CN112955040A

CN112955040A - Control unit, aerosol-generating device, method and program for controlling heater, and smoking article

Info

Publication number: CN112955040A
Application number: CN201880099021.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 山田学; 竹内学; 井上康信; 隅井干城; 打井公隆
Original assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc
Current assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc
Priority date: 2018-10-26
Filing date: 2018-10-26
Publication date: 2021-06-11
Also published as: WO2020084776A1; EP3871531A1; JPWO2020084776A1; EP3871531A4; JP7117390B2; TW202015564A

Abstract

The aerosol-generating device is provided with at least one element capable of adjusting the amount of aerosol delivered, and a control unit for controlling the element. The control unit is configured to control the element such that a predetermined aerosol transport property in the suckable period includes an initial period in which the aerosol transport property increases with a gradient gradually increasing with respect to a time axis, a final period in which the aerosol transport property decreases with a gradient gradually decreasing with respect to the time axis, and a middle period in which one or more maximum values are included between the initial period and the final period.

Description

Control unit, aerosol-generating device, method and program for controlling heater, and smoking article

Technical Field

The invention relates to a control unit, an aerosol-generating device, a method and a program for controlling a heater, and a smoking article.

Background

In place of conventional combustion type cigarettes, there are known non-combustion type aerosol generating devices that draw in aerosol generated by atomizing an aerosol-forming substrate (smoking article) with a heater (patent documents 1 and 2).

Patent document 1 discloses an aerosol-generating device having a smoking article including a solid aerosol-forming substrate, and a tab-type heater inserted into the aerosol-forming substrate at the time of use. The heater heats the aerosol-forming substrate from within.

Patent document 2 discloses an aerosol-generating device including a smoking article including a solid aerosol-forming substrate, and a cylindrical heater disposed on the outer periphery of the aerosol-forming substrate when in use. The heater heats the aerosol-forming substrate from the outer peripheral side.

Unlike the conventional combustion cigarette, the aerosol-generating devices disclosed in patent documents 1 and 2 lack changes in appearance according to the suction operation of the user, and therefore, the user may have difficulty in perceiving which stage of the suction period the user is in.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1 Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2017-113016

Patent document 2 International publication No. 2018/019786

Disclosure of Invention

In accordance with the first aspect, an aerosol-generating device includes: at least one element capable of adjusting the delivery of aerosol; and a control unit that controls the element, wherein the control unit is configured to control the element such that a predetermined aerosol transport property during the suckable period includes: an initial stage in which the gradient gradually increases with respect to the time axis; a terminal stage decreasing with a gradient decreasing gradually with respect to the time axis; and a middle period including one or more maximum values between the initial period and the end period.

The second feature is the aerosol-generating device according to the first feature, wherein a transport amount of the aerosol at an end point of the attractable period is larger than a transport amount of the aerosol at a start point of the attractable period.

The third feature is the aerosol-generating device according to the first or second feature, wherein a maximum value of the gradient in an end period of the attractable period is smaller than a maximum value of the gradient in an initial period of the attractable period.

The fourth feature is the aerosol-generating device according to any one of the first to third features, wherein a minimum value of the gradient in the final phase is smaller than a minimum value of the gradient in the initial phase.

The fifth feature is the aerosol-generating device according to the first to fourth features, wherein the intermediate period is longer than each of the initial period and the final period.

A sixth feature is the aerosol-generating device according to the first to fifth features, wherein the intermediate period is the same as or longer than a total period of the initial period and the end period.

The seventh feature is the aerosol-generating device according to the first to sixth features, wherein the intermediate period includes a stable period in which the gradient is smaller than a minimum value of the gradient in the initial period and smaller than a minimum value of the gradient in the final period, and the stable period is longer than each of the initial period and the final period.

The eighth feature is the aerosol-generating device according to the first to seventh features, wherein the element is a heater configured to be capable of heating the aerosol source.

The ninth feature is that, in the aerosol-generating device according to the eighth feature, the controller is configured to control the temperature of the heater toward a first target temperature in a first period, to control the temperature of the heater toward a second target temperature lower than the first target temperature in a second period after the first period, and to control the temperature of the heater toward a third target temperature lower than the second target temperature in a third period after the second period.

A tenth aspect of the present invention provides the control unit including a control unit configured to control at least one element capable of adjusting a transport amount of the aerosol, wherein the control unit is configured to control the element so that a transport property of the aerosol during a predetermined suckable period includes: an initial stage in which the gradient gradually increases with respect to the time axis; a terminal stage decreasing with a gradient decreasing gradually with respect to the time axis; and a middle period including one or more maximum values between the initial period and the end period.

The eleventh feature is summarized as a method of adjusting a transport amount of an aerosol in an aerosol-generating device, wherein the transport amount of the aerosol is adjusted so that a transport property of the aerosol during a predetermined suckable period includes: an initial stage in which the gradient gradually increases with respect to the time axis; a terminal stage decreasing with a gradient decreasing gradually with respect to the time axis; and a middle period including one or more maximum values between the initial period and the end period.

The twelfth feature is summarized as a program that causes a computer to execute the method in the eleventh feature.

A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is summarized as a smoking article including an aerosol source, wherein the smoking article is configured such that aerosol transmission properties when used with a device capable of transmitting an aerosol by acting on the aerosol source include: an initial stage that rises with a gradient that gradually increases with respect to the time axis; a terminal phase descending with a gradient gradually decreasing with respect to the time axis; and a mid-term having one or more maxima between the initial period and the terminal period.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a flavor inhaler according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a flavor inhaler into which a smoking article is inserted.

Fig. 3 is a view showing an internal structure of the fragrance aspirator shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an internal structure of the smoking article shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a scent attractor.

Fig. 6 is a schematic enlarged view of the region 5R of fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a positional relationship between the base material portion of the smoking article and the heater and the inner tube member of the aerosol generation device.

Figure 8 is a graph showing the heating properties of the heater and the delivery properties of the primary aerosol component.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the heating properties of the heater.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the proportions of the respective dimensions and the like are sometimes different from those in reality.

Therefore, specific dimensions and the like should be determined with reference to the following description. It is needless to say that the drawings may include portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios from each other.

[ brief summary of disclosure ]

In the case of the conventional burning type cigarette, the user can easily recognize which stage of the initial stage, the middle stage and the final stage of the smoking period the user is in by visually confirming the burning position of the cigarette. However, in many aerosol-generating devices, it is difficult for a user to visually confirm the heated state of a smoking article containing an aerosol source.

The delivery property of the main aerosol component described in patent document 1 increases at the initial stage of operation of the heater and then remains constant until the heater stops. Therefore, it is difficult for the user to recognize which period is in the early, middle, and end of the suckable period by the feeling of attracting the aerosol.

In this aspect, the aerosol delivery amount is adjusted such that the predetermined aerosol delivery property during the suckable period includes: an initial stage in which the gradient gradually increases with respect to the time axis; a terminal stage decreasing with a gradient decreasing gradually with respect to the time axis; and a middle period including one or more maximum values between the initial period and the end period.

Therefore, the aerosol delivery amount increases from the initial stage to the middle stage, has a maximum value in the middle stage, and decreases from the middle stage to the end stage. Thus, the user can recognize which period of the initial period, the middle period, and the final period of the attractable period is from the feeling of attracting the aerosol.

