Vaporization Device

This application relates to the field of tobacco products, and in particular, to a vaporization device.

With the pursuit of smoking automation by smokers and the continuous advancements in related arts, such as tobacco vaporization, the demand for vaporization devices among consumers has gradually increased. However, existing vaporization devices require smokers to manually control the heating, resulting in a cumbersome process for users. Manual operation is not sufficiently convenient for smokers and wastes a significant amount of time. Most vaporization devices cannot be used or stopped immediately, leading to waste of e-liquid.

The purpose of the present application is to provide a vaporization device to at least partially solve the above technical problems.

According to some embodiments of the present application, a vaporization device is provided, including a shell, a bracket, a circuit board, an airflow sensor, and a sealing element. The shell forms a cavity and is provided with an installation hole. The bracket is arranged within the cavity. The circuit board is fixed to the bracket, where the circuit board includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the second surface facing the installation hole, and the circuit board also includes a first air hole. The airflow sensor is electrically connected to the second surface. The shell defines a first air passage and a second air passage. The first air passage communicates with the installation hole and the first air hole, and the second air passage communicates with the first air passage and positioned on one side of the first air passage, with the airflow sensor arranged at one end of the second air passage away from the first air passage.

According to some embodiments, the circuit board is provided with a second air hole. The second air hole penetrates through the first surface, and the second air hole corresponds to the airflow sensor.

According to some embodiments, the circuit board includes a first area and a second area, the first air hole being arranged in the first area. The vaporization device further includes a power supply component, the power supply component including an oil chamber and a power source. The oil chamber corresponds to the first area, and the first air passage communicates with the oil chamber. The power source corresponds to the second area and electrically connected to the circuit board, and the airflow sensor is arranged in the second area.

According to some embodiments, the vaporization device further includes oil-absorbent cotton. The oil-absorbent cotton is arranged on the bracket and located on one side of the second surface of the circuit board and positioned between the first air hole and the first air passage.

According to some embodiments, the junction of the second air passage and the first air passage is positioned on a side of the oil-absorbent cotton away from the circuit board.

According to some embodiments, the second air passage includes multiple bent portions.

According to some embodiments, the second air passage includes a first gas segment, a second gas segment, and a third gas segment, the first gas segment bending towards a side of the first air passage to form a first bend, the third gas segment bending towards the side of the first air passage to form a second bend, and both ends of the second gas segment connecting the first bend and an end of the third gas segment away from the second bend.

According to some embodiments, the sealing element further includes a plurality of third air holes, the third air holes communicating with the first air hole. The vaporization device further includes an air adjustment device, the air adjustment device being slidably arranged on the bracket and located at the installation hole. During a sliding process of the air adjustment device, the plurality of third air holes are selectively closed or at least one of the plurality of third air holes is selectively shielded.

According to some embodiments, the air adjustment device includes a fixing plate and a protruding portion, the protruding portion being arranged on the surface of the fixing plate. The fixing plate is slidably arranged on the bracket and the protruding portion extends from the installation hole and is used to drive the fixing plate to move by external force, so that the fixing plate during the sliding process selectively closes the plurality of third air holes or shields at least one of the plurality of third air holes.

According to some embodiments, the shell includes a bottom plate, the installation hole being arranged on the bottom plate, and a surface of the bracket facing the bottom plate includes a first locking position and a second locking position. The first locking position and the second locking position are arranged oppositely. The first locking position and the second locking position are arranged at intervals, and the first locking position and the second locking position form a gap between the first locking position and the second locking position and the surface of the bracket facing the bottom plate, where the fixing plate is slidably arranged within the gap, and the protruding portion extends from the space between the first locking position and the second locking position and extends through the installation hole.

The vaporization device provided by the embodiment of the present application, by separating the first air passage and the second air passage in the shell, protects the airflow sensor in the second air passage from damage due to high-speed airflow while allowing precise detection of changes in low-speed airflow. Protecting the proper function of the airflow sensor and improving the detection accuracy can enhance the user experience and increase the lifespan of the vaporization device.

