Cartridge information processing method for an electronic atomizer comprising at least two cartridges

Abstract

The present application discloses a cartridge information processing method based on an electronic atomizer, and an electronic device. The electronic atomizer includes at least two cartridges. The method includes the following operations. Inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer is acquired. Position information of a target cartridge corresponding to the inhalation information in the electronic atomizer is determined. The target cartridge is one of the at least two cartridges of the electronic atomizer. Remaining amount information corresponding to the target cartridge is updated according to the position information and the inhalation information. The remaining amount information is fed back to a user. The embodiments of the present application can improve the user experience.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of electronic cigarettes, and more specifically relates to a cartridge information processing method based on an electronic atomizer, and an electronic device.BACKGROUND

[0002] An electronic atomizer can be loaded with two or more cartridges, and the cartridges can be switched by a user during the inhaling of the electronic atomizer. However, when different cartridges are switched by the user, it may be difficult to quickly locate the cartridge that the user currently wishes to inhale because the electronic atomizer includes a plurality of cartridges, which will affect the experience of the electronic atomizer.SUMMARY

[0003] An object of an embodiment of the present application provides a cartridge information processing method based on an electronic atomizer, and an electronic device, which may improve the user experience for an electronic atomizer provided with more cartridges.

[0004] According to a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a cartridge information processing method based on an electronic atomizer. The electronic atomizer includes at least two cartridges. The method includes the following operations. Inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer is acquired. Position information of a target cartridge corresponding to the inhalation information in the electronic atomizer is determined. The target cartridge is one of the at least two cartridges of the electronic atomizer. Remaining amount information of e-liquid contained in the target cartridge is updated according to the position information and the inhalation information. The remaining amount information is fed back to a user.

[0005] In one implementation, in the at least two cartridges, the cartridges with different cartridge resistor information correspond to different cartridge parameter information. The cartridge parameter information includes total amount information of the e-liquid contained in the target cartridge. Before the operation that the remaining amount information of the e-liquid contained in the target cartridge is updated according to the position information and the inhalation information, the method includes the following operations. Cartridge resistor information of the target cartridge is determined. A pre-stored correspondence relationship between the cartridge resistor information and the cartridge parameter information is queried, and the cartridge parameter information corresponding to the target cartridge is acquired according to the cartridge resistor information. A correspondence relationship between the position information and the cartridge parameter information is recorded.

[0006] In one implementation, the cartridge parameter information further includes type information of the target cartridge. The cartridge information processing method based on the electronic atomizer further includes the following operation. The type information of the target cartridge is displayed.

[0007] In one implementation, the cartridge information processing method based on the electronic atomizer further includes the following operations. Information that cartridges are loaded into the electronic atomizer is detected. The position information is assigned to the cartridges. The number of the cartridges loaded into the electronic atomizer is updated. The operation that the inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer is acquired is returned in case that the number of the cartridges loaded into the electronic atomizer reaches a preset threshold.

[0008] In one implementation, the operation that the position information of the target cartridge corresponding to the inhalation information in the electronic atomizer is determined includes the following operations. Cartridge parameter information of the target cartridge is queried according to cartridge resistor information of the target cartridge. The position information corresponding to the inhalation information is determined. The position information corresponding to the inhalation information is bound with the cartridge parameter information of the target cartridge.

[0009] In one implementation, the cartridge information processing method based on the electronic atomizer further includes the following operations. Cartridge switching information is received. A next cartridge after the target cartridge is switched is set to be a new target cartridge. The operation that the inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer is acquired is returned.

[0010] In one implementation, the electronic atomizer includes a rotary encoder coupled to cartridge chambers into which the at least two cartridges are loaded. The position information corresponds to an encoding of the rotary encoder.

[0011] In one implementation, the operation that the remaining amount information is fed back to the user includes the following operations. The remaining amount information is displayed; and / or in case that the remaining amount information indicates that the remaining amount of the target cartridge is less than a preset threshold, an alarm message is prompted.

[0012] In one implementation, the remaining amount information is at least one of information of remaining number of times of inhalation, information of remaining inhalation duration, or information of a percentage of remaining amount.

[0013] In one implementation, the operation that the remaining amount information of the e-liquid contained in the target cartridge is updated according to the position information and the inhalation information includes the following operation. The number of times of inhalation is determined according to the inhalation information, and the remaining amount information is updated in a cartridge parameter of the target cartridge.

[0014] In one implementation, before the operation that the inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer is acquired, the method further includes the following operations. The position information of a currently connected target is acquired. The inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer is acquired. Cartridge resistor information of the target cartridge is acquired. Cartridge parameter information corresponding to the cartridge resistor information of the target cartridge is queried in a preset correspondence relationship. The cartridge parameter information is bound with the position information.

[0015] In one implementation, the electronic atomizer is provided with cartridge chambers into which the at least two cartridges are loaded, the electronic atomizer includes a rotary encoder coupled to the cartridge chambers, and position information of different cartridge chambers correspond to interfaces of the rotary encoder. The operation that the position information of the currently connected target cartridge is acquired includes the following operation. The position information corresponding to an interface of the rotary encoder connected to the target cartridge is assigned to the target cartridge.

[0016] In one implementation, the remaining amount information is information of remaining inhalation duration. Before the operation that the inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer is acquired, the method includes the follow operations. A micro central unit in the electronic atomizer determines cartridge parameter information of a newly loaded target cartridge according to a pre-stored correspondence relationship. The micro central unit converts an initial amount in the cartridge parameter information into information of remaining inhalation duration. Remaining inhalation duration is displayed. After the operation that the position information of the target cartridge corresponding to the inhalation information in the electronic atomizer is determined, the method includes the following operations. The remaining inhalation duration corresponding to the target cartridge is updated according to the position information and the inhalation information. The remaining inhalation duration is fed back to the user. in case that the remaining inhalation duration is less than a preset duration threshold, an alarm message is prompted.