Further, since the aerosol transport property has a gradient which gradually increases with respect to the time axis in the initial stage, the transport property has a downwardly convex shape. On the other hand, in the middle stage, the transfer attribute becomes an upwardly convex shape. Therefore, the aerosol transport amount can be changed sharply at the time of transition from the initial stage to the middle stage. In addition, since the delivery property of the aerosol has a gradient gradually decreasing with respect to time in the end stage, the delivery property has a shape that becomes convex downward. Thus, the delivered amount of aerosol can change sharply at the transition from the middle to the end. Thus, the user can more easily recognize the transition from the initial stage to the middle stage and the transition from the middle stage to the end stage by the feeling of attracting the aerosol.

(fragrance aspirator)

Hereinafter, a flavor inhaler according to an embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a flavor inhaler according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a flavor inhaler into which a smoking article is inserted. Fig. 3 is a view showing an internal structure of the fragrance aspirator shown in fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an internal structure of the smoking article shown in fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a scent attractor.

The flavor inhaler 100 may be a non-combustion flavor inhaler for generating aerosol from a smoking article without combustion. The scent attractor 100 can also be particularly a portable device.

The flavour aspirator 100 has a smoking article 110 containing an aerosol source and an aerosol-generating device 120 that generates an aerosol from the smoking article 110.

The smoking article 110 is a replaceable cartridge (cartridge) that may contain an aerosol source and a flavor source, having a cylindrical shape extending lengthwise. The smoking article 110 may be configured to generate an aerosol and a flavor component by being heated while being inserted into the aerosol-generating device 120.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the smoking article 110 has: a base material section 11A including a filler 111 and a first roll 112 wound with the filler 111; and a suction port portion 11B formed at an end portion on the opposite side to the base material portion 11A. The base portion 11A and the suction port portion 11B are connected by a second roll paper 113 different from the first roll paper 112. However, the second roll paper 113 may be omitted and the first roll paper 112 may be used to connect the base portion 11A and the suction port portion 11B.

The suction port portion 11B in fig. 4 includes a paper tube portion 114, a filter portion 115, and a hollow segment portion 116 arranged between the paper tube portion 114 and the filter portion 115. The hollow section 116 is composed of, for example, a filler layer having one or more hollow passages, and plug wrap (plug wrap) covering the filler layer. Since the packing density of the fibers is high, air or aerosol flows only through the hollow channel during suction, and hardly flows through the packing layer. In the flavor generating article 110, when the reduction in the aerosol component filtered by the filter unit 115 is to be reduced, it is effective to reduce the length of the filter unit 115 and replace the filter unit with the hollow segment portion 116 to increase the amount of aerosol to be transported.

The suction port portion 11B in fig. 4 is constituted by three sections, but in the present embodiment, the suction port portion 11B may be constituted by one or two sections, or may be constituted by four or more sections. For example, the hollow section 116 may be omitted, and the paper tube part 114 and the filter unit 115 may be disposed adjacent to each other to form the mouthpiece 11B.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the length of the smoking article 110 in the longitudinal direction is preferably 40 to 90mm, more preferably 50 to 75mm, and still more preferably 50 to 60 mm. The circumference of the smoking article 110 is preferably 15 to 25mm, more preferably 17 to 24mm, and even more preferably 20 to 23 mm. In addition, the length of the base material portion 11A may be 20mm, the length of the first roll paper 112 may be 20mm, the length of the hollow section portion 116 may be 8mm, and the length of the filter unit portion 115 may be 7mm in the longitudinal direction of the smoking article 110, but the length of each section may be appropriately changed according to manufacturing suitability, required quality, and the like.

In this embodiment, the filler 111 of the smoking article 110 may contain an aerosol source that generates an aerosol upon heating at a specified temperature. The type of the aerosol source is not particularly limited, and the aerosol source may be selected from various natural extracts and/or their components according to the application. Examples of the aerosol source include glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1, 3-butanediol, and a mixture thereof. The content of the aerosol source in the filler 111 is not particularly limited, and is usually 5 wt% or more, preferably 10 wt% or more, and is usually 50 wt% or less, preferably 20 wt% or less from the viewpoint of sufficiently generating aerosol and imparting a good aroma.

The filler 111 of the smoking article 110 in this embodiment may contain cut tobacco as a flavor source. The material of the tobacco shred is not particularly limited, and a known material such as a sheet layer (laminate) or a stem can be used. The filler 111 in the smoking article 110 is contained in an amount within a range of 22mm in circumference and 20mm in length, for example, preferably 200 to 400mg and 250 to 320 mg. The moisture content of the filler 111 is, for example, preferably 8 to 18% by weight or 10 to 16% by weight. If the moisture content is such as this, the occurrence of the contamination of the roll paper is suppressed, and the roll-up suitability during the production of the base material portion 11A is improved. The size of the cut tobacco used as filler 111 and its preparation method are not particularly limited. For example, dried tobacco leaves may be cut into pieces having a width of 0.8 to 1.2 mm. Further, the dried tobacco leaves may be pulverized and homogenized to have an average particle diameter of about 20 to 200 μm, processed into a film, and then pulverized to have a width of 0.8 to 1.2 mm. The tobacco leaves after the film processing may be subjected to a gathering process and used as the filler 111 without being cut. The filler 111 may contain 1 or 2 or more kinds of perfumes. The kind of the flavor is not particularly limited, but menthol is preferable from the viewpoint of imparting a good taste.

In the present embodiment, the first and

second wrapping papers

112 and 113 of the smoking article 110 can be made of a base paper having a grammage of, for example, 20 to 65gsm, preferably 25 to 45 gsm. The thickness of the

roll paper

112, 113 is not particularly limited, but is 10 to 100 μm, preferably 20 to 75 μm, and more preferably 30 to 50 μm from the viewpoints of rigidity, air permeability, and ease of adjustment in paper making.

In this embodiment, the

wrappers

112, 113 of the smoking article 110 may contain a filler material. The content of the filler is 10 wt% or more and less than 60 wt%, preferably 15 to 45 wt%, based on the total weight of the

roll paper

112 and 113. In the present embodiment, the filler is preferably 15 to 45% by weight with respect to a preferable range of the grammage (25 to 45 gsm). Examples of the filler include calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, and kaolin. The paper containing such a filler can exhibit a preferable bright color of white system from the viewpoint of appearance of the roll paper used as the smoking article 110, and can permanently maintain white. By containing a large amount of such a filler, the ISO whiteness of the roll paper can be adjusted to 83% or more, for example. From the viewpoint of practical use as a wrapping paper for the smoking article 110, the first and

second wrapping papers

112 and 113 preferably have a tensile strength of 8N/15mm or more. The tensile strength can be increased by reducing the content of the filler. Specifically, the tensile strength can be improved by decreasing the content of the filler below the upper limit of the content of the filler shown in the range of each grammage exemplified above.

Referring to figure 3, the aerosol-generating device 120 has an insertion aperture 130 into which the smoking article 110 can be inserted. That is, the aerosol-generating device 120 has an inner tubular member 132 constituting the insertion hole 130. The inner cylindrical member 132 may be made of a heat conductive member such as aluminum or stainless steel (SUS), for example.

The aerosol-generating device 120 may have a lid 140 for closing the insertion hole 130. The cover 140 may be configured to be slidable between a state of closing the insertion hole 130 (see fig. 1) and a state of exposing the insertion hole 130 (see fig. 2).