To enable those skilled in the technical field to better understand the technical solutions of this application, the following provides a clear and complete description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Clearly, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application and not all embodiments. All other embodiments derived by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments in this application, without creative effort, fall within the scope of protection of this application.

In this application, unless otherwise explicitly specified or defined, terms such as “installed,” “connected,” and “fixed” should be understood broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; to mechanical connections or electrical connections; to direct connections or connections through intervening media, or to communication between two components; or merely surface contact, or connections via surface contact of intervening media. Those skilled in the art can interpret the specific meanings of the above terms according to the specific situation in this application.

In addition, terms such as “first,” “second,” etc. are only used to differentiate descriptions and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or special structures. Descriptions such as “some embodiments” and “other embodiments” mean specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example in this application. In this application, the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without mutual contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and assemble different embodiments or examples described in this application and the features of different embodiments or examples.

With the pursuit of smoking automation by smokers and the continuous advancements in tobacco vaporization technologies, the demand for vaporization devices among consumers has gradually increased. However, existing vaporization devices require smokers to manually control heating, resulting in cumbersome workflows for users. Manual operation is not sufficiently convenient for smokers and wastes considerable time. Most vaporization devices cannot be used or turned off immediately, leading to waste of e-liquid. In the related art, the vaporization device is equipped with an airflow sensor and other detection devices to monitor the user's operations. However, the positional relationship of the airflow sensor in the current technology may lead to uncertainty in the sensitivity and operational safety of the airflow sensor.

According to an embodiment of the present application, a vaporization deviceis provided, referring toand. The vaporization deviceincludes a shell, a bracket, a circuit board, an airflow sensor, and a sealing element. The vaporization devicecan utilize a device that disperses liquid to generate tiny droplets, and the volume of the vaporized droplets decreases, making them easily pass through gaps. To increase the utilization rate of tiny droplets and reduce the loss of tiny droplets, the shellforms a cavity. The circuit boardis assembled in the shell, and the airflow sensorand sealing elementare arranged within the cavity. Preferably, during operation of the vaporization device, processes such as heating may be involved, so as to avoid heat dissipation from the shell, preventing loss of heat. Similarly, this avoids generating high temperatures on the surface of the shell, which presents risks. The shellcan utilize thermal insulation materials. For example, the shellcan use ceramic materials, which not only resist high temperatures but also have strong corrosion resistance and durability. The circuit boardgenerally has a sheet structure and needs to be installed and fixed in the cavity, with the shellhaving installation holesfor positioning and installing the circuit boardand other parts.

According to some embodiments, referring to, the circuit boardincludes a first surfaceand a second surfaceopposite to the first surface, with the second surfacefacing the installation hole, and the second surfaceand installation holehaving a relative positional relationship. The installation holecan be used for positioning the second surface, thereby determining the positional relationship between the circuit boardand the shell. Moreover, to avoid obstructing air circulation within the cavity, the circuit boardalso includes a first air hole, allowing air passing through the circuit boardto flow smoothly. The bracketis arranged within the cavity, and the circuit boardis fixed to the bracket. In the cavity, the bracketkeeps the circuit boardin position, preventing it from moving easily. The bracketcan be made of flexible materials. For example, the bracketcan use rubber or similar materials, reducing damage to the circuit boardcaused by jolts or vibrations.

The circuit boardcan include one or more (only one is shown in the figure) coupled processorsand memory. Referring toand take the circuit boardas an example.

The processormay include one or more processing cores. The processorconnects all parts within the vaporizing devicevia various interfaces and lines. By running or executing instructions, programs, code collections, or instruction sets stored in the memory, as well as retrieving data stored in the memory, it performs various functions and processes data. In some embodiments, the processorcan employ at least one hardware form among Digital Signal Processing (DSP), Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or Programmable Logic Array (PLA).

