| CPC A24F 1/30 (2013.01) [A24F 40/05 (2020.01); A24F 40/10 (2020.01); A24F 40/42 (2020.01); A24F 40/44 (2020.01); A24F 40/48 (2020.01); A24F 40/51 (2020.01); A24F 40/53 (2020.01); A61M 11/005 (2013.01); B05B 17/0653 (2013.01); B05B 17/0669 (2013.01); B05B 17/0684 (2013.01); A61M 2205/3368 (2013.01); A61M 2205/3576 (2013.01); A61M 2205/52 (2013.01); B06B 1/06 (2013.01); H02J 7/0042 (2013.01); H03L 7/081 (2013.01); H03M 1/124 (2013.01)] | 19 Claims |
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1. A hookah device comprising:
a plurality of ultrasonic mist generator devices, wherein each mist generator device incorporates:
a mist generator housing which is elongate and comprises an air inlet port and a mist outlet port;
a liquid chamber provided within the mist generator housing, the liquid chamber containing a liquid to be atomised;
a sonication chamber provided within the mist generator housing;
a capillary element extending between the liquid chamber and the sonication chamber such that a first portion of the capillary element is within the liquid chamber and a second portion of the capillary element is within the sonication chamber;
an ultrasonic transducer having an atomisation surface, wherein part of the second portion of the capillary element is superimposed on part of the atomisation surface, and wherein when the ultrasonic transducer is driven by an AC drive signal the atomisation surface vibrates to atomise the liquid carried by the second portion of the capillary element to generate a mist comprising the atomised liquid and air within the sonication chamber; and
an airflow arrangement which provides an air flow path between the air inlet port, the sonication chamber and the mist outlet port, wherein the hookah device further comprises:
a plurality of H-bridge circuits, wherein each H-bridge circuit of the plurality of H-bridge circuits is connected to a respective one of the ultrasonic transducers and generates an AC drive signal to drive the ultrasonic transducer;
a microcontroller;
a data bus which is connected electrically to the microcontroller to communicate data to and from the microcontroller;
a plurality of microchips which are connected electrically to the data bus to receive data from and transmit data to the microcontroller, wherein each microchip of the plurality of microchips is connected to a respective one of the H-bridge circuits to control the H-bridge circuit to generate the AC drive signal, wherein each microchip is a single unit which comprises a plurality of interconnected embedded components and subsystems comprising:
an oscillator which generates:
a main clock signal,
a first phase dock signal which is high for a first time during the positive half-period of the main dock signal and low during the negative half-period of the main dock signal, and
a second phase dock signal which is high for a second time during the negative haft-period of the main dock signal and low during the positive half-period of the main dock signal, wherein the phases of the first phase dock signal and the second phase dock signal are centre aligned;
a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal generator subsystem comprising:
a delay locked loop which generates a double frequency dock signal using the first phase clock signal and the second phase clock signal, the double frequency clock signal being double the frequency of the main clock signal, wherein the delay locked loop controls the rising edge of the first phase clock signal and the second phase clock signal to be synchronous with the rising edge of the double frequency clock signal, and wherein the delay locked loop adjusts the frequency and the duty cycle of the first phase clock signal and the second phase clock signal in response to a driver control signal to produce a first phase output signal and a second phase output signal, wherein the first phase output signal and the second phase output signal are configured to drive the H-bridge circuit connected to the microchip to generate an AC drive signal to drive the ultrasonic transducer;
a first phase output signal terminal which outputs the first phase output signal to the H-bridge circuit connected to the microchip;
a second phase output signal terminal which outputs the second phase output signal to the H-bridge circuit connected to the microchip;
a feedback input terminal which receives a feedback signal from the H-bridge circuit, the feedback signal being indicative of a parameter of the operation of the H-bridge circuit connected to the microchip or AC drive signal when the H-bridge circuit is driving the ultrasonic transducer with the AC drive signal to atomise the liquid;
an analogue to digital converter (ADC) subsystem comprising:
a plurality of ADC input terminals which receive a plurality of respective analogue signals, wherein one ADC input terminal of the plurality of ADC input terminals is connected to the feedback input terminal such that the ADC subsystem receives the feedback signal from the H-bridge circuit connected to the microchip, and wherein the ADC subsystem samples analogue signals received at the plurality of ADC input terminals at a sampling frequency which is proportional to the frequency of the main clock signal and the ADC subsystem generates ADC digital signals using the sampled analogue signals;
a digital processor subsystem which receives the ADC digital signals from the ADC subsystem and processes the ADC digital signals to generate the driver control signal, wherein the digital processor subsystem communicates the driver control signal to the PWM signal generator subsystem to control the PWM signal generator subsystem; and
a digital to analogue converter (DAC) subsystem comprising:
a digital to analogue converter (DAC) which converts a digital control signal generated by the digital processor subsystem into an analogue voltage control signal to control a voltage regulator circuit which generates a voltage for modulation by the H-bridge circuit connected to the microchip; and
a DAC output terminal which outputs the analogue voltage control signal to control the voltage regulator circuit to generate a predetermined voltage for modulation by the H-bridge circuit connected to the microchip to drive the ultrasonic transducer in response to feedback signals which are indicative of the operation of the ultrasonic transducer; and
a hookah attachment arrangement which is configured to attach the hookah device to a hookah, the hookah attachment arrangement having a hookah outlet port which provides a fluid flow path from the mist outlet ports of the mist generator devices and out of the hookah device such that, when at least one of the mist generator devices is activated, mist generated by each activated mist generator device flows along the fluid flow path and out of the hookah device to the hookah.
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