RU2793883C1 - Aerosol generation device and method for control of the device - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: aerosol generating device.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to a method for operating an aerosol generating device and an aerosol generating device. The method for operating the aerosol generating device comprises: detecting, based on the degree of change in the inductivity, whether or not an aerosol generating substance has been inserted into the cavity; heating the aerosol generating agent based on inserting the aerosol generating agent into the cavity; detecting whether the aerosol generating substance is removed from the cavity based on the degree of change of the inductivity during heating of the aerosol generating substance; and based on determining that the aerosol generating substance is removed from the cavity, stopping the heating of the aerosol generating substance based on the degree of change of the inductivity during the removal time set in advance.

EFFECT: possibility to automatically turn off the heater, prevent overheating of the device for aerosol generation and reducing power consumption.

15 cl, 12 dwg

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device and a method for controlling this device, and in particular, to an aerosol generating device with the possibility of automatically heating the heater by recognizing an aerosol generating substance and a method for controlling this device.

Prior Art

Recently, there has been a growing demand for alternative solutions to the problems associated with conventional cigarettes. For example, there is a growing need for a method for generating an aerosol by heating an aerosol generating material in cigarettes or a liquid container instead of cigarettes, where combustion is used.

However, in a conventional aerosol generating apparatus for heating the heater after insertion of a cigarette, an additional action is required from the user, which creates inconvenience for the user and a delay until the first puff.

Disclosure

Technical task

One or more embodiments comprise an aerosol generating device capable of recognizing a cigarette insert and automatically heating the heater, and a method for controlling the device.

One or more embodiments comprise an aerosol generating device capable of recognizing separation of a cigarette from the aerosol generating device and automatically stopping heating of the heater, and a method of controlling the device.

The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to the above description, other technical problems can be solved with the embodiments disclosed below.

Technical solution

According to one or more embodiments, the method for controlling the aerosol generating device comprises detecting, based on the degree of change in the inductance, whether or not an aerosol generating substance is inserted in the cavity; heating the aerosol generating agent based on inserting the aerosol generating agent into the cavity; determining whether the aerosol-generating substance is separated from the cavity based on the degree of change in the inductance during heating of the aerosol-generating substance; and stopping heating of the aerosol generating substance based on the rate of change of the inductance for a predetermined separation time when the aerosol generating substance is separated from the cavity.

Useful effects of the invention

An aerosol generating device and a method for operating the device, according to one or more embodiments, can improve user convenience by automatically heating the heater without additional user input upon recognition of the presence of a cigarette.

Also, the aerosol generating device and the method of controlling the device can reduce the delay to the user's first puff by automatically heating the heater upon recognition of the presence of a cigarette.

Also, the aerosol generating device and the control method of the device automatically stop the heating of the heater by recognizing the separation of the cigarette, thus preventing the aerosol generating device from overheating and reducing power consumption.

The benefits and effect according to the embodiments disclosed above are not limited to this, and may contain other benefits and effects that may be understood by those skilled in the art from the present disclosure.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 and 2 are diagrams illustrating a cigarette inserted into an aerosol generating device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the cigarette shown in FIG. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an aerosol generating device in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for disclosing a method for controlling a heater based on whether an aerosol generating agent is inserted and separated, according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for disclosing a method for detecting the insertion of an aerosol generating agent and performing corresponding operations of the heater and the output unit when an aerosol generating agent is inserted.

FIG. 7 is a graph further disclosing FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for heating a heater according to a preheating period and a smoking period.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the change in the output value of the inductance according to the increase in the temperature of the heater.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for disclosing a method for detecting separation of the aerosol generating substance and performing the respective operations of the heater and the output unit when separating the aerosol generating substance.

FIG. 11 is a graph further disclosing FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a method for stopping heater heating when an aerosol generating agent is separated.

The best option

According to one or more embodiments, the method for controlling the aerosol generating device comprises detecting, based on the degree of change in the inductance, whether or not an aerosol generating substance is inserted in the cavity; heating the aerosol generating agent based on inserting the aerosol generating agent into the cavity; determining whether the aerosol-generating substance is separated from the cavity based on the degree of change in the inductance during heating of the aerosol-generating substance; and based on determining that the aerosol generating substance is separated from the cavity, stopping the heating of the aerosol generating substance based on the degree of change of the inductance during a predetermined separation time.

Also, detecting whether an aerosol generating substance is inserted into the cavity may comprise activating a substance sensor configured to detect the presence of an aerosol generating substance; periodically collecting the output values of the inductance of the substance sensor after activation of the substance sensor; calculating the rate of change of the inductance based on the output values of the inductance; and determining whether the aerosol-generating substance has been inserted into the cavity based on the change rate of the inductance being equal to or greater than a predetermined upper threshold value.

Also, detecting whether the aerosol generating agent is inserted into the cavity may further comprise outputting an activation signal for heating the aerosol generating agent based on the determination that the aerosol generating agent is inserted into the cavity.

Also, detecting whether the aerosol generating agent is inserted into the cavity may further comprise visual or audible output of the insertion state of the aerosol generating agent.

Also, heating the aerosol generating agent may comprise preheating a heater to heat the aerosol generating agent for a predetermined preheating time; and heating the heater for a predetermined smoking time after the predetermined preheating time.

Also, preheating the heater may comprise starting to preheat the heater based on an activation signal generated by inserting an aerosol generating agent; and increasing the temperature of the heater to an evaporation temperature at which an aerosol is generated.

Also, when heating the heater, the temperature of the heater may be maintained at or above the evaporation temperature during the smoking time.

Also, determining whether the aerosol-generating substance has separated from the cavity may comprise adjusting the inductance output of the substance sensor configured to detect the presence of the aerosol-generating substance; calculating the rate of change of the inductance based on the corrected output value of the inductance; and determining that the aerosol-generating substance is separated from the cavity based on the degree of inductance change less than or equal to a predetermined lower threshold value.

Also, adjusting the output value of the inductance comprises reducing the output value of the substance sensor inductance in response to an increase in the temperature of the heater configured to heat the aerosol-generating substance.

Also, determining whether the aerosol generating agent has separated from the cavity may further comprise a visual or audible output of the state of separation of the aerosol generating agent.

Also, stopping the heating of the aerosol-generating substance may comprise periodically collecting the substance sensor inductance output values during a predetermined separation period; calculating the rate of change of the inductance based on the output values of the inductance; and stopping heating of the aerosol-generating substance based on an inductance change rate smaller than a predetermined upper threshold value.

According to one or more embodiments, the aerosol generating device comprises a cavity configured to receive an aerosol generating substance; a heater configured to heat the aerosol-generating substance in the cavity; a substance sensor configured to measure an inductance varying depending on the insertion and separation of the aerosol-generating substance; a battery configured to supply power to the heater and the substance sensor; and a controller configured to determine the insertion and separation of the aerosol generating substance based on the degree of change of the inductance, and controlling the heater to heat the aerosol generating substance based on the determination result.

Also, the controller may be further configured to activate the substance sensor when power is not applied to the heater, periodically collect the substance sensor inductance output values, calculate the degree of change of the inductance based on the output inductance values, and determine whether the aerosol generating substance has been inserted into the cavity based on that degree inductance change equals or exceeds a pre-set upper threshold.

