 104, the drawn air is mixed with the generated steam to form an aerosol. The aerosol is removed by sucking, pulling or otherwise drawing from the heating element and exits from the opening 224 in the mouth end of the aerosol delivery device.

[0086] For further details regarding embodiments of an aerosol delivery device comprising a control body and a cartridge in the case of an electronic cigarette, see the above-mentioned U.S. Patent Application No. 15/836,086 to Sur and U.S. Patent Application No. 15/916,834 to Sur et al., as well as U.S. Patent Application No. 15/916,696 to Sur, filed March 9, 2018, which are also incorporated herein by reference.

[0087] FIGS. 3-6 show embodiments of an aerosol delivery device comprising a control body and an aerosol source element in the case of a device with heating but not combustion. More particularly, FIG. 3 shows an aerosol delivery device 300 according to an embodiment of the disclosure of the present invention. The aerosol delivery device may comprise a control body 302 and an aerosol source element 304. In various embodiments, the aerosol source element and the control body may be aligned so as to be able to operate continuously or so as to be disconnectably operated. In this regard, FIG. 3 shows the aerosol delivery device in a connected configuration, and FIG. 4 shows the aerosol delivery device in a disconnected configuration. Various mechanisms may connect the aerosol source element and the control body, such as a threaded interaction, a push-fit interaction, an interference fit, a sliding fit, a magnetic interaction, and the like.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 4, in various embodiments of the disclosure of the present invention, the aerosol source element 304 may comprise a heated end 406 that is configured to be inserted into the control body 302, and a mouthpiece end 408 at which the user draws to generate an aerosol. In various embodiments, at least a portion of the heated end may comprise an aerosol precursor composition 410.

[0089] In various embodiments, the aerosol source element 304 or a portion thereof may be wrapped in an outer wrapper material 412, which may be formed from any material suitable for providing additional structure and/or support for the aerosol source element. In various embodiments, the outer wrapper material may comprise a material that resists heat transfer, which may include paper or another fibrous material, such as a cellulosic material. The outer wrapper 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. Additionally, the filler material may include inorganic components. In various embodiments, the outer wrapper material may be formed from a plurality of layers, such as an underlying layer, a bulk layer, and an overlying layer, such as a typical wrapper paper in a cigarette. Such materials may include, for example, a lightweight recycled fibrous mass such as flax, hemp, sisal, rice stalks and/or esparto. The outer wrapper may also include a material commonly used in a conventional cigarette filter element, such as cellulose acetate. Additionally, the excess length of the outer wrapper material at the mouth end 408 of the aerosol source element may serve to simply separate the aerosol precursor composition 410 from the consumer's mouth, or to provide space for placement of a filter material, as described below, or to affect the draw exerted on the article or the flow characteristics of the vapor or aerosol exiting the device during a draw. Further discussion regarding configurations of outer wrapper materials that may be used with the present invention may be found in the above-mentioned U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al.

[0090] In various embodiments, other components may exist between the aerosol precursor composition 410 and the mouth end 408 of the aerosol source element 304, wherein the mouth end may include a filter 414, which may, for example, be formed from cellulose acetate or polypropylene material. The filter may additionally or alternatively comprise strands of tobacco-containing material as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,025,814 to Raker et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In various embodiments, the filter may increase the structural integrity of the mouth end of the aerosol source element and/or provide filtration capability, if desired, and/or provide resistance to draw. In some embodiments, one or any combination of the following may be located between the aerosol precursor composition and the mouth end of the neck: an air gap; phase change materials for cooling the air; aroma release agent; ion exchange fibers capable of selective chemical adsorption; aerogel particles as a filter medium and other suitable materials.

[0091] Various embodiments of the present invention use one or more conductive heating elements to heat the aerosol precursor composition 410 of the aerosol source element 304. In various embodiments, the heating element may be in various shapes, such as a foil, foam, mesh, hollow sphere, hemisphere, disks, coils, fibers, wire, films, threads, strips, tapes, or cylinders. Such heating elements often comprise a metallic material and are configured to generate heat as a result of electrical resistance associated with the passage of electrical current therethrough. Such resistive heating elements may be located in direct contact with or near the aerosol source element and, in particular, with the aerosol precursor composition of the aerosol source element 304. The heating element may be located in the control housing and/or the aerosol source element. In various embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may comprise components (i.e., heat-conducting constituents) that are incorporated into or are part of a substrate portion, wherein the substrate portion may serve as or assist in the operation of a heating unit. Some examples of various heating elements or components are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,078,473 to Worm et al.

