Gas sensing for an aerosol delivery device

• US 10,405,581 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2017
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC. (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Original Assignee: RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS, INC. (British American Tobacco PLC)
• Inventors: Sur, Rajesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Campbell, Thor S
• Application Number:
  US15/455,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20180007970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/40 Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/51 Arrangement of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/65 Devices with integrated communication means, e.g. wireless communication means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/042 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/06 Inhaling appliances shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0021 with a proportional output signal, e.g. from a thermistor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/18 with alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3303 Using a biosensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3317 Electromagnetic, inductive or dielectric measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3331 Pressure; Flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3553 remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3504 for analysing gases, e.g. multi-gas analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/66 and measuring current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0036 Specially adapted to detect a particular component all the other sub-groups of G01N33/0004 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0244 Heating of fluids H05B1/0247 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/021 : Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 : Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters

Abstract

A control body is coupled or coupleable with a cartridge that is equipped with a heating element and contains an aerosol precursor composition, the control body and cartridge forming an aerosol delivery device. The control body includes a control component to control the heating element to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition. The control body also includes a gas sensor configured to detect a presence of gas in an environment of the control body, and the gas sensor or control component are further configured to control operation of at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device in response to the presence of gas so detected.

Claims

1. A control body coupled or coupleable with a cartridge to form an aerosol delivery device, the cartridge being equipped with a heating element and containing an aerosol precursor composition, the control body comprising:

a housing; and

within the housing,

a control component configured to operate in an active mode in which the control body is coupled with the cartridge, the control component in the active mode being configured to control the heating element to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition; and

a gas sensor configured to detect a presence of gas in an environment of the control body, including being configured to detect a concentration of gases within a class of gases in the environment of the control body,

wherein the gas sensor or control component is further configured to control operation of at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device in response to the presence of gas so detected, including being configured to control the at least one functional element based on the concentration of gases so detected.

2. The control body of claim 1, wherein the gas sensor is or includes a photoionization detector (PID) or non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensor.

3. The control body of claim 1, wherein the gas sensor or control component being further configured to control operation of at least one functional element includes being configured to control an indicator to provide a user-perceptible feedback.

4. The control body of claim 1, wherein the gas sensor or control component being further configured to control operation of at least one functional element includes being configured to alter a locked state of the aerosol delivery device.

5. The control body of claim 1, wherein the gas sensor being configured to detect the presence of gas includes being configured to detect a concentration of gas in the environment, and

wherein the gas sensor or control component being further configured to control operation of the at least one functional element includes being configured to control operation of the at least one functional element in an instance in which the concentration of gas so detected is above a predefined threshold concentration.

6. The control body of claim 1, wherein the gas sensor is or includes a photoionization detector (PID) configured to output an ionic current in response to the presence of gas so detected,

wherein the control body further comprises a transimpedance amplifier operatively coupled between the PID and control component, and configured to amplify the ionic current, and

wherein the gas sensor or control component being further configured to control operation of at least one functional element includes the control component being configured to receive and process the ionic current amplified by the transimpedance amplifier, and control the at least one functional element based thereon.

7. The control body of claim 1, wherein the gas sensor or control component being configured to control the at least one functional element based on the concentration of gases includes being configured to identify at least two types of gasses within the class of gases.

8. The control body of claim 1, wherein the gas sensor is configured to output a signal in response and corresponding to the concentration of gases,

wherein the control body further comprises a band-pass filter operatively coupled between the gas sensor and control component, and configured to receive the signal and pass only a portion of the signal corresponding to a concentration of a particular gas within the class of gases, and

wherein the gas sensor or control component being further configured to control operation of at least one functional element includes the control component being configured to receive and process the portion of the signal passed by the band-pass filter, and control the at least one functional element based thereon.

9. The control body of claim 1 further comprising a communication interface configured to transmit information related to the presence of gas so detected to an external device.

10. A cartridge coupled or coupleable with a control body that is equipped with a control component, the control body being coupled or coupleable with the cartridge to form an aerosol delivery device, the cartridge comprising:

a housing defining a reservoir configured to retain aerosol precursor composition;

a heating element configured to operate in an active mode in which the cartridge is coupled with the control body, the heating element in the active mode being controllable by the control component to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition; and

a gas sensor configured to detect a presence of gas in an environment of the control body, including being configured to detect a concentration of gases within a class of gases in the environment of the cartridge,

wherein the gas sensor or control component is further configured to control operation of at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device in response to the presence of gas so detected, including being configured to control the at least one functional element based on the concentration of gases so detected.

11. The cartridge of claim 10, wherein the gas sensor is or includes a photoionization detector (PID) or non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensor.

12. The cartridge of claim 10, wherein the gas sensor or control component being further configured to control operation of at least one functional element includes being configured to control an indicator to provide a user-perceptible feedback.

13. The cartridge of claim 10, wherein the gas sensor or control component being further configured to control operation of at least one functional element includes being configured to alter a locked state of the aerosol delivery device.

14. The cartridge of claim 10, wherein the gas sensor being configured to detect the presence of gas includes being configured to detect a concentration of gas in the environment, and

wherein the gas sensor or control component being further configured to control operation of the at least one functional element includes being configured to control operation of the at least one functional element in an instance in which the concentration of gas so detected is above a predefined threshold concentration.

15. The cartridge of claim 10, wherein the gas sensor is or includes a photoionization detector (PID) configured to output an ionic current in response to the presence of gas so detected,

wherein the cartridge further comprises a transimpedance amplifier operatively coupled between the PID and control component, and configured to amplify the ionic current, and wherein the gas sensor or control component being further configured to control operation of at least one functional element includes the control component being configured to receive and process the ionic current amplified by the transimpedance amplifier, and control the at least one functional element based thereon.

16. The cartridge of claim 10, wherein the gas sensor or control component being configured to control the at least one functional element based on the concentration of gases includes being configured to identify at least two types of gasses within the class of gases.

17. The cartridge of claim 10, wherein the gas sensor is configured to output a signal in response and corresponding to the concentration of gases,

wherein the cartridge further comprises a band-pass filter operatively coupled between the gas sensor and control component, and configured to receive the signal and pass only a portion of the signal corresponding to a concentration of a particular gas within the class of gases, and

wherein the gas sensor or control component being further configured to control operation of at least one functional element includes the control component being configured to receive and process the portion of the signal passed by the band-pass filter, and control the at least one functional element based thereon.

18. The cartridge of claim 10, wherein the control body comprises a communication interface operatively coupled to the control component and configured to transmit information related to the presence of gas so detected to an external device.