Power supply device having dynamic load detection function and system thereof

Abstract

A power supply device (100), comprising a processing unit (106), a load detection circuit (102), and a power heating switch unit (104). The load detection circuit (102) outputs a fixed current on the basis of a start signal of the processing unit (106) so as to detect load information of a resistance heating component (110). The power heating switch unit (104) generates a modulation signal on the basis of the start signal and the load information, so as to provide power to the resistance heating component (110) on the basis of the modulation signal. The load detection circuit (102) detects the load information of the resistance heating component (110) during the period when the modulation signal is turned off, so that the power output by the power heating switch unit (104) can be prevented from being affected.

Description

Power supply device with dynamic load detection and system thereof TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply device, and more particularly, to a power supply device with dynamic load detection and a system thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] Electronic cigarettes can be used as an alternative to traditional smoking articles such as lit cigarettes, cigars and pipes. Most commonly used electronic cigarettes are typically battery-powered, and use a resistive heating element to heat and vaporize a liquid containing nicotine.

[0003] In a conventional electronic cigarette, liquid smoke is drawn to the resistive heating element, and the liquid is heated and vaporized at the resistive heating element. Therefore, a large capacity battery is required to power the resistive heating element and provide a certain number of puffs (heating times). Whether it is a primary battery or a secondary battery, a large capacity battery is bulky and heavy, so that the volume and weight of the electronic cigarette must also be increased, resulting in the electronic cigarette being difficult to carry. However, if a smaller battery is used as a power source, the number of puffs it can provide is also low.

[0004] Therefore, without increasing the volume and weight of the battery, how to improve the efficiency of battery power use has become the goal of pursuit. SUMMARY

[0005] One embodiment of the summary discloses a power supply device with dynamic load detection to provide power to a resistive heating element, comprising: a processing unit; a load detection circuit coupled to the processing unit, outputting a fixed current according to a start signal of the processing unit to detect load information of the resistive heating element; and a power heating switch unit coupled to the processing unit, generating a modulation signal according to the start signal and the load information to provide the power to the resistive heating element according to the modulation signal, wherein the load detection circuit detects the load information of the resistive heating element during the modulation signal is off.

[0006] In some embodiments, the power heating switch unit further comprises: a driving unit for generating the modulation signal according to the start signal and the load information; and a first switch unit comprising a plurality of power switch components, the modulation signal driving the plurality of power switch components to output the power to the resistive heating element.

[0007] In some embodiments, the modulation signal is a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal, and the driving unit is a pulse width modulation signal generator.

[0008] In some embodiments, the modulated signal is a pulse frequency modulation (PFM) signal, and the driving unit is a PFM signal generator.

[0009] In some embodiments, the plurality of power switch components form a full-bridge circuit or a half-bridge circuit.

[0010] In some embodiments, the load detection circuit further comprises a constant current driving unit configured to generate a driving signal according to the start signal, and a second switch unit comprising at least one power switch component configured to output the fixed current according to the driving signal to detect the load information.

[0011] In some embodiments, the processing unit is configured to control the constant current driving unit to generate the driving signal to output the fixed current when the modulated signal is at a low voltage according to the modulated signal.

[0012] In some embodiments, the power supply device further comprises an analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the power supply and the fixed current to form a control signal.

[0013] In some embodiments, the processing unit is configured to adjust the start signal according to the control signal to modulate the modulated signal and the driving signal.

[0014] In some embodiments, the processing unit is configured to modulate a duty cycle of the modulated signal according to the control signal.

[0015] In some embodiments, the power supply and the fixed current form a load trend line, and the analog-to-digital converter is configured to generate the control signal according to the load trend line.

[0016] In some embodiments, the load information is a voltage across information of the resistance heating component.