[0092] Some non-limiting examples of various configurations of heating elements include configurations in which the heating element is located near the aerosol source element 304. For example, in some examples, at least a portion of the heating element may surround at least a portion of the aerosol source element. In other examples, one or more heating elements may be located near the outer portion of the aerosol source element when inserted into the control housing 302. In other examples, at least a portion of the heating element may penetrate at least a portion of the aerosol source element (such as, for example, one or more pins and/or needles that penetrate the aerosol source element) when the aerosol source element is inserted into the control housing. In some cases, the aerosol precursor composition may include a structure in contact with the aerosol precursor composition or a plurality of beads or particles embedded therein or otherwise part of it that may serve as a heating element or facilitate its operation.

[0093] FIG. 5 shows a front view of an aerosol delivery device 300 according to an embodiment of the disclosure of the present invention, and FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of the aerosol delivery device of FIG. 5. In particular, the control body 302 of the shown embodiment may comprise a housing 516 that comprises an opening 518 formed at its cooperating end, a flow sensor 520 (e.g., a puff sensor or a pressure switch), a control component 522 (e.g., a processing circuit, the like), a power source 524 (e.g., a battery, a supercapacitor), and an end cap that comprises an indicator 526 (e.g., an LED). The power source may be rechargeable, and the control component may include a non-inverting amplifier circuit configured to provide a continuous output current.

[0094] In one embodiment, the indicator 526 may comprise one or more light-emitting diodes, quantum dot light-emitting diodes, or the like. The indicator may be communicatively coupled to the control component 522 and may illuminate, for example, during a puff by the user through the aerosol source element 304 when connected to the control body 302, which is detected by the flow sensor 520.

[0095] The control body 302 of the illustrated embodiment includes one or more heating assemblies 528 (individually or collectively referred to as a heating assembly) configured to heat the aerosol precursor composition 410 of the aerosol source element 304. Although the heating assembly of various embodiments of the present disclosure may have many forms, in the particular embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the heating assembly comprises an outer cylinder 530 and a heating element 532, which in this embodiment comprises a plurality of heater pins that extend from a receiving base 534 (in various configurations, the heating assembly or, more specifically, the heater pins may be referred to as a heater). In the illustrated embodiment, the outer cylinder comprises a double-walled vacuum tube made of stainless steel to maintain the heat generated by the heater pins in the outer cylinder, and more specifically, to maintain the heat generated by the heater pins in the aerosol precursor composition. In various embodiments, the heater pins may be made of one or more conductive materials, including, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, iron, steel, brass, bronze, graphite, or any combination thereof.

[0096] As shown in the drawing, the heating assembly 528 can extend near the interacting end of the housing 516 and can be configured to substantially surround a portion of the heated end 406 of the element 304 in the form of an aerosol source that includes the aerosol precursor composition 410. Thus, the heating assembly can form a generally tubular configuration. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the heating element 532 (for example, a plurality of heater pins) is surrounded by an outer cylinder 530 to form a receiving chamber 536. Thus, in various embodiments, the outer cylinder can comprise a non-conductive insulating material and/or a structure including, without limitation, an insulating polymer (for example, plastic or cellulose), glass, rubber, ceramic, porcelain, a double-walled vacuum structure, or any combination thereof.

[0097] In some embodiments, one or more parts or components of the heating assembly 528 may be combined with, packaged with, and/or integrally formed with the aerosol precursor composition 410. For example, in some embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may be formed from a material as described above and may comprise one or more conductive materials mixed therewith. In some of these embodiments, the contacts may be directly connected to the aerosol precursor composition such that the aerosol source element is inserted into the receiving chamber of the control body, and the contacts create an electrical connection with the electrical power source. Alternatively, the contacts may be integrally formed with the electrical power source and may extend into the receiving chamber such that when the aerosol source element is inserted into the receiving chamber of the control body, the contacts create an electrical connection with the aerosol precursor composition. Due to the presence of the conductive material in the aerosol precursor composition, the application of energy from an electrical power source to the aerosol precursor composition enables an electric current to flow, and thus, heat to be released from the conductive material. Thus, in some embodiments, the heating element may be described as being formed integrally with the aerosol precursor composition. As a non-limiting example, graphite or another suitable conductive material may be mixed with, embedded in, or otherwise present directly on or within the material forming the aerosol precursor composition, to form a heating element formed integrally with said means.

