WO2014205759A1 - Electronic cigarette box and method for charging electronic cigarette - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic cigarette box (100) and a method for charging an electronic cigarette. The electronic cigarette box (100) comprises a cigarette box body for accommodating an electronic cigarette. A charging port is disposed on the cigarette box body. The electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port during charging. The electronic cigarette box (100) also comprises a controller (110), and comprises a triggering switch (120), a charging detecting module (130) and an electronic cigarette charging outputting module (140) all connected to the controller (110). The triggering switch (120) is close to the charging port, and when the electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port, the triggering switch (120) is triggered. When detecting that the triggering switch (120) is triggered, the controller (110) controls the electronic cigarette charging outputting module (140) to enter into a charging mode. Under the charging mode, the electronic cigarette charging outputting module (140) generates a charging current and outputs the charging current to the electronic cigarette, so as to charge the inserted electronic cigarette. When the charging detecting module (130) detects that the electronic cigarette is fully charged, the controller (110) controls the electronic cigarette charging outputting module (140) to enter into an ultra-low standby mode. Under the ultra-low standby mode, the electronic cigarette charging outputting module (140) stops generating the charging current, so that a standby current of the electronic cigarette box (100) is less than 10 microamps.

Description

 Electronic cigarette case and method for charging same Technical field

 The present invention relates to the field of electronic cigarettes, and more particularly to an electronic cigarette case and a method of charging the same.

Background technique

At present, electronic cigarette case products are widely used, not only because the electronic cigarette case products are easy to carry, but also can be used for storing electronic cigarettes. Moreover, when the battery of the electronic cigarette is exhausted, the electronic cigarette case with the built-in backup battery can be used for the electronic cigarette. Charge it.

 However, in the existing electronic cigarette case, when the electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port of the electronic cigarette case for charging, even the electronic cigarette It is fully charged, and the electronic cigarette case still maintains a high standby current, such as several hundred microamps to several milliamps, as long as it is not pulled out. For example, in one of the charging methods, as long as the electronic cigarette is not pulled out, the electronic cigarette case always charges it, and after the electronic cigarette is fully charged, the standby current of the electronic cigarette case is still large (for example, several milliamps). ). For another example, in another charging method, the processor of the electronic cigarette case needs to determine whether the electronic cigarette is inserted by intermittently querying the port level of the charging port, and does not stop after the electronic cigarette is fully charged in the electronic cigarette case. This kind of inquiry process will cause the icy current of the electronic cigarette case to be large (for example, several hundred uA). Since the standby current of the electronic cigarette case is large and the time is long, the electronic cigarette case is completely de-energized, which not only causes inconvenience to the user, but also shortens the built-in battery of the electronic cigarette case by frequently charging the electronic cigarette case. Service life.

technical problem

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an electronic cigarette case with low standby power consumption and a method for charging the electronic cigarette, in view of the defect that the standby power consumption of the electronic cigarette case is large in the prior art.

Technical solution

 The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem thereof is:

 provide An electronic cigarette case comprising a cigarette case body for accommodating an electronic cigarette, wherein the cigarette case body is provided with a charging port, and the electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port when charging the electronic cigarette, and the electronic cigarette case is further The controller includes a trigger switch connected to the controller, a charging detection module, and an electronic cigarette charging output module, the trigger switch is adjacent to the charging port, and triggering the trigger when the electronic cigarette is inserted from the charging port a switch that controls the controller to detect when the trigger switch is triggered The electronic cigarette charging output module enters a charging mode, in which the electronic cigarette charging output module generates a charging current and outputs the charging current to the electronic cigarette, and the inserted electronic cigarette Charging; when the charging detection module detects that the electronic cigarette is fully charged, the controller controls the electronic cigarette The charging output module enters an ultra-low standby mode. In the ultra-low standby mode, the electronic cigarette charging output module stops generating the charging current, so that the standby current of the electronic cigarette case is less than 10 microamperes.

