Capacitively coded cartridge, stick, electronic cigarette system

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of capacitor coding cigarette bullet, cigarette rod, electronic cigarette system.The outer wall of the bullet is equipped with at least two coding areas, and dielectric material is provided in part coding area, which jointly constitutes unique coding sequence.Through structural design, after the installation of the bullet, the capacitive coupling strength between the dielectric material and the target electrode directly below it on the cigarette rod is greater than the capacitive coupling strength between it and the adjacent non-target electrode to ensure the differentiation of the coding signal.The geometric constraint utilizes the inverse relationship between capacitance and distance, ensuring that the target capacitance signal is much larger than the crosstalk signal, solving the capacitive crosstalk problem of high-density electrode array.The cigarette rod detects the change of capacitance through the corresponding electrode array, and the processing module decodes and authenticates.The utility model significantly improves the accuracy of coding recognition while maintaining the advantages of low cost and high reliability of capacitive coding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of electronic cigarette technology, and in particular to a capacitively encoded cartridge, a cigarette holder, and an electronic cigarette system. Background Technology

[0002] Electronic cigarettes, as an alternative to traditional tobacco, typically consist of a reusable device and replaceable cartridges. The cartridges contain e-liquid, and as consumable parts, their authenticity directly affects the user's health, safety, and experience. Currently, the market is flooded with counterfeit cartridges, seriously endangering consumer health and harming the interests of legitimate brands.

[0003] In anti-counterfeiting technology, assigning a unique identification number to each product and marking that number as invalid immediately after use is an effective way to combat counterfeiting. Since counterfeiting is essentially copying and reproduction, the generated numbers inevitably violate the principle of "uniqueness" and cannot pass verification by the genuine product system. This strategy, based on a "one-time number" mechanism, has been widely applied in the market and its anti-counterfeiting effect has been verified, demonstrating high reliability and practicality.

[0004] In the field of e-cigarette anti-counterfeiting, the mainstream solution currently adopts chip-based authentication technology, which involves embedding an authentication chip in the e-cigarette cartridge and using a reading module within the device for digital encryption and identity verification. Related technologies have been disclosed in several patents, such as CN119655508A and US20250152876A1. While this type of chip authentication solution is effective in preventing counterfeiting, its significant drawback is its high cost: the introduction of the authentication chip significantly increases the unit cost of the e-cigarette cartridge as a consumable component, a cost issue that is particularly prominent given the huge annual sales volume of e-cigarette cartridges.

[0005] In a broader technical field, there are low-cost solutions using patterned electrodes for coded recognition, such as those disclosed in patents JP1995200761A and US5949060A. However, each coded bit in such solutions can only represent two states. Given the limited surface area available for dielectric material on the cartridge and the enormous sales volume of cartridges, it is estimated that 1 billion codes are needed to effectively assign a unique coded sequence to each cartridge for identification. In binary form, this would require 30 bits (2^35 bits). 30 The length is above 1000. Capacitor encoding using binary has its advantages, namely high fault tolerance for non-negative judgments, strong reliability, and less susceptibility to decoding errors. However, to achieve a sufficiently long encoding on the limited area of ​​the cartridge surface, a large number of dielectric material patterns need to be arranged, resulting in excessively small unit areas of the corresponding detection electrodes and excessively close electrode spacing, causing the following problems: (1) The electrode unit area is too small, resulting in weak capacitance signal, which is difficult to detect effectively in environmental noise; (2) Insufficient space causes the distance between adjacent electrodes to be too close, which leads to capacitance crosstalk. When the dielectric material is facing a target electrode, the electric field it generates will be coupled to the adjacent non-target electrode at the same time, generating interference signals, resulting in misjudgment during decoding, which seriously affects the accuracy of recognition.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a low-cost, high-reliability capacitor encoding scheme that can effectively solve the problems of weak signal and severe crosstalk caused by high-density electrode arrays under a binary encoding system, so as to meet the application needs of anti-counterfeiting of massive electronic cigarette consumables. Utility Model Content

[0007] To address the problems of weak capacitance signals and severe crosstalk between adjacent electrodes caused by the large number of coding bits and small electrode units in existing capacitive coding anti-counterfeiting technologies under the binary coding system, this paper proposes a capacitive coding cartridge, e-cigarette device, and e-cigarette system. This solution maintains the advantages of low cost and high reliability of binary coding while effectively suppressing crosstalk through structural design, ensuring the accuracy of code recognition.