Also, the controller may be further configured to output an activation signal for heating the aerosol generating agent based on a determination that the aerosol generating agent is inserted into the cavity.

Also, preheating of the heater may be triggered by an activation signal and the controller may be further configured to increase the temperature of the heater to a vaporization temperature at which aerosol is generated by preheating the heater for a predetermined preheat time.

Also, the controller may maintain the heater temperature at or above the evaporation temperature for a predetermined smoking time after the preheat period.

Also, the controller may be further configured to adjust the substance sensor inductance output during heater heating, calculate the inductance change rate based on the corrected inductance output value, and determine that the aerosol generating agent is separated from the cavity based on the inductance change rate less than or equal to the preliminarily given lower threshold.

Also, the controller may be further configured to adjust the inductance output by lowering the substance sensor inductance output in response to an increase in heater temperature.

Also, the controller may be further configured to periodically collect the substance sensor inductance output values for a predetermined separation time based on determining that the aerosol generating substance is separated from the cavity, calculating the degree of change of the inductance based on the output inductance values, and stopping heating of the aerosol generating substance based on the degree changes in inductance less than a predetermined upper threshold value.

Also, the aerosol generating device may further comprise an output unit configured to visually or audibly output the insertion state and the separation state of the aerosol generating substance.

Invention principle

As used herein, expressions such as "at least one of", when preceded by a list of elements, define the entire list of elements and do not define individual elements of the list. For example, the expression "at least one of a, b and c" should be understood as "the inclusion of only a, only b, only c, both a and b, both a and c, both b and c, or all of a, b and c".

Obviously, when an element or layer is referred to as "above", "above", "on", "associated with" or "connected to" another element or layer, it may be located directly above, on top of, on another element or layer. , may be associated with or connected to another element or layer, or between it and this element or layer may be located intermediate elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as "directly above", "directly on top", "directly on", "directly associated with", or "directly connected to" another element or layer, no intermediate elements or layers are contained between them. Reference signs refer to the same elements throughout the figures.

With regard to the terms in various embodiments of the present invention, the general terms that are widely used at the present time are selected taking into account the functions of structural elements in various embodiments of the present invention. However, the meanings of the terms may be changed in accordance with the intent of at least one of those skilled in the art, judicial precedent, the advent of new technology, and the like. In addition, in certain cases, there is also an arbitrarily chosen term, and then the meaning will be described in detail when disclosing one or more embodiments of the invention. Therefore, terms used in one or more embodiments should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the context of the disclosure.

In addition, unless expressly stated to the contrary, the word "comprise" and its forms such as "comprises" or "comprising" will be understood to mean the inclusion of said elements within something, but not the exclusion of any other elements. In addition, the terms "unit", "part", and "module" may refer to units for processing at least one function and operation, and may be implemented by hardware components or software components, as well as combinations thereof.

In the disclosure, the term "puff" may refer to the inhalation of a particular aerosol by a user, and inhalation may refer to the act of inhalation by the user through the mouth, nasal cavity, or lungs.

In the disclosure, the preheat period refers to the period for increasing the respective temperatures of the first heater and the second heater, and the smoking period may refer to the period for maintaining the temperature of the first heater and the period during which the user inhales the aerosol. Further, the preheating period and the smoking period may have the same meaning as the preheating time and the smoking time, respectively.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrative embodiments of the present invention are shown in such a way that a person skilled in the art can understand and practice one or more embodiments of the present invention. Thus, the idea of the invention can be embodied in a variety of forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments of the invention given here.

Hereinafter, one or more embodiments of the inventive concept will be disclosed in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 and 2 are diagrams illustrating a cigarette inserted into an aerosol generating device.

As shown in FIG. 1 and 2, the aerosol generating device 1 may include a battery 11, a controller 12, a heater 13, and a vaporizer 14. In addition, a cigarette 2 may be inserted into the interior of the aerosol generating device 1.

FIG. 1 and 2 show certain components of the aerosol generating device 1. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other components may be included in the aerosol generating device 1 in addition to those shown in FIG. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 shows that the accumulator 11, the controller 12, the heater 13 and the evaporator 14 are arranged in series. In addition, in FIG. 2 shows that the evaporator 14 and the heater 13 are arranged in parallel. However, the internal structure of the aerosol generating device 1 is not limited to those shown in FIG. 1 and 2. In other words, according to the design of the aerosol generating device 1, it is possible to change the location of the accumulator 11, the controller 12, the heater 13 and the evaporator 14.

When the cigarette 2 is inserted into the cavity 15 of the aerosol generating device 1, the aerosol generating device 1 may operate the heater 13 and/or vaporizer 14 to generate an aerosol. The aerosol generated in the heater 13 and/or vaporizer 14 is delivered to the user through the cigarette 2.

The battery 11 can supply power to operate the aerosol generating device 1. For example, the battery 11 may supply power to heat the heater 13 or evaporator 14 and to operate the controller 12. In addition, the battery 11 may supply the power necessary to operate the display, sensor, motor, etc. contained in the aerosol generating device 1 .

The controller 12 can control all operations of the aerosol generating device 1. In particular, the controller 12, in addition to the accumulator 11, the heater 13 and the evaporator 14, can control the operation of other components included in the device 1 for generating aerosol. In addition, the controller 12 can check the status of each component of the aerosol generating device 1 to determine whether the aerosol generating device 1 is in working condition.

Controller 12 may include at least one processor. The processor may be implemented as a matrix of a plurality of logic elements, or may be implemented as a combination of a microprocessor and a memory that stores a program executable in the microprocessor. One skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more processors may be implemented using other types of hardware.

Heater 13 may be heated by power supplied from battery 11. For example, when cigarette 2 is inserted into aerosol generating device 1, heater 13 may be located outside of cigarette 2. Therefore, heated heater 13 may increase the temperature of aerosol generating material in cigarette 2.

The heater 13 may include an electrical resistance heater. For example, heater 13 may comprise a conductive path, and heater 13 may be heated when an electrical current flows through the conductive path. In this case, the heater 13 is not limited to the example disclosed above and may include any heater capable of heating to the required temperature. In this case, the desired temperature may be preset in the aerosol generating device 1 or set by the user.

In another example, heater 13 may include an induction heater. In particular, the heater 13 may include an electrically conductive coil for heating a cigarette by induction, and the cigarette may include a current collector that can be heated by the induction heater.

For example, the heater 13 may include a cylindrical heating element, a plate heating element, a needle or rod heating element, and may heat the inside or outside of the cigarette 2 according to the shape of the heating element.

In addition, the aerosol generating device 1 may comprise several heaters 13. In this case, several heaters 13 may be located inside or outside the cigarette 2. In addition, some of the heaters 13 may be located inside the cigarette 2, and others outside the cigarette 2. In addition, the shape of the heater 13 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 1-3 and is subject to change.

The vaporizer 14 can generate an aerosol by heating the liquid mixture, after which the generated aerosol can be delivered to the user through the cigarette 2. In other words, the aerosol generated by the vaporizer 14 can move along the air passage of the aerosol generating device 1, which can be configured to deliver the aerosol generated by the vaporizer 14 to the user through the cigarette 2.

For example, vaporizer 14 may include, among other things, a liquid container, a liquid supply element, and a heating element. For example, the liquid container, the liquid supply element and the heating element may be included in the aerosol generating device 1 as independent modules.

