RU2832764C1 - Electronic devices for vaping nicotine, having automatic shutdown - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: smoking accessories.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to the tobacco industry, specifically to a nicotine vaping device and a method for operating an electronic nicotine vaping device. Electronic device for nicotine vaping contains a nicotine containing element assembly, which includes a nicotine reservoir for holding the ready vapor composition containing nicotine. Electronic device for nicotine vaping comprises a heater configured to evaporate the nicotine-containing finished composition for vapor drawn from the nicotine reservoir. Electronic device for nicotine vaping comprises the main part of the device configured to engage with the assembled nicotine containing element. Device main part comprises a controller configured to detect a malfunction event in an electronic device for vaping nicotine, classifying a fault event as one of a plurality of fault event types and performing at least one subsequent action based on the fault event classification.

EFFECT: optimizing response of an electronic device for nicotine vaping to malfunction.

33 cl, 49 dwg

Description

One or more exemplary embodiments relate to electronic nicotine vaping devices (nicotine-containing e-cigarette smoking devices).

US 2014/270727 A1 describes a method for controlling heating of a system for an aerosol precursor of an electronic device or article for nicotine vaping. According to the known method, an average power is directed from a power source to a heating device intended for heating the system/device for the aerosol precursor, and a heating time period is started accordingly. The average power corresponds to a selected power setting associated with the power source. The actual power directed to the heating device is determined as the product of the voltage on the heating device and the current through it. The actual power is compared with the average power, and the average power is adjusted to direct the actual power to a selected setpoint power value. The actual power is periodically determined and compared with the average power, and the average power is adjusted towards the selected setpoint power value until the expiration of said heating time period. In some aspects, faults or malfunctions associated with the electronic device for nicotine vaping are determined. The controller or processor can be configured to recognize such conditions and notify the user of such faults or malfunctions.

The problem in US 2014/270727 A1 is the lack of an optimized response of the device disclosed there to various faults. The electronic product does not react differently to different types of faults.

The present invention solves the problem of improving or optimizing the response of an electronic device for vaping nicotine to malfunctions in its operation.

Electronic devices for vaping nicotine (or devices for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette) contain a heater that vaporizes a material containing nicotine of a ready-made vapor composition to produce nicotine vapor. A device for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette may contain several elements for vaping nicotine, including a power source, a nicotine cartridge or a container for vaping nicotine, including a heater, and a nicotine reservoir configured to hold a material containing nicotine of a ready-made vapor composition.

In at least one exemplary embodiment, an electronic device for nicotine vaping is provided, comprising a containing element in the nicotine assembly and a main part of the device. The containing element in the nicotine assembly comprises a nicotine reservoir intended for holding a nicotine-containing ready-made composition for vapor, and a heater configured to evaporate the nicotine-containing ready-made composition for vapor drawn from the nicotine reservoir. The main part of the device is configured to engage with the containing element in the nicotine assembly and comprises a controller. The controller is configured to detect a fault event in the electronic device for nicotine vaping, classify the fault event as one of a plurality of fault event types, and perform at least one subsequent action based on the classification of the fault event.

According to at least some exemplary embodiments, the fault event may be one of a normal event, a soft fault event of the containing element, a hard fault event of the containing element, a soft fault event of the device, or a hard fault event of the device. The soft fault event of the containing element and the hard fault event of the containing element may be abnormal states in the containing element assembly for nicotine, and the soft fault event of the device and the hard fault event of the device may be abnormal states in the main part of the device.

At least one subsequent action includes an automatic shutdown operation, a heater shutdown operation, an evaporation shutdown operation, a charging termination operation, or a combination thereof.

The main part of the device may additionally contain at least one indicator for the vaper, configured to output an indication that a malfunction event has occurred.

The main part of the device may additionally contain a storage device.

The controller may be configured to perform at least one subsequent action by disconnecting power to the heater, recording the occurrence of a fault event in a memory device, and providing an output by at least one indicator to the vaper indicating that a fault event has occurred.

The controller may be configured to perform at least one subsequent action by disabling the vaping function in the electronic nicotine vaping device, registering the occurrence of a fault event in the memory device, and providing an output by at least one indicator to the vaper indicating that a fault event has occurred.

The controller may be configured to detect the release of the nicotine containing element assembly from engagement with the main portion of the device and to activate the evaporation function in the electronic nicotine vaping device in response to detecting the release of the nicotine containing element assembly from engagement with the main portion of the device.

The controller may be configured to cause the main portion of the device to enter a sleep mode in response to determining that corrective action has not occurred in response to a fault event.

The controller may be configured to perform at least one subsequent action by initiating an automatic shutdown operation in which the electronic device for vaping nicotine goes into sleep mode, registering the occurrence of a fault event in the memory device and providing an output by at least one indicator for the vaper of an indication that a fault event has occurred.

The controller may be configured to perform at least one subsequent action by disabling the vaping function, the charging operation, or the vaping function and the charging operation in the electronic device for vaping nicotine, registering the occurrence of a fault event in the memory device, and providing an output by at least one indicator for the vaper of an indication that a fault event has occurred.

The controller may be configured to initiate a timer reset in response to detecting a fault event, determining that a timer reset has occurred, and performing a reset of the electronic nicotine vaping device in response to determining that a timer reset has occurred. The reset may be one of the following: a soft reset, which resets software applications running in the controller, a hard reset, which resets software applications running in the controller and the hardware of the electronic nicotine vaping device, or a power-on reset (POR). The POR may include generating a reset pulse for the entire circuit of the device for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette in order to eliminate the fault event.

The controller may be configured to determine that the fault event has been cleared by a reset and to enable the hover function, the charging operation, or the hover function and the charging operation in response to determining that the fault event has been cleared by a reset.

The controller may be configured to detect a corrective action in the electronic nicotine vaping device and to activate the vaping function, the charging operation, or the vaping function and the charging operation in response to detecting the corrective action.

The nicotine containing element assembly may comprise a memory device configured to store a temperature threshold value, and the controller is configured to detect a malfunction event by receiving the temperature threshold value from the memory device, estimating the temperature of the heater during operation of the electronic nicotine vaping device, and detecting a malfunction event in response to determining that the temperature of the heater is higher than or equal to the temperature threshold value.

The main part of the device may further comprise a power supply unit configured to supply power to the electronic device for vaping nicotine. The fault event may be a low voltage fault event of the power supply unit, indicating that the voltage of the power supply unit is below a minimum threshold value. The controller may further be configured to perform at least one subsequent action by disabling the vaping function in the electronic device for vaping nicotine in response to detecting the low voltage fault event of the power supply unit.

The main part of the device may further comprise a power supply unit configured to supply power to the electronic device for vaping nicotine. The fault event may be a power supply temperature fault event indicating that the power supply temperature is higher than or equal to the maximum threshold value. The controller may be configured to perform at least one subsequent action by preventing the power supply unit from charging in response to detecting the power supply temperature fault event.

At least one exemplary embodiment provides a method for controlling an electronic nicotine vaping device, wherein the method includes: detecting a fault event in the electronic nicotine vaping device; classifying the fault event as one of a plurality of fault event types; and performing at least one subsequent action based on the classification of the fault event.

According to at least some exemplary embodiments, the fault event may be one of the following: a normal event, a soft fault event of the containing element, a hard fault event of the containing element, a soft fault event of the device, or a hard fault event of the device. The soft fault event of the containing element and the hard fault event of the containing element may be abnormal states in the containing element assembly for nicotine, and the soft fault event of the device and the hard fault event of the device may be abnormal states in the main part of the device.

At least one subsequent action may include an automatic shutdown operation, a heater shutdown operation, an evaporation shutdown operation, a charging stop operation, or a combination thereof.

Performing at least one subsequent action may include: turning off power to a heater in an electronic nicotine vaping device; recording the occurrence of a fault event in a memory device in the electronic nicotine vaping device; and outputting an indication that a fault event has occurred.

Performing at least one subsequent action may include: disabling the vaping function in the electronic nicotine vaping device; recording the occurrence of a fault event in a memory device in the electronic nicotine vaping device; and outputting an indication that a fault event has occurred.

The method may further include: detecting the removal of the nicotine containing element assembly from the electronic nicotine vaping device; and activating the evaporation function in the electronic nicotine vaping device in response to detecting the removal of the nicotine containing element assembly from the electronic nicotine vaping device.

The method may further include placing the electronic nicotine vaping device into a sleep mode in response to determining that a corrective action has not occurred in response to the malfunction event.

Performing at least one subsequent action may include: initiating an automatic shutdown operation in which the electronic nicotine vaping device goes into a sleep mode; recording the occurrence of a fault event in a memory device in the electronic nicotine vaping device; and outputting an indication that a fault event has occurred.

Performing at least one subsequent action may include: disabling the vaping function, the charging operation, or the vaping function and the charging operation in the electronic nicotine vaping device; recording the occurrence of a fault event in a memory device in the electronic nicotine vaping device; and outputting an indication that a fault event has occurred.

The method may further include: initiating a timer reset in response to detecting a malfunction event; determining that a timer reset has occurred; and performing a reset of the electronic nicotine vaping device in response to determining that a timer reset has occurred.

The method may further comprise: determining that the fault event has been cleared by a reset; and enabling a vaping function, a charging operation, or a vaping function and a charging operation in the electronic nicotine vaping device in response to determining that the fault event has been cleared by a reset.

The method may further include: detecting a corrective action in the electronic nicotine vaping device; and turning on a vaping function, a charging operation, or a vaping function and a charging operation in the electronic nicotine vaping device in response to detecting the corrective action.

Detecting a fault event may include: obtaining a temperature threshold from a memory device in the electronic nicotine vaping device; estimating a temperature of a heater in the electronic nicotine vaping device; and detecting a fault event in response to determining that the temperature of the heater is greater than or equal to the temperature threshold.

The fault event may be a low power supply voltage fault event indicating that the voltage of the power supply in the electronic nicotine vaping device is below a minimum threshold. Performing at least one subsequent action may include disabling the vaping function in the electronic nicotine vaping device in response to detecting the low power supply voltage fault event.

The fault event may be a power supply temperature fault event indicating that the temperature of the power supply in the electronic nicotine vaping device is above or equal to a maximum threshold. Performing at least one subsequent action may include preventing the power supply from charging in response to detecting the power supply temperature fault event.

Various features and advantages of the non-limiting embodiments herein may become more apparent when the detailed description is considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not to be interpreted as limiting the scope of the claims. The accompanying drawings are not to be construed as being drawn to scale unless expressly indicated. For clarity, various sizes of the images may have been exaggerated.

Fig. 1 shows a front view of a device for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 2 shows a side view of the device for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a rear view of the device for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 shows a view of the near end of the device for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 shows a view of the distal end of the device for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of a device for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 shows an enlarged view of the inlet opening of the containing element shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 shows a sectional view of the device for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of the main part of the device, which is a device for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette according to Fig. 6.

Fig. 10 shows a front view of the main part of the device of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 shows an enlarged perspective view of the through hole of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 shows an enlarged perspective view of the electrical contacts of the device shown in Fig. 10.

Fig. 13 is a partial exploded view including the mouthpiece shown in Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a partial exploded view including the inclined structure shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of the mouthpiece, springs, holding structure and tilt structure shown in Fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a partial exploded view showing the front cover, frame, and rear cover shown in Fig. 14.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the assembled nicotine containing element of the nicotine smoking device of the e-cigarette containing nicotine shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 18 shows another perspective view of the assembled nicotine containing member of Fig. 17.

Fig. 19 shows another perspective view of the assembled nicotine containing member of Fig. 18.

Fig. 20 shows a perspective view of the assembled nicotine containing element of Fig. 19 without the connecting module.

Fig. 21 shows a perspective view of the connecting module of Fig. 19.

Fig. 22 shows another perspective view of the connecting module of Fig. 21.

Fig. 23 is an exploded view showing the wick, heater, electrical wires, and contact core of Fig. 22.

Fig. 24 shows an exploded view including the first section of the housing of the nicotine containing element assembly of Fig. 17.

Fig. 25 is a partial exploded view including a second section of the housing of the nicotine containing element assembly of Fig. 17.

Fig. 26 shows an exploded view of the activation punch of Fig. 25.

Fig. 27 shows a perspective view of the connecting module of Fig. 22 without the wick, heater, electrical wires and contact core.

Fig. 28 shows an exploded view of the connecting module of Fig. 27.

Fig. 29 shows the electrical systems of the main part of the device and the containing element in assembly for nicotine of the device for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 30 is a simple block diagram illustrating an automatic shutdown control system 2300 according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 31 is a diagram illustrating a method for detecting an idle event according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 32A is a diagram illustrating a method for detecting a heater temperature fault event according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 32B is a diagram illustrating a method for detecting a heater temperature fault event according to another exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 33A and 33B illustrate a method for controlling automatic shutdown according to one or more exemplary embodiments.

Fig. 34 shows an exemplary embodiment of a heater voltage measurement circuit 21252.

Fig. 35 shows an exemplary embodiment of the heater current measuring circuit 21258 shown in Fig. 29.

Fig. 36 shows diagrams of measuring the temperature of the containing element according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 37 shows diagrams of measuring the temperature of the containing element according to another exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 38 is a circuit diagram illustrating a control circuit of a heating module according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 39 is a circuit diagram illustrating another control circuit of a heating module according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 40 shows a temperature measuring sensor according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 41 shows a temperature measuring sensor according to another exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 42A shows a circuit diagram for measuring the temperature of a power supply unit according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 42B shows a circuit for measuring the temperature of a power supply unit according to another exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 43A shows a circuit diagram for measuring the voltage of a power supply unit according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 43B shows a circuit for measuring the voltage of a power supply unit according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 44A shows a charger according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 44B shows a charger according to another exemplary embodiment.

Certain detailed exemplary embodiments are disclosed herein. However, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are presented solely for the purpose of describing the exemplary embodiments. However, the exemplary embodiments may be embodied in many alternative forms and should not be construed as limited to only the exemplary embodiments that are set forth herein.

Accordingly, since the exemplary embodiments are capable of various modifications and alternative forms, exemplary embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that there is no intention to limit the exemplary embodiments to the specific forms disclosed, but rather, the exemplary embodiments should cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives thereof. Like numerals refer to like elements throughout the description of the figures.

It should be understood that when an element or layer is designated as being "on," "attached to," "connected to," "attached to," "adjacent to," or "overlying" another element or layer, it may be directly located on, attached to, connected to, attached to, adjacent to, or may overly the other element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. Conversely, when an element is designated as being "directly on," "directly attached to," or "directly connected to" another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers. Like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout the specification. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations or subcombinations of one or more related listed elements.

It should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, regions, layers, and/or sections, these elements, regions, layers, and/or sections should not be limited to these terms. These terms are used merely to distinguish one element, region, layer, or section from another region, layer, or section. Accordingly, the first element, region, layer, or section discussed below could be referred to as the second element, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments.

Relative spatial location terms (e.g., "below," "under," "lower," "above," "upper," etc.) may be used herein to simplify the description to disclose the relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. It should be understood that relative spatial location terms are intended to cover various orientations of the device during use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is inverted, then elements described as located "under" or "below" other elements or features will appear to be located "above" the other elements or features. Accordingly, the preposition "under" may imply location both above and below. The device may be oriented differently (rotated 90 degrees or located in other orientations), and the words used herein to define relative spatial location will be interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is intended to describe various exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the use of the singular forms does not exclude the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "includes," "including," "comprises," and/or "containing," when used in this description, indicate the presence of certain features, integers, steps, operations, and/or elements, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or groups thereof.

When the words "approximately" and "substantially" are used in this description in conjunction with a numerical value, the corresponding numerical value is intended to include a margin of error of ±10 percent around the stated numerical value, unless otherwise expressly stated.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which the exemplary embodiments pertain. It should also be understood that terms, including those defined in commonly used dictionaries, are to be interpreted as having a meaning that corresponds to their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein.

The terms "electronic vaping device" or "nicotine e-cigarette smoking device" as used herein may sometimes be referred to and considered synonymous with the terms "nicotine vaping device" and/or "nicotine e-vaping device".

Fig. 1 shows a front view of a device for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette according to an exemplary embodiment. Fig. 2 shows a side view of the device for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a back view of the device for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette of Fig. 1. As shown in Figs. 1-3, a device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette comprises a main part 100 of the device, configured to receive a nicotine containing assembly 300. The nicotine containing assembly 300 is a modular product configured to hold a nicotine-containing vapor formulation. The "nicotine-containing vapor formulation" is a material or a combination of materials that can be converted into vapor. For example, the nicotine-containing vapor formulation may be a liquid, solid, and/or gel formulation that includes, but is not limited to, water, granules, solvents, active ingredients, ethanol, plant extracts, natural or artificial flavoring agents, and/or vapor-generating agents such as glycerin and propylene glycol. During smoking of the electronic cigarette, the nicotine-containing e-cigarette smoking device 500 is configured to heat the nicotine-containing vapor formulation to generate vapor. As referred to herein, "nicotine vapor" is any substance generated or released from any nicotine-containing e-cigarette smoking device according to any of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein.

As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3, the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine extends in the longitudinal direction and has a length greater than its width. In addition, as shown in Fig. 2, the length of the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine is also greater than its thickness. In addition, the width of the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine may be greater than its thickness. Based on the Cartesian coordinate system x-y-z, the length of the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine may be measured in the y direction, the width may be measured in the x direction, and the thickness may be measured in the z direction. The device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine may have a substantially linear shape with tapering ends based on its front, side and back views, although exemplary embodiments are not limited to this.

The main part 100 of the device comprises a front cover 104, a frame 106 and a back cover 108. The front cover 104, the frame 106 and the back cover 108 form a device casing that includes mechanical elements, electronic elements and/or circuits associated with the operation of the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine. For example, the device casing of the main part 100 of the device may include a power source configured to supply power to the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine, which may include supplying an electric current to the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine. The device casing of the main part 100 of the device may also include one or more electrical systems for controlling the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine. Electrical systems according to exemplary embodiments will be discussed in more detail below. In addition, when assembled, the front cover 104, frame 106 and rear cover 108 may comprise a large portion of the visible portion of the main body 100 of the device.

The front cover 104 (for example, the first cover) defines a primary opening configured to receive an inclined structure 112. The primary opening may have a rounded rectangular shape, although other shapes are possible depending on the shape of the inclined structure 112. The inclined structure 112 defines a through hole 150 configured to receive a containing element assembly 300 for nicotine. The through hole 150 is discussed in more detail herein in combination with, for example, Fig. 9.

The front cover 104 also defines a secondary opening configured to accommodate a light guide assembly. The secondary opening may resemble a groove (for example, an elongated rectangle with rounded edges), although other shapes are also possible depending on the shape of the light guide assembly. In an exemplary embodiment, the light guide assembly comprises a light guide housing 114 and a button housing 122. The light guide housing 114 is configured to open a light guide lens 116, while the button housing 122 is configured to open a first button lens 124 and a second button lens 126 (for example, Fig. 16). The first button lens 124 and the upstream portion of the button housing 122 may form the first button 118. Similarly, the second button lens 126 and the downstream portion of the button housing 122 may form the second button 120. The button housing 122 may be in the form of a single structure or two separate structures. In the case of the latter form, the first button 118 and the second button 120 may move with a freer feeling when pressed.

The operation of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette can be controlled by a first button 118 and a second button 120. For example, the first button 118 can be a power button, and the second button 120 can be an intensity control button. Although the graphics show two buttons in combination with a light guide arrangement, it should be understood that more (or fewer) buttons can be provided depending on the available elements and the desired user interface.

The frame 106 (e.g., the main frame) is a central supporting structure for the main part 100 of the device (and the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette as a whole). The frame 106 may be referred to as a base. The frame 106 comprises a near end, a far end, and a pair of side sections between the near end and the far end. The near end and the far end may also be referred to as a downstream end and an upstream end, respectively. In the context of this document, the term "near" (and conversely, "distant") refers to an adult vaper during smoking of the e-cigarette, and "downstream" (and conversely, "upstream") refers to the flow of nicotine vapor. Between the opposite inner surfaces of the side sections (for example, approximately midway along the length of the frame 106), a connecting section may be provided for additional strength and stability. The frame 106 may be formed as a single unit to represent a monolithic structure.

With regard to the material of construction, the frame 106 can be formed from an alloy or a plastic. The alloy (for example, die-cast, machined) can be an aluminum (Al) alloy or a zinc (Zn) alloy. The plastic can be polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or a combination thereof (PC/ABS). For example, the polycarbonate can be LUPOY SC1004A. In addition, the frame 106 can be provided with a surface finish for functional and/or aesthetic reasons (for example, to ensure a high-quality appearance). In an exemplary embodiment, the frame 106 (for example, when it is formed from an aluminum alloy) can be anodized. In another embodiment, the frame 106 (for example, when it is formed from a zinc alloy) can be coated with hard enamel or painted. In another embodiment, the frame 106 (for example, when it is formed from polycarbonate) can be metallized. In another embodiment, the frame 106 (for example, when formed from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) may have an electrolytic coating. It should be understood that the materials of construction with respect to the frame 106 may also be applicable to the front cover 104, the back cover 108 and/or other corresponding parts of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette.

The rear cover 108 (for example, the second cover) also defines an opening configured to receive the inclined structure 112. The opening may have a rounded rectangular shape, although other shapes are possible depending on the shape of the inclined structure 112. In an exemplary embodiment, the opening in the rear cover 108 is smaller than the primary opening in the front cover 104. In addition, although not shown, it should be understood that in the rear portion of the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine, a light guide arrangement (for example, including buttons) may be provided in addition to (or instead of) the light guide arrangement in the front portion of the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine.

The front cover 104 and the back cover 108 may be configured to engage with the frame 106 by means of a snap-fit arrangement. For example, the front cover 104 and/or the back cover 108 may comprise clips configured to interconnect with corresponding mating elements of the frame 106. In a non-limiting embodiment, the clips may be in the form of tabs with openings configured to receive corresponding mating elements (for example, projections with beveled edges) of the frame 106. Alternatively, the front cover 104 and/or the back cover 108 may be configured to engage with the frame 106 by means of an interference fit (which may also be referred to as a press fit or a friction fit). However, it should be understood that the front cover 104, the frame 106, and the back cover 108 may be connected using other suitable arrangements and techniques.

