U.S. patent application number 14/759369 was filed with the patent office on 2015-12-10 for electronic cigarette and method for adjusting flow rate of gas flow of electronic cigarette.
The applicant listed for this patent is KIMREE HI-TECH INC., Qiuming Liu. Invention is credited to Qiuming Liu.
Application Number | 20150351457 14/759369 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51062132 |
Filed Date | 2015-12-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150351457 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Liu; Qiuming |
December 10, 2015 |
ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE AND METHOD FOR ADJUSTING FLOW RATE OF GAS FLOW
OF ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE
Abstract
An electronic cigarette comprises a cigarette rod with a
battery, an atomizer configured to atomize tobacco oil contained
therein, and an airflow path configured to enable the air to flow
into the atomizer. A pressure regulating valve unit arranged in the
airflow path includes a floating sphere configured to close or open
the airflow path according to an airflow direction and to adjust
the airflow rate flowing into the airflow path. By means of
arranging the pressure regulating valve, it is able to control the
airflow rate flowing into the atomizer, hence adjust the amount of
smoke sucked to change tastes of smoking and meet users' different
needs. Moreover, when blowing to the electronic cigarette, the
pressure regulating valve unit will be in a closed state to avoid
tobacco oil inside the atomizer flowing to the battery and a
control board.
Inventors: |
Liu; Qiuming; (Shenzhen,
CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Liu; Qiuming
KIMREE HI-TECH INC. |
RoadTown Tortola |
|
US
VG |
|
|
Family ID: |
51062132 |
Appl. No.: |
14/759369 |
Filed: |
January 3, 2014 |
PCT Filed: |
January 3, 2014 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN2014/070112 |
371 Date: |
July 6, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
131/328 ;
131/329 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A24F 47/008
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A24F 47/00 20060101
A24F047/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 5, 2013 |
CN |
PCT/CN2013/070053 |
Claims
1. An electronic cigarette, comprising a cigarette rod with a
battery, an atomizer configured to atomize tobacco oil contained
therein, and an airflow path configured to enable the air to flow
into the atomizer, wherein, a pressure regulating valve unit is
arranged in the airflow path, and the pressure regulating valve
unit includes a floating sphere configured to close or open the
airflow path according to an airflow direction and to adjust an
airflow rate flowing into the airflow path.
2. The electronic cigarette of claim 1, wherein, the electronic
cigarette further comprises a mouthpiece arranged at one side of
the atomizer and the side of the atomizer is away from the
cigarette rod, the air flows towards the mouthpiece when smoking, a
pressure inside the electronic cigarette is lower than the
atmospheric pressure outside, and an opening degree of the floating
sphere varies with a pressure difference between the pressures
inside and outside the electronic cigarette to adjust the airflow
rate flowing into the airflow path; the air flows backwards the
mouthpiece when blowing into the electronic cigarette from the
mouthpiece, the pressure inside the electronic cigarette is lower
than the atmospheric pressure outside, and the airflow path is
sealed up by the floating sphere to avoid the tobacco oil inside
the atomizer flowing to the battery of the cigarette rod.
3. The electronic cigarette of claim 2, wherein, a holding cavity
is defined inside the cigarette rod and the battery is accommodated
in the holding cavity, a smoke cavity is defined inside the
atomizer and the tobacco oil is contained in the smoke cavity, and
the holding cavity and the smoke cavity are connected to form the
airflow path; and the floating sphere open or close the airflow
path according to the airflow direction in the electronic cigarette
and the pressure difference between the pressures inside and
outside the electronic cigarette, so that the holding cavity and
the smoke cavity are correspondingly communicated or isolated.
4. The electronic cigarette of claim 3, wherein, the pressure
regulating valve unit is arranged between the cigarette rod and the
atomizer, the electronic cigarette further comprises a first
bracket and a second bracket, one end of the pressure regulating
valve unit is adapted to and fixed on the first bracket, and the
other end of the pressure regulating valve unit is adapted to and
fixed on the second bracket.
5. The electronic cigarette of claim 3, wherein, the pressure
regulating valve unit includes a valve gland and a support base; a
through hole is defined at the top of the valve gland; the two ends
of the support base are open ends, a plurality of protrusions are
spaced on an inner wall of the support base, and the floating
sphere is movably clamped in the protrusions defined on the inner
wall of the support base.
6. The electronic cigarette of claim 3, wherein, the pressure
regulating valve unit further includes a valve gland and a support
base; a through hole is defined at the top of the valve gland; an
intake hole configured to enable the air outside to flow in and a
pilot hole communicated with the intake hole are formed inside the
support base, the pilot hole is extended and radially enlarged from
the intake hole to one side that is close to the valve gland, and
the floating sphere is movably abutted against the intake hole
under the guidance of the pilot hole to seal up or open the airflow
path.
7. The electronic cigarette of claim 6, wherein, a circular hole is
formed inside the support base, the circular hole extends from the
pilot hole to one side that is away from the intake hole, and the
intake hole, the pilot hole and the circular hole are arranged with
the same axis.
8. The electronic cigarette of claim 7, wherein, a centerline of
the floating sphere and that of the intake hole are coaxially
arranged, and a diameter of the floating sphere is larger than a
diameter of the intake hole.
9. The electronic cigarette of claim 8, wherein, the floating
sphere is clamped at a connection between the intake hole and the
pilot hole to seal up the intake hole.