[0017] Another embodiment of the present disclosure discloses a power supply system capable of dynamic load detection, comprising a power supply unit, a resistance heating component, a processing unit, a load detection circuit coupled to the processing unit and the resistance heating component, configured to output a fixed current according to a start signal of the processing unit to detect load information of the resistance heating component, and a power heating switch unit coupled to the processing unit, the power supply unit and the resistance heating component, configured to generate a modulated signal according to the start signal and the load information to provide a power supply provided by the power supply unit to the resistance heating component according to the modulated signal, wherein the load detection circuit detects the load information of the resistance heating component during the off period of the modulated signal.

[0018] In some embodiments, the power heating switch unit further comprises a driving unit configured to generate the modulated signal according to the start signal and the load information; and a first switch unit comprising a plurality of power switch components, the modulated signal driving the plurality of power switch components to output the power to the resistance heating component.

[0019] In some embodiments, the modulated signal is a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal, and the driving unit is a pulse width modulation signal generator.

[0020] In some embodiments, the modulated signal is a pulse frequency modulation (PFM) signal, and the driving unit is a pulse frequency modulation signal generator.

[0021] In some embodiments, the load detection circuit further comprises a constant current driving unit configured to generate a driving signal according to the start signal; and a second switch unit comprising at least one power switch component, the driving signal outputting the fixed current to detect the load information.

[0022] In some embodiments, the processing unit controls the constant current driving unit to generate the driving signal to output the fixed current when the modulated signal is at a low voltage according to the modulated signal.

[0023] In some embodiments, the power supply system further comprises an analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the power and the fixed current to form a control signal.

[0024] The power supply device and system thereof utilize a load detection circuit to detect the load information of a resistance heating component, and adjust the duty cycle of a modulated (PWM / PFM) signal outputted by a power heating switch unit according to the load information to control the power size provided to the resistance heating component. In this way, the duty cycle of the power heating switch unit can be adjusted according to the resistance size of the resistance heating component to control the power outputted by the power supply to drive the resistance heating component, thereby improving the precision of power control. Furthermore, the load detection circuit of the present application outputs a detection signal when the modulated (PWM / PFM) signal of the power heating switch unit is at a low voltage, thereby avoiding affecting the power outputted by the power heating switch unit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to make the above and other purposes, features, advantages and embodiments of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the following is a description of the accompanying drawings:

[0026] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a power supply device for a resistance heating component according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Fig. 2 is a detailed circuit block diagram of a power supply device for a resistance heating component according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG. 3 is a timing diagram of the power supply device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Reference numerals: 100: power supply device 102: load detection circuit 104: power heating switch unit 106: processing unit 108: power supply 109: analog-digital converter 110: resistance heating component 300: load trend line 1021: constant current driving unit 1022: second switch unit 1041: driving unit 1042: first switch unit DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following detailed description is provided to provide a better understanding of the present disclosure, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The description of the structure and operation of the present disclosure is not intended to limit the order of execution. Any structure recombined by components, resulting in a device with equivalent efficiency, is within the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not drawn to scale. For ease of understanding, the same components or similar components will be denoted by the same reference numerals in the following description.

[0031] The terms used throughout the specification and claims, unless otherwise specifically noted, are intended to have their ordinary meaning in the field of the disclosure, the present disclosure, and the special context in which the terms are used.

[0032] In addition, the terms "include", "comprise", "have", "contain", and the like used herein are open terms, i.e., meaning "including but not limited to". In addition, "and / or" used herein includes any one of the related listed items or all combinations thereof.

[0033] In this document, when a component is described as being "connected", "coupled", or "electrically connected" to another component, the component can be directly connected, directly coupled, or directly electrically connected to the other component, or there can be an additional component between the two components, and the component is indirectly connected, indirectly coupled, or indirectly electrically connected to the other component. However, when a component is described as being "directly connected", "directly coupled", or "directly electrically connected" to another component, it is understood that there is no additional component between the two components. In addition, when a component is described as being "on-line", "communicatively connected" to another component, the component can be indirectly connected to the other component through other components for wired and / or wireless communication, or a component can be physically connected to another component without passing through other components. In addition, although the terms "first", "second", and the like are used to describe different components or operations in the same technical terms, the terms are used only to distinguish components or operations described in the same technical terms.

