Method and device for generating smoking signals and electronic cigarette using the method and the device

• US 9,560,882 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2013
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Huizhou Kimree Technology Co., Ltd
• Original Assignee: Huizhou Kimree Technology Co., Ltd
• Inventors: Xiang, Zhiyong
• Primary Examiner(s): Del Sole, Joseph S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed Ali, Mohamed K
• Application Number:
  US14/100,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20150090277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 131/329
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/485 Valves; Apertures
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/50 Control or monitoring

Abstract

The present application provides a method and a device for generating smoking signals in electronic cigarettes and an electronic cigarette using the method and the device. The method includes these steps: using airflow passing through a vocal cavity of an electronic cigarette to drive the vocal cavity to vibrate and generate an ultrasonic wave; using an acoustic-electric conversion unit mounted on the vocal cavity to convert the ultrasonic wave into a voltage signal; and using a microprocessor of the electronic cigarette to generate a control signal according to the voltage signal and start a heating and atomizing process of tobacco juice in the electronic cigarette.

Claims

1. An electronic cigarette, comprising:

a microprocessor;

a vocal cavity mounted in an airflow channel of the electronic cigarette;

a battery sleeve;

and an acoustic-electric conversion unit electrically connected to the microprocessor;

the vocal cavity and the acoustic-electric conversion unit are mounted in the battery sleeve;

wherein the vocal cavity includes a main body and an extending body connected to the main body, a diameter of the main body is larger than a diameter of the extending body, and the extending body is hollow;

the main body defines an air inlet the extending body defines an acoustic groove and an acoustic hole in a circumferential side wall of the extending body, and a center connection line between a center of the acoustic groove and a center of the acoustic hole is parallel to a central axis of the vocal cavity;

wherein the acoustic groove forms a slope, the slope gradually approaches the central axis of the vocal cavity from a first end of the slope to a second end of the slope;

wherein the first end is away from the main body, and the second end is close to the main body;

wherein the battery sleeve defines least one through hole, external airflow enters the electronic cigarette via the air through hole, and an airflow channel is formed;

the airflow in the airflow channel enters the extending body which is hollow via the through hole and the air inlet, when the airflow enters the extending body, the slope is driven to vibrate, the vocal cavity is configured to convert the external airflow into an ultrasonic wave with a specific frequency;

wherein the acoustic-electric conversion unit is a piezoelectric ceramic piece mounted in an internal sidewall of the vocal cavity, and is configured to convert the ultrasonic wave into a voltage signal and transmit the voltage signal to the microprocessor and;

wherein the microprocessor is configured to generate a control signal according to the voltage signal and start a heating and atomizing process of tobacco juice in the electronic cigarette.

2. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is configured to compare the voltage signal with a preset voltage threshold value, and generate the control signal and start the heating and atomizing process of the tobacco juice in the electronic cigarette when a voltage value of the voltage signal is larger than the preset voltage threshold value.

3. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the electronic cigarette further includes a battery, a heating wire, and a switch circuit;

the battery is electrically connected to the microprocessor, and is configured to store electric power and provide a power supply voltage;

the switch circuit is electrically connected to the battery, the microprocessor, and the heating wire, and is configured to electrically connect the battery to the heating wire to start the heating and atomizing process of the tobacco juice in the electronic cigarette under the control of the control signal generated by the microprocessor;

the type of the microprocessor is SN8P2711;

wherein the piezoelectric ceramic piece is electrically connected to a second pin of the microprocessor, a source electrode of the MOS transistor Q1 is electrically connected to a negative electrode of the battery, a gate electrode of the MOS transistor Q1 is electrically connected to a fourth pin of the microprocessor, and a drain electrode of the MOS transistor Q1 is electrically connected to one end of the heating wire, the other end of the heating wire is electrically connected to a positive electrode of the battery;

wherein the electronic cigarette further comprises an LED configured to indicate the working status of the electronic cigarette, a voltage stabilizing diode configured to stabilize the working voltage of the electronic cigarette, and two resistors R7, R8;

wherein a first pin of the microprocessor is electrically connected to a cathode of the voltage stabilizing diode, and an anode of the voltage stabilizing diode is electrically connected to the positive electrode of the battery;

an anode of the LED is electrically connected to one end of the resistor R7, and the other end of the resistor R7 is electrically connected to the positive electrode of the battery;

a cathode of the LED is electrically connected to a fifth pin of the microprocessor;

a third pin of the microprocessor is electrically connected to one end of the resistor R8 and the drain of the MOS transistor Q1; and

the other end of the resistor R8 is electrically connected to the positive electrode of the battery;

when the microprocessor receives a voltage signal from the piezoelectric ceramic piece, the microprocessor compares the voltage signal with a preset voltage threshold value, if the voltage value of the voltage signal received by the microprocessor is larger than the preset voltage threshold value, the microprocessor controls the MOS transistor Q1 to be switched on, so that the battery supplies electric power to the heating wire, the heating wire is electrified and generates heat and the tobacco juice of the electronic cigarette is heated and atomized;

wherein the vocal cavity is independent of other components of the electronic cigarette, the components include the microprocessor and the battery, and the vocal cavity for generating smoking signals does not malfunction although the tobacco juice seeps into the vocal cavity.