Memorycan include Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read-Only Memory (ROM). Memorycan be used to store instructions, programs, codes, code collections, or instruction sets.

In this embodiment, referring to, if the vaporization deviceexperiences vibrations or impacts, components can easily fall off from the circuit board. The sealing elementfills the space between the bracketand the circuit board. During operation of the vaporization device, tiny droplets will also occur within the cavity. The sealing elementcan prevent tiny droplets from escaping the vaporization deviceand can also divide different parts of the cavity. The sealing elementprovides cushioning. It can reduce damage from external vibrations to the circuit boardand can fill the gap between the shelland the circuit board, reducing the gap size between the shelland the circuit boardto prevent the gap from becoming excessively large, which could allow tiny droplets generated during vaporization to penetrate between the shelland the circuit board, causing loss and ensuring the smooth operation of the vaporization device.

In this embodiment, conventional vaporization devices require manual operation by users to initiate operation, but this manual process is cumbersome and leads to slower response times. The airflow sensoris electrically connected to the second surfaceand can include a differential capacitive sensor. When a user inhales when using the vaporization device, changes in the airflow speed generated by inhalation affect the air pressure within the cavity. The airflow sensorexperiences pressure changes at both ends, and the airflow speed influences the capacitance values across the airflow sensor, resulting in a capacitance difference. The airflow sensordetermines trigger signals based on the capacitance difference and can adjust sensitivity according to a preset capacitance threshold. The airflow sensoris electrically connected to the second area, transmitting signals to the circuit board. To reduce unnecessary misfires and avoid influences from external airflow on the airflow sensor, the circuit boardis set with a threshold to determine if the capacitance difference exceeds the threshold. When the capacitance difference exceeds the threshold, the circuit boardcontrols the vaporization deviceto heat, generating tiny droplets from the vaporized e-liquid, which emits a cigarette aroma, while controlling the corresponding display circuit to realize necessary display functions. When the capacitance difference does not exceed the threshold, the circuit boardperforms no other operations and remains in standby mode.

According to some embodiments, the working principle of the airflow sensoris that the airflow speed affects the capacitance values at both ends of the airflow sensor, resulting in a capacitance difference. The airflow sensoruses the capacitance difference to determine trigger signals. The airflow sensordetects the airflow speed without the influence of airflow at one end away from the second air passage, using this reference to generate a capacitance difference. Due to the positional relationship between the airflow sensorand the second surface, the circuit boardis provided with a second air hole, where the second air holepenetrates through the first surfaceand corresponds to the airflow sensor. The end of the airflow sensornear the second air holecan detect gas parameters without the influence of airflow, while the other end can acquire gas parameters from within the second air passage, and the capacitance at both ends varies according to the acquired gas parameters. The airflow sensorcan obtain the capacitance difference at both ends and convert the capacitance difference into parameter values such as air pressure differences.

In this embodiment, to ensure a smooth inhalation rate for the user, the diameter of the air passage is not set too small. The airflow sensoris used to detect changes in air intake rates, and the diameter parameters of the air passage will affect the intake rate of air into the cavity, thereby affecting the sensitivity of the airflow sensor. The shelldefines a first air passageand a second air passage, the first air passagecommunicating with the installation holeand the first air hole, the second air passagecommunicating with the first air passageand being positioned on one side of the first air passage, with the airflow sensorarranged at one end of the second air passageaway from the first air passage. The shellseparates the first air passageand the second air passage, with both passages connected to each other. When the user inhales, the airflow speed in the first air passageincreases. According to Bernoulli's principle, under certain conditions, a high-speed airflow in the first air passageresults in a lower corresponding air pressure. The reduction in pressure in the first air passagecauses gas from the second air passageto flow into the first air passage, while the airflow speed and air pressure in the second air passagechange accordingly, being detected by the airflow sensorin the second air passage. According to some embodiments, a larger diameter can be set for the first air passage, for example, the first air passagecan be set to 5 mm to ensure a smooth inhalation rate for the user; while the second air passagecan be set to a smaller diameter, for example, the second air passagecan be set to 2 mm to accommodate the airflow sensor. The airflow sensorcan detect changes in airflow more clearly with the smaller diameter of the second air passageunder the same intake volume.