[0034] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a power supply device for a resistive heating assembly according to one embodiment of the present application. The power supply device 100 can be used in a power supply system with a power source 108, and the power supply device 100 can perform load dynamic detection and provide a corresponding power to the load according to the load dynamic detection result. The power supply device 100 is coupled to the power source 108 to control the power provided by the power source 108 to the resistive heating assembly 110. In some embodiments, the power supply device 100 includes a load detection circuit 102, a power heating switch unit 104, and a processing unit 106.

[0035] In some embodiments, the power heating switch unit 104 is coupled to the processing unit 106 and includes a plurality of switch components and a modulated signal generator. The modulated signal generator generates a modulated signal according to an initiation signal from the processing unit 106, and the modulated signal is used to control the plurality of switch components to form an alternating conduction to provide a current generated by the power source 108 to the resistive heating assembly 110. In some embodiments, the modulated signal can be a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal or a pulse frequency modulation (PFM) signal.

[0036] In some embodiments, the load detection circuit 102 is coupled to the processing unit 106 and outputs a fixed current according to an initiation signal from the processing unit 106 to detect a load information of the resistive heating assembly 110, such as a voltage across the resistive heating assembly 110, and provides the voltage to the processing unit 106. The processing unit 106 adjusts a duty cycle of the modulated signal according to the voltage to control an alternating conduction time of the plurality of switch components, and thus controls a power provided to the resistive heating assembly 110.

[0037] In one embodiment, the processing unit 106 controls the load detection circuit 102 to detect the load information of the resistive heating assembly 110 during an off period of the modulated signal. In some embodiments, the processing unit 106 can be a central processing unit (CPU) or other programmable micro processing unit (MPU), micro control unit (MCU), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.

[0038] Figure 2 is a detailed circuit diagram of the power supply of the resistance heating assembly according to one embodiment of the present application. The power heating switch unit 104 is coupled to the processing unit 106, which includes a driving unit 1041 and a first switch unit 1042. In some embodiments, the driving unit 1041 is a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal generator for generating a PWM signal. In other embodiments, the driving unit 1041 is a pulse frequency modulation (PFM) signal generator for generating a PFM signal. It is noted that either the PWM signal or the PFM signal can be applied in the present application to control the power supplied to the resistance heating assembly 110. The following embodiments will be described with the driving unit 1041 being a PWM signal generator for generating a PWM signal.

[0039] The first switch unit 1042 includes a plurality of power switch components, which can be designed to form a full-bridge circuit or a half-bridge circuit. The power switch components can be high speed field effect transistors (FETs), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) or insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). The processing unit 106 outputs an enable signal S1 to control the driving unit 1041 to generate a PWM signal S2, which is used to control the first switch unit 1042 to output a current with a certain power to drive the resistance heating assembly 110 to generate heat.

[0040] The load detection circuit 102 is coupled to the processing unit 106, which includes a constant current driving unit 1021 and a second switch unit 1022. In some embodiments, the constant current driving unit 1021 is used to generate a driving signal S4 according to an enable signal S3 from the processing unit 106. The second switch unit 1022 includes at least one power switch component, which can be controlled by the driving signal S4 to output a fixed current with an adjustable time to detect the load information of the resistance heating assembly 110, such as the voltage across the resistance heating assembly 110, when the power switch component is turned on, and to convert the load information into digital information by the analog-to-digital converter 109 for providing to the processing unit 106 to adjust the duty cycle of the PWM signal S2 outputted by the driving unit 1041. It is noted that the driving signal S4 is used to control the second switch unit 1022 to be turned on to output a fixed current with an adjustable time to detect the load information of the resistance heating assembly 110 when the PWM signal S2 is at a low voltage.

[0041] In one embodiment, the processing unit 106 can control the start signal S3 according to the PWM signal S2, so that the driving signal S4 generated by the constant current driving unit 1021 controls the second switch unit 1022 to be turned on when the PWM signal S2 is low voltage. In some embodiments, the current outputted by the first switch unit 1042 and the fixed current with adjustable time outputted by the second switch unit 1022 can be converted into a digital control signal by the analog-digital converter 109 and outputted to the processing unit 106, and the processing unit 106 adjusts the start signals S1 and S3 according to the digital control signal to modulate the PWM signal S2 and the driving signal S4. The power switch assembly can be a high-speed field effect transistor (FET) or a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) or an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT).