The main part 100 of the device also comprises a mouthpiece 102. The mouthpiece 102 can be attached to the near end of the frame 106. In addition, as shown in Fig. 2, in an exemplary embodiment, where the frame 106 is clamped between the front cover 104 and the back cover 108, the mouthpiece 102 can be adjacent to the front cover 104, the frame 106 and the back cover 108. In addition, in a non-limiting embodiment, the mouthpiece 102 can be connected to the casing of the device using a bayonet connection.

Fig. 4 shows a view of the near end of the device for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette of Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the outlet surface of the mouthpiece 102 defines a plurality of outlet openings for vapor. In a non-limiting embodiment, the outlet surface of the mouthpiece 102 can have an elliptical shape. In addition, the outlet surface of the mouthpiece 102 can comprise a first bridge corresponding to the major axis of the outlet surface of the elliptical shape, and a second bridge corresponding to the minor axis of the outlet surface of the elliptical shape. In addition, the first bridge and the second bridge can intersect perpendicularly and be formed as a single unit by parts of the mouthpiece 102. Although the outlet surface is shown as defining four outlet openings for vapor, it should be understood that exemplary embodiments are not limited to this. For example, the outlet surface may define less than four (e.g., one, two) steam outlet openings or more than four (e.g., six, eight) steam outlet openings.

Fig. 5 shows a view of the distal end of the device for smoking a nicotine e-cigarette according to Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 5, the distal end of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine e-cigarette comprises a port 110. The port 110 is configured to receive electric current (for example, via a USB cable) from an external power source for charging an internal power source inside the device 500 for smoking a nicotine e-cigarette. In addition, the port 110 may also be configured to send data (for example, via a USB cable) to another device for smoking a nicotine e-cigarette or another electronic device (for example, a phone, a tablet, a computer) and/or receive data from them. In addition, the device 500 for smoking a nicotine e-cigarette may be configured to wirelessly communicate with another electronic device, such as a phone, using an application program (application) installed on this electronic device. In such a case, the adult vaper may control or otherwise interact with the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette (e.g., detect the exact location of the device for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette, check usage information, change operating parameters) via the application.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the nicotine-containing e-cigarette smoking device of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the inlet opening of the containing member shown in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 6-7 and as briefly indicated above, the nicotine-containing e-cigarette smoking device 500 comprises a nicotine containing member assembly 300 configured to hold a nicotine-containing final vapor composition. The nicotine containing member assembly 300 has an upstream end (which faces the light guide assembly) and a downstream end (which faces the mouthpiece 102). In a non-limiting embodiment, the upstream end is an opposite surface of the nicotine containing member assembly 300 relative to the downstream end. The upstream end of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 defines an inlet opening 322 of the containing element. The main part 100 of the device defines a through opening (for example, the through opening 150 shown in Fig. 9) configured to receive the nicotine containing element assembly 300. In an exemplary embodiment, an inclined structure 112 of the main part 100 of the device defines the through opening and comprises an upstream rim. As shown in particular in Fig. 7, the upstream rim of the inclined structure 112 is angled (for example, with an inward dip) such that the inlet opening 322 of the containing element is visible when the nicotine containing element assembly 300 is seated inside the through opening of the main part 100 of the device.

For example, instead of following the contour of the front cover 104 (so as to be generally flush with the front surface of the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine and, therefore, to hide the inlet opening 322 of the containing element), the upstream rim of the inclined structure 112 has the shape of a scoop configured to direct ambient air into the inlet opening 322 of the containing element. This angular/scoop-shaped configuration can help to reduce or prevent blocking of the air inlet opening (for example, the inlet opening 322 of the containing element) of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette. The depth of the scoop can be such that less than half (for example, less than a quarter) of the upstream end surface of the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine is visible. In addition, in a non-limiting embodiment, the inlet opening 322 of the containing element has the shape of a groove. In addition, if the main portion 100 of the device is considered to extend in a first direction, then the groove may be considered to extend in a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

Fig. 8 shows a sectional view of the device for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette according to Fig. 6. In Fig. 8, the section is made along the longitudinal axis of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette. As shown, the main part 100 of the device and the nicotine containing element assembly 300 comprise mechanical elements, electronic elements and/or circuitry associated with the operation of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette, which are discussed in more detail herein and/or incorporated herein by reference. For example, the nicotine containing element assembly 300 may comprise mechanical elements configured to be activated to release a nicotine-containing final vapor composition from a sealed nicotine reservoir located inside. The nicotine containing element assembly 300 may also have mechanical components configured to engage with the main portion 100 of the device to facilitate insertion and seating of the nicotine containing element assembly 300.

In addition, the nicotine containing element assembly 300 may be a "smart containing element" that comprises electronic elements and/or circuitry configured to store, receive and/or transmit information to or from the main part 100 of the device. Such information may be used to authenticate the nicotine containing element assembly 300 for use with the main part 100 of the device (e.g., to prevent the use of an unapproved/counterfeit nicotine containing element assembly). In addition, the information may be used to identify the type of the nicotine containing element assembly 300, which is then associated with a smoking profile of the electronic cigarette based on the identified type. The smoking profile of the electronic cigarette may be designed to set general parameters for heating the nicotine-containing final composition for vapor and may be subject to adjustment, improvement or other adjustment by an adult vaper before and/or during smoking of the electronic cigarette.

The nicotine containing element assembly 300 may also exchange with the main part 100 of the device other information that may relate to the operation of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette. Examples of relevant information may include the level of the nicotine-containing final vapor composition inside the nicotine containing element assembly 300 and/or the time elapsed since the nicotine containing element assembly 300 was inserted into the main part 100 of the device and activated. For example, if the nicotine containing element assembly 300 was inserted into the main part 100 of the device and activated much earlier than a certain period of time (e.g., more than 6 months ago), the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette may not provide smoking of the electronic cigarette, and the adult vaper may be advised to switch to a new nicotine containing element assembly, even if the nicotine containing element assembly 300 still contains sufficient levels of the nicotine-containing finished vapor composition.

The main part 100 of the device may comprise mechanical elements (for example, additional structures) configured to engage, hold and/or activate the containing element in the nicotine assembly 300. In addition, the main part 100 of the device may comprise electronic elements and/or a circuit configured to receive an electric current for charging an internal power source (for example, a battery), which, in turn, is configured to supply power to the containing element in the nicotine assembly 300 during smoking of the electronic cigarette. In addition, the main part 100 of the device may comprise electronic elements and/or a circuit configured to communicate with the containing element in the nicotine assembly 300, another device for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette, other electronic devices (for example, a phone, a tablet, a computer) and/or an adult vaper. The transmitted information may include certain data regarding the containing element, current detailed information on smoking the e-cigarette and/or previous patterns/history of smoking the e-cigarette. The adult vaper may be notified of such data transmissions using feedback that is tactile (e.g. vibration), audible (e.g. beeps) and/or visual (e.g. colored/flashing lights). Charging and/or information transmission may be performed using port 110 (e.g. via a USB cable).

Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of the main part of the device, which is a device for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette according to Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 9, the inclined structure 112 of the main part 100 of the device defines a through hole 150. The through hole 150 is configured to accommodate the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine. In order to facilitate the insertion and seating of the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine inside the through hole 150, the upstream rim of the inclined structure 112 comprises a first upstream projection 128a and a second upstream projection 128b. The through hole 150 can have a rectangular shape with rounded corners. In an exemplary embodiment, the first upstream projection 128a and the second upstream projection 128b are formed integrally with the inclined structure 112 and are located on two rounded corners of the upstream rim.

The downstream side wall of the inclined structure 112 may define a first downstream opening, a second downstream opening, and a third downstream opening. The retaining structure comprising a first downstream projection 130a and a second downstream projection 130b engages with the inclined structure 112 in such a way that the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b protrude through the first downstream opening and the second downstream opening, respectively, of the inclined structure 112 and into the through hole 150. In addition, the distal end of the mouthpiece 102 extends through the third downstream opening of the inclined structure 112 and into the through hole 150 so as to be located between the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b.

Fig. 10 shows a front view of the main part of the device according to Fig. 9. As shown in Fig. 10, the main part 100 of the device comprises an electrical connector 132 of the device, which is located on the upstream side of the through hole 150. The electrical connector 132 of the device of the main part 100 of the device is configured to electrically connect to the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine, which is seated inside the through hole 150. As a result, power can be supplied from the main part 100 of the device to the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine by means of the electrical connector 132 of the device during smoking of the electronic cigarette. In addition, data can be sent to the main part 100 of the device and the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine and/or received from them by means of the electrical connector 132 of the device.

Fig. 11 shows an enlarged perspective view of the through hole of Fig. 10. As shown in Fig. 11, the first upstream projection 128a, the second upstream projection 128b, the first downstream projection 130a, the second downstream projection 130b and the distal end of the mouthpiece 102 protrude into the through hole 150. In an exemplary embodiment, the first upstream projection 128a and the second upstream projection 128b are stationary structures (e.g., stationary hinges), while the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b are easily movable structures (e.g., retractable elements). For example, the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b may be configured (e.g., spring loaded) to be set to a default extended state, and may also be configured to be temporarily retracted (and back to an extended state) to facilitate insertion of the nicotine containing member assembly 300.

In particular, when the nicotine containing element assembly 300 is inserted into the through hole 150 of the main portion 100 of the device, the recesses on the upstream end surface of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 may initially engage with the first upstream protrusion 128a and the second upstream protrusion 128b, after which the nicotine containing element assembly 300 is rotated (around the first upstream protrusion 128a and the second upstream protrusion 128b) until the recesses on the downstream end surface of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 engage with the first downstream protrusion 130a and the second downstream protrusion 130b. In such a case, the rotation axis (during rotation) of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 may be orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the main part 100 of the device. In addition, the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b, which can be offset to ensure easy movement, may be retracted when the nicotine containing element assembly 300 rotates into the through hole 150, and elastically extended to engage with the recesses on the downstream end surface of the nicotine containing element assembly 300. In addition, the engagement of the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b with the recesses on the downstream end surface of the nicotine receiving element assembly 300 may cause tactile and/or audible feedback (e.g., an audible click) to notify an adult vaper that the nicotine receiving element assembly 300 is properly seated in the through-hole 150 of the main portion 100 of the device.

Fig. 12 shows an enlarged perspective view of the electrical contacts of the device shown in Fig. 10. The electrical contacts of the device of the main part 100 of the device are configured to engage with the electrical contacts of the containing member assembly 300 for nicotine, when the containing member assembly 300 for nicotine is seated inside the through hole 150 of the main part 100 of the device. As shown in Fig. 12, the electrical contacts of the device of the main part 100 of the device comprise an electrical connector 132 of the device. The electrical connector 132 of the device comprises power contacts and data contacts. The power contacts of the electrical connector 132 of the device are configured to supply power from the main part 100 of the device to the containing member assembly 300 for nicotine. As illustrated, the power contacts of the electrical connector 132 of the device comprise a first pair of power contacts and a second pair of power contacts (which are located so as to be closer to the front cover 104 than to the back cover 108). The first pair of power contacts (for example, the pair adjacent to the first upstream projection 128a) may be a single integral structure that is different from the second pair of power contacts and that, when assembled, comprises two projecting portions that extend into the through opening 150. Similarly, the second pair of power contacts (for example, the pair adjacent to the second upstream projection 128b) may be a single integral structure that is different from the first pair of power contacts and that, when assembled, comprises two projecting portions that extend into the through opening 150. The first pair of power contacts and the second pair of power contacts of the electrical connector 132 of the device may be mounted with the possibility of easy movement and biased so as to enter the through opening 150 by default and to be withdrawn (for example, independently) from the through opening 150 when subjected to a force that exceeds the bias.

The data contacts of the electrical connector 132 of the device are configured to transmit data between the nicotine containing assembly 300 and the main part 100 of the device. As illustrated, the data contacts of the electrical connector 132 of the device comprise a series of five protruding parts (which are arranged so as to be closer to the back cover 108 than to the front cover 104). The data contacts of the electrical connector 132 of the device may be separate structures that, when assembled, extend into the through opening 150. The data contacts of the electrical connector 132 of the device may also be mounted with the possibility of easy movement and biased (for example, by springs) so as to enter the through opening 150 by default and to be retracted (for example, independently) from the through opening 150 when subjected to a force that exceeds the bias. For example, when the nicotine containing element assembly 300 is inserted into the through hole 150 of the main part 100 of the device, the electrical contacts of the containing element of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 will be pressed against the corresponding electrical contacts of the device of the main part 100 of the device. As a result, the power contacts and the data contacts of the electrical connector 132 of the device will be drawn (for example, at least partially drawn) into the main part 100 of the device, but will continue to press against the corresponding electrical contacts of the containing element due to their elastic arrangement, thereby helping to ensure a proper electrical connection between the main part 100 of the device and the nicotine containing element assembly 300. In addition, such a connection can also be mechanically reliable and have a minimum contact resistance in order to ensure the possibility of transmitting power and/or signals between the main part 100 of the device and the nicotine containing element assembly 300 and/or exchanging them in a reliable and accurate manner. Although various aspects have been discussed with respect to the electrical contacts of the device of the main part 100 of the device, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto and that other configurations may be used.

Fig. 13 shows a partial exploded view including the mouthpiece shown in Fig. 12. As shown in Fig. 13, the mouthpiece 102 is configured to engage with the casing of the device through the holding structure 140. In an exemplary embodiment, the holding structure 140 is positioned so as to be primarily located between the frame 106 and the inclined structure 112. As shown, the holding structure 140 is positioned within the casing of the device such that the near end of the holding structure 140 extends through the near end of the frame 106. The holding structure 140 may protrude slightly beyond the near end of the frame 106 or be substantially flush with it. The near end of the holding structure 140 is configured to receive the far end of the mouthpiece 102. The near end of the holding structure 140 may be a female end, while the far end of the mouthpiece may be a male end.

For example, the mouthpiece 102 can be connected (for example, removably connected) to the holding structure 140 using a bayonet connection. In such a case, the female end of the holding structure 140 can define a pair of opposite L-shaped slots, while the male end of the mouthpiece 102 can have opposite radial elements 134 (for example, radial pins) configured to engage with the L-shaped slots of the holding structure 140. Each of the L-shaped slots of the holding structure 140 has a longitudinal portion and a circumferential portion. Optionally, the edge of the circumferential portion can have a portion with notches to help reduce or prevent the likelihood that the radial element 134 of the mouthpiece 102 will unintentionally disengage. In a non-limiting embodiment, the longitudinal portions of the L-shaped grooves extend parallel to and along the longitudinal axis of the main part 100 of the device, while the circumferential portions of the L-shaped grooves extend around the longitudinal axis (for example, the central axis) of the main part 100 of the device. As a result, in order to connect the mouthpiece 102 to the casing of the device, the mouthpiece 102 shown in Fig. 13 is initially rotated by 90 degrees to align the radial elements 134 with the entrances to the longitudinal portions of the L-shaped grooves of the holding structure 140. Then, the mouthpiece 102 is pushed into the holding structure 140 in such a way that the radial elements 134 slide along the longitudinal portions of the L-shaped grooves until a connection with each of the circumferential portions is achieved. At this point, the mouthpiece 102 is then rotated so that the radial elements 134 move along the circumferential portions until the edge of each of them is reached. In the case where a notched portion is present on each edge, tactile and/or audible feedback (e.g., an audible click) can be created to notify the adult vaper that the mouthpiece 102 has been correctly attached to the housing of the device.

The mouthpiece 102 defines a passage 136 for vapor through which nicotine vapor flows during smoking of the electronic cigarette. The passage 136 for vapor is in fluid communication with the through hole 150 (namely, where the containing element in the assembly 300 for nicotine is seated inside the main part 100 of the device). The near end of the passage 136 for vapor can comprise a part that widens toward the bottom. In addition, the mouthpiece 102 can comprise an end cap 138. The end cap 138 can narrow from its far end to its near end. The outlet surface of the end cap 138 defines a plurality of outlet openings for vapor. Although four outlet openings for vapor are shown in the end cap 138, it should be understood that exemplary embodiments are not limited to this.

Fig. 14 is a partial exploded view including the inclined structure shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of the mouthpiece, springs, holding structure and inclined structure shown in Fig. 14. As shown in Figs. 14-15, the inclined structure 112 includes an upstream side wall and a downstream side wall. The upstream side wall of the inclined structure 112 defines an opening 146 for a connector. The opening 146 for a connector is configured such that the electrical connector 132 of the device of the main part 100 of the device is visible or accommodated in it. The downstream side wall of the inclined structure 112 defines a first downstream opening 148a, a second downstream opening 148b and a third downstream opening 148c. The first downstream opening 148a and the second downstream opening 148b of the inclined structure 112 are configured to accommodate the first downstream protrusion 130a and the second downstream protrusion 130b of the retaining structure 140, respectively. The third downstream opening 148c of the inclined structure 112 is configured to accommodate the distal end of the mouthpiece 102.

As shown in Fig. 14, the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b are on the concave side of the retaining structure 140. As shown in Fig. 15, the first rod 142a and the second rod 142b are on the opposite convex side of the retaining structure 140. The first spring 144a and the second spring 144b are arranged on the first rod 142a and the second rod 142b, respectively. The first spring 144a and the second spring 144b are configured to bias the retaining structure 140 relative to the inclined structure 112.

In the assembled form, the inclined structure 112 can be attached to the frame 106 by means of a pair of tabs adjacent to the opening 146 for the connector. In addition, the retaining structure 140 will be adjacent to the inclined structure 112 in such a way that the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b extend through the first downstream opening 148a and the second downstream opening 148b, respectively. The mouthpiece 102 will be connected to the retaining structure 140 in such a way that the distal end of the mouthpiece 102 will extend through the retaining structure 140, as well as the third downstream opening 148 of the inclined structure 112. The first spring 144a and the second spring 144b will be located between the frame 106 and the retaining structure 140.

When the nicotine containing element assembly 300 is inserted into the through hole 150 of the main part 100 of the device, the downstream end of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 will push the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b of the holding structure 140. As a result, the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b of the holding structure 140 will elastically spring and be drawn out of the through hole 150 of the main part 100 of the device (due to the compression of the first spring 144a and the second spring 144b), thus ensuring the continuation of the insertion of the nicotine containing element assembly 300. In an exemplary embodiment, when the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b are completely retracted from the through-hole 150 of the main part 100 of the device, the displacement of the holding structure 140 may cause the ends of the first rod 142a and the second rod 142b to contact the inner end surface of the frame 106. In addition, since the mouthpiece 102 is connected to the holding structure 140, the distal end of the mouthpiece 102 will be retracted from the through-hole 150, thereby also causing the near end of the mouthpiece 102 (for example, the visible portion including the end cap 138) to shift a corresponding distance from the casing of the device.

As soon as the nicotine containing member assembly 300 is inserted properly so that the first downstream recess and the second downstream recess of the nicotine containing member assembly 300 reach a position that allows engagement with the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b, respectively, the accumulated compression energy of the first spring 144a and the second spring 144b causes the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b to elastically extend and engage with the first downstream recess and the second downstream recess, respectively, of the nicotine containing member assembly 300. In addition, the engagement may cause tactile and/or audible feedback (e.g., an audible click) to notify an adult vaper that the nicotine containing element assembly 300 is properly seated within the through-hole 150 of the main portion 100 of the device.

Fig. 16 is a partial exploded view including the front cover, the frame, and the back cover shown in Fig. 14. As shown in Fig. 16, various mechanical components, electronic components, and/or circuitry associated with the operation of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette may be attached to the frame 106. The front cover 104 and the back cover 108 may be configured to engage the frame 106 by means of a snap-fit arrangement. In an exemplary embodiment, the front cover 104 and the back cover 108 comprise clips configured to interconnect with respective mating members of the frame 106. The clips may be in the form of tabs with openings configured to receive respective mating members (e.g., beveled edged protrusions) of the frame 106. In Fig. 16 the front cover 104 has two rows of four clips each (a total of eight clips for the front cover 104). Likewise, the rear cover 108 has two rows of four clips each (a total of eight clips for the rear cover 108). The corresponding mating elements of the frame 106 can be located on the inner side walls of the frame 106. As a result, the engaged clips and the mating elements can be hidden from view when the front cover 104 and the rear cover 108 are snapped together. Alternatively, the front cover 104 and/or the rear cover 108 can be configured to engage with the frame 106 by means of an interference fit. However, it should be understood that the front cover 104, the frame 106 and the rear cover 108 can be connected using other suitable arrangements and methods.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the nicotine containing element assembly of the nicotine smoking device of the e-cigarette shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 18 is another perspective view of the nicotine containing element assembly of Fig. 17. Fig. 19 is another perspective view of the nicotine containing element assembly of Fig. 18. As shown in Figs. 17-19, the nicotine containing element assembly 300 of the nicotine smoking device 500 comprises a containing element main portion configured to retain a nicotine-containing final vapor composition. The containing element main portion has an upstream end and a downstream end. A cavity 310 is formed in the upstream end of the containing element main portion (Fig. 20). At the end of the main part of the containing element located further downstream, an outlet opening 304 of the containing element is formed, which is in fluid communication with the cavity 310 at the end located earlier downstream. The connecting module 320 is designed with the possibility of being seated inside the cavity 310 of the main part of the containing element. The connecting module 320 includes an outer surface and a side surface. The outer surface of the connecting module 320 forms the outer main part of the containing element.

The outer surface of the connecting module 320 forms an inlet opening 322 of the containing element. The inlet opening 322 of the containing element (through which air enters during smoking of the electronic cigarette) is in fluid communication with the outlet opening 304 of the containing element (through which nicotine vapor exits during smoking of the electronic cigarette). The inlet opening 322 of the containing element is shown in Fig. 19 in the form of a groove. However, it should be understood that exemplary embodiments are not limited to this and that other shapes are possible. When the connecting module 320 is seated inside the cavity 310 of the main part of the containing element, the outer surface of the connecting module 320 remains visible, while the side surface of the connecting module 320 becomes mainly darkened in order to be visible only partially through the inlet opening 322 of the containing element based on a given angle.