[0098] As noted above, in the illustrated embodiment, the outer cylinder 530 may also help to simplify the proper positioning of the aerosol source element 304 when the aerosol source element is inserted into the housing 516. In various embodiments, the outer cylinder of the heating unit 528 may cooperate with the inner surface of the housing to ensure the alignment of the heating unit relative to the housing. Thus, as a result of the tight connection between the heating unit, the longitudinal axis of the heating unit may extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing. In particular, the supporting cylinder may extend from the opening 518 of the housing to the receiving base 534 to form the receiving chamber 536.

[0099] The size and shape of the heated end 406 of the aerosol source element 304 provide an insertion into the control housing 302. In various embodiments, the receiving chamber 536 of the control housing may be characterized as being defined by a wall with an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the inner surface defines an inner volume of the receiving chamber. For example, in the embodiments shown, the outer cylinder 530 defines an inner surface defining an inner volume of the receiving chamber. In the embodiment shown, the inner diameter of the outer cylinder may be slightly larger than or approximately equal to the outer diameter of the corresponding aerosol source element (e.g., to create a sliding fit) such that the outer cylinder is configured to direct the aerosol source element into a proper position (e.g., a lateral position) relative to the control housing. Thus, the size of the largest outer diameter (or another size depending on the particular cross-sectional shape of the embodiments) of the aerosol source element may be smaller than the inner diameter (or another size) on the inner surface of the wall of the open end of the receiving chamber in the control housing. In some embodiments, the difference in the respective diameters may be small enough that the aerosol source element fits snugly into the receiving chamber, and friction forces prevent the aerosol source element from moving without force. On the other hand, the difference may be sufficient to allow the aerosol source element to slide into or out of the receiving chamber without requiring excessive force.

[0100] In the illustrated embodiment, the control housing 302 is configured such that, when the aerosol source element 304 is inserted into the control housing, the heating element 532 (e.g., the heater pins) are located in the approximate radial center of at least a portion of the aerosol precursor composition 410 of the heated end 406 of the aerosol source element. Thus, when used in conjunction with a solid or semi-solid aerosol precursor composition, the heater pins can be in direct contact with the aerosol precursor composition. In other embodiments, such as when used in conjunction with an extruded aerosol precursor composition that forms a tubular structure, the heater pins can be located within a cavity formed by the inner surface of the extruded tubular structure and will not contact the inner surface of the extruded tubular structure.

[0101] During use, the consumer initiates heating of the heating unit 528 and, in particular, the heating element 532, which is located near the aerosol precursor composition 410 (or a particular layer thereof). Heating of the aerosol precursor composition provides for the release of a respirable substance within the aerosol source element 304 to form a respirable substance. When the consumer inhales at the mouth end 408 of the aerosol source element, air is drawn into the aerosol source element through the air inlet 538, such as openings or passages in the control housing 302. The combination of the drawn air and the released respirable substance is inhaled by the consumer as the drawn materials exit the mouth end of the aerosol source element. In some embodiments, to initiate heating, the user may manually activate a button or similar component that causes the heating element of the heating unit to receive electrical energy from a battery or other energy source. The electrical energy may be supplied for a predetermined period of time or may be manually controlled.