A liquid mixture may be stored in the liquid container. For example, the liquid mixture may be a liquid containing a tobacco material containing a volatile tobacco flavor component, or a liquid containing a non-tobacco material. The liquid container can be made with the possibility of attaching to the evaporator 14 / detaching from the evaporator 14 or integrally with the evaporator 14.

For example, the liquid mixture may contain water, solvents, ethanol, plant extracts, spices, flavors, or vitamin mixtures. The spices may contain, but are not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, and various fruit flavored ingredients. Flavors may contain ingredients capable of providing different aromas or flavors to the user. Vitamin mixtures may be, among other things, a mixture of at least vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C or vitamin E. In addition, the liquid mixture may also contain an aerosol generating agent, such as glycerol and propylene glycol.

The liquid supply element may transfer the liquid mixture from the liquid container to the heating element. For example, the liquid supply element may be, among other things, a wick, such as cotton fiber, ceramic fiber, glass fiber or porous ceramic.

The heating element is an element for heating the liquid mixture supplied by the liquid supply element. For example, the heating element may be, but is not limited to, a metal heating wire, a metal heating plate, a ceramic heater, or the like. In addition, the heating element may comprise a conductive filament, such as nichrome wire, and may be wound around the liquid supply element. The heating element may be heated by the supply of current and may transfer heat to the liquid mixture in contact with the heating element, thereby heating the liquid mixture. As a result, an aerosol may be generated.

In addition, the vaporizer 14 may be, among other things, a cartomizer or atomizer.

The aerosol generating device 1 may also include other components in addition to the battery 11, the controller 12, the heater 13 and the evaporator 14. For example, the aerosol generating device 1 may include a display capable of outputting visual information and/or a motor for outputting tactile information. information. In addition, the aerosol generating device 1 may include at least one sensor (for example, a puff recognition sensor, a temperature sensor, a cigarette insertion sensor, etc.). In addition, the aerosol generating device 1 can be configured such that even when a cigarette 2 is inserted, external air can be introduced into the aerosol generating device 1 or internal air can be expelled from the device.

Although not shown in FIG. 1 and 2, the aerosol generating device 1 and the additional stand can form a single system. For example, the cradle can be used to charge the battery 11 of the aerosol generating device 1. Alternatively, the heater 13 may be heated by connecting the stand and the aerosol generating device 1 to each other.

Cigarette 2 may be a conventional burner type cigarette. For example, the cigarette 2 may be divided into a first portion containing aerosol generating material and a second portion containing a filter, etc. Alternatively, the second portion of cigarette 2 may also contain aerosol generating material. For example, aerosol generating material in the form of granules or capsules can be inserted into the second part.

The first part can be completely inserted into the aerosol generating device 1, and the second part can be brought out. In an alternative embodiment, only one part of the first part can be inserted into the aerosol generating device 1, or the entire first part and part of the second part can be inserted into the aerosol generating device 1. The user can puff on the aerosol while holding the second part in the mouth. In this case, an aerosol is generated when external air passes through the first part, after which the resulting aerosol passes through the second part and enters the user's mouth.

For example, external air may enter at least one air passage formed in the aerosol generating device 1. For example, the opening and closing of the air passage and/or the size of the air passage formed in the aerosol generating device 1 can be controlled by the user. Accordingly, the amount of smoke and the smoking experience can be adjusted by the user. In another example, external air may enter the cigarette 2 through at least one opening provided on the surface of the cigarette 2. An example of a cigarette 2 will be described below with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the cigarette shown in FIG. 1 and 2.

Cigarette 3 in FIG. 3 may correspond to cigarette 2 according to FIG. 1 and 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cigarette 3 may include a tobacco rod 31 and a filter rod 32. The first part 31 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1 and 2 may contain a tobacco rod, and the second part - a filter rod 32.

In embodiments, the cigarette 3 may include a front plug 33. The front plug 33 may be located on the side of the tobacco rod 31 opposite the filter rod 32. The front plug 33 can prevent the tobacco rod 31 from detaching outwards and allowing liquefied aerosol to enter the tobacco aerosol generating device 1. rod 31 while smoking.

The tobacco rod 31 may contain an aerosol generating material. For example, the aerosol generating material may, among other things, contain at least one of the following components: glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. In addition, the tobacco rod 31 may contain other additives such as flavoring agents, a moisturizing agent and/or an organic acid. Also, the tobacco rod 31 may contain a flavored liquid such as menthol or a humectant that can be injected into the tobacco rod 31.

The tobacco rod 31 can be made in various shapes. For example, tobacco rod 31 may be formed into a sheet or strand. In addition, the tobacco rod 31 may be formed into a tobacco pipe made up of tiny pieces cut from a tobacco leaf. In addition, the tobacco rod 31 may be surrounded by a thermally conductive material. For example, the thermally conductive material may be, among other things, a metal foil such as aluminum foil. For example, the thermally conductive material surrounding the tobacco rod 31 can evenly distribute the heat transferred to the tobacco rod 31, which can increase the thermal conductivity applied to the tobacco rod and improve the flavor of the tobacco. In addition, the thermally conductive material surrounding the tobacco rod 31 may serve as a current collector heated by the induction heater. In this case, although not shown in the drawing, the tobacco rod 31 may include an additional current collector, in addition to the thermally conductive material surrounding the tobacco rod 31 from the outside.

The filter rod 32 may include a first segment and a second segment. The filter rod 32 may include a cellulose acetate filter. Also, the shape of the filter rod 32 is not limited. For example, the filter rod 32 may be in the form of a cylinder or a hollow tube. In addition, the filter rod 32 may include a recessed rod. If the filter rod 32 contains several segments, at least one of the segments may have a different shape.

In addition, the filter rod 32 may contain at least one capsule 34. In this case, the capsule 34 may generate fragrance or aerosol. For example, the capsule 34 may be formed such that the liquid containing the flavoring material is wrapped in a film. For example, the capsule 34 may have, among other things, the shape of a sphere or a cylinder.

The length of the front plug 33 may be about 7 mm, the length of the tobacco rod 31 may be about 15 mm, the length of the first segment 321 may be about 12 mm, and the length of the second segment 322 may be about 14 mm, however, the length of each component disclosed above is not limited to the specified.

The cigarette 3 may be packaged in at least one shell 35. The shell 35 may include at least one opening through which external air may enter or internal air may exit. For example, the front plug 33 may be packaged in a first casing 351, the tobacco rod 31 in a second casing 352, the first segment 321 in a third casing 353, and the second segment 322 in a fourth casing 354. In addition, the entire cigarette 3 may be packaged into the fifth shell 355.

In addition, the fifth shell 355 may have at least one opening 36. For example, the opening 36 may be provided, among other things, in the area surrounding the tobacco rod 31. The opening 36 may serve to transfer heat generated by the heater 13 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, inside the tobacco rod 31.

On the other hand, the cigarette 3 may further comprise an electromagnetic inductor. The electromagnetic inductor can change the inductance of the substance sensor 451 in FIG. 4 disclosed below. The electromagnetic inductor may include a conductor configured to induce an eddy current and a magnetic material capable of inducing a change in magnetic flux. For example, the electromagnetic inductor may contain metal material, magnetic paint, magnetic tape, etc. For example, the electromagnetic inductor may be aluminum foil. Also, the electromagnetic inductor may contain materials that change the inductance of the substance sensor 451 without limitation.

