Electronic cigarette with thin-film solar cell as energy charging unit and capacitor as energy storage unit

Abstract

The invention discloses an electronic cigarette with a thin-film solar cell as an energy charging unit and a capacitor as an energy storage unit. The electronic cigarette comprises an electronic cigarette smoking set, a nicotine atomization unit is arranged in the electronic cigarette smoking set, and a cigarette holder is arranged at the tail end; an energy storage capacitor and a control circuit board connected with the energy storage capacitor are further arranged in the electronic cigarette smoking set. A switch, a power control module and an LED lamp for indicating the working state of the electronic cigarette are arranged on the control circuit board; a thin-film solar battery pack is arranged on the outer side of a shell of the electronic cigarette smoking set. And the thin-film solar battery pack, the control circuit board and the energy storage capacitor are connected to form a solar charging loop. According to the electronic cigarette provided by the invention, the capacitor is continuously charged by the thin film solar cell set through a constant current source under the illumination condition so as to realize conversion from light energy to electrostatic potential energy, and the capacitor supplies power to the atomizer when the circuit is switched on so as to realize atomization of tobacco tar.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of electronic cigarettes, and in particular relates to an electronic cigarette using a thin-film solar cell as a charging unit and a capacitor as an energy storage unit. Background Art

[0002] An electronic cigarette is a small electrical appliance that uses electricity to disperse or vaporize nicotine solution into an aerosol so that it can enter the user's lungs and be absorbed. The mainstream electronic cigarettes on the market currently usually use lithium batteries as power storage units. Lithium batteries have high energy density and can be used for a longer time than other energy storage methods. They also have a mature industrial line and low production costs, but there are also many corresponding problems. First of all, lithium batteries are only used as a means of energy storage and still require an external power supply for charging. Currently, all products on the market are charged through external circuits, which brings certain inconveniences to users. Therefore, some technicians have designed an electronic cigarette based on solar charging power supply (an electronic cigarette with a flexible thin-film solar panel: CN202321815010.1[P]. 2024-02-27.), so as to achieve continuous power supply under sunlight illumination. However, due to the instability of the lighting environment, the charging process of the solar cell group to the lithium battery group is not stable. When the ambient light source is too warm, such as under sunset light, the working voltage of the solar cell group may not reach the charging voltage of the lithium battery and cannot be charged; if the ambient light source is too strong, such as direct sunlight at noon, the voltage of the solar cell group may be too high, which will cause the lithium battery to overcharge, leading to irreversible internal polarization and even lithium precipitation (A review on electrolyte additives for lithium-ion batteries [J]. Journal of Power Sources. 2006, 162 (2). 1379-1394.), which poses certain safety hazards. At the same time, solar cell charging requires the entire device to be exposed outdoors, and the working environment temperature varies greatly, while the suitable working temperature of lithium batteries is usually between 0°C and 35°C. In the low temperature environment of northern winter, the sub-zero room temperature will cause the electrolyte viscosity inside the battery to increase or even partially solidify, the compatibility of the electrode and the electrolyte to deteriorate, and serious lithium deposition at the negative electrode, which will greatly reduce the battery performance and even cause safety problems (Materials and chemistry design for low-temperature all-solid-state batteries. Joule, 8(2024), pp. 635-657).In the summer, under direct sunlight, the overall temperature of the device is likely to exceed 45°C, and some of the positive active materials of the battery will undergo thermal decomposition. At the same time, it may also cause the negative current collector to dissolve, increase the thickness of the SEI film, further increase the internal resistance of the battery, and reduce the battery life and battery safety (Improved electrochemical performance of LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathode materials induced by a facilepolymer coating for lithium-ion batteries. ACS Appl. Energy Mater., 4 (2021), pp. 6205-6213). At this time, if the external circuit is working, when the battery temperature reaches 60°C or even above 80°C, it will cause the lithium battery to self-heat, and then cause lithium batteries to burn and explode. Safety accidents. If the charging process is regulated by the circuit, first, it will lead to an overly complex structure, increase costs and cause the overall volume of the device to be too large. Second, it will greatly reduce the charging efficiency of the solar cell group for lithium batteries, and ultimately lead to the inability to achieve self-power supply of the entire device. This may be the main reason why there are currently no electronic cigarette products on the market that use solar energy as an energy source.

