KR20160012329A - Electronic cigarette and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electronic cigarette, which enables a user to check a smoking amount to help the user quit smoking, and a method for controlling the same. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic cigarette includes: a body in the shape of a pipe; a storage unit which is installed in the body and stores a solution in a liquid phase; a vaporization unit which vaporizes the solution in the storage unit; a power unit which provides power to the vaporization unit; a piezoelectric sensor which is arranged in the body and senses suction force; and a control unit which calculates the smoking amount of the user based on a value measured by the piezoelectric sensor.

Description

Electronic cigarette and control method thereof

The present invention relates to an electronic cigarette and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an electronic cigarette capable of checking the amount of smoking to help a user quit smoking and a control method thereof.

As a consequence, many of the harmful effects of smoking are a social issue, and electronic cigarettes, which are less harmful to the health of smokers and second-hand smokers, have been developed and used so that smokers feel the smoking atmosphere.

The basic configuration of such electronic cigarettes includes a main body, a power supply unit, an atomizer unit, a cartridge unit in which a liquid solution is contained, a mouthpiece, and the like.

When the user wishes to smoke, the liquid solution contained in the cartridge is atomized by the atomizer unit, and the atomized gas is sucked into the user's mouth through the mouthpiece in the process of breathing by the user. On the other hand, inhaling cigarette smoke is discharged to the outside when the user breathed out.

Therefore, although the electronic cigarette user does not smoke the actual cigarette, he can feel various moods during smoking. Unlike conventional cigarettes, the solution of such electronic cigarettes consists of only pure nicotine, which is harmful to human body. Therefore, electronic cigarette is mainly used as a smoking aid tool.

However, since the electronic cigarette is not a one-time type unlike the general cigarette, it is difficult to grasp how much the user has smoked, and it is difficult to systematically manage the amount of cigarette.

In addition, since the user does not have a function of preventing the smoking cessation need when it is lowered, the smoking cessation aid tool can not be used properly.

KR 10-2010-0097807 A (September 10, 2010 open) KR 10-1011453 B1 (2011.01.21 Enrollment)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic cigarette capable of checking a user's smoking amount and a control method thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic cigarette and a control method thereof that can remind the user of the will to quit smoking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for supplying a liquid to a vaporizing section, comprising a pipe-shaped body, a storage section mounted inside the body, And an electronic cigarette equipped with a piezo sensor for sensing a suction pressure and a control unit for calculating a user's smoking amount based on the measured value of the piezo sensor.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the control unit may include an alarm unit for outputting a preset alarm or sound when the suction pressure is sensed by the piezo sensor.

According to another preferred aspect of the present invention, the control unit may include an alarm unit for outputting a preset alarm or sound when sensing the suction pressure in the piezo sensor.

According to another preferred aspect of the present invention, when the smoking amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined limit value, the control unit may cut off the power supplied to the vaporizing unit for a predetermined period of time.

According to another preferred aspect of the present invention, the control unit may include a communication unit for transmitting the smoking information to a smartphone connected by Bluetooth or a short-range wireless communication method.

According to another preferred aspect of the present invention, the control unit supplies power to the vaporizer when the communication connection with the smartphone is confirmed, and a dedicated app for storing the smoking information and managing the use history may be installed in the smartphone .

According to another preferred aspect of the present invention, when the suction pressure is sensed by the piezo sensor, a preset alarm or voice may be outputted through the speaker of the smartphone, or a text message may be transmitted to another smartphone set in advance.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic cigarette comprising: (a) a power switch of an electronic cigarette is turned on; (b) receiving a connection confirmation signal from a dedicated app installed in the first smartphone, the connection request signal being transmitted to the first smartphone preset in the electronic cigarette according to a Bluetooth or short-range wireless communication scheme; (c) power is supplied to the evaporator of the electronic cigarette when the connection confirmation signal is received in step (b); (d) when initiation of smoking is confirmed by the piezo sensor provided on the inner side of the electronic cigarette, a text message is transmitted to the second smartphone by a dedicated app of the first smartphone, The amount of cigarette being calculated is transferred to the first and second smartphones and accumulated and stored; And (e) when the value accumulated in step (d) is equal to or greater than a preset limit value, turning off the power supplied to the vaporizer, wherein, by a dedicated app installed in the first and second smartphones, And the electric power supplied to the vaporizing part can be cut off.

According to the electronic cigarette and the control method thereof according to the present invention, when the user checks the amount of smoking and blocks the operation of the electronic cigarette when the cigarette is above a predetermined value, it can play an auxiliary role in smoking cessation.

In addition, according to the electronic cigarette and the control method thereof according to the present invention, the user is able to successfully quit smoking by reminding the user of cigarette smoking at every smoking.