[0008] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the first aspect of this utility model provides a capacitance-coded cartridge for use with an electronic cigarette device. The cartridge's outer wall has at least two coding areas, each corresponding to a coding data bit. Partially or entirely of the coding areas contain dielectric material that forms a close-range coupling zone with the corresponding electrode on the device after the cartridge is installed. This close-range coupling zone is the spatial region formed between the dielectric material in the coding area and the corresponding electrode on the device after the cartridge is installed, capable of generating an effective capacitance signal higher than noise. The arrangement of each coding area and its dielectric material constitutes a unique coding sequence for the cartridge. The dielectric material is made of a high dielectric constant material, and its coupling efficiency with the electrode unit of the device is higher than that of the cartridge's outer wall substrate material, ensuring a significant capacitance change. For the dielectric material of any coding area, the electrode of the device's electrode unit covered by the orthographic projection of the dielectric material when it is installed on the device is defined as the target electrode. The dielectric material is configured such that, when the cartridge is installed onto the device, the capacitive coupling strength between the dielectric material and the target electrode is at least greater than the capacitive coupling strength between the dielectric material and the adjacent non-target electrode to ensure the differentiation of the encoded signals. This constraint ensures that the target capacitive signal strength is greater than the crosstalk signal, laying the foundation for high-reliability binary decoding.

[0009] As a further improvement to the cartridge, the maximum distance h1 is set to be less than 0.5mm by setting the absolute distance, so as to ensure the absolute strength of the capacitor signal.

[0010] As a further improvement to the cartridge, dielectric material is formed on the outer surface of the cartridge body by spraying, printing, laser engraving or bonding.

[0011] As a further improvement to the cartridge, the dielectric material is made to match the color of the cartridge's outer wall substrate material.

[0012] As a further improvement to the cartridge, the relative permittivity of the dielectric materials in at least two coding areas is different, and / or, the preset distance between the dielectric materials in at least two coding areas and the corresponding electrode units on the cigarette holder after the cartridge is installed is different, and / or, the relative areas of the dielectric materials in at least two coding areas are different. Preferably, the difference in the relative permittivity of different dielectric materials is at least 2 times.

[0013] As a further improvement to the cartridge, each coding area has a coding structure formed by the distribution of dielectric material. The code value of the coding structure is determined by the proportion of dielectric material in that area. The proportion of dielectric material in the coding area includes at least three different gradients, each gradient corresponding to a different code value.

[0014] As a further improvement to the cartridge, the dielectric constant of the dielectric material is more than three times that of the dielectric constant of the cartridge outer wall matrix material.

[0015] As a further improvement to the cartridge, when the cartridge is installed into the device, the maximum distance h1 between the dielectric material and the target electrode is at least half the minimum distance t1 between the dielectric material and the adjacent non-target electrode (i.e., h1 < 1 / 2 t1). This constraint is based on the inverse relationship between capacitive coupling strength and distance. Through geometric design, it ensures that the target capacitor signal strength is much greater than the crosstalk signal, laying the physical foundation for distinguishing the encoded signal. Experimental data confirms that when this rule is met (e.g., h1 = 1 mm, t1 > 2.236 mm), crosstalk to adjacent electrodes can be significantly reduced from 50% to below 15%, solving the crosstalk problem of high-density binary electrode arrays. In addition, the relative distance design of h1 < 1 / 2 t1 is more universal, providing flexibility for product miniaturization and design. At the same time, the absolute distance limit of h1 < 0.5 mm in the preferred scheme further ensures the signal strength of the coupling capacitor, making the scheme easy to engineer and mass-produce.

