CN111917155A - Electronic cigarette and electronic cigarette output voltage modulation method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic cigarette, comprising: an atomization unit configured to heat e-liquid; a power supply unit configured to supply power to the atomization unit; a detection unit configured to detect the voltage or residual voltage that can be output by the power supply unit electricity; and a control unit, including: a switch module configured to control the voltage supplying power to the atomizing unit; a processing module configured to generate the control signal according to the detection result of the detection unit and control the unit based on the control signal the state of the switch module; the processing module is configured to generate a first control signal when the detection result is greater than or equal to a first threshold voltage; the first control signal controls the state of the switch module so that at a first time The voltage supplied to the atomizing unit during the period is equal to the first modulation voltage, and the voltage supplied to the atomizing unit is made equal to the second modulation voltage after the first time period. The present invention further includes an electronic cigarette output voltage modulation method.

Description

Electronic cigarette and electronic cigarette output voltage modulation method

technical field

The present invention relates to an electronic atomization device, in particular to an electronic cigarette.

Background technique

The output voltage of existing products is direct output, that is, the full power output is based on the current battery power. The amount of TPM (totalparticular matter) generated is not enough to satisfy the user, because the voltage output obtained by this output method is unstable, and will gradually generate a voltage drop with the increase of the number of uses, resulting in the generated TPM gradually. Decrease, causing users to have a bad experience with a dull taste.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention proposes an electronic cigarette, comprising: an atomization unit, configured to heat the e-liquid; a power supply unit, coupled to the atomization unit, configured to supply the atomization unit Power supply, the voltage that the power supply unit can output decreases with the increase of the working time of the electronic cigarette; a detection unit is configured to detect the voltage or remaining power that the power supply unit can output; and a control unit, including: a switch module, coupled to Between the power supply unit and the atomizing unit, it is configured to control the voltage supplying power to the atomizing unit; a processing module, coupled to the switch module and the detection unit, is configured to control the voltage of the detection unit according to the The detection result generates the control signal and controls the state of the switch module based on the control signal; wherein the processing module is configured to generate a first control signal when the detection result is greater than or equal to a first threshold voltage; the The first control signal controls the state of the switch module such that the voltage supplied to the atomizing unit is equal to the first modulation voltage during a first period of time, and controls the state of the switch module after the first period of time Thereby, the voltage supplied to the atomizing unit is equal to the second modulation voltage until the power supply voltage is less than the first threshold voltage.

In particular, the processing module is further configured to generate a second control signal when the detection result is less than the first threshold but greater than or equal to the second threshold voltage; the second control signal controls the switching module In the second time period, the voltage provided to the atomizing unit is equal to the output voltage provided by the power supply unit, and after the second time period, the state of the switch module is controlled so that the voltage provided to the atomizing unit is The voltage is equal to the second modulation voltage until the supply voltage is less than the second threshold voltage.

In particular, the processing module is further configured to, when the detection result is less than the second threshold voltage, generate a third control signal; the third control signal controls the state of the switch module so as to be provided to the The voltage of the atomizing unit is equal to the output voltage provided by the power supply unit.

Particularly, the first threshold voltage is selected from 3.5V to 3.7V, and/or the second threshold voltage is selected from 3.25V to 3.5V.

Particularly, the first modulation voltage is selected from between the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage, and/or the second modulation voltage is selected from between the second threshold voltage and 3.25V.

Particularly, the first time period and/or the second time period is 0.5s.

In particular, the power supply unit includes: a voltage source to provide a power supply voltage; and a voltage regulator device coupled between the power supply voltage and a ground level.

Particularly, the switch module includes: a switch transistor, the first terminal of which is coupled to the output terminal of the power supply unit, and the second terminal (input terminal) is coupled to the input terminal of the atomizing unit as the output terminal of the control unit , whose control terminal (output terminal) is coupled to the output terminal of the processing module.

