IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,398,177
Granted Patent B2
US 10,398,177 · App. 15/539,726 · Granted Sep 3, 2019

Electronic cigarette and a method for controlling the electronic cigarette

Inventor: Zhiyong Xiang (Guangdong, CN)
Assignee: Shenzhen Kimsen Technology Co., Ltd
A24F47/008A24F47/00F22B1/284H05B1/02H05B1/0227
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,398,177
App. No.
15/539,726
Filed
Jun 26, 2017
Granted
Sep 3, 2019
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2831
USPC
131/328
Abstract

The present invention relates to an electronic cigarette and a method for controlling the electronic cigarette. The method for controlling electronic cigarette comprises: reading the available smoking time when an atomization circuit of the electronic cigarette is in a turn-off state and the electronic cigarette detects a user's smoking action; determining whether or not the available smoking time is equal to or less than the first preset value to obtain a first determination result; when the first determination result is YES, outputting a prompt message to remind the user that e-liquid is almost to be exhausted, and outputting the available smoking time and/or available smoking times of the electronic cigarette; determining whether the available smoking time is greater than the second preset value to obtain a second determination result; controlling the atomization circuit to stay in the turn-off state when the second determination result is NO.

Claims (46)

1. A method for controlling electronic cigarette, wherein a memory of the electronic cigarette stores a first preset value and a second preset value which are relating to an amount of e-liquid, and available smoking time updated after each smoking to indicate the amount of current remaining e-liquid of the electronic cigarette, the second preset value is less than the first preset value; the method comprising following steps:

reading the available smoking time when an atomization circuit of the electronic cigarette is in a turn-off state and the electronic cigarette detects a user's smoking action;

determining whether or not the available smoking time is equal to or less than the first preset value to obtain a first determination result;

outputting a prompt message to remind the user that e-liquid is almost to be exhausted, and outputting the available smoking time and/or available smoking times of the electronic cigarette, when the first determination result is YES;

determining whether the available smoking time is greater than the second preset value to obtain a second determination result;

controlling the atomization circuit to stay in the turn-off state when the second determination result is NO.

2. The method for controlling electronic cigarette according to claim 1 , wherein after performing the step of determining whether or not the available smoking time is equal to or less than the first preset value to obtain a first determination result, the method further comprises following steps:

controlling the atomization circuit to turn on to atomize the e-liquid when the first determination result is NO,

calculating a present smoking period and updating the available smoking time in the memory based on the present smoking period to obtain new available smoking time after a user's present smoking.

3. The method for controlling electronic cigarette according to claim 1 , wherein after performing step of determining whether the available smoking time is greater than the second preset value to obtain a second determination result, the method further comprises following steps:

controlling the atomization circuit to turn on to atomize the e-liquid when the second determination result is YES;

calculating a present smoking period and updating the available smoking time in the memory based on the present smoking period to obtain new available smoking time after a user's present smoking.

4. The method for controlling electronic cigarette according to claim 1 , wherein while performing the step of controlling the atomization circuit to stay in the turn-off state when the second determination result is NO, the method further comprises step of:

outputting a reminding message to remind the user that the e-liquid has been exhausted.

5. An electronic cigarette comprising an atomizing assembly ( 10 ) and a battery assembly ( 20 );

wherein the atomizing assembly ( 10 ) is provided with an interface circuit ( 101 ), an atomization circuit ( 102 ) and a main circuit ( 103 ); the interface circuit ( 101 ) is configured for detachably connecting to the battery assembly ( 20 ), the atomization circuit ( 102 ) and the main circuit ( 103 ) are connected to the interface circuit ( 101 );

wherein the main circuit ( 103 ) is configured for calculating available smoking time based on actual turn-on time of the atomization circuit ( 102 ) after being electrically connected to the battery assembly ( 20 ) through the interface circuit ( 101 ), so that when the available smoking time is less than or equal to the first preset value, a prompt message is outputted to remind a user that e-liquid is almost to be exhausted and the available smoking time and/or available smoking times of the electronic cigarette is outputted; and when the available smoking time is less than or equal to a second preset value, the atomization circuit ( 102 ) is controlled to be in a turn-off state,