[0016] The second aspect of this utility model provides a cigarette holder for identifying capacitively coded cartridges. The cigarette holder includes a capacitance-to-digital conversion circuit, a processing module, a housing for holding the cartridge, and a capacitance detection module disposed within the housing for detecting the code on the cartridge. The capacitance detection module includes at least two electrode units arranged in an array, the positions of which correspond one-to-one with the positions of at least two preset coding areas on the outer wall of the cartridge. The electrodes of the electrode units form a close-range coupling area with the dielectric material of the corresponding coding area after the cartridge is installed. The close-range coupling area is a spatial region formed between the dielectric material in the coding area and the corresponding electrode on the cigarette holder after the cartridge is installed, capable of generating an effective capacitance signal higher than noise. The capacitance-to-digital conversion circuit is coupled to each electrode unit to measure the capacitance signal corresponding to the electrode unit. The processing module is coupled to the capacitance-to-digital conversion circuit and configured to perform matching authentication based on the code value identified in the coding area according to the capacitance signal. The array arrangement is configured such that, when the cartridge is installed, the electrode of the electrode unit covered by the orthographic projection of the dielectric material of any coding area on the cartridge is the target electrode. The capacitive coupling strength between the dielectric material and the target electrode is at least greater than the capacitive coupling strength between the dielectric material and the adjacent non-target electrode to ensure the differentiation of the coded signals. This configuration ensures that the detection structure of the cigarette holder and the coding structure of the cartridge work together to achieve a detection effect against crosstalk.

[0017] As a further improvement to the cigarette holder, the electrode unit of the capacitive detection module is located in the housing of the chamber or is part of the housing that is integrally formed into the chamber.

[0018] As a further improvement to the cigarette holder, each electrode unit is composed of at least one electrode that constitutes self-capacitance; or each electrode unit is composed of at least two electrode pairs that constitute mutual capacitance; or the capacitive detection module includes multiple point electrodes arranged in an array; the multiple point electrodes are divided into several intersecting rows and columns, with electrodes in the same row coupled to each other as row electrodes, and electrodes in the same column coupled to each other as column electrodes, wherein the intersection points constitute electrode units; the capacitance digital conversion circuit is coupled to each row electrode and column electrode respectively through a switch array, and is configured to measure the capacitance signal at each intersection point by scanning rows and columns.

[0019] Thirdly, this utility model provides an electronic cigarette system, including the aforementioned capacitor-coded cartridge and the aforementioned cigarette holder.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following significant advantages: (1) While retaining the core advantages of binary capacitor encoding such as simple and reliable judgment, strong anti-interference ability and low cost, the signal strength of the target capacitor (Cam) is far greater than the noise level of the crosstalk capacitor (Cmb) by means of distance constraint conditions; (2) Compared with multi-level encoding schemes, the cigarette cartridge only needs to prepare binary states with and without dielectric materials. The manufacturing process is simple and the yield is high, which highlights the cost advantage for scenarios with huge sales volume. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an electronic cigarette system is provided.

[0022] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a smoke cartridge with high-density dielectric material is given.

[0023] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a relative distance anti-crosstalk structure is given.

[0024] Figure 4 A schematic diagram is given showing that the dielectric material, the target electrode, and the non-target electrode are in the same parallel plane.

[0025] Figure 5 An experimental design diagram is given for four 1mm x 2mm electrodes A, B, C, and D, and a 2mm x 4mm carbon film M.

[0026] Figure 6a A schematic diagram of the structure when the carbon film M completely covers the target electrode A is given. Figure 6b The corresponding relative distance relationships are given. Figure 6c The corresponding test data curves are provided.

[0027] Figure 7a A schematic diagram of the structure when the carbon film M covers half of the target electrode A is given. Figure 7b The corresponding relative distance relationships are given. Figure 7c The corresponding test data curves are provided.

[0028] Figure 8a A schematic diagram of a self-capacitance electrode unit is given. Figure 8b A schematic diagram of the mutual capacitance electrode unit is given. Figure 8c A schematic diagram of mutual capacitance detection using row and column electrode arrays is provided. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present utility model without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present utility model.

[0030] like Figure 1As shown, this embodiment provides an electronic cigarette anti-counterfeiting authentication system based on capacitive non-contact detection. This system uses a binary dielectric code set on the cartridge 200, in conjunction with a dedicated capacitive detection module within the cigarette holder 100, and utilizes anti-crosstalk constraints to achieve highly reliable and low-cost identity authentication under binary conditions.