10. The electronic cigarette of claim 6, wherein, a support part
and at least two transition parts are defined on an inner wall of
the support base, the intake hole is defined in the center of the
support part, the at least two transition parts extend along the
intake hole and are evenly spaced, and the at least two transition
parts are enclosed to form the pilot hole.
11. The electronic cigarette of claim 6, wherein, the pressure
regulating valve unit further includes a sealing part, two ends of
the sealing part are open ends and the sealing part is abutted
against the valve gland.
12. The electronic cigarette of claim 11, wherein, one open end at
the bottom of the sealing part is connected to the intake hole of
the support base to enable the air outside to flow into the intake
hole via the open end at the bottom of the sealing part.
13. The electronic cigarette of claim 6, wherein, when blowing into
the electronic cigarette from the mouthpiece, the floating sphere
is sealed up in the intake hole under the guidance of the pilot
hole to make the holding cavity and the smoke cavity isolate from
each other, thus avoiding the tobacco oil flowing to the battery of
the cigarette rod.
14. The electronic cigarette of claim 1, wherein, the floating
sphere is a steel ball, a glass ball, a ceramic ball or a plastic
ball.
15. A method for adjusting flow rate of gas flow of an electronic
cigarette, wherein the electronic cigarette comprises a cigarette
rod with a battery, an atomizer configured to atomize tobacco oil
contained therein, and an airflow path configured to enable the air
to flow into the atomizer; the method comprises the following
steps: S1: blowing or sucking from one end of the atomizer, and
making a floating sphere of a pressure regulating valve unit
arranged in the airflow path open or close the airflow path
according to a blowing airflow direction or a sucking airflow
direction, thus adjusting the flow rate flowing into the airflow
path.
16. The method for adjusting flow rate of gas flow of the
electronic cigarette of claim 15, wherein, the electronic cigarette
comprises a mouthpiece arranged at one side of the atomizer and the
side of the atomizer is away from the cigarette rod; the step S1
comprises the following steps: S11: sucking from the mouthpiece and
generating airflow flowing towards the mouthpiece to make a
pressure inside the electronic cigarette lower than the atmospheric
pressure outside, and an opening degree of the floating sphere
varies with a pressure difference between the pressures inside and
outside the electronic cigarette to adjust the flow rate flowing
into the airflow path; S12: blowing at the mouthpiece and
generating airflow flowing backwards the mouthpiece to make a
pressure inside the electronic cigarette higher than the
atmospheric pressure outside, and the airflow path is sealed up by
the floating sphere to avoid tobacco oil inside the atomizer
flowing to the battery inside the cigarette rod.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to the field of electronic
products, and more particularly to an electronic cigarette and a
method for adjusting flow rate of gas flow of the electronic
cigarette.
BACKGROUND
[0002] With a rising attention to health, people come to realize
the tobacco is harmful to health, thus the electronic cigarette
which is both able to ease a craving for tobacco and less harmful
to health is produced. The electronic cigarette is usually
configured to atomize specially prepared tobacco oil and simulate
tastes of smoking. When preparing the tobacco oil, materials
harmful to health, such as nicotine, tar and the like, are removed
to eliminate the harm to health. As the tobacco oil contains no
harmful material that makes people be addicted, such as nicotine,
tar and the like, the nicotine addiction will be reduced after
smoking the electronic cigarette. Therefore, the electronic
cigarette has an effect on assisting in quitting smoking.
[0003] In the prior art, the electronic cigarette consists of a
cigarette rod, an atomizer and a mouthpiece. A battery is arranged
in the cigarette rod. The tobacco oil is stored in the atomizer. An
intake hole connected to the outside is defined on the cigarette
rod or an end of the cigarette rod to enable the air outside to
flow into the electronic cigarette. However, the airflow rate
flowing into the electronic cigarette is fixed because the diameter
of the intake hole is fixed, and it is difficult to adjust the
amount of smoke by adjusting the airflow rate. In addition, the
tobacco oil in the atomizer will be blew into the cigarette rod if
users blow into the mouthpiece by mistake when using the electronic
cigarette, which will render the battery and related connection
circuits to be damaged by the tobacco oil.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0004] Aiming at the drawbacks in the prior art that it is
difficult to adjust flow rate of gas flow of the electronic
cigarette and it is easy to cause the leakage of the tobacco oil,
an objective of the present application is to provide an electronic
cigarette and a method for adjusting flow rate of gas flow of the
electronic cigarette. A pressure regulating valve is used to
improve tastes of smoke effectively and adjust the airflow rate by
a puffing force. Furthermore, it can avoid the tobacco oil inside a
mouthpiece or inside an atomizer flowing into a cigarette rod when
users blowing at the mouthpiece.
[0005] The technical solution of the present application to solve
the technical problem is providing an electronic cigarette
comprising a cigarette rod with a battery, an atomizer configured
to atomize tobacco oil contained therein, and an airflow path
configured to enable the air to flow into the atomizer; a pressure
regulating valve unit is arranged in the airflow path, and the
pressure regulating valve unit includes a floating sphere
configured to close or open the airflow path according to an
airflow direction and to adjust an airflow rate flowing into the
airflow path.
