EP-4739159-A2 - A DISPENSING DEVICE WITH AN ELECTROMECHANICAL FEEDBACK SYSTEM AND METHODS OF USE

Abstract

Provided herein are systems and apparatuses for a dispensing device with an electromechanical feedback system including safety features and short circuit protection for the electrical cigarette by additional circuitry.

Inventors

• FANG, LIMING

Assignees

• Airo Brands, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20240628

Claims (20)

1. 1. A Dispensing Device with an electromechanical feedback system, comprising a battery operably coupled to a switch and a battery protection device, a electromechanical feedback UI operably coupled to the battery protection, an inhalation detection device, an atomizer controller, and a safety controller, an Event of Cartridge Plugging-In (EoCPI) detection device operably coupled the safety controller and an atomizer, and a short detection device operably coupled to the safety controller and the atomizer, wherein the flow of electrical power is transmitted to the atomizer and the safety controller sends a safety shut off signal to the switch; the EoCPI detection device detects the insertion of a cartridge into the dispensing device, and the short detection device detects if there is a short circuit; the switch comprises two electrically controlled switches with a higher current switch and a lower current switch carrying abilities allow controlling power delivery to separate circuits; the higher current switch feeds the power to the atomizer for normal usage, and the lower current switch controls of the power to the EoCPI and short detection device, wherein the lower current switch extends the battery life, and the EoCPI detection device and the short detection device do not need to be powered continuously.
2. 2. The dispensing device of claim 1, wherein the higher current switch and the lower current switch are MOSFET s (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors).
3. 3. The dispensing device of claim 2, wherein the safety controller waits until an EoCPI detection event occurs due to the insertion of the cartridge; and upon an EoCPI detection event, the safety controller tests for the existence of the short circuit; if a short circuit is detected by the safety controller, the dispensing device is disabled and then an alarm is asserted through the electromechanical feedback UI; if no short circuit is detected by the safety controller, the device is ready for normal use of the dispensing device.
4. 4. The dispensing device of Claim 3, wherein the electromechanical feedback UI includes an LED light and a vibration motor.
5. 5. The dispensing device of claim 4, wherein the switch comprises a first P-channel MOSFET and a second P-channel MOSFET, a NOT gate, and an OR gate; the first P-channel MOSFET is the higher current switch that controls power to the atomizer, and the second P-channel MOSFET is the lower current switch that controls power to the EoCPI and SHORT detection circuitry.
6. 6. The dispensing device of claim 5, wherein the switch includes a first external input and a second external input, the first external input is a power port from the battery, and the second external input is a control signal used to turn the first P-channel MOSFET when puffing is detected by the inhalation detection device.
7. 7. The dispensing device of claim 6, wherein a circuitry of the safety controller includes a first internal control signal, a second internal control signal, and a third internal control signal, the first internal control signal, the second internal control signal, and the third internal control signal are fed into the switch; and the first internal control signal is a SHORT TEST PULSE signal enabling power to the EoCPI and SHORT detection circuitry, starting the short circuit detection when its level is high; the second control signal is a PUFF ENABLE signal and the third control signal is a CART ON PULSE signal, the PUFF_ENABLE signal and the CART_ON_PULSE signal are control signals that cause the controller to turn on first P-channel MOSFET when the PUFF ENABLE signal and the CART ON PULSE signal are at low levels at the same time.
8. 8. The dispensing device of claim 7, wherein a circuitry of the short detection device includes a resistor bridge and a Schmitt comparator (U4); wherein the resister bridge includes Rl, R2, Rref, and an equivalent resistance of the atomizer), Rl and R2 include an equal resistance, and Rref is 1.1 Ohm; when the second P-channel MOSFET is on, if the equivalent resistance of the atomizer is less than Rref, then the voltage designated as VI be higher than V2, and the output SHORT DETECTED of U4 is a high-level signal, indicating that a short circuit has been detected.
9. 9. The dispensing device of claim 8, wherein Rref provides a comparison value for determining if there is a short circuit and is a lower resistance than the total equivalent resistance of the atomizer when the product is not short circuited, and a cartridge is inserted.
10. 10. The dispensing device of claim 9, wherein if the equivalent resistance of the atomizer is less than Rref, that indicates that the circuit is shorted, and the SHORT DETECTED signal is a high level.
11. 11. The dispensing device of claim 10, wherein a circuitry of the EoCPI detection device includes a voltage divider and a Schmitt comparator (U3); the voltage divider includes R3, R4, R5, Cl, and C2; the voltage divider provides reference voltages designated as V3 and V4 that depend on the values chosen for resistors R3, R4, and R5; V3 = (R4+R5)/(R3+R4+R5); and V4 = (R5)/(R3+R4+R5).
12. 12. The dispensing device of claim 11, when there is no cartridge attached, the negative input of U3 (V2) is a high-level close to the voltage of the incoming Power due to conduction through R6; an output of comparator U3 is a low level; and when there is a cartridge, V2 is a low-level close to 0, and the equivalent resistance of the Atomizer is around 2 to 3 Ohms), and the output of U3 is a high-level.
13. 13. The dispensing device of claim 12, when the output of U3 is high-level when the cartridge is attached and output low-level without cartridge; if a cartridge is plugged in, the output of U3 changes from low-level to high-level; and if the cartridge's presence state does not change, and there is no change in an output of U3.
14. 14. The dispensing device of claim 13, wherein the circuitry of the safety controller comprises a signal delay line, a combinational logic, and a state memory; wherein the signal delay line includes a first delay stage, a second delay stage; the first delay stage includes Rdl, Cdl, Schmitt comparator U5, the second delay stage includes Rd2, Cd2, Schmitt comparator U6 and a NOT gate U8; a plurality of time constants of the two RC networks (Rdl/Cdl and Rd2/Cd2) set the time delays of the first and second delay stages of the delay line.
15. 15. The dispensing device of Claim 14, wherein the combinational logic includes NOT gates (U8, U9) and AND gates (U10, U11), wherein the combinational logic produces the signals CART ON PULSE, SHORT TEST PULSE and CART ON.
16. 16. The dispensing device of Claim 15, wherein the CART ON PULSE indicates an EoCPI event by outputting a high-level pulse of around 10ms duration.
17. 17. The dispensing device of Claim 16, wherein the SHORT TEST PULSE is a 10ms long high-level pulse that is used to turn on the lower-current electrical switch to enable a short circuit detection.
18. 18. The dispensing device of Claim 17, wherein the CART_ON is a state signal whose low- level indicates there is a cartridge inserted and whose high-level indicates there is no cartridge.
19. 19. The dispensing device of Claim 18, wherein the state memory comprises a flip-flop register (U7) and an input combinational logic (AND gate U12); and the input combinational logic enables the normal use of the device when no short circuit is detected.
20. 20. The dispensing device of Claim 19, wherein the CART ON PULSE sets the flip-flop first upon the EoCPI event, and the PUFF ENABLE output a low-level state signal; after the CART ON PULSE, the dispensing device performs the short circuit test including the SHORT TEST PULSE output a high-level pulse; if there is no short circuit detected, the output of U12 continues to output a low-level, so the state of the flip-flop does not change; the PUFF ENABLE signal continues to output a low-level signal, thereby enabling normal device operation; and if there is a short circuit detected, U12 outputs a high-level pulse, changing the state of the flip-flop; and the PUFF ENABLE signal is high-level and disabling normal device operation.