In this embodiment, e-liquid may overflow from the oil chamberin the first air passage, as the second air passagecommunicates with the first air passage, resulting in e-liquid potentially overflowing from the first air passageinto the second air passage. Due to the small size of the second air passage, e-liquid may clog the second air passage, affecting the normal operation of the airflow sensorin the second air passage. The second air passageis formed with multiple bent portions, which can increase the length of the second air passage. The position of the airflow sensorcan also increase, with specific parameters adjustable according to implementation requirements, without limitation in this embodiment. Moreover, the multiple bent portionscan reduce airflow in the second air passage, preventing the airflow speed in the first air passagefrom affecting the airflow speed in the second air passage. The bent portionscan obstruct the airflow coming from the first air passage, preventing potential damage to the airflow sensor.

Specifically, referring to, the second air passageincludes a first gas segment, a second gas segment, and a third gas segment, where the first gas segmentbends towards the first air passageto form a first bend, the third gas segmentbends towards the first air passageto form a second bend, and both ends of the second gas segmentconnect the first bendand an end of the third air segmentaway from the second bend. The second air passagecan have a larger size in a confined space, further increasing the length of the second air passageand increasing the distance between the airflow sensorand the first air passage. When e-liquid overflows from the oil chamberinto the first air passage, the second air passagecan provide enough space to buffer the overflowing e-liquid, preventing damage to the airflow sensor. Protecting the proper function of the airflow sensorand preventing the influence of the first air passagecan ensure smooth operation of the vaporization device.

In this embodiment, referring toand, the circuit boardincludes a first areaand a second areaconnected together. The first air holeis arranged in the first area. The vaporization devicefurther includes a power supply component, which includes a power sourceand an oil chamber. The power sourceand the oil chamberare larger, heavier components in the vaporization device, and can easily displace and collide with each other. The power sourceand the oil chamberare fixedly assembled, and the fixed assembly minimizes the risk of collisions that could lead to leaks from the oil chamber. To reduce assembly procedures and ensure assembly precision and speed, the power sourcecorresponds to the second areaand is electrically connected to the circuit board, supplying power to the circuit boardto ensure its normal operation, while the airflow sensoris arranged in the second area, and the circuit boardcan supply power to the airflow sensor, providing the necessary power for its operation. The oil chambercorresponds to the first areaand is provided with heating wireinside, which is used to heat e-liquid or other liquid substances. The heating wireutilizes the property of generating heat through electricity, thus the heating wireconnects with the power supply component. The oil chamberneeds to store heated e-liquid, and a sealed oil chambercan easily create negative pressure. The negative pressure can prevent tiny droplets generated within oil chamberfrom flowing out smoothly from the vaporization device, while the first air passagecommunicates with the oil chamberallowing air to pass through the first air passage, thus enabling tiny droplets to flow out smoothly from the vaporization device.

According to some embodiments, the heating wireincludes pins extending toward the circuit boardfor connection to the power supply component. To ensure the safety of the connections and protect the normal operation of the heating wire, a resistance wire is provided within the vaporization device, connecting the power sourceand the heating wire. The resistance wire conducts with the power source, providing current to both ends of the resistance wire. The resistance wire connects to the heating wire, causing the heating wireto generate heat. E-liquid begins to heat up via the heating wire, turning into tiny droplets for the user to inhale.