wherein the main circuit ( 103 ) is configured for calculating the available smoking time based on the actual turn-on time of the atomization circuit ( 102 ), and providing the available smoking time to the battery assembly ( 20 ) when being electrically connected to the battery assembly ( 20 );

wherein the battery assembly ( 20 ) is configured for out-putting the prompt message to remind the user that e-liquid is almost to be exhausted and outputting the available smoking time and/or the available smoking times of the electronic cigarette, when the available smoking time is less than or equal to the first preset value; and

wherein the main circuit ( 103 ) or the battery assembly ( 20 ) is further configured for controlling the atomization circuit ( 102 ) to be in the turn-off state when the available smoking time is less than or equal to the second preset value.

6. The electronic cigarette according to claim 5 , wherein the battery assembly ( 20 ) is configured for controlling the atomization circuit ( 102 ) to turn on to atomize the e-liquid when the available smoking time is greater than the first preset value, and the battery assembly ( 20 ) is further configured for calculating a present smoking period and updating the available smoking time in the main circuit ( 103 ) based on the present smoking period to obtain new available smoking time after a user's present smoking.

7. The electronic cigarette according to claim 5 , wherein the main circuit ( 103 ) or the battery assembly ( 20 ) is configured for controlling the atomization circuit ( 102 ) to turn on to atomize the e-liquid when the available smoking time is less than or equal to the first preset value and greater than the second preset value, and the main circuit ( 103 ) or the battery assembly ( 20 ) is further configured for calculating a present smoking period and updating the available smoking time in the main circuit ( 103 ) based on the present smoking period to obtain new available smoking time after a user's present smoking.

8. The electronic cigarette according to claim 5 , wherein the main circuit ( 103 ) is a memory integrated circuit that provides the available smoking time to the battery assembly ( 20 ) through the interface circuit ( 101 ); and

wherein the battery assembly ( 20 ) is configured for out-putting the prompt message to remind the user that e-liquid is almost to be exhausted, and outputting the available smoking time and/or available smoking times of the electronic cigarette, when the available smoking time is less than or equal to the first preset value; the battery assembly ( 20 ) is further configured for control-ling the atomization circuit ( 102 ) to be in the turn-off state when the available smoking time is less than or equal to the second preset value.

9. The electronic cigarette according to claim 5 , wherein the main circuit ( 103 ) comprises a processing chip ( 1031 ) in which a nonvolatile memory ( 1031 - 1 ) is defined;

wherein the nonvolatile memory ( 1031 - 1 ) is configured for calculating the available smoking time based on the actual turn-on time of the atomization circuit ( 102 ), and the nonvolatile memory ( 1031 - 1 ) is further configured for providing the available smoking time to the battery assembly ( 20 ) when being electrically connected to the battery assembly ( 20 ), so that when the available smoking time is less than or equal to the first preset value, the battery assembly ( 20 ) outputs the prompt message to remind the user that e-liquid is almost to be exhausted and outputs the available smoking time and/or the available smoking times of the electronic cigarette; and wherein the processing chip ( 1031 ) further comprises a control module ( 1031 - 2 ) connected to the atomization circuit ( 102 ) and configured for obtaining the available smoking time from the nonvolatile memory ( 1031 - 1 ) after being electrically connected to the battery assembly ( 20 ) through the interface circuit ( 101 ), and the control module ( 1031 - 2 ) is further configured for directly controlling the atomization circuit ( 102 ) to be in the turn-off state when the available smoking time is less than or equal to the second preset value.

10. The electronic cigarette according to claim 9 , wherein the atomization circuit ( 102 ) comprises a switch ( 1021 ); and

wherein the control module ( 1031 - 2 ) controls the switch ( 1021 ) to be in a turn-off state when the available smoking time is less than or equal to the second preset value, thereby realizing the turn-off state of the atomization circuit ( 102 ).