The outer surface of the connection module 320 comprises at least one electrical contact. The at least one electrical contact may comprise several power contacts. For example, the several power contacts may include a first power contact 324a and a second power contact 324b. The first power contact 324a of the containing element in the nicotine assembly 300 is configured to electrically connect to the first pair of power contacts (for example, to the pair adjacent to the first upstream projection 128a in Fig. 12) of the electrical connector 132 of the device of the main part 100 of the device. Similarly, the second power contact 324b of the containing element in the nicotine assembly 300 is configured to electrically connect to the second pair of power contacts (for example, to the pair adjacent to the second upstream projection 128b in Fig. 12) of the electrical connector 132 of the device of the main part 100 of the device. In addition, at least one electrical contact of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 comprises several data contacts 326. Several data contacts 326 of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 are configured to be electrically connected to the data contacts of the electrical connector 132 of the device (for example, a row of five protruding parts in Fig. 12). Although two power contacts and five data contacts are shown in combination with the nicotine containing element assembly 300, it should be understood that other options are possible depending on the design of the main part 100 of the device.

In an exemplary embodiment, the nicotine containing element assembly 300 comprises a front surface, a rear surface opposite the front surface, a first side surface between the front surface and the rear surface, a second side surface opposite the first side surface, an upstream end surface, and a downstream end surface opposite the upstream end surface. The angles of the side and end surfaces (for example, the angle of the first side surface and the upstream end surface, the angle of the upstream end surface and the second side surface, the angle of the second side surface and the downstream end surface, the angle of the downstream end surface and the first side surface) can be rounded. However, in some cases, the angles can be pointed. In addition, the peripheral edge of the front surface can have a step shape. The outer surface of the connector module 320 can be considered as a part of the upstream end surface of the nicotine containing element assembly 300. The front surface of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 may be wider and longer than the rear surface. In such a case, the first side surface and the second side surface may be inclined at an angle inward to each other. The end surface located upstream and the end surface located downstream may also be inclined at an angle inward to each other. Due to the surfaces inclined at an angle, the insertion of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 will be carried out in one direction (for example, from the front side (the side connected to the front cover 104) of the main part 100 of the device). As a result, the possibility of incorrect insertion of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 into the main part 100 of the device can be reduced or prevented.

As illustrated, the main part of the containing element for the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine comprises a first section 302 of the housing and a second section 308 of the housing. The first section 302 of the housing has an end located downstream, defining an outlet opening 304 of the containing element. The rim of the outlet opening 304 of the containing element may not necessarily be a recessed or depressed region. In such a case, this region may resemble a dome, wherein the side of the rim adjacent to the rear surface of the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine may be open, while the side of the rim adjacent to the front surface may be surrounded by a raised part of the end located downstream of the first section 302 of the housing. The raised portion may function as a stop for the distal end of the mouthpiece 102. As a result, such a configuration of the outlet opening 304 of the containing element may facilitate the placement and alignment of the distal end of the mouthpiece 102 (for example, Fig. 11) through the open side of the rim and its subsequent seating on the raised portion of the downstream end of the first section 302 of the housing. In a non-limiting embodiment, the distal end of the mouthpiece 102 may also comprise (or be formed from) an elastic material that helps to create a seal around the outlet opening 304 of the containing element when the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine is properly inserted inside the through opening 150 of the main part 100 of the device.

The downstream end of the first section 302 of the housing further defines at least one downstream recess. In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one downstream recess has the form of a first downstream recess 306a and a second downstream recess 306b. The outlet opening 304 of the containing element may be located between the first downstream recess 306a and the second downstream recess 306b. The first downstream recess 306a and the second downstream recess 306b are configured to engage with the first downstream protrusion 130a and the second downstream protrusion 130b, respectively, of the main part 100 of the device. As shown in Fig. 11, the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b of the main part 100 of the device may be arranged on adjacent corners of the downstream side wall of the through hole 150. Each of the first downstream recess 306a and the second downstream recess 306b may have the shape of a V-shaped recess. In such a case, each of the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b of the main part 100 of the device may have the shape of a wedge-shaped structure configured to engage with a corresponding V-shaped recess of the first downstream recess 306a and the second downstream recess 306b. The first downstream recess 306a may adjoin the corner of the downstream end surface and the first side surface, while the second downstream recess 306b may adjoin the corner of the downstream end surface and the second side surface. As a result, the edges of the first downstream recess 306a and the second downstream recess 306b adjacent to the first side surface and the second side surface, respectively, may be open. In such a case, as shown in Fig. 18, each of the first downstream recess 306a and the second downstream recess 306b may be a 3-sided recess.

The second section 308 of the housing has an upstream end that forms a cavity 310 (Fig. 20). The cavity 310 is configured to accommodate a connecting module 320 (Fig. 21). In addition, at least one upstream recess is formed in the upstream end of the second section 308 of the housing. In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one upstream recess has the form of a first upstream recess 312a and a second upstream recess 312b. The inlet opening 322 of the containing element may be located between the first upstream recess 312a and the second upstream recess 312b. The first upstream recess 312a and the second upstream recess 312b are configured to engage with the first upstream projection 128a and the second upstream projection 128b, respectively, of the main part 100 of the device. As shown in Fig. 12, the first upstream projection 128a and the second upstream projection 128b of the main part 100 of the device can be arranged on adjacent corners of the upstream side wall of the through hole 150. The depth of each of the first upstream recess 312a and the second upstream recess 312b can be greater than the depth of each of the first downstream recess 306a and the second downstream recess 306b. The edge of each of the first upstream recess 312a and the second upstream recess 312b may also be more rounded than the edge of each of the first downstream recess 306a and the second downstream recess 306b. For example, the first upstream recess 312a and the second upstream recess 312b may also have the shape of a U-shaped cutout. In such a case, each of the first upstream protrusion 128a and the second upstream protrusion 128b of the main part 100 of the device may have the shape of a rounded bulge configured to engage with the corresponding U-shaped cutout of the first upstream recess 312a and the second upstream recess 312b. The first upstream recess 312a may adjoin the corner of the upstream end surface and the first side surface, while the second upstream recess 312b may adjoin the corner of the upstream end surface and the second side surface. As a result, the edges of the first upstream recess 312a and the second upstream recess 312b adjacent to the first side surface and the second side surface, respectively, may be open.

The first section 302 of the housing can form a nicotine reservoir inside, configured to retain a nicotine-containing final vapor composition. The nicotine reservoir can be configured to hermetically seal the nicotine-containing final vapor composition before activating the containing element in the nicotine assembly 300 to release the nicotine-containing final vapor composition from the nicotine reservoir. As a result of the hermetically sealing, the nicotine-containing final vapor composition can be isolated from the environment, as well as the internal elements of the containing element in the nicotine assembly 300, which can potentially react with the nicotine-containing final vapor composition, which thereby reduces or prevents the possibility of negative effects on the shelf life and/or organoleptic characteristics (for example, taste) of the nicotine-containing final vapor composition. The second section 308 of the casing may comprise structures configured to activate the nicotine containing element assembly 300 and to accommodate and heat the nicotine-containing final composition for the vapor released from the nicotine reservoir after activation.

The nicotine containing element assembly 300 may be manually activated by an adult vaper prior to insertion of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 into the main part 100 of the device. Alternatively, the nicotine containing element assembly 300 may be activated as part of the insertion of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 into the main part 100 of the device. In an exemplary embodiment, the second section 308 of the housing of the main part of the containing element comprises a perforator configured to release a nicotine-containing final vapor composition from the nicotine reservoir during activation of the nicotine containing element assembly 300. The perforator may have the form of a first activation piercer 314a and a second activation piercer 314b, which will be discussed in more detail herein.

To manually activate the nicotine containing element assembly 300, an adult vaper may press inward the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b (e.g., simultaneously or sequentially) before inserting the nicotine containing element assembly 300 into the through opening 150 of the main part 100 of the device. For example, the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b may be pressed manually until their ends are substantially aligned with an upstream end surface of the nicotine containing element assembly 300. In an exemplary embodiment, the inward movement of the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b causes a puncture or other breach of the seal of the nicotine reservoir to release the nicotine-containing ready-made vapor composition therefrom.

Alternatively, for activating the nicotine containing element assembly 300 as part of the insertion of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 into the main part 100 of the device, the nicotine containing element assembly 300 is initially positioned such that the first upstream recess 312a and the second upstream recess 312b are engaged with the first upstream projection 128a and the second upstream projection 128b, respectively (e.g., upstream engagement). Since each of the first upstream projection 128a and the second upstream projection 128b of the main part 100 of the device may have the shape of a rounded protrusion configured to engage with a corresponding U-shaped cutout of the first upstream recess 312a and the second upstream recess 312b, the nicotine receiving element assembly 300 may subsequently be relatively easily rotated around the first upstream projection 128a and the second upstream projection 128b and into the through hole 150 of the main part 100 of the device.

With respect to the rotation of the nicotine containing element assembly 300, the axis of rotation can be considered as extending through the first upstream projection 128a and the second upstream projection 128b and oriented orthogonally to the longitudinal axis of the main portion 100 of the device. During the initial positioning and subsequent rotation of the nicotine receiving member assembly 300, the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b will come into contact with the upstream sidewall of the through-hole 150 and will transition from the extended state to the retracted state as the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b are pushed (e.g., simultaneously) into the second housing section 308 as the nicotine receiving member assembly 300 advances into the through-hole 150. When the downstream end of the nicotine receiving member assembly 300 reaches the region of the downstream sidewall of the through-hole 150 and comes into contact with the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b, the first downstream projection 130b downstream, the projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b will retract and then resiliently extend (e.g., spring back) when the position of the nicotine receiving member assembly 300 allows the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b of the main body 100 of the device to engage the first downstream recess 306a and the second downstream recess 306b, respectively, of the nicotine receiving member assembly 300 (e.g., downstream engagement).

As noted above, according to an exemplary embodiment, the mouthpiece 102 is attached to the holding structure 140 (of which the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b are part). In such a case, the retraction of the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b from the through hole 150 will cause the mouthpiece 102 to be simultaneously shifted by a corresponding distance in the same direction (e.g., in the downstream direction). On the other hand, the mouthpiece 102 will spring back simultaneously with the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b when the nicotine receiving element assembly 300 is sufficiently inserted to facilitate the downstream engagement. In addition to the elastic engagement by the first downstream projection 130a and the second downstream projection 130b, the distal end of the mouthpiece 102 is also adapted to be biased relative to the nicotine containing member assembly 300 (and aligned with the outlet opening 304 of the containing member to form a relatively vapor-impermeable seal for nicotine) when the nicotine containing member assembly 300 is properly seated within the through-hole 150 of the main part 100 of the device.

In addition, the downstream engagement may create an audible click and/or tactile feedback to indicate that the nicotine containing member assembly 300 is properly seated within the through-hole 150 of the main portion 100 of the device. When properly seated, the nicotine containing member assembly 300 will be mechanically, electrically, and fluidically connected to the main portion 100 of the device. Although non-limiting embodiments herein describe an upstream engagement of the nicotine containing member assembly 300 as occurring before the downstream engagement, it should be understood that suitable mating, actuation, and/or electrical arrangements may be reversed, such that the downstream engagement occurs before the upstream engagement.

Fig. 20 shows a perspective view of the assembled nicotine containing element of Fig. 19 without the connecting module. As shown in Fig. 20, the upstream end of the second section 308 of the housing forms a cavity 310. As indicated above, the cavity 310 is configured to receive the connecting module 320 (e.g., by means of an interference fit). In an exemplary embodiment, the cavity 310 is located between the first upstream recess 312a and the second upstream recess 312b, and is also located between the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b. In the absence of the connector module 320, the insert 342 (Fig. 24) and the absorbent material 346 (Fig. 25) are visible through the recessed opening in the cavity 310. The insert 342 is configured to retain the absorbent material 346. The absorbent material 346 is configured to absorb and retain a certain amount of the nicotine-containing final vapor composition released from the nicotine reservoir when the nicotine containing assembly 300 is activated. The insert 342 and the absorbent material 346 will be discussed in more detail herein.

Fig. 21 shows a perspective view of the connection module of Fig. 19. Fig. 22 shows another perspective view of the connection module of Fig. 21. As shown in Figs. 21-22, the general frame of the connection module 320 includes a module housing 354 and a face plate 366. In addition, the connection module 320 has a plurality of surfaces, including an outer surface and a side surface, wherein the outer surface is adjacent to the side surface. In an exemplary embodiment, the outer surface of the connection module 320 consists of the upstream surfaces of the face plate 366, the first power contact 324a, the second power contact 324b and the data contacts 326. The side surface of the connection module 320 may be a part of the module housing 354. The side surface of the connection module 320 forms a first inlet 330 of the module and a second inlet 332 of the module. In addition, the two lateral surfaces adjacent to the side surfaces (which are also part of the module housing 354) may comprise ribbed structures (for example, compressed ribs) configured to facilitate a tight fit when the connecting module 320 is seated inside the cavity 310 of the main part of the containing element. For example, each of the two lateral surfaces may comprise a pair of ribbed structures that taper from the face plate 366. As a result, the module housing 354 will encounter increasing resistance due to the friction of the ribbed structures against the lateral walls of the cavity 310 as the connecting module 320 is pressed into the cavity 310 of the main part of the containing element. When the connecting module 320 is seated inside the cavity 310, the face plate 366 may be substantially flush with the upstream end of the second section 308 of the housing. Also, the side surface (which forms the first inlet opening 330 of the module and the second inlet opening 332 of the module) of the connecting module 320 will face the side wall of the cavity 310.

The face plate 366 of the connection module 320 may have an edge 328 with grooves, which in combination with the corresponding side surface of the cavity 310 forms an inlet opening 322 of the containing element. However, it should be understood that exemplary embodiments are not limited to this. For example, the face plate 366 of the connection module 320 may alternatively be designed in such a way as to completely form the inlet opening 322 of the containing element. The side surface (which forms the first inlet opening 330 of the module and the second inlet opening 332 of the module) of the connection module 320 and the side wall of the cavity 310 (which faces the side surface) form an intermediate space between them. The intermediate space is located further downstream from the inlet opening 322 of the containing element and earlier downstream from the first inlet opening 330 of the module and the second inlet opening 332 of the module. Therefore, in an exemplary embodiment, the inlet opening 322 of the containing element is in fluid communication with both the first inlet opening 330 of the module and the second inlet opening 332 of the module through an intermediate space. The first inlet opening 330 of the module may be larger than the second inlet opening 332 of the module. In such a case, when incoming air enters the inlet opening 322 of the containing element during smoking of the electronic cigarette, the first inlet opening 330 of the module may receive a primary flow (for example, a larger flow) of the incoming air, while the second inlet opening 332 of the module may receive a secondary flow (for example, a smaller flow) of the incoming air.

As shown in Fig. 22, the connection module 320 comprises a wick 338, which is configured to transfer the nicotine-containing final vapor composition to the heater 336. The heater 336 is configured to heat the nicotine-containing final vapor composition during smoking of the electronic cigarette to generate nicotine vapor. The heater 336 can be mounted in the connection module 320 using a contact core 334. The heater 336 is electrically connected to at least one electrical contact of the connection module 320. For example, one end (for example, the first end) of the heater 336 can be connected to the first power contact 324a, while the other end (for example, the second end) of the heater 336 can be connected to the second power contact 324b. In an exemplary embodiment, the heater 336 comprises a folded heating element. In such a case, the wick 338 may have a flat shape adapted to be held by the folded heating element. When the connecting module 320 is seated inside the cavity 310 of the main part of the containing element, the wick 338 is adapted to be in fluid communication with the absorbent material 346 so that the nicotine-containing ready-made composition for the vapor located in the absorbent material 346 (when the containing element in the assembly 300 for nicotine is activated) will be transferred to the wick 338 by means of capillary action.

Fig. 23 shows an exploded view including a wick, a heater, electrical wires and a contact core in Fig. 22. As shown in Fig. 23, the wick 338 can be a fibrous pad or other structure with pores/voids provided for capillary action. In addition, the wick 338 can have a shape of an irregular hexagon, although exemplary embodiments are not limited to this. The wick 338 can be given a hexagonal shape, or it can be cut into such a shape from a larger sheet of material. Since the lower section of the wick 338 tapers toward the winding section of the heater 336, the likelihood that the nicotine-containing finished vapor composition located in the portion of the wick 338 that constantly avoids evaporation (due to its distance from the heater 336) can be reduced or eliminated.

In an exemplary embodiment, the heater 336 is configured to undergo Joule heating (which is also known as ohmic/resistive heating) when an electric current is applied thereto. In more detail, the heater 336 can be formed from one or more conductors and is configured to create heat when an electric current is passed therethrough. The electric current can be supplied from a power source (for example, a battery) inside the main part 100 of the device and is transferred to the heater 336 via the first power contact 324a and the first electric wire 340a (or via the second power contact 324b and the second electric wire 340b).

Suitable conductors for the heater 336 comprise an iron-based alloy (e.g., stainless steel) and/or a nickel-based alloy (e.g., nichrome). The heater 336 may be made from a conductive sheet (e.g., metal, alloy) that is stamped to cut a winding pattern from it. The winding pattern may have curved segments that are alternately arranged with horizontal segments to allow the horizontal segments to zigzag back and forth while extending parallel. In addition, the width of each of the horizontal segments of the winding pattern may be substantially equal to the distance between adjacent horizontal segments of the winding pattern, although exemplary embodiments are not limited to this. To obtain the shape of the heater 336 shown in the drawings, the winding pattern may be folded in such a way as to capture the wick 338.

The heater 336 can be attached to the contact core 334 by means of the first electric wire 340a and the second electric wire 340b. The contact core 334 is formed from an insulating material and is configured to electrically isolate the first electric wire 340a from the second electric wire 340b. In an exemplary embodiment, each first electric wire 340a and each second electric wire 340b form a female opening that is configured to engage with the corresponding male elements of the contact core 334. Once the engagement has occurred, the first end and the second end of the heater 336 can be attached (e.g., welded, soldered, brazed) to the first electric wire 340a and to the second electric wire 340b, respectively. Then, the contact core 334 can be placed in a corresponding socket in the module housing 354 (e.g., by means of an interference fit). Upon completion of the assembly of the connector module 320, the first electrical wire 340a will electrically connect the first end of the heater 336 to the first power contact 324a, while the second electrical wire 340b will electrically connect the second end of the heater 336 to the second power contact 324b. The heater and related structures are discussed in more detail in U.S. Patent Application No. 15/729,909, entitled "Folded Heater For Electronic Vaping Devices (Patent Registry Number 24000-000371-US), filed October 11, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Fig. 24 shows an exploded view including a first section of the housing of the containing element in the nicotine assembly of Fig. 17. As shown in Fig. 24, the first section 302 of the housing comprises a passageway 316 for steam. The passageway 316 for steam is configured to receive steam generated by the heater 336 and is in fluid communication with the outlet opening 304 of the containing element. In an exemplary embodiment, the passageway 316 for steam can gradually increase in size (e.g., in diameter) as it extends in the direction of the outlet opening 304 of the containing element. In addition, the passageway 316 for steam can be formed as a single unit with the first section 302 of the housing. The wrapper 318, the insert 342 and the seal 344 are arranged on the upstream end of the first section 302 of the housing for defining a nicotine reservoir of the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine. For example, the wrapper 318 can be arranged on the rim of the first section 302 of the housing. The insert 342 can be seated inside the first section 302 of the housing in such a way that the peripheral surface of the insert 342 is engaged with the inner surface of the first section 302 of the housing along the rim (for example, by means of an interference fit), so that the joint of the peripheral surface of the insert 342 and the inner surface of the first section 302 of the housing is impermeable to a fluid medium (for example, impermeable to liquid and/or impermeable to air). In addition, the seal 344 is attached to the upstream side of the insert 342 for closing the outlet openings of the reservoir in the insert 342 to provide a fluid-impermeable (e.g., liquid-impermeable and/or air-impermeable) protective shell of the nicotine-containing final vapor composition in the nicotine reservoir.

In an exemplary embodiment, the insert 342 comprises a portion in the form of a holder, which projects from the upstream side (as shown in Fig. 24), and a portion in the form of a connector, which projects from the downstream side (not shown in Fig. 24). The portion in the form of a holder of the insert 342 is configured to retain the absorbent material 346, while the portion in the form of a connector of the insert 342 is configured to engage with the channel for steam 316 of the first section 302 of the casing. The portion in the form of a connector of the insert 342 can be configured to fit inside the channel for steam 316 and, therefore, to engage with the interior of the channel for steam 316. Alternatively, the portion in the form of a connector of the insert 342 can be configured to receive the channel for steam 316 and, therefore, to engage with the exterior of the channel for steam 316. The insert 342 also defines outlet openings of the reservoir through which the finished vapor composition containing nicotine flows out when the seal 344 is pierced (as shown in Fig. 24) during activation of the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine. The holder part and the connector part of the insert 342 can be located between the outlet openings of the reservoir (for example, the first and second outlet openings of the reservoir), although exemplary embodiments are not limited to this. In addition, the insert 342 defines a vapor line extending through the holder part and the connector part. As a result, when the insert 342 is seated within the first section 302 of the housing, the vapor conduit of the insert 342 will be aligned and will be in fluid communication with the vapor channel 316, forming a continuous path through the nicotine reservoir to the outlet opening 304 of the containing element for nicotine vapor generated by the heater 336 during smoking of the electronic cigarette.

The seal 344 is attached to the upstream side of the insert 342 to close the outlet openings of the reservoir in the insert 342. In an exemplary embodiment, the seal 344 defines an opening (for example, a central opening) configured to provide a suitable gap for receiving a portion in the form of a holder (protruding from the upstream side of the insert 342) when the seal 344 is attached to the insert 342. In Fig. 24, it should be understood that the seal 344 is shown in a pierced state. In particular, when the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b pierce the nicotine containing member assembly 300, the two pierced sections of the seal 344 will be pushed into the nicotine reservoir in the form of valves (as shown in Fig. 24), thereby creating two pierced openings (for example, one on each side of the central opening) in the seal 344. The size and shape of the pierced openings in the seal 344 can correspond to the size and shape of the outlet openings of the reservoir in the insert 342. In contrast, in the unpierced state, the seal 344 will have a flat shape and only one opening (for example, the central opening). The seal 344 is made strong enough to remain intact during normal movement of the nicotine containing member assembly 300 and/or handling to avoid premature/unintentional breakage. For example, the 344 seal may be a coated foil (e.g., Tritan on an aluminum backing).