The aerosol-generating device 120 may have an air flow path 160 communicating with the insertion hole 130. One end of the air flow path 160 is connected to the insertion hole 130, and the other end of the air flow path 160 communicates with the outside (outside air) of the aerosol-generating device 120 at a different location from the insertion hole 130.

The aerosol-generating device 120 may include a lid 170 that covers an end portion of the air flow path 160 on the side communicating with the outside air. The cover 170 may cover an end portion of the air flow path 160 on the side communicating with the outside air, or may expose the air flow path 160.

The cover 170 does not hermetically close the air flow passage 160 even in a state of covering the air flow passage 160. That is, even in a state where the cover 170 covers the air flow passage 160, the outside air can flow into the air flow passage 160 through the vicinity of the cover 170.

In a state where the smoking article 110 is inserted into the flavor inhaler 100, the user engages one end of the smoking article 110, specifically, the mouthpiece portion 11B in fig. 4, and performs a suction operation. By the suction action of the user, the outside air flows into the air flow path 160. The air flowing into the air flow path 160 is introduced into the oral cavity of the user through the smoking article 110 inserted into the hole 130.

In a state where the lid portion 140 does not cover the insertion hole 130 and the smoking article 110 is not inserted, that is, in a state where the inner space of the inner tubular member 132 and the air flow passage 160 are exposed, the user can clean the inside of the air flow passage 160 of the inner tubular member 132 using a cleaning tool such as a brush. The cleaning tool may be inserted into the air flow path 160 from the upper lid 140 side in fig. 3, or may be inserted into the air flow path 160 from the lower lid 170 side.

The aerosol-generating device 120 may have a temperature sensor in the air flow passage 160 or on the outer surface of a wall portion constituting the air flow passage 160. The temperature sensor may be a thermistor, a thermocouple, or the like. When the user sucks the mouthpiece 11B of the smoking article 110, the internal temperature of the air flow path 160 or the temperature of the wall portion constituting the air flow path 160 decreases due to the influence of the air flowing toward the lid portion 170 side or the heater 30 side in the air flow path 160. The temperature sensor can sense the suction operation of the user by measuring the temperature decrease.

The aerosol-generating device 120 includes a battery 10, a control unit 20, and a heater 30. The battery 10 stores electric power used in the aerosol-generating device 120. The battery 10 may be a rechargeable secondary battery. The battery 10 may be a lithium ion battery, for example.

The heater 30 may be provided around the inner cylindrical member 132. The space for accommodating heater 30 and the space for accommodating battery 10 may be separated from each other by partition wall 180. This can suppress the air heated by the heater 30 from flowing into the space for storing the battery 10. Therefore, the temperature rise of the battery 10 can be suppressed.

The heater 30 is preferably in the shape of a tube capable of heating the outer periphery of the columnar smoking article 110. The heater 30 may be a thin film heater, for example. The film heater may include a pair of film-like substrates and a resistive heating element interposed between the pair of substrates. The film-like substrate is preferably made of a material having excellent heat resistance and electrical insulation properties, and is typically made of polyimide. The resistance heating element is preferably made of one or two or more metal materials such as copper, nickel alloy, chromium alloy, stainless steel, platinum rhodium, etc., and may be formed of a base material made of stainless steel, for example. The resistance heating element may be connected to a power supply through a Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) by copper plating of the connection portion and the lead portion thereof.

Fig. 6 is a schematic enlarged view of the region 5R of fig. 3, and is a sectional view enlarging the heater 30 and its periphery. In the example shown in fig. 6, the heater 30 is a film heater as described above, and is wound around the outer periphery of the inner tube member 132 that can accommodate the smoking article 110. That is, the heater 30 is wound in a cylindrical shape surrounding the inner cylindrical member 132. Thereby, the heater 30 can surround the outer circumference of the smoking article and heat the smoking article 110 from the outside.

It is preferable that the heat shrinkable tube 136 may be provided outside the heater 30. In other words, the heater 30 is preferably disposed within the heat shrinkable tube 136. The heat shrinkable tube 136 is a tube 136 that shrinks in the radial direction by heat, and may be made of, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer. The heater 30 is pressed against the inner tubular member 132 by the contraction action of the heat shrinkable tube 136. This improves the adhesion between the heater 30 and the inner tubular member 132, and therefore improves the conductivity of heat from the heater 30 to the smoking article 110 via the inner tubular member 132.

The aerosol-generating device 120 may have a cylindrical heat insulating material 138 on the outside in the radial direction of the heater 30, preferably on the outside of the heat shrinkable tube 136. The insulating material 138 preferably surrounds the outer periphery of the heater 30. The heat insulating material 138 can prevent the outer surface of the housing of the aerosol-generating device 120 from reaching an excessively high temperature by shielding the heat of the heater 30. The heat insulating material 138 can be made of aerogel such as silica aerogel, carbon aerogel, or alumina aerogel. The aerogel used as the insulating material 138 may typically be silica aerogel having high insulating properties and relatively low manufacturing cost. However, the heat insulator 138 may be a fibrous heat insulator such as glass wool or rock wool, or may be a foam-based heat insulator such as polyurethane foam or phenol foam. Alternatively, the insulation 138 may be a vacuum insulation.

The insulating material 138 may also be provided between the inner tubular member 132 facing the smoking article 110 and the outer tubular member 134 facing the outside of the insulating material 138. The outer tubular member 134 may be made of a heat conductive member such as aluminum or stainless steel (SUS), for example. The heat insulating material 138 is preferably provided in the closed space.

Fig. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship in the axial direction between the base material portion 11A of the smoking article 110 and the heater 30 and the inner cylindrical member 132 of the aerosol-generating device 120 in the flavor inhaler 100 according to the present embodiment. The axis here means the central axis of the insertion hole 130 in the aerosol-generating device 120, and when the smoking article 110 is inserted into the insertion hole 130, the axis partially overlaps with the central axis of the smoking article 110 (see fig. 3).

The axial length D0 of the heater 30 may be smaller than the axial length L0 of the base material portion 11A of the smoking article 110 (D0 < L0). The ratio of the length D0 to the length L0 (D0/L0) is 0.70 to 0.90, preferably 0.75 to 0.85, and typically 0.80. Accordingly, when the length L0 of the base material part 11A is 20mm, the length D0 of the heater 30 is 14 to 18mm, preferably 15 to 17mm, and typically 16 mm.

The upstream end of the base material portion 11A may protrude further upstream than the upstream end of the heater 30 by a length D1. The upstream and downstream described here correspond to the upstream and downstream of the air flow passing through the air flow path 160 by the suction operation of the user, respectively (see also fig. 3). The protruding portion of the substrate portion 11A from the heater 30 does not have the heater 30 on the radially outer side thereof, and therefore the internal temperature thereof can be lowered by a little compared to the other portions of the substrate portion 11A. This can suppress aerosol generation at the upstream end of the base material portion 11A and in the vicinity thereof, and therefore, aerosol generated here can be prevented from condensing in the air flow passage 160 or flowing back in the air flow passage 160. The aerosol generated in the other portion of the base material portion 11A may condense at and near the upstream end of the base material portion 11A.

