Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
DESCRIPTION
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
Environmental friendly, non-combustible, atomizing electronic cigarette
having the function of a cigarette substitute.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cigarette substitute and more
particularly pertains to an environmental, non-combustible, atomizing
electronic
cigarette having the function of a cigarette substitute.
Nowadays, though that "smoking is hazardous to health" has been the
general knowledge commonly known by people, there are still over one billion
smokers worldwide. The Department of Environmental Protection of the United
States currently proclaims that tobacco smoke in the air is a Class A
carcinogen.
According to the data released by the World Health Organization and other
departments, about 4.9 million people worldwide are killed each year due to
smoking
related diseases; however, for various reasons, it is a very difficult task to
have a
smoker quit smoking completely. The nicotine in tobacco is a chemical
substance
susceptible of making people addictive to smoking and difficult to quit. The
experts of
the Medical Society of the United States have pointed out that nicotine is one
of the
strongest and most forceful substances to make people addictive. Researchers
have
further determined how nicotine makes smokers addictive through the reactions
in
human brains. During smoking, alkaloid nicotine generates a large amount of
tar
droplets in cigarette burning, which enter alveoli and are rapidly absorbed,
causing
"euphoria", similar to that of stimulants, for example, a smoker experiences a
giddy
or an ecstatic feeling. Alkaloid nicotine is small molecular alkaloid, a small
dosage is
essentially harmless to people's body and the half-life in blood is quite
short.
1
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
Nevertheless, tobacco also contains other harmful substances, namely, tar,
carbon
monoxide, benzopyrene, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitrosamine,
AZO compounds and so on which are strong carcinogens of great hazards to human
life and health.
As to find an instantaneous means to satisfy the tobacco dependency of
smokers and to reduce the hazards of tobacco to the lowest, also not to change
people's smoking habits, many smoking cessation products have small dosages of
alkaloid nicotine incorporated therein, such as, nicotine patches, nicotine
mouthwash,
nicotine lozenges and so on. Although these products resolve the dependency
problem of smokers to a certain extent, the usage method of these products are
not
compatible with the smoking habits of smokers. It is therefore difficult for
smokers to
accept them. There are also some smoking cessation products which have
alkaloid
medicated liquid passed through and heated in mechanical devices for smokers
to
smoke. Though this is more acceptable for smokers in respect of smoking
habits,
this easily causes losses to smokers due to the unstable properties of the
conventional mechanical constructions, being prone to damage and complicated
in
operating. In order to minimize the change of smoking habits of smokers, some
try to
add activated carbon filters, liquid filters and other filtering devices on
the bases of
cigarettes, so as to reduce the hazards of cigarettes on human bodies to a
certain
extent. Some people try to construct apparatuses similar to the kind of oxygen
inhaling apparatuses by means of large size machine apparatuses. Although the
smokers' demands are resolved to a certain extent, the apparatuses are
gigantic and
are of high manufacturing cost. Many also require specific places and are not
acceptable to smokers. The effects of smoking cessation are not satisfactory.
2
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforesaid disadvantages now present in the prior arts, the
object of the present invention is to provide an environmental friendly, non-
combustible, atomizing electronic cigarette having the function of a cigarette
substitute, the external appearance of which similar to a cigarette, and is
compact
and easy to carry. It is of simple construction and low cost, compatible with
smokers
smoking habits, without tar, without carbon monoxide and other harmful
substances,
thereby reducing carcinogenic risks, has no need to be lit, thus avoiding the
hidden
risk of fire calamities, and there is no environmental pollution of the
inhaling smoke.
To attain this, the present invention adopts the following technical proposal:
An environmental friendly, non-combustible, atomizing electronic cigarette
having the function of a cigarette substitute, comprising a controller and an
actuator
which are removably connected, wherein the interior of the controller is
disposed
with, from left to right, an indicating light cover 14, a signal indicating
light 1, a
rechargeable lithium battery 2, an integrated circuit board 3, an electret
microphone
4 and a hollow connecting conductor B 6; the interior of the actuator is
disposed with,
from left to right, a hollow connecting conductor A 5, a vibrating diaphragm
7, a liquid
blocking film 8, a second liquid storage chamber 10, a heater 9, a liquid
transmission
mechanism 11, a liquid storage chamber 12 and a soft mouthpiece 13; the
connecting conductor A 5 is disposed with air intake holes 702; a gap is left
between
the soft mouthpiece 13 and the liquid storage chamber 12 as an airflow
passage; a
space is left between the electret microphone 4 and the connecting conductor B
6 to
allow operation of the electret microphone 4.