The present invention further includes a method for modulating the output voltage of an electronic cigarette. the first modulation voltage, and after a first period of time, the voltage supplied to the load is made equal to the second modulation voltage until the supply voltage is less than the first threshold voltage; the current supply voltage is less than the first threshold but greater than When equal to the second threshold voltage, a second control signal is generated, the voltage supplied to the load during the second period is equal to the current power supply voltage, and the voltage supplied to the load after the second period is equal to the second modulation voltage , until the power supply voltage is less than the second threshold voltage; when the current power supply voltage result is less than the second threshold voltage, a third control signal is generated to make the modulation voltage equal to the current power supply voltage.

Particularly, the first threshold voltage is selected from 3.5V to 3.7V, and/or the second threshold voltage is selected from 3.25V to 3.5V.

Particularly, the first modulation voltage is selected from between the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage, and/or the second modulation voltage is selected from between the second threshold voltage and 3.25V.

Particularly, the first time period and/or the second time period is 0.5s.

Description of drawings

Below, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic cigarette according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic diagram of an electronic cigarette circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the output voltage of an electronic cigarette and the number of ports according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a schematic diagram of the voltage output to the load by the existing electronic cigarette and the relationship between the voltage output to the load and the number of ports in the embodiment of the present application; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for modulating the output voltage of an electronic cigarette according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments These are some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

In the following detailed description, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings, which are considered a part of this application to illustrate specific embodiments of the application. In the figures, like reference numerals describe substantially similar components in the different figures. The specific embodiments of the present application are described in sufficient detail below to enable those of ordinary skill with relevant knowledge and technology in the art to implement the technical solutions of the present application. It should be understood that other embodiments may also be utilized or structural, logical or electrical changes may be made to the embodiments of the present application.

The amount of TPM (total particular matter) of the existing electronic cigarettes is not enough to satisfy the user, and the size of the TPM can be intuitively considered as the intensity of the user's smoking taste. With the traditional output method, the voltage output obtained is unstable, and the voltage drop will gradually occur with the increase of the number of uses, resulting in a gradual decrease in the generated TPM, which makes the user experience a bad taste.

In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides an electronic cigarette structure. FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic cigarette according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the electronic cigarette includes: an atomizing unit 11 , a power supply unit 12 , a detection unit 13 and a control unit 14 .

The atomizing unit 11 is configured to heat the e-liquid to atomize the e-liquid.

The power supply unit 12 , coupled to the atomizing unit 11 , is configured to supply power to the atomizing unit 11 . In some embodiments, power supply unit 12 may include, for example, dry cells or accumulators. Since the output voltage of the battery decreases with the increase of time, the voltage that the power supply unit 12 can output decreases with the increase of the working time of the electronic cigarette. In some embodiments, the output voltage of the power supply unit 12 is the power supply voltage. In some embodiments, the power supply unit further includes a voltage regulator. In some embodiments, the voltage regulator is a capacitor.

The detection unit 13 , coupled between the power supply unit 12 and the control unit 14 , is configured to detect the output voltage of the power supply unit 12 and feed back the detection result to the control unit 14 . The output voltage of the power supply unit 12 decreases with the increase of the working time of the electronic cigarette. The detection unit 13 performs real-time detection on the output voltage of the power supply unit 12 and feeds back the detection result to the control unit 14, wherein the output voltage is the output voltage of the power supply unit 12. average output voltage.

The control unit 14 includes: a switch module 141, which is coupled between the power supply unit 12 and the atomizing unit 11, and is configured to change its own switch state according to the control signal to control the power supply unit 12 to supply power to the atomizing unit 11, that is, atomizing The input voltage received by the unit 11 is the voltage modulated by the control unit 14 . The control unit 14 further includes a processing module 142, coupled between the switch module 141 and the detection unit 13, configured to compare the detection result of the detection unit 13 with the set threshold, and generate a corresponding control signal according to the comparison result. In some embodiments, the modulation method used by the processing module 142 to control the switch module 141 is PWM (Pulse Width Modulation).