The ratio (D1/L0) of the protruding length D1 of the base material portion 11A to the entire length L0 is 0.25 to 0.40, preferably 0.30 to 0.35, and typically 0.325. Accordingly, when the length L0 of the entire base material portion 11A is 20mm, the protruding length D1 is 5 to 8mm, preferably 6 to 7mm, and typically 6.5 mm.

The downstream end of the heater 30 may protrude further downstream than the downstream end of the base material portion 11A by a length D2. This can sufficiently heat the downstream end of the base material portion 11A and the vicinity thereof, and thus can prevent the occurrence of aerosol condensation due to insufficient aerosol generation. The ratio (D2/L0) of the protruding length D2 of the heater 30 to the length L0 of the base material portion 11A is 0.075 to 0.175, preferably 0.1 to 0.15, and typically 0.125. Accordingly, when the length L0 of the base material portion 11A is 20mm, the protruding length D2 of the heater 30 is 1.5 to 3.5mm, preferably 2 to 3mm, and typically 2.5 mm.

The axial position of the upstream end of the inner tubular member 132 and the upstream end of the base member 11A may substantially coincide with each other. On the other hand, the downstream end of the inner tubular member 132 may protrude further downstream than the downstream end of the base material portion 11A by a length D3, as in the case of the downstream end of the heater 30. This can heat the upstream end of the paper tube portion 114 and its vicinity in addition to the downstream end of the base material portion 11A and its vicinity, and thus can prevent the aerosol generated from the base material portion 11A from being excessively cooled and condensed at the upstream end of the paper tube portion 114 and its vicinity. The ratio (D3/D2) of the protruding length D3 of the inner tubular member 132 to the protruding length D2 of the heater 30 is 2.6 to 3.4, preferably 2.8 to 3.2, and more preferably 3.0. Accordingly, when the protruding length D2 of the heater 30 is 2.5mm, the protruding length D3 of the inner tubular member 132 is 6.5 to 8.5mm, preferably 7.0 to 8.0mm, and typically 7.5 mm.

Referring to fig. 5, the control unit 20 may include a control board, a CPU, a memory, and the like. The CPU and the memory constitute a control section 22 for controlling a heater 30 for heating the aerosol source. In addition, the control unit 20 has a notification section 40 for reporting various information to the user. The notification unit 40 may be a light emitting element such as an LED, a vibration element, or a combination thereof.

Upon sensing a start request from a user, the control unit 22 starts supplying electric power from the battery 10 to the heater 30. The user's start request is made by, for example, a user operating a button or a slide switch, or a user's attraction operation. In the present embodiment, the user requests the start by pressing button 150. More specifically, the user requests activation by pressing button 150 with lid 140 open. Alternatively, the user's start request may be made by sensing the user's attraction. The attraction action of the user can be sensed by the temperature sensor as described above, for example.

Next, the transport properties of the main aerosol component in the aerosol-generating device will be described with reference to fig. 8. In the present embodiment, the heating attribute is a graph showing a temporal change in the target temperature for controlling the heater 30. The delivery attribute is a graph showing a temporal change in the amount of the main aerosol component per one inhalation operation delivered into the oral cavity of the user when the user sucks the smoking article 110. Fig. 8 is a graph showing the heating properties of the heater 30 and the delivery properties of the main aerosol component. The vertical axis of fig. 8 shows the temperature of the heater or the delivered amount of the main aerosol component. The horizontal axis of fig. 8 shows time.

Here, the "main aerosol component" refers to a visible aerosol component generated when various aerosol sources included in the smoking article are heated to a predetermined temperature or higher. The aerosol source contained in the smoking article is typically propylene glycol and glycerin. In addition, when the smoking article contains a flavor source such as tobacco, the aerosol component derived from the flavor source is also included in the main aerosol component. On the other hand, in the present specification, aerosol components derived from moisture contained in a smoking article are not regarded as objects of main aerosol components.

The transport properties of the main aerosol component can be measured by the following method. First, an aerosol-generating device for measuring the transport properties of the main aerosol component is prepared. Next, in a state where the smoking article is inserted into the aerosol-generating apparatus, suction is performed from the suction port portion of the smoking article using an automatic smoking device (manufactured by Borgwaldt KC inc., for example). At this time, the heater 30 is heated by a control method prescribed by the prepared aerosol-generating device. As the attraction conditions, attraction conditions conforming to HCI conditions (HCI; Health Canada Intense) specified by the Canada department of Health care were adopted. Specifically, the suction amount was 27.5 ml/sec, the suction time was 2 sec/time, and the suction interval was 20 seconds.

The aerosol sucked by the automatic smoking device under the aforementioned suction conditions is trapped by a Cambridge filter (for example, CM-133 manufactured by Borgwaldt KC Inc.). Specifically, the smoke passing through the Cambridge filter was trapped in 10mL of methanol cooled to-70 ℃ with a dry ice-isopropanol refrigerant. A methanol solution (10 mL) containing tobacco smoke and an internal standard solution (0.05 mg/mL of d-32 pentadecane, 50mL/L of d-1-ethanol, 2mL/L of anethole, 4mL/L of 1, 3-butanediol) were added to a Cambridge filter and shaken for 30 minutes to extract a content component.

The content component is extracted for each attraction. Thereby, the amount of the main aerosol component transferred from the aerosol-generating device to the automatic smoking device is determined in each inhalation. By plotting the amount of the main aerosol component delivered in accordance with the time at which each attraction is performed, the delivery properties of the main aerosol component on the time axis are discretely derived. Note that the transfer attribute discretely derived in fig. 8 is continuously plotted using an approximation curve.

In this embodiment, the delivery profile of the primary aerosol component has an initial Q1, a mid-range Q2, and a final Q3. The initial Q1 is a period in which the gradient of the main aerosol component with respect to time gradually increases. In other words, the initial Q1 may be a period in which the amount of increase in the amount of delivery of the main aerosol component per suction gradually increases.

Here, the gradient of the transport property of the main aerosol component refers to an absolute value of a slope of each point on a curve forming the transport property. The gradient of the transport properties of the main aerosol component can be defined, for example, by the following method. As previously described, the transport properties of the primary aerosol components on the time axis are derived discretely. In this case, the gradient of the transport property of the main aerosol component can be defined by dividing the difference in the transport property of the main aerosol component by the time difference between the plotted points, with respect to the plotted points adjacent to each other on the time axis.

Instead of this, the gradient of the transport properties of the main aerosol component can also be derived, for example, using an approximation curve derived based on discrete plot points. In this case, if the analytical expression of the approximation curve is determined, the gradient of the transport property of the main aerosol component can be specified by calculating the differential value of the analytical expression. Such an approximation curve can be derived, for example, by a polynomial or by a trigonometric function.

In the present embodiment, the starting point S0 of the transfer attribute is defined by the starting point of the aerosol attractable period (attractable period) (see fig. 9). Specifically, the start point S0 of the transfer attribute is defined by a report of the start of the attractable period (timing T2 in fig. 9) described later.

The boundary S1 between the initial Q1 and the middle Q2 may be defined by a point at which the gradient of the main aerosol component in the initial Q1 is maximized. In other words, the boundary S1 between the initial Q1 and the intermediate Q2 may be said to be a point at which the gradient of the main aerosol component initially starts to decrease through the entire transport properties. When the transfer attribute is approximated by a continuous approximation curve, the boundary S1 between the initial Q1 and the middle Q2 may be defined by an inflection point.