[0017] According to a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, including a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store programs of the method provided by any of the embodiments of the present application executed by the electronic device, and store data related to the implementation of the method provided by any of the embodiments of the present application. The processor is configured to execute the programs stored in the memory.

[0018] In the cartridge information processing method based on the electronic atomizer and the electronic device provided by the embodiments of the present application, when the target cartridge in the electronic atomizer including at least two cartridges is inhaled, the remaining amount information is modified and fed back to the user. In this way, the user can confirm that the current cartridge is continued to be inhaled or the cartridge is switched according to the remaining amount information, which may improve the inhalation experience of the user.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to explain more clearly technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings for the description of the embodiments and the related art will be introduced below. Apparently, the drawings in the below description are only for some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings may be obtained based on these drawings by those skilled in the art without creative efforts. FIG. 1 is a schematic flowchart of a cartridge information processing method based on an electronic atomizer according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a cartridge information processing method based on an electronic atomizer according to an example of the present application. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a cartridge information processing method based on an electronic atomizer according to another example of the present application. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a cartridge information processing apparatus based on an electronic atomizer according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a cartridge information processing apparatus based on an electronic atomizer according to another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a connection of pins of a cartridge information processing apparatus based on an electronic atomizer according to yet another example of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In order to make the technical problem, the technical solutions and the beneficial effects of the present application to be understood more clearly, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It is to be understood that specific embodiments described herein are merely for illustrating the present application and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0021] An embodiment of the present application provides a cartridge information processing method based on an electronic atomizer. The electronic atomizer includes at least two cartridges. The method is shown in FIG. 1, and includes operations S11 to S14. The electronic atomizer may include cartridge chambers, the at least two cartridges can be filled with e-liquid, which can also be called electronic atomization liquid. Each of the cartridges can be loaded into a respective one of the cartridge chambers.

[0022] At operation S11, inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer is acquired.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present application, the inhalation information may be information generated when a user inhales from the electronic atomizer.

[0024] When the operation S11 is performed, the electronic atomizer is in a heated state. The electronic atomizer can heat the e-liquid in the cartridge through resistors, microwaves, light waves, electromagnetic waves and the like. When the user inhales, a pneumatic induction switch is opened under an action of an inhaled air flow to allow the electronic atomizer to heat a resistor (or a resistor wire), to allow the resistor to generate heat and heat the e-liquid in a reservoir of the cartridge. In this way, the e-liquid is heated up to an atomization temperature and becomes a gaseous state. Therefore, the user can inhale the atomized gaseous e-liquid.

[0025] The inhalation information may further include information of a cartridge to which a heating circuit in the electronic atomizer is connected or circuit information in a heating circuit of the electronic atomizer when an inhalation is performed. Alternatively, the inhalation information may indicate that the user has performed a valid inhalation of the electronic atomizer.

[0026] At operation S12, position information of a target cartridge corresponding to the inhalation information in the electronic atomizer is determined, in which the target cartridge is one of the at least two cartridges of the electronic atomizer.

[0027] In an embodiment of the present application, the position information of the target cartridge in the electronic atomizer may include relative position information of the target cartridge in the electronic atomizer. The relative position information may be pre-configured in the electronic atomizer, and the relative position information pre-configured in the electronic atomizer may correspond to a position for accommodating the cartridge in the cartridge chamber.

[0028] In one implementation, the position information may also be embodied as serial number information, a serial number of a circuit in which the pneumatic induction switch is turned on, information of a cartridge chamber into which the cartridge is loaded, or other forms of identification information for differentiating the target cartridge from other cartridges assembled on the electronic atomizer.

[0029] In one implementation, the inhalation information causes the pneumatic switch to be turned on, the cartridge heating circuit in the electronic atomizer to be turned on and the e-liquid in the cartridge to be heated by the heating circuit. The position information of the target cartridge in the electronic atomizer is configured to indicate the heating circuit in which the target cartridge is located, and the position information may have a unique correspondence relationship with the heating circuit.

[0030] In an embodiment of the present application, each of a plurality of cartridges in the electronic atomizer is pre-configured with corresponding cartridge parameter information when it leaves factory. When cartridges are loaded into the electronic atomizer, the electronic atomizer can read the pre-configured cartridge parameter information, determine the position information of the loaded cartridges, and then bind the cartridge parameter information with the position information, to allow the cartridge parameter information to be bound with different positions in the electronic atomizer. The cartridge parameter information may include remaining amount information (remaining number of times of available inhalation or remaining amount of the e-liquid), ingredients, a place of production and a production date of the cartridge, and / or other information of the cartridge. When the user inhales, the remaining amount information of the cartridge may be updated according to the number of times of inhalation.

[0031] At operation S13, remaining amount information of e-liquid contained in the target cartridge is updated according to the position information and the inhalation information.

[0032] A correspondence relationship between the position information and the remaining amount information of each cartridge is pre-stored in the electronic atomizer. The position information corresponds to the heating circuits configured for different cartridge chambers in the electronic atomizer, in which the cartridge chambers are configured to accommodate the cartridges. By setting the heating circuits with different electrical characteristic parameters, after a cartridge is loaded, the specific heating circuit into which the cartridge is loaded is determined according to the electrical characteristic parameters of the turned-on circuit, and then the position information of the cartridge is determined. The correspondence relationship between the position information and the remaining amount information of each cartridge is obtained by updating the position information and the initial amount of each cartridge (which may also be referred to as total amount information in an embodiment of the present application) by the inhalation information. The initial amount or total amount information may be expressed as the total number of times of available inhalation.