[0003] At the same time, the mainstream electronic cigarettes on the market use heating wires as atomization units, and the heating wire atomization units require instantaneous large currents to generate heat when working, but large working currents often cause lithium batteries to overheat, leading to thermal runaway of the batteries, which will reduce the working life of lithium batteries. Long-term operation under thermal runaway may even cause safety issues such as fire. In addition, lithium batteries themselves also have certain safety hazards. It is difficult for users to avoid device falls or collisions in daily use, and thermal runaway caused by external mechanical damage is one of the most common causes of lithium battery fires (Experimental study on thermal runaway characteristics of vehicle NCM lithium-ion batteries underovercharge, overheating, and their combined effects[J]. Energy Storage Science and Technology, 2023, 12(1): 218-226.). Although current industrial designs can largely avoid fire problems caused by thermal runaway of lithium batteries, small lithium battery combustion or explosion accidents still occur from time to time due to the complex and changeable user environment and the existence of some defective products.

[0004] Therefore, the market needs a new type of electronic cigarette that is safer, lighter and self-powered. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an electronic cigarette that is self-powered and can replace lithium batteries. The electronic cigarette device has a simple structure, is light and easy to carry, can be continuously charged in most usage scenarios, and is convenient for users' daily use.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical scheme: An electronic cigarette, comprising an electronic cigarette smoking device, wherein the interior of the electronic cigarette smoking device comprises a nicotine atomization unit, and a cigarette holder is arranged at the end; the nicotine atomization unit comprises a nicotine storage compartment, a flow guide rod and an atomization heating wire; The electronic cigarette smoking device is also provided with: an energy storage capacitor and a control circuit board connected to the energy storage capacitor; the control circuit board is provided with a switch, a power control module and an LED light indicating the working state of the electronic cigarette.

[0007] A thin-film solar cell group is arranged outside the shell of the electronic cigarette smoking device; the thin-film solar cell group, the control circuit board and the energy storage capacitor are connected to form a solar charging circuit.

[0008] The housing of the electronic cigarette smoking device is provided with an opening, the position of the opening corresponds to the control circuit board provided in the electronic cigarette smoking device, so that the switch, the power control module and the LED indicator light indicating that the circuit is connected on the control circuit board are exposed.

[0009] An external charging port is provided on the shell of the electronic cigarette smoking device, and the external charging port, the control circuit board, and the energy storage capacitor are connected to form an external charging circuit.

[0010] Furthermore, the electronic cigarette smoking device is provided with the following components in order from near to far from the cigarette holder: a nicotine atomization unit, a control circuit board, and an energy storage capacitor.

[0011] Furthermore, the control circuit board should be sealed relative to other units.

[0012] Furthermore, the atomizing heating wire in the nicotine atomizing unit is close to the cigarette holder.

[0013] Furthermore, the nicotine storage compartment and the atomization heating wire in the nicotine atomization unit are connected via a guide rod.

[0014] Furthermore, the guide rod may be a ceramic porous guide rod.

[0015] Furthermore, the thin-film solar cell group is used to charge the capacitor, and is usually obtained by connecting a plurality of small-area solar cell groups in series and parallel to provide a suitable output voltage and current.

[0016] For example, the thin-film solar cell group can be formed by two groups of batteries connected in parallel, and each group of batteries can be formed by 5 to 7 small solar cells connected in series. There is no obvious requirement for the specifications of the battery group, and it only needs to meet the capacitor charging application.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the thin film solar cell group is composed of 12 1.44 cm 2 The battery pack is obtained by combining small solar cell modules, of which 6 are connected in series to form a group and 2 groups are connected in parallel to form a battery pack.