3
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
On the basis of the abovementioned technical proposal, the connecting
conductor B 6 and the connecting conductor A 5 are respectively disposed with
coupling screw threads or locking grooves.
On the basis of the abovementioned technical proposal, the connecting
conductor B 6 and the connecting conductor A 5 are connected by means of
hollow
contacting copper cap screw threads or by means of locking grooves.
On the basis of the abovementioned technical proposal, the outer surfaces
of both the controller and the actuator are disposed with a stainless steel
outer
casing, the interior of the soft mouthpiece 13 is disposed with a liquid
blocking
groove 15, the outer end face of the soft mouthpiece 13 is disposed with a
liquid
blocking cover 17, the base end of the controller or the indicating light
cover 14 is
disposed with ventilating air holes 16.
On the basis of the abovementioned technical proposal, the interior of the
stainless steel outer casing of the actuator is further disposed with an
insulation layer.
On the basis of the abovementioned technical proposal, the integrated
circuit board 3 comprises a control means IC1, the first pin of the control
means IC1
is connected with one end of a capacitor Cl, one end of a resistor R7, one end
of a
resistor R1 and a collector electrode of a transistor Q1 respectively, the
other end of
the resistor R7 is connected with a VCC (virtual channel connection) terminal,
the
emitting electrode of the transistor 01 is connected with one end of a
resistor R5 and
the fourth pin of the control means IC1 respectively, the other end of the
resistor R1
is connected with the base electrode of the transistor Q1 and one end of a
resistor
R2 respectively, the other end of the resistor R2 is connected with a K
terminal and
one end of a resistor R4 respectively, the other end of the resistor R4 is
connected
with the other end of the resistor R5, a GND (ground) terminal and a heater-
terminal,
4
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
the second pin of the control means IC1 is connected with one end of a
resistor R3,
the other end of the resistor R3 is connector with a K terminal, the third pin
of the
control means IC1 is connected with a heater+ terminal and one end of a
resistor R6
respectively, the other end of the resistor R6 is connected with a GND
(ground)
terminal, the fifth pin of the control means IC1 is connected with the cathode
of an
LED (light emitting diode) light Dl through an LE (light emitter) terminal,
the anode of
the LED light D1 is connected with one end of a resistor R8, the other end of
the
resistor R8 is connected with a GND terminal, the sixth pin of the control
means IC1
is connected with the gate electrode of the MOS FET (metal-oxide-semiconductor
field-effect transistor) Q2, the source electrode of the MOS FET Q2 is
connected
with a heater+ terminal, a drain electrode is connected with a power source
VCC, the
seventh pin of the control means IC1 is connected with an S terminal, the
eighth pin
of the control means IC1 is connected with the other end of the capacitor C1
and a
GND terminal respectively, the heater- terminal is connected with the anode of
the
heater, the heater+ terminals are connected with the cathode of the heater, an
on/off
switch S1 is connected between the K terminal and the S terminal.
The environmental friendly, non-combustible, atomizing electronic
cigarette having the function of a cigarette substitute of the present
invention has an
external appearance similar to a cigarette, and is compact and easy to carry.
It is of
simple construction and low cost, compatible with smokers smoking habits,
without
tar, without carbon monoxide and other harmful substances, thereby reducing
carcinogenic risks, has no need to be lit, thus avoiding the hidden risk of
fire
calamities, and there is no environmental pollution of the inhaling smoke.
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a structural view of the environmental friendly, non-combustible,
atomizing electronic cigarette having the function of a cigarette substitute.
FIG. 2 is an exploded structural view of the environmental friendly, non-
combustible, atomizing electronic cigarette having the function of a cigarette
substitute.
FIG. 3 is a structural view of the connecting conductor A, the connecting
conductor B and the vibrating diaphragm.