Fig. 25 shows a partial exploded view including a second section of the housing of the nicotine containing element assembly of Fig. 17. As shown in Fig. 25, the second section 308 of the housing is designed to contain various elements configured to release, accommodate and heat the nicotine-containing final vapor composition. For example, the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b are configured to pierce the nicotine reservoir in the first section 302 of the housing to release the nicotine-containing final vapor composition. Each of the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b has a distal end that extends through corresponding openings into the second section 308 of the housing. In an exemplary embodiment, the distal ends of the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b are visible after assembly (for example, Fig. 17), while the rest of the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b is hidden from view inside the containing element in the nicotine assembly 300. In addition, each of the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b has a near end that is located so as to be adjacent to the seal 344 and located upstream of it before the activation of the containing element in the nicotine assembly 300. When the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b are pushed into the second section 308 of the housing to activate the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine, the near end of each of the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b will move forward through the insert 342 and as a result pierce the seal 344, which will release the nicotine-containing ready-made vapor composition from the nicotine reservoir. The movement of the first activation piercer 314a can be independent of the movement of the second activation piercer 314b (and vice versa). The first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b will be discussed in more detail in this document.

The absorbent material 346 is configured to engage with the holder portion of the insert 342 (which, as shown in Fig. 24, protrudes from the upstream side of the insert 342). The absorbent material 346 may have an annular shape, although exemplary embodiments are not limited to this. As shown in Fig. 25, the absorbent material 346 may resemble a hollow cylinder. In such a case, the outer diameter of the absorbent material 346 may be substantially equal to the length of the wick 338 (or be slightly larger). The inner diameter of the absorbent material 346 may be smaller than the average outer diameter of the holder portion of the insert 342, which results in an interference fit. To facilitate engagement with the absorbent material 346, the tip of the holder portion of the insert 342 may be beveled. In addition, although hidden from view in Fig. 25, the downstream side of the second section 308 of the housing may form a concavity configured to receive and support the absorbent material 346. An example of such a concavity may be a circular chamber that is in fluid communication with the cavity 310 and is located downstream of it. The absorbent material 346 is configured to receive and retain a certain amount of the nicotine-containing final vapor composition released from the nicotine reservoir when the nicotine containing assembly 300 is activated.

The wick 338 is located inside the nicotine containing element assembly 300 in such a way that it is in fluid communication with the absorbent material 346, so that the nicotine-containing final vapor composition can be drawn from the absorbent material 346 onto the heater 336 by means of capillary action. The wick 338 can physically contact the upstream side of the absorbent material 346 (for example, the lower portion of the absorbent material 346, as shown in Fig. 25). In addition, the wick 338 can correspond to the diameter of the absorbent material 346, although exemplary embodiments are not limited to this.

As illustrated in Fig. 25 (and also in the previous Fig. 23), the heater 336 can have a folded configuration for capturing and establishing thermal contact with the opposite surfaces of the wick 338. The heater 336 is configured to heat the wick 338 during smoking of the electronic cigarette to generate nicotine. To facilitate such heating, the first end of the heater 336 can be electrically connected to the first power contact 324a via the first electrical wire 340a, while the second end of the heater 336 can be electrically connected to the second power contact 324b via the second electrical wire 340b. As a result, an electric current can be supplied from a power source (for example, a battery) inside the main part 100 of the device and transferred to the heater 336 via the first power contact 324a and the first electrical wire 340a (or via the second power contact 324b and the second electrical wire 340b). The first electrical wire 340a and the second electrical wire 340b (which are shown separately in Fig. 23) can engage with the contact core 334 (as shown in Fig. 25). The relevant details of other aspects of the connector module 320, which is configured to fit into the cavities of the second section 308 of the housing, which were discussed above (for example, in connection with Figs. 21-22) and will not be repeated in this section for the sake of brevity. During smoking of the electronic cigarette, nicotine generated by the heater 336 is drawn through the steam line of the insert 342, through the steam channel 316 of the first section 302 of the housing, out of the outlet opening 304 of the containing element at the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine and through the steam passage 136 of the mouthpiece 102 to one or more outlet openings for steam.

Fig. 26 shows an exploded view of the activation piercer of Fig. 25. As shown in Fig. 26, the activation piercer may be in the form of a first activation piercer 314a and a second activation piercer 314b. Although two activation piercers are shown and discussed in conjunction with non-limiting embodiments herein, it should be understood that the nicotine receiving member assembly 300 may alternatively contain only one activation piercer. In Fig. 26, the first activation piercer 314a may comprise a first plate 348a, a first actuator 350a, and a first sealing ring 352a. Similarly, the second activation piercer 314b may comprise a second plate 348b, a second actuator 350b, and a second sealing ring 352b.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first plate 348a and the second plate 348b are configured to be mounted or attached to the tops (e.g., proximal parts) of the first actuator 350a and the second actuator 350b, respectively. The mounting or attachment may be achieved by snap-fitting, by clamping (e.g., friction fit), by adhesive, or by another suitable joining technique. The top of each of the first plate 348a and the second plate 348b may have one or more curved or concave edges that taper upward toward a pointed tip. For example, each of the first plate 348a and the second plate 348b may have two pointed tips with a concave edge between them and a curved edge adjacent to each pointed tip. The radii of curvature of the concave edge and the curved edges may be the same, while their arc lengths may differ. The first plate 348a and the second plate 348b may be formed from sheet metal (for example, stainless steel), which is cut or otherwise shaped to obtain the desired profile and which is bent into its final shape. In another case, the first plate 348a and the second plate 348b may be formed from plastic.

In a top view, the size and shape of the first plate 348a, the second plate 348b and the portions of the first actuator 350a and the second actuator 350b on which they are mounted may correspond to the size and shape of the outlet openings of the reservoir in the insert 342. In addition, as shown in Fig. 26, the first actuator 350a and the second actuator 350b may comprise protruding edges (for example, curved inner edges facing each other) configured to push two pierced sections of the seal 344 into the nicotine reservoir as the first plate 348a and the second plate 348b advance into the nicotine reservoir. In a non-limiting embodiment, when the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b are fully inserted into the nicotine containing element assembly 300, the two valves (from the two pierced sections of the seal 344, as shown in Fig. 24) can be located between the curved side walls of the outlet openings of the reservoir of the insert 342 and the corresponding curves of the protruding edges of the first actuator 350a and the second actuator 350b. As a result, the likelihood that the two pierced openings in the seal 344 will be blocked (by the two valves from the two pierced sections) can be reduced or prevented. In addition, the first actuator 350a and the second actuator 350b can be configured to direct the nicotine-containing finished vapor composition from the nicotine reservoir to the absorbent material 346.

The lower part (for example, the distant part) of each of the first actuator 350a and the second actuator 350b is configured to extend through the lower section (for example, the end located upstream of the flow) of the second section 308 of the casing. This rod-shaped part of each of the first actuator 350a and the second actuator 350b can also be called a shaft. The first sealing ring 352a and the second sealing ring 352b can be seated in the annular grooves in the corresponding shafts of the first actuator 350a and the second actuator 350b. The first sealing ring 352a and the second sealing ring 352b are configured to engage with the shafts of the first actuator 350a and the second actuator 350b, as well as the inner surfaces of the corresponding openings in the second section 308 of the casing, to provide a fluid-tight seal. As a result, when the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b are pushed inward to activate the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine, the first sealing ring 352a and the second sealing ring 352b can move together with the corresponding shafts of the first actuator 350a and the second actuator 350b inside the corresponding openings in the second section 308 of the housing, while maintaining their corresponding seals, thereby helping to reduce or prevent leakage of the nicotine-containing finished vapor composition through the openings in the second section 308 of the housing for the first activation piercer 314a and the second activation piercer 314b. The first sealing ring 352a and the second sealing ring 352b can be formed of silicone.

Fig. 27 shows a perspective view of the connection module of Fig. 22 without a wick, a heater, electric wires and a contact core. Fig. 28 shows an exploded view of the connection module of Fig. 27. As shown in Fig. 27-28, the module casing 354 and the face plate 366 as a whole form an outer frame of the connection module 320. The module casing 354 forms a first inlet opening 330 of the module and a grooved edge 356. The grooved edge 356 of the module casing 354 opens a second inlet opening 332 of the module (which is formed by means of a bypass structure 358). However, it should be understood that the grooved edge 356 can also be considered as forming an inlet opening of the module (for example, in combination with the face plate 366). The face plate 366 has an edge 328 with grooves, which together with the corresponding side surface of the cavity 310 of the second section 308 of the casing forms an inlet opening 322 of the containing element. In addition, the face plate 366 forms a first contact opening, a second contact opening and a third contact opening. The first contact opening and the second contact opening can have a square shape and are configured to open the first power contact 324a and the second power contact 324b, respectively, while the third contact opening can have a rectangular shape and are configured to open a plurality of data contacts 326, although exemplary embodiments are not limited to this.

The first power supply contact 324a, the second power supply contact 324b, the printed circuit board (PCB) 362 and the bypass structure 358 are located inside the outer frame formed by the module housing 354 and the face plate 366. The printed circuit board (PCB) 362 contains a plurality of data contacts 326 on its upstream side (which is hidden from view in Fig. 28) and a sensor 364 on its downstream side. The bypass structure 358 forms a second inlet opening 332 of the module and a bypass outlet opening 360.

During assembly, the first power contact 324a and the second power contact 324b are arranged so as to be visible through the first contact opening and the second contact opening, respectively, of the front plate 366. In addition, the printed circuit board (PCB) 362 is arranged so that a plurality of data contacts 326 on its upstream side are visible through the third contact opening of the front plate 366. The printed circuit board (PCB) 362 can also cover the rear surfaces of the first power contact 324a and the second power contact 324b. The bypass structure 358 is located on the printed circuit board (PCB) 362 in such a way that the sensor 364 is located inside the air flow path defined by the second inlet 332 of the module and the bypass outlet 360. In the assembled form, the bypass structure 358 and the printed circuit board (PCB) 362 can be considered as surrounded on at least four sides by zigzag structures of the first power contact 324a and the second power contact 324b. In an exemplary embodiment, the bifurcated ends of the first power contact 324a and the second power contact 324b are configured to be electrically connected to the first electrical wire 340a and the second electrical wire 340b.

When incoming air enters the inlet 322 of the containing element during smoking of the electronic cigarette, the first inlet 330 of the module can receive a primary flow (for example, a larger flow) of incoming air, while the second inlet 332 of the module can receive a secondary flow (for example, a smaller flow) of incoming air. A secondary flow of incoming air can increase the sensitivity of the sensor 364. After exiting the bypass structure 358 through the bypass outlet 360, the secondary flow reconnects with the primary flow, forming a combined flow that is drawn into the contact core 334 and passes through it to meet the heater 336 and the wick 338. In a non-limiting embodiment, the primary flow can make up 60-95 percent (e.g., 80-90 percent) of the incoming air, while the secondary flow can make up 5-40 percent (e.g., 10-20 percent) of the incoming air.

The first inlet 330 of the module may be a resistance to draw (RTD) port, while the second inlet 332 of the module may be a bypass port. In such a configuration, the resistance to draw of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette may be adjusted by changing the size of the first inlet 330 of the module (instead of changing the size of the inlet 322 of the containing element). In an exemplary embodiment, the size of the first inlet 330 of the module may be selected so that the resistance to draw is 25-100 millimeters of water column (for example, 30-50 millimeters of water column). For example, a diameter of 1.0 millimeter for the first inlet 330 of the module may lead to a resistance to draw of 88.3 millimeters of water column. In another case, a diameter of 1.1 millimeters for the first inlet opening 330 of the module may result in a tightening resistance of 73.6 millimeters of water column. In another case, a diameter of 1.2 millimeters for the first inlet opening 330 of the module may result in a tightening resistance of 58.7 millimeters of water column. In another case, a diameter of 1.3 millimeters for the first inlet opening 330 of the module may result in a tightening resistance of 43.8 millimeters of water column. It is noteworthy that the size of the first inlet hole 330 of the module, due to its internal layout, can be adjusted without affecting the aesthetic appearance of the nicotine housing assembly 300, thereby providing a more standardized product design for housing assemblies with different resistance to draw (RTD), while reducing the possibility of unintentional blockage of incoming air.

Fig. 29 shows the electrical systems of the main part of the device and the containing element in assembly for nicotine of the device for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette according to an exemplary embodiment.

As shown in Fig. 29, the electrical systems include an electrical system 2100 of the main part of the device and an electrical system 2200 of the nicotine containing element assembly. The electrical system 2100 of the main part of the device can be included in the main part 100 of the device, and the electrical system 2200 of the nicotine containing element assembly can be included in the nicotine containing element assembly 300 of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette, discussed above with respect to Figs. 1-28.

In an exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 29, the electrical system 2200 of the nicotine containing element assembly comprises a heater 336, one or more containing element sensors 2220, and a non-volatile memory (NVM) 2205. The NVM 2205 may be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) of an integrated circuit (IC).

The electrical system 2200 of the nicotine containing element assembly may further comprise an electrical/data interface of the main part (not shown) for transmitting power and/or data between the main part 100 of the device and the nicotine containing element assembly 300. According to at least one exemplary embodiment, the electrical contacts 324a, 324b and 326 shown in Fig. 17, for example, may serve as the electrical/data interface of the main part.

The electrical system 2100 of the main part of the device includes a controller 2105, a power supply 2110, device sensors or measuring circuits 2125 (referred to herein as device sensors 2125), a heating module control circuit (also referred to as a heating module shutdown circuit) 2127, indicators 2135 for a vaper, controls 2150 integrated into the product (for example, buttons 118 and 120 shown in Fig. 1), a memory device 2130, and a timing circuit 2128. The electrical system 2100 of the main part of the device may further include an electrical/data interface of the containing element (not shown) for transmitting power and/or data between the main part 100 of the device and the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine. According to at least one exemplary embodiment, the electrical connector 132 of the device shown in Fig. 12, for example, can serve as an electrical/data interface of the containing element.

The power supply unit 2110 may be an internal power source for supplying power to the main part 100 of the device and the housing element assembly 300 for nicotine of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette. The supply of power from the power supply unit 2110 may be controlled by the controller 2105 via the power control circuit (not shown). The power control circuit may include one or more switches or transistors for regulating the output power from the power supply unit 2110. The power supply unit 2110 may be a lithium-ion battery or one of its variants (for example, a lithium-ion polymer battery). The power supply unit 2110 may be connected to the charger 2132 (also referred to herein as a power supply charger or a battery charger) for charging. Exemplary embodiments of the power supply charger 2132 will be discussed in more detail below with respect to Fig. 44A and Fig. 44B.

The controller 2105 may be configured to control the overall operation of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette. According to at least some example embodiments, the controller 2105 may comprise a processing circuit, such as hardware including logic circuits; a hardware/software combination, such as a processor executing software; or a combination thereof. More specifically, for example, the processing circuit may include, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a single-chip system (SoC), a programmable logic element, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or the like.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 29, the controller 2105 is shown as a microcontroller comprising: input/output (I/O) interfaces such as general purpose input/output (GPIO), interconnected integrated circuit ( ^I2C ) interfaces, serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus interfaces, or the like; a multi-channel analog-to-digital converter (ADC); and a clock input terminal. However, exemplary embodiments should not be limited to this example. In at least one exemplary implementation, the controller 2105 may be a microprocessor.

The controller 2105 is coupled with establishing communication with the sensors 2125 of the device, the heating module control circuit 2127, the indicators 2135 for the vaper, the memory device 2130, the control means 2150 built into the product, the synchronization circuit 2128 and the power supply unit 2110. The controller 2105 can also be coupled with establishing communication with the charger 2132 (for example, via a connection via a universal serial bus (USB)) when charging the power supply unit 2110.

The heating module control circuit 2127 is connected to the controller 2105 via the GPIO pin. The memory device 2130 is connected to the controller 2105 via the SPI pin. The synchronization circuit 2128 is connected to the synchronization input pin of the controller 2105. The vaper indicators 2135 are connected to the controller 2105 via the I ² C interface pin and the GPIO pin. The sensor elements 2125 of the device are connected to the controller 2105 via the corresponding pins of the multi-channel ADC. When connected, the charger 2132 of the power supply unit can also be connected to the controller 2105 via the GPIO pin.

The timing circuit 2128 may be a timing mechanism, such as an oscillator circuit, to allow the controller 2105 to track the idle time, the time reset by resetting the timer, the duration of vaping, the measurement interval, a combination thereof, or the like of the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine. The timing circuit 2128 may also comprise a special external clock crystal configured to generate the system timing for the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine.

The memory device 2130 may be a non-volatile memory device configured to store one or more outage logs (or fault events). In one example, the memory device 2130 may store one or more outage logs in one or more tables. The memory device 2130 and the one or more outage logs stored therein will be discussed in more detail below. In one example, the memory device 2130 may be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), such as flash memory or the like.

Still, as shown in Fig. 29, the sensors 2125 of the device may include a plurality of sensors or measuring circuits configured to provide measurements or signals indicative of information about the sensor or measurement to the controller 2105. In the example shown in Fig. 29, the sensors 2125 of the device comprise a heater current measuring circuit 21258, a heater voltage measuring circuit 21252, a containing element temperature measuring circuit 21250, a power supply temperature measuring circuit 21254, and a power supply voltage measuring circuit 21256.

The heater current measuring circuit 21258 may be configured to output signals (e.g., voltage) indicative of the current through the heater 336. An exemplary embodiment of the heater current measuring circuit 21258 will be discussed in more detail below with respect to Fig. 35.

The heater voltage measurement circuit 21252 may be configured to output signals (e.g., voltage) indicative of the voltage across the heater 336. An exemplary embodiment of the heater voltage measurement circuit 21252 will be discussed in more detail below with respect to Fig. 34.

The circuit 21250 for measuring the temperature of the containing element may be configured to output signals (e.g., voltage) indicative of the resistance and/or temperature of one or more elements of the containing element in the nicotine assembly 300. Exemplary embodiments of the circuit 21250 for measuring the temperature of the containing element will be discussed in more detail below with respect to Fig. 36 and Fig. 37.

The power supply temperature measuring circuit 21254 may be configured to measure the temperature of the power supply unit 2110 during operation and/or charging. Exemplary embodiments of the power supply temperature measuring circuit 21254 will be discussed in more detail below with respect to Fig. 42A and Fig. 42B.

The power supply voltage measuring circuit 21256 may be configured to output signals indicative of the voltage of the power supply unit 2110 during operation and/or charging. Exemplary embodiments of the power supply voltage measuring circuit 21256 will be discussed in more detail below with respect to Fig. 43A and Fig. 43B.

As discussed above, the circuit 21250 for measuring the temperature of the containing element, the circuit 21258 for measuring the heater current, the circuit 21252 for measuring the heater voltage, the circuit 21254 for measuring the temperature of the power supply unit and the circuit 21256 for measuring the voltage of the power supply unit are connected to the controller 2105 via the terminals of the multi-channel ADC. In order to measure the characteristics and/or parameters of the device 500 for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette (for example, the voltage, current, resistance, temperature or the like of the heater 336), the multi-channel ADC in the controller 2105 can sample the output signals from the sensors 2125 of the device at a sampling frequency corresponding to a given characteristic and/or parameter measured by the corresponding sensor of the device.

As shown in Fig. 29, the sensors 2220 of the containing element also include the sensor 364 shown in Fig. 28. In at least one exemplary embodiment, the sensor 364 may be a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) flow or pressure sensor or another type of sensor configured to measure air flow, such as a hot-wire anemometer.

The heating module control circuit 2127 is connected to the controller 2105 via the GPIO output. The heating module control circuit 2127 is configured to control (turn on and/or turn off) the heating module of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette by controlling the power supply of the heater 336. As discussed in more detail below, the heating module control circuit 2127 can turn off the heating module based on a control signal (sometimes referred to in this document as device power state signals) from the controller 2105.

When the nicotine containing element assembly 300 is inserted into the main part 100 of the device, the controller 2105 is also connected in communication with at least the NVM 2205 and the sensors 2220 of the containing element via the I ² C interface. In one example, the controller 2105 can receive operating parameters for the electrical system 2200 of the nicotine containing element assembly from the NVM 2205.

The controller 2105 may control the indicators 2135 for the vaper to indicate to the adult vaper the states, fault events and/or operations of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette. The indicators 2135 for the vaper may be at least partially implemented using a light guide (for example, the light guide arrangement shown in Fig. 1) and may include a power indicator (for example, an LED), which may be activated when the controller 2105 detects a button press by the adult vaper. The indicators 2135 for the vaper may also include a vibrator, a speaker, a display device (a display unit or a display) or other feedback mechanisms and may indicate the current state of a vaping parameter controlled by the adult vaper (for example, the volume of nicotine vapor).

Still, as shown in Fig. 29, the controller 2105 can control the power supply to the heater 336 for heating the nicotine-containing final vapor composition according to the heating profile (for example, heating based on volume, temperature, aroma, or the like). The heating profile can be determined based on empirical data and can be stored in the NVM 2205 of the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine.

Fig. 30 is a simple block diagram illustrating an automatic shutdown control system 2300 according to an exemplary embodiment.

The automatic shutdown control system 2300 shown in Fig. 30 may be implemented in the controller 2105. In one example, the automatic shutdown control system 2300 may be implemented as part of a software implementation of a finite state machine (FSM) of the device manager in the controller 2105. In the example shown in Fig. 30, the automatic shutdown control system 2300 includes a fault detection subsystem 2630 and an automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650. However, it should be understood that the automatic shutdown control system 2300 may include various other subsystems.

As shown in Fig. 30, the automatic shutdown control system 2300 and, more generally, the controller 2105 can detect fault events (or conditions) in the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette and cause the controller 2105 to control one or more subsystems of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette to perform one or more subsequent actions in response to detecting the fault events. As discussed in more detail below, the types of fault events can include normal events (faults), soft fault events of the containing element, hard fault events of the containing element, soft fault events of the device, and hard fault events of the device.

Normal events may include, for example, a full charge event of the power supply (or battery) (charge completion event), input events from an adult vaper (for example, via controls built into the product 2150), insertion of the electrical system 2200 of the nicotine containing element assembly, an idle event (or an idle malfunction event), a combination thereof, or the like. In a more general sense, for example, a normal event may be a normal state of the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine, for which vaping or another function of the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine cannot be turned off.