In addition, according to the electronic cigarette and the control method thereof according to the present invention, since the use history is stored and managed by the dedicated app of the smart phone, the amount of smoking can be systematically reduced.

In addition, according to the electronic cigarette and the control method thereof according to the present invention, since the operation of the electronic cigarette can be blocked by the family such as a lover or a spouse, the user can feel the feeling of practicing his / .

1 is a schematic view of an electronic cigarette according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a block diagram of an electronic cigarette according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an electronic cigarette according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the embodiments described below are only for explanation of the embodiments of the present invention so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the invention, It does not mean anything. In describing various embodiments of the present invention, the same reference numerals are used for components having the same technical characteristics.

Example

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an electronic cigarette according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an electronic cigarette according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, an electronic cigarette 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a body 200, a storage part 300 for storing a liquid solution, a vaporizing part 400 for vaporizing the solution, And a power supply unit 500 for supplying power. When the electronic cigarette 100 is used, the suction pressure is sensed by the piezo sensor 600 provided inside the body 200. Based on the measured value, the controller 700 calculates the smoking amount of the user, The power supplied to the vaporizing unit 400 is cut off.

Here, the body 200 is preferably hollow hollow pipe type, and one end of the body 200 is tapered to form a mouthpiece part 210 having a narrow width.

The body 200 is provided with a reservoir 300 for storing the solution and the solution stored in the reservoir 300 is preferably a nicotine solution. The vaporizing part 400 is provided at one side of the storage part 300 with a heating part for heating the heating wire supplied with power from the power source part 500 The nicotine liquid phase can be vaporized with water vapor.

The power supply unit 500 is for supplying power to the vaporization unit 400. The power supply unit 500 may be a replaceable battery and may be connected to a charger (not shown) to be charged with external power.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the power supplied from the power source unit 500 to the vaporization unit 400 is controlled by the controller 700. For example, a switching device (not shown) may be provided between the power supply unit 500 and the vaporization unit 400 and controlled by the control unit 700.

The control unit 700 compares the smoking amount of the user with a preset limit value and cuts off the power supplied to the vaporizing unit 400 when the smoking amount is equal to or greater than the limit value. In this case, the power-off can be performed for a preset time. For example, when the daily cigarette amount is set to the limit value, if the current cigarette amount is equal to or larger than the predetermined daily cigarette amount, Lt; / RTI >

To this end, the piezo sensor 600 is provided on one side of the inside of the body 200, for example, one side of the power source unit 500. A suction port 220 is formed at the other end of the body 200 so as to allow external air to be sucked into the mouthpiece unit 210. When the user uses the mouthpiece unit 210 when the electronic cigarette 100 is used, The air introduced into the body 200 through the inlet 220 flows into the user's mouth together with the vaporized nicotine.

At this time, the piezo sensor 600 senses the suction pressure of the air flowing through the suction port 220, and based on the measured value of the piezo sensor 600 as shown in FIG. 2, ), The user's smoking amount is calculated. As an example, the amount of smoking can be calculated by multiplying the measured suction pressure by the area of the inlet 220, and as another example, the amount of smoking according to the suction pressure is stored in advance in the storage unit 710 And the smoking amount may be calculated on the basis of the measured suction pressure and the smoking time.

On the other hand, when the user starts smoking, the control unit 700 outputs a preset alarm or voice to the speaker 240 through the alarm unit 730. [ This is to remind the user of the smoking cessation plan, for example, by providing a voice message such as "Do not smoke cigarettes" in the voice of the child, so that he can remind his own smoking cessation plan. At this time, smoking initiation can be determined by detecting the electromotive force of the piezo sensor 600 or by comparing the measured suction pressure with a preset reference value.

A display 250 made of LCD or the like may be provided on one side of the outer surface of the body 200. Smoking information and device information such as a user's smoking amount, smoking time, remaining amount of nicotine, Can be displayed. It is also possible that the information is output through the speaker 240 by the user's button operation.

In addition, the electronic cigarette 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be connected to the user's smartphone in a Bluetooth or short-range wireless communication manner, and the smoking information and the device information can be output through a speaker or a display .

Preferably, a dedicated application (not shown) related to the use of the electronic cigarette 100 is installed in the smartphone of the user (hereinafter referred to as 'the first smartphone 10'), The cigarette information and the device information are stored and outputted to the first smartphone 10.

At this time, only after the communication connection state between the electronic cigarette 100 and the first smartphone 10 is confirmed so that the smoking information of the user can be completely stored in the exclusive application of the first smartphone 10, 100 are normally operated.