[0006] In the electronic cigarette of the present application, the
electronic cigarette further comprises a mouthpiece arranged at one
side of the atomizer and the side of the atomizer is away from the
cigarette rod, the air flows towards the mouthpiece when smoking,
and a pressure inside the electronic cigarette is lower than the
atmospheric pressure outside, and an opening degree of the floating
sphere varies with a pressure difference between the pressure
inside and outside the electronic cigarette to adjust the flow rate
of the air flowing into the airflow path; the air flows backwards
the mouthpiece when blowing into the electronic cigarette from the
mouthpiece, a pressure inside the electronic cigarette is lower
than the atmospheric pressure outside, and the airflow path is
sealed up by the floating sphere to avoid the tobacco oil inside
the atomizer flowing to the battery of the cigarette rod.
[0007] In the electronic cigarette of the present application, a
holding cavity is defined inside the cigarette rod and the battery
is accommodated in the holding cavity, a smoke cavity is defined
inside the atomizer and the tobacco oil is contained in the smoke
cavity, and the holding cavity and the smoke cavity are connected
to form the airflow path; and the floating sphere open or close the
airflow path according to an airflow direction inside the
electronic cigarette and a pressure difference between the
pressures inside and outside the electronic cigarette, so that the
holding cavity and the smoke cavity are correspondingly
communicated or isolated.
[0008] In the electronic cigarette of the present application, the
pressure regulating valve unit is arranged between the cigarette
rod and the atomizer, the electronic cigarette further comprises a
first bracket and a second bracket, one end of the pressure
regulating valve unit is adapted to and fixed on the first bracket,
and the other end of the pressure regulating valve unit is adapted
to and fixed on the second bracket.
[0009] In the electronic cigarette of the present application, the
pressure regulating valve unit includes a valve gland and a support
base, and a through hole is defined at the top of the valve gland,
the two ends of the support base are open ends and a plurality of
protrusions are spaced on an inner wall of the support base, and
the floating sphere is movably clamped in the protrusions defined
on the inner wall of the support base.
[0010] In the electronic cigarette of the present application, the
pressure regulating valve unit further includes a valve gland and a
support base, and a through hole is defined at the top of the valve
gland, an intake hole configured to enable the air outside to flow
in and a pilot hole communicated with the intake hole are formed
inside the support base, and the pilot hole is extended and
radially enlarged from the intake hole to one side that is close to
the valve gland, and the floating sphere is movably abutted against
the intake hole under the guidance of the pilot hole to seal up or
open the airflow path.
[0011] In the electronic cigarette of the present application, a
circular hole is formed inside the support base, and the circular
hole extends from the pilot hole to one side that is away from the
intake hole, and the intake hole, the pilot hole and the circular
hole are arranged with the same axis.
[0012] In the electronic cigarette of the present application, a
centerline of the floating sphere and that of the intake hole are
coaxially arranged, and a diameter of the floating sphere is larger
than a diameter of the intake hole.
[0013] In the electronic cigarette of the present application, the
floating sphere is clamped at a connection between the intake hole
and the pilot hole to seal up the intake hole.
[0014] In the electronic cigarette of the present application, a
support part and at least two transition parts are defined on an
inner wall of the support base, and the intake hole is defined in
the center of the support part, and the at least two transition
parts extend along the intake hole and are evenly spaced, the at
least two transition parts are enclosed to form the pilot hole.
[0015] In the electronic cigarette of the present application, the
pressure regulating valve unit further includes a sealing part, two
ends of the sealing part are open ends and the sealing part is
abutted against the valve gland respectively.
[0016] In the electronic cigarette of the present application, one
open end at the bottom of the sealing part is connected to the
intake hole of the support base to enable the air outside to flow
into the intake hole via the open end at the bottom of the sealing
part.
[0017] In the electronic cigarette of the present application, when
blowing into the electronic cigarette from the mouthpiece, the
floating sphere is sealed up in the intake hole under the guidance
of the pilot hole to make the holding cavity and the smoke cavity
isolate from each other, thus avoiding the tobacco oil flowing to
the battery of the cigarette rod.
[0018] In the electronic cigarette of the present application, the
floating sphere is a steel ball, a glass ball, a ceramic ball or a
plastic ball.
[0019] In another aspect, the present application further provides
a method for adjusting flow rate of gas flow of an electronic
cigarette, the electronic cigarette comprises a cigarette rod with
a battery, an atomizer configured to atomize tobacco oil contained
therein, and an airflow path configured to enable the air to flow
into the atomizer, the method comprises the following steps:
[0020] S1: blowing or sucking from one end of the atomizer, and
making a floating sphere of a pressure regulating valve unit
arranged in the airflow path open or close the airflow path
according to a blowing airflow direction or a sucking airflow
direction, thus adjusting the airflow rate flowing into the airflow
path.
[0021] In the method for adjusting flow rate of gas flow of the
electronic cigarette of the present application, the electronic
cigarette comprises a mouthpiece 200 arranged at one side of the
atomizer and the side of the atomizer is away from the cigarette
rod, and the step S1 comprises the following steps:
[0022] S11: sucking from the mouthpiece and generating airflow
flowing towards the mouthpiece to make a pressure inside the
electronic cigarette lower than the atmospheric pressure outside,
and an opening degree of the floating sphere varies with a pressure
difference between the pressure inside and outside the electronic
cigarette to adjust the airflow rate flowing into the airflow
path;
[0023] S12: blowing at the mouthpiece and generating airflow
flowing backwards the mouthpiece to make a pressure inside the
electronic cigarette higher than the atmospheric pressure outside,
and the airflow path is sealed up by the floating sphere to avoid
tobacco oil inside the atomizer flowing to the battery inside the
cigarette rod.
