Electronic cigarette and method for adjusting flow rate of gas flow of electronic cigarette

Abstract

An electronic cigarette comprises a cigarette rod with a battery, an atomizer configured to atomize tobacco oil contained therein, and an airflow path configured to enable the air to flow into the atomizer. A pressure regulating valve unit arranged in the airflow path includes a floating sphere configured to close or open the airflow path according to an airflow direction and to adjust the airflow rate flowing into the airflow path. By means of arranging the pressure regulating valve, it is able to control the airflow rate flowing into the atomizer, hence adjust the amount of smoke sucked to change tastes of smoking and meet users' different needs. Moreover, when blowing to the electronic cigarette, the pressure regulating valve unit will be in a closed state to avoid tobacco oil inside the atomizer flowing to the battery and a control board.

1 . An electronic cigarette, comprising a cigarette rod with a battery, an atomizer configured to atomize tobacco oil contained therein, and an airflow path configured to enable the air to flow into the atomizer, wherein, a pressure regulating valve unit is arranged in the airflow path, and the pressure regulating valve unit includes a floating sphere configured to close or open the airflow path according to an airflow direction and to adjust an airflow rate flowing into the airflow path. 
     
     
         2 . The electronic cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein, the electronic cigarette further comprises a mouthpiece arranged at one side of the atomizer and the side of the atomizer is away from the cigarette rod, the air flows towards the mouthpiece when smoking, a pressure inside the electronic cigarette is lower than the atmospheric pressure outside, and an opening degree of the floating sphere varies with a pressure difference between the pressures inside and outside the electronic cigarette to adjust the airflow rate flowing into the airflow path; the air flows backwards the mouthpiece when blowing into the electronic cigarette from the mouthpiece, the pressure inside the electronic cigarette is lower than the atmospheric pressure outside, and the airflow path is sealed up by the floating sphere to avoid the tobacco oil inside the atomizer flowing to the battery of the cigarette rod. 
     
     
         3 . The electronic cigarette of  claim 2 , wherein, a holding cavity is defined inside the cigarette rod and the battery is accommodated in the holding cavity, a smoke cavity is defined inside the atomizer and the tobacco oil is contained in the smoke cavity, and the holding cavity and the smoke cavity are connected to form the airflow path; and the floating sphere open or close the airflow path according to the airflow direction in the electronic cigarette and the pressure difference between the pressures inside and outside the electronic cigarette, so that the holding cavity and the smoke cavity are correspondingly communicated or isolated. 
     
     
         4 . The electronic cigarette of  claim 3 , wherein, the pressure regulating valve unit is arranged between the cigarette rod and the atomizer, the electronic cigarette further comprises a first bracket and a second bracket, one end of the pressure regulating valve unit is adapted to and fixed on the first bracket, and the other end of the pressure regulating valve unit is adapted to and fixed on the second bracket. 
     
     
         5 . The electronic cigarette of  claim 3 , wherein, the pressure regulating valve unit includes a valve gland and a support base; a through hole is defined at the top of the valve gland; the two ends of the support base are open ends, a plurality of protrusions are spaced on an inner wall of the support base, and the floating sphere is movably clamped in the protrusions defined on the inner wall of the support base. 
     
     
         6 . The electronic cigarette of  claim 3 , wherein, the pressure regulating valve unit further includes a valve gland and a support base; a through hole is defined at the top of the valve gland; an intake hole configured to enable the air outside to flow in and a pilot hole communicated with the intake hole are formed inside the support base, the pilot hole is extended and radially enlarged from the intake hole to one side that is close to the valve gland, and the floating sphere is movably abutted against the intake hole under the guidance of the pilot hole to seal up or open the airflow path. 
     
     
         7 . The electronic cigarette of  claim 6 , wherein, a circular hole is formed inside the support base, the circular hole extends from the pilot hole to one side that is away from the intake hole, and the intake hole, the pilot hole and the circular hole are arranged with the same axis. 
     
     
         8 . The electronic cigarette of  claim 7 , wherein, a centerline of the floating sphere and that of the intake hole are coaxially arranged, and a diameter of the floating sphere is larger than a diameter of the intake hole. 
     
     
         9 . The electronic cigarette of  claim 8 , wherein, the floating sphere is clamped at a connection between the intake hole and the pilot hole to seal up the intake hole. 
     
     
         10 . The electronic cigarette of  claim 6 , wherein, a support part and at least two transition parts are defined on an inner wall of the support base, the intake hole is defined in the center of the support part, the at least two transition parts extend along the intake hole and are evenly spaced, and the at least two transition parts are enclosed to form the pilot hole. 
     
     
         11 . The electronic cigarette of  claim 6 , wherein, the pressure regulating valve unit further includes a sealing part, two ends of the sealing part are open ends and the sealing part is abutted against the valve gland. 
     
     
         12 . The electronic cigarette of  claim 11 , wherein, one open end at the bottom of the sealing part is connected to the intake hole of the support base to enable the air outside to flow into the intake hole via the open end at the bottom of the sealing part. 
     
     
         13 . The electronic cigarette of  claim 6 , wherein, when blowing into the electronic cigarette from the mouthpiece, the floating sphere is sealed up in the intake hole under the guidance of the pilot hole to make the holding cavity and the smoke cavity isolate from each other, thus avoiding the tobacco oil flowing to the battery of the cigarette rod. 
     
     
         14 . The electronic cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein, the floating sphere is a steel ball, a glass ball, a ceramic ball or a plastic ball. 
     
     
         15 . A method for adjusting flow rate of gas flow of an electronic cigarette, wherein the electronic cigarette comprises a cigarette rod with a battery, an atomizer configured to atomize tobacco oil contained therein, and an airflow path configured to enable the air to flow into the atomizer; the method comprises the following steps:
 S 1 : blowing or sucking from one end of the atomizer, and making a floating sphere of a pressure regulating valve unit arranged in the airflow path open or close the airflow path according to a blowing airflow direction or a sucking airflow direction, thus adjusting the flow rate flowing into the airflow path.   
     
     
         16 . The method for adjusting flow rate of gas flow of the electronic cigarette of  claim 15 , wherein, the electronic cigarette comprises a mouthpiece arranged at one side of the atomizer and the side of the atomizer is away from the cigarette rod; the step S 1  comprises the following steps:
 S 11 : sucking from the mouthpiece and generating airflow flowing towards the mouthpiece to make a pressure inside the electronic cigarette lower than the atmospheric pressure outside, and an opening degree of the floating sphere varies with a pressure difference between the pressures inside and outside the electronic cigarette to adjust the flow rate flowing into the airflow path; 
 S 12 : blowing at the mouthpiece and generating airflow flowing backwards the mouthpiece to make a pressure inside the electronic cigarette higher than the atmospheric pressure outside, and the airflow path is sealed up by the floating sphere to avoid tobacco oil inside the atomizer flowing to the battery inside the cigarette rod.