In the electronic cigarette case of the present invention, the trigger switch includes an elastic button disposed adjacent to the charging port and a signal generator communicably connected to the elastic button, when the electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port, The flexible button is squeezed by the electronic cigarette to activate the signal generator to generate an insertion signal.

 In the electronic cigarette case of the present invention, The signal generator includes an eleventh resistor, a twelfth resistor, a fifth capacitor, a sixth capacitor, and a three-terminal adjustable shunt reference source, and an anode of the three-terminal adjustable shunt reference source is in communication with the controller, The cathode of the three-terminal adjustable shunt reference source is in communication with a reference voltage via the twelfth resistor, and the cathode of the three-terminal adjustable shunt reference source is further connected to a positive voltage, the three-terminal adjustable shunt reference a reference pole of the source is also in communication with the positive voltage, the sixth capacitor is coupled between the positive voltage and ground; the resilient button is coupled between the controller and a negative voltage, the eleventh resistor The first end is in communication with the negative voltage through the elastic button, the second end of the eleventh resistor is in communication with the reference voltage, and the second end of the eleventh resistor is further connected via the fifth capacitor Ground connection.

In the electronic cigarette case of the present invention, the trigger switch includes a Hall switch disposed adjacent to the charging port, and the Hall switch generates an insertion signal when an electronic cigarette having a magnet is inserted into the charging port.

In the electronic cigarette case of the present invention, the charging detection module includes a charging current detecting module for detecting the charging current, and determining the electronic cigarette when the detected charging current is less than a preset current threshold. full charge.

In the electronic cigarette case of the present invention, the charging current detecting module includes a ninth resistor, a tenth resistor and a fourth capacitor, and the tenth resistor is connected between the battery rod negative pole of the electronic cigarette and the ground, The ninth resistor is connected between the battery rod negative electrode and the controller, and the fourth capacitor is connected between the controller and the ground.

In the electronic cigarette case of the present invention, the charging detection module includes a voltage detecting module for detecting a voltage of the electronic cigarette, and when the detected voltage is greater than a predetermined voltage threshold, determining that the electronic cigarette is full Electricity.

 In the electronic cigarette case of the present invention, The voltage detecting module includes a seventh resistor, an eighth resistor and a second capacitor, wherein the seventh resistor and the eighth resistor are sequentially connected in series between the positive pole of the electronic cigarette and the ground, and the seventh resistor And a common node of the eighth resistor is in communication with the controller, and the second capacitor is connected between the controller and the ground.

 In the electronic cigarette case of the present invention, the controller comprises a chip HT46R01B a third capacitor and a third diode connected to the HT46R01B Between the reference voltage port and the ground, the anode of the third diode is connected to a reference voltage, and the cathode of the third diode is connected to the reference voltage port of the HT46R01B.

 Accordingly, the present invention also provides A method for charging an electronic cigarette by using an electronic cigarette case, the electronic cigarette case comprising a cigarette case body for accommodating the electronic cigarette, wherein the cigarette case body is provided with a charging port, the method comprising:

When the electronic cigarette is inserted from the charging port, triggering a trigger switch disposed near the charging port to enter a charging mode, in which a charging current is generated and the charging current is output to the electronic cigarette. The inserted electronic cigarette is charged;

 When the electronic cigarette When fully charged, the ultra low standby mode is entered. In the ultra low standby mode, the charging current is stopped to be generated, so that the standby current of the electronic cigarette case is less than 10 microamperes.

 In the method of the present invention, detecting the electronic cigarette The method of fully charging includes: detecting a magnitude of the charging current, and determining that the electronic cigarette is fully charged when the detected charging current is less than a predetermined current threshold.

In the method of the present invention, the method for detecting the full charge of the electronic cigarette comprises: detecting a magnitude of a voltage of the electronic cigarette, and determining that the electronic cigarette is fully charged when the detected voltage is greater than a predetermined voltage threshold .