[0024] By implementing the electronic cigarette and the method for
adjusting flow rate of gas flow of the electronic cigarette of the
present application, the following advantages can be achieved: by
means of arranging a pressure regulating valve unit in the airflow
path, it is able to control the airflow rate flowing into the
atomizer, hence adjust the amount of smoke sucked to change tastes
of smoking and meet users' different needs. Moreover, when blowing
to the electronic cigarette, the pressure regulating valve unit
will be in a closed state, it is able to avoid tobacco oil inside
the atomizer flowing to the battery and a control board and hence
prolong the lifetime of the electronic cigarette. Furthermore, the
adjusting method is easy to complete, there is no need to operate
manually, and the airflow rate flowing into the electronic
cigarette can be adjusted just by controlling the puffing force,
and it is hence able to adjust the amount of smoke sucked by the
user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] The present application will be further described with
reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments in the
following, in the accompanying drawings:
[0026] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an electronic cigarette of the
present application;
[0027] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an electronic cigarette of the
present application;
[0028] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a pressure regulating valve
unit of an electronic cigarette of a preferred embodiment of the
present application;
[0029] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a pressure regulating valve
unit of the electronic cigarette of the preferred embodiment of the
present application;
[0030] FIG. 5 is a diagram of an airflow direction when the
pressure regulating valve unit shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 is in
smoking state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0031] In order to explain the purpose, the technical features, and
the effect of the present application more clearly, the specific
embodiments of the present application will be described in detail
referring to the drawings.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the present application
provides an electronic cigarette 10, comprising a cigarette rod 100
with a battery 104, a mouthpiece 200, an atomizer 300, a pressure
regulating valve unit 400, a first bracket 500 and a second bracket
600. The cigarette rod 100, the first bracket 500, the pressure
regulating valve unit 400, the second bracket 600, the atomizer 300
and the mouthpiece 200 are connected in turn to cooperatively form
the electronic cigarette. Wherein, the atomizer 300 containing
tobacco oil is configured to atomize the tobacco oil and produce
smoke. The battery 104 inside the cigarette rod 100 is configured
to power the atomizer 300 to heat and atomize the tobacco oil, and
the atomized tobacco oil becomes smoke that is then discharged via
the mouthpiece 200 and sucked by the user.
[0033] The mouthpiece 200 is arranged at an end of the atomizer
300, wherein the end of the atomizer is away from the cigarette rod
100. That is to say, the cigarette rod 100 and the mouthpiece 200
are arranged at two ends of the atomizer 300 respectively. A
holding cavity 102 is defined inside the cigarette rod 100. The
battery 104 is accommodated in the holding cavity 102. A smoke
cavity 302 is defined inside the atomizer 300. The tobacco oil is
contained in the smoke cavity 302. The holding cavity 102 and the
smoke cavity 302 are connected to each other to cooperatively form
an airflow path. The airflow path is configured to enable the
airflow of the electronic cigarette circulate and to enable the air
outside to flow into the atomizer 300, so that the smoke produced
by atomizing the tobacco oil will flow into the mouthpiece 200 for
users' smoking.
[0034] The pressure regulating valve unit 400 is arranged in the
airflow path, and the pressure regulating valve unit 400 is
configured to adjust a flow rate of the outside air flowing into
the electronic cigarette. That is to say, the pressure regulating
valve unit 400 can be arranged in the holding cavity 102, in the
smoke cavity 302, or between the holding cavity 102 and the smoke
cavity 302. Those skilled in the art should know that after the
atomizer 300 atomizes the tobacco oil and produces smoke, the smoke
is able to flow towards the mouthpiece 200 under the action of
smoking. In order to ensure that the smoke in the atomizer 300
flows towards the mouthpiece 200, it is needed to push air into the
electronic cigarette, so that the smoke produced by atomizing the
tobacco oil can flow from atomizer 300 to the mouthpiece 200 under
the driving of the air when smoking. The pressure regulating valve
unit 400 is configured to adjust the flow rate of the outside air
flowing into the atomizer 300 and hence adjust the amount of smoke
sucked by users. In a specific embodiment, the pressure regulating
valve unit 400 is arranged between the cigarette rod 100 and the
atomizer 300. One end of the pressure regulating valve unit 400 is
connected to the cigarette rod 100 via the first bracket 500, the
other end of the pressure regulating valve unit 400 is connected to
the atomizer 300 via the second bracket 600. The first bracket 500
and the second bracket 600 are in the same shape and structure.
Specifically, the first bracket 500 and the second bracket 600 may
be designed in a hollow cylindrical structure with an internal
thread or an external thread. The cigarette rod 100 and the
atomizer 300 are connected by a threaded connection.
[0035] When smoking at the mouthpiece 200, the pressure regulating
valve unit 400 will be opened under the action of suction to make
the air outside flow into the atomizer 300, and then the smoke
produced by atomizing the tobacco oil will flow with the air into
the mouthpiece 200 for smoking. When users are not smoking at the
mouthpiece 200, the pressure regulating valve unit 400 will be
closed and make the smoke cavity 302 and the holding cavity 102 be
isolated from each other. That is to say, the airflow path is
closed and the air outside cannot flow into the atomizer 300, so
that users cannot smoke. Furthermore, when accidentally blowing
into the electronic cigarette at the mouthpiece 200, the pressure
regulating valve unit 400 will be closed because the airflow
direction at the mouthpiece 200 is opposite to the intake direction
of the pressure regulating valve unit 400. Therefore, it is able to
avoid the leakage of the tobacco oil and prolong the lifetime of
the battery 104.