Soft failure events of the containing element may include, for example, a failure event of the heater temperature, in which the temperature of the heater 336 exceeds a maximum threshold. More generally, for example, a soft failure event of the containing element may be an abnormal condition within the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine, for which a subsequent action occurs (for example, vaping is disabled) and for the resolution of which an adult vaper may not require interaction with the electronic device 500 for vaping nicotine.

The events of a hard failure of the containing element may include an open circuit failure in the heater 336, the exhaustion of the nicotine-containing vapor composition in the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine (an empty containing element), a combination thereof, or the like. More generally, for example, a hard failure event of the containing element may be an abnormal condition within the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine for which a subsequent action occurs (e.g., vaping is disabled) and for the resolution of which an adult vaper interacts with the electronic device 500 for vaping nicotine.

Examples of soft device failure events may include a boot failure and a low power supply voltage failure event, in which the voltage of the power supply unit 2110 falls below a minimum threshold (e.g., the power supply unit is discharged and requires recharging). The low power supply voltage failure event may also be referred to herein as a low power supply (or battery) voltage failure or a low battery voltage failure event. More generally, for example, a soft device failure event may be an abnormal condition in the nicotine e-cigarette vaping device 500, for which vaping is disabled until a corrective action is taken.

Examples of hard device failure events may include a power supply (or battery) charging failure in the charger 2132 and a power stage failure, which will be discussed in more detail below. More generally, for example, a hard device failure event may be an abnormal condition in the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device 500 for which at least vaping is disabled and which requires intervention by an adult vaper to resolve.

The controller 2105 can control one or more subsystems by outputting one or more control signals (or by confirming or canceling the confirmation of the corresponding signal), as will be discussed in more detail below. In some cases, the control signals output from the controller 2105 can be referred to as device power state signals, device power state commands, or device power control signals. According to one or more example embodiments, the controller 2105 can output one or more control signals to the heating module control circuit 2127 to turn off the power of the heater 336 and/or to turn off the vaping functions in the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine, and/or output one or more control signals to the charger 2132 to perform a charging stop operation in response to detecting one or more fault events in the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, the type of subsequent actions in the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette may depend on the identified malfunction event and/or the current operation of the device for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette. Several subsequent actions may be performed sequentially in response to the malfunction event. In one example, the subsequent actions may include:

an automatic shutdown operation in which the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine is switched to a low power consumption state (e.g. equivalent to turning off the device for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine using a power button);

a heater shut-off operation in which power to the heater 336 is interrupted or disconnected, ending the current puff but otherwise remaining ready for vaping;

a vaping disable operation in which the vaping subsystem is disabled (e.g., by disconnecting all power to the heater 336), thereby preventing vaping until a corrective action is taken (e.g., charging the power supply, replacing the nicotine containing element assembly, etc.);

a soft reset of the device, in which the software of the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device is reset to eliminate the malfunction event and return the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device to a known normal operating state;

a hard reset of the device, in which the software and hardware of the device are reset to eliminate the malfunction event and return the nicotine-containing e-cigarette smoking device to a known normal operating state; and

charger stop, in which the charging process of the power supply stops and does not resume until corrective action is taken.

Still as shown in Fig. 30, in a more specific example, the fault detection subsystem 2630 and, more generally, the controller 2105 can detect an idle event in the device 500 for smoking a nicotine e-cigarette and output one or more control signals (either acknowledging or de-acknowledging the corresponding signal) to cause the device 500 for smoking a nicotine e-cigarette to perform one or more subsequent actions in response to the idle event. The fault detection subsystem 2630 can determine whether an idle event has occurred based on: determining that a timer has been disabled, whether any software timers in the firmware of the device are running, whether any software events are in software queues awaiting processing (e.g., communication messages from external devices via wired or wireless communication), whether any hardware operations are being performed (e.g., direct memory access (DMA) transactions), or a combination thereof. If these tests return a value of "false", then the fault detection subsystem 2630 can output an idle warning (or an idle event warning) to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 in response to which the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can cause the device 500 for smoking the nicotine e-cigarette to enter a low power consumption state by turning off one or more subsystems of the device 500 for smoking the nicotine e-cigarette. In one example, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 (or more generally the controller 2105) can output several or a plurality of GPIO control lines (signals) to turn off all or substantially all peripheral devices of the device 500 for smoking the nicotine e-cigarette and to put the controller 2105 into a sleep state.

Functions and/or operations according to one or more example embodiments may be discussed herein with respect to being performed by the controller 2105, the fault detection subsystem 2630, and/or the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 in certain contexts. However, it should be understood that the functions and/or operations discussed with respect to the controller 2105 may be interchangeably discussed as being performed by the fault detection subsystem 2630 and/or the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650. Likewise, it should be understood that the functions and/or operations discussed with respect to the fault detection subsystem 2630 and/or the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 may be interchangeably discussed as being performed by the controller 2105.

Fig. 31 is a diagram illustrating a method for detecting an idle event according to an exemplary embodiment. The diagram in Fig. 31 represents a single iteration of the idle detection process. The fault detection subsystem 2630 can continuously and/or periodically perform this process to determine whether a subsequent action should be performed, such as placing the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette into a low-power sleep mode.

For purposes of example, the circuit shown in Fig. 31 will be discussed with respect to the electrical systems shown in Fig. 29. However, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments should not be limited to this example. Rather, the exemplary embodiments may be applicable to other devices for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette and their electrical systems. Moreover, the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 31 will be described with respect to the operations performed by the fault detection subsystem 2630. However, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiment may be described in a similar manner with respect to the automatic shutdown control system 2300 and/or the controller 2105 performing one or more of the functions/operations shown in Fig. 31.

As shown in Fig. 31, in step S3100, the fault detection subsystem 2630 schedules an idle task to cause the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device 500 to output an idle warning to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650, pending a check of software timers, hardware drivers and software queues on the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device 500.

In step S3102, the fault detection subsystem 2630 checks the priority software timers in the controller 2105 to determine whether any priority software timers are currently active. According to one or more exemplary embodiments, a priority software timer is started each time a software module in the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette initiates an action. The fault detection subsystem 2630 determines that a priority software timer is active if the priority software timer has not expired (countdown to zero) or has been interrupted by the corresponding software module (action completed).

An example of a special case of a priority timer is a timer used to track the interaction of an adult vaper with the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine. This may be called a software "device off" timer and may be used to determine the amount of time that has passed since the adult vaper last interacted with the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine. This timer may correspond to a period of time (e.g., a number of seconds or minutes) after which the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine will automatically enter a low power state or turn off. The timer may be set to a value specified by the adult vaper (e.g., via the controls built into the product 2150, a connected application or "App", a combination thereof, or the like). The timer can count down in 1 millisecond increments and can be restarted each time an adult vaper interacts with the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette. In at least one exemplary embodiment, the interactions of the adult vaper that can restart this priority timer and maintain the device in an active state (for example, prevent the device from entering a low-power state) include pressing a button on the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette, vaping, inserting the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine, disconnecting the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette from a USB cable, a combination thereof, or the like.

If one or more priority software timers are active (step S3104), then the fault detection subsystem 2630 interrupts the scheduled idle task and does not output a warning about the idle time to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650. In this case, the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette remains in an active state, ready for vaping.

Returning to step S3104, if no priority software timers are active (e.g., all priority software timers have expired or have been interrupted), then in step S3108, the fault detection subsystem 2630 checks the hardware drivers in the controller 2105 to determine whether any hardware operations (e.g., DMA transactions or the like) are being performed in the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette.

Each time a hardware operation is started, the driver software for this operation registers itself as "busy" by setting the busy flag. The driver software then sets itself to "idle" (resets the busy flag) when the hardware operation is completed (for example, an interrupt is received or a data transaction is completed). Accordingly, the fault detection subsystem 2630 can determine whether any hardware operations are currently in progress by checking whether the busy flag is set for the hardware operation.

If the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines that one or more hardware operations are being performed (e.g., a busy flag is set for at least one hardware driver) in step S3110, the process proceeds to step S3106 and continues as discussed above.

Returning to step S3110, if the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines that no hardware operations are currently being executed (for example, busy flags are not set), then in step S3112 the fault detection subsystem 2630 checks the software queues for events waiting to be processed in the controller 2105. According to one or more exemplary embodiments, the controller 2105 can schedule events for execution in the software queue in response to, for example, communication messages from external devices via wired (for example, a universal serial bus (USB)) and/or wireless (for example, a short-range wireless communication, such as Bluetooth) communication.

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, a software queue check similar to that performed in step S3112 may be performed as a task in a real-time operating system (RTOS) running in the controller 2105.

If the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines that there are events in the software queues awaiting processing at step S3114, the process proceeds to step S3106 and continues as discussed above.

Returning to step S3114, if the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines that there are no software events pending processing, then the fault detection subsystem 2630 outputs an idle warning to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 to indicate that an idle event has occurred. In response to the idle warning, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can determine one or more subsequent actions to be performed, and can output one or more device power status signals to control the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device 500 to perform the one or more subsequent actions. An exemplary operation of the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 in response to fault warnings, such as the idle warning discussed above, will be discussed in more detail below with respect to Fig. 33A and Fig. 33B.

Returning again to Fig. 30, in another example, the fault detection subsystem 2630 may detect and/or determine when the temperature of the heater 336 reaches or exceeds (is greater than or equal to) a maximum temperature threshold (the Heater Max Temperature threshold parameter) (a heater temperature fault event), and output a temperature warning to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 in response thereto.

The fault detection subsystem 2630 can determine whether to output a temperature warning based on the temperature of the heater 336 and the confidence interval (CI). The maximum temperature threshold and the CI can be determined based on empirical data and can be stored and retrieved from the NVM 2205 in the electrical system 2200 of the containing element assembly for nicotine. The temperature of the heater 336 (or signals indicating the temperature of the heater 336) can be provided, for example, by a temperature measuring sensor component of the sensors 2220 of the containing element.

In an alternative example, the controller 2105 may determine the temperature of the heater 336 based on voltage measurements from the heater voltage measurement circuit 21252 and/or current measurements via the heater current measurement circuit 21258.

The CI is a level of technical reserve for the temperature of the heater 336. For measuring the heater 336 based on resistance, the temperature estimate may be relatively inaccurate due to component tolerances, rounding errors, variable contact resistance, etc. Accordingly, the theoretical worst-case error may be applied as the CI. In at least one exemplary embodiment, the worst-case error may be approximately 15 degrees Celsius.

For the measurement of the containing element based on the sensor, CI for estimating the temperature of the heater 336 may be higher (for example, on the order of approximately 50 degrees Celsius to 100 degrees Celsius), since the sensor of the containing element may not be in close proximity to the heater 336, and therefore the temperature of the heater 336 may be predicted, rather than estimated. According to at least one exemplary embodiment, the measurements of the containing element based on the sensor may be used as (for example, only as) a measurement of the temperature of the housing, and not of the heater itself, and thus the cut-off point from this reading was intended to prevent the temperature of the main part of the containing element from increasing above the maximum threshold.

Fig. 32A is a diagram illustrating a method for detecting a heater temperature fault event according to an exemplary embodiment.

For purposes of example, the circuit shown in Fig. 32A will be discussed with respect to the electrical systems shown in Fig. 29. However, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments should not be limited to this example. Rather, the exemplary embodiments may be applicable to other devices for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette and their electrical systems. Moreover, the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 32A will be described mainly with respect to the operations performed by the fault detection subsystem 2630. However, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiment may be described in a similar manner with respect to the automatic shut-off control system 2300 and/or the controller 2105 performing one or more of the functions/operations shown in Fig. 32A.

As shown in Fig. 32A, when the nicotine containing element assembly 300 is inserted into the main part 100 of the device, in step S2902, the fault detection subsystem 2630 receives a maximum temperature threshold value from the NVM 2205 in the electrical system 2200 of the nicotine containing element assembly. In one example, the maximum temperature threshold value can be stored within one byte with a resolution of approximately 2 degrees Celsius and can be in the range from approximately 0 degrees Celsius to approximately 510 degrees Celsius.

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, the temperature is stored at a resolution of approximately 2 degrees Celsius in order to fit a useful range into one byte. Since the desired range covers, according to at least one exemplary embodiment, at least 0-300 degrees Celsius, the temperature stored at a resolution of approximately 1 degree Celsius would not fit into one byte (e.g., it would only provide a range of 0-255 degrees Celsius).

In step S2904, the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines whether conditions for vaping exist in the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine. According to at least one exemplary embodiment, the fault detection subsystem 2630 may determine whether conditions for vaping exist in the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine based on the output data from the sensor 364. In one example, if the output data from the sensor 364 indicates the application of a negative pressure above a threshold value on the mouthpiece 102 of the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine, then the fault detection subsystem 2630 may determine that conditions for vaping exist in the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine.

If the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines that the vaping conditions are present in the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette, then in step S2905 the controller 2105 controls the heating module control circuit 2127 to supply power to the heater 336 for vaping. An exemplary control of the heating module control circuit 2127 to supply power to the heater 336 will be discussed in more detail below with respect to Fig. 38 and Fig. 39.

At step S2906, the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines whether the resistance of the heater 336 has stabilized. The fault detection subsystem 2630 can determine that the resistance of the heater 336 has stabilized as soon as the current through the heater 336 reaches a threshold value of the "wetting" current (for example, approximately 100 milliamperes (mA)). The fault detection subsystem 2630 can determine that the current through the heater 336 has reached the threshold value of the "wetting" current based on the output signals from the heater current measuring circuit 21258.

If the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines that the resistance of the heater 336 has stabilized, then at step S2910 the fault detection subsystem 2630 estimates the temperature of the heater 336 based on the measured resistance of the heater 336. The fault detection subsystem 2630 can estimate the temperature of the heater 336 in any known manner (for example, based on a relatively linear relationship between the resistance and the temperature of the heater 336). In one example, as will be discussed in more detail below, the fault detection subsystem 2630 can determine the temperature measurement based on the output data from the temperature measurement sensor component of the sensors 2220 of the containing element.

Still as shown in Fig. 32A, in step S2912, the malfunction detection subsystem 2630 determines whether the estimated temperature of the heater 336 is higher than or equal to (has reached or exceeded) the maximum threshold temperature by comparing the estimated temperature with the maximum threshold temperature value received from the NVM 2205.

If the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines that the calculated temperature of the heater 336 is below the maximum threshold temperature, then at step S2916 the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines whether the measurement interval has passed. The measurement interval can be determined based on empirical data. In one example, the measurement interval can be approximately 10 milliseconds.

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, a measurement interval of 10 milliseconds can be used for measurements made from the sensor of the I ² C containing element (since this can be the maximum sampling frequency). However, in at least one other exemplary embodiment, a measurement interval of 1 millisecond (system clock frequency) can be used for measuring the heater based on resistance.

If the measurement interval has passed, then the process returns to step S2910 and continues as discussed herein.

Returning to step S2916, if the measurement interval has not yet elapsed, then the malfunction detection subsystem 2630 waits for the measurement interval to elapse before returning to step S2910 and continuing as discussed herein.

Returning to step S2912, if the malfunction detection subsystem 2630 determines that the calculated temperature of the heater 336 has reached or exceeded the maximum temperature threshold, then in step S2914 the malfunction detection subsystem 2630 outputs a heater temperature malfunction event warning to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650.

Returning to step S2906, if the malfunction detection subsystem 2630 determines that the resistance of the heater 336 has not yet stabilized, then the malfunction detection subsystem 2630 continues to monitor (or wait) for the resistance of the heater 336. Once the resistance of the heater 336 has stabilized, the process proceeds to step S2910 and continues as discussed above.

Returning to step S2904, if the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines that the conditions for vaping are not present in the device 500 for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette, then the fault detection subsystem 2630 continues to monitor the output data from the sensor 364 for the presence of conditions for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette. Once the conditions for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette are detected, the process continues as discussed above.

Fig. 32B is a diagram illustrating a method for detecting a heater temperature fault event according to another exemplary embodiment. The method shown in Fig. 32B may allow the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette to determine whether to supply power to the heater 336 at the beginning of a puff event (e.g., when initially applying negative pressure to the mouthpiece 102).

As in the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 32A, for example purposes, the circuit shown in Fig. 32B will be discussed with respect to the electrical systems shown in Fig. 29. However, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments should not be limited to this example. Rather, the exemplary embodiments may be applicable to other devices for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette and their electrical systems. Moreover, the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 32B will be described mainly with respect to the operations performed by the fault detection subsystem 2630. However, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiment may be described in a similar manner with respect to the automatic shut-off control system 2300 and/or the controller 2105 performing one or more of the functions/operations shown in Fig. 32B.

As shown in Fig. 32B, when the nicotine containing element assembly 300 is inserted into the main part 100 of the device, in step S3000, the fault detection subsystem 2630 receives a maximum temperature threshold value from the NVM 2205 in the electrical system 2200 of the nicotine containing element assembly. The maximum temperature threshold value may be the same or substantially the same as that discussed above with respect to step S2902 in Fig. 32A.

In step S3002, the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines whether conditions for vaping exist in the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine. The fault detection subsystem 2630 can determine whether conditions for vaping exist in the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine in the same or substantially the same manner as discussed above with respect to step S2904 in Fig. 32A.

If the malfunction detection subsystem 2630 detects the presence of conditions for hovering in step S3002, then in step S3004 the malfunction detection subsystem 2630 estimates the temperature of the heater 336 based on the information from the temperature measuring sensor component of the sensors 2220 of the containing element. The malfunction detection subsystem 2630 can estimate the temperature of the heater 336 in the same or substantially the same manner as discussed above with respect to step S2910 in Fig. 32A.

In step S3006, the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines whether the estimated temperature is, for example, higher than or equal to the maximum temperature threshold value by comparing the estimated temperature with the maximum temperature threshold value received from the NVM 2205. The maximum temperature threshold value received from the NVM 2205 may be the same or substantially the same as that discussed above with respect to Fig. 32A.

If the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines that the calculated temperature exceeds the maximum temperature threshold, then at step S3008 the fault detection subsystem 2630 outputs a heater temperature fault event warning to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 and the process ends.

Returning to step S3006, if the malfunction detection subsystem 2630 determines that the calculated temperature does not exceed the maximum temperature threshold, then the malfunction detection subsystem 2630 does not need to output a heater temperature malfunction event warning to the malfunction detection subsystem 2630, and the controller 2105 can supply power to the heater 336 in step S3010.

Fig. 33A and Fig. 33B illustrate a method for controlling automatic shutdown according to one or more exemplary embodiments.

For purposes of example, the circuit shown in Fig. 33A and Fig. 33B will be discussed with respect to the electrical systems shown in Fig. 29. However, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments should not be limited to this example. Rather, the exemplary embodiments may be applicable to other devices for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette and their electrical systems. Moreover, the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 33A and Fig. 33B will be described mainly with respect to the operations performed by the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650. However, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiment may be described in a similar manner with respect to the automatic shutdown control system 2300 and/or the controller 2105 performing one or more of the functions/operations shown in Fig. 33A and Fig. 33B.

As shown in Fig. 33A and Fig. 33B, in step S3702, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines whether a malfunction event has occurred in the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette. According to one or more exemplary embodiments, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines that a malfunction event has occurred in response to receiving a malfunction warning from the malfunction detection subsystem 2630.

If the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines that a fault event has occurred, then in step S3704 the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 classifies the fault event as one of: a normal fault event, a soft fault event of the containing element, a hard fault event of the containing element, a soft fault event of the device, or a hard fault event of the device. According to one or more example embodiments, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can classify the fault event by using a lookup table that stores classifications of fault events in connection with specific fault events and/or fault error codes associated with them. In this example, the fault detection subsystem 2630 can output an indication of the fault event that caused the fault warning to be sent to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650.

In at least one exemplary embodiment, the classification may be implemented using a "switch" programming instruction to select a fault type based on an enumerated fault value.

As similarly mentioned above, typical fault events may include an interrupt from the charger 2132 indicating that charging of the power unit 2110 is complete, an input from an adult vaper (e.g., to turn off the vaping subsystem or the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device) via the integrated product controls 2150, an idle event in which the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device 500 has remained inactive for at least a threshold time interval (e.g., as discussed above with respect to Fig. 31), a combination thereof, or the like.

If the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 classifies the fault event as a normal fault event, then in step S3710 the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 causes the device 500 for smoking the nicotine e-cigarette to perform one or more subsequent actions depending on the fault event that occurred. For example, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can output one or more device power status signals to control the device 500 for smoking the nicotine e-cigarette to perform one or more subsequent actions (for example, a charger stop operation, a vaping shutdown operation, an automatic shutdown operation, a heater shutdown operation, a combination thereof, or the like).

In an example in which a normal fault event is an interrupt from the charger 2132 indicating that charging of the power supply unit 2110 is complete, the fault detection subsystem 2630 can receive the interrupt from the charger 2132. In response to receiving the interrupt from the charger 2132, the fault detection subsystem 2630 can output a fault warning (charge completion fault warning) to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 indicating that the interrupt was received. In response to the fault warning, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines that a normal fault event has occurred and initiates/executes a charger stop operation.

As discussed in more detail below, the charger 2132 may include a special charging IC that includes a number of inputs/outputs (I/O) that are used to control and monitor the charging of the power supply unit 2110. The charger stop operation may disable or suspend the charging of the power supply unit 2110 in the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette. As discussed in more detail below, the controller 2105 may control the charger 2132 to disable or suspend the charging of the power supply unit 2110 by outputting a charger stop signal BATT_SUSP (e.g., having a high logic level) to the special charging IC in the charger 2132.

In an example in which the normal fault event is an interrupt generated in response to an input via the product-integrated controls 2150 (e.g., requesting a vaping function to be turned off, a heater 336 power to be turned off, or a nicotine e-cigarette smoking device 500 to be turned off), the fault detection subsystem 2630 can receive the interrupt from the product-integrated controls 2150. In response to receiving the interrupt, the fault detection subsystem 2630 can output a fault warning (an adult vaper fault warning) to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 indicating that the interrupt has been received. In response to the fault warning, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines that a normal fault event has occurred and initiates/executes a vaping shutdown operation, a heater shutdown operation, an automatic shutdown operation, a combination of these, or the like, as needed.

According to at least some example embodiments, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 (or the controller 2105) can perform an automatic shutdown operation by outputting several or a plurality of GPIO control lines (signals) to shut down all or substantially all peripheral devices of the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device 500 and initiate the transition of the controller 2105 to a sleep state.