[0031] 1.1 Encoding Structure of E-cigarette Cartridges See Figure 2 The outer wall of the cigarette cartridge 200 is a one-time injection molded base structure 210. The base material can be conventional plastics such as ABS and PC, which have a low dielectric constant, usually between 2 and 4.

[0032] On the predetermined circumference or plane of the outer wall of the cartridge 200, there are K coding areas, each corresponding to one coding data bit. The value of K is determined according to the required coding capacity. For example, to achieve a unique code of up to one billion bits, K can be set to 30. Each coding area corresponds to one binary data bit (0 or 1).

[0033] A dielectric material 220 is provided in part or all of the coding area. This dielectric material 220 includes, but is not limited to, materials such as strontium titanate, barium titanate, barium strontium titanate, copper oxide perovskite, and lead zirconate titanate, and is attached to the surface of the outer wall of the cartridge body by means of spraying, printing, laser engraving, or adhesive bonding (self-adhesive). Setting it on the surface of the outer wall of the cartridge body simplifies the process; spraying, printing, or laser engraving processes are inexpensive, suitable for mass production, and allow for precise control of the pattern and position of the dielectric material 220. To further enhance the concealment of anti-counterfeiting and prevent easy copying by appearance, the dielectric material 220 can be consistent in color with the substrate material 210 of the cartridge outer wall, so that the coding area has no visible boundary lines or patterns, achieving hidden coding.

[0034] To ensure the generation of a significant and distinguishable capacitance signal, the selected dielectric material 220 is made of a high dielectric constant material, whose coupling efficiency with the electrodes of the electrode unit of the cigarette holder 100 is higher than that of the outer wall substrate material of the cartridge 200. Specifically, the dielectric constant of the dielectric material 220 is much higher than that of the outer wall substrate material of the cartridge 200, at least three times higher, to ensure that it can induce a sufficiently large capacitance change.

[0035] The coding area with dielectric material 220 represents binary "1", and the coding area without a coding area and composed only of the matrix material represents binary "0". All the permutations and combinations of "0" and "1" in the coding areas constitute the unique identification code sequence of the e-cigarette cartridge.

[0036] After the dielectric material 220 is set in the coding area, when the tobacco cartridge 200 is inserted into the tobacco rod 100 and installed in place, the dielectric material 220 in each coding area is directly opposite to the corresponding electrode unit set on the side wall of the tobacco rod chamber. The distance from the outer surface of the dielectric constant 220 to the electrode is less than 1mm, forming a close-range coupling area. The close-range coupling area can ensure the generation of an effective capacitance signal that is much higher than the ambient noise.

[0037] See Figure 3 For any dielectric material M in the encoding region, the electrode of the electrode unit of the cigarette rod covered by the orthographic projection of the dielectric material M when it is installed on the cigarette rod 100 is defined as the target electrode A. The dielectric material is configured such that, when the cartridge 200 is installed on the cigarette rod 100, the capacitive coupling strength between the dielectric material M and the target electrode A is at least greater than the capacitive coupling strength between the dielectric material M and the adjacent non-target electrode B to ensure the differentiation of the encoded signal. Furthermore, when the cartridge 200 is installed on the cigarette rod 100, the maximum distance h1 between the dielectric material M and the target electrode A is set to be at least less than half of the minimum distance t1 between the dielectric material M and the adjacent non-target electrode B, i.e., h1 < 1 / 2 t1.

[0038] This anti-crosstalk constraint is the core design of this embodiment, and its principle is as follows: The strength of capacitive coupling is inversely proportional to the distance. (See...) Figure 4 When the target electrode A and the adjacent non-target electrode B are in the same plane, and the dielectric material M is parallel to the AB plane at a distance d, their coupling relationship can be analyzed equivalently. The total capacitance Cab between electrodes A and B can be expressed as: Cab = Cab0 + ( (Cam * Cmb) / (Cam + Cmb) ) Where Cab0 is the inherent parasitic capacitance between A and B, Cam is the capacitance between A and M, and Cmb is the capacitance between M and B. Cam and Cmb can both be approximated as C = ε * S / d (where ε is the dielectric constant, S is the area of ​​the opposite sides, and d is the distance).