[0033] In a possible implementation, in the at least two cartridges of the electronic atomizer, cartridges with different initial amounts have different electrical characteristic parameters. For example, cartridges with different initial amounts have different resistor, different capacitance, different inductance, different atomization temperature and so on. After the cartridge is loaded into the cartridge chamber in the electronic atomizer and connected to the heating circuit, the initial amount corresponding to the cartridge may be determined according to the difference of measurable electrical information such as a current or voltage generated due to the turned-on heating circuit of the electronic atomizer by the cartridge. Furthermore, before the cartridges are loaded into the electronic atomizer, a correspondence relationship between the electrical characteristic parameters of different cartridges and different initial amounts is stored in the electronic atomizer.

[0034] In another implementation, when the cartridges are first loaded into the electronic atomizer, the initial amounts of the cartridges may be determined by receiving external instructions.

[0035] In yet another implementation, when the cartridges are first loaded into the electronic atomizer, the initial amounts of the cartridges may be determined by receiving external communication information.

[0036] The operation that the remaining amount information corresponding to the target cartridge is recorded according to the position information and the inhalation information may include the following operation. The number of times of inhalation is determined according to the inhalation information, and the remaining amount information is updated in the cartridge parameter of the target cartridge. The updated remaining amount information is original remaining amount information in the cartridge parameter, minus the inhalation amount corresponding to the current inhalation information.

[0037] The remaining amount information corresponding to the target cartridge may be displayed as a remaining percentage, a remaining milliliter, or a remaining number of times of available inhalation. In a case that the remaining amount information is displayed as a remaining percentage, after each inhalation is performed, the amount of the e-liquid consumed in the single inhalation is converted into a percentage according to the timing at the time of inhalation, and then the percentage consumed in this inhalation is subtracted from the latest percentage of the cartridge parameter.

[0038] At operation S14, the remaining amount information is fed back to a user.

[0039] In an embodiment of the present application, when the remaining amount information is fed back to the user, the feedback may be performed by displaying the remaining amount information, broadcasting a remaining amount prompt sound, or the like. When the remaining amount information is fed back to the user by the displaying, the remaining amount information may be displayed via a display screen provided by the electronic atomizer. Alternatively, the remaining amount information may be displayed via an indicator lamp configured for the electronic atomizer. For example, the remaining amount may be indicated via the number of remaining lighting cells of the indicator lamp.

[0040] When the remaining amount information is fed back to the user by broadcasting a prompt tone, the remaining amount can be fed back to the user via a sound effect indicating the remaining amount. For example, broadcasting a prompt short sound effect indicates that the remaining amount is reduced by 10%, and broadcasting a long sound effect indicates that the remaining amount is reduced by 50%. The remaining amount may also be fed back to the user via a verbal sound, for example, broadcasting "the remaining number of times of inhalation is 10".

[0041] With the diversified needs of the market, the functions of the electronic atomizer are becoming more and more diversified. For example, the electronic atomizer allows the user to set personalized parameters in some configurations. Loading two or more cartridges is also a development direction for the electronic atomizer. An electronic atomizer loaded with a plurality of cartridges allows the user to switch the cartridge and change inhalation flavor during the inhalation. Furthermore, after two or more cartridges are loaded, the total inhalation time of the electronic atomizer increases, which reduces the number of times the user change the cartridge, and which provides the user with more convenience.

[0042] However, the electronic atomizer provided with more than two cartridges also creates new usage problems. Since more than two cartridges are provided, and different cartridges can be switched, it is easy for the user to forget which cartridge did the user switched to after the cartridge is switched. Moreover, for the cartridge that has been inhaled, it is easy for the user to forget the remaining amount of the e-liquid, making it difficult to make a quick and accurate judgment on whether he / she could continue to inhale from the current cartridge, when to switch the cartridge, and which cartridge to be switched. In addition, if the user continues to inhale after the e-liquid of the cartridge has been used up, it is easy to inhale scorched flavor generated by the heating of the empty cartridge, and the next time the cartridge is switched, the user may still use this cartridge free of the e-liquid, which causes troubles to the user.

[0043] In an embodiment of the present application, when the target cartridge in the electronic atomizer including at least two cartridges is inhaled, the remaining amount is modified and fed back to the user. In this way, the user can confirm that the current cartridge is continued to be inhaled or the cartridge is switched according to the remaining amount information, which may improve the inhalation experience of the user.

[0044] In one implementation, in the at least two cartridges, the cartridges with different cartridge resistor information correspond to different cartridge parameter information. The cartridge parameter information includes total amount information of the e-liquid contained in the target cartridge. The operation that the remaining amount information corresponding to the target cartridge is recorded according to the position information and the inhalation information includes the following operations. Cartridge resistor information of the target cartridge is determined. A pre-stored correspondence relationship between the cartridge resistor information and the cartridge parameter information is queried, and the cartridge parameter information of the target cartridge is acquired according to the cartridge resistor information. The cartridge parameter information includes the total amount information of the e-liquid contained in the target cartridge. A correspondence relationship between the position information and the cartridge parameter information is recorded.

[0045] In an embodiment of the present application, when the target cartridge is inhaled after being loaded into the electronic atomizer, the heating circuit corresponding to the target cartridge is turned on, and the resistor of the target cartridge may be calculated via the current in the circuit. When cartridges of the electronic atomizer are produced, the cartridges with different cartridge parameters have different resistors. A correspondence relationship between the cartridge resistor information and the cartridge parameter information of the cartridge is stored in the electronic atomizer. The cartridge parameter information may include the flavor and the total amount information of the cartridge, as well as the proportion of ingredients of the e-liquid in the cartridge. The total amount information may specifically be the total number of times of inhalation or the percentage of the e-liquid consumed in a single inhalation.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present application, after the target cartridge is loaded into the electronic atomizer for the first time, the position information of the target cartridge loaded into the electronic atomizer may be determined according to a connection status of the heating circuit, corresponding cartridge parameter information may be queried according to the resistor to which the target cartridge is connected in the electronic atomizer, and the correspondence relationship between the cartridge parameter information and the position information may be recorded and displayed.