The vaping disable operation may disable all power to the heater 336, thereby preventing vaping until a corrective action is taken (e.g., by an adult vaper). As discussed in more detail below, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 may control the heating module control circuit 2127 to disable all power to the heater 336 by outputting the vaping disable signal COIL_SHDN, which has a logic high level (FIG. 38), or by de-asserting (or stopping the output) the vaping enable signal COIL_VGATE_PWM (FIG. 39). In at least one example, at least the vaping enable signal COIL_VGATE_PWM may be a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal.

The heater shutdown operation may shut off power to the heater 336, terminating any ongoing puff event, but otherwise allowing the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device 500 to remain ready for vaping. As discussed in more detail below, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 (or more generally the controller 2105) may control the heating module control circuit 2127 to shut off power to the heater 336 by outputting a heater activation signal GATE_ON (FIG. 38) having a low logic level or by outputting one or more of the first heater enable signal GATE_ENB or the second heater enable signal COIL_Z (FIG. 39) having a low logic level.

In another example, the fault detection subsystem 2630 may determine that an idle event has occurred in accordance with the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 31. In this example, in response to determining that an idle event has occurred, the fault detection subsystem 2630 may output a fault warning (idle warning) to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 indicating that an idle event has occurred. In response to the fault warning, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 classifies the idle event as a normal fault event and may perform a heater shutdown operation, a steam shutdown operation, an automatic shutdown operation, or the like, as needed.

Returning now to step S3706, if the malfunction event is not a normal malfunction event, then in step S3722 the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines whether the malfunction event is a soft malfunction event of the containing element.

As discussed above, the soft failure event of the containing element may include a temperature event in which the temperature of the electrical system 2200 of the containing element assembly for nicotine or its component (for example, the heater 336) exceeds a maximum threshold temperature. In a more specific example, the fault detection subsystem may determine whether a fault event of the heater temperature has occurred according to one or more example embodiments shown in Fig. 32A and Fig. 32B. However, the example embodiments should not be limited to these examples.

If the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 identifies the failure event as a soft failure event of the containing element, then at step S372 the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 performs one or more subsequent actions for the soft failure event of the containing element.

For purposes of example, a more detailed example will be described in relation to one or more subsequent actions in response to a heater temperature fault event.

As shown in Fig. 33A and Fig. 33B, in step S3724, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 controls the heating module control circuit 2127 to perform a heater shutdown operation, as discussed previously and in more detail below.

In step S3726, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 records the occurrence of a soft failure event of the containing element in the memory device 2130. In one example, the controller 2105 may store an identifier of the soft failure event of the containing element (for example, a heater temperature failure event) in combination with an identification of the heater shutdown operation and the time at which the soft failure event of the containing element and the heater shutdown operation occurred.

In step S3727, the subsystem 2650 of making an automatic shutdown decision controls the indicators 2135 for the vaper to output an indication that a malfunction event has occurred (for example, a heater temperature malfunction event). In one example, the indication may be in the form of a sound, a visual display and/or tactile feedback for an adult vaper. For example, the indication may be a flashing red LED, a software message containing an error code, which is sent (for example, via Bluetooth) to a connected "app" on a remote electronic device.

In step S3728, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines whether the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette should be returned to normal operation (a state without an FSM malfunction). In an example in which the soft malfunction event of the containing element is a malfunction event of the heater temperature, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can determine whether to return to normal operation based on whether the temperature of the heater 336 has fallen below the maximum temperature threshold.

If the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines that the device 500 for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette should not return to normal operation (for example, the temperature of the heater 336 has not dropped below the maximum temperature threshold value), then the process returns to step S3727 and continues to wait for an indication that the device 500 for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette should return to normal operation.

However, if the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines that the device 500 for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette should return to normal operation in step S3728, then in step S3729 the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 returns the device 500 for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette to normal operation, in which the device 500 for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette is ready for vaping when vaping conditions are subsequently presented (for example, in response to the application of negative pressure by an adult vaper). In an example in which a heater temperature fault event has occurred, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 may control the heating module control circuit 2127 to turn on power to the heater 336 by outputting a heater activation signal GATE_ON (FIG. 38) having a high logic level or by outputting both the first heater enable signal GATE_ENB and the second heater enable signal COIL_Z (FIG. 39) having a high logic level.

Although the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 33A and Fig. 33B is considered to include step S3728, it should be understood that this step can be omitted and the process can proceed directly from step S3727 to step S3729, in which the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 returns to normal operation. Since the soft fault events of the containing element have a relatively low importance and are also intermittent and self-healing, in a simpler implementation these faults are not actively monitored and no information about their state is maintained in the decision system. Instead, the fault is simply repeated (and processed again) if it is still present when the vaping conditions are again presented in the device for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette. For example, if the temperature of the heater 336 is still above the maximum temperature threshold value and an adult user applies negative pressure to the device for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette, then the operation of switching off the heater is performed again.

Returning to step S3722, if the malfunction event is not a soft malfunction event of the containing element, then in step S3730 the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines whether the malfunction event is a hard malfunction event of the containing element.

As discussed above, the hard failure event of the containing element may include an open circuit failure in the electrical system 2200 of the containing element assembly for nicotine, the exhaustion of the nicotine-containing finished vapor composition in the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine (empty containing element), the detection of a dry puff of the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine, a combination thereof, or the like.

If the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 identifies the fault event as a hard fault event of the containing element, then at step S3730 the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 performs one or more subsequent actions for the hard fault event of the containing element.

As shown in Fig. 33A and Fig. 33B, in at least one exemplary embodiment, at step S3732, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 may perform a hover shutdown operation, as discussed above with respect to step S3710, in response to a hard failure event of the containing element.

In step S3734, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 records or stores the occurrence of a hard failure event of the containing element in the memory device 2130. The automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can record or store the occurrence of a hard failure of the containing element in the same or substantially the same manner as discussed above with respect to step S3726.

In step S3736, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 controls the indicators 2135 for the vaper to output an indication that a hard failure event of the containing element has occurred. The automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can control the indicators 2135 for the vaper to output an indication in the same or substantially the same manner as discussed above with respect to step S3727.

In step S3738, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines whether a corrective action has been performed (e.g., by an adult vaper within a threshold period of time after detecting a hard failure event of the containing element) in response to the hard failure event of the containing element. The corrective action may include removing the containing element 300 in assembly for nicotine from the main part 100 of the device within (before expiration of) a threshold interval of removal time after (e.g., in response to) an indication to the adult vaper of a hard failure event of the containing element.

In this example, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 may determine that the nicotine containing element 300 assembly has been removed from the main part 100 of the device in a digital manner by checking that the set of five contacts 326 of the nicotine containing element 300 assembly has been removed. In another example, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 may determine that the nicotine containing element 300 assembly has been removed from the main part 100 of the device by determining that the electrical contacts 324a, 324b and/or 326 of the nicotine containing element 300 assembly have been disconnected from the electrical connector 132 of the device of the main part 100 of the device.

If the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines that the corrective action has been performed (for example, the nicotine containing element 300 assembly has been removed from the main part 100 of the device within a threshold withdrawal time interval after the indication of a hard failure event of the containing element), then the process proceeds to step S3729 and continues as discussed above. In this case, although the power supply to the heater 336 is still turned off because the nicotine containing element 300 assembly has been removed, the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette is otherwise ready for vaping in response to the application of negative pressure by an adult vaper, as soon as a new nicotine containing element assembly has been inserted.

If the automatic shut-off decision subsystem 2650 determines that the nicotine containing element 300 assembly is not removed within the threshold withdrawal time interval (the corrective action was not performed within the threshold time interval), then the automatic shut-off decision subsystem 2650 outputs one or more further control signals to perform the automatic shut-off operation.

By performing the automatic shutdown operation, the power supply unit 2110 of the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device 500 can be prevented from being discharged due to a malfunction being displayed for a long period.

Returning to step S3730, if the fault event is not a hard fault event of the containing element, then in step S3742 the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines whether the fault event is a soft fault event of the device. As mentioned above, an example of a soft fault event of the device can be a low voltage fault event of the power supply unit, when the voltage or charge of the power supply unit 2110 falls below a minimum threshold level. In this example, the fault detection subsystem 2630 can determine that a low voltage fault event of the power supply unit has occurred and can output a fault warning to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 indicating the occurrence of a low voltage fault event of the power supply unit. In response to the fault warning, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 classifies the low voltage fault event of the power supply unit as a soft fault event of the device. More generally, the fault detection subsystem 2630 may output a soft device fault event warning to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 indicating that a soft device fault event has occurred in the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device 500.

If the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 identifies the fault event as a soft device fault event, then at step S374 the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 performs one or more subsequent actions for the soft device fault event.

As shown in Fig. 33A and Fig. 33B, in at least one exemplary embodiment, in step S3744, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 outputs one or more power state signals of the device to initiate/perform a hover shutdown operation and/or an automatic shutdown operation. The automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can determine whether to initiate the hover shutdown operation and/or the automatic shutdown operation based on the current voltage of the power supply unit. For example, if the voltage of the power supply unit 2110 is less than the first threshold level, then the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can initiate the hover shutdown operation. However, if the voltage of the power supply unit 2110 falls below the second threshold level, which is lower than the first threshold level, then the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can initiate the automatic shutdown operation.

In step S3746, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 records or stores the occurrence of a soft device failure event in the memory device 2130. The automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can record or store the occurrence of a soft device failure in the same or substantially the same manner as discussed above with respect to step S3726.

In step S3748, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 controls the indicators 2135 for the vaper to output an indication that a soft device failure event has occurred. The automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can control the indicators 2135 for the vaper to output an indication in the same or substantially the same manner as discussed above with respect to step S3727.

In step S3750, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines whether a corrective action has been performed (for example, by an adult vaper during a threshold time interval) in response to the soft device failure event. In an example in which the soft device failure event is a low voltage power supply failure event, the corrective action may include charging the power supply 2110 above the first threshold level.

If the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines that a corrective action has been performed (for example, the voltage of the power supply unit 2110 has increased above the first (minimum) threshold level), then the process proceeds to step S3729, in which the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine returns to normal operation. In this case, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 may allow the controller 2105 to exit the sleep state (for example, if an automatic shutdown operation is performed) and/or enable the vaping functions in the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine, as discussed above with respect to step S3729.

Returning to step S3750, if the corrective action is not performed in response to the soft device malfunction event, then the process returns to S3748, and the soft device malfunction event indication is continuously output to the adult vaper until the corrective action is performed or the device 500 for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette is manually turned off. In the event that the automatic turn-off operation is initiated in step S3744, the soft device malfunction event indication may be repeatedly output via the indicators 2135 to the vaper in response to the adult vaper interacting with the device 500 for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette (for example, pressing one or more buttons on the device), until the corrective action is performed.

Returning to step S3742, if the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines that the fault event is not a soft device fault event, then the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines that the fault event is a hard device fault event in step S3754. As discussed above, hard device fault events may include power supply charging fault events, the presence of current flowing through the heater when it is not in the hover state ("unexpected heater current"), and power supply temperature faults indicating that the temperature of the power supply unit 2110 is outside the permissible range, a combination thereof, or the like. An "unexpected heater current" is a hard device failure event in which software (or hardware) has left power in the heater 336 (e.g., after vaping conditions are no longer present in the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device 500), and is an example of why the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device 500 is reset in step S3768 as part of its subsequent actions.

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 may determine that a power supply temperature fault has occurred based on whether the estimated temperature of the power supply unit 2110 is greater than or equal to the maximum threshold value of the power supply temperature or is less than or equal to the minimum threshold value of the power supply temperature. The automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 may estimate the temperature of the power supply unit 2110 based on the output of the power supply temperature measurement circuit 21254, which will be discussed in more detail below.

If the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 identifies the fault event as a device hard fault event, then at step S376 the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 performs one or more subsequent actions for the device hard fault event.

As shown in Fig. 33A and Fig. 33B, in at least one exemplary embodiment, in response to a hard device failure event in step S3756, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 initiates/performs one or more of a hover shutdown operation, a charger stop operation, and/or an automatic shutdown operation.

In step S3758, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 records or stores the occurrence of a hard device failure event in the memory device 2130. The automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can record or store the occurrence of a hard device failure event in the same or substantially the same manner as discussed above with respect to step S3726.

In step S3760, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 initiates a reset timer. The reset timer may be a time interval after which the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 causes the device 500 for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette to perform a soft (soft) reset. In this case, the reset timer may be a countdown timer performed using the timing circuit 2128.

In step S3762, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 controls the indicators 2135 for the vaper to output an indication that a hard device failure event has occurred. The automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can control the indicators 2135 for the vaper to output an indication in the same or substantially the same manner as discussed above with respect to step S3727.

After outputting the indication in step S3764, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines whether the reset timer in step S3764 initiated in step S3760 has expired.

If the reset timer has expired, then at step S3768 the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 performs a soft reset of the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette in an attempt to eliminate the hard device failure event. The soft reset may include closing all software applications running on the controller 2105, possibly clearing the random access memory (RAM) and/or any permanent memory, and restarting the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette.

Although discussed in relation to a soft reset, the reset at step S3768 may be a soft (software) reset, a hard (hardware) reset, or a power-on reset (POR).

After performing the soft reset in step S3770, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines whether the device hard fault event has been cleared (e.g., the soft reset corrected the fault condition).

If the hard device failure event has been resolved by the soft reset in step S3768, then the process proceeds to step S3729 and the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 returns the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device 500 to normal operation, such as by turning on charging, turning on vaping, etc., if necessary.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, a hard device failure event may at least cover unexpected events (e.g., software crashes) that are typically recoverable only by performing a reset.

Returning to step S3770, if the hard device failure event has not been resolved by the soft reset in step S3768, then in step S3772 the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 causes the device 500 for smoking the nicotine e-cigarette to be switched off. In this example, similar to the automatic shutdown operation, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 can output one or more device power status signals in the subsystems of the device 500 for smoking the nicotine e-cigarette to switch off the device 500 for smoking the nicotine e-cigarette.

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, the reset in step S3768 may be attempted three times before turning off the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette in step S3772.

According to at least some other exemplary embodiments, if three reset attempts fail to clear the device hard failure event, then the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 may set a permanent bit in the memory that prevents the device 500 from turning on for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette.

Returning now to step S3764, if the reset timer has not expired, then the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 determines whether the corrective action in step S3766 has been performed.

In an example in which the hard device failure event is a power supply temperature failure, the corrective action may include moving the device 500 for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette to a warmer location (in the event that the temperature of the power supply falls below a minimum threshold) or moving the device 500 for smoking the nicotine-containing e-cigarette to a cooler location (in the event that the temperature of the power supply rises above a maximum threshold). In this example, the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650 may determine whether the corrective action has been performed based on whether the temperature of the power supply unit 2110 increases or decreases as needed.

If the corrective action has been performed, then the process proceeds to step S3729 and continues as described above.

Returning to step S3766, if the reset timer has not expired and the corrective action has not yet been performed, then the process returns to S3762, and the indication of the device hard failure event is continuously output until the corrective action is performed or the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette is manually turned off. Then the process continues as discussed herein.

Fig. 34 shows an exemplary embodiment of a heater voltage measurement circuit 21252.

As shown in Fig. 34, the heater voltage measurement circuit 21252 includes a resistor 3702 and a resistor 3704 connected in a voltage divider configuration between a terminal configured to receive the input voltage signal COIL_OUT and ground. The input voltage signal COIL_OUT is the voltage at the input (voltage at the input terminal) of heater 336. Node N3716 between resistor 3702 and resistor 3704 is connected to the positive input of operational amplifier (Op-Amp) 3708. Capacitor 3706 is connected between node N3716 and ground to form a low-pass filter (R/C filter) circuit to stabilize the input voltage fed to the positive input of op-amp 3708. The filter circuit can also reduce the inaccuracy due to switching noise caused by the PWM signals used to power heater 336 and have the same phase response/group delay for both current and voltage.

The heater voltage measurement circuit 21252 further includes resistors 3710 and 3712 and a capacitor 3714. The resistor 3712 is connected between the node N3718 and a terminal configured to receive the output voltage signal COIL_RTN. The output voltage signal COIL_RTN is the output voltage (voltage at the output terminal) of the heater 336.

Resistor 3710 and capacitor 3714 are connected in parallel between node N3718 and the output of op amp 3708. The negative input of op amp 3708 is also connected to node N3718. Resistors 3710 and 3712 and capacitor 3714 are connected in a low pass filter circuit configuration.

The heater voltage measurement circuit 21252 uses the Op-Amp 3708 to measure the voltage difference between the input voltage signal COIL_OUT and the output voltage signal COIL_RTN, and output a scaled heater voltage measurement signal COIL_VOL that represents the voltage across the entire heater 336. The heater voltage measurement circuit 21252 outputs the scaled heater voltage measurement signal COIL_VOL to the ADC pin of the controller 2105 for digital sampling and measurement by the controller 2105.

The gain of the Op-Amp 3708 can be set based on the surrounding passive electrical elements (e.g., resistors and capacitors) to improve the dynamic range of the voltage measurement. In one example, the dynamic range of the Op-Amp 3708 can be achieved by scaling the voltage such that the maximum voltage output matches the maximum range of the ADC input signal (e.g., approximately 1.8 V). In at least one exemplary embodiment, the scaling can be approximately 267 mV/V and therefore the heater voltage measurement circuit 21252 can measure up to approximately 1.8 V/0.267 V=6.74 V.

Fig. 35 shows an exemplary embodiment of the heater current measuring circuit 21258 shown in Fig. 29.

As shown in Fig. 35, the output voltage signal COIL_RTN is coupled to the input of a four-terminal (4T) sense resistor 3802 connected to ground. The differential voltage across the four-terminal sense resistor 3802 is scaled by Op-Amp 3806, which outputs a heater current sense signal COIL_CUR indicative of the current through heater 336. The heater current sense signal COIL_CUR is coupled to the ADC pin of controller 2105 for digital sampling and measurement of the current through heater 336 in controller 2105.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 35, a four-terminal measuring resistor 3802 can be used to reduce the error in measuring the current using the "Kelvin Current Measurement" method. In this example, separating the current measuring path from the voltage measuring path can reduce interference in the voltage measuring path.

The gain of the 3806 Op-Amp can be set to improve the dynamic range of the measurement. In this example, the scaling of the 3806 Op-Amp can be approximately 0.577 V/A, and therefore the 21258 heater current measurement circuit can measure up to approximately

As shown in Fig. 35 in more detail, the first terminal of the four-terminal sense resistor 3802 is connected to the terminal of the heater 336 to receive the output voltage signal COIL_RTN. The second terminal of the four-terminal sense resistor 3802 is connected to ground. The third terminal of the four-terminal sense resistor 3802 is connected to a low-pass filter (R/C filter) circuit including a resistor 3804, a capacitor 3808 and a resistor 3810. The output of the low-pass filter circuit is connected to the positive input of the Op-Amp 3806. The low-pass filter circuit can reduce the inaccuracy due to switching noise caused by the PWM signals supplied to power the heater 336, and can also have the same phase response/group delay for both current and voltage.

The heater current measuring circuit 21258 further includes resistors 3812 and 3814 and a capacitor 3816. The resistors 3812 and 3814 and the capacitor 3816 are connected to the fourth terminal of the four-terminal measuring resistor 3802, the negative input of the Op-Amp 3806 and the output of the Op-Amp 3806 in a low-pass filter circuit configuration, wherein the output of the low-pass filter circuit is connected to the negative input of the Op-Amp 3806.

The Op-Amp 3806 outputs the differential voltage as a heater current measurement signal COIL_CUR to the ADC pin of the 2105 controller for sampling and measuring the current through the heater 336 using the 2105 controller.

According to at least this exemplary embodiment, the configuration of the heater current measuring circuit 21258 is similar to the configuration of the heater voltage measuring circuit 21252, except that the low-pass filter circuit, including resistors 3804 and 3810 and capacitor 3808, is connected to a terminal of the four-terminal measuring resistor 3802, and the low-pass filter circuit, including resistors 3812 and 3814 and capacitor 3816, is connected to another terminal of the four-terminal measuring resistor 3802.

The controller 2105 can average a plurality of samples (for example, voltage) over a time period (for example, approximately 1 ms) corresponding to the "tick" time used in the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine, and convert the average value into a mathematical representation of the voltage and current on the heater 336 by applying a scaling value. The scaling value can be determined based on the gain settings implemented in the corresponding Op-Amp, which can be specific to the hardware of the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine.

The 2105 controller can filter the converted voltage and current measurements, using, for example, a three-tap moving average filter to attenuate measurement noise. The 2105 controller can then use the filtered measurements to calculate: the resistance R _HEATER of the heater 336 power P _HEATER supplied to the heater 336 power supply current Where or the like. Efficiency is the ratio of power P supplied _to heater 336 under all operating conditions. In one example, Efficiency may be at least 85 percent.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, the gain settings of the passive circuit elements shown in Fig. 34 and/or Fig. 35 may be adjusted to match the output signal range with the input signal range of the controller 2105.

The fault detection subsystem 2630 may use the heater voltage measurements and/or the heater current measurements to determine, for example, whether a hard fault event of the containing element has occurred, such as an open circuit fault in the heater 336.

Fig. 36 and Fig. 37 show diagrams of measuring the temperature of the containing element according to exemplary embodiments.

As shown in Fig. 36, the containing element temperature measuring circuit 21250A includes a driver stage 3902A and a measuring stage 3904A. The driver stage 3902A is configured to generate a containing element temperature measuring power signal HW_POWER for supplying power to the containing element sensor 2220 in response to a containing element temperature measuring control signal HW_ENB. The containing element temperature measuring power signal HW_POWER may be a PWM signal. The measuring stage 3904A is configured to generate an output containing element temperature measuring signal HW_SIGNAL based on a DAC comparison signal HW_DAC from a DAC (not shown) in the controller 2105 and a containing element sensor signal SP_HW from the containing element sensor 2220. The output signal of the temperature measurement of the containing element HW_SIGNAL may be a differential voltage signal indicating the temperature of one or more elements (for example, the heater 336) of the containing element in the nicotine assembly 300. The input and output from the exemplary embodiment of the sensor 2220 of the containing element will be discussed in more detail below.