The end Q3 is a period in which the gradient of the main aerosol component with respect to time gradually decreases. In other words, the end period Q3 can be said to be a period in which the decrease amount of the delivered amount of the main aerosol component per inhalation is gradually decreased.

In the present embodiment, the end point S3 of the transfer attribute is defined by the end point of the aerosol attractable period (attractable period) (see fig. 9). Specifically, the end point S3 of the transfer attribute can be defined by the timing of the report having the attractable period end (timing T7 in fig. 9).

The boundary S2 between the middle period Q2 and the end period Q3 may be defined by a point at which the gradient of the main aerosol component becomes maximum in the end period Q3. In other words, the boundary S2 between the middle phase Q2 and the end phase Q3 may also be said to be the point at which the gradient of the main aerosol component finally begins to decrease through the entirety of the transport properties. When the propagation attribute is approximated by a continuous approximation curve, the boundary S2 between the middle stage Q2 and the end stage Q3 may be defined by an inflection point.

The middle period Q2 is a period between the initial period Q1 and the final period Q3. The mid-period Q2 contains one or more maxima that are larger than the start and end of the transfer attribute. In the transfer attribute shown in fig. 8, the middle period Q2 contains a maximum value (maximum value).

According to the aerosol delivery properties described above, the aerosol delivery amount increases from the initial period Q1 to the middle period Q2, has a maximum value in the middle period Q2, and decreases from the middle period Q2 to the end period Q3. Thus, the user can recognize which period of the initial period Q1, the middle period Q2, and the final period Q3 is the attractable period by the feeling of attracting the aerosol.

In the initial Q1, the gradient of the main aerosol component with respect to time gradually increases, and the transport property becomes a downwardly convex shape. On the other hand, in the middle period Q2, the transfer attribute has a downwardly convex shape. Therefore, the aerosol transport amount can be changed relatively largely when the aerosol transport amount shifts from the initial Q1 to the middle Q2. In the end phase Q3, the gradient of the main aerosol component with respect to time gradually decreases, and the transport property becomes a downwardly convex shape. Therefore, the delivered amount of aerosol can be changed relatively largely when the aerosol is shifted from the middle period Q2 to the end period Q3. Thus, the user can more easily recognize the transition from the initial Q1 to the middle Q2 and the transition from the middle Q2 to the end Q3 by the feeling of attracting the aerosol.

Preferably, the middle period Q2 is longer than the initial Q1 and the end Q3. More preferably, the middle period Q2 is equal to or longer than the total period of the initial Q1 and the end Q3. For example, the middle period Q2 may be 50 to 60% of the total period, and the initial Q1 and the final Q3 may be 20 to 25% of the total period. This makes it possible to relatively lengthen the period during which the amount of the primary aerosol component is delivered is large, and thus the user can absorb the primary aerosol component over a relatively long period of time.

The delivered amount of the main aerosol component in the ending point S3 of the end Q3 is preferably greater than the delivered amount of the main aerosol component at the starting point S0. In this case, the amount of aerosol delivered can be suppressed from excessively decreasing in the end stage Q3. This can prevent the amount of the main aerosol component delivered from decreasing to a low level in the middle of the suckable period, and in particular, can maintain the high level of the amount delivered until the end of the end Q3.

The maximum value of the gradient of the main aerosol component in the final phase Q3 is preferably smaller than the maximum value of the gradient of the main aerosol component in the initial phase Q1. In this case, the rate of increase of the main aerosol component in the initial Q1 becomes relatively large, and therefore a higher level of aerosol delivery amount can be achieved at a relatively early stage of the suckable period. On the other hand, since the gradient of the main aerosol component in the end stage Q3 is small, the rate of decrease of the main aerosol component in the end stage Q3 becomes relatively small. Therefore, the aerosol delivery amount can be suppressed from rapidly decreasing in the end phase Q3. This enables a high level of aerosol delivery to be maintained over a relatively long period of time.

The minimum value of the gradient of the main aerosol component in the end Q3 is preferably smaller than the minimum value of the gradient of the main aerosol component in the initial Q1. Since the minimum value of the gradient of the main aerosol component in the end stage Q3 is small, the rate of decrease of the main aerosol component in the end stage Q3 becomes relatively small. Therefore, the amount of aerosol delivered can be suppressed from rapidly decreasing in the end stage Q3.

The middle period Q2 may include a stable period SP in which the absolute value of the gradient of the main aerosol component is smaller than the minimum value of the gradient of the main aerosol component in the initial period Q1 and smaller than the minimum value of the gradient of the main aerosol component in the end period Q3. That is, the stable period SP is a period in which the variation in the amount of the main aerosol component transferred per suction is relatively small.

The stable period SP is preferably longer than the initial Q1 and the final Q3. In the steady period SP, the amount of the main aerosol component to be delivered is large, and the variation in the amount of the delivered aerosol component is small. Therefore, if the stable period SP is longer than the initial period Q1 and the final period Q3, the main aerosol component can be stably supplied for a relatively long time in the middle period Q2. The stable period SP is preferably 50 to 60% of the middle period Q2. This enables stable supply of the main aerosol component for a relatively long time in the middle period Q2.

It is to be noted that, as a result of intensive studies by the inventors of the present application, the foregoing transmission properties and advantages thereof have been found.

The control unit 22 of the aerosol-generating device 120 may be configured to control the heater 30 to achieve the aforementioned delivery properties of the primary aerosol component. Here, the delivery properties of the primary aerosol component may depend primarily on the heating properties of the heater 30.

Fig. 9 shows an example of the heating property of the heater. It is to be noted that the heating profile shown in fig. 9 is an example of a suitable profile for achieving the aforementioned delivery of the primary aerosol component, and is not necessarily limited thereto.

As described above, the heating property is a graph representing the temporal change of the target temperature in the control of the heater 30. The temperature control of the heater 30 can be realized by, for example, known feedback control. Specifically, the control unit 22 of the aerosol-generating device 120 can supply the electric power from the battery 22 to the heater 30 in pulses based on Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) or Pulse Frequency Modulation (PFM). In this case, the control unit 22 can control the temperature of the heater 30 by adjusting the duty ratio of the power pulse.

In the feedback control, the control unit 22 may measure or estimate the temperature of the heater 30, and control the electric power supplied to the heater 30, for example, the duty ratio described above, based on a difference between the measured or estimated temperature of the heater 30 and the target temperature, or the like. The feedback control may be PID control, for example. The temperature of the heater 30 can be quantified by, for example, measuring or estimating the resistance value of the heating resistor constituting the heater 30. This is because the resistance value of the heating resistor changes depending on the temperature. The resistance value of the heating resistor can be estimated by measuring the voltage drop in the heating resistor, for example. The voltage drop amount in the heating resistor can be measured by a voltage sensor that measures the potential difference applied to the heating resistor. In another example, the temperature of the heater 30 can be measured by a temperature sensor provided near the heater 30.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the supply of electric power to the heater 30 is controlled so that the actual temperature of the heater 30 approaches the target temperature of the heating property. However, the heating property may include a portion where the target temperature changes abruptly, and in such a portion, the deviation of the actual temperature of the heater 30 from the target temperature may temporarily increase. In the heating profile illustrated in fig. 9, a portion where the deviation of the actual temperature of the heater 30 from the target temperature becomes large is shown by a broken line.