[0047] In the subsequent use process, when the user switches the cartridge and updates the target cartridge, the displayed remaining amount information is updated according to the correspondence relationship between the cartridge parameter information and the position information of the target cartridge. Therefore, when using the electronic atomizer, the user can switch the cartridge before one cartridge is not fully consumed, and can know which cartridge the user switches to.

[0048] In one implementation, the cartridge parameter information further includes type information of the target cartridge. The cartridge information processing method based on the electronic atomizer further includes the following operation. The type information of the target cartridge is displayed.

[0049] In an embodiment of the present application, the type information of the target cartridge may include information obtained by classifying the target cartridge according to the cartridge parameter information of the target cartridge. For example, the target cartridge may be classified according to the flavor, or the target cartridge may be classified according to the model number of the target cartridge, or the target cartridge may be classified according to whether or not it contains nicotine or the like, or the target cartridge may also be classified according to the manufacturer.

[0050] In one implementation, the cartridge information processing method based on the electronic atomizer further includes the following operations. Information that cartridges are loaded into the electronic atomizer is detected. The position information in the electronic atomizer is assigned to the cartridges. The number of the cartridges loaded into the electronic atomizer is updated. The operation that the inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer is acquired is returned in case that the number of the cartridges loaded into the electronic atomizer reaches a preset threshold.

[0051] In the embodiment of the present application, in case that the cartridges are loaded into the electronic atomizer, the serial number of the heating circuits corresponding to the cartridge chambers into which the cartridges are loaded may be assigned to the loaded cartridges as the position information. In case that the cartridge is not loaded, the circuit corresponding to the cartridge chamber may be in a disconnected state. At least two cartridge chambers are provided in the electronic atomizer, and the circuits corresponding to different cartridge chambers may be provided with different circuit elements. Therefore, different current or voltage characteristics are generated after the circuits are turned on, to allow all heating circuits to be differentially numbered.

[0052] Alternatively, within the electronic atomizer, each of the heating circuits corresponding to different cartridge chambers may be turned on in case that the corresponding cartridge is switched to an inhalation position. Different resistors may be arranged in different heating circuits and adopt different resistance values. The resistance values of different heating circuits are recorded and are set as serial numbers or identifications for identifying different position information. After a cartridge is loaded, the specific corresponding heating circuit and the corresponding position information of the cartridge can be determined according to the change of the current.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present application, the position information is assigned to the cartridge. The operation that the position information is assigned to the cartridge may include the following operation. The position information is bound with the cartridge parameter information of the cartridge. Accordingly, every time a piece of position information is switched, the currently turned-on cartridge may be known according to the currently turned-on heating circuit.

[0054] In one implementation, the electronic atomizer includes a rotary encoder coupled to the cartridge chambers in which the cartridges are mounted. The position information corresponds to an encoding of the rotary encoder.

[0055] In an embodiment of the present application, the circuits to which different cartridges are connected in the electronic atomizer are distinguished via the encoding of the rotary encoder. Therefore, the encoding is configured to distinguish different heating circuits and serves as the position information of each cartridge.

[0056] In one implementation, the operation that the position information of the target cartridge corresponding to the inhalation information in the electronic atomizer is determined includes the following operations. The cartridge parameter information of the target cartridge is queried in the pre-stored correspondence relationship according to the resistor of the target cartridge. The position information of the target cartridge corresponding to the inhalation information is determined. The position information corresponding to the inhalation information is bound with the cartridge parameter information of the target cartridge.

[0057] In an embodiment of the present application, the pre-stored correspondence relationship includes a correspondence relationship between a plurality of different resistors and different cartridge parameter information. In an example, the pre-stored correspondence relationship is shown in Table 1. Table 1ResistorCartridge parameter information1 ohmBrand 1, total amount 2 ml, watermelon flavor, nicotine-free, the number of inhalations 100, date of production XXXX2 ohmBrand 2, total amount 2 ml, lemon flavor, containing nicotine, the number of inhalations 100, date of production YYYY3 ohmBrand 3, total amount 1.5 ml, tobacco flavor, nicotine-free, the number of inhalations 70, date of production ZZZZ4 ohmBrand 1, total amount 2 ml, tea flavor, nicotine-free, the number of inhalations 100, date of production XYZX

[0058] In Table 1, the total amount information of each cartridge, that is, the initial amount, is expressed by the number of inhalations. In other examples, the total amount information of each cartridge may be recorded by a combination of the total amount with the consumption amount per inhalation (or the consumption amount per unit time of inhalation).

[0059] In an example, the electronic atomizer is provided with a plurality of cartridge chambers. In case that at least one cartridge chamber is loaded with a cartridge, a cartridge chamber may be selected for inhalation. A cartridge chamber without a cartridge may default to a cartridge chamber loaded with a cartridge with an amount of 0. After the newly loaded cartridge is inhaled for the first time, the correspondence relationship between the position information and the cartridge parameter information of the cartridge can be acquired. As shown in FIG. 2, after the system of the electronic atomizer is initialized, operations S21 to S25 are performed for each cartridge loaded into the electronic atomizer. Operations S21 to S25 correspond to operations performed before the operation S11 shown in FIG. 1 in an example.

[0060] At operation S21, position information of a currently connected target cartridge is acquired.

[0061] The position information of different cartridge chambers may correspond to interfaces of a rotary encoder. The operation that the position information of the currently connected target cartridge is acquired may include the following operation. The position information corresponding to an interface of the rotary encoder connected to the target cartridge is assigned to the target cartridge.