[0102] In some embodiments, the flow of electrical energy does not substantially continue between puffs on the device 300 (although the flow of energy may continue to maintain the temperature of the source line higher than the ambient temperature - for example, a temperature that promotes rapid heating to the active heating temperature). However, in the illustrated embodiment, the heating is initiated by the action of a puff by the consumer through the use of one or more sensors, such as the flow sensor 520. Once the puff is discontinued, the heating will cease or decrease. When the consumer has taken a sufficient number of puffs to release a sufficient amount of the inhalable substance (for example, an amount sufficient to be equivalent to a typical smoking process), the aerosol source element 304 can be removed from the control housing 302 and discarded. In some embodiments, additional sensing elements may be used, such as capacitive sensing elements and other sensors, as described in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 15/707,461 to Phillips et al., which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0103] In various embodiments, the aerosol source element 304 may be formed from any material suitable for forming and maintaining a suitable shape, such as a tubular shape, and for holding the aerosol precursor composition 410 therein. In some embodiments, the aerosol source element may be formed by a single wall, or in other embodiments by a plurality of walls, and may be formed from a material (natural or synthetic) that is resistant to high temperatures so as to maintain its structural integrity - for example, not to collapse - at least at a temperature that is a heating temperature provided by an electric heating element, as further described herein. Although in some embodiments a high temperature resistant polymer may be used, in other embodiments the aerosol source element may be formed from paper that has a substantially straw shape. As further described herein, the aerosol source element may have one or more layers associated therewith that serve to substantially prevent vapor from migrating therebetween. In one embodiment, an aluminum foil layer may be applied as a layer to one surface of the aerosol source element. Ceramic materials may also be used. In further embodiments, an insulating material may be used to avoid unnecessarily removing heat from the aerosol precursor composition. Additional examples of the types of components and materials that may be used to provide the functions described above, or used as an alternative to the materials and components described above, may be those of the types set forth in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2010/00186757 to Crooks et al.; 2010/00186757 to Crooks et al.; and 2011/0041861 to Sebastian et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0104] In the illustrated embodiment, the control body 302 includes a control component 522 that controls various functions of the aerosol delivery device 300, including the supply of power to the electrical heating element 532. For example, the control component may include a processing circuit (which may be connected to additional components, as further described herein), which is connected by electrically conductive wires (not shown) to the power source 524. In various embodiments, the processing circuit may control when and how the heating assembly 528, and in particular the heater pins, receive electrical energy to heat the aerosol precursor composition 410 to ensure the release of a respirable substance for inhalation by the consumer. In some embodiments, such control may be activated by the flow sensor 520, as described in more detail above.

[0105] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the heater assembly 528 of the illustrated embodiment comprises an outer cylinder 530 and a heater element 532 (e.g., a plurality of heater pins) that extend from a receiving base 534. In some embodiments, such as those in which the aerosol precursor composition 410 comprises a tubular structure, the heater pins may be configured to extend into a cavity formed by the inner surface of the aerosol precursor composition. In some embodiments, such as the illustrated embodiment in which the aerosol precursor composition comprises a solid or semi-solid substance, the plurality of heater pins are configured to penetrate the aerosol precursor composition contained in the heated end 406 of the aerosol source element 304 when the aerosol source element is inserted into the control housing 302. In such embodiments, one or more components of the heating assembly, including the heater pins and/or the receiving base, can be made of a non-stick or stick-resistant material, such as certain aluminum, copper, stainless steel, carbon steel and ceramic materials. In other embodiments, one or more components of the heating assembly, including the heater pins and/or the receiving base, may be made of a non-stick coating, including, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coatings such as Teflon®, or other coatings such as a non-stick enamel coating or a ceramic coating such as Greblon® or Thermolon™, or a ceramic coating such as Greblon® or Thermolon™.

[0106] In addition, although in the illustrated embodiment there are a plurality of heater pins 532 that are substantially uniformly distributed around the receiving base 534, it should be noted that in other embodiments any number of heater pins may be used, including only one, with any other suitable spatial configuration. In addition, in various embodiments, the length of the heater pins may vary. For example, in some embodiments, the heater pins may comprise small protrusions, while in other embodiments, the heater pins may extend along any portion of the length of the receiving chamber 536, including up to about 25%, up to about 50%, up to about 75% and up to about the entire length of the receiving chamber. In still other embodiments, the heating assembly 528 may adopt other configurations. Examples of other heater configurations that may be suitable for use in the present invention in accordance with the above discussion can be found in U.S. Patents 5,060,671 to Counts et al.; 5,093,894 to Deevi et al.; 5,224,498 to Deevi et al.; 5,228,460 to Sprinkel Jr. et al.; 5,322,075 to Deevi et al.; 5,353,813 to Deevi et al.; 5,468,936 to Deevi et al.; 5,498,850 to Das; 5,659,656 to Das; No. 5,498,855 by Deevi et al.; No. 5,530,225 by Hajaligol; No. 5,665,262 by Hajaligol; No. 5,573,692 by Das et al.; and No. 5,591,368 by Fleischhauer et al., which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0107] In various embodiments, the control body 302 may comprise an air inlet 538 (e.g., one or more openings or passages) therein to allow air from the environment to enter the interior of the receiving chamber 536. Thus, in some embodiments, the receiving base 534 may also comprise an air inlet. Thus, in some embodiments, when a consumer puffs on the mouth end of the aerosol source element 304, air may be drawn through the air inlet of the control body and the receiving base into the receiving chamber, pass into the aerosol source element, and be drawn through the aerosol precursor composition 410 of the aerosol source element for inhalation by the consumer. In some embodiments, the drawn air carries the respirable substance through the optional filter 414 and out of the opening at the mouth end 408 of the aerosol source element. With a heating element 532 located within the aerosol precursor composition, the heater pins may be activated to heat the aerosol precursor composition and may cause the release of a respirable substance through the element as an aerosol source.

