Patent Publication Number: US-9901116-B2

Title: Battery assembly and electronic cigarette

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No. 201320642916.8, filed in P.R. China on Oct. 17, 2013, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present application relates to the field of daily electrical products, and more particularly relates to a battery assembly and an electronic cigarette. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     An electronic cigarette comprises a battery assembly and an atomizing assembly. In the prior art, the electronic cigarette includes a disposable electronic cigarette and a non-disposable electronic cigarette. The disposable electronic cigarette usually doesn&#39;t have a charging function, and tobacco juice in the disposable electronic cigarette cannot be used up usually, which causes the waste of the tobacco juice. In the non-disposable electronic cigarette, the battery assembly is detachably connected to the atomizing assembly. In the battery assembly, a charging interface of the battery assembly is an electrode connecting member connected to the atomizing assembly. When the battery assembly is charged, the atomizing assembly needs to be detached from the battery assembly, so that the battery assembly can be charged.  FIG. 1  shows a charging schematic diagram of the battery assembly. However, it will cost much time and energy to adopt the aforementioned charging way, and connection portions between the atomizing assembly and the battery assembly will be worn or loose easily, after the charging way is adopted in a long time. Furthermore, the atomizing assembly will be lost, when the atomizing assembly is detached from the battery assembly, which is inconvenient for a user. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The objective of the present application is to provide a battery assembly and an electronic cigarette that are convenient to charge, aiming at aforementioned defects in the prior art. 
     The technical solutions of the present application for solving the technical problems are as follows: in one aspect, a battery assembly is configured for assembling with an atomizing assembly to form an electronic cigarette, the battery assembly comprises a battery sleeve and a battery mounted in the battery sleeve, and the battery includes a first electrode and a second electrode; the battery assembly further comprises a first charging electrode connected to the first electrode, and a second charging electrode connected to the second electrode; the first charging electrode and the second charging electrode are configured to connect to an external charger; the first charging electrode is an end cover mounted on an end of the battery sleeve, and a lamp disposed at internal side of the end cover and abuts the battery sleeve; and a plurality of through-holes are defined in an end surface of the end cover, and configured for lights, generated by the lamp, passing through the through-holes. 
     In one embodiment, the end cover includes a cover body inserted in an end of the battery sleeve, and the through-holes are distributed through the cover body uniformly. 
     In another embodiment, a marker setup area is arranged on an end surface of the cover body, the end surface is away from the battery sleeve; and the through-holes are disposed around the marker setup area uniformly. 
     In the embodiment, the marker setup area is located in the center of the end surface of the cover body. 
     In the embodiment, the end cover further includes a marker layer arranged on the marker setup area. The marker layer is concave and convex. 
     In a further embodiment, the through-holes form words and/or patterns. 
     In the aspect, the second charging electrode is inserted in an end of the battery sleeve, and the second charging electrode abuts against an internal surface of the battery sleeve; the end cover is mounted on the second charging electrode, and is electrically insulated from the second charging electrode. 
     In the aspect, the battery assembly further comprises an insulation sleeve mounted between the end cover and the second charging electrode; and end surfaces of the end cover, the second charging electrode and the insulation sleeve, that are away from the battery, are in a same surface. The end cover further includes an electrical connection portion formed by the cover body extending towards the battery; and the electrical connection portion is electrically connected to the first electrode. The cover body is made of metal, conductive rubber or conductive silicon. 
     In another aspect, an electronic cigarette comprises a battery assembly and an atomizing assembly, the battery assembly comprises a battery sleeve and a battery mounted in the battery sleeve, and the battery included a first electrode and a second electrode; and the battery assembly further comprises a first charging electrode connected to the first electrode electrically, and a second charging electrode connected to the second electrode; the first charging electrode and the second charging electrode are configured to connect to an external charger; and the first charging electrode is an end cover mounted on an end of the battery sleeve, and a lamp is disposed at internal side of the end cover and abuts the battery sleeve; a plurality of through-holes are defined in an end surface of the end cover, and configured for lights, generated by the lamp, passing through the through-holes. 
     In the aspect, the atomizing assembly includes an atomizing sleeve detachably connected to the battery sleeve or integrally formed with the battery sleeve; and the end cover is mounted on an end of the battery sleeve, that is away from the atomizing sleeve. 
     In one embodiment, the end cover includes a cover body inserted in an end of the battery sleeve; and the through-holes are distributed through the cover body uniformly. 
