Patent Publication Number: US-2021177054-A1

Title: Electronic smoking device and capsule system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/321,947 filed Dec. 23, 2016 and now pending, which is a Section 371 U.S. National Phase Application of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2015/001206, filed Dec. 6, 2015, which claims priority of European Patent Application No. 14002222.9, filed on Jun. 27, 2014. These applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     An electronic smoking device, such as an electronic cigarette, usually includes a housing accommodating an electric power source (e.g., a battery or a rechargeable battery), an electrically heatable atomizer including an electric heater adapted to atomize a liquid supplied from a reservoir (capsule) in order to provide an aerosol exiting from the atomizer. Control electronics control activation of the heater of the atomizer. A puff detector provided within the electronic smoking device is arranged to detect a user puffing on the device (e.g., by sensing an under-pressure or an air flow pattern through the device) and signals the puff to the control electronics. When a signal is detected the control electronics activate the atomizer, which creates an aerosol, referred to here as “atomizing”. The aerosol created may include vapor as well as gaseous and smoke constituents. 
     In many electronic smoking devices the liquid container, such as a capsule or cartridge) containing liquid to be atomized is disposable and the user simply replaces the container as a whole when it is empty or when a different type of liquid is to be atomized. 
     However, this allows users to use a replacement container that may not meet the quality and technical specifications of device manufacturer. Accordingly there is a need for an electronic smoking device and a capsule system in which the authenticity of a liquid container or capsule can be confirmed. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect an electronic smoking device may include a housing, control electronics, and a puff detector. The housing may hold a battery for powering an atomizer (e.g., an electrically heatable atomizer), which atomizes a liquid supplied from the capsule to provide an aerosol. The control electronics controls the atomizer (e.g., by controlling its heater). The puff detector indicates an aerosol inhaling puff to the control electronics. 
     A container or capsule contains the liquid to be supplied to the atomizer. The capsule may include a controller which receives data from the control electronics of the electronic smoking device and to transmit data to the control electronics. Moreover, the capsule may have a wired or wireless communication device which is adapted to transfer the data. 
     The control electronics of the electronic smoking device and the controller of the capsule may be adapted to execute a challenge response authentication. If the capsule is not able to authenticate, it can be disregarded by the electronic smoking device, for example by not operating a heater of the atomizer. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings the same element number indicates the same element in each of the views: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic longitudinal section view of an electronic smoking device and a capsule. 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged schematic longitudinal section of the capsule of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic longitudinal section of another embodiment of the capsule, in which an atomizer is integrated, 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of a support plate used for holding part of the atomizer of the capsule according to  FIG. 3 , and 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating challenge response authentication. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic partial longitudinal section of another capsule embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , an electronic smoking device  1  may have a cylinder-like housing  2  and a mouthpiece  4 , which is designed as a detachable cap. Removing the mouthpiece  4  provides access to a replaceable capsule  6 , which serves as a reservoir for a liquid and also contains an electronic controller. 
     A battery  10  in the housing may be a re-chargeable lithium ion battery and may include its own circuitry. The battery  10  is connected, via leads  12  and  13 , to control electronics  14 , which typically includes integrated circuits mounted on a printed circuit board  15 . The printed circuit board  15  may also support a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs)  16 , which are assembled behind respective windows provided in the housing  2  and indicate the current status of the electronic smoking device  1 . 
     A puff detector  18  is connected to the control electronics  14 . The puff detector  18  may be an inhalation sensor, which detects the vacuum generated inside the housing  2  when a user inhales at the mouthpiece  4 . 
     An atomizer  20  has a heater  22  connected via leads  23  to the control electronics  14 . The heater  22  includes a heating wire optionally mounted at a ceramics shell which also supports a wick  24  made of braided metal or sponge-like material, fibers, sintered metal, or similar liquid conveying element. A piercing tip  25  at the distant end of the wick  24  is able to penetrate a membrane  26  used for sealing the capsule  6  so that liquid  28  contained in the capsule  6  can be guided out of the capsule  6  and through the wick  24  to the area of the heater  22 . 