In more detail with respect to Fig. 36, the driver stage 3902A receives a control signal of measuring the temperature of the containing element HW_ENB from the controller 2105. In this example, the control signal of measuring the temperature of the containing element HW_ENB can be a PWM signal having a duty cycle adjusted by the controller 2105 to change the power based on the signal of the sensor of the containing element SP_HW from the sensor 2220 of the containing element. When the control signal of measuring the temperature of the containing element HW_ENB is confirmed (active), the driver stage 3902A can be turned on and can output a power signal of measuring the temperature of the containing element HW_POWER, otherwise the output of the driver stage 3902A can be turned off.

The control signal of the temperature measurement of the containing element HW_ENB is input to the enable terminal EN of the low-dropout (LDO) controller U10, which converts the control signal of the temperature measurement of the containing element HW_ENB, which is a processor signal with a low level of current drive power, into a power signal of the temperature measurement of the containing element HW_POWER, which is a PWM signal with a high level of current drive power.

Resistor R80 is connected as a pull-down resistor between the enable pin of LDO U10 EN and ground to ensure that the driver stage pin of 3902A is disabled if the host element temperature measurement control signal HW_ENB is in an undefined state.

The driver stage 3902A additionally includes capacitors C43 and C44. Capacitor C44 is connected to the input terminal of LDO U10 and the voltage source to provide a reservoir and filter, which can increase the speed at which the host element temperature measurement power signal HW_POWER reaches its turn-on voltage. Capacitor C43 is connected between the output terminal and ground to provide filtering and reservoir for the host element temperature measurement power signal HW_POWER.

Resistors R60 and R61 form a feedback network 39028 in the form of a voltage divider circuit. The feedback network 39028 outputs a feedback voltage to the adjustment terminal ADJ or to the feedback terminal ADJ of the LDO U10. IDOL U10 sets the precise voltage output of the temperature measurement power signal of the containing element HW_POWER based on the feedback voltage supplied to the feedback terminal ADJ. According to at least some example embodiments, the relationship between the precise voltage output for the temperature measurement power signal of the containing element HW_POWER and the feedback voltage output is determined In this example, the resistances of resistors R60 and R61 have known resistances, and the voltage V _ADJ is also known based on the type of LDO U10.

At the measuring stage 3904A, the signal of the enclosing element sensor SP_HW from the enclosing element sensor 2220 is fed to the negative input of Op-Amp U11A through the resistor R66 to enhance the scaling of the voltage of the enclosing element sensor signal SP_HW for measuring the ADC on the controller 2105. Op-Amp U11A is an inverting amplifier with a gain according to the resistance of resistor R66 and the resistance of resistor R67, which are connected between the negative input and the output of Op-Amp U11A. Capacitor C47 is connected in parallel with resistor R67 to form a low-pass filter circuit for filtering out high-frequency interference from the enclosing element sensor signal SP_HW.

The DAC comparison signal HW_DAC from the DAC on the 2105 controller is applied to the positive input of Op-Amp U11A through the voltage divider network 39042 including resistors R63 and R64. The DAC comparison signal HW_DAC sets the reference voltage level for Op-Amp U11A, which effectively selects the differential voltage applied to Op-Amp U11A and suppresses or prevents saturation of Op-Amp U11A. In other words, the DAC comparison signal HW_DAC sets the operating point for Op-Amp U11A to suppress saturation of the host element temperature measurement output signal HW_SIGNAL output by Op-Amp U11A. The voltage divider network 39042 reduces each DAC step in voltage to provide more precise control of the range setting. The ratio of resistors R63 and R64 can be approximately the same as that of the balancing resistor and the 2220 sensor of the containing element (for example, at its maximum temperature). Capacitor C46 is connected in parallel with resistor R64 to form a low-pass filter circuit for filtering out noise from the comparison signal of DAC HW_DAC. Resistor R69 is connected between the output of the voltage divider circuit 39042 and the positive input of Op-Amp U11A.

The signal of the enclosing element sensor SP_HW from the enclosing element sensor 2220 may have a relatively small voltage level (for example, approximately 2 mV), and therefore the relatively high gain of Op-Amp U11A can be used to match the signal of the enclosing element temperature measurement HW_SIGNAL with the dynamic range of the ADC signal on the controller 2105 (for example, approximately 1.8 V). Accordingly, Op-Amp U11A amplifies the signal of the enclosing element sensor SP_HW and outputs the amplified signal as the output signal of the enclosing element temperature measurement HW_SIGNAL to the ADC for sampling and measurement in the controller 2105.

As shown in Fig. 37, the circuit 21250B for measuring the temperature of the containing element includes a driver stage 3902B and a measuring stage 3904B. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 37, the driver stage 3902B and the measuring stage 3904B are similar to the driver stage 3902A and the measuring stage 3904A, respectively, shown in Fig. 36, except that the driver stage 3902B further includes a measuring balancing resistor R93 and the capacitance of the capacitor C43 can be reduced by an amount to increase the rise/fall time of the signal of the sensor of the containing element SP_HW. In at least one example, the measuring balancing resistor R93 can have a resistance of approximately 3 ohms and can be moved from the electrical system 2200 of the nicotine containing element assembly to the electrical system 2100 of the main part of the device to reduce the cost of the nicotine containing element assembly 300. Additionally, in at least an exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 37, the passive elements can be arranged and adjusted to adjust the gain factors so that the output signal range matches the input signal range of the controller 2105.

According to one or more example embodiments, the fault detection subsystem 2630 may use temperature measurements in the controller 2105 to, for example, estimate the temperature of the heater 336 or another portion of the nicotine containing element assembly 300 and determine whether a soft fault event of the containing element (e.g., a heater temperature fault event) has occurred.

Fig. 38 is a circuit diagram illustrating a heating module control circuit according to an exemplary embodiment. The heating module control circuit shown in Fig. 38 is an example of the heating module control circuit 2127 shown in Fig. 29.

As shown in Fig. 38, the heating module control circuit 2127A includes a CMOS charge pump U2 configured to supply a power bus (e.g., a power bus of approximately 7 V (7V_CP)) to one or more integrated circuits (ICs) of a gate driver to control power FETs (a heater power control circuit, also called a heating module timing circuit or circuit arrangement, not shown in Fig. 38), which feed a heater 336 in a housing element assembly 300 for nicotine.

In an exemplary operation, charge pump U2 is controlled (selectively enabled or disabled) based on a hover disable signal COIL_SHDN (a device power state signal; also referred to as a hover enable signal) from controller 2105. In the example shown in Fig. 38, charge pump U2 is enabled in response to the output of the hover disable signal COIL_SHDN being a low logic level, and is disabled in response to the output of the coil disable signal COIL-SHDN being a high logic level. Once the 7V_CP power rail has stabilized after activation of charge pump U2 (e.g., after a settling time interval has elapsed), controller 2105 may enable heater enable signal GATE_ON to provide power to the heater power control circuit and heater 336.

According to at least one exemplary embodiment, the controller 2105 (or the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650) can perform a steam shutdown operation by outputting (turning on) the steam shutdown signal COIL_SHDN, having a high logic level, to turn off all power to the heater 336 until the steam shutdown signal COIL_SHDN is turned off (switched to a low logic level) by the controller 2105.

The controller 2105 may output a heater activation signal GATE_ON (another device power status signal) having a high logic level in response to detecting the presence of conditions for vaping in the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette. In this exemplary embodiment, the transistors (for example, field-effect transistors (FET)) Q5 and Q7A' are activated when the controller 2105 turns on the heater activation signal GATE_ON to a high logic level. The controller 2105 may output a heater activation signal GATE_ON having a low logic level to turn off the power supply to the heater 336, thereby performing a heater shutdown operation.

If a power stage fault event (hard device fault event) occurs where transistors Q5 and Q7A' do not respond to the heater enable signal GATE_ON, then the controller 2105 may perform a hover disable operation by outputting the hover disable signal COIL_SHDN, which has a logic high level, to disable power to the gate driver, which, in turn, also disables power to the heater 336.

In another example, if the controller 2105 fails to boot up properly, resulting in the COIL_SHDN steam shutdown signal having an undefined state (boot failure), then the heating module control circuit 2127A automatically drives the COIL_SHDN steam shutdown signal to a logic high level to automatically shut off power to the heater 336.

In more detail with respect to Fig. 38, the capacitor C9, the charge pump U2 and the capacitor C10 are connected in a positive voltage doubler configuration. The capacitor C9 is connected between the terminals C- and C+ of the charge pump U2 and serves as a reservoir for the charge pump U2. The terminal of the input voltage VIN of the charge pump U2 is connected to the voltage source BATT at the node N3801, and the capacitor C10 is connected between the ground and the terminal of the output voltage VOUT of the charge pump U2 at the node N3802. The capacitor C10 provides a filter and a reservoir for the output data from the charge pump U2, which can provide a more stable output voltage from the charge pump U2.

Capacitor C11 is connected between node N3801 and ground to provide a filter and reservoir for the input voltage to charge pump U2.

Resistor R10 is connected between the positive voltage source and the SHDN shutdown pin. Resistor R10 serves as a pull-up resistor to ensure that the SHDN shutdown pin is high, thereby turning off the output (VOUT) of charge pump U2 and turning off power to heater 336 when the COIL_SHDN shutdown signal is in an undefined state.

Resistor R43 is connected between ground and the gate of transistor Q7A' at node N3804. Resistor R43 serves as a pull-down resistor to ensure that transistor Q7A' is in a high-impedance (off) state, thereby disconnecting the 7V_CP supply rail and turning off power to heater 336 if the heater enable signal GATE_ON is in an undefined state.

Resistor R41 is connected between node N3802 and node N3803 between the gate of transistor Q5 and the drain of transistor Q7A'. Resistor R41 serves as a pull-down resistor to ensure more reliable turn-off of transistor Q5.

Transistor Q5 is configured to selectively isolate the 7V_CP supply rail from the VOUT terminal of charge pump U2. The gate of transistor Q5 is connected to node N3803, the drain of transistor Q5 is connected to the VOUT terminal of charge pump U2 at node N3802, and the source of transistor Q5 serves as the output terminal for the 7V_CP supply rail. This configuration allows capacitor C10 to reach its operating voltage faster by isolating the load and creates a fail-safe feature since both the COIL_SHDN hover shutdown signal and the GATE_ON heater enable signal must be in the correct state to energize heater 336.

Transistor Q7A is configured to control the operation of transistor Q5 based on the heater activation signal GATE_ON. For example, when the heater activation signal GATE_ON has a high logic level (e.g., above ~2V), transistor Q7A is in its low-impedance (on) state, which leads to grounding of the gate of transistor Q5, thereby leading to the transition of transistor Q5 to a low-impedance (on) state. In this case, the heating module control circuit 2127A outputs the 7V_CP power bus to the heating module timing circuit (not shown), thereby providing power to the heater 336.

If the heater activation signal GATE_ON is logic low, then transistor Q7A goes into high impedance (off) state, which causes the gate of transistor Q5 to discharge through resistor R41, thereby putting transistor Q5 into high impedance (off) state. In this case, the 7V_CP power bus is not brought out, and the power supply to the heating module synchronization circuit (and heater 336) is disconnected.

In the example shown in Fig. 38, since transistor Q5 requires a gate voltage as high as the source voltage (~7V) to be in the high-impedance (off) state, controller 2105 does not drive transistor Q5 directly. Transistor Q7A provides a mechanism for driving transistor Q5 based on the lower voltage from controller 2105.

Fig. 39 is a circuit diagram illustrating another heating module control circuit according to an exemplary embodiment. The heating module control circuit shown in Fig. 39 is another example of the heating module control circuit 2127 shown in Fig. 29.

As shown in Fig. 39, the heating module control circuit 2127B includes a bus converter circuit 39020 (also called a boost converter circuit) and a gate driver circuit 39040. The bus converter circuit 39020 is configured to output a voltage signal 9V_GATE (also called a power signal or an input voltage signal) for powering the gate driver circuit 39040 based on a hover enable signal COIL_VGATE_PWM (also called a hover disable signal). The bus converter circuit 39020 can be determined by software, and the hover enable signal COIL_VGATE_PWM is used to regulate the output signal 9V_GATE.

The gate driver circuit 39040 uses the 9V_GATE input voltage signal from the bus converter circuit 39020 to drive the heating module timing circuit 3906.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 39, the bus converter circuit 39020 generates the input voltage signal 9V_GATE only if the vaping enable signal COIL_VGATE_PWM is asserted (present). The controller 2105 can disconnect the 9V bus in order to disconnect the power supply of the gate driver circuit 39040 by de-asserting (terminating or completing) the vaping enable signal COIL_VGATE_PWM. Like the vaping disable signal COIL_SHDN in the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 38, the vaping enable signal COIL_VGATE_PWM can serve as a device power state signal for performing a vaping disable operation in the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette. In this example, the controller 2105 may perform a vaping disable operation by de-asserting the COIL_VGATE_PWM vaping enable signal, thereby turning off all power to the gate driver circuit 39040, the heating module timing circuit 3906, and the heater 336. Then, the controller 2105 may enable vaping in the nicotine e-cigarette smoking device 500 by re-asserting the COIL_VGATE_PWM vaping enable signal to the bus converter circuit 39020.

Similar to the heater activation signal GATE_ON in Fig. 38, the controller 2105 may output the first heater enable signal GATE_ENB, having a high logic level, to turn on the power supply of the synchronization circuit 3906 of the heating module and the heater 336 in response to detecting conditions for vaping in the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette. The controller 2105 may output the first heater enable signal GATE_ENB, having a low logic level, to turn off the power supply of the synchronization circuit 3906 of the heating module and the heater 336, thereby performing a heater shutdown operation.

Referring in more detail to the bus converter circuit 39020 in Fig. 39, capacitor C36 is connected between the voltage source BATT and ground. Capacitor C36 serves as a reservoir for the bus converter circuit 39020.

The first terminal of inductor L1006 is connected to node Nodel between voltage source BATT and capacitor C36. Inductor L1006 serves as the main storage element of the 39020 bus converter circuit.

The second terminal of the inductor L1006, the drain of the transistor (e.g., a MOSFET in boost mode) Q1009, and the first terminal of the capacitor C1056 are connected at Node2. The source of the transistor Q1009 is connected to ground, and the gate of the transistor Q1009 is configured to receive the COIL_VGATE_PWM hover enable signal from the 2105 controller.

In the example shown in Fig. 39, transistor Q1009 serves as the main switching element of bus converter circuit 39020.

Resistor R29 is connected between the gate of transistor Q1009 and ground to act as a pull-down resistor to ensure that transistor Q1009 is turned off more reliably and that operation of heater 336 is prevented when the COIL_VGATE_PWM vapour enable signal is in an undefined state.

The second terminal of the capacitor C1056 is connected to the cathode of the Zener diode D1012 and the anode of the Zener diode D1013 in node Node3. The anode of the Zener diode D1012 is connected to ground.

The cathode of the Zener diode D1013 is connected to the terminal of capacitor C35 and the input of the voltage divider circuit comprising resistors R1087 and R1088 at Node4. The other terminal of capacitor C35 is connected to ground. The voltage at Node4 is also the output voltage 9V_GATE, derived from the 39020 bus converter circuit.

Resistor R1089 is connected to the output of the voltage divider circuit at node Node5.

In the example operation, when the COIL_VGATE_PWM vapour enable signal is asserted and at a logic high level, transistor Q1009 switches to a low impedance (on) state, thereby allowing current to flow from the voltage source VATT and capacitor C36 to ground through inductor L1006 and transistor Q1009. This stores energy in inductor L1006, with the current increasing linearly over time.

When the COIL_VGATE_PWM vapour enable signal is low, transistor Q1009 switches to a high-impedance (off) state. In this case, inductor L1006 maintains the current flow (linearly decaying), and the voltage at Node2 increases.

The duty cycle of the COIL_VGATE_PWM hover enable signal determines the amount of voltage boost for a given load. Accordingly, the COIL_VGATE_PWM hover enable signal is controlled by the 2105 controller in closed loop, using the COIL_VGATE_FB feedback signal output by the voltage divider network in Node5 as feedback. The switching described above occurs at a relatively high speed (e.g., approximately 2 MHz, but different frequencies may be used depending on the desired parameters and element values).

Still referring to the bus converter circuit 39020 of Fig. 39, capacitor C1056 is an AC coupling capacitor that provides DC blocking to remove the DC level. Capacitor C1056 blocks current from flowing from the voltage source BATT through inductor L1006 and diode D1013 to the gate driver circuit 39040 when the vaping enable signal COIL_VGATE_PWM is low to save battery life (for example, when the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette is in standby mode). The capacitance of capacitor C1056 can be selected such that it provides a relatively low path impedance at the switching frequency.

Zener diode D1012 sets the base level of the switching signal. Since capacitor C1056 removes the DC level, the voltage at Node3 can normally be bipolar. In one example, Zener diode D1012 can clamp the negative half-cycle of the signal to approximately 0.3 V below the base level.

Capacitor C35 serves as an output reservoir for the 39020 bus converter circuit. Zener diode D1013 blocks current flow from capacitor C35 through capacitor C1056 and transistor Q1009 when transistor Q1009 is on.

As the decaying current from inductor L1006 creates a voltage increase at Node4 between Zener diode D1013 and capacitor C35, current flows into capacitor C35. Capacitor C35 maintains the voltage at 9V_GATE while energy is stored in inductor L1006.

A voltage divider network including resistors R1087 and R1088 reduces the voltage to an acceptable level for measurement by the ADC in the 2105 controller. This reduced voltage signal is output as the COIL_VGATE_FB feedback signal.

In the circuit shown in Fig. 39, the feedback signal voltage COIL_VGATE_FB is scaled by approximately 0.25 times, so the 9 V output voltage is reduced to approximately 2.25 V for input to the ADC in the 2105 controller.

Resistor R1089 provides current limiting in the event of an overvoltage fault at the output of the 39020 bus converter circuit (e.g. at Node4) to protect the ADC in the 2105 controller.

The 9V output voltage signal 9V_GATE is output from the bus converter circuit 39020 to the gate driver circuit 39040 to power the gate driver circuit 39040.

Turning now to the gate driver circuit 39040 in more detail, the gate driver circuit 39040 includes, among other things, an integrated gate driver U2003 configured to convert one or more low-current signals from the controller 2105 into high-current signals for controlling the switching of transistors (e.g., MOSFETs) of the heating module timing circuit 3906. The integrated gate driver U2003 is also configured to convert voltage levels from the controller 2105 into voltage levels required by the transistors of the heating module timing circuit 3906. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 39, the integrated gate driver U2003 is a half-bridge gate. However, the exemplary embodiments should not be limited to this example.

In more detail, the 9 V output voltage from the bus converter circuit 39020 is input to the gate driver circuit 39040 through a filter circuit including resistor R2012 and capacitor C2009. The filter circuit including resistor R2012 and capacitor C2009 is connected to the VCC terminal (pin 4) of the integrated gate driver U2003 and the anode of the Zener diode S2002 at Node6. The second terminal of the capacitor C2009 is connected to ground. The anode of the Zener diode D2002 is connected to the first terminal of the capacitor C2007 and the step-up terminal BST (pin 1) of the integrated gate driver U2003 at Node7. The second terminal of the capacitor C2007 is connected to the terminal SWN of the switching node (pin 7) of the integrated gate driver U2003 and the heating module synchronization circuit 3906 (e.g., between two MOSFETs) in the node Node8. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 39, the Zener diode D2002 and the capacitor C2007 form part of a charge pump compensation and stabilization circuit connected between the input voltage terminal VCC and the step-up terminal BST of the integrated gate driver U2003. Since the capacitor C2007 is connected to the 9V input voltage signal 9V_GATE from the bus converter circuit 39020, the capacitor C2007 is charged to a voltage almost equal to the 9V_GATE voltage signal through the diode D2002.

Still, as shown in Fig. 39, the high-side gate driver terminal DRVH (pin 8), the low-side gate driver terminal DRVL (pin 5), and the EP terminal (pin 9) of the built-in gate driver U2003 are also connected to the heating module timing circuit 3906.

Resistor R2013 and capacitor C2010 form a filter circuit connected to the input terminal IN (terminal 2) of the built-in gate driver U2003. The filter circuit is designed to remove high-frequency interference from the second heater enable signal COIL_Z to the input terminal. The second heater enable signal COIL_Z may be a PWM signal from the 2105 controller.

Resistor R2014 is connected to the filter circuit and the IN input terminal at Node9. Resistor R2014 is used as a pull-down resistor so that if the second heater enable signal COIL_Z is floating (or undefined), then the IN input terminal of the integrated gate driver U2003 is held low to prevent the 3906 heater module and heater 336 synchronization circuit from activating.

The first heater enable signal GATE_ENB from the controller 2105 is input to the OD pin (pin 3) of the integrated gate driver U2003. Resistor R2016 is connected to the OD pin of the integrated gate driver U2003 as a pull-down resistor so that if the first heater enable signal GATE_ENB from the controller 2105 is floating (or undefined), then the OD pin of the integrated gate driver U2003 is held at a logic low level to prevent activation of the synchronization circuit 3906 of the heating module and the heater 336.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 39, the heating module timing circuit 3906 includes a transistor (e.g., MOSFET) circuit including transistors (e.g., MOSFET) 39062 and 39064 connected in series between a voltage source BATT and ground. The gate of the transistor 39064 is connected to a low-voltage side gate driver terminal DRVL (pin 5) of the built-in gate driver U2003, the drain of the transistor 39064 is connected to a switching node terminal SWN (pin 7) of the built-in gate driver U2003 in node Node8, and the source of the transistor 39064 is connected to ground GND.

When the low-side gate drive signal output from the low-side gate driver pin DRVL is high, the 39064 transistor is in a low-impedance (on) state, thereby connecting Node8 to ground.

As mentioned above, since capacitor C2007 is connected to the 9V input voltage signal 9V_GATE from the 39020 bus converter circuit, capacitor C2007 is charged to a voltage equal to or substantially equal to the 9V input voltage signal 9V_GATE through diode D2002.

When the low-side gate control signal output from the low-side gate driver terminal DRVL is low, the transistor 39064 switches to a high-impedance (off) state, and the high-side gate driver terminal DRVH (pin 8) is internally connected to the pull-up terminal BST inside the integrated gate driver U2003. As a result, the transistor 39062 is in a low-impedance (on) state, thereby connecting the switching node SWN to the voltage source BATT to pull the switching node SINN (node 8) up to the voltage source BATT.