FIG. 4 is a structural view of the liquid blocking film, the second liquid
storage chamber, the heater and the liquid transmission mechanism.
FIG. 5 is a structural view showing the airflow circulation in the mouthpiece
part and the construction of the soft mouthpiece.
FIG. 6 is a schematic circuit diagram of the integrated circuit board.
The markings on the drawings are: 1 is a signal indicating light, 2 is a
rechargeable lithium battery, 3 is an integrated circuit board, 4 is an
electret
microphone, 5 is a connecting conductor A, 6 is a connecting conductor B, 7 is
a
vibrating diaphragm, 8 is a liquid blocking film, 9 is a heater, 10 is a
second liquid
storage chamber, 11 is a liquid transmission mechanism, 12 is a liquid storage
chamber, 13 is a soft mouthpiece, 14 is an indicating light cover, 15 is a
liquid blocking
groove, 16 is a ventilating air hole, 17 is a liquid blocking cover.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is further described in
detail with the following embodiment and the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a structural view of the environmental friendly, non-combustible,
atomizing electronic cigarette having the function of a cigarette substitute,
FIG. 2 is
6
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
an exploded structural view of the environmental friendly, non-combustible,
atomizing electronic cigarette having the function of a cigarette substitute,
comprising a controller and an actuator which are removably connected, wherein
the
interior of the controller is disposed with, from left to right, an indicating
light cover 14,
a signal indicating light 1, a rechargeable lithium battery 2, an integrated
circuit board
3, an electret microphone 4 and a hollow connecting conductor B 6; the
interior of
the actuator is disposed with, from left to right, a hollow connecting
conductor A 5, a
vibrating diaphragm 7, a liquid blocking film 8, a second liquid storage
chamber 10, a
heater 9, a liquid transmission mechanism 11, a liquid storage chamber 12 and
a
soft mouthpiece 13; the connecting conductor A 5 is disposed with air intake
holes
702; a gap is left between the soft mouthpiece 13 and the liquid storage
chamber 12
as an airflow passage; a space is left between the electret microphone 4 and
the
connecting conductor B 6 to allow operation of the electret microphone 4. As
illustrated in FIG. 1, the electret microphone 4 divides the controller into
two
independent cavities. The indicating light cover 14, the signal indicating
light 1 and
the rechargeable lithium battery 2 are inside the left side cavity. The
electret
microphone 4 and the connecting conductor B 6 are inside the right side
cavity. The
outcome that "the electret microphone 4 divides the controller into two
separate
cavities" can be attained by existing prior arts, while the preferred
disposition is to
tightly seal the gap between the electret microphone 4 and the outer casing of
the
controller with a soft plastic on the circumference of the electret microphone
4. As
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rechargeable lithium battery 2 is a built-in
component.
When the connecting conductor B 6 of the controller is connected with a
charger, the
rechargeable lithium battery 2 can immediately be recharged by means of the
integrated circuit board 3. When the connecting conductor B 6 is connected
with the
7
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
actuator through the connecting conductor A 5, an environmental friendly, non-
combustible, atomizing electronic cigarette having the function of a cigarette
substitute is assembled. The signal indicating light 1 can simulate the
glowing and
dimming effect of a cigarette tip with each inhalation of a smoker. The signal
indicating light 1 is electrically powered by the rechargeable lithium battery
2 by
means of the integrated circuit board 3. The heater 9 is electrically powered
by the
rechargeable lithium battery 2 by means of the connecting conductor A 5, the
connecting conductor B 6 and the integrated circuit board 3. The present
invention
operates as follows: when the present invention is used, the medicated liquid
flows
into the second liquid storage chamber 10 from the liquid storage chamber 12
by
means of the liquid transmission mechanism 11. The heater 9 is enclosed in the
liquid transmission mechanism 11 (refer to FIG. 4). Under the inhaling action
of a
smoker, airflow enters the actuator from the air intake holes 702 on the side
of the
actuator. The vibrating diaphragm 7 vibrates under the airflow action, and
consequently, the electret microphone 4 also vibrates. The vibration is then
converted into an on/off signal by the control means IC1 (refer to FIG. 6) on
the
integrated circuit board 3. The heater 9 starts to operate and the medicated
liquid in
the atomizing chamber of the heater 9 is atomized momentarily. The atomized
medicated liquid is inhaled from by the smoker through the soft mouthpiece 13.