     In another embodiment, a marker setup area is arranged on an end surface of the cover body, the end surface is away from the battery sleeve, and the through-holes are disposed around the marker setup area uniformly. The through-holes form words and/or patterns. 
     In the aspect, the second charging electrode is inserted in an end of the battery sleeve, and the second charging electrode abuts against an internal surface of the battery sleeve; the end cover is mounted on the second charging electrode, and is electrically insulated from the second charging electrode. 
     In the aspect, the battery assembly further comprises an insulation sleeve mounted between the end cover and the second charging electrode; and end surfaces of the end cover, the second charging electrode and the insulation sleeve, that are away from the battery, are in a same surface. 
     In the aspect, the through-holes is tobacco-like linear. 
     In the aspect, the electronic cigarette further includes a control module configured for controlling the work of the atomizing assembly; the first electrode and the second electrode are electrically connected to the control module respectively; when an external charger charges the battery, the control module cuts off the electrical connection between the battery and the atomizing assembly. 
     When implementing the battery assembly and the electronic cigarette of the present application, the following advantageous effects can be achieved: because the first charging electrode of the battery assembly is the end cover mounted on an end of the battery sleeve, only the end cover and the second charging electrode need to be connected to an external charger when the electronic cigarette need to be charged, which saves the time of a charging operation in the prior art. Moreover, the external structure of battery assembly is simple, which avoids inconvenience for an extra charging electrode to assemble and increase of costs. As the battery sleeve doesn&#39;t need to be detached from the atomizing sleeve when the electronic cigarette is charged, the battery sleeve can be connected to the atomizing sleeve reliably, which is convenient for a user. Moreover, as a plurality of the through-holes can be defined in the end cover, so that the lights generated by the lamp can pass through the through-holes, the end cover can achieve all kinds of lighting effects to substitute burning of tobaccos, to meet psychological behavior demands of users, which improves the users&#39; experience. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present application will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments in the following, in the accompanying drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a charging schematic diagram of a battery assembly of an electronic cigarette in the prior art; 
         FIG. 2  is a structural schematic view of a battery assembly of a first preferred embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 3  is a charging schematic diagram of the battery assembly when the battery assembly shown in  FIG. 2  is connected to an atomizing assembly; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the battery assembly shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective structural schematic view of an end cover of the battery assembly shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a structural schematic view of a battery assembly of a second preferred embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view of an end cover, a second charging electrode and an insulation sleeve of the battery assembly shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective structural schematic view of the end cover of the battery assembly shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 9  is another perspective structural schematic view of the end cover of the battery assembly shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a structural schematic view of a battery assembly of a third preferred embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded view of an end cover, a second charging electrode and an insulation sleeve of the battery assembly shown in  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective structural schematic view of the end cover of the battery assembly shown in  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 13  is another perspective structural schematic view of the end cover of the battery assembly shown in  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a structural schematic view of an electronic cigarette of a first preferred embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 15  is a structural schematic view when an end cover of the electronic cigarette shown in  FIG. 14  is replaced; 
         FIG. 16  is a structural schematic view of an electronic cigarette of a second preferred embodiment of the present application. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     To make the technical feature, objective and effect of the present application be understood more clearly, now the specific implementation of the present application is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , in a battery assembly of a first preferred embodiment of the present application, the battery assembly is configured for assembling with an atomizing assembly  10  to form an electronic cigarette. The battery assembly comprises a battery sleeve  1 , a battery  2 , a first charging electrode, a second charging electrode  4 , an insulation sleeve  5 , a control module  6  and an airflow sensor  7 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the battery sleeve  1  is approximately a hollow cylindrical structure. The battery  2  includes a first electrode (not shown) and a second electrode (not shown), and the battery  2  is mounted in the battery sleeve  1 . In this embodiment, the first electrode is an anode of the battery  2 , and the second electrode is a cathode of the battery  2 . The first electrode and the second electrode of the battery  2  are electrically connected to the atomizing assembly  10  of the electronic cigarette respectively, so that the atomizing assembly  10  can be driven to generate smoke configured for being smoked by a user. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 , the first charging electrode is an end cover  3  mounted on an end of the battery sleeve  1 , and the end cover  3  is electrically connected to the first electrode of the battery  2 . The end cover  3  includes a cover body  31 , a through-hole  32  and an electrical connection portion  35 . The cover body  31  is approximately curved, and the cover body  31  is mounted on an end of the battery sleeve  1 . A lamp  311  configured for simulating light emitted by burning tobaccos is disposed at internal side of the cover body  31  and abuts the battery sleeve  1 . When the lamp  311  is working, the lights generated by the lamp  311  are emitted through the through-hole  32  to simulate burning of tobaccos vividly. When the electronic cigarette is smoked, the end cover  3  can achieve all kinds of lighting effects to meet psychological behavior demands of a user. In this embodiment, the cover body  31  is a thin plate, and is made of metal. In another embodiment of the present application, the cover body  31  can be made of conductive rubber or conductive silicon. When the atomizing assembly  10  is working, the end cover  3  emits lights to indicate that the atomizing assembly  10  is in working. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 , the through-hole  32  is defined in an end surface of the end cover  3 , that is, the through-hole  32  is defined in an end surface of the cover body  31 . The through-hole  32  extends along a direction paralleled with an axial direction of the battery sleeve  1 . In this embodiment, pluralities of the through-holes  32  are distributed through the cover body  31  uniformly. Moreover, the whole cover body  31  is covered by the through-holes  32  disposed into an array. The distance between any two through-holes  32  abutting each other is constant. The through-holes  32  are circular. In another embodiment of the present application, the through-holes  32  can be square, polygonal or tobacco-like linear, etc. The tobacco-like linear through-holes  32  are adopted to make the effects that the electronic cigarette simulates burning of tobaccos more vivid. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 5 , the electrical connection portion  35  is formed by the cover body  31  extending towards the battery  2 , and the electrical connection portion  35  is electrically connected to the first electrode. In this embodiment, the electrical connection portion  35  is formed on the edge of the cover body  31 , and is electrically soldered to the first electrode via a conductive wire. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the second charging electrode  4  is electrically connected to the second electrode. The second charging electrode  4  is approximately ring structure, and is fit for an internal diameter of the battery sleeve  1 . The second charging electrode  4  is inserted in an end of the battery sleeve  1 , and the second charging electrode  4  abuts against an internal surface of the battery sleeve  1 . The internal surface of the battery sleeve  1  is made of conductive material; the second charging electrode  4  and the internal surface of the battery sleeve  1  abut with each other, so that the second charging electrode  4  is electrically connected to the internal surface of the battery sleeve  1 . Moreover, the second charging electrode  4  is electrically connected to the internal surface of the battery sleeve  1 , so that the second charging electrode  4  is electrically connected to the second electrode. In another embodiment of the present application, the second charging electrode  4  can be also electrically soldered to the second electrode via a conductive wire. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the insulation sleeve  5  is approximately a hollow cylindrical structure. The insulation sleeve  5  is mounted between the end cover  3  and the second charging electrode  4 , so that the end cover  3  is electrically insulated from the second charging electrode  4 . End surfaces of the end cover  3 , the second charging electrode  4  and the insulation sleeve  5 , that are away from the battery  2 , are in a same surface; that is, end surfaces of the end cover  3 , the second charging electrode  4  and the insulation sleeve  5 , that are away from the battery  2 , form a smooth surface. In this embodiment, an end of the end cover  3  located out of the battery sleeve  1  is an arc-shaped structure. Correspondingly, an end of the second charging electrode  4  and an end of the insulation sleeve  5  located out of the battery sleeve  1  are arc-shaped structure, and the end of the end cover  3 , the end of the second charging electrode  4  and the end of the insulation sleeve  5 , that are located out of the battery sleeve  1 , form a smooth arc-shaped surface. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , an output terminal of the control module  6  is connected to the atomizing assembly  10 , so that the control module  6  can control the work of the atomizing assembly  10 . The first electrode and the second electrode are electrically connected to the control module  6  respectively, so that the control module  6  can be supplied with electric power. When an external charger  100  charges the battery  2 , the control module  6  can cut off the electrical connection between the battery  2  and the atomizing assembly  10 , so that the atomizing assembly  10  cannot generate smoke when the battery  2  is charged. The airflow sensor  7  is connected to the control module  6 . When the battery assembly is connected to the atomizing assembly  10 , and the battery assembly works normally, the control module  6  controls the battery  2  to supply electric power to the atomizing assembly  10  after receiving an airflow signal sensed by the airflow sensor  7 , so that the atomizing assembly  10  is driven to generate smoke. 