[0062] At operation S22, inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer is acquired.

[0063] At operation S23, cartridge resistor information of the target cartridge is acquired.

[0064] At operation S24, cartridge parameter information corresponding to the cartridge resistor information of the target cartridge is queried in a preset correspondence relationship.

[0065] At operation S25, the cartridge parameter information is bound with the position information.

[0066] In other possible implementations, a serial number of the rotary encoder may be assigned to the target cartridge first, the serial number may serve as the position information, and then the position information may be bound with the cartridge parameter information to obtain a corresponding relationship between the position information and the cartridge parameter information.

[0067] In one implementation, the cartridge information processing method based on the electronic atomizer further includes the following operations. Cartridge switching information is received. A next cartridge after the target cartridge is switched is set to be a new target cartridge. The operation that the inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer is acquired is returned.

[0068] In an embodiment of the present application, different cartridges can be switched through a spring switch or a rotary switch. Furthermore, after the cartridge is switched, the cartridge parameter information of the new target cartridge is fed back to the user.

[0069] In one implementation, the switching information is generated in case that a rotary encoder fixed with respect to the cartridge is rotated.

[0070] The rotary encoder can be a device configured to measure a rotation speed and cooperate with Pulse Width Modulation, PWM technology to achieve fast modulation of the speed. An operation mode of the rotary encoder may include a photoelectric operation mode, a magnetoelectric operation mode, or a contact operation mode. The working principle of the photoelectric rotary encoder is as follows. In case that a shaft of the rotary encoder drives a grating disk to rotate, the light emitted by a light emitting element is cut into intermittent light by a slit of the grating disk, and is received by a receiving element to generate an initial signal. After the signal is processed by a subsequent circuit, a pulse or code signal is output. The rotary encoder included an integrated circuit chip, interfaces of the integrated circuit chip are connected to the heating circuits, and the rotary encoder is also connected to the cartridge chambers in the electronic atomizer in one-to-one correspondence relationship. Therefore, in case that the heating circuit to which the cartridge is connected is turned on, the currently turned-on cartridge chamber may be known according to the interface of the circuit chip of the rotary encoder connected to the heating circuit, and in turn the specific connected cartridge may be known.

[0071] In one implementation, the operation that the remaining amount information is fed back to the user includes the following operations. The remaining amount information is displayed; and / or in case that the remaining amount information indicates that the remaining amount of the target cartridge is less than a preset threshold, an alarm message is prompted.

[0072] In an embodiment of the present application, the preset threshold may be a smaller value close to 0. The preset threshold indicates that the e-liquid in the target cartridge has been used up, or the remaining e-liquid is insufficient for one inhalation.

[0073] In an embodiment of the present application, in case that the remaining amount information indicates that the remaining amount of the target cartridge is less than the preset threshold, the circuit corresponding to the target cartridge may be forcibly turned off, so that the target cartridge cannot be inhaled.

[0074] In one implementation, the remaining amount information is at least one of information of remaining number of times of inhalation, information of remaining inhalation duration, or information of a percentage of remaining amount.

[0075] In an embodiment of the present application, the information of remaining number of times of inhalation may be represented as a numerical value. The information of the percentage of remaining amount may be represented as a numerical value or a progress bar. The information of remaining inhalation duration may be represented as a time value.

[0076] In an example, the remaining amount information is information of remaining inhalation duration. In an example, the cartridge information processing method based on the electronic atomizer further includes operations S31 to S38 as shown in FIG. 3. In combination with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the operations S31 to S33 as shown in FIG. 3 may be performed before the operation S11.

[0077] At operation S31, a Micro Central Unit, MCU in the electronic atomizer determines cartridge parameter information of a newly loaded target cartridge according to a pre-stored correspondence relationship.

[0078] At operation S32, the MCU converts an initial amount in the cartridge parameter information into information of remaining inhalation duration.

[0079] At operation S33, the remaining inhalation duration is displayed.

[0080] In case that the user inhales the target cartridge, operations S34 to S35 are performed. The operations S34 and S35 are the same as the operations S11 to S12 in FIG. 1, and the implementation of the operations S34 and S35 can take reference to the related embodiments.

[0081] The operations S36 to S37 correspond to the execution of the operations S13 to S14 shown in FIG. 1 in the present example.

[0082] At operation S36, the remaining inhalation duration corresponding to the target cartridge is updated according to the position information and the inhalation information. The remaining inhalation duration is equivalent to the total amount information and the remaining amount information in the foregoing embodiments.

[0083] At operation S37, the remaining inhalation duration is fed back to the user.

[0084] The operation S38 corresponds to a subsequent operation after the operation S14 shown in FIG. 1 in the present example.

[0085] At operation S38, in case that the remaining inhalation duration is less than a preset duration threshold, an alarm message is prompted.

[0086] In one implementation, the cartridge information processing method based on the electronic atomizer further includes the following operation. External setting information is received, and the remaining amount information corresponding to the target cartridge is modified according to the external setting information.

[0087] In case that the user removes the target cartridge from the electronic atomizer before the target cartridge is not fully consumed, the user may reload the removed target cartridge into the electronic atomizer. At this time, the cartridge is identified through the electrical characteristic parameters of the cartridge, which may make the acquired remaining amount information not accurate enough. Therefore, the external setting information of the cartridge can be received by receiving external instructions or external communication information, and the remaining amount information of the cartridge can be updated according to the external setting information, which may more accurately record the remaining amount of the cartridge and provide more accurate reference for the user.