In the heating profile shown in fig. 9, when the user's activation request is received and the supply of electric power from battery 10 to heater 30 is started, controller 22 first controls the temperature of heater 30 toward first target temperature TA1 in first period P1. That is, the controller 22 heats the heater 30 from the initial temperature toward the first target temperature TA 1. In the first period P1, when the heater 30 reaches the first target temperature TA1, the controller 22 controls the temperature of the heater 30 to be maintained at the first target temperature TA 1.

The first target temperature TA1 is preferably 225 to 240 ℃, and may typically be 230 ℃.

By setting the first target temperature TA1 relatively high in the first period P1, the temperature increase rate of the heater 30 can be increased. By increasing the temperature increase rate of the heater 30, the period from the start of supplying power to the heater 30 to the time when the aerosol can be sucked can be shortened.

The controller 22 may be configured to report the start of the attractable period to the user during the first period P1 and during the period in which the temperature of the heater 30 is maintained at the first target temperature TA 1. The notification of the start of the attractable period can be performed by the control of the notification section 40, for example, by changing the light emission color of a light emitting element such as an LED, changing the light emission pattern, controlling the driving of a vibration element, or a combination thereof.

In the example shown in fig. 9, the report of the start of the attractable period is made at timing T2. More specifically, the notification of the start of the suckable period may be made earlier at any one of timing T2 when the temperature of the heater 30 reaches the first target temperature and then a predetermined period P1b elapses, and timing when the predetermined period elapses from the start of the supply of power to the heater 30. The predetermined period P1b is preferably 20 to 26 seconds, and may typically be 23 seconds.

Preferably, the control unit 22 may be configured to report the start of the suction enabled period in the second half of the first period P1. The latter half of the first period P1 means a period immediately after the middle of the first period P1.

The controller 22 shifts to a second period P2 described later at a timing T3 when a predetermined period P1c has elapsed from a timing T2 at which the attractable period is reported to start. The predetermined period P1c is preferably 5 to 15 seconds, and typically 10 seconds. This increases the possibility that the user performs the first suction operation in the first period P1. In this case, the user can perform the first suction operation while the heater temperature is maintained near the first target temperature TA1, which is the highest temperature of the heating property.

The first period P1 varies depending on the heating state of the heater 30 and the smoking article 110, the ambient temperature, and the like, but may typically be in the range of 35 to 55 seconds. However, the controller 22 is preferably configured to be able to change the length of the first period P1 based on the rate of temperature rise of the heater 30 in the first period P1. More specifically, the initial temperature increase period P1a in the first period P1 may be changed based on the rate of temperature increase of the heater 30. Specifically, the controller 22 is preferably configured to change the length of the first period P1 to be shorter as the period from the start of heating by the heater 30 to the time when the temperature reaches the predetermined temperature is shorter.

In the present embodiment, when the temperature of the heater 30 reaches the first target temperature TA1 and then a predetermined period (P1b + P1c) elapses, the first period P1 ends. That is, if the temperature of the heater 30 rises quickly, the period P1a from the time T0 when the power supply to the heater 30 is started to the time when the temperature of the heater 30 reaches the first target temperature TA1 becomes short. The predetermined period (P1b + P1c) is preferably 25 to 41 seconds, and typically may be 33 seconds.

In this way, when the temperature of the heater 30 rises quickly, the pre-heating period is shortened, and thus the power consumption used in the pre-heating period can be suppressed.

The variable range of the first period P1, more specifically, the variable range of the period (P1a + P1b) until the start of the attractable period is reported, preferably has a predetermined upper limit value. For example, the upper limit of the period (P1a + P1b) from the start of power supply T0 to the start of the suction enabled period, which is the report T2, is preferably 40 to 60 seconds, and typically may be 50 seconds. This prevents the controller 22 from continuing the preliminary heating without shifting to the second period P2 when the temperature of the heater 30 has not reached the first target temperature TA 1.

Next, the controller 22 controls the temperature of the heater 30 toward the second target temperature TA2 lower than the first target temperature TA1 in the second period P2 after the first period P1. That is, the controller 22 controls the heater 30 so that the temperature of the heater 30 is lowered from the first target temperature TA1 to be maintained at the second target temperature TA 2.

The second target temperature TA2 is preferably in the range of 190 to 210 ℃, and may typically be 200 ℃. The second period P2 is preferably in the range of 105-160 seconds, and typically 130 seconds. The second period P2 is preferably longer than the first period P1 and a third period P3 described later. The second period is a period in which the temperature is maintained at a higher temperature than the third period P3, and therefore, the aerosol can be stably supplied. This can relatively extend the period during which the aerosol can be stably supplied.

By lowering the target temperature in the second period P2, the power consumed in the second period P2 can be reduced.

The controller 22 may have a first off period from the end of the first period P1 to the initial stop of the power supply to the heater 30 in the second period P2. By providing the first off period, the temperature decrease from the first target temperature TA1 to the second target temperature TA2 can be achieved in the shortest time. The control unit 22 can continue the temperature measurement of the heater 30 even during the first off period. In this case, the control unit 22 may be configured to restart the supply of electric power to the heater 30 when the temperature of the heater 30 decreases to the vicinity of the second target temperature TA 2.

The first off period is preferably a time interval at which a general user does not perform two or more suction operations. If the user performs the suction operation twice or more during the off period, the temperature of the heater 30 may be rapidly decreased to be significantly lower than the second target temperature TA 2. In this case, there is a concern that the amount of aerosol generated from the smoking article 110 decreases. When the time interval of the normal attraction operation by the general user is assumed to be about 20 seconds, the first off period is preferably in the range of 15 to 20 seconds, for example. The first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 can be set such that the temperature decrease from the first target temperature TA1 to the second target temperature TA2 due to natural cooling during the first off period is performed within the above-described time range. Alternatively, the control unit 22 may be configured to measure the time elapsed during the first off period, and forcibly restart the supply of electric power to the heater 30 when the first off period reaches a predetermined upper limit value. The upper limit value of the first off period in this case is preferably 15 to 20 seconds.

Next, the controller 22 controls the temperature of the heater 30 toward the third target temperature TA3 lower than the second target temperature TA2 in the third period P3 after the second period P2. That is, the controller 22 controls the heater 30 so that the temperature of the heater 30 is further lowered from the second target temperature TA1 to be maintained at the third target temperature TA 3. The third target temperature TA3 is preferably in the range of 175-190 deg.C, and may typically be 185 deg.C. The third period P3 is preferably in the range of 30 to 90 seconds, and may typically be 60 seconds. By further lowering the target temperature in the third period P3, the power consumed in the third period P3 can be further reduced.

The temperature difference between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 is (Δ T12), and is preferably larger than the temperature difference between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3 (Δ T23). Since the power consumption of the heater 30 is greater in the second period P2 than in the third period P3, the temperature difference (Δ T12) at the time of transition from the first period P1 to the second period P2 is increased as compared to the temperature difference (Δ T23) at the time of transition from the second period P2 to the third period P3, resulting in a decrease in power consumption over the entire period. Therefore, it is preferred that Δ T12/Δ T23 be greater than 1. On the other hand, if Δ T12 is excessively increased with respect to Δ T23, the target temperature TA2 of the second period P2 in which stable aerosol supply is desired is relatively low, and therefore aerosol generation in the second period P2 may become unstable. Therefore, Δ T12/Δ T23 preferably has a predetermined upper limit value. The upper limit of Δ T12/Δ T23 may be 2.5, for example. The ratio Δ T12/Δ T23 is preferably 1.0 to 2.5, and typically 2.0.

