Electronic cigarettes and control devices thereof
AssigneeSmart Chip Microelectronic Co. Limited
InventorLoi Ying Liu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A control device for controlling operation of a vaping apparatus. The control device comprises control circuitry to control activation of the vaping source, measurement circuitry to obtain a temperature-dependent parameter of the vaping source, and memory circuitry for data storage. The control device is configured to determine the ambient temperature, to obtain the parameter at the ambient temperature as an initial parameter, to set and store a target parameter for stopping activation of the vaping source, and to stop activation of the vaping source when the target parameter has been reached.
Claims20
A control device of an electronic cigarette, wherein the electronic cigarette comprises a packaged flavor source having a built-in heating element, the heating element comprising a heating resistor (R2), wherein the control device comprises electronic circuitry which is configured to control operation of the resistive heating element;
- wherein the electronic circuitry is configured:
- to supply an actuation power from a first power supply circuit to the heating element via a first path (131) and a first terminal (141);
- to transmit a reference signal having a reference voltage (VREF) to the heating element via the first terminal (141) and a second path (133) and to receive a responsive signal having a responsive voltage (VOUT1) at the first terminal (141) when the first path is electrically isolated from the first power supply circuit, wherein the responsive voltage is a fraction equal to a ratio (RRATIO) of the responsive voltage (VOUT1) to the reference voltage (VREF);
- and
- to determine whether the resistive heating element is at a threshold operation temperature with reference to the ratio.
An electronic cigarette comprising a thermally insulated main housing and a control device, wherein the electronic cigarette comprises a packaged flavor source having a built-in heating element, the heating element comprising a heating resistor (R2), wherein the control device comprises electronic circuitry which is configured to control operation of the resistive heating element;
- wherein the electronic circuitry is configured:
- to supply an actuation power from a first power supply circuit to the heating element via a first path (131) and a first terminal (141);
- to transmit a reference signal having a reference voltage (VREF) to the heating element via the first terminal (141) and a second path (133) and to receive a responsive signal having a responsive voltage (VOUT1) at the first terminal (141) when the first path is electrically isolated from the first power supply circuit, wherein the responsive voltage is a fraction equal to a ratio (RRATIO) of the responsive voltage (VOUT1) to the reference voltage (VREF);
- and
- to determine whether the resistive heating element is at a threshold operation temperature with reference to the ratio.
A control method for controlling operation of an electronic cigarette, wherein the electronic cigarette comprises a packaged flavor source having a built-in heating element, the heating element comprising a heating resistor (R2), wherein the control device comprises electronic circuitry which is configured to control operation of the resistive heating element;
- wherein the method comprising the electronic circuitry operating:
- to supply an actuation power from a first power supply circuit to the heating element via a first path (131) and a first terminal (141);
- to transmit a reference signal having a reference voltage (VREF) to the heating element via the first terminal (141) and a second path (133) and to receive a responsive signal having a responsive voltage (VOUT1) at the first terminal (141) when the first path is electrically isolated from the first power supply circuit, wherein the responsive voltage is a fraction equal to a ratio (RRATIO) of the responsive voltage (VOUT1) to the reference voltage (VREF);
- and
- to determine whether the resistive heating element is at a threshold operation temperature with reference to the ratio.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.