On the basis of the abovementioned technical proposal, the connecting
conductor B 6 and the connecting conductor A 5 are respectively disposed with
coupling screw threads or locking grooves. The controller and the actuator are
connected by means of the connection between the connecting conductor B 6 and
the connecting conductor A 5. Other than the connection method by screw
threads
and locking grooves, the connection can be attained by applying other prior
arts. On
8
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
the basis of the abovementioned technical proposal, the connecting conductor B
6
and the connecting conductor A 5 are connected by means of hollow contacting
copper cap screw threads or by means of locking grooves. When the controller
and
the actuator are connected by means of the connection between the connecting
conductor B 6 and the connecting conductor A 5, an integrated body having a
shape
similar to a cigarette is assembled.
On the basis of the abovementioned technical proposal, for safety,
aesthetic and convenient use, the outer surfaces of both the controller and
the
actuator are disposed with a stainless steel outer casing, the interior of the
soft
mouthpiece 13 is disposed with a liquid blocking groove 15, the outer end face
of the
soft mouthpiece 13 is disposed with a liquid blocking cover 17, the base end
of the
controller or the indicating light cover 14 is disposed with ventilating air
holes 16. The
application of the liquid blocking groove 15 and the liquid blocking cover 17
is to
prevent the medicated liquid from being inhaled into the mouth. The
application of
ventilating air holes 16 is to ensure good heat radiation of the left side
cavity of the
controller.
On the basis of the abovementioned technical proposal, the interior of the
stainless steel outer casing of the actuator is further disposed with an
insulation layer.
The purpose is to prevent the hidden safety problem caused by the high
temperature
of the heater 9.
On the basis of the abovementioned technical proposal, the integrated
circuit board 3 comprises the control circuit of the entire system. The
electronic time
delay function, the electronic clearance reset function are attained by
software
programs. It also comprises a heater driving circuit and a control means V.
The
integrated circuit board 3 receives a signal of the electret microphone 4,
sends it to
9
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
the control means IC1 for analysis and processing. Thereafter, the signal is
converted to a control signal to control the heater. Simultaneously, the
control means
IC1 further sends out a glowing and dimming control signal to the signal
indicating
light 1. The entire circuit is simple and practical and can be attained by
applying prior
arts accordingly to functional needs.
The biological and physical phenomena of the current chip technology,
biology and microelectronics and so on provide the technical bases for the
present
invention. The advantages of the present invention are: smoking without tar,
carbon
monoxide and other harmful substances, thereby substantially reducing the
carcinogenic risk while smokers still have the smoking feeling; no need to lit
and
therefore no fire hazard. The inhaling smoke is actually the water vapor of
the
vaporized medicated liquid, and has no environmental pollution. A low and weak
electricity level of 4.2 volts is used to supply electricity and power
consumption is low.
No combusted substance is generated in its operation. No cigarette ash, no
fire, no
hidden fire hazards, and is therefore easily acceptable to the general public.
The present invention is further described in detail with the embodiment
described in FIGS. 3 to 6.
FIG. 3 is a structural view of the connecting conductor A 5, the connecting
conductor B 6 and the vibrating diaphragm 7. As illustrated in the figure, the
side of
the connecting conductor A 5 is disposed with air intake holes 702. The air
intake
holes 702 connect the hollow part of the connecting conductor A 5 and the
outer part
of the actuator. The right side of the connecting conductor A 5 is disposed
with a
vibrating diaphragm 7 which can cover the air intake holes 702 and strengthen
and
extend the airflow vibration. When a smoker inhales, airflow enters from the
air
intake holes 702, driving the vibrating diaphragm to vibrate, which in turn
results in
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
the vibration in the hollow part 606 of the connecting conductor B 6. This
causes the
electret microphone 4 to send out a low frequency signal. The control means
IC1 on
the integrated circuit board examines and analyses the low frequency signal
and the
heater 9 starts to operate in correspondence with the inhalation of the
smoker. When
the inhaling force of a smoker is reduced, the vibrating diaphragm 7 ceases to
vibrate and the airflow passage between the air intake holes 702 and the
actuator is
cut off by the vibrating diaphragm 7. The electret microphone ceases to
operate and
the control means IC1 receives no low frequency signal. The heater 9 therefore
ceases to operate. Under the action of small airflow, the heater 9 is being
connected
and cut off, i.e. control of the immediate heating of the heater 9 is
attained. The
vibrating diaphragm 7 can be made of rubber or silicon. As illustrated in FIG.