[0036] Moreover, users can adjust the airflow rate flowing into the
atomizer 300 by controlling their suction force, to further adjust
the amount of smoke and improve the tastes and experience of users.
The way the air flowing into the electronic cigarette is a prior
art, for example, defining an intake on the cigarette rod 100 to
enable the air outside to flow into the electronic cigarette, or
defining an intake on a lamp cap that is away from the mouthpiece
200 to enable the air outside to flow into the electronic cigarette
and then pass through the 100 and finally flow to the pressure
regulating valve unit 400. Because the way the air flowing into the
electronic cigarette is a prior art and is uncorrelated with the
improvement of the present application, the corresponding structure
configured to enable the air to flow into the electronic cigarette
is not showed in the drawings.
[0037] Referring to FIGS. 3-5, the pressure regulating valve unit
400 provided in a preferred embodiment of the present application
comprises a valve gland 420, a floating sphere 422, a support base
424 and a sealing part 426. The floating sphere 422 is movably
clamped inside the support base 424, and the sealing part 426 is
abutted against the valve gland 420 via the support base 424.
[0038] The valve gland 420 is in a hollow cylindrical structure
approximately and is open at one end, and a through hole 4202 is
defined at the other end of the valve gland 420. The through hole
4202 is configured to enable the air outside to flow into the
atomizer 300. It is understood that the shape of the through hole
4202 is not limited here, and the shape of the through hole 4202
can be circular, square or other shape. In the present embodiment,
the shape of the through hole 4202 is circular.
[0039] The support base 424 is in a cylindrical structure, and two
ends of the support base 424 are open ends, and a diameter of the
support base 424 is smaller than a diameter of the valve gland 420.
The diameter of a support base 424 is preferable that the support
base 424 is exactly sheathed in the valve gland 420. That is to
say, the valve gland 420 sheathes outside the support base 424. A
plurality of protrusions is spaced inside the support base 424, and
the protrusions can be in a cuboid structure.
[0040] An intake hole 4241, a pilot hole 4242 and a circular hole
4243 are formed inside the support base 424 and are connected to
each other, so that an approximate stepped through hole is formed
inside the support base 424. In the present embodiment, the intake
hole 4241, the pilot hole 4242 and the circular hole 4243 are
coaxially arranged and connected, so that the air outside flows
through the intake hole 4241, the pilot hole 4242, the circular
hole 4243 and the through hole 4202 in sequence, and then flows
into the atomizer 300.
[0041] The intake hole 4241 is defined at one side of the support
base 424, away from the valve gland 420. The intake hole 4241 is
configured to enable the air outside to flow into the support base
424. The shape of the intake hole 4241 can be circular, square or
other irregular shapes. The shape of the intake hole 4241 is
circular in the present embodiment. The pilot hole 4242 is extended
and radially enlarged from the intake hole 4241 to one side that is
close to the valve gland 420. That is to say, the pilot hole 4242
is a tapered hole approximately, and the pilot hole 4242 is
gradually widened and extends to one side that is close to the
valve gland 420 to achieve a purpose of leading the floating sphere
422 moving up and down, so that the floating sphere 422 movably
abutted against the intake hole 4241 under the guidance of the
pilot hole 4242 to seal up or open the intake hole 4241.
Specifically, the pilot hole 4242 is configured to lead the
floating sphere 422 moving up and down. That is to say, the pilot
hole 4242 is configured to lead the floating sphere 422 moving
towards the circular hole 4243 or the intake hole 4241. When
smoking at the mouthpiece 200, the floating sphere 422 can move up
under the action of suction, and the floating sphere 422 moves away
from the intake hole 4241 to make the air outside flow into the
valve gland 420 via the intake hole 4241. That is to say, the
pressure regulating valve unit 400 is open and air outside flows
through the intake hole 4241, the pilot hole 4242, the circular
hole 4243 and the through hole 4202 in sequence, and then flows
into the atomizer 300. When users are not smoking or blowing into
the electronic cigarette at the mouthpiece 200, the pilot hole 4242
is configured to lead the floating sphere 422 moving down to close
the pressure regulating valve unit 400 via the floating sphere 422
sealed in the intake hole 4241, so that air outside cannot flow
into the atomizer 300. Moreover, it is able to avoid the tobacco
oil that has not been atomized in the atomizer 300 flowing to the
cigarette rod 100.
[0042] The circular hole 4243 is circular and extends from the
pilot hole 4242 to one side that is away from the intake hole 4241.
The circular hole 4243 is connected to the through hole 4202
defined at the top end of the valve gland 420, so that air outside
can flow into the atomizer 300 via the through hole 4202. It is
understandable that the circular hole 4243 is not essential to the
present embodiment. The pilot hole 4242 may extend straightly to
one side that is close to the valve gland 420 to form a tapered
hole.
[0043] In another embodiment of the present invention, a support
part 425 and at least two transition parts 423 are defined on an
inner wall of the support base 424. The support part 425 is defined
at one side of the support base 424, away from the valve gland 420.
The support part is sleeved in the support base 424. One end of the
support part 425 is coplanar with one end of the support base 424,
away from the valve gland 420. The intake hole 4241 is defined in
the center of the support part 425 and axially runs through the
whole support part 425. The transition part 423 extends from the
intake hole 4241 to one side that is close to the valve gland 420.