Beneficial effect

Embodiments of the present invention have the following beneficial effects: by automatically triggering an entry charging mode when an electronic cigarette is inserted, generating and outputting a charging current to charge the electronic cigarette in the inserted electronic cigarette, and in the electronic cigarette After fully charged, stop generating charging current and reduce the total standby current of the electronic cigarette case to 10 Below the micro-ampere, the standby power consumption of the electronic cigarette case can be significantly reduced, the number of times of charging the electronic cigarette case can be reduced, the service life of the built-in battery of the electronic cigarette case can be prolonged, and the user experience can be improved.

DRAWINGS

 The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments, in which:

 1 is a schematic view of an electronic cigarette case provided by the present invention;

 2 is a timing chart showing the operation of charging the electronic cigarette by the electronic cigarette case shown in FIG. 1 provided by the present invention;

 3 is a flow chart of a method for charging an electronic cigarette using the electronic cigarette case shown in FIG. 1 provided by the present invention;

 Figure 4 is a circuit diagram of the electronic cigarette case shown in Figure 1 for charging electronic cigarettes.

Embodiments of the invention

 For a better understanding of the technical features, objects and effects of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

 The electronic cigarette case generally includes a cigarette case body for accommodating the electronic cigarette, and the charging box is provided with a charging port. When charging the electronic cigarette, the electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port, so that the battery rod in the electronic cigarette communicates with the relevant circuit in the body of the cigarette case, thereby charging the electronic cigarette with the built-in battery of the electronic cigarette case. figure 1 A schematic diagram of one embodiment of a related circuit within a cartridge body is shown. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic cigarette case 100 includes a controller 110, a trigger switch 120, a charging detection module 130, and an electronic cigarette. The charging output module 140, wherein the trigger switch 120 is close to the charging port, and when the electronic cigarette is inserted from the charging port, the trigger switch 120 is triggered. In addition, the trigger switch 120 and the charging detection module 130 And the electronic cigarette charging output module 140 are respectively connected to the controller 110 for communication. The controller 110 detects that the trigger switch 120 connected thereto is triggered, and controls the electronic cigarette charging output module. 140 Enter charging mode. In the charging mode, the electronic cigarette charging output module 140 generates a charging current and outputs a charging current to the electronic cigarette to charge the inserted electronic cigarette. When the charging detection module 130 detects When the electronic cigarette is fully charged, the controller 110 controls the electronic cigarette charging output module 140 to enter the ultra-low standby mode. In the ultra-low standby mode, the electronic cigarette charging output module 140 Stop generating charging current so that the standby current of the electronic cigarette case is less than 10 microamperes.

 Referring to FIG. 3, the electronic cigarette case 100 shown in FIG. 1 is utilized. A flow chart of a method of charging an electronic cigarette, the method comprising:

 S300 When the electronic cigarette is inserted from the charging port, the trigger switch set near the charging port is triggered to enter the charging mode. In the charging mode, a charging current is generated and a charging current is output to the electronic cigarette to charge the inserted electronic cigarette.

 S301, when electronic cigarette When fully charged, enter the ultra-low standby mode. In the ultra-low standby mode, stop generating the charging current, so that the standby current of the electronic cigarette case is less than 10 microamperes.

The electronic cigarette case provided by the embodiment of the invention and the method for charging the electronic cigarette case automatically trigger into the charging mode when the electronic cigarette is inserted, generate and output a charging current to charge the inserted electronic cigarette, and charge the electronic cigarette After the battery is fully charged, stop generating the charging current and reduce the total standby current of the electronic cigarette case to less than 10 microamps. It is not necessary to start the inquiry process continuously or intermittently as in the existing electronic cigarette case to check whether there is an electronic cigarette. Inserting the charging port on the electronic cigarette case does not need to continue to generate charging current after the electronic cigarette is fully charged until the electronic cigarette is pulled out, which can significantly reduce the standby power consumption of the electronic cigarette case, reduce the charging time of the electronic cigarette case, and prolong the charging time of the electronic cigarette case. The life of the built-in battery of the electronic cigarette case improves the user experience.