[0088] Furthermore, if the amount of the e-liquid consumed by the user during one inhalation is relatively large or is relatively small, the user can also adjust the total amount information of the cartridge through the external setting information after the cartridge is initially loaded into the electronic atomizer, to allow the total amount information of the cartridge to be adapted to the individual inhalation habit of the user.

[0089] An embodiment of the present application also provides a cartridge information processing apparatus based on an electronic atomizer. The electronic atomizer includes at least two cartridges. As shown in FIG. 4, the cartridge information processing apparatus based on the electronic atomizer includes an inhalation information acquisition module 41, a position information determination module 42, a remaining amount information update module 43, and a feedback module 44.

[0090] The inhalation information acquisition module 41 is configured to acquire inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer. The position information determination module 42 is configured to determine position information of a target cartridge corresponding to the inhalation information in the electronic atomizer. The target cartridge is one of the at least two cartridges of the electronic atomizer. The remaining amount information update module 43 is configured to update remaining amount information of e-liquid contained in the target cartridge according to the position information and the inhalation information. The feedback module 44 is configured to feed back the remaining amount information to the user.

[0091] In one implementation, in the at least two cartridges, the cartridges with different cartridge resistor information correspond to different cartridge parameter information. The cartridge parameter information includes total amount information of the e-liquid contained in the target cartridge. The cartridge information processing apparatus based on the electronic atomizer further includes a cartridge resistor information determination module, a cartridge parameter information determination module and a correspondence relationship recording module. The cartridge resistor information determination module is configured to determine cartridge resistor information of the target cartridge. The cartridge parameter information determination module is configured to query a pre-stored correspondence relationship between the cartridge resistor information and cartridge parameter information, and acquire the cartridge parameter information of the target cartridge according to the cartridge resistor information. The correspondence relationship recording module is configured to record and display the correspondence relationship between the position information and the cartridge parameter information.

[0092] In one implementation, the cartridge parameter information further includes type information of the target cartridge. The feedback module is further configured to display the type information of the target cartridge.

[0093] In one implementation, the cartridge information processing apparatus based on the electronic atomizer further includes a loading module, an assignment module and a number update module. The loading module is configured to detect information that the cartridges are loaded into the electronic atomizer. The assignment module is configured to assign the position information to the cartridges. The number update module is configured to update the number of cartridges loaded into the electronic atomizer. The inhalation information acquisition module is triggered in case that the number of cartridges loaded into the electronic atomizer reaches a preset threshold.

[0094] In one implementation, the position information determination module is further configured to query the cartridge parameter information of the target cartridge according to the resistor of the target cartridge, determine the position information corresponding to the inhalation information, and bind the position information corresponding to the inhalation information with the cartridge parameter information of the target cartridge.

[0095] In one implementation, the cartridge information processing apparatus based on the electronic atomizer further includes a switching information receiving module and a switching module. The switching information receiving module is configured to receive cartridge switching information. The switching module is configured to set a next cartridge after the target cartridge is switched to be a new target cartridge, and trigger the inhalation information acquisition module.

[0096] In one implementation, the switching information is generated in case that a rotary encoder fixed with respect to the cartridge is rotated.

[0097] In one implementation, the feedback module is further configured to display the remaining amount information; and / or prompt an alarm message in case that the remaining amount information indicates that the remaining amount of the target cartridge is less than a preset threshold.

[0098] In one implementation, the remaining amount information is at least one of information of remaining number of times of inhalation, information of remaining inhalation duration, or information of a percentage of remaining amount.

[0099] In an example of the present application, as shown in FIG. 5, the cartridge information processing apparatus based on the electronic atomizer includes a power supply module 51, an MCU control module 52, a display module 53, a startup module 54, an output control module 55, and a cartridge detection module 56.

[0100] The power supply module 51 is configured to supply power to the entire circuit. The MCU control module 52 is configured to receive and process external instructions and execute processing instructions acquired internally or externally. The MCU control module is configured to execute the operations of the position information determination module, the remaining amount information update module, and the cartridge parameter information determination module in the foregoing embodiments and related embodiments. The display module 53 is configured to display information such as the serial number of a plurality of cartridges, the amount of the e-liquid, and the amount of electricity, and is equivalent to the feedback module in the foregoing embodiments. The startup module 54 is started by a button or a microphone sensor, is configured to start an ignition output or other trigger mechanism, and is equivalent to the inhalation information acquisition module in the foregoing embodiments. The output control module 55 may be controlled by a PMW signal, is configured to execute an output control command to adjust an output scheme and acquire the cartridge resistance value information, and is equivalent to the cartridge resistor information determination module in the foregoing embodiments. The output control module 55 is further configured to assist the startup module 54 in outputting a start command and assist the MCU control module 52 in determining the cartridge parameter information. The cartridge detection module 56 is configured to acquire encoding information of each cartridge, and is equivalent to the loading module, the correspondence relationship recording module, the assignment module, the number update module, the switching information receiving module, and the switching module in the foregoing embodiments.

[0101] Exemplarily, the cartridge detection module may include a rotary encoder, a knob end of the rotary encoder is tightly connected to the rotary mechanism of the electronic atomizer, and the cartridge chambers are provided on the rotary mechanism. The rotary encoder may adopt an integrated circuit chip as shown in FIG. 6, and in an example shown in FIG. 6, four cartridges are loaded into the electronic atomizer. In other possible implementations, the electronic atomizer may also be loaded with more cartridges or less cartridges.

[0102] As shown in FIG. 6, four interfaces (key1, key2, key3, and key4, which may also be referred to as IO interfaces) of an integrated circuit chip 61 of the rotary encoder are directly connected to four IO (in out) ports of an MCU control module 62, and said four IO ports are directly configured as input ports. The four interfaces of the rotary encoder correspond to different serial numbers.