[0108] As described above with reference, in particular, to FIGS. 5 and 6, various embodiments of the disclosure of the present invention use a conductive type heater for heating the aerosol precursor composition 410. As also indicated above, various other embodiments use an induction heater for heating the aerosol precursor composition. In some of these embodiments, the heating assembly 528 may be implemented as an induction heater that comprises a transformer with an induction transmitter and an induction receiver. In embodiments in which the heating assembly is implemented as an induction heater, the outer cylinder 530 may be implemented as an induction transmitter, and the heating element 532 (e.g., a plurality of heater pins) that extends from the receiving base 534 may be implemented as an induction receiver. In various embodiments, the induction transmitter and/or the induction receiver may be located in the control housing 302 and/or the element 304 in the form of an aerosol source.

[0109] In various embodiments, the outer cylinder 530 and the heating element 532 in the form of an inductive receiver and an inductive transmitter can be made of one or more conductive materials, and in additional embodiments, the inductive receiver can be made of a ferromagnetic material, including, without limitation, cobalt, iron, nickel and combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the foil material is made of a conductive material, and the heater pins are made of a ferromagnetic material. In various embodiments, the receiving base can be made of a non-conductive and/or insulating material.

[0110] The outer cylinder 530 in the form of an inductive transmitter may comprise a laminated material with a foil material that surrounds the support cylinder. In some embodiments, the foil material may include an electrical path applied thereto by means of printing, such as, for example, one or more electrical paths that may, in some embodiments, form a helical coil structure when the foil material is located around the heating element 532 in the form of an inductive receiver. Each of the foil material and the support cylinder may form a tubular configuration. The support cylinder may be configured to provide support for the foil material such that the foil material does not come into contact with the pins of the heater and, thus, does not lead to a short circuit with them. Thus, the support cylinder may comprise a non-conductive material that 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 connected to it. In the embodiment shown, the foil material interacts with the outer surface of the supporting cylinder; however, in other embodiments, the foil material may be located on the outer surface of the supporting cylinder or be completely embedded in the supporting cylinder.

[0111] The foil material of the outer cylinder 530 may be configured to create an oscillating magnetic field (e.g., a magnetic field that changes periodically over time) when an alternating current is directed through it. The heater pins of the heating element 532 may be at least partially located or placed in the outer cylinder and may comprise a conductive material. By directing an alternating current through the foil material, eddy currents may be created in the heater pins due to induction. The eddy currents flowing through the resistance of the material forming the heater pins may heat it using Joule heat (i.e., due to the Joule effect). The heater pins may be heated wirelessly to form an aerosol from the aerosol precursor composition 410 located near the heater pins.

[0112] Other embodiments of the aerosol delivery device, control housing, and aerosol source element are described in the above-mentioned U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 15/916,834 to Sur et al., in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 15/916,696 to Sur, and in U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 15/836,086 to Sur.