In an embodiment, at least one of the first through fifth shells 351-355 may comprise an electromagnetic inductive material.

In another embodiment, the electromagnetic inductor may surround at least one shell of the first to fifth shells 351-355 along the circumference of the cigarette 3, while one side surface of the electromagnetic inductor faces the inner surface of at least one shell.

The position in which the electromagnetic inductor is located inside the cigarette 3 can be changed.

In the embodiment, an electromagnetic inductor may be provided in a region corresponding to the front plug 33. In this case, since the cigarette 3 is inserted into the aerosol generating device 1 in the direction in which the front plug 33 faces the aerosol generating device 1, the electromagnetic inductor can be introduced into the aerosol generating device 1 immediately after the start of insertion of the cigarette 3. Thus, the substance sensor 451 can detect the start of insertion of the cigarette 3 at an early stage by detecting the approach of the electromagnetic inductor.

Also, when the cigarette 3 is separated from the aerosol generating device, the front plug 33 is separated from the end aerosol generating device 1, and thus the substance sensor 451 can detect that the cigarette 3 is completely separated by detecting the separation of the electromagnetic inductor.

In another embodiment, the electromagnetic inductor may be within the tobacco rod 31 or surround the tobacco rod 31 with an overlap of the fifth shell 355.

In another embodiment, the electromagnetic inductor may be inside the filter rod 32, or surround the filter rod 32 with an overlap of the fifth shell 355.

In another embodiment, an electromagnetic inductor may be provided between the segments. In an alternative embodiment, an electromagnetic inductor may be provided at the bottom or top of the cigarette 3.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an aerosol generating device in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, an aerosol generating device 1 according to one or more embodiments may include a controller 410, a battery 420, a first heater 430, a second heater 440, a sensor 450, an output unit 460, an input unit 470, and a memory 480.

Also, the sensor 450 may include a substance sensor 451 detecting an aerosol generating substance, a puff sensor 453 detecting a puff by the user, and a temperature sensor detecting the temperatures of the heaters 430 and 440.

The controller 410 may jointly control the battery 420, the first heater 430, the second heater 440, the sensor 450, the output unit 460, the input unit 470, and the memory 480 contained in the aerosol generating device 1.

The battery 420 supplies power to the first heater 430 and the second heater 440, and the amount of power supplied to the first heater 430 and the second heater 440 can be controlled by the controller 410.

The first heater 430 may generate a first aerosol by heating the first aerosol generating substance. When current is applied to the first heater 430, heat is generated due to the resistivity, and when the first aerosol generating substance contacts (or connects) with the heated first heater 430, an aerosol can be generated.

The first heater 430 may be a component corresponding to heater 13 in FIG. 1 and 2. Also, the first aerosol generating substance may be the cigarette 2 in FIG. 1 and 2. The first aerosol generating substance may be a solid substrate containing nicotine.

The second heater 440 may generate a second aerosol by heating the second aerosol generating agent. The second heater 440 may be a component corresponding to the heating element provided in the evaporator 14 in FIG. 1 and 2. Also, the second aerosol generating agent may be a liquid mixture stored in the liquid container shown in FIG. 1 and 2. The second aerosol generating agent may be a liquid material containing an aerosol generating agent.

The second heater 440 may generate a second aerosol by heating the second aerosol generating material, and the generated second aerosol may pass through the first aerosol generating material and be delivered to the user along with the first aerosol.

The controller 410 may control the power supplied to the first heater 430 and the second heater 440. The controller 410 may regulate the power supplied to the first heater 430 and the second heater 440 by controlling the battery 420.

The controller 410 may control the power supplied to the first heater 430 and the second heater 440 via pulse width modulation (PWM). To do this, the controller 410 may include a PWM module.

The controller 410 may determine whether the first aerosol generating substance is inserted and removed, and based on the determination result, control the power supplied to the first heater 430 and the second heater 440, thereby heating the first heater 430 and the second heater 440.

In particular, the inductance of the substance sensor 451 may change when the first aerosol-generating substance is inserted and separated. For example, substance sensor 451 may include at least one inductive-to-digital converter. When a plurality of inductive-digital converters are present, the plurality of inductive-digital converters can detect the state of insertion and separation of the first aerosol-generating substance at different positions.

If the first aerosol generating substance is cigarette 2 in FIG. 1 and 2, a substance sensor 451 may be provided in the cavity 15 to detect the presence of the cigarette 2. Here, the substance sensor 451 may also be referred to as a cigarette sensor.

The controller 410 may determine whether the first aerosol-generating substance is inserted or separated based on the degree of change in the inductance of the substance sensor 451. The controller 410 may determine that the first aerosol generating substance is inserted into the cavity 15 when the degree of change in the inductance of the substance sensor 451 is equal to or greater than a predetermined upper threshold value. The controller 410 may determine that the first aerosol generating substance is separated from the cavity 15 when the degree of change in the inductance of the substance sensor 451 is less than or equal to a predetermined lower threshold value.

When it is determined that the first aerosol generating substance is inserted into the cavity 15, the controller 410 may output a trigger signal for heating the first aerosol generating substance. The trigger signal may be a PWM type signal. The controller 410 may begin energizing the first heater 430 via an activation signal. In other words, when it is determined that the first aerosol generating agent has been inserted into the cavity 15, the controller 410 may begin preheating the first heater 430.

Also, after the start of preheating the first heater 430, the controller 410 may start preheating the second heater 440 at the first time point before the completion of the preheating of the first heater 430. For example, when the preheating time period for the first heater 430 is 30 seconds, the controller 410 may start preheating the second heater 440 from 27 seconds, i.e. 3 seconds before the completion of the preheating of the first heater 430.

The controller 410 may calculate a preheat start time for the second heater 440 based on the preheat time of the first heater 430. The controller 410 may start preheating the second heater 440 at a predetermined time point before preheating of the first heater 430 is completed. entering the preheating period controls the second heater 440 so that it does not heat up at the same time as the first heater 430 is that the first heater 430 heats a solid substance, such as a cigarette, while the second heater 440 heats the liquid mixture absorbed by the wick, which can it is easier to reach the target preheat temperature.

The controller 410 may control the power supplied to the first heater 430 during a predetermined preheating period such that the temperature of the first heater 430 rises to an evaporation temperature at which the first aerosol is generated by the time at which the preheating of the first heater 430 is completed.

Also, the controller 410 can control the power supplied to the second heater 440 during the first time period after the start of the preheating of the second heater 440 at the first time, so that the temperature of the second heater 440 exceeds the evaporation temperature at which the second aerosol is generated at the second time. , which is a point in time after the first time period from the first point in time.

Also, the controller 410 can control the power supplied to the second heater 440 during the second time period from the second time such that the temperature of the second heater 440 at the time when the preheating of the second heater 440 is completed becomes less than the evaporation temperature for generating second aerosol, or close to it.

The reason for preheating the second heater 440 to a temperature less than or close to the evaporation temperature for generating the second aerosol is to prevent the second aerosol generating substance set to increase the amount of smoke from generating a second aerosol, regardless of the puff of the user, and to rapidly heat the second aerosol generating substance. substances in response to the user's puff.