[0103] Each cartridge chamber loaded with the cartridge corresponds to the state of a respective one of four pins of the MCU control module 62 through the rotary encoder. That is, the first cartridge chamber is connected to the key1 interface, and corresponds to the P5.0 pin of the IO ports of the MCU control module 62. The second cartridge chamber is connected to the key2 interface, and corresponds to the P5.2 pin of the IO ports of the MCU control module 62. The third cartridge chamber is connected to the key3 interface, and corresponds to the P5.3 pin of the IO ports of the MCU control module 62. The fourth cartridge chamber is connected to the key4 interface, and corresponds to the P5.4 pin of the IO ports of the MCU control module 62.

[0104] In case that the cartridges are not loaded, the four IO ports P5.0, P5.2, P5.3 and P5.4 of the MCU control module 62 are in a floating state, and in case that the rotary mechanism is rotated to the position of the corresponding cartridge chamber, a pin of the MCU control module 62 connected to the integrated circuit chip 61 and a pin of the corresponding cartridge chamber connected to the integrated circuit chip 61 is set to be 0. That is, in case that the cartridge located in the cartridge chamber of the key1 interface is connected to the MCU control module 62, key1 = P5.0 = 0, in which 0 indicates a low level, and so on in a similar manner, to identify the position information of all the remaining cartridge chambers.

[0105] Still referring to the example shown in FIG. 6, assuming that all the four cartridges are loaded into the electronic atomizer and the cartridge detection module detects the position of the cartridges, if the MCU control module 62 acquires that the cartridge detection module detects the cartridge currently connected to the key1 interface, the MCU control module 62 acquires the external operation instructions of a startup module (a key or airflow sensor). If it is detected that the key or microphone starts ignition, the MCU control module 62 outputs the instructions to the cartridge of the corresponding cartridge chambers through a control output module for control. In case that the first inhalation operation of the first cartridge is performed, the MCU control module 62 assigns the cartridge information (an amount of the e-liquid or total number of inhalations) pre-stored internally to the serial number of the corresponding cartridge. In case that the cartridge detection module detects the cartridge currently connected to the key2 interface, the MCU control module 62 assigns the pre-stored cartridge parameter information again in the same manner. The information of the remaining cartridges is assigned and recorded in the similar manner. The MCU control module can communicate the information of each cartridge, such as the number of inhalations, to a display module through Serial Peripheral Interface, SPI for display. In this way, the user can know the usage information of the four cartridges.

[0106] An embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, including a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store programs of the method provided by any one of the embodiments of the present application executed by the electronic device, and store data related to the implementation of the method provided by any one of the embodiments of the present application. The processor is configured to execute the programs stored in the memory.

[0107] The embodiments of the present application described above is a combination of the elements and the features of the present application. Unless otherwise mentioned, the elements or features may be regarded as optional. Individual elements or features may be practiced without combination with other elements or features. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present application may be constructed by combining partial elements and / or features. The order of the operations described in the embodiments of the present application may be reordered. Some configurations of any embodiment may be included in another embodiment and may be replaced with corresponding configurations of another embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that claims in the appended claims that are not explicitly referenced to each other may be combined into embodiments of the present application or may be included as new claims in the amendments after filing of the present application.

[0108] In a firmware or software configuration manner, the embodiments of the present application may be implemented in the form of modules, processes, functions, and the like. The software code may be stored in a memory unit and executed by a processor. The memory unit is located internal or external to the processor, and may send data to the processor and receive data from the processor via various known means.

[0109] Various aspects of the system and method described herein may be implemented as functions programmed into any of a variety of circuits including programmable logic devices, PLDs, such as field programmable gate arrays, FPGAs, programmable array logic, PAL devices, electronic programmable logic and storage devices, standard cell-based devices, and an application specific integrated circuit, ASIC. Some other possibilities for implementing these aspects of the system include a microcontroller provided with a memory, such as an electronically erasable programmable read-only memory, EEPROM, an embedded microprocessor, firmware, software, etc. Furthermore, these aspects of the system may be embodied in a microprocessor with software-based circuit simulation, discrete logic (sequential and combinatorial), custom devices, fuzzy (neural) logic, quantum devices, and combinations of any of the various device types described above. Certainly, the underlying device technology may be provided in a variety of component types, such as metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor, MOSFET technology such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor, CMOS, bipolar technology such as emitter coupled logic, ECL, polymer technology (for example, silicon conjugated polymer and metal conjugated polymer metal structures), hybrid analog and digital, and the like.

[0110] The various functions or processes disclosed herein may be described as data and / or instructions embodied in various computer-readable media in terms of their behavior, register transfers, logic components, transistors, geometric layouts, and / or other features. Computer-readable media that may contain such formatted data and / or instructions include, but are not limited to, various forms of non-volatile storage media (for example, optical, magnetic, or semiconductor storage media) and carrier waves, which may be configured to transmit such formatted data and / or instructions through wireless, optical, or wired signal media, or any combination thereof. Such data and / or instructions may be processed by a processing entity (for example, one or more processors) when received by any of various circuits (for example, a computer).

[0111] The above description of the illustrated embodiments of the system and method is not intended to be exhaustive or is not intended to limit the system and method to the precise forms disclosed. Although specific embodiments and examples of the system components and the method are described herein for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various equivalent modifications can be made within the scope of the system, the components and the method. The teachings of the system and method provided herein may be applied to other processing systems and methods, and not only to the system and method described above.

[0112] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and / or modifications may be made to the present application shown in particular embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the broad description of the present application. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be regarded in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Furthermore, the present application includes any combination of features (including features in the abstract section) described for different embodiments, even if the features or combination of features are not explicitly specified in the claims or the detailed description of the present embodiment.