[0113] As described above, the aerosol delivery device of the embodiments may include various electronic components in the context of either an electronic cigarette or a heat-not-burn device, or even in the case of a device that includes the functionality of each of them. FIG. 7 shows an electrical diagram of an aerosol delivery device 700, which may be one or both of the aerosol delivery devices 100, 300 or include the functionality of each or both of these devices, according to various embodiments of the disclosure of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the aerosol delivery device 700 includes a control body 702 with a power source 704 and a control component 706, which may correspond to a corresponding one of the following or include its functionality: the control body 102, 302, the power source 212, 524 and the control component 208, 522. The aerosol delivery device also includes a heating element 716, which may correspond to the heating element 220, 532 or include its functionality. In some embodiments, the aerosol delivery device 700 and, in particular, the control body 702 includes terminals 714 configured to connect the power source 704 to the aerosol delivery device or, in particular, to the control body. The control body may include a heating element or second terminals 718 configured to connect the heating element to the control body.

[0114] In some embodiments of the invention, the control component 706 includes a boost converter 708, an inverter 710, and at least one non-inverting amplifier circuit 712. The boost converter is configured to boost the voltage from the power source 704 to a higher voltage. In some embodiments, in which the power source is or includes one lithium-ion battery (LiB), the boost converter is configured to boost the voltage from one LiB to a higher voltage.

[0115] The inverter 710 is configured to convert the higher voltage from the boost converter 708 into an additional negative voltage. In some embodiments, the inverter includes a logic gate configured to invert the higher voltage into an additional negative voltage.

[0116] The non-inverting amplifier circuit 712 may include an operational amplifier (OP-AMP, as shown in FIG. 7) and two resistors R1 and R2 arranged in a non-inverting configuration. In the non-inverting configuration, the operational amplifier may receive a voltage from the power source 704 as a non-inverting input (+) of the operational amplifier, and the inverting input (-) of the operational amplifier may be connected to the feedback from the output of the operational amplifier via the resistor R1 and to the ground via the resistor R2. In some examples, the gain of the op amp in this configuration is.

[0117] The non-inverting amplifier circuit 712 is connected to the heating element 716 or to the second terminals 718 configured to connect the heating element to the control body 702. In some embodiments, the non-inverting amplifier circuit and, in particular, the operational amplifier are configured to receive a voltage from the power source 704 as an input voltage, for example, at its non-inverting (+) input, as described above. The non-inverting amplifier circuit 712 and, in particular, the operational amplifier are also configured to receive a higher voltage from the boost converter 708 and an additional negative voltage from the inverter 710 as supply voltages. For example, the operational amplifier can receive a higher voltage and an additional negative voltage as positive and negative supply voltages, respectively.

[0118] In another example, the non-inverting amplifier circuit 712 and, in particular, the operational amplifier may be configured to receive a higher voltage from the boost converter 708 as one supply voltage. In this example, the higher voltage from the boost converter may be represented as a positive supply voltage of the operational amplifier. In some examples, the higher voltage from the boost converter may be 8 V or 16 V. And the negative supply voltage of the operational amplifier may be connected to ground. Thus, in this example, the control component 706 may not include the inverter 710 for converting the higher voltage from the boost converter 708 into an additional negative voltage.

[0119] The non-inverting amplifier circuit 712 is configured to amplify the input voltage (i.e., the voltage from the power source 704) to an output voltage and provide a continuous output current, the heating element 716 is powered. In other words, the heating element is powered from the continuous output current. In some embodiments, the continuous output current is at least about 9 amperes (A) with a heating element with a resistance of 0.3 ohms. In these embodiments, the continuous output current may include an error margin or manufacturing tolerances, for example, the continuous output current may be 8.9 amperes taking into account the error margin or manufacturing tolerances. In some embodiments, the continuous output current may include short-term fluctuations above or below a constant continuous output target value.

[0120] In some embodiments, the non-inverting amplifier circuit 712 includes a plurality of operational amplifiers. In these embodiments, each of the plurality of operational amplifiers is configured to receive a voltage from the power source 704 as an input voltage and to receive a higher voltage from the boost converter 708 and an additional negative voltage from the inverter 710 as supply voltages, similar to what was described above. The plurality of operational amplifiers are configured to amplify the input voltage to corresponding output voltages and to provide corresponding continuous output currents, from which the heating element 716 is supplied with power.

[0121] In some embodiments, a plurality of operational amplifiers are arranged such that the heating element 716 is supplied with the sum of the corresponding continuous output currents. For example, the sum of the corresponding continuous output currents may be 27 A. In some embodiments, a plurality of operational amplifiers are arranged such that the heating element is supplied with the sum of the corresponding output voltages. For example, the sum of the corresponding output voltages may be 27 volts (V). A non-inverting amplifier circuit including a plurality of operational amplifiers will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 9 below.