The at least two transition parts 423 are evenly spaced on the side
wall of the support base 424. Each transition part 423 is a conic
surface that is gradually widened and extends from the intake hole
4241 to one side that is close to the valve gland 420. The at least
two transition parts 423 in the present embodiment are enclosed to
form the pilot hole 4242.
[0044] The floating sphere 422 is configured to close or open the
airflow path based on an airflow direction inside the electronic
cigarette and a pressure difference between the pressures inside
and outside the electronic cigarette, which makes the holding
cavity 102 be isolated from or be connected to the smoke cavity
302, and then it is able to adjust airflow rate flowing into the
electronic cigarette. Specifically, the air inside the electronic
cigarette flows towards the mouthpiece 200 when users are smoking
at the mouthpiece 200. The pressure inside the electronic cigarette
is lower than the atmospheric pressure outside at this moment. The
floating sphere 422 is open under a pressure difference between the
pressures inside and outside the electronic cigarette, i.e. the
floating sphere 422 moves up under the pressure difference to open
the intake hole 4241, to enable the air outside to flow into the
airflow path. The pressure difference between the pressures inside
and outside the electronic cigarette varies with users' suction
force at the mouthpiece 200 when smoking, and an opening degree of
the floating sphere 422 varies with the pressure difference the
pressures inside and outside the electronic cigarette, which
enables the adjustment to the flow rate of the air outside flowing
into the airflow path. When suction force of users is large, the
pressure difference is large and the upwardly moving distance of
the floating sphere 422 is hence large, so that the floating sphere
422 is completely separated from the intake hole 4241 and moves
towards the pilot hole 4242. The pressure regulating valve unit 400
is completely open at this moment and the holding cavity 102 is
connected to the smoke cavity 302. The airflow rate flowing from
the outside to the airflow path via the intake hole 4241 is maximum
so that it can produce more smoke for users and improve the
experience of users. When suction force of users is small, the
pressure difference is small and the upwardly moving distance of
the floating sphere 422 is hence small. The airflow rate flowing
from into the airflow path is small so that it can produce less
smoke and help users quit smoking. When blowing into the electronic
cigarette from the mouthpiece 200, air inside the electronic
cigarette flows in a direction that is away from the mouthpiece
200. The pressure inside the electronic cigarette is higher than
the atmospheric pressure outside at this moment. The floating
sphere 422 moves down along the pilot hole 4242 and is finally
clamped in the intake hole 4241 so that the airflow path is sealed
up and the holding cavity 102 is isolated from the smoke cavity
302. It can avoid the tobacco oil that has not been atomized in the
atomizer 300 flowing to the battery 104 inside the cigarette rod
100, and it can avoid the battery 104 being damaged when users
blows into the electronic cigarette by mistake and prolong the
lifetime of the battery.
[0045] The floating sphere 422 can be defined in a hollow spherical
shape. The weight of the floating sphere 422 should not be too
heavy, otherwise the floating sphere 422 cannot be sucked up. The
size of a floating sphere 422 is preferable that the floating
sphere 422 is clamped inside of the support base 424 and can seal
up the intake hole 4241. The location of the through hole 4202
defined in the support base 424 is corresponding to that of the
floating sphere 422. The centerline of the floating sphere 422 and
the centerline of the intake hole 4241 are coaxially arranged. A
diameter of the floating sphere is larger than a diameter of the
intake hole 4241, so that the floating sphere is clamped at a
connection between the intake hole 4241 and the pilot hole 4242 to
seal up the intake hole 4241. Specifically, in the present
embodiment, the floating sphere 422 can be a steel ball, glass
ball, ceramic ball or plastic ball. The floating sphere 422 can
also be a small ball with elasticity and the like, and it is not
limited here.
[0046] The sealing part 426 is also in a hollow cylindrical
structure. A diameter of the sealing part 426 is larger than a
diameter of the support base 424. The size of a sealing part 426 is
preferable that the support base 424 is accommodated inside the
sealing part 426 exactly. One end of the sealing part 426 is
abutted against one end of the valve gland 420, which means that
the diameter of the sealing part 426 is equal to the diameter of
the valve gland 420. Two ends of the sealing part 426 are open
ends, wherein, one open end defined at the bottom of sealing part
426 is an inlet for the air outside. The open end defined at the
bottom of sealing part 426 is connected to the intake hole 4241
correspondingly, so that the air outside flows into the intake hole
4241 via the open end defined at the bottom of the sealing part
426, and then flows through the pilot hole 4242, the circular hole
4243 and the through hole 4202 in sequence, and finally flows into
the atomizer 300.
[0047] Specifically, in the present embodiment, when assembling the
pressure regulating valve unit 400, the support base 424 is
arranged in the hollow portion of the sealing part 426 to
correspond the open end defined at the bottom of sealing part 426
to the intake hole 4241 defined in the support base 424; then the
floating sphere 422 is clamped inside the support base 424 to seal
up the intake hole 4241; lastly, the gland 420 is sheathed outside
the support base 424 and abutted against the sealing part 426 to
complete the assembly of the pressure regulating valve unit
400.