In this case, node Node7 is raised to a step-up voltage of V(BST) ≈ V(9V_GATE) + V(BATT), which allows the gate-source voltage of transistor 39062 to be the same or substantially the same as the voltage of the 9V input voltage signal 9V_GATE (e.g., V(9V_GATE)) regardless of (or independent of) the voltage from the battery voltage source BATT. As a result, SWN switching node (node 8) provides a high current switching signal that can be used to generate an output voltage to heater 336 that is substantially independent of the voltage coming out of battery voltage source BATT.

Fig. 40 and Fig. 41 illustrate exemplary embodiments of temperature measurement sensors included in the sensors 2220 of the containing element.

As shown in Fig. 40, the temperature measuring sensor 3600A comprises a resistor R3602 and a sensor-transducer R3604. In at least one exemplary embodiment, the resistor R3602 can have a fixed resistance of approximately 3 ohms. The sensor-transducer R3604 can be a resistor having a variable resistance that changes depending on the temperature. The resistor R3602 and the sensor-transducer R3604 are located in a voltage divider circuit, so that the voltage on the sensor-transducer R3604 (the voltage on the measuring node N3606) can be output to the temperature measuring circuit 21250 of the containing element for scaling and then use in measuring the temperature of the containing element in the nicotine assembly 300 or one or more elements of the containing element in the nicotine assembly 300, such as the heater 336.

In the exemplary operation, the driver stage 3902A of the containing element temperature measurement circuit 21250A (Fig. 36) supplies the containing element temperature measurement power signal HW_POWER to the temperature measurement sensor 3600A, and the measuring stage 3904A of the containing element temperature measurement circuit 21250A scales the measured voltage of the containing element sensor signal SP_HW at the measuring node N3606 and outputs the scaled voltage to the controller 2105 as the containing element temperature measurement output signal HW_SIGNAL. Then, the controller 2105 (or the fault detection subsystem 2630) can determine the temperature of the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine or one or more elements of the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine based on the containing element temperature measurement output signal HW_SIGNAL.

In at least one exemplary embodiment, the voltage of the containing element temperature measurement power signal HW_POWER may be fixed, and therefore the containing element temperature measurement circuit 21250A may also calculate the current through the resistors R3602 and R3604, since the resistance of the resistor R3602 is a known resistance.

Referring to the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 41, the temperature measuring sensor 3600 B is similar to the temperature measuring sensor 3600 A in Fig. 40, except that, as mentioned above with respect to Fig. 37, the resistor R3602 is eliminated from the temperature measuring sensor 3600 B and moved to the driver stage 3902 B of the containing element temperature measuring circuit 21250 B in Fig. 37. By moving the resistor R3602 to the driver stage 3902 B of the containing element temperature measuring circuit 21250 B, the cost of the electrical system 2200 of the containing element assembly for nicotine and/or the number of terminals required for communication between the main part 100 of the device and the containing element assembly 300 for nicotine can be reduced. Moreover, the resistance of the sensor-transducer R3606 in the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 41, may be greater than the resistance of the sensor-transmitter R3604 in Fig. 40 in order to reduce the current consumed by the temperature measuring sensor 3600 V.

Fig. 42A shows an exemplary embodiment of a power supply temperature measurement circuit 21254.

As shown in Fig. 42A, the power supply temperature measuring circuit 21254A is configured to measure the temperature of the power supply unit 2110, for example, during charging. The power supply temperature measuring circuit 21254A uses the thermistor RTH21254, which is located relatively close to (near) the power supply unit, to estimate the temperature of the battery. The power supply temperature measuring circuit 21254A outputs the TEMP signal as a temperature signal EXT_TEMP to a special IC of the charger, which can stop charging and notify the fault detection subsystem 2630 of a fault if the temperature signal EXT_TEMP indicates that the temperature of the power supply unit 2110 exceeds the maximum temperature threshold.

The permissible temperature can be set by changing the ratio of resistors R21250 and R21252 to shift the resistance of the voltage divider circuit including resistors R21250 and R21252. Capacitor C21254 is connected in parallel with resistors R21250, R21252 and thermistor RTH21254.

The 21254A power supply temperature measurement circuit can be powered from the USB voltage via the 2132 charger to eliminate any dependence on other system voltages (e.g. power supply voltage) when charging.

The 21254A power supply temperature measurement circuit can be a dedicated temperature measurement circuit for the charger IC on the 2132 charger.

Fig. 42B shows another exemplary embodiment of a power supply temperature measurement circuit 21254.

As shown in Fig. 42B, the power supply temperature measurement circuit 21254B is functionally equivalent to the circuit shown in Fig. 42A, but additionally includes a second power supply temperature sensor circuit configured to output a temperature signal BATT_TEMP_MCU to the controller 2105 to determine whether the temperature of the power supply 2110 is outside its operating limits (e.g., above a threshold maximum or below a threshold minimum) and whether a power supply temperature fault event has occurred.

In more detail, the power supply temperature measuring circuit 21254B includes a first power supply temperature sensor circuit that uses a thermistor 21254B4, which is located relatively close to (near) the power supply unit 2110, to estimate the temperature of the power supply unit 2110. The first power supply temperature sensor circuit outputs a temperature signal BATT_TEMP_CHGR to a special charger IC, which can stop charging and notify the fault detection subsystem 2630 of a fault when the temperature of the power supply unit 2110 exceeds the maximum temperature threshold.

The 21254B power supply temperature measurement circuit further includes a second power supply temperature sensor circuit. The second power supply temperature sensor circuit is similar to the first power supply temperature sensor circuit, except that the second power supply temperature sensor circuit outputs a BATT_TEMP_MCU temperature signal to the 2105 controller.

In more detail, the second circuit of the power supply temperature sensor uses the thermistor 21254B8, which is located relatively close to (near) the power supply unit 2110, to estimate the temperature of the power supply unit 2110. The second circuit of the power supply temperature sensor then outputs a temperature signal BATT_TEMP_MCU, indicating the measured temperature, to the controller 2105. The fault detection subsystem 2630 can determine whether a fault event of the power supply temperature has occurred in the device 500 for smoking an e-cigarette containing nicotine, based on the temperature signal BATT_TEMP_MCU. The capacitor C21254B is connected between the ground and the node between the resistor 21254B9 and the thermistor 21254B8.

The second circuit of the power supply temperature sensor also includes a temperature measurement control circuit 21254B6 configured to disable the temperature measurement of the power supply unit 2110 and to isolate the voltage dividers included therein in a low power mode (for example, after an automatic shutdown operation) to save power. As shown in Fig. 42B, the temperature measurement control circuit 21254B6 may include a transistor Q2001 connected between the thermistor 21254B8 and ground. The transistor Q2001 may be selectively turned on and off based on the power supply measurement enable signal MEAS_EN from the controller 2105 to selectively turn on and off the second circuit of the power supply temperature sensor.

Fig. 43A shows an exemplary embodiment of a power supply voltage measuring circuit 21256.

As shown in Fig. 43A, the power supply voltage measurement circuit 21256A uses a voltage divider network including resistors 21256A2 and 21256A4 to scale the power supply voltage measurement signal BATT_VOL to match the range of the ADC input signal in the controller 2105 (for example, approximately 1.8 V). The controller 2105 can determine the voltage level of the power supply 2110 based on the power supply voltage measurement signal BATT_VOL.

Capacitor C21256A is connected between ground and the node between resistors 21256A2 and 21256A4.

The 21256A power supply voltage measurement circuit may use a relatively large value of common resistance (e.g., approximately 147 kΩ) to reduce the additional consumption of the 2110 power supply.

The controller 2105 may scale the power supply voltage measurement signal BATT_VOL to represent the actual voltage of the power supply 2110. The fault detection subsystem 2630 may determine that a power supply voltage fault has occurred if the power supply voltage drops below a minimum threshold level (e.g., approximately ~3.6 V).

Fig. 43B shows another exemplary embodiment of the power supply voltage measurement circuit 21256. The exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 43B is similar to the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 43A, but additionally includes a voltage measurement control circuit 21256B6 configured to disable the voltage measurement of the power supply unit 2110 and to isolate the voltage dividers included therein in a low power mode to save power. As shown in Fig. 43B, the voltage measurement control circuit 21256B6 may include a transistor circuit including transistors Q3001 and Q3002 configured to selectively turn on and off based on the power supply measurement enable signal MEAS_EN to selectively turn on and off the power supply voltage sensor circuit 21256B.

Fig. 44A shows an exemplary embodiment of a charger 2132.

As shown in Fig. 44A, the charger 2132A includes a special charging IC 4202A, which provides a plurality of inputs/outputs (I/O) for controlling the charging of the power supply unit 2110. Capacitors C2132A2 and C2132A4 are connected in parallel with each other between the VCC input of the special charging IC 4202A and ground.

The special charging IC 4202A is configured to output a power supply charging signal BATT_CHRG to the controller 2105. The power supply charging signal BATT_CHRG may be a modulated PWM output configured to transmit four states: charging in progress, charging complete, a discharged battery, or a battery temperature outside the acceptable range. The fault detection subsystem 2630 may determine whether a fault event has occurred based on the power supply charging signal BATT_NCHRG. In one example, the power supply charging signal BATT_NCHRG, having a "charging complete" state, may indicate a normal fault event (e.g., a charge completion fault event) to the fault detection subsystem 2630, in response to which the fault detection subsystem 2630 may output a warning about the normal fault event to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650. In another example, the power supply charging signal BATT_NCHRG, having a "low battery" state, may indicate a hard device fault event (e.g., a power supply fault event) to the fault detection subsystem 2630, in response to which the fault detection subsystem 2630 may output a warning about the hard device fault event to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650. In yet another example, the power supply charging signal BATT_NCHRG, having a "battery temperature out of acceptable range" state, may indicate a hard device fault event to the fault detection subsystem 2630, in response to which the fault detection subsystem 2630 may output a warning about the hard device fault event to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650. The special charging IC 4202A can output a power supply charging signal BATT_NCHRG indicating "battery temperature out of range" in response to receiving a temperature signal BATT_TEMP_CHGR indicating the same from the power supply temperature measurement circuit 21254.

The power supply control signal BATT_SUSP is an example of a device power state signal output by the controller 2105 to the dedicated charging IC 4202A to cause the charger 2132A to perform a charger stop operation, thereby suspending the charging of the power supply 2110 by the charger 2132A.

The charger 2132A is also configured to output a charging voltage signal BATT_V_ICHRG to the controller 2105. The charging voltage signal BATT_V_ICHRG represents the amount of current currently supplied to the power supply unit 2110 by the charger 2132A. Based on the charging voltage signal BATT_V_CHRG, the fault detection subsystem 2630 can monitor the current supplied to the power supply unit 2110 by the charger 2132 to determine whether the charging current is outside a range of values (e.g., below a minimum threshold or above a maximum threshold, each of which can be determined based on empirical data). If the fault detection subsystem 2630 determines that the charging current is outside the range of values, then the fault detection subsystem 2630 can output a warning about a hard device failure event to the automatic shutdown decision subsystem 2650.

According to at least some example embodiments, a maximum overcurrent of approximately 105 percent of the specified maximum may be used as the upper limit of the range of values. In one example, at a maximum charging rate of 900 mA, expected for the device 500 for smoking a nicotine-containing e-cigarette, a warning about a hard device failure event will be output to the subsystem 2650 for making a decision on automatic shutdown at approximately 945 mA.

The lower limit of the range values does not need to be specified since the charging current will decrease as the battery approaches full charge.

Fig. 44B shows another exemplary embodiment of the charger 2132. The charger 2132B is similar to the circuit shown in Fig. 44A, except that a different IC is used, and the circuit additionally includes a charge rate switch 4404B. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 44B, the capacitor 2132B is connected between the input IN and ground.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 44B, the dedicated charging IC 4402B supports the same control and monitoring signals (e.g., BATT_NCHRG, BATT_SUSP, BATT_V_ICHRG, etc.) described above with respect to Fig. 44A, but removes the built-in voltage regulators from the dedicated charging IC 4202A shown in Fig. 44A.

The 4404B charge rate switch contains transistor Q2001A and allows the 2105 controller to select different charge currents using the BATT_USB_TYP charge current adjustment signal.

Exemplary embodiments have been disclosed herein, and it should be understood that other variations may be possible. Such variations should not be considered a departure from the scope of the present invention, and it is intended that all such modifications that will be obvious to one skilled in the art be included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (125)

1. An electronic device for vaping nicotine, comprising: a nicotine containing element assembly comprising a nicotine reservoir for holding the nicotine-containing prepared vapor composition and a heater configured to vaporize a nicotine-containing preformed composition for vapor drawn from a nicotine reservoir; and a main part of the device configured to engage with the nicotine containing element assembly, wherein the main part of the device comprises a controller configured to detection of a malfunction event in an electronic nicotine vaping device, classifying a fault event as one of a plurality of fault event types and performing at least one subsequent action based on the classification of the fault event. 2. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the fault event is one of the containing element soft fault event, the containing element hard fault event, the device soft fault event and the device hard fault event, wherein the soft containment element failure event is an abnormal condition within the nicotine containment element assembly that does not require interaction between an adult vaper and the electronic nicotine vaping device to resolve, and the hard containment element failure event is an abnormal condition within the nicotine containment element assembly that requires interaction between an adult vaper and the electronic nicotine vaping device to resolve, and wherein a soft device failure event is an abnormal condition in an electronic nicotine vaping device for which vaping is disabled until a corrective action is taken, and a hard device failure event is an abnormal condition in an electronic nicotine vaping device for which at least vaping is disabled and for which the intervention of an adult vaper is required to resolve. 3. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said at least one subsequent action includes an automatic shutdown operation, a heater shutdown operation, a vaping shutdown operation, a charging stop operation, or a combination thereof. 4. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to paragraph 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the main part of the device additionally contains at least one indicator for the vaper, configured to output an indication that a malfunction event has occurred. 5. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to paragraph 4, characterized in that the main part of the device additionally contains a storage device and the controller is configured to perform said at least one subsequent action by disconnection of the heater power supply, registration of the occurrence of a malfunction event in the storage device and providing an output by said at least one indicator to the vaper indicating that a malfunction event has occurred. 6. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to paragraph 4 or 5, characterized in that the main part of the device additionally contains a storage device and the controller is configured to perform said at least one subsequent action by disabling the vaping function in an electronic nicotine vaping device, registration of the occurrence of a malfunction event in the storage device and providing an output by said at least one indicator to the vaper indicating that a malfunction event has occurred. 7. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to paragraph 5 or 6, characterized in that the controller is additionally designed with the possibility detecting the release of the nicotine containing element assembly from engagement with the main part of the device and turning on the vaping function in the electronic nicotine vaping device in response to detecting that the nicotine containing element assembly has come out of engagement with the main part of the device. 8. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to claim 5, 6 or 7, characterized in that the controller is further configured to cause the main part of the device to enter a sleep mode in response to determining that a corrective action has not occurred in response to a malfunction event. 9. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to any of paragraphs 4-8, characterized in that the main part of the device additionally contains a storage device and the controller is configured to perform said at least one subsequent action by initiating an automatic shutdown operation in which the electronic nicotine vaping device goes into sleep mode, registration of the occurrence of a malfunction event in the storage device and providing an output by said at least one indicator to the vaper indicating that a malfunction event has occurred. 10. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to paragraph 4, characterized in that the main part of the device additionally contains a storage device and the controller is configured to perform said at least one subsequent action by disabling the vaping function, the charging operation, or the vaping function and the charging operation in the electronic nicotine vaping device, registration of the occurrence of a malfunction event in the storage device and providing an output by said at least one indicator to the vaper indicating that a malfunction event has occurred. 11. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to item 10, characterized in that the controller is designed with the possibility initiating a reset timer in response to detection of a fault event, determining that the reset timer has expired, and performing a reset of the electronic nicotine vaping device in response to determining that the reset timer has expired. 12. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to paragraph 11, characterized in that the controller is designed with the possibility determining that the fault event has been cleared by resetting, and enable the hover function, the charging operation, or the hover function and the charging operation in response to determining that the fault event has been cleared by a reset. 13. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to paragraph 11 or 12, characterized in that the reset is one of soft reset, which resets the software applications running on the controller, a hard reset, which resets the software applications running on the controller and the hardware of the electronic nicotine vaping device, or power reset, which includes generating a reset pulse for the entire circuit of the electronic nicotine vaping device. 14. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to any of paragraphs 10-13, characterized in that the controller is designed with the possibility detection of corrective action in an electronic device for vaping nicotine and turning on the hovering function, the charging operation, or the hovering function and the charging operation in response to detection of a corrective action. 15. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to any of the preceding paragraphs, characterized in that the nicotine containing element assembly comprises a memory device configured to store a temperature threshold value, and the controller is configured to detect a fault event by obtaining the temperature threshold value from the storage device, assessment of the heater temperature during operation of the electronic device for vaping nicotine and detecting a fault event in response to determining that the heater temperature is greater than or equal to a threshold temperature value. 16. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to any of the preceding paragraphs, characterized in that the main part of the device additionally contains a power supply unit configured to supply power to an electronic device for vaping nicotine; the fault event is a power supply low voltage fault event indicating that the power supply voltage is below the minimum threshold; and the controller is further configured to perform said at least one subsequent action by disabling the vaping function in the electronic nicotine vaping device in response to detecting a low voltage fault event in the power supply unit. 17. An electronic device for vaping nicotine according to any of the preceding paragraphs, characterized in that the main part of the device additionally contains a power supply unit configured to supply power to an electronic device for vaping nicotine; the fault event is a power supply temperature fault event indicating that the power supply temperature is greater than or equal to the maximum threshold; and the controller is configured to perform said at least one subsequent action by preventing charging of the power supply unit in response to detecting a power supply unit temperature fault event. 18. A method of operating an electronic device for vaping nicotine, the method comprising: detection of a malfunction event in an electronic nicotine vaping device; classifying the fault event as one of a plurality of fault event types; and performing at least one subsequent action based on the classification of the fault event. 19. The method according to item 18, characterized in that the fault event is one of the containing element soft fault event, the containing element hard fault event, the device soft fault event and the device hard fault event, wherein the soft containment element failure event is an abnormal condition within the nicotine containment element assembly that does not require interaction between an adult vaper and the electronic nicotine vaping device to resolve, and the hard containment element failure event is an abnormal condition within the nicotine containment element assembly that requires interaction between an adult vaper and the electronic nicotine vaping device to resolve, and wherein a soft device failure event is an abnormal condition in an electronic nicotine vaping device for which vaping is disabled until a corrective action is taken, and a hard device failure event is an abnormal condition in an electronic nicotine vaping device for which at least vaping is disabled and for which the intervention of an adult vaper is required to resolve. 20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that said at least one subsequent action includes an automatic shutdown operation, a heater shutdown operation, a vaping shutdown operation, a charging stop operation, or a combination thereof. 21. The method according to claim 18, 19 or 20, characterized in that the execution of at least one subsequent action includes: disconnecting the power supply to the heater in an electronic nicotine vaping device; recording the occurrence of a fault event in a memory device in an electronic nicotine vaping device; and output indication that a fault event has occurred. 22. The method according to any one of paragraphs 18-21, characterized in that the execution of at least one subsequent action includes: disabling the vaping function in an electronic nicotine vaping device; recording the occurrence of a fault event in a memory device in an electronic nicotine vaping device; and output indication that a fault event has occurred. 23. The method according to paragraph 22, characterized in that it additionally includes: detecting the removal of the nicotine containing element assembly from the electronic nicotine vaping device; and enabling a vaping function in the electronic nicotine vaping device in response to detecting the removal of the nicotine containing element assembly from the electronic nicotine vaping device. 24. The method according to any one of paragraphs 18-23, characterized in that it additionally includes placing the electronic nicotine vaping device into sleep mode in response to determining that corrective action has not occurred in response to a malfunction event. 25. The method according to any one of paragraphs 18-24, characterized in that the execution of at least one subsequent action includes: Initiating an automatic shutdown operation in which the electronic nicotine vaping device enters sleep mode; recording the occurrence of a fault event in a memory device in an electronic nicotine vaping device; and output indication that a fault event has occurred. 26. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that the execution of at least one subsequent action includes: disabling the vaping function, the charging operation, or the vaping function and the charging operation in the electronic nicotine vaping device; recording the occurrence of a fault event in a memory device in an electronic nicotine vaping device; and output indication that a fault event has occurred. 27. The method according to paragraph 26, characterized in that it additionally includes: Initiating a reset timer in response to detection of a fault event; determining that the reset timer has expired; and Performing a reset of the electronic nicotine vaping device in response to determining that the reset timer has expired. 28. The method according to paragraph 27, characterized in that it additionally includes: determining that the fault event has been cleared by reset; and enabling a vaping function, a charging operation, or a vaping function and a charging operation in an electronic nicotine vaping device in response to determining that the fault event has been cleared by a reset. 29. The method according to item 27 or 28, characterized in that the discharge is one of soft reset, which resets the software applications running on the controller, a hard reset, which resets the software applications running on the controller and the hardware of the electronic nicotine vaping device, or power reset, which includes generating a reset pulse for the entire circuit of the electronic nicotine vaping device. 30. The method according to paragraph 27, 28 or 29, characterized in that it additionally includes: detecting a corrective action in an electronic nicotine vaping device; and turning on the vaping function, the charging operation, or the vaping function and the charging operation in the electronic nicotine vaping device in response to detecting the corrective action. 31. The method according to any of paragraphs 18-30, characterized in that the detection of a malfunction event includes: obtaining a temperature threshold value from a storage device in an electronic nicotine vaping device; assessing the temperature of the heater in an electronic nicotine vaping device; detecting a fault event in response to determining that the heater temperature is greater than or equal to a temperature threshold. 32. The method according to any of paragraphs 18-31, characterized in that the fault event is a low power supply voltage fault event indicating that the power supply voltage in the electronic nicotine vaping device is below the minimum threshold, and performing said at least one subsequent action includes disabling the vaping function of the electronic nicotine vaping device in response to detecting a low voltage fault event of the power supply unit. 33. The method according to any of paragraphs 18-32, characterized in that the fault event is a power supply temperature fault event indicating that the temperature of the power supply in the electronic nicotine vaping device is greater than or equal to the maximum threshold value, and performing said at least one subsequent action includes preventing the power supply unit from charging in response to detecting a power supply unit temperature fault event.