Additionally, controller 410 may not supply additional power to second heater 440 for a second time period from the second time point, even when user puff is detected. The reason for this is to prevent carbonization of the coil due to overheating of the second heater 440.

The controller 410 may control the temperatures of the first heater 430 and the second heater 440 based on the temperature profile stored in the memory 480 for a predetermined smoking time after the preheat period.

When the first heater 430 and the second heater 440 are heated, the controller 410 may adjust the output value of the inductance of the substance sensor 451 in accordance with an increase in the temperature of the first heater 430 and/or the second heater 440. The controller 410 may reduce the output value of the inductance of the substance sensor 451 in accordance with the increase in temperature first heater 430 and/or second heater 440.

The controller 410 may determine whether the first aerosol generating substance is separated based on the corrected output inductance value.

When it is determined that the first aerosol generating substance is separated from the cavity 15 during the heating of the first heater 430 and the second heater 440, the controller 410 may not immediately stop heating the first heater 430 and the second heater 440 and continuously calculate the degree of change in the inductance of the substance sensor 451. The reason for the continuous calculation is to detect cases where the first aerosol generating substance is separated from the cavity 15 against the intention of the user.

The controller 410 may determine whether the first aerosol-generating substance is inserted again based on the degree of change in the inductance of the substance sensor 451 during a predetermined separation period. If the first aerosol generating substance is inserted again within a predetermined separation time, the controller 410 may heat the first heater 430 and the second heater 440 without interruption. If the first aerosol generating substance is not inserted again within a predetermined separation time, the controller 410 may stop heating the first heater 430 and the second heater 440. Thus, the aerosol generating device 1 according to one or more embodiments can reduce excess power consumption and prevent the device 1 from overheating. to generate aerosol.

The puff sensor 453 can detect the puff of the user. In this regard, the puff sensor 453 may include at least one pressure sensor.

When the pressure within the aerosol generating device 1 is less than or equal to the control pressure, the puff sensor 453 may transmit a puff detection signal to the controller 410. The controller 410 may heat the second heater 440 in response to receiving the puff detection signal.

The first heater 430 and/or the second heater 440 may be provided with a temperature sensor 455 that can detect the temperatures of the first heater 430 and the second heater 440. In this regard, the temperature sensor 455 may include a temperature sensor. For example, temperature sensor 455 can detect changes in thermal resistance of first heater 430 and second heater 440.

Temperature sensor 455 may transmit a temperature determination signal to controller 410. Controller 410 may calculate temperatures of first heater 430 and second heater 440 based on the temperature determination signal. Controller 410 may calculate heating times, heating periods, and power to be supplied to first heater 430 and second heater 440 based on the temperatures of first heater 430 and second heater 440.

The output unit 460 may output visual information and/or tactile information associated with the aerosol generating device 1.

Input block 470 may receive user commands. For example, the input block 470 may be provided in the form of a push button.

The input unit 470 may receive ON/OFF commands for the aerosol generating device 1. When a control command for the aerosol generating device 1 is received, the input unit 470 may transmit a control signal corresponding to the control command to the controller 410.

The memory 480 may store information for controlling the aerosol generating device 1. For example, the memory 480 may store a temperature profile for the controller 410 to properly control the energization of the first heater 430 and the second heater 440 to provide different flavors to the user of the aerosol generating device 1. The temperature profile may contain information such as preheat times, preheat periods, and preheat temperatures for the first heater 430 and the second heater 440.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for disclosing a method for controlling a heater according to whether an aerosol generating agent is inserted and separated, according to one or more embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 5, in step S510, the controller 410 may determine whether the first aerosol-generating substance is inserted into the cavity 15 based on the degree of change in the inductance of the substance sensor 451.

The controller 410 may determine whether an aerosol generating agent is inserted into the cavity 15 based on the inductance output value output from the agent sensor 451. The controller 410 can determine that the first aerosol generating substance is inserted into the cavity 15 based on the amount of change in the inductance of the substance sensor 451 equal to or greater than a predetermined upper threshold value.

In operation S520, when the first aerosol generating substance is inserted into the cavity 15, the controller 410 may control one or more heaters to heat the first aerosol generating substance.

The controller 410 may automatically heat the first heater 430 when the first aerosol generating agent is inserted into the cavity 15. In other words, the controller 410 may heat the first heater 430 without a user command when the first aerosol generating agent is inserted into the cavity 15.

In operation S530, the controller 410 may detect whether the first aerosol-generating substance is separated from the cavity 15, based on the degree of change in the inductance of the substance sensor 451, at the time of heating the first aerosol-generating substance.

The output value of the inductance of the substance sensor 451 can be increased in accordance with an increase in the temperature of the first heater 430 and/or the second heater 440. Thus, in order to accurately detect the separation of the first aerosol-generating substance, it is necessary to correct the output value of the inductance of the substance sensor 451.

The controller 410 may decrease the inductance output of the substance sensor 451 in response to an increase in the temperature of the first heater 430 and/or the second heater 440.

The controller 410 may determine whether the first aerosol generating substance is separated based on the corrected output inductance value. The controller 410 may determine that the first aerosol generating substance is separated from the cavity 15 based on the rate of change of the corrected inductance of the substance sensor 451 less than or equal to a predetermined lower threshold.

In operation S540, when the first aerosol-generating substance is separated from the cavity 15, the controller 410 may stop heating the first aerosol-generating substance based on the degree of change in the inductance of the substance sensor 451 for a predetermined separation time.

The controller 410 may determine whether the first aerosol-generating substance is inserted again based on the degree of change in the inductance of the substance sensor 451 during a predetermined separation period. For example, the predetermined separation time may be set to 5 seconds without being limited to the specified value.

The controller 410 may disable power supply to the first heater 430 and the second heater 440 when the amount of change in the inductance of the substance sensor 451 during a predetermined separation time is less than a predetermined upper threshold. In other words, when the controller 410 does not detect reinsertion of the first aerosol generating agent within a predetermined separation time after the separation of the first aerosol generating agent, the controller 410 may stop heating of the first heater 430 and the second heater 440 without a user command.

When the amount of change in the inductance of the agent sensor 451 during the predetermined separation time is equal to or greater than the predetermined upper threshold, the controller 410 may determine that the first aerosol generating agent has been inserted and continue to supply power to the first heater 430 and the second heater 440.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for disclosing the method for detecting the insertion of an aerosol generating agent and the corresponding operations of the heater and the output unit when an aerosol generating agent is inserted, and FIG. 7 is a graph further disclosing FIG. 6.

As shown in FIG. 6, in step S610, the controller 410 may activate the substance sensor 451 to detect the presence of the first aerosol generating substance.

The controller 410 may block the power supplied to the first heater 430 and the second heater 440 and supply power to the substance sensor 451 in standby mode. The standby mode may refer to a mode in which only a minimum amount of power is consumed to detect the insertion of the first aerosol generating agent. The standby mode refers to a mode in which power supplied to the remaining components other than the components for detecting the insertion of the first aerosol generating substance (for example, the substance sensor, etc.) is blocked before the insertion of the first aerosol generating substance, and the standby mode according to one or more embodiments is not limited to this. For example, the standby mode may be similar to a mode such as power save mode, sleep mode, etc.

In operation S620, the controller 410 may periodically collect inductance output values of the substance sensor 451 after the substance sensor 451 is activated.