[0018] The photoactive layer of the thin film solar cell can be made of materials such as polycrystalline silicon, gallium arsenide, copper indium gallium selenide, organic semiconductor or perovskite.

[0019] Furthermore, the thin-film solar cell group serves as a self-powered unit and should be attached to the outer side of the shell.

[0020] Furthermore, the thin-film solar cell group and the opening are located on two sides of the shell, such as being arranged on two opposite sides of the shell.

[0021] Furthermore, the thin-film solar cell group is connected to the circuit board and the capacitor via a power line to achieve continuous charging.

[0022] Furthermore, the external charging port is located at the lower side of the housing. The external charging port can be installed with a common charging port such as an external type-C to meet emergency charging needs.

[0023] Furthermore, the shell of the electronic cigarette smoking device can be made of thermoplastic materials such as PP, PVC, etc.

[0024] Furthermore, the cigarette holder can be made of composite food-safe plastics such as PP, PC, or 304 stainless steel.

[0025] Furthermore, a lanyard or a clip may be installed on the outside of the shell of the electronic cigarette device to facilitate users to carry it with them.

[0026] Furthermore, the hanging rope or the clip can be installed on the opposite side of the thin-film solar cell group.

[0027] The cigarette holder, the nicotine atomization unit, and the thin-film solar cell group should have a certain degree of design redundancy to achieve overall connection.

[0028] In the electronic cigarette provided by the present invention, the thin-film solar battery group will continuously charge the capacitor with a constant current source under light conditions to realize the conversion of light energy into electrostatic potential energy. When the circuit is connected, the capacitor supplies power to the atomizer to realize the atomization of the cigarette oil.

[0029] The nicotine atomization unit can use a ceramic ultrasonic atomization sheet to replace the electric heating wire, but a driving module of the ceramic ultrasonic atomization sheet needs to be added to the control circuit to ensure the normal operation of the ceramic ultrasonic atomization sheet.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: The present invention uses a capacitor instead of a lithium battery as an energy storage unit. Compared with lithium batteries, capacitors have a longer service life, and physical energy storage rather than chemical energy storage has a stronger tolerance to the temperature of the use environment. It can work normally between -50°C and 105°C and ensure stable energy storage (Enhancing energy storage performance of polyethylene viapassivation with oxygen atoms through CH vacancy carbonylation, Mater. TodayEnergy (2024) 101553.), and is more stable and less likely to cause accidents such as combustion or explosion, and has higher safety. However, the energy density of capacitors is lower than that of lithium batteries, and they need to be charged frequently to ensure long-term use. An electronic cigarette that purely stores energy with capacitors often requires a higher charging frequency than an electronic cigarette that stores energy with lithium batteries, which brings inconvenience to users. Therefore, it is necessary to match a continuous energy supply to ensure daily use, and solar cells are a good power supply, which can achieve continuous charging of capacitors in the presence of light. At the same time, since the capacitor stores energy through electrostatic potential, charging can be completed as long as the charging voltage is greater than the internal reverse voltage. It has high tolerance to the instability of the charging power supply and high energy conversion efficiency. Compared with lithium batteries, the charging process of the capacitor is more suitable for solar cells. The present invention uses a thin-film solar cell as a charging unit, and the photoactive layer of the solar cell can be prepared from materials such as polycrystalline silicon, gallium arsenide, copper indium gallium selenide, organic semiconductors or perovskites. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 is a front view of the electronic cigarette in the embodiment; Figure 2 is a side view of the electronic cigarette in the embodiment; Figure 3 It is a front view of the shell of the electronic cigarette in the embodiment; In the figure: 1. Energy storage capacitor; 2. Control circuit board; 3. Liquid nicotine storage compartment; 4. Ceramic porous guide rod; 5. Atomizing heating wire; 6. Plastic shell; 7. Cigarette holder; 8. Thin-film solar cell group. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments, and the examples provided are only for illustrating the present invention, rather than for limiting the scope of the present invention. The examples provided below can be used as a guide for further improvements by those of ordinary skill in the art, and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention in any way.