Since the electronic cigarette case of the present invention needs to be used in combination with an electronic cigarette, in various embodiments of the present invention, the structure of the electronic cigarette case differs depending on the electronic cigarette.

 For example, if the electronic cigarette is made of a hard material, the trigger switch 120 may include a flexible button disposed near the charging port (such as the switch shown in FIG. 4). K) and a signal generator connected to the flexible button communication (as shown in FIG. 4 by the eleventh resistor R11, the twelfth resistor R12, the fifth capacitor C5, the sixth capacitor C6, the three-terminal adjustable shunt reference source U3 The circuit module is configured to, when the electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port, the elastic button is pressed by the electronic cigarette to close the signal generator circuit, thereby starting the signal generator to generate the insertion signal. Specifically, the elastic button may be a mechanical button such as a spring or a spring. When the electronic cigarette is not inserted into the charging port, the elastic button is in an original state and protrudes near the charging port. When the electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port, the elastic button contacts the electronic cigarette and is pressed by the electronic cigarette to be in a compressed state, thereby closing the signal generator circuit connected thereto. Those skilled in the art should understand that in addition to generating an insertion signal when the electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port, the trigger switch 120 It is also possible to generate an extraction signal when the electronic cigarette is pulled out of the charging port. As shown in Figure 4, the three-terminal adjustable shunt reference source U3 is TL431, the anode and controller chip TL46R01B of TL431. The PA7 port is connected, the cathode of the TL431 is connected to a reference voltage VDD via R12, the cathode of the TL431 is also connected to a positive voltage of 2.5V, and the reference pole of the TL431 is also connected to the 2.5V. Positive voltage connection, C6 is connected between 2.5V positive voltage and ground; flexible button K is connected between the PA6 port of the controller chip and a negative voltage OUT-, and the first end of R11 passes the flexible button K Connected to the negative voltage OUT-, the second end of R11 is connected to the reference voltage VDD, and the second end of R11 is also connected to ground via C5.

For another example, if the battery rod in the electronic cigarette adopts a magnet connection structure, the trigger switch may include a Hall switch disposed near the charging port, and when the electronic cigarette with the magnet is inserted into the charging port, the Hall switch generates an insertion signal. Specifically, when the electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port, the internal magnet causes the applied magnetic field of the Hall switch to change, and the Hall switch can detect the change of the applied magnetic field according to the principle of the Hall effect, and will utilize an analog signal or a digital signal. Output this change. Those skilled in the art should understand that in addition to generating an insertion signal when the electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port, the trigger switch 120 It is also possible to generate an extraction signal when the electronic cigarette is pulled out of the charging port.

 For another example, if the battery rod of the electronic cigarette is connected to the charging management circuit, the charging detection module 130 A charging current detecting module may be included for detecting the electronic cigarette charging output module 140 The charging current output to the electronic cigarette determines that the electronic cigarette is fully charged when the detected charging current is less than a predetermined current threshold. Wherein, the preset current threshold can be 20 mAh. Specifically, if the battery rod of the electronic cigarette is connected with a charging management circuit, when the electronic cigarette is fully charged, the charging management circuit controls the voltage of the electronic cigarette to remain substantially unchanged, and the charging current is reduced a lot to continue to the electronic pole. Charging, therefore, as long as the charge detection module 130 When it is detected that the charging current is less than the preset current threshold, it can be determined that the electronic cigarette is fully charged. As shown in FIG. 4, the charging current detecting module 130 may include a ninth resistor R9 and a tenth resistor R10. And the fourth capacitor C4, R10 is connected between the negative pole of the electronic cigarette and the ground, R9 is connected between the negative pole of the battery rod and the PA5 port of the controller chip HT46R01B, C4 Connected between the PA5 port of the controller chip and ground.