The period for collecting output inductance values may be appropriately set based on power consumption, rate of change of inductance, etc. For example, controller 410 may collect inductance output values of substance sensor 451 at 0.5 ms intervals, but one or more embodiments are not limited to this.

According to an embodiment, the controller 410 may collect the inductance output of the substance sensor 451 in real time.

In operation S630, the controller 410 may calculate the rate of change of the inductance based on the output values of the inductance.

In particular, since the first aerosol generating substance contains an electromagnetic inductor, when the first aerosol generating substance is inserted into the cavity 15, the inductance of the coil contained in the substance sensor 451 can be increased.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing how much the inductance changes with time. FIG. 7, the x-axis represents time, the y-axis represents the inductance output of the substance sensor 451, and the first graph 710 represents the change in inductance due to the insertion of the first aerosol generating substance.

As shown in FIG. 7, it can be seen that when the first aerosol generating substance is inserted into the cavity 15, the output value of the inductance increases. The substance sensor 451 may output the inductance value to the controller 410 as a detection signal. Controller 410 can calculate the increase in inductance ΔL1.

As shown in FIG. 6, in operation S640, the controller 410 may compare the degree of change of the inductance with the upper threshold.

The upper threshold value may be set considering the intrinsic inductance of the substance sensor 451 and the mutual inductance between the substance sensor 451 and the first aerosol generating substance. For example, the upper threshold may be +0.32 mH, but is not limited to this.

In operation S650, the controller 410 may determine that the first aerosol generating substance is inserted into the cavity 15 when the inductance change rate is equal to or greater than the upper threshold value.

For example, in FIG. 7, the controller 410 can determine that the first aerosol generating substance is inserted into the cavity 15 because the increase in inductance ΔL1 is equal to or greater than the upper threshold value th1.

In another example, when the increase in inductance ΔL1 is less than the upper threshold value (th1), the controller 410 may determine that the first aerosol generating substance is not inserted into the cavity 15 and maintain the standby mode. In other words, the controller 410 may block the power supplied to the first heater 430 and the second heater 440, but continue to supply power to the substance sensor 451. Thus, the controller 410 may periodically collect the inductance output of the substance sensor 451 while power is applied to the substance sensor 451.

In operation S660, when it is determined that the first aerosol generating substance is inserted into the cavity 15, the controller 410 may output a trigger signal for heating the first aerosol generating substance.

In an embodiment, the trigger signal may be a signal modulated by a PWM method. Controller 410 may output a trigger signal to battery 420, and battery 420 may supply power to first heater 430 based on the activation signal. In other words, the preheating of the first heater 430 may be started by an activation signal. Since the first heater 430 automatically heats up in response to the insertion of the first aerosol-generating substance even without the user's command, thus improving the convenience of the user.

In addition, the preheating of the second heater 440 may not be carried out simultaneously with the detection of the insertion of the first aerosol generating substance. The reason for this is that the first heater 430 heats the solid and the second heater 440 heats the liquid mixture absorbed by the wick, which can more easily reach the target preheat temperature.

The controller 410 may calculate a preheat start time for the second heater 440 based on the preheat time of the first heater 430 after the start of preheating the first heater 430. For example, when the preheat time period for the first heater 430 is 30 seconds, the controller 410 may start preheating the second heater 440 from 27 seconds, i.e., 3 seconds before the completion of the preheating of the first heater 430. The method of preheating the first heater 430 and the second heater 440 will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 8.

In operation S670, the output unit 460 may visually or audibly output the insertion state of the aerosol generating agent.

To this end, the output block 460 may further comprise a display and a speaker. The output unit 460 may display the detection image of the first aerosol generating substance on the screen by means of the display and the speaker, and may display entering the preheating mode.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for heating a heater according to a preheating period and a smoking period.

As shown in FIG. 8, in operation S810, the controller 410 may preheat the first heater 430 for a predetermined preheat time.

Specifically, when it is determined that the first aerosol generating agent is inserted into the cavity, the controller 410 may output a trigger signal to the accumulator 420 to heat the first aerosol generating agent. The battery 420 may supply power to the first heater 430 based on the activation signal. In other words, the preheating of the first heater 430 may be started by an activation signal.

The controller 410 may heat the first heater 430 for a predetermined preheat time. For example, the preheating time may be 30 seconds, but is not limited thereto.

The controller 410 may preheat the first heater 430 for a predetermined preheat period, thereby increasing the temperature of the first heater 430 to an evaporation temperature at which the first aerosol is generated. Thus, an aerosol generating device according to one or more embodiments can provide a rich flavor to the user once the smoking period has begun.

The controller 410 may calculate a preheat start time for the second heater 440 based on the preheat time of the first heater 430.

After the start of preheating the first heater 430, the controller 410 may start preheating the second heater 440 at the first time point before the preheating of the first heater 430 is completed. For example, when the preheating time period for the first heater 430 is 30 seconds, the controller 410 may start preheating the second heater 440 from 27 seconds, i.e. 3 seconds before the completion of the preheating of the first heater 430.

The reason why the controller 410 does not control the second heater 440 to simultaneously heat when the controller 410 enters the preheat period is that the first heater 430 heats a solid, such as a cigarette, and the second heater 440 heats the liquid mixture absorbed by the wick, which can it is easier to reach the target preheat temperature.

The controller 410 can control the power supplied to the second heater 440 during the first time period after the start of preheating of the second heater 440 at the first time, so that the temperature of the second heater 440 exceeds the evaporation temperature at which the second aerosol is generated at the second time, which is a point in time after the first time period from the first point in time.

Also, the controller 410 can control the power supplied to the second heater 440 during the second time period from the second time such that the temperature of the second heater 440 at the time when the preheating of the second heater 440 is completed becomes less than the evaporation temperature for generating second aerosol, and close to it.

The reason for preheating the second heater 440 to a temperature lower than and close to the evaporation temperature for generating the second aerosol is to prevent the second aerosol generating substance set to increase the amount of smoke from generating a second aerosol regardless of the puff of the user, and to rapidly heat the second aerosol generating substance. substances in response to the user's puff.

Additionally, controller 410 may not supply additional power to second heater 440 for a second time period from the second time point, even when user puff is detected. The reason for this is to prevent carbonization of the coil due to overheating of the second heater 440.

In operation S820, the controller 410 may heat the first heater 430 for a predetermined smoking time after the preheat period. For example, the smoking time may be 4 minutes, but is not limited to this.

During the smoking period, the controller 410 may maintain the temperature of the first heater 430 above the temperature at which the first aerosol is generated and may heat the second heater 440 in response to the user puffing.

In particular, the controller 410 may control the temperature of the first heater 430 to maintain the first preheat temperature during the smoking period. For example, the controller 410 may control the temperature of the first heater 430 through a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control method, but one or more embodiments are not limited to this.

When the puff sensor 453 detects a puff by the user while the temperature of the second heater 440 is maintained at a temperature that does not generate a second aerosol, the controller 410 may increase the temperature of the second heater 440.

Also, when the controller 410 has increased the temperature of the second heater 440, the controller 410 may not reheat the second heater 440 even when the puff sensor 453 detects successive puffs of the user during a predetermined rest period. For example, the predetermined rest period may be 1 second. The reason for this is to prevent carbonization of the coil due to overheating of the second heater 440.