[0033] The experimental methods in the following examples, unless otherwise specified, are all conventional methods, and are performed according to the techniques or conditions described in the literature in the field or according to the product instructions. The materials, reagents, etc. used in the following examples, unless otherwise specified, can all be obtained from commercial channels.

[0034] Example The front perspective view, side perspective view and shell front view of the electronic cigarette provided by this embodiment with a thin-film solar cell as a charging unit and a capacitor as an energy storage unit are shown in FIG. Figure 1-3 Its appearance and size are similar to those of conventional e-cigarettes and will not bring a bad experience to users.

[0035] In this embodiment, the electronic cigarette includes an electronic cigarette smoking device, which includes a nicotine atomization unit inside and a mouthpiece 7 at the end; the nicotine atomization unit includes a nicotine storage compartment 3, a guide rod 4 and an atomization heating wire 5; The electronic cigarette smoking device is also provided with: an energy storage capacitor 1 and a control circuit board 2 connected to the energy storage capacitor; the control circuit board 2 is provided with a switch, a power control module and an LED light indicating the working state of the electronic cigarette.

[0036] A thin-film solar cell group 8 is disposed outside the housing 6 of the electronic cigarette smoking device; the thin-film solar cell group 8, the control circuit board 2, and the energy storage capacitor 1 are connected to form a solar charging circuit.

[0037] The housing 6 of the electronic cigarette smoking device is provided with an opening, the position of which corresponds to the control circuit board 2 provided in the electronic cigarette smoking device, so that the switch, power control module and LED indicator light indicating circuit connection on the control circuit board are exposed.

[0038] An external charging port is provided on the shell of the electronic cigarette smoking device, and the external charging port, the control circuit board 2, and the energy storage capacitor 1 are connected to form an external charging circuit.

[0039] Preferably, the electronic cigarette smoking device is provided with the following components in order from near to far from the cigarette holder: a nicotine atomization unit, a control circuit board 2, and an energy storage capacitor 1.

[0040] In this embodiment, the guide rod 4 is a ceramic porous guide rod.

[0041] The liquid nicotine storage compartment 3 includes a PP plastic shell, which can be used as a partition between the liquid nicotine storage compartment 3 and the energy storage capacitor 1 and the control circuit board 2. The energy storage capacitor 1 and the control circuit board 2 are located under the PP plastic partition.

[0042] The control circuit board 2 includes a switch, a power control module and an LED light indicating the working status of the electronic cigarette.

[0043] In this embodiment, the energy storage capacitor 1 is a commercially available energy storage farad capacitor with a volume parameter of 21×10×27 mm, a rated voltage of 5.5 V, a standard capacity of 10F, and can store 0.42 Wh of energy.

[0044] In this embodiment, the thin film solar cell group 8 is composed of 12 1.44 cm 2 The thin film solar cell group 8 power line passes through the shell and is connected to the control circuit board 2, and the capacitor is charged when the capacitor voltage is insufficient. The photoactive layer in the solar cell module is polycrystalline silicon.

[0045] The shell 6 can be made of thermoplastic materials such as PP and PVC. There is an opening on the shell to expose the switch on the control circuit, the power tuning module, and the LED indicator light of the circuit connection. A thin-film solar battery group is installed on the other side of the shell. Preferably, the thin-film solar battery group 8 and the opening are arranged on opposite sides of the shell.

[0046] The external charging port is located at the lower side of the housing 6. The external charging port can be installed with a common charging port such as an external type-C to meet emergency charging needs.

[0047] A lanyard or a clip may be installed on the outer side of the shell of the electronic cigarette device to facilitate users to carry it with them.

[0048] The cigarette holder 7 can be made of composite food-safe plastics such as PP, PC, or 304 stainless steel.