3, the
connecting conductor A 5 and the connecting conductor B 6 form a connected
outer
circumference by an interior screw thread 602 and an exterior screw thread 604
respectively. The anode of the input conductive wire which is which is
connected to
the heater through the screw threads is connected with the rechargeable
lithium
battery 2 through the integrated circuit board 3. The cathode of the input
conductive
wire which is connected to the heater through two hollow cylindrical
conductors 601,
603 is connected with the rechargeable lithium battery 2 through the
integrated
circuit board 3. Insulating material rings 605 are used between the cathodes
601,
603 and the anodes 602, 604. In the present embodiment, the insulating
material
rings 605 can be made of silicon or rubber, and can also be made of other
insulating
materials. When the connecting conductor B 6 and the connecting conductor A 5
are
connected by means of hollow contacting copper cap screw threads or by means
of
locking grooves, attention has also to be paid to the insulation issue of the
cathodes
and the anodes and can be attained by existing prior arts.
11
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
FIG. 4 is a structural view of the liquid blocking film 8, the second liquid
storage chamber 10, the heater 9 and the liquid transmission mechanism 11. As
illustrated in the figure, the heater 9 comprises an atomizing chamber
disposed with
a heating filament 901 and an outer heat insulation base 902. The base part
and the
side of the heat insulation base 902 are disposed with an ejecting hole 904
and
overflow holes 903 respectively. The heating filament 901 can be made of
platinum
filament, nickel-chrome alloy or iron-chrome-aluminum alloy filament
containing rare
earth elements. It can also be made into a film-shaped or a ring-shaped body.
The
heat insulation base 902 can be made of ceramics and so on. The right side of
the
heater is disposed with the liquid transmission mechanism 11. The liquid
transmission mechanism 11 is formed by a mounting frame 1101 and a liquid
transmission means 1102. The mounting frame 1101 services a fixation function.
The liquid transmission means 1102 is made of a multi-layer nickel foam mesh
or
other porous metal bodies. The liquid transmission means 1102 can also be made
of
stainless steel fiber mat, high molecular polymer foam or ceramic foam. The
left side
of the heater 9 is the second liquid storage chamber 10. The second liquid
chamber
is constructed by filling multi-layer nickel foam mats into the base part and
the
periphery of the heat insulation base 902. One end of the liquid transmission
mechanism 11 is connected with the second liquid storage chamber 10 by means
of
the liquid transmission means 1102, while the other end is in contact with the
liquid
storage chamber 12. The second liquid storage chamber 10 temporarily stores
the
medicated liquid and the liquid blocking film 8 prevents the medicated liquid
in the
second liquid storage chamber 10 from flowing out, thereby avoiding the
medicated
liquid to flow into the controller, thus affecting the circuit. The operating
mechanism
is as follows: Under the action of the airflow, liquid droplets are drawn into
the other
12
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
side of the heat insulation base 902 through the ejecting hole 904 on the heat
insulation base 902. Under the action of the heating filament 901, the liquid
is
atomized momentarily and flows out of the heater 9 from the overflow holes
903. It
then flows through the airflow passage gap between the soft mouthpiece and the
liquid storage chamber 12 to the soft mouthpiece 13 and is finally being
inhaled
through the soft mouthpiece.1 3.
FIG. 5 is a structural view showing the airflow circulation in the mouthpiece
part and the construction of the soft mouthpiece 13. As illustrated in the
figure, the
soft mouthpiece 13 is disposed on the outer end face of the actuator. Its soft
silicon
has a very good mouth feel and allows slight chewing. The interior side of the
soft
mouthpiece 13 is further disposed with a liquid blocking groove 15 made of
soft
silicon to prevent liquid from being drawn into the mouth. The exterior side
1301 of
the soft mouthpiece 13 extends to the base part of the liquid blocking film 8.
