Electronic smoke

• US 9,072,321 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2010
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minilogic Device Corporation Ltd.
• Inventors: Liu, Loi Ying
• Primary Examiner(s): DANIELS, MATTHEW J
• Application Number:
  US13/131,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20120186594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,834 Days
• Field of Search: 131/273, 131/328, 131/329
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/485 Valves; Apertures
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/51 Arrangement of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/28 by drag-force, e.g. vane type or impact flowmeter
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/0026 by using deflection of baffle-plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/0033 with electrical coupling to the indicating device

Abstract

An electronic smoke comprising an inhale detector and a smoke effect generating circuitry. The inhale detector comprises an air-flow sensor which is arranged to detect direction and rate of air flow through the smoke apparatus, and the smoke effect generating circuitry is arranged to operate the smoke effect generating circuitry to generate smoking effect when the air flow direction corresponds to inhaling through the apparatus and the air flow rate reaches at predetermined threshold. Such an electronic smoke alleviates the problem of inadvertent triggering due to environmental vibration or noise or children playing by blowing into the device.

Claims

1. An electronic smoke apparatus comprising an inhale detector, a controller and a smoke effect generating circuitry, wherein the inhale detector comprises an air-flow sensor with a capacitor which forms part of an oscillator circuit and is arranged to detect direction and rate of air flow through the smoke apparatus, and the controller is arranged to operate the smoke effect generating circuitry to generate smoking effect when the air flow is in a direction corresponding to inhaling through the smoke apparatus and the air flow rate reaches a predetermined threshold, and wherein the controller is arranged to measure the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit to determine the air flow rate and direction.

2. An electronic smoke apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the oscillator circuit is part of the controller and the controller comprises an oscillator circuit input, and wherein output of the air-flow sensor is connected to the oscillator circuit input of the controller to provide variable capacitance input to the oscillator circuit.

3. An electronic smoke apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller is arranged to measure instantaneous oscillation frequency or instantaneous variation in oscillation frequency of the oscillator circuit to determine instantaneous capacitance value or instantaneous variation in capacitance value of the air flow sensor.

4. An electronic smoke apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the controller is arranged to determine whether a threshold air flow rate of an inhale action has been detected at the inhale detector with reference to the instantaneous oscillation frequency or instantaneous variation in oscillation frequency of the oscillator circuit measured by the controller.

5. An electronic smoke apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller is to send an actuation signal to actuate the smoke effect generating circuitry upon detection of an inhaling action that has reached the threshold air flow rate of the inhale action.

6. An electronic smoke apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller is not to actuate the smoke effect generating circuitry if a blowing action is detected at the smoke apparatus.

7. An electronic smoke apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is arranged to measure instantaneous oscillation frequency or instantaneous variation in oscillation frequency of the oscillator circuit to determine instantaneous capacitance value or instantaneous variation in capacitance value of the air flow sensor.

8. An electronic smoke apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the controller is arranged to determine whether a threshold air-flow rate of an inhale action has been detected at the inhale detector with reference to the instantaneous oscillation frequency or instantaneous variation in oscillation frequency of the oscillator circuit measured by the controller.

9. An electronic smoke apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the controller is to send an actuation signal to actuate the smoke effect generating circuitry upon detection of an inhaling action that has reached the threshold air-flow rate of the inhale action.

10. An electronic smoke apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller is not to actuate the smoke effect generating circuitry if a blowing action is detected at the smoke apparatus.

11. An electronic smoke apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air flow sensor is to output variable capacitance values to the oscillator circuit and the variable capacitance values vary according to the direction and rate of air flow through the smoke apparatus.

12. An electronic smoke apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the air flow sensor comprises a metallic baffle plate which is resiliently deformable and is to deform to change output capacitance values according to the direction and rate of air flow through the smoke apparatus.

13. An electronic smoke apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller is to send an actuation signal to actuate the smoke effect generating circuitry upon detection of an inhaling action that has reached the threshold air-flow rate of the inhale action and not to actuate the smoke effect generating circuitry if a blowing action is detected at the smoke apparatus.

14. An electronic smoke apparatus comprising an inhale detector and a smoke effect generating circuitry, wherein the inhale detector comprises an air-flow sensor which is arranged to detect direction and rate of air flow through the smoke apparatus,

wherein the air-flow sensor comprises a capacitor,

wherein the smoke effect generating circuitry is arranged to generate smoking effect when the air flow direction corresponds to inhaling through the apparatus and the air flow rate reaches a predetermined threshold,

wherein the smoke effect generating circuitry comprises a processor which is adapted to measure capacitance or change in capacitance of the air-flow sensor, and

wherein the air-flow sensor forms part of an oscillator circuit, and the processor is arranged to measure the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit to determine the air-flow rate and direction.

15. The electronic smoke apparatus, wherein the capacitor comprises a deformable air-baffle surface and a conductive back plate which are arranged in a spaced apart manner.