After the electronic cigarette is started, the detection unit 13 starts to detect the output voltage of the power supply unit 12 in real time and feeds it back to the processing module 142 in the control unit 14 .

When the comparison result of the processing module 142 is that the output voltage of the power supply unit 12 is greater than or equal to the first threshold voltage, a first control signal is generated to make the voltage provided to the atomizing unit 11 within the first period of time (that is, after being modulated by the control unit 14 ) The modulation voltage) is equal to the first modulation voltage, and after the first period of time, the effective voltage provided to the atomizing unit 11 is made equal to the second modulation voltage until the output voltage is smaller than the first threshold voltage. Wherein, the first threshold voltage can be any voltage from 3.5V to 3.7V, such as 3.6V, the first time period can be, for example, 0.5s or other time lengths, and the second threshold voltage can be any voltage from 3.3V to 3.5V A voltage, such as 3.4V. The first modulation voltage is selected between the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage, and the second modulation voltage is selected between the second threshold voltage and 3.25V. Wherein, the first control signal can control the turn-on and turn-off time of the switch module 141, so as to realize different modulation voltages. Wherein, the first threshold voltage is higher than the second threshold voltage. The first modulation voltage is higher than the second modulation voltage.

When the comparison result of the processing module 142 is that the output voltage of the power supply unit 12 is less than the first threshold value but greater than or equal to the second threshold value voltage, a second control signal is generated to make the voltage provided to the atomizing unit 11 equal to the power supply within the second time period The output voltage provided by the unit 12, and after the second period of time, the voltage provided to the atomizing unit 11 is made equal to the second modulation voltage. Wherein, the second time period may be, for example, 0.5s or other time lengths. The second control signal can control the turn-on and turn-off times of the switch module 141, so as to achieve different modulation voltages.

When the comparison result of the processing module 142 is that the output voltage of the power supply unit 12 is less than the second threshold voltage, a third control signal is generated to make the voltage provided to the atomizing unit 11 equal to the output voltage provided by the power supply unit 12 . The third control signal is to control the 141 of the switch module to be continuously turned on.

The following is a further description in conjunction with the specific circuit diagram. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an electronic cigarette circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the first threshold is 3.6V, the second threshold is 3.4V, the first modulation voltage is 3.6V, the second modulation voltage is 3.4V, the first and second time periods are 0.5s, the load resistance (that is, the atomizing unit 11 equivalent resistance) is 1.2 ohms. As shown in FIG. 2 , the circuit includes: an atomizing unit 21 , a power supply unit 22 , a detection unit 23 and a control unit 24 .

The power supply unit 22 includes a voltage source Vb to supply a power supply voltage. The capacitor 221 is coupled between the power supply voltage Vb and the ground level. The capacitor 221 is used to improve the stability of the circuit operation. The power supply voltage Vb is the current output voltage provided by the battery.

The detection unit 23 includes a detection module 231 with a voltage detection function. The input end of the detection module 231 is coupled to the output end of the power supply unit 22, and the ground end of the detection module 231 is coupled to the ground level.

The control unit 24 includes: a switch module 241 and a processing module 242 . The switch module 241 includes a switch transistor 2411 , the first terminal of which is coupled to the output terminal of the power supply unit 22 , and the second terminal is coupled to the input terminal of the atomizing unit 21 as the output terminal of the control unit 24 . The switch module 241 further includes a resistor 2412 whose first terminal is coupled to the first terminal of the switching transistor 2411 and a resistor 2413 whose first terminal is coupled to the control terminal of the switching transistor 2411 . The second ends of the resistors 2412 and 2413 are coupled to each other. The output terminal of the processing module 242 is coupled to the second terminal of the resistor 2412 , and the input terminal thereof is coupled to the output terminal of the detection module 231 . The ground terminal of the processing module 242 is coupled to the ground level.