It can be
made of environmentally friendly material such as polypropylene and
effectively
prevents the release of internal heat. The soft mouthpiece 13 is further
disposed with
a liquid blocking cover 17 made of soft silicon to prevent liquid from being
drawn into
the mouth. The liquid blocking groove 15 is in contact with one end of the
liquid
storage chamber 12. The liquid storage chamber 12 is a tubular body with an
opening on one end. It is first disposed with medicinal cotton fibers and then
filled
with raw medicated liquid. By means of capillary action of the liquid
transmission
mechanism 11, the medicated liquid in the liquid storage chamber 12 is induced
into
the second liquid storage chamber 10. As illustrated in the figure, the
atomized
medicated liquid flowing out from the overflow holes 903 flows through the
airflow
passage gap between the soft mouthpiece and the liquid storage chamber 12 to
the
13
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
liquid blocking groove 15, and then flows to the liquid blocking cover 17, and
is finally
being inhaled into the mouth of a smoker.
The integrated circuit board 3 comprises the control circuit of the entire
system. The electronic time delay function, the electronic clearance reset
function
are attained by software programs. It also comprises a heater driving circuit
and a
control means V. FIG. 6 is a schematic circuit diagram of the integrated
circuit
board 3. As illustrated in the figure, the integrated circuit board 3 is
controlled by the
control means V. The control means IC1 is a core intelligent control unit and
is
mainly responsible for receiving and differentiating input signals,
controlling the
signal indicating light and the heater 9. The entire device uses a 3.7V
lithium battery
to supply electricity. VCC represents connecting to the cathode of the battery
and
GND represents connecting to the anode of the battery. In the figure, the two
terminals S, K are connected with the cathode and the anode of the electret
microphone. The control signal provided by the electret microphone can be
regarded
as on/off signal provided by an on/off switch S1. The control means IC1
detects the
battery voltage at 10-second intervals. It first determines if the voltage of
the power
source is higher than 3.3V. If yes, after the signal sent out by the electret
microphone
is being analyzed, the signal which conforms with specification is converted
to an
on/off signal. The control signal is output to the heater driving circuit. The
transistor
amplifies the output signal of the control means IC1. The heating filament is
connected with the power supply to generate heat and the heater operates and
momentarily heats the liquid alkaloid nicotine. Simultaneously it outputs
signals
causing the LED emit red or orange light, resembling the lighted tip of a
cigarette. It
can also output time delay signals to cause the LED light to gradually glow or
dim,
thereby making the simulated cigarette tip even more similar to a real
cigarette. If the
14
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
battery voltage is lower than 3.3V, the electret microphone is turned off. The
heater 9
does not operate. When the entire device is not active, the control means IC1
enters
a sleeping mode and the power consumption of the entire device is less than
15uA.
The standby time of the entire device extended, as far as possible, to two and
half
years' theoretical standby time. When a user continuously uses the present
device
for 15 times in one minute, the control means IC1 will send out a signal to
cut off the
output of the heating circuit and simultaneously output a signal to the LED
indicating
light so that it flashes for 10 seconds. When S1 is continuously connected for
more
than 6 seconds, the heating circuit is cut off automatically and a signal is
simultaneously sent to the LED and so on. The control means IC1 can further be
installed with other programmers to attain even more functions and to provide
convenience for revisions and improvements of subsequent inventions. The
present
invention can also be connected with an LCD monitor at a signal output
terminal to
display more information. The present invention uses the control means IC1 to
control the operating processes to ensure the reliability in the operation of
an
electronic cigarette and to ensure better smoking feeling. The control means
IC1
can be attained by applying prior arts, for example, the existing
microcontrollers can
be selected as the control means V. Provided that the basic functions above
can
be attained, there is no restriction in detail on the selection of the
microcontroller.