The controller 22 may have a second off period from the end of the second period P2 to the initial stop of the power supply to the heater 30 in the third period P3. By providing the second off period, the temperature decrease from the second target temperature TA2 to the third target temperature TA3 can be achieved in the shortest time. The control unit 22 can continue the temperature measurement of the heater 30 even during the second off period. In this case, the control unit 22 may be configured to restart the supply of electric power to the heater 30 when the temperature of the heater 30 decreases to the vicinity of the third target temperature TA 3. The second open period is preferably a time interval at which the ordinary user does not perform two or more suction operations, as in the first open period, and is preferably in the range of 15 to 20 seconds, for example. The second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3 can be set such that the temperature decrease from the second target temperature TA2 to the third target temperature TA3 due to natural cooling during the second off period is performed within the above-described time range. Alternatively, the control unit 22 may be configured to measure the time elapsed during the second off period, and forcibly restart the supply of electric power to the heater 30 when the second off period reaches a predetermined upper limit value.

As described above, the temperature difference (Δ T12) between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 is preferably larger than the temperature difference (Δ T23) between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3 from the viewpoint of reducing power consumption, but the relationship is also preferable from the viewpoint of approximating the first off period and the second off period as much as possible. According to newton's cooling law, since the temperature decrease rate in the natural cooling in the high temperature region is larger than that in the low temperature region, in order to approximate the first off period and the second off period as much as possible, it is necessary to relatively increase the temperature difference (Δ T12) between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 belonging to the high temperature region. If the temperature difference (Δ T12) between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 is equal to the temperature difference (Δ T23) between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3 or the former temperature difference (Δ T12) is smaller than the latter temperature difference (Δ T23), the first off period is always shorter than the second off period, and therefore, theoretically, the two off periods cannot be made equal to each other.

In addition, it is preferable that the ratio of the difference between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 to the difference between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3 is less than 2.5. This is because, by making the difference between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 not excessively large, aerosol can be stably generated at an intermediate stage of the smokable period.

In addition, from the viewpoint of reduction in power consumption, it may be preferable to control the heater 30 at the third target temperature TA3 without passing through the second target temperature TA2 from the first target temperature TA 1. However, in this case, the period from the first target temperature TA1 to the third target temperature TA3 (second off period) is relatively long. Since the supply of electric power to the heater 30 is stopped during the period from the first target temperature TA1 to the third target temperature TA3, if the user performs the suction operation a plurality of times during this period, the temperature of the heater 30 may be significantly lower than the third temperature. By passing through the second target temperature TA2 between the first target temperature TA1 and the third target temperature TA2 before moving from the first target temperature TA1 to the third target temperature TA3, the period required for transition from one target temperature to another target temperature can be shortened. Accordingly, the continuous time of the off period during which the supply of electric power to the heater 30 is stopped is relatively shortened, and therefore, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the smoking article from excessively decreasing due to a plurality of times of suction operations, and as a result, aerosol generation from becoming unstable.

The control unit 22 stops the supply of electric power to the heater 30 at the end of the third period P3. Next, the controller 22 reports the end of the attractable period at a timing T7 after a predetermined period has elapsed since the stop of the power supply to the heater 30 (timing T6). That is, even after the supply of electric power to the heater 30 is stopped, the user is prompted to perform the aerosol suction operation until a predetermined period of time has elapsed, and the user can taste the aerosol by the residual heat of the heater 30 and the smoking article 110. The notification unit 40 can report the end of the suckable period, for example, by changing the light emission color of a light emitting element such as an LED, changing the light emission pattern, controlling the driving of a vibration element, or a combination thereof.

After the heater 30 passes through the first, second and third periods P1, P2, P3 of heating profile, the heat of the heater 30 is sufficiently transferred to the interior of the smoking article 110. Therefore, a certain amount of aerosol can be generated only by the residual heat of the heater 30 and the smoking article 110 in the period from the end of the third period P3 to the end of the smokable period, i.e., the fourth period P4 in fig. 8. However, since aerosol generation is likely to become unstable in the fourth period P4, which is the same as the first off period and the second off period, it is preferable that the user does not perform the suction operation twice or more. Therefore, the fourth period P4 is preferably 5 to 15 seconds, and typically 10 seconds.

Further, the controller 22 can report to the user that the end of the attractable period is approaching at a timing T5 that is earlier than the timing T7 at which the end of the attractable period is reported by a predetermined period Pe. Such reporting can be done, for example, 20 to 40 seconds before the end of the respirable period. Such a report can be made by the notification unit 40, for example, by changing the light emission color of a light emitting element such as an LED, changing the light emission pattern, controlling the driving of a vibration element, or a combination thereof.

In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 22 stops the supply of electric power to the heater 30 at the end of the third period P3. In addition, the controller 22 may stop the supply of the electric power to the heater 30 even in the second period P2 or the third period P3 when the number of times of the suction operation by the user exceeds the predetermined number of times. The suction action of the user can be detected, for example, by the aforementioned temperature sensor.

Reference is again made to fig. 8. The delivery properties of the primary aerosol component may depend primarily on the heating properties of the heater 30. In particular, the delivery properties of the primary aerosol component may be substantially properties corresponding to temperature properties of the interior of the smoking article 110. The temperature profile of the interior of the smoking article 110 follows the heating profile of the heater 30 and therefore tends to be generally time-delayed with respect to the heating profile.

Thus, the first target temperature TA1 in the first period P1 is set to the highest temperature passing through the entire heating property, so that the transport property of the main aerosol component easily forms a steep rising curve in the initial Q1. In addition, the temperature of the heater 30 is maintained at the second target temperature TA2 in most of the second period P2 after the first period P1, so that the stable period SP in which the transport property of the main aerosol component is less fluctuated per suction is easily formed in the middle period Q2. Further, in a third period P3 after the second period P2, the temperature of the heater 30 is controlled toward a third target temperature TA3 lower than the second target temperature TA2 so that the delivery profile of the main aerosol component is easily formed into a decreasing curve in the end Q3. In particular, by reducing the temperature difference T23 between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3, the delivery profile of the primary aerosol component is made to readily develop a more gradual decline curve in the end phase Q3. As described above, by performing the heating control of the heater 30 according to the heating profile exemplified in fig. 8, the delivery profile of the main aerosol component is easily formed into the upwardly convex curve having the maximum point in the middle stage Q2 as a whole, the rising curve of the steep slope is easily formed in the initial stage Q1, and the falling curve of the gentle slope is easily formed in the final stage Q3.

As previously mentioned, the delivery properties of the primary aerosol component are primarily dependent on the heating properties of the heater 30. However, the transport properties of the primary aerosol component may vary depending on factors such as the shape of the heater 30, the presence or absence and shape of the insulating material 138, the size of the smoking article 110, the degree of contact of the heater 30 with the smoking article 110, and the position of the heating portion of the heater 30 relative to the smoking article 110. Thus, to achieve the desired delivery properties of the primary aerosol component, the heating properties of the heater 30 and these elements may be combined as appropriate.