[0048] FIG. 5 is a diagram of an airflow direction (arrows indicate
the airflow direction) of the air outside when the electronic
cigarette is in smoking state, and the electronic cigarette
includes a pressure regulating valve unit 400 with the floating
sphere 422. Specifically, in the present embodiment, if users suck
at the mouthpiece 200 when smoking, the floating sphere 422 will be
sucked upwardly under the action of suction to open the intake hole
4241, so that the air outside flows through the open end defined at
the bottom of sealing part 426, the intake hole 4241 defined inside
the support base 424, the pilot hole 4242, the circular hole 4243
and the through hole 4202 defined in the valve gland 420 in
sequence, and then flows into the atomizer 300. The atomized smoke
in the atomizer 300 will be driving by the air to flow into the
mouthpiece 200 for smoking.
[0049] The electronic cigarette of the present application is
capable of adjusting the amount of the smoke by changing the
suction force when smoking. Specifically, when smoking forcibly at
the mouthpiece 200, the upwardly moving distance of the floating
sphere 422 is large due to a large suction force, and the airflow
rate flowing into the pressure regulating valve unit 400 via the
intake hole 4241 of the support base 424 is hence large, so that
the airflow rate inside the atomizer 300 is large. Therefore, the
amount of smoke that has been driven by the air outside and flows
to the mouthpiece 200 is large. Thus, it is able to increase the
amount of smoke and meet the needs of users. And when the suction
force at the mouthpiece 200 is small, the upwardly moving distance
of the floating sphere 422 is small, so that the airflow rate
inside the atomizer 300 is small and the amount of smoke is also
small as a result. Therefore, when smoking, it is able to adjust
the amount of the smoke by changing the suction force to control
the upwardly moving distance of the floating sphere 422, and then
it is able to change tastes of smoking and meet different needs of
users. Furthermore, because the floating sphere 422 scrolls up and
down under the action of the airflow, the floating sphere 422 will
knock the inner wall of the support base 424 with a gurgling sound
to simulate the gurgling sound of a hookah, which improves the
experience of users. Moreover, it is able to adjust the tastes of
smoking by changing the weight and the size of the floating sphere
422. It will need larger suction force to make the floating sphere
422 be sucked up when the weight of the floating sphere 422 is
large. The floating sphere 422 will not be sucked up if the suction
force is small, so as to fail in smoking.
[0050] In addition, when there is no suction at the mouthpiece 200,
the floating sphere 422 will move downwardly along the pilot hole
4242 and fall back into the intake hole 4241 to seal up the intake
hole 4241, so that the air outside cannot flow into the atomizer
300. It is able to avoid the tobacco oil inside the atomizer 300
leaking into the battery 104 of the cigarette rod 100. It is able
to avoid the tobacco oil leaking out and the lifetime of the
battery 104 is hence prolonged. Meanwhile, if users accidentally
blowing into the electronic cigarette at the mouthpiece 200,
floating sphere 422 will move downwardly along the pilot hole 4242
and fall back into the intake hole 4241 to seal up the intake hole
4241 as the blowing airflow direction is opposite to the intake
direction of the pressure regulating valve unit 400. The tobacco
oil inside the atomizer 300 is blocked by the floating sphere 422
and will not flow into the cigarette rod 100, which avoids the
battery and circuits connected to the battery being damaged by the
tobacco oil and prolongs the lifetime of the electronic
cigarette.
[0051] The present application further provides a method of
adjusting airflow rate of the electronic cigarette, and the method
can be realized by the electronic cigarette described above.
Specifically, the method comprises the following steps:
[0052] S1: blowing or sucking from one end of the atomizer 300, and
making the floating sphere 422 of the pressure regulating valve
unit 400 arranged in the airflow path open or close the airflow
path according to a blowing airflow direction or a sucking airflow
direction, thus adjusting the airflow rate flowing into the airflow
path.
[0053] Referring to FIGS. 2-5, the electronic cigarette 10 in the
present application comprises a cigarette rod 100 with a battery
104, a mouthpiece 200, an atomizer 300, a pressure regulating valve
unit 400, a first bracket 500 and a second bracket 600. The
cigarette rod 100, the first bracket 500, the pressure regulating
valve unit 400, the second bracket 600, the atomizer 300 and the
mouthpiece 200 are connected in turn to cooperatively form the
electronic cigarette. Wherein, the atomizer 300 containing tobacco
oil is configured to atomize the tobacco oil and produce smoke. The
battery 104 inside the cigarette rod 100 is configured to power the
atomizer 300 to heat and atomize the tobacco oil, and the atomized
tobacco oil becomes smoke that is then discharged via the
mouthpiece 200 and sucked by the user.
[0054] The mouthpiece 200 is arranged at an end of the atomizer
300, away from the cigarette rod 100. That is to say, the cigarette
rod 100 and the mouthpiece 200 are arranged at two ends of the
atomizer 300 respectively. A holding cavity 102 is defined inside
the cigarette rod 100. The battery 104 is accommodated in the
holding cavity 102. A smoke cavity 302 is defined inside the
atomizer 300. The tobacco oil is contained in the smoke cavity 302.
The holding cavity 102 and the smoke cavity 302 are connected to
each other and cooperatively form an airflow path. The airflow path
is configured to enable the airflow of the electronic cigarette
circulate and to enable the air outside to flow into the atomizer
300, so that the smoke produced by atomizing the tobacco oil will
flow into the mouthpiece 200 for users' smoking.