As disclosed above, in one or more embodiments, by separately providing a preheat period before the smoking period, the viscosity of the liquid immediately before the smoking period can be reduced to a viscosity at which evaporation can easily occur. Thus, the amount of smoke at the beginning of the smoking period can be significantly increased by increasing the rate of transfer of the liquid composition to the wick. Also, user satisfaction can be improved by increasing the amount of smoke at the beginning of the smoking period.

Additionally, when the temperatures of the first heater 430 and the second heater 440 increase, the output value of the inductance of the substance sensor 451 may increase. Thus, when the presence of the first aerosol generating substance is detected, an error can occur based on the same criterion without correcting the output inductance value.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the change in the output value of the inductance in accordance with the increase in the temperature of the heater.

As shown in FIG. 9, the inductance output of the substance sensor 451 may increase as the temperature of the first heater 430 and/or the second heater 440 increases.

In particular, in FIG. 9 shows an example of changing the output value of the inductance in accordance with the change in temperature of the first heater 430. In FIG. 9, the x-axis represents the temperature of the first heater 430, and the y-axis represents the inductance output of the substance sensor 451. Also, the second graph 910 shows the change in the actual output inductance values in accordance with the increase in the temperature of the first heater 430, and the third graph 920 shows the ideal output inductance value in accordance with the increase in the temperature of the first heater 430.

Although the output inductance value should be constant, regardless of the increase in temperature of the first heater 430, as shown in the third plot 920, in FIG. 9, it can be seen that the actual output inductance increases with the temperature of the first heater 430, as shown in the second graph 910. Thus, in order to accurately detect the separation of the first aerosol generating substance, it is necessary to correct the second graph 910 in accordance with the third graph 920.

In addition, in FIG. 9 only shows that the second graph 910 varies linearly with the temperature of the first heater 430. However, in embodiments, the second graph 910 may vary non-linearly with the temperature of the first heater 430.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for disclosing a method for detecting separation of an aerosol generating substance and a method for controlling a heater and an output unit when separating an aerosol generating substance, and FIG. 11 is a graph further disclosing FIG. 10.

As shown in FIG. 10, in operation S1010, the controller 410 may periodically collect output inductance values using the substance sensor 451.

The period for collecting output inductance values may be appropriately set based on power consumption, rate of change of inductance, etc. For example, controller 410 may collect inductance output values of substance sensor 451 at 0.5 ms intervals, but one or more embodiments are not limited to this.

In operation S1020, the controller 410 may correct the inductance output value using the substance sensor 451.

The controller 410 may reduce the output value of the inductance of the substance sensor 451 in accordance with the increase in the temperature of the first heater 430.

That is, the controller 410 may derive a first relational expression between the temperature of the first heater 430 and the output inductance value based on the output inductance values collected in operation S1010. For example, the controller 410 may evaluate the first relational expression between the temperature of the first heater 430 and the output inductance value by using the least squares method. The first relational expression between the temperature of the first heater 430 and the output inductance value may correspond to the second plot 910 in FIG. 9. In FIG. 9, controller 410 may extract a second plot 910 based on the three samples p1, p2, and p3.

Memory 480 may store the ideal output inductance value in accordance with the temperature increase of the first heater 430. Memory 480 may store a second relational expression between the temperature of the first heater 430 and the ideal output inductance value. The second relational expression between the temperature of the first heater 430 and the ideal output inductance value may correspond to the third plot 920 in FIG. 9.

The controller 410 may calculate the corrected value of the corresponding temperature based on the first relational expression and the second relational expression, and subtract the corrected value from the actually measured output inductance value. Thus, the second plot 910 in FIG. 9 may be adjusted to be identical to the third plot 920.

In operation S1030, the controller 410 may calculate the rate of change of the inductance based on the corrected output value of the inductance.

In particular, since the first aerosol-generating substance contains an electromagnetic inductor, when the first aerosol-generating substance is separated from the cavity 15, the inductance of the coil contained in the substance sensor 451 can be reduced.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing how much the inductance changes with time. FIG. 11, the x-axis represents time, the y-axis represents the inductance output of the substance sensor 451, and the fourth plot 1120 represents the change in inductance due to separation of the first aerosol generating substance from the aerosol generating device.

As shown in FIG. 11, it can be seen that when the first aerosol generating substance is separated from the cavity 15, the inductance output value decreases. The substance sensor 451 may output the inductance output value to the controller 410 as a detection signal. Controller 410 can calculate the reduction in inductance ΔL2.

As shown in FIG. 10, in operation S1040, the controller 410 may compare the degree of change of the inductance with the lower threshold.

The lower threshold value may be set considering the intrinsic inductance of the substance sensor 451 and the mutual inductance between the substance sensor 451 and the first aerosol generating substance. For example, the lower threshold may be -0.32 mH, but is not limited thereto.

In operation S1050, the controller 410 may determine that the first aerosol-generating substance is separated from the cavity 15 when the degree of change in the inductance of the substance sensor 451 is less than or equal to the lower threshold value.

For example, in FIG. 11, the controller 410 can determine that the first aerosol generating substance is separated from the cavity 15 because the reduction in inductance ΔL2 is less than or equal to the lower threshold value th2.

In another example, when the decrease in inductance ΔL2 is greater than the lower threshold, controller 410 may determine that the first aerosol generating agent is still inserted into cavity 15, heat first heater 430 and second heater 440, and calculate the change in inductance based on the corrected inductance output value.

The absolute value of the lower threshold th2 in FIG. 11 may be the same as the absolute value of the upper threshold th1 in FIG. 7. When the absolute value of the lower threshold th2 is set to the absolute value of the upper threshold th1, insertion and separation of the first aerosol-generating substance can be detected more accurately.

In operation S1060, when it is detected that the first aerosol-generating substance is separated from the cavity 15, the controller 410 may determine whether to stop heating the first aerosol-generating substance based on the rate of change of the inductance.

The method for determining whether to stop heating the first heater 430 and the second heater 440 will be discussed in more detail below with reference to FIG. 12.

In operation S1070, the output unit 460 may visually or audibly output the aerosol-generating substance separation state.

To this end, the output block 460 may further comprise a display and a speaker. The output unit 460 may display the separation image of the first aerosol-generating substance on the screen through the display and the speaker, and may display entering the standby mode.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a method for stopping heater heating when an aerosol generating agent is separated.

As shown in FIG. 12, in operation S1210, the controller 410 may periodically collect inductance output values of the substance sensor 451 for a predetermined separation time. For example, the predetermined separation time may be 5 seconds, but is not limited thereto.

In operation S1220, the controller 410 may calculate the rate of change of the inductance based on the output values of the inductance.

As shown in FIG. 10 and 11, the controller 410 may use the corrected output inductance to more accurately determine the separation of the first aerosol generating agent. In other words, the controller 410 can calculate the amount of change in the inductance based on the corrected output inductance value.

In operation S1230, the controller 410 may compare the degree of change of the inductance with the upper threshold.

The upper threshold value may be set considering the intrinsic inductance of the substance sensor 451 and the mutual inductance between the substance sensor 451 and the first aerosol generating substance. For example, the upper threshold may be +0.32 mH, but is not limited to this.

In operation S1240, the controller 410 may stop heating the first aerosol-generating substance when the degree of change of the inductance is less than the upper threshold. The upper threshold value in FIG. 12 may be the same as the upper threshold in FIG. 6 and 7.