[0113] Generally, the terminologies used in the following claims should not be construed as limiting the system and method to the particular embodiments disclosed in the specification and claims, but should be construed as encompassing all processing systems operating in the claims. Accordingly, the system and method are not limited by the present application, but the scope of the system and method is determined solely by the claims.

[0114] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, wordings such as "include" and "including" are to be construed in an encompassed sense, rather than in an exclusive or exhaustive sense. That is, wordings such as "include" and "including" are to be construed in the meaning of "including but not limited to". Wordings which use the singular or plural also include the singular or plural respectively. Furthermore, wordings "herein", "hereinafter", "above", "below", and wordings having similar meanings refer to the present application as a whole, and do not refer to any particular portion of the present application. When the wording "or" relates to a list of two or more items, the wording "or" includes all of the following interpretations of the wording: any item in the list, all items in the list, and any combination of items in the list.

[0115] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used merely for descriptive purposes, and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance thereof or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly mean that one said feature or a plurality off said features are included. In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, "a plurality of" means more than two, unless explicitly and specifically defined otherwise.

[0116] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalents, substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A cartridge information processing method based on an electronic atomizer, the electronic atomizer comprising at least two cartridges, characterized in that the method comprises: acquiring (S11, S34) inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer; determining (S12, S35) position information of a target cartridge corresponding to the inhalation information in the electronic atomizer, wherein the target cartridge is one of the at least two cartridges of the electronic atomizer; updating (S13) remaining amount information of e-liquid contained in the target cartridge according to the position information and the inhalation information; and feeding back (S14) the remaining amount information to a user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the at least two cartridges, the at least two cartridges with different cartridge resistor information correspond to different cartridge parameter information, wherein the cartridge parameter information comprises total amount information of the e-liquid contained in the target cartridge, wherein before updating (S13) the remaining amount information of the e-liquid contained in the target cartridge according to the position information and the inhalation information, the method comprises: determining the cartridge resistor information of the target cartridge; querying a pre-stored correspondence relationship between the cartridge resistor information and the cartridge parameter information, and acquiring the cartridge parameter information corresponding to the target cartridge according to the cartridge resistor information; and recording a correspondence relationship between the position information and the cartridge parameter information.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the cartridge parameter information further comprises type information of the target cartridge, wherein the method further comprises: displaying the type information of the target cartridge.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the method further comprises: detecting information that cartridges are loaded into the electronic atomizer; assigning the position information in the electronic atomizer to the cartridges; updating a number of the cartridges loaded into the electronic atomizer; and returning an operation of acquiring the inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer in case that the number of the cartridges loaded into the electronic atomizer reaches a preset threshold.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein determining (S12) the position information of the target cartridge corresponding to the inhalation information in the electronic atomizer comprises: querying cartridge parameter information of the target cartridge according to cartridge resistor information of the target cartridge; determining the position information corresponding to the inhalation information; and binding the position information corresponding to the inhalation information with the cartridge parameter information of the target cartridge.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the method further comprises: receiving cartridge switching information; setting a next cartridge after the target cartridge is switched to be a new target cartridge; and returning an operation of acquiring the inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer.

7. The method according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the electronic atomizer comprises a rotary encoder coupled to cartridge chambers into which the at least two cartridges are loaded, wherein the position information corresponds to an encoding of the rotary encoder.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein feeding back (S14) the remaining amount information to the user comprises: displaying the remaining amount information; and / or prompting an alarm message in case that the remaining amount information indicates that a remaining amount of the target cartridge is less than a preset threshold.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the remaining amount information is at least one of information of remaining number of times of inhalation, information of remaining inhalation duration, or information of a percentage of remaining amount.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein updating (S13) the remaining amount information of the e-liquid contained in the target cartridge according to the position information and the inhalation information comprises: determining a number of times of inhalation according to the inhalation information, and updating the remaining amount information in a cartridge parameter of the target cartridge.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein before acquiring (S11) the inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer, the method further comprises: acquiring (S21) the position information of a currently connected target cartridge; acquiring (S22) the inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer; acquiring (S23) cartridge resistor information of the target cartridge; querying (S24) cartridge parameter information corresponding to the cartridge resistor information of the target cartridge in a preset correspondence relationship; and binding (S25) the cartridge parameter information with the position information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the electronic atomizer is provided with cartridge chambers into which the at least two cartridges are loaded, the electronic atomizer comprises a rotary encoder coupled to the cartridge chambers, and position information of different cartridge chambers correspond to interfaces of the rotary encoder, wherein acquiring (S21) the position information of the currently connected target cartridge comprises: assigning, the position information corresponding to an interface of the rotary encoder connected to the target cartridge, to the target cartridge.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the remaining amount information is information of remaining inhalation duration, wherein before acquiring (S11, S34) the inhalation information for inhaling from the electronic atomizer, the method comprises: determining (S31), by a micro central unit in the electronic atomizer, cartridge parameter information of a newly loaded target cartridge according to a pre-stored correspondence relationship; converting (S32), by the micro central unit, an initial amount in the cartridge parameter information into the information of remaining inhalation duration; and displaying (S33) remaining inhalation duration, wherein after determining (S12, S35) the position information of the target cartridge corresponding to the inhalation information in the electronic atomizer, the method comprises: updating (S36) the remaining inhalation duration corresponding to the target cartridge according to the position information and the inhalation information; feeding back (S37) the remaining inhalation duration to the user; and prompting (S38) an alarm message in case that the remaining inhalation duration is less than a preset duration threshold.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the method further comprises: receiving external setting information, and modifying the remaining amount information corresponding to the target cartridge according to the external setting information.

15. An electronic device, characterized in that the electronic device comprises a processor and a memory; wherein the memory is configured to store programs of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 executed by the electronic device, and store data related to implementation of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14; wherein the processor is configured to execute the programs stored in the memory.

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