For example, when the user turns on the power switch 230 of the electronic cigarette 100, the control unit 700 transmits a connection request signal from the communication unit 740 of the electronic cigarette 100 to the first smartphone 10 , The power is supplied from the power source unit 500 to the vaporization unit 400 only after receiving the connection confirmation signal from the first smartphone 10.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the use of the user's electronic cigarette 100 is also performed in a smartphone (hereinafter referred to as a 'second smartphone 20') owned by a user, such as a lover or a spouse, Dedicated apps can be installed. At this time, when the dedicated app installed in the second smartphone 20 is executed, the smoking information and the device information stored in the first smart phone 10 of the user are transmitted to the second smart phone 20, The owner of the electronic cigarette 100 may also be able to view information relating to the use of the electronic cigarette 100. This allows the users of the electronic cigarette 100 to participate in the smoking cessation process, thereby contributing to an increase in the smoking cessation success rate.

When the electronic cigarette 100 is used, a predetermined text message is transmitted from the electronic cigarette 100 or the first smart phone 10 to the second smart phone 20 so that the owner of the second smart phone 20 can transmit the electronic cigarette 100 ) You will know the owner's smoking. At this time, if necessary, the owner of the second smartphone 20 can stop the operation of the electronic cigarette 100 by executing a dedicated app installed in the second smartphone 20. [ For example, in the dedicated application installed in the second smartphone 20, the operation stop signal is transmitted to the dedicated application of the first smartphone 10, and in the exclusive application of the first smart phone 10, the Bluetooth or the short- The operation stop signal is transmitted to the communication unit 740 of the electronic cigarette 100 so that the power supply to the vaporization unit 400 can be cut off by the control unit 700. [

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an electronic cigarette according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a method of controlling the electronic cigarette 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

Power switch ON  step( S10 ):

The user first turns on the power switch 230 provided on one side of the outer circumference of the body 200 in order to use the electronic cigarette 100. [

The first smartphone communication connection step ( S20 ):

When the power switch 230 of the electronic cigarette 100 is turned on, a connection request signal is transmitted from the communication unit 740 to the first smartphone 10 by the control unit 700. At this time, the electronic cigarette 100 and the first smartphone 10 communicate with each other via a Bluetooth or short-distance wireless communication method, and a communication unit of the electronic cigarette 100 740, < / RTI >

Vaporizing portion  Power supply phase ( S30 ):

When the connection confirmation signal is received in the communication unit 740, power is supplied from the power supply unit 500 to the vaporizer 400 by the controller 700 to vaporize the liquid nicotine.

Smoking initiation phase ( S40 ):

The user hits the mouthpiece portion 210 of the electronic cigarette 100 and breathes to inhale the vaporized nicotine. At this time, the air introduced into the body 200 through the intake port 220 of the body 200 is sucked together with nicotine, and the suction pressure is measured by the piezo sensor 600.

The control unit 700 determines the user's smoking initiation according to the electromotive force change of the piezo sensor 600 and calculates the smoking amount of the user on the basis of the suction pressure measured by the piezo sensor 600 and stores the accumulated amount in the storage unit 710 do.

Beep or voice output step ( S50 ):

When the control unit 700 determines that the user starts smoking, the alarm unit 730 generates a warning sound or a sound output signal, and a warning sound or voice is output from the speaker 240 provided in the electronic cigarette 100. At this time, the voice memo can be recorded in advance with the desired contents, and for example, the content of 'Dad ~ Do not smoke' may be outputted in the voice of the child.

The electronic cigarette 100 can be recorded as desired contents by execution of a dedicated app of the first smartphone 10 and transferred to the storage unit 710 of the electronic cigarette 100. In another example, (Not shown) to the storage unit 710 of the electronic cigarette. Meanwhile, the warning sound or the voice output may be output through the speaker 240 of the first smartphone 10.

Text message transmission to the second smartphone (step S60 ):

The owner of the second smartphone 20 is an acquaintance of a lover, a spouse or the like of the user of the electronic cigarette 100, and participates in the user's smoking cessation plan.

If the control unit 700 determines that the user has started smoking, the previously input text message is transmitted to the second smartphone 20. At this time, the text message transmission may be performed by a dedicated application of the first smartphone 10, for example.

From the second smartphone OFF  Signal output determination step ( S70 ):

The owner of the second smartphone 20 can recognize the user's smoking by text message transmission. Since device information such as the amount of cigarettes stored in the dedicated app of the first smartphone 10, the smoking information such as the smoking time, the remaining amount of the liquid nicotine, and the remaining battery level is transmitted to the dedicated app of the second smartphone 20 in real time, And can check the smoking information and device information by executing a dedicated app installed in the second smartphone 20. [

When the user uses the electronic cigarette 100, the owner of the second smartphone 20 can stop the operation of the electronic cigarette 100 by executing the dedicated app. At this time, an operation stop signal is transmitted from the dedicated application of the second smartphone 20 to the dedicated application of the first smartphone 10, An operation stop signal is transmitted. When the operation stop signal is received, the controller 700 disables the power supply to the evaporator 400 so that the user can no longer use the electronic cigarette 100.

