E-Cigarette Refill Tube Sealing With Pressure-Balancing Venting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic cigarettes face issues with child safety and leakage due to the open design of the cigarette holder, which allows easy access to the smoke oil and unbalanced air pressure during liquid injection.

Innovation Solution

An atomization device with a liquid injection structure featuring an injection tube and sealing member, an exhaust gap, and a reset mechanism that balances air pressure and prevents overflow by allowing air to escape, ensuring secure and controlled liquid injection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the cigarette holder is designed to be open for easy refilling, then the ease of operation is improved, but child safety deteriorates as children can easily access and touch the smoke oil

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of refillingVSAvoidchild safety
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The liquid storage cavity is divided into a sealed first liquid storage cavity and a refilling cavity. The injection tube with liquid inlet is positioned in the first cavity, separated from the refilling cavity by a partition wall. This segmentation allows the refilling cavity to remain open for easy refilling while the first cavity remains sealed to prevent child access to the smoke oil.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the cigarette holder is sealed to prevent child access, then child safety is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates as refilling becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvechild safetyVSAvoidease of refilling
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The holder is segmented into a sealed first liquid storage cavity containing the smoke oil and an open refilling cavity. The partition wall with injection tube creates a barrier that maintains safety while allowing controlled refilling through the injection tube's liquid inlet.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Device complexity

If air pressure is not balanced during liquid injection, then the device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to leakage and overflow

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair pressure controlVSAvoidleakage prevention
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The exhaust gap acts as an intermediary channel between the first liquid storage cavity and the external environment. It allows air to escape during liquid injection, balancing air pressure and preventing overflow or leakage without requiring complex pressure control mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Ease of operation

If the injection tube is always open for easy refilling, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential leakage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of refillingVSAvoidleakage prevention
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The injection tube is designed to be movable, extending into the first liquid storage cavity during refilling and retracting when not in use. The liquid inlet is positioned to communicate with the first cavity only when the tube is extended, providing easy refilling when needed while preventing leakage when retracted.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution enhances child safety by preventing accidental access to the smoke oil and reduces leakage by balancing air pressure, ensuring smooth and controlled refilling without overflowing.

Implementation Method 1

the air in the liquid storage cavity can run out from the electronic cigarette through the exhaust gap, thus, it can balance the air pressure inside and outside the liquid storage cavity

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAir pressure balancing: Pressure Gradient

Implementation Method 2

the sealing member is sealed from an inner wall of the liquid storage cavity, and separates the liquid inlet from the liquid storage cavity

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSealing: Physical Containment

Implementation Method 3

the reset member provides elastic force to drive the sleeve to move outwards such that the sealing member is sealed from the annular holder

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic force: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP3556233B1Atomization device and electronic cigarette with the same
Publication Date: 2021.08.18 SHENZHEN SMOORE TECH LTD
  • EP3556233B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3556233B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3556233B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present disclosure provides an atomization device and an electronic cigarette; the atomization device includes a liquid storage cavity (13), a liquid injection opening (111), and an injection structure (12); the injection structure includes an injection tube (121) and a sealing member (122); the injection tube runs through the liquid injection opening and extends into the liquid storage cavity, and a liquid inlet (1211) is formed in a side wall of the injection tube; the sealing member is arranged on one end of the injection tube in the liquid storage cavity; the sealing member is sealed from an inner wall of the liquid storage cavity, and separates the liquid inlet from the liquid storage cavity. When the injection tube is pushed into the liquid storage cavity, the injection tube moves into the liquid storage cavity, and the sealing member is separated from the liquid injection opening, and the liquid inlet moves into the liquid injection opening to communicate with the liquid storage cavity; an exhaust gap is defined between an outer surface of the injection tube and an inner ring of the liquid inlet. When the injection tube is not pushed, the injection tube moves outwards to its original place to separate the liquid inlet from the liquid storage cavity. In the present disclosure, when the injection mouth or the injection pipe of the smoke oil bottle pushes the injection tube and inject smoke oil into the injection tube, the air in the liquid storage cavity can discharge from the electronic cigarette through the exhaust gap to balance the air pressure inside and outside the liquid storage cavity.