In this embodiment, to ensure that smoke can be smoothly expelled from the vaporization device, liquids form tiny droplets within air passages. The user inhales through the vaporization device, generating a driving force that causes the tiny droplets to rise smoothly along the airflow passage and be inhaled by the user. Under the influence of this driving force, outside moisture or other gases may enter the first air passageand the second air passage. Moisture entering the oil chambercan dilute the e-liquid, and the heated steam together with the vaporized tiny droplets is inhaled by the user. The steam may cause burns to the user's oral cavity, and the mixture can create unpleasant tasting effects. The vaporization devicefurther includes oil-absorbent cotton, which is arranged on the bracketand located on one side of the second surfaceof the circuit boardand positioned between the first air holeand the first air passage. Moisture in the first air passageand the second air passageis filtered before passing through the second surface, allowing the oil-absorbent cottonto absorb incoming moisture, reducing the occurrence of unpleasant tastes caused by moisture. Additionally, e-liquid may overflow from the oil chamber. When the e-liquid passes through the second surface, it is absorbed by the oil-absorbent cotton, effectively preventing e-liquid from leaking from the vaporization device. Preferably, external moisture enters the cavity, and the moisture flows along the first air passageto the circuit boardor sequentially along the second air passageand the first air passageto the circuit board. The moisture can corrode the circuit board, leading to its improper operation. The junction of the second air passageand the first air passageis located on the side of the oil-absorbent cottonaway from the circuit board. The moisture in the first air passageand the second air passageis filtered before passing through the second surface, allowing the oil-absorbent cottonto absorb the incoming moisture.

In this embodiment, to ensure that smoke can be smoothly expelled from the vaporization device, liquids in the cavityform tiny droplets. The user inhales the vaporization device, generating a driving force for the airflow passage. Under the influence of this driving force, the tiny droplets rise slowly along the airflow passage and are smoothly inhaled by the user. Under the influence of the driving force, external moisture or other gases may enter the first air passageand the second air passage. Moisture entering the oil chambercan dilute the e-liquid, and the heated steam, along with the vaporized tiny droplets, is inhaled by the user. The steam may cause burns to the user's oral cavity, and the mixture can lead to unpleasant taste effects. The junction of the second air passageand the first air passageis located on the side of the oil-absorbent cottonaway from the circuit board. The moisture in the first air passageand the second air passageis filtered before passing through the second surface, allowing the oil-absorbent cottonto absorb the incoming moisture and reduce the occurrence of unpleasant taste effects caused by moisture. Moreover, e-liquid may overflow from the oil chamber. As the e-liquid passes through the second surface, it is absorbed by the oil-absorbent cotton, effectively preventing e-liquid from leaking from the vaporization device.

In this embodiment, referring toand, according to consumers' usage habits, there are variances in how users utilize the vaporization device, including differences in usage rates and single-use vaporization volumes. To change the vaporization volume for the user, the vaporization devicealso includes an airflow adjustment device, which is slidably arranged on the bracketand located at the installation hole. The airflow adjustment deviceis used to adjust the vaporization volume during its sliding process. The sliding arrangement of the airflow adjustment devicecan change the size of the air intake passage of the vaporizer, thereby altering the air intake rate. The air intake rate affects the rate of tiny droplet generation, allowing users to adjust the vaporization rate to avoid excessive vaporization leading to waste and to prevent the vaporization rate from being too slow, which could result in a poor user experience when the vaporization rate cannot keep up with the user's intake. According to some embodiments, the sealing elementfurther includes a plurality of third air holes, the third air holescommunicating with the first air hole. The airflow adjustment devicecan slide to change the number of third air holesconnected, thereby adjusting the intake rate through the third air holesand modifying the vaporization rate, allowing the vaporization rate to be adjusted reasonably and reducing waste. It can also prevent clogging of the third air holes, ensuring that the vaporization deviceoperates normally. For example, in the vaporization device, the airflow adjustment deviceis provided with three third air holes, and currently the airflow adjustment deviceis blocking one of the third air holes. When the user uses the vaporization deviceand finds that the inhalation airflow speed is low, they can adjust the airflow adjustment deviceto completely unblock all three third air holes. Conversely, when the user finds that the inhalation airflow speed is high, they can adjust the airflow adjustment deviceto block two of the third air holes.