In step S1250, the controller 410 may alternatively determine that the first aerosol generating substance is reinserted when the inductance change rate is equal to or greater than the upper threshold.

In operation S1260, when it is determined that the first aerosol generating substance is reinserted, the controller 410 may maintain heating of the first aerosol generating substance.

As disclosed above, even when it is first determined that the aerosol generating substance is separated, the aerosol generating device 1 according to one or more embodiments does not stop heating the heater immediately, and stops heating the heater after the second detection of separation of the aerosol generating substance. In other words, when the aerosol generating substance is inadvertently separated due to a user error (for example, the aerosol generating device 1 is dropped, the aerosol generating substance is stuck to the user's lips, etc.), the aerosol generating device 1 according to one or more embodiments does not stop heating. of the heater, and stops heating of the heater based on the detection of reinsertion of the aerosol generating agent.

Thus, the aerosol generating device 1 according to one or more embodiments can not only prevent the heating of the heater from being stopped against the user's intention, but also provide the user with a rich flavor by maintaining the temperature of the heater at a constant temperature during the smoking period.

At least one of the components, elements, modules, or blocks (collectively referred to as "components" in this paragraph) represented by the block in the drawings, such as controller 410 in FIG. 4 may be embodied in various numbers of hardware, software, and/or firmware structures that perform the respective functions disclosed above, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. For example, at least one of these components may use a direct circuit structure such as a memory, a processor, a logic circuit, a look-up table, and so on, which may perform the respective functions by controlling one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Also, at least one of these components may be specifically embodied by a module, program, or piece of code that contains one or more executable instructions to perform special logic functions, and may be executed by one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Moreover, at least one of these components may comprise or may be implemented by a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) that performs the corresponding functions, a microprocessor, or the like. Two or more of these components may be combined into one single component that performs all of the operations or functions of the combined two or more components. Also, at least part of the functions of at least one of these components can be performed by other of these components. Moreover, although a bus is not shown in the above block diagrams, communication between components can be implemented via a bus. The functional aspects of the exemplary embodiments of the invention disclosed above may be implemented in algorithms that run on one or more processors. In addition, the components represented by the processing unit or steps may use any number of known technologies for electronic configuration, signal processing and/or control, data processing, and the like.

Embodiments of the inventive concept may be written as computer programs and may be implemented in computers that execute the programs using a computer-readable recording medium. In addition, the data structure used in the method disclosed above may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium by various means. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic storage media (such as ROM, RAM, USB sticks, floppy disks, hard drives, etc.), optical recording media (such as CD-ROM or DVD), etc.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made to the inventive concept disclosed above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The disclosed methods are to be considered in a descriptive sense only, and not as being limiting to one or more embodiments of the invention. In addition, the scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims, and any modifications, substitutions, improvements, and any other equivalents of the invention should be construed as being included in the scope of this disclosure.

Claims (15)

1. A method of operating a device for generating an aerosol, comprising: detecting, based on the degree of change in the inductance, the fact of insertion or absence of an aerosol-generating substance in the cavity; heating the aerosol generating agent based on inserting the aerosol generating agent into the cavity; detecting whether the aerosol-generating substance is separated from the cavity based on the degree of change of the inductance during heating of the aerosol-generating substance; and based on determining that the aerosol generating substance is separated from the cavity, stopping the heating of the aerosol generating substance based on the degree of change of the inductance during a predetermined separation time. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting whether an aerosol-generating substance is inserted into the cavity comprises: activating a substance sensor configured to detect the presence of an aerosol-generating substance; periodically collecting the output values of the inductance of the substance sensor after activation of the substance sensor; calculating the rate of change of the inductance based on the output values of the inductance; and determining whether the aerosol-generating substance has been inserted into the cavity based on the change rate of the inductance being equal to or greater than a predetermined upper threshold value. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting whether the aerosol generating agent is inserted into the cavity further comprises outputting an activation signal for heating the aerosol generating agent based on the determination that the aerosol generating agent is inserted into the cavity. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein heating the aerosol generating agent further comprises preheating the heater to heat the aerosol generating agent for a predetermined preheating time, and heating the heater for a predetermined smoking time after the predetermined preheating time. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein preheating the heater comprises starting to preheat the heater based on an activation signal generated by inserting the aerosol generating agent and increasing the temperature of the heater to a vaporization temperature at which the aerosol is generated. 6. The method according to p. 1, in which the determination of the fact of separation of aerosol-generating substances from the cavity contains: adjusting the output value of the inductance of the substance sensor, configured to detect the presence of aerosol-generating substances; calculating the rate of change of the inductance based on the corrected output value of the inductance; and determining whether the aerosol-generating substance is separated from the cavity based on the change rate of the inductance less than or equal to a predetermined lower threshold value. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein adjusting the output inductance comprises decreasing the output inductance of the agent sensor in response to an increase in temperature of the heater configured to heat the aerosol generating agent. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein stopping the heating of the aerosol-generating substance further comprises: periodically collecting output inductance values of the substance sensor for a predetermined separation time; calculating the rate of change of the inductance based on the output values of the inductance; and stopping heating of the aerosol-generating substance based on an inductance change rate smaller than a predetermined upper threshold value. 9. A device for generating an aerosol, comprising: a cavity configured to receive an aerosol-generating substance; a heater configured to heat the aerosol-generating substance in the cavity; a substance sensor configured to measure an inductance changing in accordance with the insertion and separation of the aerosol-generating substance; a battery configured to supply power to the heater and the substance sensor; and a controller configured to determine the insertion and separation of the aerosol generating substance based on the degree of change of the inductance, and controlling the heater to heat the aerosol generating substance based on the determination result. 10. The device for generating an aerosol according to claim 9, in which the controller is configured to perform the following actions: activation of the substance sensor, while the heater is not energized; periodic collection of output values of the inductance of the substance sensor; calculating the rate of change of the inductance based on the output values of the inductance; and determining whether the aerosol-generating substance has been inserted into the cavity based on the change rate of the inductance being equal to or greater than a predetermined upper threshold value. 11. The aerosol generating apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to output an activation signal for heating the aerosol generating agent based on a determination that the aerosol generating agent is inserted into the cavity. 12. The aerosol generating apparatus of claim. 11, wherein preheating the heater is triggered by an activation signal, and wherein the controller is further configured to increase the temperature of the heater to a vaporization temperature at which aerosol is generated by preheating the heater for a predetermined preheat time. heating. 13. The device for generating an aerosol according to claim 9, in which the controller is configured to perform the following actions: adjusting the output value of the inductance of the substance sensor during heating of the heater; calculating the rate of change of the inductance based on the corrected output value of the inductance; and determining whether the aerosol-generating substance is separated from the cavity based on the rate of change of the inductance less than or equal to a predetermined lower threshold value. 14. The aerosol generating apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the inductance output by lowering the substance sensor inductance output in response to an increase in heater temperature. 15. The aerosol generating apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to: periodically collect substance sensor inductance outputs for a predetermined separation time based on a determination that the aerosol generating substance has separated from the cavity; calculating the rate of change of the inductance based on the output values of the inductance; and stopping heating of the aerosol-generating substance based on an inductance change rate smaller than a predetermined upper threshold value.

Images