[0039] As can be seen from the above, the magnitude of the crosstalk capacitance is inversely proportional to the distance from the dielectric material to the non-target electrode. Based on this, the following experiment can be conducted: See Figure 5 Four 1mm x 2mm electrodes A, B, C, and D are set up, along with a 2mm x 4mm carbon film M. Acrylic is used to cover the electrodes and the carbon film, with a thickness of 1mm, i.e., a vertical distance h1.

[0040] (1) See Figure 6a , 6bElectrodes A, B, C, and D are configured as four self-capacitors. In self-capacitor mode, when the carbon film M completely covers the target electrode A, h1 is 1 mm, and the lateral distance g between the carbon film M and the adjacent electrode B is 1 mm. At this time, l, i.e., t1 = √(h1² + g²) ≈ 1.414 mm. See Figure 6c Without carbon film M, the average capacitance of electrodes A and B is approximately 7611000. After carbon film M completely covers the target electrode A, the capacitance of target electrode A becomes 7615000, and the capacitance of the adjacent electrode B becomes 7613000, with an impact of approximately 50% on the adjacent electrode B.

[0041] (2) See Figure 7a , 7b Electrodes A, B, C, and D are configured as four self-capacitors. In self-capacitor mode, when the carbon film M covers half of the target electrode A, the lateral distance g between it and the adjacent electrode B doubles, t1≈2.236mm. See Figure 7c Without carbon film M, the average values ​​are approximately 7609000 and 7610000. After carbon film M covers half of the target electrode A, the target electrode A becomes 7616000, and the adjacent electrode B becomes 7611000, with an impact of approximately 15% on the adjacent electrode B.

[0042] The two experiments above demonstrate that distance is a key factor in controlling crosstalk. Based on this principle, this invention constrains the maximum distance h1 between the dielectric material and the target electrode to be less than half the minimum distance t1 between the dielectric material and the adjacent non-target electrode, i.e., h1 < 1 / 2 t1. This geometric relationship physically ensures that Cam (target capacitance) is much larger than Cmb (crosstalk capacitance), making the effective signal strength generated by the dielectric material on the target electrode much greater than the crosstalk noise from adjacent electrodes, thus laying the physical foundation for reliable binary state judgment ("0" or "1"). In the above experiments, if h1 < 1 / 2 t1 is required, i.e., 1mm < 1 / 2 * 1.414mm ≈ 0.707mm, it is obvious that 1mm > 0.707mm, which does not meet the condition, so the crosstalk is very large (50%). However, when g increases and t1 increases to 2.236mm, 1mm < 1 / 2 * 2.236mm ≈ 1.118mm, which meets the condition, and the crosstalk is significantly reduced (15%).

[0043] To further ensure that the absolute strength of the capacitance signal can be stably detected by the circuit, in a preferred embodiment, the maximum distance h1 is further limited to less than 0.5 mm. This value ensures that even with a small electrode area, the absolute value of Cam is sufficiently large, providing a guarantee for signal strength under electrode miniaturization and making the solution easy to engineer.

[0044] Since the encoded sequence is long enough, a checksum (such as CRC or parity bit) is further embedded in the encoded sequence, and the processing module of the cigarette stick 100 verifies the integrity of the data after decoding.

[0045] While binary encoding works effectively in the basic scheme, this invention also supports multi-base encoding within the encoding area to further increase information capacity or encryption complexity. Specifically: Dielectric materials with different relative permittivity can be used in at least two coding regions. Preferably, the difference in relative permittivity between different dielectric materials is at least twice to ensure that the resulting capacitance signal changes are easily distinguishable. And / or, the preset distance (determined by the degree of dielectric material protrusion) between the dielectric material and the corresponding electrode unit on the cigarette holder in at least two coding regions can be different. And / or, the relative areas of the dielectric materials in at least two coding regions can be different. Through a combination of one or more of the above methods, a single coding bit can present two or more states, thereby achieving ternary or higher-level coding and significantly increasing the coding space.