The atomizing unit 21 includes a load 211 whose equivalent resistance is 1.2 ohms. One end of the load 211 is coupled to the second end of the switching transistor 2411 to receive the output voltage modulated by the control unit 24, and the other end thereof is coupled to the ground level.

The detection module 231 in the detection unit 23 detects the magnitude of the power supply voltage Vb in real time, and then sends the voltage value of Vb to the processing module 242 in the control unit 24 . The processing module 242 compares the current supply voltage Vb with the set threshold voltage.

When Vb is greater than or equal to 3.6V, the processing module 242 will generate the first control signal. The first control signal controls the opening or closing of the switch module 241 by means of PWM, modulates the original power supply voltage Vb to 3.6V, and continuously and stably supplies the atomizing unit 21 with a voltage of 3.6V within 0.5s. After 0.5s , modulate the original power supply voltage Vb to 3.4V, and maintain the 3.4V voltage to continuously supply the atomizing unit 21 .

When Vb is less than 3.6V and greater than or equal to 3.4V, the processing module 242 will generate the second control signal. The original power supply voltage Vb is directly supplied to the atomizing unit 21 within 0.5s. After 0.5s, the original power supply voltage Vb is modulated to 3.4V, and the voltage of 3.4V is maintained to be continuously supplied to the atomizing unit 21 .

When Vb is less than 3.4V, the processing module 242 will generate a third control signal to control the switching transistor 2411 to continue to turn on, and directly provide the original power supply voltage Vb to the atomizing unit 21 .

Compared with the traditional structure, the present application can obtain stable voltage output in the process of long-term use, and will not produce a large voltage drop with the increase of the number of uses, so that the generated TPM is also more stable, and the user's taste is better. be consistent.

3 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the output voltage of an electronic cigarette and the number of ports according to an embodiment of the present invention. The horizontal axis is the number of simulated suction ports, and the vertical axis is the voltage output to the load after modulation in the above-mentioned manner (ie, the modulation voltage). Here, since the circuit also includes other functional structures to divide the voltage, the actual detected voltage value will be smaller than the aforementioned output voltage value of the control unit, but does not affect the actual working effect. It can be found from the curve in the figure that when the number of suction ports exceeds 20, the output voltage gradually becomes stable. The output voltage here is the modulation voltage output to the atomizing unit, and the size of the modulation voltage directly affects the size of the TPM generated by the atomizing unit. Therefore, the TPM produced is also very stable, and the taste obtained by e-cigarette users remains consistent for a long time.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the voltage output by the existing electronic cigarette to the load and the modulation voltage output to the load and the number of ports in the embodiment of the present application. The horizontal axis in the figure is the number of simulated suction ports, and the vertical axis is the voltage output to the load after modulation in the above-mentioned manner (ie, the modulation voltage). Since the circuit also includes other structures to divide the voltage, the actual detected voltage value will be smaller than the output voltage value of the aforementioned control unit, but the actual working effect will not be affected. The figure includes a total of four curves, which are respectively: curve 401-403 of the voltage value output by the existing electronic cigarette to the load with the number of ports and curve 404 of the modulation voltage output to the load with the number of ports in the embodiment of the present application. Therein, the curve 404 is the same as the curve shown in FIG. 3 . As shown in the figure, in the prior art, no matter how much the voltage is supplied to the load, the continuous voltage drop cannot be avoided, which will further lead to a decrease in the TPM of the electronic cigarette and affect the taste. However, the voltage value provided by the present application is more stable and has a better taste.