[0055] The pressure regulating valve unit 400 is arranged in the
airflow path, and the pressure regulating valve unit 400 is
configured to adjust a flow rate of the outside air flowing into
the electronic cigarette. That is to say, the pressure regulating
valve unit 400 can be arranged in the holding cavity 102, in the
smoke cavity 302, or between the holding cavity 102 and the smoke
cavity 302. The pressure regulating valve unit 400 configured to
adjust the airflow rate flowing into the electronic cigarette,
comprises a valve gland 420, a floating sphere 422, a support base
424 and a sealing part 426. The floating sphere 422 is movably
clamped inside the support base 424. The sealing part 426 is
abutted against the valve gland 420 via the support base 424.
[0056] The valve gland 420 is in a hollow cylindrical structure
approximately and is open at one end, and a through hole 4202 is
defined at the other end of the valve gland 420. The through hole
4202 is configured to enable the air outside to flow into the
atomizer 300. An intake hole 4241, a pilot hole 4242 and a circular
hole 4243 are formed inside the support base 424 and are connected
to each other, so that an approximate stepped through hole is
formed inside the support base 424. The intake hole 4241 is defined
at one side of the support base 424, away from the valve gland 420.
The intake hole 4241 is configured to enable the air outside to
flow into the support base 424. The pilot hole 4242 is extended and
radially enlarged from the intake hole 4241 to one side that is
close to the valve gland 420. That is to say, the pilot hole 4242
is a tapered hole approximately, and the pilot hole 4242 is
gradually widened and extends to one side that is close to the
valve gland 420 to achieve a purpose of leading the floating sphere
422 moving up and down. The circular hole 4243 is circular and
extends from the pilot hole 4242 to one side that is away from the
intake hole 4241. The circular hole 4243 is connected to the
through hole 4202 defined at the top end of the valve gland 420 so
that the air outside can flow into the atomizer 300 via the through
hole 4202.
[0057] When sucking or blowing into the electronic cigarette at the
mouthpiece 200, the floating sphere 422 is configured to open or
close the airflow path accordingly to the blowing airflow direction
or sucking airflow direction, thus it is able to adjust the airflow
rate flowing into the electronic cigarette. In the present
embodiment, step S1 comprises two sub-steps:
[0058] S11: sucking at the mouthpiece 200 and generating airflow
flowing towards the mouthpiece to make a pressure inside the
electronic cigarette lower than the atmospheric pressure outside,
and an opening degree of the floating sphere 422 varies with a
pressure difference between the pressures inside and outside the
electronic cigarette to adjust the airflow rate flowing into the
airflow path;
[0059] S12: blowing at the mouthpiece 200 and generating airflow
flowing backwards the mouthpiece 200 to make the pressure inside
the electronic cigarette higher than the pressure outside, and the
airflow path is sealed up by the floating sphere 422 to avoid
tobacco oil inside the atomizer 300 flowing to the battery 104
inside the cigarette rod 100.
[0060] In the step S11, when users are smoking at the mouthpiece
200, the air inside the electronic cigarette flows towards the
mouthpiece 200. The pressure inside the electronic cigarette is
lower than the atmospheric pressure outside at this moment. The
floating sphere 422 is configured to close or open the intake hole
4241 under the pressure difference between the pressures inside and
outside the electronic cigarette. That is to say, the floating
sphere 422 moves up by the pressure difference, which will make the
intake hole 4241 open to enable the air outside to flow into the
airflow path. The pressure difference between the pressures inside
and outside the electronic cigarette varies with users' suction
force at the mouthpiece 200 when smoking, and an opening degree of
the floating sphere 422 varies with the pressure difference the
pressures inside and outside the electronic cigarette, which
enables the adjustment to the flow rate of the air outside flowing
into the airflow path.
[0061] In the step S12, when blowing into the electronic cigarette
from the mouthpiece 200, the air inside the electronic cigarette
flows in a direction that is away from the mouthpiece 200. The
pressure inside the electronic cigarette is higher than the
atmospheric pressure outside at this moment. The floating sphere
422 moves down along the pilot hole 4242 and is finally clamped in
the intake hole 4241 so that the airflow path is sealed up and the
holding cavity 102 is isolated from the smoke cavity 302. It can
avoid the tobacco oil that has not been atomized in the atomizer
300 flowing to the battery 104 inside the cigarette rod 100, and it
can avoid the battery 104 being damaged when users blows into the
electronic cigarette by mistake and prolong the lifetime of the
battery.
[0062] In conclusion, in the electronic cigarette and the method
for adjusting airflow rate of the electronic cigarette of the
present application, by means of arranging a pressure regulating
valve unit 400 in the airflow path, it is able to control the
airflow rate flowing into the atomizer 300, further to adjust the
amount of smoke sucked, to change tastes of smoking and meet
different needs of users. Further, when blowing to the electronic
cigarette, as the pressure regulating valve unit 400 is in a closed
state, it is able to avoid tobacco oil inside the atomizer 300
flowing to the battery 104 and a control board, thus prolonging the
lifetime of the electronic cigarette. Furthermore, the adjusting
method is easy to complete, and there is no need to operate
manually. The airflow rate flowing into the electronic cigarette
can be adjusted just by controlling the suction force, and the
amount of smoke sucked by the user is hence adjusted.
[0063] The embodiments of the present application have been
described accompanying with the drawings, while the present
application is not limit to the aforementioned specific
embodiments. The specific embodiments are merely a hint rather than
a limit. Various changes may be made and equivalents may be
substituted without departing from the purpose of the application
and the scope of the claims by those skilled in the art under the
teaching of the present application, but all the changes and
equivalents will be included within the scope of the present
application.
* * * * *