For example, in the case where the heater 30 has a cylindrical shape surrounding the outer periphery of a columnar smoking article, the heat transferred to the smoking article 110 is difficult to dissipate to the outside, and therefore the transport properties of the main aerosol component easily follow the heating properties of the heater 30. Similarly, in the case where the cylindrical heat insulating material 138 is disposed radially outside the heater 30, the heat transferred to the smoking article 110 is less likely to be dissipated to the outside, and therefore the transport properties of the main aerosol component more likely follow the heating properties of the heater 30. In this case, since the increasing speed of the transfer attribute in the initial Q1 is relatively increased, the rising curve of the transfer attribute in the initial Q1 can have a steeper gradient as a whole. On the other hand, since the speed of decrease in the conveyance property in the end stage Q3 is relatively small, the entire decrease curve of the conveyance property in the end stage Q3 can have a more gradual gradient.

In addition, the smaller the size of the smoking article 110, more specifically the diameter of the smoking article 110, the more readily heat from the outside of the smoking article 110 is transferred to the interior of the smoking article 110. Thus, the smaller the diameter of the smoking article 110, the easier the delivery properties of the primary aerosol component follow the heating properties of the heater 30.

In addition, the higher the degree of contact of the heater 30 with the smoking article 110 in use, the more readily heat from the heater 30 is transferred to the smoking article 110. That is, when the gap between the smoking article 110 and the inner tube member 132 is small in the state where the smoking article 110 is inserted into the insertion hole 130, the transport property of the main aerosol component is likely to follow the heating property of the heater 30.

In addition, the delivery properties of the primary aerosol component may also depend on the positional relationship of the smoking article 110 and the heater 30. Referring again to fig. 7, the heater 30 is preferably arranged to extend from the substrate portion 11A of the smoking article 110 containing the aerosol source to the paper tube portion 114 not containing the aerosol source. Thus, the heat from the heater 30 is easily sufficiently transmitted to the downstream end face of the base material portion 11A and the vicinity thereof, and therefore the transport property of the main aerosol component easily follows the heating property of the heater 30. Further, the inner tube member 132, which contacts the smoking article 110 at the inner peripheral surface and the heater 3 at the outer peripheral surface, is preferably arranged to extend from the base material portion 11A containing the aerosol source to the paper tube portion 114 containing no aerosol source. In particular, the downstream end of the inner tubular member 132 preferably protrudes downstream from the downstream end of the heater 30. This makes it possible to sufficiently heat not only the downstream end surface of the substrate portion 11A but also the upstream end surface of the paper tube portion 114 and the vicinity thereof, and therefore condensation of aerosol can be suppressed here, which becomes an important factor for increasing the overall conveyance property. In addition, the heating portion 31 of the heater 30 is a portion that is actively heated. In the case of a heater including a heat generating resistor, the heating portion 31 of the heater 30 is referred to as a heat generating resistor.

Moreover, the transport profile constituents of the primary aerosol constituents may also be due to the constituents of the smoking article 110. More specifically, the amount of moisture contained in the smoking article 110 sometimes affects the rate of increase in the initial Q1 of the delivery profile of the primary aerosol component. For example, in the case where the amount of moisture contained in the smoking article 110 is relatively large, the heat from the heater 30 is used to vaporize the moisture instead of heating the aerosol source, and therefore can be an important factor in reducing the rate of increase in the transport properties of the main aerosol component. This may cause the transfer attribute in the initial Q1 to have a gradual gradient as a whole. As noted above, aerosols of moisture from the smoking article 110 are generally not contained in the primary aerosol component.

The aforementioned desired delivery properties of the main aerosol component can be achieved by appropriately setting the heating properties of the heater 30 in consideration of the above-described factors affecting the delivery properties.

(program and storage Medium)

The control flow for achieving the aforementioned heating properties and/or delivery properties of the primary aerosol component can be executed by the control section 22. That is, the present invention may include a program for causing the flavor inhaler 100 and/or the aerosol-generating device 120 to execute the above-described method, and a storage medium storing the program. Such a storage medium may also be a non-transitory storage medium.

[ other embodiments ]

While the present invention has been described in the above embodiments, it should not be understood that the invention is limited by the discussion and the accompanying drawings which form a part of this disclosure. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operational techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure.

In the above embodiment, the aerosol-generating device includes the heater 30 as an element capable of adjusting the amount of aerosol to be delivered. However, in the present invention, the element capable of adjusting the amount of aerosol to be delivered is not limited to the heater 30. The element capable of adjusting the aerosol transport amount may be any element as long as the amount of aerosol generated from an aerosol source in the smoking article can be adjusted or the transport amount of aerosol generated can be adjusted. For example, the element capable of adjusting the amount of aerosol to be delivered may be an ultrasonic transducer capable of atomizing an aerosol source. The aerosol-generating device may further include a plurality of elements capable of adjusting the amount of aerosol to be delivered. In this case, the control unit 22 may be configured to control an element capable of adjusting the aerosol transport amount so that the transport properties of the main aerosol component on the time axis draw the above-described properties.

Claims

1. An aerosol-generating device comprising:

at least one element capable of adjusting the delivery of aerosol; and

a control section that controls the element,

the control unit is configured to control the element so that a predetermined aerosol transport property during the suckable period includes:

an initial stage in which the gradient gradually increases with respect to the time axis;

a terminal stage decreasing with a gradient decreasing gradually with respect to the time axis; and

a middle period having one or more maxima between the initial period and the end period.

2. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1,

the amount of aerosol delivered at the end of the attractable period is greater than the amount of aerosol delivered at the beginning of the attractable period.

3. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1 or 2,

a maximum value of the gradient in an end period of the attractable period is larger than a maximum value of the gradient in an initial period of the attractable period.

4. An aerosol-generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

a minimum value of the gradient in the final phase is less than a minimum value of the gradient in the initial phase.

5. An aerosol-generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the intermediate period is longer than each of the initial period and the final period.

6. An aerosol-generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the middle period is the same as or longer than the total period of the initial period and the end period.

7. An aerosol-generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the middle period includes a stable period in which the gradient is smaller than a minimum value of the gradient in the initial period and smaller than a minimum value of the gradient in the final period,

the stable period is longer than each of the initial period and the final period.

8. An aerosol-generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the element is a heater configured to heat the aerosol source.

9. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 8,

the control unit is configured to control the temperature of the heater toward a first target temperature in a first period, control the temperature of the heater toward a second target temperature lower than the first target temperature in a second period after the first period, and control the temperature of the heater toward a third target temperature lower than the second target temperature in a third period after the second period.

10. A control unit is characterized by comprising a control part for controlling at least one element capable of adjusting the delivery amount of aerosol,

11. A method of adjusting the delivered-quantity of an aerosol from an aerosol-generating device, wherein the delivered-quantity of the aerosol is adjusted such that a predetermined delivery property of the aerosol during respirable periods comprises:

12. A program for causing a computer to execute the method of claim 11.

13. A smoking article comprising an aerosol source, wherein the aerosol delivery profile of the smoking article when used with a device capable of delivering aerosol acting on the aerosol source comprises:

an initial stage that rises with a gradient that gradually increases with respect to the time axis;

a terminal phase descending with a gradient gradually decreasing with respect to the time axis; and