As described above, compared with the prior art, the present application can still maintain the stability of the output voltage when the number of suction ports is larger. But in some special cases, TPM is not positively related to the output voltage. In order to further illustrate the advantages of the present application, the present application also tested the relationship between the number of suction ports and the TPM value in different schemes, and the results are shown in the following table. Among them, the columns correspond to electronic cigarette 1: 3.5V direct power supply, electronic cigarette 2: 3.4V direct power supply, electronic cigarette 3: 3.3V direct power supply and the solution of this application. In the horizontal row, the number of ports corresponding to each group is 20, the first group is the 1st to 20th puffs, the second group is the 21st to 40th puffs, and so on.

The data in the table is the TPM value corresponding to a certain group (20 ports in total) in the current program, and the unit is mg.

electronic cigarette 1 Electronic cigarette 2 Electronic cigarette 3 This program First group 190.5 187.3 177.8 180.6 Second Group 183.6 184.1 174.0 172.8 The third group 181.1 179.4 171.3 165.7 Fourth group 173.0 172.5 168.7 165.4 Group 5 165.8 165.0 163.9 162.7 The sixth group 162.3 162.2 162.0 163.1 Group 7 157.6 160.7 157.5 162.9 eighth group 142.0 156.8 152.6 162.4 ninth group 135.3 142.8 149.5 162.2

It can be seen from the data in the table that the output method in the prior art will greatly reduce the TPM value after multiple puffs, which will lead to the gradual weakening of the taste during puffing. In the existing direct output scheme, starting from the third group, the gap between each group is basically more than 2mg. In the present application, the difference between the groups was about 0.5 mg. Obviously, with the increase of the number of suction ports, the solution provided by the present application provides more stable TPM, and thus has a better taste. In addition, in the prior art, the difference in TPM between the first group and the ninth group is more than 28 mg, while the TPM difference between the first group and the ninth group in the solution of the present application is 18.4 mg, so the overall decrease in taste is also It is smaller than the prior art, so that the difference between the front and back taste of the electronic cigarette is smaller.

The above control test results clearly show that the structure involved in this solution can provide a more stable modulation voltage for the load when the output voltage of the battery continues to drop. This stability not only shows that the TPM value does not change much during the suction process, but also shows that the TPM difference between the first suction and the last suction is small. It can provide users who smoke electronic cigarettes with a more uniform taste and a better smoking experience.

The present application further includes an electronic cigarette output voltage modulation method. According to one embodiment, the electronic cigarette can detect the voltage output by its power supply, or report its voltage level to the control unit. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for modulating the output voltage of an electronic cigarette according to an embodiment of the present application.

Step 501: Determine whether the power supply voltage is greater than or equal to a first threshold voltage. When the power supply voltage is greater than or equal to the first threshold voltage, step 502 is executed. When the power supply voltage is less than the first threshold voltage, step 504 is executed. The first threshold voltage may be selected from 3.5V˜3.7V.

Step 502: Generate a first control signal so that the voltage supplied to the load during the first time period is equal to the first modulation voltage. The first time period may be 0.5s, and of course, it may also be set to other time as required. In some embodiments, the load includes the aforementioned atomizing unit.

Step 503: Make the voltage supplied to the load equal to the second modulation voltage after the first time period.

Step 504: Determine whether the power supply voltage is greater than or equal to the second threshold voltage. When the power supply voltage is greater than or equal to the second threshold voltage, step 505 is executed. When the power supply voltage is less than the second threshold voltage, step 507 is executed. The second threshold voltage is selected from 3.3V˜3.5V.

Step 505: Generate a second control signal, and the voltage supplied to the load during the second time period is equal to the current power supply voltage. Wherein, the second time period may be 0.5s, and of course, it may also be set to other time as required.

Step 506: The voltage supplied to the load after the second time period is equal to the second modulation voltage.

Step 507: Generate a third control signal, and the voltage supplied to the load is equal to the current power supply voltage.

The first modulation voltage is selected between the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage, and the second modulation voltage is selected between the second threshold voltage and 3.25V.

Compared with the traditional method, the present application can obtain stable voltage output in the process of long-term use, and will not produce a large voltage drop with the increase of the number of uses, so that the generated TPM is also more stable, and the user's taste is better. be consistent.