 For another example, if the battery rod of the electronic cigarette is not connected to the charging management circuit, the charging detection module 130 The voltage detecting module may be configured to detect the voltage of the electronic cigarette, and when the detected voltage is greater than a predetermined voltage threshold, determine that the electronic cigarette is fully charged. Wherein, the preset voltage threshold can be 4.2 Volt. Specifically, if the battery rod is not connected to the charging management circuit, even if the electronic cigarette is still charged to the electronic cigarette after the electronic cigarette is fully charged, the voltage of the electronic cigarette will continue to rise, so the charging detection module 130 When it is only detected that the electronic cigarette voltage exceeds a predetermined voltage threshold, it can be determined that the electronic cigarette is fully charged. As shown in FIG. 4, the voltage detecting module may include a seventh resistor R7, an eighth resistor R8, and a second capacitor C2. R7 and R8 are connected in series between the positive pole of the electronic cigarette and the ground. The common node of R7 and R8 is connected to the AN2 port of the controller chip HT46R01B, and C2 is connected to the AN2 of the controller chip. Between the port and the ground.

 As shown in FIG. 4, the controller 110 may include a chip U1, a third capacitor C3, and a third diode D3. The circuit module is constructed, wherein the model of the chip U1 can be HT46R01B. C3 is connected between the reference voltage (VDD) port of the HT46R01B and ground, D3 The positive terminal is connected to a reference voltage VDD, and the negative terminal of D3 is connected to the reference voltage port of the HT46R01B. In addition, the PA4 port of the HT46R01B is connected to the electronic cigarette charging output module 140, AN3 The port is connected to a positive voltage of 2.5V, and the AN1 port is connected to the built-in battery charging module of the electronic cigarette case to detect the voltage of the built-in battery of the electronic cigarette case.

 Please refer to FIG. 2 , which is a working sequence diagram for charging the electronic cigarette inserted into the electronic cigarette case shown in FIG. 1 . As shown in Figure 2, the trigger will be turned The signal sent by 120--insert signal and pull-out signal--represented by 'trigger signal', the electronic cigarette charging output module 140 The output is represented by 'charge output', where the insertion signal is high and the pull-out signal is low. When the electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port to trigger the trigger switch 120, the trigger switch 120 is triggered. A high level insertion signal is generated, that is, a rising edge occurs, and the rising edge trigger controller 110 activates the electronic cigarette charging output module 140 The charging current is generated and output (the charging current appears as a high output in the digital circuit) to charge the electronic cigarette. When the charging detection module 130 detects that the electronic cigarette is fully charged, the controller 110 controls the electronic cigarette charging output module. 140 Stop generating charging current (no current or low output current in the digital circuit), no longer charging the electronic cigarette. When the electronic cigarette is pulled out from the charging port, the switch 120 is triggered. Restore, generating a low-level pull-out signal. When the electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port again, the above process is repeated.

 Although Figure 2 A digital signal control method using pulse signal control is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments of the present invention, circuit control may be performed by any other method well known to those skilled in the art.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and the specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive, and those skilled in the art In the light of the present invention, many forms may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims (12)