In another embodiment, the sealing elementis provided with a plurality of third air holes, which are distributed along the sliding direction of the airflow adjustment device. The diameters of the plurality of third air holesdecrease or increase sequentially. The third air holescan be air holes on the bracket. The sliding airflow adjustment devicecan change the connected third air holecorresponding to the air holes. The airflow adjustment devicecan slide to change the connection to a specific third air hole, thereby altering the air intake rate through the third air holeaccording to the different diameters of the connected third air hole, thus adjusting the vaporization rate.

In this embodiment, when the user adjusts the airflow speed of the vaporization device, it is necessary to operate the airflow adjustment device. However, during the adjustment, users may find it difficult to accurately slide the airflow adjustment deviceto the correct position due to limited space. The airflow adjustment deviceincludes a fixing plateand a protruding portion. The protruding portionis arranged on the surface of the fixing plate, the fixing plateis slidably assembled on the bracket, the protruding portionextends from the installation holeand is used to drive the fixing plateto move by external force, so that the fixing plateduring the sliding process selectively closes the plurality of third air holesor shields at least one of the plurality of third air holes. Users can push the protruding portionto drive the fixing plateto the appropriate position. This arrangement facilitates user adjustment of the airflow adjustment deviceand avoids scenarios where the small size of the third air holesor excessive proximity of the airflow adjustment deviceto the sealing elementobstructs the sliding of the airflow adjustment device.

Specifically, to ensure that the airflow adjustment devicecan slide smoothly while avoiding foreign matter from entering the space between the airflow adjustment deviceand the bracket, which could obstruct disassembly for cleaning, the shellincludes a bottom plate, the installation holebeing arranged on the bottom plate. The surface of the bracketfacing the bottom plate is provided with a first locking positionand a second locking position, with the first locking positionand the second locking positionarranged at intervals. The first locking positionand the second locking positionform a gap between them and the surface of the bracketfacing the bottom plate. The airflow adjustment deviceis slidably arranged within this gap. The adjustment devicecan slide to guarantee the adjustment of the intake rate through the third air holes, and the arrangement of the first locking positionand the second locking positionallows for disassembly of the adjustment device. In one embodiment, if foreign matter enters one of the third air holes, the airflow adjustment devicecan be disassembled using the first locking positionand the second locking positionfor cleaning. After cleaning, the airflow adjustment devicecan be reassembled within the gap between the first locking positionand the second locking position, allowing the airflow adjustment deviceto adjust the intake rate through the third air holes.

In one embodiment, the airflow adjustment devicepositioned in the gap may be interfered with by the first locking positionand the second locking position. The gap size parameter may be small, making it inconvenient for the user to adjust the airflow adjustment device. The protruding portionextends from the space between the first locking positionand the second locking positionand protrudes through the installation hole. This design reduces inconvenience caused by the small gap size when the user operates the airflow adjustment device. Preferably, the protruding portionis arranged with a texture on the end away from the sealing elementto increase friction, allowing the user to push the airflow adjustment devicewith less force.

The vaporization deviceprovided by the embodiment of the present application, by separating the first air passageand the second air passagein the shell, protects the airflow sensorin the second air passagefrom damage due to high airflow speeds while allowing precise detection of changes in low airflow speeds. Protecting the proper function of the airflow sensorand improving the detection accuracy can enhance the user experience and increase the lifespan of the vaporization device.

The foregoing embodiments are intended to illustrate the technical solutions of this application and are not intended to limit it. Although the application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they may still make modifications to the technical solutions described in the above embodiments or equivalently replace some technical features. Such modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application and should all be included within the scope of protection of this application.