[0049] Feasibility analysis: There are three levels of working power for electronic cigarettes, namely 3W, 5W and 7W, which can meet the needs of different users. A fully charged capacitor can work for a total of 500 seconds, 300 seconds and 210 seconds in low, medium and high power modes respectively. We use a solar battery group under sunlight at 1.5 standard atmospheric thickness to charge the capacitor. The battery output voltage is 6.0V and the output current is 42.7mA. Under this condition, it takes 1 hour and 12 minutes to charge an empty capacitor. According to market research, the single use time of a user's electronic cigarette is usually 1 to 3 seconds. If the capacitor is charged under an external circuit, under this lighting condition, it can be charged for a single use of the user in at most 100 seconds. The average daily use of electronic cigarette users usually does not exceed 200 times, and the average use interval is at least more than 3 minutes. The self-powered unit using solar cells and capacitors can meet the needs of most users.

[0050] The present invention has been described in detail above. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be implemented in a wide range under equivalent parameters, concentrations and conditions without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without the need for unnecessary experimentation. Although the present invention provides specific embodiments, it should be understood that further improvements may be made to the present invention. In short, according to the principles of the present invention, this application intends to include any changes, uses or improvements to the present invention, including changes made by conventional techniques known in the art that depart from the scope disclosed in this application. Applications of some of the basic features may be made within the scope of the following appended claims.

Claims

1. An electronic cigarette, comprising an electronic cigarette smoking device, which includes a nicotine atomization unit inside and a mouthpiece at the end; the nicotine atomization unit includes a nicotine storage compartment, a guide rod and an atomization heating wire or a ceramic ultrasonic atomization sheet; characterized in that: The electronic cigarette smoking device is also provided with: an energy storage capacitor and a control circuit board connected to the energy storage capacitor; the control circuit board is provided with a switch, a power control module and an LED light indicating the working status of the electronic cigarette; A thin-film solar cell group is arranged outside the shell of the electronic cigarette smoking device; the thin-film solar cell group, the control circuit board and the energy storage capacitor are connected to form a solar charging circuit.

2. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing of the electronic cigarette smoking device is provided with an opening, the position of the opening corresponds to the control circuit board provided in the electronic cigarette smoking device, so that the switch, the power control module and the LED indicator light indicating that the circuit is connected on the control circuit board are exposed.

3. The electronic cigarette according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: An external charging port is provided on the shell of the electronic cigarette smoking device, and the external charging port, the control circuit board, and the energy storage capacitor are connected to form an external charging circuit.

4. The electronic cigarette according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The electronic cigarette smoking device is provided with the following components in order from near to far from the cigarette holder: a nicotine atomization unit, a control circuit board, and an energy storage capacitor.

5. The electronic cigarette according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The control circuit board is sealed relative to other units.

6. The electronic cigarette according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The thin-film solar cell group is used to charge the capacitor, and is prepared by connecting a plurality of small-area solar cell groups in series and in parallel to form a solar cell group to provide a suitable output voltage and current.

7. The electronic cigarette according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The thin-film solar cell group serves as a self-powered unit, which is attached to the outer side of the shell of the electronic cigarette smoking device.

8. The electronic cigarette according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The thin-film solar cell group and the opening are located on two sides of the shell, preferably on two opposite sides of the shell.

9. The electronic cigarette according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The atomizing electric heating wire or the ceramic ultrasonic atomizing sheet in the nicotine atomizing unit is close to the cigarette holder; And / or, the nicotine storage compartment and the atomization heating wire in the nicotine atomization unit are connected via a guide rod, or the nicotine storage compartment and the ceramic ultrasonic atomization sheet in the nicotine atomization unit are connected via a guide rod.

10. The electronic cigarette according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The external charging port is located at the lower side of the housing; the external charging port can be installed with an external type-C or other commonly used charging port; And / or, a lanyard or a clip is further installed on the outer side of the shell of the electronic cigarette smoking device; And / or, the photoactive layer of each thin-film solar cell in the thin-film solar cells is made of materials such as polycrystalline silicon, gallium arsenide, copper indium gallium selenide, organic semiconductor or perovskite.

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