The inhaled "smoke" of the present invention is in fact the "water vapor" of
the
atomized medicated liquid which does not contain tar, carbon monoxide,
benzopyrene, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitrosamine, AZO
compounds and so on which are strong carcinogens. The "water vapor" is
liquefied
rapidly in the air and does not pollute the environment. The heating part is
heated
momentarily under low voltage and low current and there is no combustion and
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
therefore no hidden fire hazard. The outer casing is made of a special type of
stainless steel which can effectively shield electromagnetic waves. To further
describe in detail, the first pin of the control means IC1 is connected with
one end of
a capacitor Cl, one end of a resistor R7, one end of a resistor R1 and a
collector
electrode of a transistor Q1 respectively, the other end of the resistor R7 is
connected with a VCC (virtual channel connection) terminal, the emitting
electrode of
the transistor Q1 is connected with one end of a resistor R5 and the fourth
pin of the
control means IC1 respectively, the other end of the resistor R1 is connected
with
the base electrode of the transistor Q1 and one end of a resistor R2
respectively, the
other end of the resistor R2 is connected with a K terminal and one end of a
resistor
R4 respectively, the other end of the resistor R4 is connected with the other
end of
the resistor R5, a GND (ground) terminal and a heater- terminal, the second
pin of
the control means IC1 is connected with one end of a resistor R3, the other
end of
the resistor R3 is connector with a K terminal, the third pin of the control
means IC1
is connected with a heater+ terminal and one end of a resistor R6
respectively, the
other end of the resistor R6 is connected with a GND (ground) terminal, the
fifth pin
of the control means IC1 is connected with the cathode of an LED (light
emitting
diode) light Dl through an LE (light emitter) terminal, the anode of the LED
light Dl
is connected with one end of a resistor R8, the other end of the resistor R8
is
connected with a GND terminal, the sixth pin of the control means IC1 is
connected
with the gate electrode of the MOS FET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect
transistor) Q2, the source electrode of the MOS FET Q2 is connected with a
heater+
terminal, a drain electrode is connected with a power source VCC, the seventh
pin of
the control means IC1 is connected with an S terminal, the eighth pin of the
control
means IC1 is connected with the other end of the capacitor C1 and a GND
terminal
16
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
respectively, the heater- terminal is connected with the anode of the heater,
the
heater+ terminals are connected with the cathode of the heater, an on/off
switch S1
is connected between the K terminal and the S terminal.
The world's smallest 8-bit microcontroller PIC12C5xx series, manufactured
by Microchip, can be selected for the control means V.
The present invention operates as follows: after the controller and the
actuator are connected by means of the connecting conductors A, B, an
environmental friendly, non-combustible, atomizing electronic cigarette is
assembled.
When a smoker inhales, airflow enters the actuator through the air intake
holes on
the side of the connecting conductor A 5, through the vibrating diaphragm, the
liquid
blocking film, the heater, and is finally inhaled from the mouthpiece. A
passage hole
is disposed on the connecting conductors of the controller and the actuator.
When a
smoker inhales, the airflow inside the controller flows towards the actuator,
thereby
activating the control circuit. The side of the indicating light cover on the
other side of
the controller, is also disposed with ventilating air holes, so part of the
battery cavity
is in communication with the atmospheric pressure. As such, under the action
of the
air vibration on the side of the controller, the electret microphone sends out
a low
frequency signal. IC1 analyzes the vibrating properties, sends out an on/off
signal,
thereby connecting the electric current. At this time, the indicating light
slowly glows
under the control of IC1, and simultaneously current flows through the
connecting
conductors, causing the heater to operate. Due to the airflow action in the
heating
chamber, the medicated liquid is injected into the atomizing chamber in the
form of
microscopic droplets. The medicated liquid is momentarily atomized by the
action of
the heater. After atomization, droplets of large diameter adhere to the wall
and are
reabsorbed by the liquid transmission mechanism through the overflow holes
under
17
CA 02641869 2008-09-30
an eddy action, while droplets of small diameter are suspended and floated in
the
airflow forming water vapor which is inhaled through the atomized steam
passage
and mouthpiece.
The abovementioned illustration is merely the preferred embodiment of
the present invention and the scope of protection of the present invention is
not
limited thereto. Within the scope of the disclosure of the present invention,
other
variations may easily be effected by persons skilled in the art and should be
covered
by the scope of protection of the present invention.
18