An electronic cigarette case comprising a cigarette case body for accommodating an electronic cigarette, wherein the cigarette case body is provided with a charging port, and the electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port when charging the electronic cigarette, wherein the The electronic cigarette case further includes a controller and a trigger switch connected to the controller, a charging detection module and an electronic cigarette charging output module, the trigger switch is adjacent to the charging port, and is triggered when the electronic cigarette is inserted from the charging port The trigger switch, the controller controls the electronic cigarette charging output module to enter a charging mode when detecting that the trigger switch is triggered, in the charging mode, the electronic cigarette charging output module generates a charging current and generates The electronic cigarette outputs the charging current to charge the inserted electronic cigarette; when the charging detecting module detects that the electronic cigarette is fully charged, the controller controls the electronic cigarette charging output module to enter an ultra low level a standby mode, in the ultra-low standby mode, the electronic cigarette charging output module stops generating the charging current, so that the standby current of the electronic cigarette case is small 10 microamps. Claims 1 The electronic cigarette case is characterized in that: the trigger switch comprises an elastic button disposed adjacent to the charging port and a signal generator communicably connected to the elastic button, when the electronic cigarette is inserted into the charging port, The flexible button is squeezed by the electronic cigarette to activate the signal generator to generate an insertion signal. Claims 2 The electronic cigarette case is characterized in that the signal generator comprises an eleventh resistor, a twelfth resistor, a fifth capacitor, a sixth capacitor and a three-terminal adjustable shunt reference source, and the three-terminal adjustable shunt reference An anode of the source is in communication with the controller, and a cathode of the three-terminal adjustable shunt reference source is in communication with a reference voltage via the twelfth resistor, the cathode of the three-terminal adjustable shunt reference source is also coupled to a positive voltage Connected, the reference pole of the three-terminal adjustable shunt reference source is also in communication with the positive voltage, the sixth capacitor is connected between the positive voltage and the ground; the elastic button is connected to the controller and a negative voltage a first end of the eleventh resistor is in communication with the negative voltage through the elastic button, and a second end of the eleventh resistor is in communication with the reference voltage, the eleventh resistor The two ends are also in communication with the ground via the fifth capacitor. Claims 1 The electronic cigarette case is characterized in that the trigger switch comprises a Hall switch disposed near the charging port, and when an electronic cigarette having a magnet is inserted into the charging port, the Hall switch generates an insertion signal. Claims 1 The electronic cigarette case is characterized in that the charging detection module comprises a charging current detecting module for detecting the charging current, and when the detected charging current is less than a preset current threshold, determining that the electronic cigarette is full Electricity. Claim 5 The electronic cigarette case is characterized in that: the charging current detecting module comprises a ninth resistor, a tenth resistor and a fourth capacitor, wherein the tenth resistor is connected between the battery rod negative pole of the electronic cigarette and the ground, The ninth resistor is connected between the battery rod negative electrode and the controller, and the fourth capacitor is connected between the controller and the ground. Claims 1 The electronic cigarette case is characterized in that the charging detection module includes a voltage detecting module for detecting a voltage of the electronic cigarette, and when the detected voltage is greater than a predetermined voltage threshold, determining that the electronic cigarette is full Electricity. Claim 7 The electronic cigarette case, wherein the voltage detecting module comprises a seventh resistor, an eighth resistor and a second capacitor, wherein the seventh resistor and the eighth resistor are sequentially connected in series to the battery rod of the electronic cigarette Between the positive pole and the ground, a common node of the seventh resistor and the eighth resistor is in communication with the controller, and the second capacitor is connected between the controller and the ground. The electronic cigarette case according to claim 1, wherein said controller comprises a chip HT46R01B a third capacitor and a third diode connected between the reference voltage port of the HT46R01B and the ground, the anode of the third diode being connected to a reference voltage, and the third diode Negative connection The reference voltage port of the HT46R01B. A method for charging an electronic cigarette by using an electronic cigarette case, the electronic cigarette case comprising a cigarette case body for accommodating the electronic cigarette, wherein the cigarette case body is provided with a charging port, wherein the method comprises: When the electronic cigarette is inserted from the charging port, triggering a trigger switch disposed near the charging port to enter a charging mode, in which a charging current is generated and the charging current is output to the electronic cigarette. The inserted electronic cigarette is charged; When the electronic cigarette is fully charged, entering an ultra-low standby mode, in the ultra-low standby mode, stopping generating the charging current, so that the standby current of the electronic cigarette case is less than 10 Micro-amp. Claim 10 The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the electronic cigarette full charge comprises: detecting a magnitude of the charging current, and determining that the electronic cigarette is fully charged when the detected charging current is less than a predetermined current threshold. Claim 10 The method of claim 1, wherein the method for detecting the full charge of the electronic cigarette comprises: detecting a magnitude of a voltage of the electronic cigarette, and determining that the electronic cigarette is fully charged when the detected voltage is greater than a predetermined voltage threshold .

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