Proximity sensing for an aerosol delivery device

Abstract

A control body is coupled or coupleable with a cartridge that is equipped with a heating element and contains an aerosol precursor composition, the control body and cartridge forming an aerosol delivery device. The control body includes a control to control the heating element to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition. The proximity sensor detects a presence of an object nearby the control body without requiring any physical contact with the object. And the proximity sensor or control component controls operation of at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device in response to the presence of the object so detected. In another aspect, a cartridge may include a proximity sensor to detect a level of the aerosol precursor composition, and operation of functional element(s) may be controlled in response to the level of the aerosol precursor composition so detected.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cartridge coupled or coupleable with a control body that is equipped with a control component, the control body being coupled or coupleable with the cartridge to form an aerosol delivery device, the cartridge comprising:
 a housing defining a reservoir configured to retain aerosol precursor composition;   a heating element configured to operate in an active mode in which the cartridge is coupled with the control body, the heating element in the active mode being controllable by the control component to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition; and   a proximity sensor configured to detect a level of the aerosol precursor composition in the reservoir without requiring any physical contact with the aerosol precursor composition, the proximity sensor or control component being configured to control operation of at least one functional element of the aerosol delivery device in response to the level of the aerosol precursor composition so detected.   
     
     
         2 . The cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the proximity sensor is a capacitive, ultrasonic, Hall effect, photoelectric or non-mechanical magnetic proximity sensor. 
     
     
         3 . The cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the proximity sensor includes first and second capacitive proximity sensors configured to measure respectively first and second capacitances that indicate respectively a level and a reference, and the proximity sensor being configured to detect the level of the aerosol precursor composition includes being configured to calculate the level of the aerosol precursor composition from the first and second capacitances, or output or output signals corresponding to the first and second capacitances for the control component to calculate the level of the aerosol precursor composition from the first and second capacitances. 
     
     
         4 . The cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the proximity sensor or control component being configured to control at least one functional element includes being configured to control a sensory-feedback member to provide a user-perceptible feedback. 
     
     
         5 . The cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the proximity sensor or control component being configured to control at least one functional element includes being configured to control at least one functional element to alter a locked state of the aerosol delivery device. 
     
     
         6 . The cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the proximity sensor or control component being configured to control at least one functional element includes being configured to upload to a service platform, data associated with the level of the aerosol precursor composition detected by the proximity sensor.