     When the aforementioned battery assembly is used, because the first charging electrode of the battery assembly is the end cover  3  mounted on an end of the battery sleeve  1 , only the end cover  3  and the second charging electrode  4  need to be connected to an external charger  100  to achieve the charging operation of the battery assembly, which saves the time of a charging operation. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 6 to 9 , in a battery assembly of a second preferred embodiment of the present application, the difference between the battery assembly of the second preferred embodiment and the battery assembly of the first preferred embodiment is the structures of the end covers  3 . In the second embodiment, the end cover  3  further includes a logo setup area  33  and a marker layer  34 . The marker setup area  33  is arranged on an end surface of the cover body  31  that is away from the battery sleeve  1 . The marker setup area  33  is approximately circular; and a plurality of the through-holes  32  are disposed around the marker setup area  33  uniformly. In this embodiment, the marker setup area  33  is located in the center of the end surface of the cover body  31  that is away from the battery sleeve  1 , and the marker layer  34  is arranged on the marker setup area  33 . The marker setup area  33  can be designed based on the size of the marker layer  34 . The marker layer  34  can be pasted or painted on the marker setup area  33 . The marker layer  34  is concave and convex. The marker layer  34  can be designed as a trademark of a product. In another embodiment of the present application, the marker layer  34  can be smooth. Further, as shown in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , a first limiting step  41  is defined at an inner sidewall of the second charging electrode  4  for stopping the insulation sleeve  5  moving along an axial direction of the electronic cigarette, a second limiting step  51  is defined at an inner sidewall of the insulation sleeve  5  for stopping the end cover  3  moving along an axial direction of the electronic cigarette. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 10 to 13 , in a battery assembly of a third preferred embodiment of the present application, the difference between the battery assembly of the third preferred embodiment and the battery assembly of the first preferred embodiment is still the structures of the end covers  3 . In the third embodiment, a plurality of the through-holes  32  form words and/or patterns, that is, a plurality of the through-holes  32  can form words, patterns, or a design with words and patterns. By adopting the aforementioned structure of the third embodiment, a plurality of the through-holes  32  can be designed as different designs according to demands of users, so that the end cover  3  can achieve different lighting effects to meet diversified demands of users. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2, 3, 14 and 15 , based on the aforementioned battery assembly, the present application further provides an electronic cigarette, and the electronic cigarette comprises the atomizing assembly  10  and the battery assembly. The atomizing assembly  10  includes an atomizing sleeve  8  detachably connected to the battery sleeve  1  or integrally formed with the battery sleeve  1 . In an electronic cigarette of a first preferred embodiment of the present application, the battery sleeve  1  is detachably connected to the atomizing sleeve  8 . Advantageously, the battery sleeve  1  is connected to the atomizing sleeve  8  by threads. The battery  2  is mounted in the battery sleeve  1 , and the end cover  3  is mounted on an end of the battery sleeve  1  that is away from the atomizing sleeve  8 . In another embodiment of the present application, the battery sleeve  1  can be detachably connected to the atomizing sleeve  8  by adopting another connection method, such as buckling connection, etc. 
     As shown in  FIG. 16 , in an electronic cigarette of a second preferred embodiment of the present application, the difference between the electronic cigarette of the second preferred embodiment and the electronic cigarette of the first preferred embodiment is the structures of the battery sleeves  1 . The electronic cigarette of the second preferred embodiment comprises the battery assembly of the first preferred embodiment and the atomizing assembly  10  of the first preferred embodiment, and the battery sleeve  1  of the battery assembly is integrated with the atomizing sleeve  8 . The electronic cigarette of the second preferred embodiment is a normal disposable electronic cigarette. 
     When the aforementioned electronic cigarette is used, because the first charging electrode of the battery assembly is the end cover  3  mounted on an end of the battery sleeve  1 , only the end cover  3  and the second charging electrode  4  need to be connected to an external charger  100  when the electronic cigarette need to be charged, which saves the time of a charging operation in the prior art. As the battery sleeve  1  doesn&#39;t need to be detached from the atomizing sleeve  8  when the electronic cigarette is charged, the battery sleeve  1  can be connected to the atomizing sleeve  8  reliably, which is convenient for a user. Moreover, as a plurality of the through-holes  32  can be defined in the end cover  3 , so that the lights generated by the lamp can pass through the through-holes  32 , the end cover  3  can achieve all kinds of lighting effects to meet diversified demands of users. 
     While the embodiments of the present application are described with reference to the accompanying drawings above, the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementations. In fact, the above-mentioned specific implementations are intended to be exemplary not to be limiting. In the inspiration of the present application, those ordinary skills in the art can also make many modifications without breaking away from the subject of the present application and the protection scope of the claims. All these modifications belong to the protection of the present application.