[0046] Within each coding region, a more complex coding structure can be set up using dielectric material distribution. The code value of this structure is determined by the percentage of dielectric material content (i.e., the filling ratio) within that region. The dielectric material content ratio of the coding region includes at least three different gradients (e.g., low, medium, and high percentage), each corresponding to a different code value (e.g., 0, 1, 2). This method achieves polymorphic coding within a single coding region, further increasing the complexity and anti-counterfeiting capabilities of the coding, while also providing concealment and significantly increasing the difficulty of cracking.

[0047] 1.2 Smoking rod like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a smoking rod 100 used in conjunction with the above-mentioned smoking cartridge.

[0048] The device 100 includes a housing, a capacitive detection module 110, a capacitance-to-digital converter (CDC), and a processing module (such as an MCU). The capacitive detection module 110 is located on the side wall of the housing and includes at least K electrode units corresponding one-to-one with the K coded areas on the cartridge 200. The K electrode units are arranged in an array. The array is configured such that when the cartridge 200 is installed, for any coded area of ​​the dielectric material 220 on the cartridge 200, the electrode unit covered by its orthographic projection (projection relative to the electrode) is the target electrode. The maximum distance h1 between the dielectric material and the target electrode is at least less than half of the minimum distance t1 between the dielectric material and the adjacent non-target electrode.

[0049] In the above, the electrode 120 of the electrode unit is used to form a close-range coupling area with the dielectric material 220 of the corresponding coding area after the cartridge 200 is installed in place. The close-range coupling area is the spatial region formed between the dielectric material in the coding area of ​​the cartridge 200 and the corresponding electrode 120 on the cigarette rod 100 after the cartridge 200 is installed in place, which can generate an effective capacitance signal higher than the noise.

[0050] Each electrode unit 120 can be an independent self-capacitance electrode, such as Figure 8a As shown, the CDC outputs an excitation signal to electrode 120, which is then received by the electrode itself, forming a self-capacitance electrode 120. This method has a simple structure. Preferably, the electrode unit can also be a pair of mutually capacitive electrodes consisting of two electrodes 120, such as... Figure 8b As shown, the CDC outputs an excitation signal to one of the electrodes 120 and receives input from the other electrode 120. The electrode pairs form mutual capacitance, and better differentiation accuracy is achieved based on the mutual capacitance characteristics. The electrodes in the electrode unit are designed in shape and size to cooperate with the cartridge coding area to satisfy the condition h1 < 1 / 2 t1.

[0051] The capacitance-to-digital converter (CDC) circuit uses Δ-Σ modulation to directly convert the measured capacitance value into a digital value by repeatedly charging and discharging the capacitor under test and comparing it with a reference capacitance (see US Patent Number: 5,134,401), thereby improving the measurement sensitivity of capacitance to the 1ff level. In operation, each electrode unit is coupled separately through a switch array to measure the capacitance value (self-capacitance or mutual capacitance) corresponding to each electrode unit.

[0052] The processing module (MCU) is coupled to the CDC and receives the capacitance signal measured by it. The processing module is configured to identify the code value in each coded region for matching and authentication based on the received capacitance signal. Specifically, the processing module stores calibrated capacitance values, and the corresponding code value (e.g., 0, 1) for each coded region can be calculated through threshold comparison. The structure of h1 < 1 / 2 t1 ensures a high signal-to-noise ratio, making the yes / no judgment very stable and reliable.

[0053] The results of the judgment of all K coded bits are combined to obtain the unique authentication code of the e-cigarette cartridge, and then authentication is performed. This authentication code is then matched for authentication. If the match is successful, the authentication is passed, and the e-cigarette device is allowed to work normally; otherwise, it is judged as a counterfeit e-cigarette cartridge, and restrictive measures are taken.