[0042] In one embodiment, if the fixed current is one ampere and the input to the resistance heating assembly 110 generates a 10V cross voltage, the processing unit 106 can determine that the resistance heating assembly 110 has a 10 ohm resistance according to the 10V cross voltage, and the processing unit 106 outputs the start signal S1 according to the 10 ohm resistance to modulate the duty cycle of the PWM signal S2 outputted by the driving unit 1041. In another embodiment, if the input to the resistance heating assembly 110 generates a 1V cross voltage, the processing unit 106 can determine that the resistance heating assembly 110 has a 1 ohm resistance according to the 1V cross voltage, and the processing unit 106 outputs another start signal S1 according to the 1 ohm resistance to modulate the duty cycle of the PWM signal S2 outputted by the driving unit 1041. The current outputted by the first switch unit 1042 and the fixed current with adjustable time outputted by the second switch unit 1022 together form an output signal S5 provided to the resistance heating assembly 110. Accordingly, the duty cycle of the PWM signal S2 can be adjusted according to the resistance of the resistance heating assembly 110 to control the power supply 108 to output corresponding power to drive the resistance heating assembly 110. Therefore, the accuracy of the power outputted by the power supply 108 can be improved.

[0043] Figure 3 shows a timing diagram of the power supply device according to one embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the timing diagram includes the timing diagrams of the PWM signal S2, the driving signal S4, and the output signal S5. In one embodiment, it is assumed that the resistance of the resistive heating component 110 increases over time, and thus the duty cycle of the PWM signal S2 increases, for example, from 50% of the period PI to 90% of the periods P2 and P3. The driving signal S4 is enabled when the PWM signal S2 is low, and thus the driving signal S4 also varies according to the duty cycle of the PWM signal S2. The output signal S5, at time tl of the period PI, both the PWM signal S2 and the driving signal S4 are low, and thus the first switching unit 1042 and the second switching unit 1022 are not enabled, and thus the output signal S5 is low. At time t2, the PWM signal S2 is low and the driving signal S4 is high, and thus the second switching unit 1022 is enabled, and thus the output signal S5 is pulled up. At time t3, both the PWM signal S2 and the driving signal S4 are low, and thus the first switching unit 1042 and the second switching unit 1022 are not enabled, and thus the output signal S5 is pulled down. At time t4, the PWM signal S2 is high and the driving signal S4 is low, and thus the first switching unit 1042 is enabled, and thus the output signal S5 is pulled up. The voltage signal of the output signal S5 at the period P2 can be similarly derived. It is noted that because the resistance of the resistive heating component 110 increases, the duty cycle of the PWM signal S2 increases at the period P2, and thus the trend of the load trend line 300 formed by the high voltage edges of the output signal S5 also increases. In one embodiment, the analog-to-digital converter 109 can convert the trend of the load trend line 300 into a digital signal output to the processing unit 106, and the processing unit 106 can adjust the start signals SI and S3 according to the digital signal to adjust the PWM signal S2 and the driving signal S4. However, the present application is not limited thereto.

[0044] In summary, the power supply device of the present application utilizes the load detection circuit to detect the load information of the resistive heating component, and adjusts the duty cycle of the modulation signal (PFM / PWM) output by the power heating switching unit according to the load information to control the power supplied to the resistive heating component. In this way, the duty cycle of the power heating switching unit can be adjusted according to the resistance of the resistive heating component to control the power output by the power supply to drive the resistive heating component, and thus the power output by the power supply can be more accurate. Furthermore, the load detection circuit of the present application outputs the detection signal when the modulation signal (PFM / PWM) of the power heating switching unit is low, and thus the power output by the power heating switching unit can not be affected.