11. The electronic cigarette according to claim 5 , wherein the main circuit ( 103 ) comprises:

an external memory ( 1032 ) configured for calculating the available smoking time based on the actual turn-on time of the atomization circuit ( 102 ), and providing the available smoking time to the battery assembly ( 20 ) when being electrically connected to the battery assembly ( 20 ), so that when the available smoking time is less than or equal to the first preset value, the battery assembly ( 20 ) outputs the prompt message is to remind the user that e-liquid is almost to be exhausted and outputs the available smoking time and/or available smoking times of the electronic cigarette;

a control chip ( 1033 ) connected to the external memory ( 1032 ) and the atomization circuit ( 102 ), the control chip ( 1033 ) is configured for obtaining the available smoking time from the external memory ( 1032 ) after being electrically connected to the battery assembly ( 20 ) through the interface circuit ( 101 ), and the control chip ( 1033 ) is further configured for directly controlling the atomization circuit ( 102 ) to be in the turn-off state when the available smoking time is less than or equal to the second preset value.

12. The electronic cigarette according to claim 5 , wherein the atomizing assembly ( 10 ) further comprises:

a current detection circuit ( 104 ) connected to the atomization circuit ( 102 ) and the main circuit ( 103 ), the current detection circuit ( 104 ) is configured for detecting a current signal of the atomization circuit ( 102 ) after that the main circuit ( 103 ) and the battery assembly ( 20 ) are electrically connected to each other, and then feeding back an actual turn-on situation of the atomization circuit ( 102 ) to the main circuit ( 103 ) based on the current signal.

13. The electronic cigarette according to claim 5 , wherein the battery assembly ( 20 ) comprises:

a power supply circuit ( 201 ); a smoking action detection circuit ( 202 ) connected to the power supply circuit ( 201 );

a microcontroller ( 203 ) connected to the power supply circuit ( 201 ) and the smoking action detection circuit ( 202 ) and configured for obtaining the available smoking time from the main circuit ( 103 ) when the smoking action detection circuit ( 202 ) detects a user's smoking action;

a display screen ( 204 ) connected to the power supply circuit ( 201 ) and the microcontroller ( 203 ) for displaying relevant information of the electronic cigarette when necessary;

the microcontroller ( 203 ) compares the available smoking time with the first preset value, when the available smoking time is less than or equal to the first preset value, the microcontroller ( 203 ) generates the prompt message configured for controlling the display screen ( 204 ) to display to remind the user that the e-liquid is almost to be exhausted, and the microcontroller ( 203 ) further outputs a control command of the available smoking time and/or the available smoking times of the electronic cigarette and sends the control command to the display screen ( 204 ).

14. The electronic cigarette according to claim 5 , wherein the battery assembly ( 20 ) comprises:

a power supply circuit ( 201 );

a smoking action detection circuit ( 202 ) connected to the power supply circuit ( 201 );

a microcontroller ( 203 ) connected to the power supply circuit ( 201 ) and the smoking action detection circuit ( 202 ) and configured for obtaining the available smoking time from the main circuit ( 103 ) when the smoking action detection circuit ( 202 ) detects a user's smoking action;

a wireless communication module ( 205 ) connected to the power supply circuit ( 201 ) and the microcontroller ( 203 ) for transmitting relevant information of the electronic cigarette to an external device by wireless communication, if necessary;

the microcontroller ( 203 ) compares the available smoking time with the first preset value, when the available smoking time is less than or equal to the first preset value, the microcontroller ( 203 ) generates the prompt message configured for controlling the wireless communication module ( 205 ) to output to the external device to remind the user that the e-liquid is almost to be exhausted, and the microcontroller ( 203 ) further outputs a control command of the available smoking time and/or the available smoking times of the electronic cigarette and sends the control command to the wireless communication module ( 205 ).

15. The electronic cigarette according to claim 14 , wherein the wireless communication module ( 205 ) is a Bluetooth transceiver module.

16. The electronic cigarette according to claim 5 , wherein the battery assembly ( 20 ) is further configured to output a reminding message for reminding the user that the e-liquid has been exhausted when the electronic cigarette controls the atomization circuit ( 102 ) to be in a turn-off state based on the available smoking time.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 18, 2019
From: HUIZHOU KIMREE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
To: SHENZHEN KIMSEN TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD
Reel/Frame 049785/0494 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 27, 2017
From: XIANG, ZHIYONG
To: HUIZHOU KIMREE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 042820/0467 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170360097A1 · Dec 21, 2017
Cited By (1)
US 12,317,936