[0122] FIG. 8 shows an electrical circuit diagram of the components of an aerosol delivery device that includes a power source 704 and a non-inverting amplifier circuit 800 and a load resistor 801 that can correspond, respectively, to a non-inverting amplifier circuit 712 and a heating element 716, according to an embodiment of the disclosure of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, in some embodiments, the non-inverting amplifier circuit 800 includes an operational amplifier 802. One example of a suitable operational amplifier is the OPA549T model from Texas Instruments. The operational amplifier can receive a voltage of 4 V from the power source as a non-inverting input (+) of the operational amplifier. The inverting input (-) of the operational amplifier can be connected to the feedback from the output of the operational amplifier via a resistor R1 and to ground via a resistor R2.

[0123] In one example, the positive supply voltage of the operational amplifier 802 may be V2 = 8 V, as shown by arrow 803. Boost converter 708 (not shown in FIG. 8) may step up the 4 V voltage from power supply 704 to produce a positive supply voltage V2 of 8 V. In this example, the negative supply voltage of the operational amplifier may be an additional negative voltage V1 = -8 V, as shown by arrow 804. Inverter 710 (not shown in FIG. 8) may convert V2 with 8 V from the boost converter to obtain an additional negative voltage V1 with a value of -8 V. Based on the circuit described in FIG. 8, the operational amplifier may provide a continuous output current, such as at least 9 A, to the load resistor 801. It should be noted that the values (e.g., voltages, currents, frequencies and resistances) shown in FIG. 8 are intended to illustrate an example only, and unless otherwise indicated, the values should not be considered as limiting in the present disclosure.

[0124] FIG. 9 shows an electrical circuit diagram of the components of an aerosol delivery device that includes a power source 704 and a plurality of non-inverting amplifier circuits 901, 902 and 903 (three are shown, for example) according to another example of implementing the present invention. As shown, each of the non-inverting amplifier circuits may correspond to the non-inverting amplifier circuit 712 or 800 described above. Each of the non-inverting amplifier circuits includes a corresponding operational amplifier 911, 912 and 913, which may correspond to an operational amplifier (OP-AMP), as shown in FIG. 7, or an operational amplifier 801, as shown in FIG. 8.

[0125] As shown in FIG. 9, in a non-inverting configuration, each of the operational amplifiers 911, 912 and 913 can receive a voltage from the power source 704 as an input voltage, such as a non-inverting input (+). The inverting input (-) of each of the operational amplifiers can be connected to the feedback from the output of the operational amplifiers via a corresponding resistor R2, R6 or R10 and to the ground via a corresponding resistor R1, R5 or R4.

[0126] As also shown in FIG. 9, the positive supply voltage of the operational amplifier 911 may be V1, and the negative supply voltage of the operational amplifier 911 may be V2. The step-up converter 708 (not shown in FIG. 9) may step up the voltage (e.g., 4 V) from the power supply 704 to obtain the positive supply voltage V1 (e.g., 8 V). The inverter 710 (not shown in FIG. 9) may convert V1 from the step-up converter to obtain an additional negative voltage V2 (e.g., -8 V). Similarly, the positive supply voltage of the operational amplifier 912 may be V3, and the negative supply voltage of the operational amplifier 912 may be V4. The positive supply voltage of the operational amplifier 913 may be V5, and the negative supply voltage of the operational amplifier 913 may be V6. Positive supply voltages V3 and V5 can be generated by a boost converter, and negative supply voltages V4 and V6 can be generated by an inverter as described above.

[0127] In one example, based on the circuit described in FIG. 9, a plurality of operational amplifiers may amplify the input voltage to respective output voltages and provide respective continuous output currents. Power for the heating element 716 may be provided from the respective continuous output currents. For example, each of the three operational amplifiers 911, 912 and 913 may provide a respective continuous output current of at least 9A. Thus, with three operational amplifiers arranged as in FIG. 9, the heating element can be provided with the sum of the corresponding continuous output currents (for example, at least 9+9+9=27 A). In another example, each of the three operational amplifiers can provide a corresponding output voltage of at least 9 V. Thus, with three operational amplifiers arranged as in FIG. 9, the heating element can be provided with the sum of the corresponding output voltages (for example, at least 9+9+9=27 V).