     At its free end, the mouthpiece  4  has an inhalation aperture  30 . At the opposite end of the electronic smoking device  1 , a charging port  32  is provided which permits re-charging of the battery  10 , e.g. via a USB port. 
     To use the electronic smoking device  1 , a consumer inserts a fresh capsule  6  into the housing  2  so that the capsule membrane  26  is pierced and liquid is supplied from the capsule  6  via the wick  24  to the area of the heater  22 . When the consumer inhales at the inhalation aperture  30 , the puff detector  18  senses the resulting vacuum inside the housing  2  and sends a puff signal to the control electronics  14 . In response, the control electronics turns on the heater  22  which atomizes nearby liquid and creates an aerosol, which is inhaled by the consumer. The heater  22  may remain switched on for a predetermined period of time. 
     The heater  22  may be provided in various other forms of direct heating and indirect heating of the liquid, each having advantages. In direct heating designs, the liquid directly contacts the heating element, which may be a wire coil, rod or other heater surface. In indirect heating designs, the liquid contacts a surface heated by a separate heating element, which does not come into direct contact with the liquid. Other types of atomizers or vaporizers may alternatively be used. Various ultrasonic atomizers are effective in creating vapor without heating. For example, an ultrasonic atomizer using a free-running Colpitts oscillator generates high-frequency energy in the range between 800 kHz and 2000 kHz driving a piezoelectric vibrator converting liquid into vapor. Atomizers having electrostatic, electromagnetic or pneumatic elements have also been proposed. 
       FIG. 2  is an enlarged view similar to  FIG. 1  and illustrates a capsule  6  containing an electronic controller  40  including a processor. The capsule  6  has a housing formed as a shell  42  optionally made of plastic material, and the controller  40  is accommodated in a cavity of the shell  42  preferably separated from the liquid  28  by an intermediate wall  44 . The controller  40  is electrically connected to the control electronics  14  of the electronic smoking device  1  by means of three electrical contacts  50 ,  51  and  52  at an outer face of the shell, three related counter-contacts arranged in the electronic smoking device  1  opposite to the contacts  50 ,  51 ,  52 , and three leads  54 ,  55  and  56  connecting these counter-contacts to the control electronics  14 . In the example shown, the contact  50  and lead  54  designates a common ground, the contact  51  and the lead  55  provide a line for permanently powering the controller  40 , and the contact  52  and the lead  56  provide a signal line for data transfer. 
       FIG. 3  shows an alternative capsule  60  referred to as a “cartomizer” (from “cartridge” and “atomizer”) because an atomizer is integrated into the cartridge or capsule. 
     In this embodiment, the cartomizer  60  has a cylindrical casing  62  optionally made of plastic material and including an end wall  64  having a center opening  65 . The casing  62  contains an internal cavity  66  filled in its peripheral (but nevertheless major) area with a liquid holding material such as polyester fleece that is soaked with the liquid to be atomized. Thus, this material forms a reservoir  68  for the liquid. For guiding the liquid out of the reservoir  68 , a wick bracket  70  made of porous Si 0   2  is used, which touches the reservoir  68  at its ends. A heating wire  72  is wound about the wick bracket  70 . Referring also to  FIG. 4 , the wick bracket  70  including the heating wire  72  is mounted on a support plate  74  of e.g. a ceramics material, which has two ventilation holes  76  and two small holes  77  through which the ends of the heating wire  72  are guided. 
     The support plate  74  provides for sufficient heat shielding so that an intermediate wall  78  does not overheat during operation of the heating wire  72 . The intermediate wall  78  separates the atomizer area of the cartomizer  60  from an additional compartment housing a controller  80  as well as a small battery for powering the controller  80  and a wireless communication device. In a variant of the embodiment, some electrical contacts are provided at the lateral wall of the compartment, which permit the transfer of electrical power from the battery of the electronic smoking device to the controller  80  and the transfer of data between the controller  80  and the control electronics of the electronic smoking device. The controller  80  may be used for challenge response authentication, like controller  40  of capsule  6 . 