[0054] As a more preferred arrangement of electrode units, such as Figure 8cAs shown, the capacitive detection module 110 includes multiple dot electrodes 120 arranged in an array to form row-column mutual capacitance. The dot electrodes 120 are preferably rhomboid electrodes to achieve maximum area. The multiple dot electrodes 120 are divided into several intersecting rows (emitting electrodes a1, a2, a3…) and several columns (receiving electrodes b1, b2, b3…). Emitting electrodes in the same row are electrically connected to each other, and receiving electrodes in the same column are electrically connected to each other. Each intersection point between the row and column electrodes constitutes a mutual capacitance detection electrode unit, corresponding to a coding area on the cartridge, used to detect the coated area. The coated area is divided into an uncoated area (c1) and a coated area (c2). The capacitance-to-digital conversion circuit couples each row of transmitting electrodes and each column of receiving electrodes through a switch array, and is configured to measure the mutual capacitance value at each intersection point by scanning rows and columns. This matrix scanning structure greatly reduces the required number of CDC channels and physical leads, meeting the needs of scenarios with a large number of coding areas.

[0055] As an improvement, the electrode unit 120 of the capacitive detection module 110 can be disposed on the side wall of the housing, or it can be integrally formed with the housing structure to form part of the housing housing (for example, by using in-mold injection molding (IML) technology to combine the circuit with the plastic housing). The purpose of this integration method is to ensure the realization of absolute distance (h1) while meeting the mechanical requirements of repeated insertion and removal of the cartridge, thus providing a stable and reliable physical basis for the entire anti-counterfeiting authentication system.

[0056] As a further improvement to authentication management, the functionality of the processing module can be further enhanced, including lifecycle management and data synchronization: After authenticating the cartridge's validity based on the capacitance signal, the processing module begins monitoring the cartridge's usage status.

[0057] When the cartridge is determined to be used up, the corresponding serial number is marked as invalid, and the device stops working. The unique serial number of the cartridge, combined with the "use and discard" mechanism, effectively prevents counterfeiting. A preferred method is to count the number of puffs taken with the device. When the count reaches a preset threshold, the device is considered used up. For example, a serial number can only be used for 10,000 puffs; after this number, the serial number is marked as invalid. This strategy prevents counterfeiters from using a single serial number indefinitely, closes loopholes in recycling and counterfeiting, and significantly increases the cost of counterfeiting, making large-scale commercial counterfeiting unsustainable.

[0058] For the management of invalid serial numbers, they can be stored in a local invalid serial number list for quick comparison when inserting e-cigarette cartridges later; and / or, invalid serial numbers can be uploaded to the cloud server via the communication module to be synchronized to the global invalid serial number list, thereby achieving cross-device anti-counterfeiting collaboration.

[0059] 1.3 Electronic Cigarette System This embodiment provides an electronic cigarette system, including the capacitively encoded cartridge 200 and the cigarette holder 100 as described above.

[0060] When a genuine e-cigarette cartridge 200 is inserted into the e-cigarette device 100, the processing module inside the device 100 can quickly and accurately identify the coding sequence composed of dielectric material 220 on the cartridge 200 and perform authentication. The entire system does not require expensive chips and utilizes the principle of capacitance detection to achieve a low-cost, highly reliable, and highly anti-counterfeiting authentication function.

[0061] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this utility model. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of this utility model without departing from the essence and scope of the technical solutions of this utility model.

Claims

1. A capacitively encoded cartridge for use with an electronic cigarette device, characterized in that: The outer wall of the cartridge is provided with at least two coding areas, each coding area corresponding to a coding data bit. Some or all of the coding areas are provided with dielectric material for forming a close-range coupling area with the corresponding electrode on the cigarette rod after the cartridge is installed. The close-range coupling area is a spatial region formed between the dielectric material in the coding area and the corresponding electrode on the cigarette rod after the cartridge is installed, which can generate an effective capacitance signal higher than the noise. The arrangement of each coding area and its dielectric material constitutes the unique coding sequence of the cartridge. The dielectric material is made of a high dielectric constant material, and its coupling efficiency with the electrodes of the electrode unit of the cigarette stick is higher than that of the outer wall matrix material of the cigarette cartridge. For any of the dielectric materials in the coding area, the electrode of the electrode unit of the smoke rod covered by the orthographic projection of the dielectric material when it is installed on the smoke rod is defined as the target electrode. The dielectric material is configured such that, when the cartridge is installed onto the cigarette holder, the capacitive coupling strength between the dielectric material and the target electrode is at least greater than the capacitive coupling strength between the dielectric material and the adjacent non-target electrode to ensure the differentiation of the encoded signals.