[0128] Many modifications and other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains, using the disclosures provided in the above description and the accompanying drawings. It is therefore to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are used herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims (26)

1. An aerosol delivery device comprising: terminals configured to connect the power source to the aerosol delivery device; a step-up converter capable of increasing the voltage from a power source to a higher voltage; an inverter configured to convert the higher voltage into an additional negative voltage; and at least one non-inverting amplifier circuit including an operational amplifier configured to receive a voltage from a power source as an input voltage and to receive a higher voltage and an additional negative voltage as supply voltages, wherein said at least one non-inverting amplifier circuit is configured to amplify the input voltage to an output voltage and to provide a continuous output current from which power is provided to an aerosol delivery device for producing an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition. 2. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the power source comprises one battery or one battery cell. 3. An aerosol delivery device according to any one of claims 1, 2, wherein the power source is or contains one lithium-ion battery (LiB), and the step-up converter is configured to increase the voltage from one LiB to a higher voltage. 4. An aerosol delivery device according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the continuous output current is at least about 9 amperes. 5. An aerosol delivery device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least one non-inverting amplifier circuit includes a plurality of operational amplifiers, each of which is configured to receive a voltage from a power source as an input voltage and to receive a higher voltage and an additional negative voltage as supply voltages, wherein the plurality of operational amplifiers are configured to amplify the input voltage to corresponding output voltages and to provide corresponding continuous output currents from which the aerosol delivery device is powered for producing an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition. 6. An aerosol delivery device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of operational amplifiers are arranged such that a sum of the corresponding continuous output currents is provided to power the aerosol delivery device for producing an aerosol from the aerosol precursor composition. 7. An aerosol delivery device according to any one of claims 5, 6, wherein the plurality of operational amplifiers are arranged in such a way that a sum of the corresponding output voltages is provided to power the aerosol delivery device for producing an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition. 8. An aerosol delivery device according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the aerosol precursor composition comprises a liquid, solid or semi-solid substance. 9. An aerosol delivery device according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the inverter includes a logic gate configured to invert the higher voltage into an additional negative voltage. 10. A control body of an aerosol delivery device comprising: terminals designed to allow connection of the power source to the control housing; a step-up converter capable of increasing the voltage from a power source to a higher voltage; an inverter configured to convert the higher voltage into an additional negative voltage; and at least one non-inverting amplifier circuit including an operational amplifier configured to receive a voltage from a power source as an input voltage and to receive a higher voltage and an additional negative voltage as supply voltages, wherein said at least one non-inverting amplifier circuit is configured to amplify the input voltage to an output voltage and to provide a continuous output current from which power is provided to an aerosol delivery device for producing an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition. 11. The control housing according to claim 10, wherein the power source includes one battery or one battery element. 12. The control housing according to any one of paragraphs. 10, 11, in which the power source is one lithium-ion battery (LiB) or contains it, and the step-up converter is designed with the possibility of increasing the voltage from one LiB to a higher voltage. 13. The control housing of any one of paragraphs 10-12, in which the continuous output current is at least about 9 amperes. 14. The control body according to any one of claims 10-13, in which at least one non-inverting amplifier circuit includes a plurality of operational amplifiers, each of which is configured to receive a voltage from a power source as an input voltage and to receive a higher voltage and an additional negative voltage as supply voltages, wherein the plurality of operational amplifiers are configured to amplify the input voltage to corresponding output voltages and to provide corresponding continuous output currents from which the aerosol delivery device is powered for producing an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition. 15. The control housing according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of operational amplifiers are arranged such that a sum of the corresponding continuous output currents is provided to power the aerosol delivery device for producing an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition. 16. A control housing according to any one of claims 14, 15, in which a plurality of operational amplifiers are arranged in such a way that a sum of the corresponding output voltages is provided to power the aerosol delivery device for producing an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition. 17. The control body according to any one of claims 10-16, wherein the aerosol precursor composition comprises a liquid, solid or semi-solid substance. 18. The control housing according to any one of paragraphs. 10-17, in which the inverter includes a logic gate configured to invert a higher voltage into an additional negative voltage.