Smoking information storage step ( S80 ):

While the user uses the electronic cigarette 100, the cigarette information such as the smoking amount and the smoking time of the user is stored in the memory unit 710. [ The smoking amount is calculated in the calculating unit 720 based on the measured value of the piezo sensor 600, and the smoking time can be recorded by a timer. Such cigarette information is transmitted to the dedicated app of the first smartphone 10 together with the device information such as the remaining amount of the liquid nicotine stored in the storage unit 300 and the remaining battery capacity of the power source unit 500 and is stored.

Smoking information output step ( S90 ):

The stored smoking information may be output through the display 250 provided on the outer circumferential surface of the body 200 of the electronic cigarette 100. At this time, the display 250 may be formed of an image panel such as an LCD. The display 250 may include information such as a smoking amount of the user, smoking time, etc., the remaining amount of the liquid nicotine stored in the storage unit 300, Device information can be output.

In addition, since the smoking information and the device information are transmitted in real time to the dedicated app of the first smart phone 10, the user can execute the dedicated app of the first smart phone 10 to check the smoking information and the device information .

In addition, the owner of the second smartphone 20 can confirm the smoking information and the device information transmitted from the dedicated application of the first smart phone 10 by executing the dedicated application installed in the second smart phone 20, As shown above.

Smoking amount Limit value  The comparison step ( S100 ):

The control unit 700 compares the accumulated smoking amount stored in the storage unit 710 with a preset limit value.

Power-off phase ( S110 ):

The controller 700 cuts off the power supplied from the power source 500 to the vaporizer 400 so that the user can no longer use the electronic cigarette 100 (S110).

At this time, the limit value may be appropriately selected as needed, and the cumulative stored smoking amount may be reset to an initial value (e.g., '0') after a certain period of time such as one day or one month.

On the other hand, the function of turning off the power supply of the electronic cigarette 100 by cutting off the power supplied from the power source unit 500 can also be performed by executing a dedicated app installed in the first smartphone 10 of the user. That is, the user can execute the exclusive application of the first smartphone 10 to check the smoking information, and turn off the power of the electronic cigarette 100 by operating the dedicated app. In addition, since the same dedicated app is installed in the second smartphone 20, the power of the electronic cigarette 100 can also be turned off by the dedicated app of the second smartphone 20.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments.

10: first smart phone 20: second smart phone
100: electronic cigarette 200: body
300: Storage unit 400:
500: Power supply unit 600: Piezoelectric sensor
700: control unit 710:
720: Operation unit 730:
740:

Claims (7)

A pipe-shaped body;
A storage unit mounted in the body and storing a liquid solution;
A vaporizer for vaporizing the solution of the storage part;
A power supply unit for supplying power to the vaporization unit;
A piezo sensor provided inside the body and sensing a suction pressure; And
And a controller for calculating a smoking amount of the user based on the measured value of the piezo sensor. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit includes an alarm unit for outputting a predetermined alarm or voice when the suction pressure is sensed by the piezo sensor. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit cuts off power supplied to the vaporizer for a predetermined period of time when the amount of cigarettes is equal to or greater than a predetermined limit value. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit includes a communication unit for transmitting cigarette information to a smartphone connected via a Bluetooth or a short-range wireless communication method. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the control unit supplies power to the vaporizer when a communication connection with the smartphone is confirmed, and a dedicated app for storing the smoking information and managing the use history is installed in the smartphone. The method of claim 4,
Wherein when a suction pressure is sensed by the piezo sensor, a preset alarm or voice is output through the speaker of the smartphone, or a text message is transmitted to another smartphone set in advance. (a) the power switch of the electronic cigarette is turned on;
(b) receiving a connection confirmation signal from a dedicated app installed in the first smartphone, the connection request signal being transmitted to the first smartphone preset in the electronic cigarette according to a Bluetooth or short-range wireless communication scheme;
(c) power is supplied to the evaporator of the electronic cigarette when the connection confirmation signal is received in step (b);
(d) when initiation of smoking is confirmed by the piezo sensor provided on the inner side of the electronic cigarette, a text message is transmitted to the second smartphone by a dedicated app of the first smartphone, The amount of cigarette being calculated is transferred to the first and second smartphones and accumulated and stored; And
(e) when the value accumulated in step (d) is equal to or greater than a preset limit value, the power supplied to the vaporizer is cut off,
Wherein the power supply to the vaporizer is interrupted by a dedicated app installed in the first and second smartphones.

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