[0045] While the present application has been disclosed in terms of preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various adaptations and modifications of the application can be made within the scope of the application. It is intended that all such falls within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A power supply device capable of dynamic load detection to provide a power supply to a resistive heating element, wherein, The power heating switch unit further comprises: a driving unit for generating the modulated signal according to the start signal and the load information; and a first switch unit comprising a plurality of power switch components, the modulated signal driving the plurality of power switch components to output the power supply to the resistance heating component. The modulated signal is a pulse width modulated signal, and the driving unit is a pulse width modulated signal generator. The modulated signal is a pulse frequency modulated signal, and the driving unit is a pulse frequency modulated signal generator. The plurality of power switch components form a full-bridge circuit or a half-bridge circuit.

2. The power supply device of claim 1, wherein, The load detection circuit further comprises: a constant current driving unit for generating a driving signal according to the start signal; and a second switch unit comprising at least one power switch component, the driving signal outputting the fixed current to detect the load information. The processing unit controls the constant current driving unit to generate the driving signal to output the fixed current when the modulated signal is at a low voltage according to the modulated signal.

3. The power supply device of claim 2, wherein, An analog-to-digital converter is further included for receiving the power supply and the fixed current to form a control signal.

4. The power supply device of claim 2, wherein, The processing unit adjusts the start signal according to the control signal to modulate the modulated signal and the driving signal.

5. The power supply device of claim 2, wherein, The processing unit modulates a duty cycle of the modulated signal according to the control signal.

6. The power supply device of claim 5, wherein, The power supply and the fixed current form a load trend line, and the analog-to-digital converter generates the control signal according to the load trend line. The load information is a cross-voltage information of the resistance heating component. The power heating switch unit further comprises:

7. The power supply device of claim 6, wherein, a driving unit for generating the modulated signal according to the start signal and the load information; and 8. The power supply device of claim 1, wherein, a first switch unit comprising a plurality of power switch components, the modulated signal driving the plurality of power switch components to output the power supply to the resistance heating component.

9. The power supply device of claim 8, wherein, The modulated signal is a pulse width modulated signal, and the driving unit is a pulse width modulated signal generator.

10. The power supply device of claim 9, wherein, The modulated signal is a pulse frequency modulated signal, and the driving unit is a pulse frequency modulated signal generator.

11. The power supply device of claim 8, wherein, The plurality of power switch components form a full-bridge circuit or a half-bridge circuit.

12. The power supply device of claim 1, wherein, The load detection circuit further comprises:

13. A power supply system capable of dynamic load detection, wherein, a constant current driving unit for generating a driving signal according to the start signal; and a second switch unit comprising at least one power switch component, the driving signal outputting the fixed current to detect the load information. The processing unit controls the constant current driving unit to generate the driving signal to output the fixed current when the modulated signal is at a low voltage according to the modulated signal. An analog-to-digital converter is further included for receiving the power supply and the fixed current to form a control signal. The processing unit adjusts the start signal according to the control signal to modulate the modulated signal and the driving signal. The processing unit modulates a duty cycle of the modulated signal according to the control signal. The power supply and the fixed current form a load trend line, and the analog-to-digital converter generates the control signal according to the load trend line. The load information is a cross-voltage information of the resistance heating component.

14. The power supply system of claim 13, wherein, ​ ​ ​ ​ 15. The power supply system of claim 14, wherein, ​ 16. The power supply system of claim 14, wherein, The modulated signal is a pulse frequency modulated signal, and the driving unit is a pulse frequency modulated signal generator.

17. The power supply system of claim 14, wherein, The load detection circuit further comprises: a constant current driving unit for generating a driving signal according to the starting signal; and a second switching unit comprising at least one power switching component for outputting the fixed current to detect the load information according to the driving signal.

18. The power supply system of claim 17, wherein, The processing unit controls the constant current driving unit to generate the driving signal to output the fixed current when the modulated signal is at a low voltage according to the modulated signal.

19. The power supply system of claim 13, wherein, An analog-digital converter is further included for receiving the power supply and the fixed current to form a control signal.

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