Description

TITLE A DISPENSING DEVICE WITH AN ELECTROMECHANICAL FEEDBACK SYSTEM AND METHODS OF USE BACKGROUND [0001] This invention relates to dispensing devices and their means of communication with the user. Specifically, it refers to an electromechanical feedback system and its modes of operation. [0002] Existing electronic cigarette and vaporizer systems rely on digital control mechanisms in order to modulate user experience feedback. These digital systems utilize software driven signaling to communicate between components and to signal the user. Unfortunately, aberrant or unexpected activation is the primary failure mode that can be introduced by microcontroller to haptic driver to feedback systems. Due to failure of the encoded software within the driver or within the device it controls, or within the microcontroller and the data inputs it monitors and the outputs it generates. It would be desirable to produce an electromechanical feedback system that simplifies the control, reduces the cost of construction, and eliminates several points of failure. The present invention attempts to solve these problems, as well as others. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0003] Provided herein are systems and apparatuses for a dispensing device with an electromechanical feedback system. The Dispensing Device with an electromechanical feedback system, comprises a battery operably coupled to a switch and a battery protection device, a electromechanical feedback UI operably coupled to the battery protection, an inhalation detection device, an atomizer controller, and a safety controller, an Event of Cartridge Plugging-In (EoCPI) detection device operably coupled the safety controller and an atomizer, and a short detection device operably coupled to the safety controller and the atomizer, wherein the flow of electrical power is transmitted to the atomizer and the safety controller sends a safety shut off signal to the switch; the EoCPI detection device detects the insertion of a cartridge into the dispensing device, and the short detection device detects if there is a short circuit; the switch comprises two electrically controlled switches with a higher current switch and a lower current switch carrying abilities allow controlling power delivery to separate circuits; the higher current switch feeds the power to the atomizer for normal usage, and the lower current switch controls of the power to the EoCPI and short detection device, wherein the lower current switch extends the battery life, and the EoCPI detection device and the short detection device do not need to be powered continuously. [0004] The higher current switch and the lower current switch are MOSFETs (metal-oxi desemiconductor field-effect transistors). The safety controller waits until an EoCPI detection event occurs due to the insertion of the cartridge; and upon an EoCPI detection event, the safety controller tests for the existence of the short circuit; if a short circuit is detected by the safety controller, the dispensing device is disabled and then an alarm is asserted through the electromechanical feedback UI; if no short circuit is detected by the safety controller, the device is ready for normal use of the dispensing device. [0005] The electromechanical feedback UI includes an LED light and a vibration motor. The switch comprises a first P-channel MOSFET and a second P-channel MOSFET, a NOT gate, and an OR gate; the first P-channel MOSFET is the higher current switch that controls power to the atomizer, and the second P-channel MOSFET is the lower current switch that controls power to the EoCPI and SHORT detection circuitry. The switch includes a first external input and a second external input, the first external input is a power port from the battery, and the second external input is a control signal used to turn the first P-channel MOSFET when puffing is detected by the inhalation detection device. [0006] The circuitry of the safety controller includes a first internal control signal, a second internal control signal, and a third internal control signal, the first internal control signal, the second internal control signal, and the third internal control signal are fed into the switch; and the first internal control signal is a SHORT TEST PULSE signal enabling power to the EoCPI and SHORT detection circuitry, starting the short circuit detection when its level is high; the second control signal is a PUFF ENABLE signal and the third control signal is a CART ON PULSE signal, the PUFF ENABLE signal and the CART ON PULSE signal are control signals that cause the controller to turn on first P-channel MOSFET when the PUFF ENABLE signal and the CART_ON_PULSE signal are at low levels at the same time. [0007] The circuitry of the short detection device includes a resistor bridge and a Schmitt comparator (U4); wherein the resister bridge includes Rl, R2, Rref, and an equivalent resistance of the atomizer), Rl and R2 include an equal resistance, and Rref is 1.1 Ohm; when the