     The leads of the heating wire  72  are guided through the compartment of the controller  80  and are soldered to a central inner contact  82  and an annular outer contact  84 , respectively, arranged in a coaxial way, with insulation material  86  in between. 
     The cartomizer  60  can be mounted at an electronic smoking device adapted to this type of capsule so that the contacts  82  and  84  electrically connect with corresponding contacts of the electronic smoking device, which are connected to control electronics similar to the control electronics  14 . When a puff detector similar to puff detector  18  senses a puff, the control electronics provides electrical current to the heating wire  72  via a battery in the electronic smoking device. The heating wire  72  heats the wick bracket  70 , and the liquid entering the porous wick bracket  70  from the porous reservoir  68  by capillary forces is atomized into the cavity  66 . The aero-sol thus created leaves the cavity  66  via the opening  65 . Ventilation holes of the capsule  60  in the vicinity of the heating wire  72  may be provided to improve the flow of the aerosol. 
     Similar to the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the control electronics of the electronic smoking device of  FIGS. 3-4  may be adapted to perform a challenge response authentication with the controller  80  of the cartomizer  60 . 
       FIG. 6  shows another embodiment with the heating wire  72  in the form of a coil at a generally central position of the reservoir  68 . The heating wire  72  is wound around a bundle of fibers  71  that project into or otherwise contact the reservoir. In use liquid is carried via the bundle of fibers to the heating wire  72  where the liquid is heated to form a vapor. 
       FIG. 5  shows a flow diagram illustrating the course of a challenge response authentication, as executed by capsule  6  when mounted at the electronic smoking device  1  or by cartomizer  60  when mounted at a corresponding electronic smoking device. 
     The left or master side of  FIG. 5  displays the steps executed by the control electronics of the electronic smoking device, and the right or servant side displays the steps executed by the controller of the capsule. In this embodiment, the capsule is connected to the electronic smoking device by means of a bidirectional electrical communication which allows the transmission of sequences of digital “1” and “0” values. 
     Both the electronic smoking device and the capsule contain a shared digital token (or key) which is kept secret and which is never transmitted. This token may be a sequence of “1” and “0” values. 
     Communication is then established by creating a random number (RND Nr.) which is sent from the master side to the servant side of the system. The random number is created by the control electronics of the electronic smoking device, i.e. by the master side. 
     The servant side applies its known secret key to the random number using a standard cryptographic algorithm (e.g., AES or similar) and uses a standard hash algorithm to add a hash key. This information is then sent back to the master side. 
     The master side uses the same cryptographic algorithm and the same hash algorithm as the servant side and is therefore able to check the hash value and to decrypt the transmitted value again. If the result is the random number originally sent, the master side can be reasonably sure that the servant side or capsule is authentic as it has the common secret key and that communication is secure and can continue. Alternatively, the master side may compare the transmitted value to the encrypted original random number. 
     The comparison of the received encrypted random number with the computed encrypted random number (applying the known random number and the known encryption including the secret key) can also be expressed as a comparison of the received encrypted random number after decryption (involving the known encryption including the secret key) with the original random number. Both approaches are to be covered by the invention as defined in the claims. 
     Thus, the control electronics of the electronic smoking device and the controller of the capsule share a common secret key which, however, cannot be read out of the electronic components. On the other hand, all data transferred via electrical contacts (or wireless) a third party could interfere with are encrypted. 
     In a variant, the original random number is produced in the capsule so that the master and servant functions are reversed. 
     In a more complex embodiment, all parts of the communication can be encrypted to prevent external equipment from being used to interfere with or analyze the communication between the electronic smoking device and the capsule. 