The above-mentioned embodiments are only for the purpose of illustrating the present invention, rather than limiting the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the relevant technical field can also make various changes and modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, all Equivalent technical solutions should also belong to the scope of the disclosure of the present invention.

Claims (12)

1. An electronic cigarette, comprising: an atomization unit, configured to heat the e-liquid; a power supply unit, coupled to the atomizing unit, configured to supply power to the atomizing unit, and the output voltage of the power supply unit decreases as the working time of the electronic cigarette increases; a detection unit, configured to detect the voltage or remaining power that the power supply unit can output; and Control unit, including: a switch module, coupled between the power supply unit and the atomizing unit, configured to control the voltage for supplying power to the atomizing unit; a processing module, coupled to the switch module and the detection unit, configured to generate a control signal according to the detection result of the detection unit and to control the state of the switch module based on the control signal; Wherein, the processing module is configured to generate a first control signal when the detection result is greater than or equal to a first threshold voltage; The first control signal controls the state of the switch module such that the voltage supplied to the atomizing unit is equal to the first modulation voltage during a first period of time, and controls the state of the switch module after the first period of time Thereby, the voltage supplied to the atomizing unit is equal to the second modulation voltage until the power supply voltage is less than the first threshold voltage. 2. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the processing module is further configured to generate a second control signal when the detection result is less than the first threshold but greater than or equal to the second threshold voltage; The second control signal controls the state of the switch module to make the voltage supplied to the atomizing unit equal to the output voltage provided by the power supply unit within a second period of time, and controls the state of the switch module so that the After two time periods, the voltage supplied to the atomizing unit is made equal to the second modulation voltage until the power supply voltage is less than the second threshold voltage. 3. The electronic cigarette according to claim 2, wherein the processing module is further configured to generate a third control signal when the detection result is less than the second threshold voltage; The third control signal controls the state of the switch module so that the voltage provided to the atomizing unit is equal to the output voltage provided by the power supply unit. 4. The electronic cigarette according to claim 3, wherein the first threshold voltage is selected from 3.5V-3.7V, and/or the second threshold voltage is selected from 3.25V-3.5V. 5. The electronic cigarette according to claim 4, wherein the first modulation voltage is selected from between the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage, and/or the second modulation voltage is selected from the second threshold voltage and 3.25 between V. 6. The electronic cigarette according to claim 3, wherein the first time period and/or the second time period is 0.5s. 7. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the power supply unit comprises: a voltage source to provide the supply voltage; and A voltage regulator is coupled between the supply voltage and ground. 8. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, the switch module comprising: a switching transistor, the first end of which is coupled to the output end of the power supply unit, the second end is coupled to the input end of the atomizing unit, and the control end of which is coupled to the output end of the processing module. 9. An electronic cigarette output voltage modulation method, comprising: When the current power supply voltage is greater than or equal to the first threshold voltage, the first control signal is generated so that the voltage supplied to the load is equal to the first modulation voltage during the first time period, and the voltage supplied to the load is equal to the second modulation voltage after the first time period modulation voltage; When the current power supply voltage is less than the first threshold value but greater than or equal to the second threshold value voltage, a second control signal is generated to make the voltage supplied to the load equal to the current power supply voltage during the second time period, and after the second time period internally making the voltage supplied to the load equal to the second modulation voltage; When the result of the current power supply voltage is less than the second threshold voltage, a third control signal is generated to make the voltage supplied to the load equal to the current power supply voltage. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first threshold voltage is selected from 3.5V to 3.7V, and/or the second threshold voltage is selected from 3.25V to 3.5V. 11. The electronic cigarette according to claim 10, wherein the first modulation voltage is selected from between the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage, and/or the second modulation voltage is selected from the second threshold voltage and 3.25 between V. 12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first time period and/or the second time period is 0.5s.

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