2. The capacitively encoded cigarette cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dielectric material is formed on the outer surface of the cartridge body by spraying, printing, laser engraving or bonding.

3. The capacitively encoded cigarette cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dielectric material is the same color as the substrate material of the outer wall of the cartridge.

4. The capacitively encoded cigarette cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The relative permittivity of the dielectric materials set in at least two coding areas is different from each other, and / or the preset distance between the dielectric materials in at least two coding areas and the corresponding electrode units on the cigarette rod after the cigarette cartridge is installed is different from each other, and / or the relative area of ​​the dielectric materials set in at least two coding areas is different from each other.

5. The capacitively encoded cartridge according to claim 4, characterized in that: The relative permittivity of different dielectric materials differs by at least two times.

6. The capacitively encoded cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each coding region has a coding structure formed by the distribution of dielectric material. The code value of the coding structure is determined by the proportion of dielectric material in the region. The proportion of dielectric material in the coding region includes at least three different gradients, each gradient corresponding to a different code value.

7. The capacitively encoded cigarette cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dielectric constant of the dielectric material is more than three times that of the dielectric constant of the outer wall matrix material of the cigarette cartridge.

8. The capacitively encoded cigarette cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the cartridge is installed onto the device, the maximum distance h1 between the dielectric material and the target electrode is at least less than half of the minimum distance t1 between the dielectric material and the adjacent non-target electrode.

9. The capacitively encoded cigarette cartridge according to claim 8, characterized in that: The maximum distance h1 is less than 0.5 mm.

10. A cigarette holder for identifying capacitively coded cartridges, characterized in that: It includes a capacitor-to-digital converter circuit, a processing module, a housing for holding a cartridge, and a capacitive detection module disposed in the housing for detecting the code on the cartridge; The capacitive detection module includes at least two electrode units arranged in an array. The positions of the at least two electrode units correspond one-to-one with the positions of at least two preset coding areas on the outer wall of the cartridge. The electrodes of the electrode units are used to form a close-range coupling area with the dielectric material of the corresponding coding area after the cartridge is installed. The close-range coupling area is a spatial region formed between the dielectric material in the coding area after the cartridge is installed and the corresponding electrode on the cigarette holder, which can generate an effective capacitance signal higher than the noise. The capacitance-to-digital conversion circuit is coupled to each electrode unit to measure the capacitance signal corresponding to the electrode unit. The processing module is coupled to the capacitance-to-digital conversion circuit and is configured to perform matching authentication based on the code value in the encoding area identified by the capacitance signal. The array is arranged such that when the cartridge is installed, the electrode of the electrode unit covered by the orthographic projection of the dielectric material of any coding area on the cartridge is the target electrode. The capacitive coupling strength between the dielectric material and the target electrode is at least greater than the capacitive coupling strength between the dielectric material and the adjacent non-target electrode to ensure the differentiation of the coded signals.

11. The cigarette holder according to claim 10, characterized in that: The electrode unit of the capacitive detection module is disposed in the shell of the chamber or is integrally formed as part of the shell of the chamber.

12. The cigarette holder according to claim 10, characterized in that: Each electrode unit is constructed by at least one electrode that constitutes a self-capacitance; or Each electrode unit is composed of at least two electrode pairs that form mutual capacitance; or The capacitive detection module includes multiple point electrodes arranged in an array; the multiple point electrodes are divided into several intersecting rows and columns, with electrodes in the same row coupled to each other as row electrodes, and electrodes in the same column coupled to each other as column electrodes, wherein the intersection points constitute the electrode unit; the capacitance-to-digital conversion circuit is coupled to each row electrode and column electrode respectively through a switch array, and is configured to measure the capacitance signal at each intersection point by scanning rows and columns.

13. An electronic cigarette system, characterized in that, include: The capacitively encoded cartridge according to any one of claims 1-9; And, the cigarette holder for identifying the capacitively coded cartridge as described in claim 10.

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