     In the above embodiment, a system has been described where a capsule  6  is provided with three electrical contacts  50 ,  51  and  52  providing for connection to a common ground  50 ,  54 , a line  51 ,  55  for permanently powering the controller  40 , and a signal line  52 ,  56  for data transfer. In some embodiments only two electrical contacts may be provided and a capacitor may be provided in the capsule  6  to store charge and power the electronic controller  40  or  80  in intervals when it is not powered directly by the a battery  10 . In such embodiments the capsule  6  may additionally include a diode to prevent discharging of the capacitor when the capacitor powers the electronic controller  40  or  80 . 
     Generally, two electrical contacts are required to power the controller in the capsule via the battery of the electronic smoking device. On the other hand, to transmit digital information, a signal line has to be put to voltage levels representing two different states, e.g. ground voltage level for logical “0” and a distinctly different positive (or negative) voltage level for logical “1” or for separating ground voltage level signals of different duration. To achieve the supply of power and the transmission of data with a total of two electrical contacts only, the capacitor in the capsule is used. The capacitor is charged by the electronic smoking device so that it can power the controller in the capsule during intermediate intervals, e.g. during intervals when the signal line is at ground voltage level during data transmission when it is not able to provide power to the controller. 
     Where a capacitor for powering the electronic controller  40  is provided, communication between the electronic controller  40  and the control electronics  14  of the electronic smoking device may be initiated by the control electronics  14  of the electronic smoking device providing a long pulse e.g. 100 ms, which charges the capacitor in the capsule  6 . 
     Afterwards, the main unit can send information in a binary encoded form wherein “1” and “0” are represented by electrical levels, e.g. a “0” is represented by no power while a “1” is indicated by supplying power and wherein, e.g., all the pulses have the same length. The end of communication can be marked with a power-on pulse of a different duration. Alternatively, information may be sent by representing “1” and “0” by different power-on durations, with power-off phases in between for separating these pulses. In such an embodiment the power-off phases should be kept short, e.g. no longer than 2 ms, because during these phases the capacitor is not charged and rather serves as the power supply for the electronic controller  40  in the capsule  6 . 
     Other embodiments using alternative data transfer schemes may be used. It will, however, be appreciated that where a controller  40  or  80  of a capsule  6  is powered via the dis-charge of a capacitor, suitable data signaling schemes should be designed accounting for the limitations of powering a controller  40  or  80  of a capsule  6  by virtue of the discharge of a capacitor. Thus for example it is preferable that suitable data transfer schemes use an initial period of higher voltage when first communicating so that the initial start signal might be utilized to charge the capacitor. Further it is preferable that power off phases should be kept short as during such phases the power needs for the controller  40  are provided through the discharge of the capacitor. 
     The electrical contacts for providing a means of electrical communication between the electronic controller  40  or  80  of the capsule  6  and the control electronics  14  of the electronic smoking device may be provided in a number of different ways. 
     For example, a non-conductive base material of the shell  42  of the capsule  6  may be coated with a first conductive layer (or area) on the inside and a second conductive layer (or area) on the outside of the shell, providing two electrical contacts which are isolated from each other. When inserting such a capsule  6  into the electronic smoking device, the first conductive area of the shell may be contacted, e.g., by a metal part used for piercing the membrane in order to open a hole for passing the liquid. The second conductive area can be connected, e.g., via a support metal part holding the capsule. 
     In some embodiments the complexity of the capsule  6  may be reduced by utilizing a metal foil enclosing a capsule  6  as one of the electrical contacts for incorporating the controller  40  within an electrical circuit and connecting the controller  40  with the battery  10  and/or the control electronics  14  of the electronic smoking device  1 . 
     As described, the challenge response authentication requires only a few components and does not involve complex arithmetic or complex algorithms on either part. The control electronics of the electronic smoking device usually will al-ready include a processor which is able to perform the authentication or otherwise will be able to do so at a small amount of extra cost. The controller of the capsule may also perform other tasks, e.g. for storing information on the actual amount of liquid in the capsule, so that it provides additional benefit and need not to be added exclusively for authentication purposes. 
     Thus, novel systems, components and methods have been shown and described. Various changes and substitutions may of course be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited except by the following claims and their equivalents.