Hookah device

A hookah comprising:

• a water chamber;
• an elongate stem having a first end in communication with the water chamber, the stem comprising a mist flow path which extends from a second end of the stem, through the stem, to the first end;
• and
• a hookah device attached to the stem of the hookah at the second end of the stem, the hookah device comprising:
• a plurality of ultrasonic mist generator devices which are each provided with a respective mist outlet port, the mist generating devices aerosolizing a liquid to generate a mist including droplets of the liquid;
• a driver device which electrically coupled to each of the mist generator devices, the driver device being configured to activate and control each of the mist generator devices, wherein each mist generator device is releasably attached to the driver device so that each mist generator device is separable from the driver device;
• and
• a hookah attachment arrangement which is configured to attach the hookah device to the hookah, the hookah attachment arrangement having a hookah outlet port which provides a fluid flow path from the mist outlet ports of the mist generator devices and out of the hookah device such that, when at least one of the mist generator devices is activated by the driver device, mist generated by aerosolizing the liquid by each activated mist generator device flows along the fluid flow path and out of the hookah device to the hookah.

A system comprising:

• a plurality of hookah devices, each hookah device being a hookah device comprising:
• a plurality of ultrasonic mist generator devices which are each provided with a respective mist outlet port, the mist generating devices aerosolizing a liquid to generate a mist including droplets of the liquid;
• a driver device electrically coupled to each of the mist generator devices, the driver device being configured to activate and control each of the mist generator devices, wherein each mist generator device is releasably attached to the driver device so that each mist generator device is separable from the driver device;
• and
• a hookah attachment arrangement which is configured to attach the hookah device to the hookah, the hookah attachment arrangement having a hookah outlet port which provides a fluid flow path from the mist outlet ports of the mist generator devices and out of the hookah device such that, when at least one of the mist generator devices is activated by the driver device, mist generated by aerosolizing the liquid each activated mist generator device flows along the fluid flow path and out of the hookah device to the hookah.

A hookah device for use with a hookah, the hookah device comprising:

• a plurality of ultrasonic mist generator devices which are each provided with a respective mist outlet port, the mist generating devices aerosolizing a liquid to generate a mist including droplets of the liquid;
• a driver device electrically coupled to each of the mist generator devices, the driver device being configured to activate and control each of the mist generator devices, wherein the driver device comprises:
• an AC driver which is configured to generate an AC drive signal at a predetermined frequency to drive a respective ultrasonic transducer in each mist generator device;
• an active power monitoring arrangement which is configured to monitor the active power used by the ultrasonic transducer when the ultrasonic transducer is driven by the AC drive signal, wherein the active power monitoring arrangement is configured to provide a monitoring signal which is indicative of the active power used by the ultrasonic transducer;
• a processor which is configured to control the AC driver and to receive the monitoring signal drive from the active power monitoring arrangement;
• and
• a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
• A) control the AC driver to output an AC drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer at a predetermined sweep frequency;
• B) calculate the active power being used by the ultrasonic transducer based on the monitoring signal;
• C) control the AC driver to modulate the AC drive signal to maximize the active power being used by the ultrasonic transducer;
• D) store a record in the memory of the maximum active power used by the ultrasonic transducer and the sweep frequency of the AC drive signal;
• E) repeat steps A-D for a predetermined number of iterations with the sweep frequency incrementing with each iteration such that, after the predetermined number of iterations has occurred, the sweep frequency has been incremented from a start sweep frequency to an end sweep frequency;
• F) identify from the records stored in the memory the optimum frequency for the AC drive signal which is the sweep frequency of the AC drive signal at which the maximum active power is used by the ultrasonic transducer;
• and
• G) control the AC driver to output the AC drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer at the optimum frequency to drive the ultrasonic transducer to atomize the liquid;
• and
• a hookah attachment arrangement which is configured to attach the hookah device to a second end of the stem of the hookah, the hookah attachment arrangement having a hookah outlet port which provides a fluid flow path from the mist outlet ports of the mist generator devices and out of the hookah device such that, when at least one of the mist generator devices is activated by the driver device, mist generated by aerosolizing the liquid by each activated mist generator device flows along the fluid flow path and out of the hookah device to the hookah.

A hookah device for use with a hookah, the hookah device comprising:

• a plurality of ultrasonic mist generator devices which are each provided with a respective mist outlet port, the mist generating devices aerosolizing a liquid to generate a mist including droplets of the liquid;
• a driver device electrically coupled to each of the mist generator devices, and being configured to activate and control each of the mist generator devices;
• and
• a hookah attachment arrangement which is configured to attach the hookah device to the hookah, the hookah attachment arrangement having a hookah outlet port which provides a fluid flow path from the mist outlet ports of the mist generator devices and out of the hookah device such that, when at least one of the mist generator devices is activated by the driver device, mist generated by aerosolizing the liquid by each activated mist generator device flows along the fluid flow path and out of the hookah device to the hookah,
• wherein each mist generator device comprises:
• a mist generator housing having an air inlet port and the said mist outlet port;
• a liquid chamber, the liquid chamber containing the liquid to be atomized;
• a sonication chamber;
• a capillary element extending between the liquid chamber and the sonication chamber such that a first portion of the capillary element is within the liquid chamber and a second portion of the capillary element is within the sonication chamber;
• an ultrasonic transducer having a generally planar atomization surface which is provided within the sonication chamber, the ultrasonic transducer being mounted within the mist generator device such that the plane of the atomization surface is substantially parallel with a longitudinal length of the mist generator device, wherein part of the second portion of the capillary element is superimposed on part of the atomization surface, and wherein the ultrasonic transducer is configured to vibrate the atomization surface to atomize the liquid carried by the second portion of the capillary element to generate the mist comprising the aerosolized liquid droplets and air within the sonication chamber;
• and
• an airflow arrangement which provides an air flow path between the air inlet port, the sonication chamber, and the air outlet port.