CN114096170B

CN114096170B - aerosol generating device

Info

Publication number: CN114096170B
Application number: CN202180004464.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李宗燮; 金愍奎; 李源暻; 曹柄盛
Original assignee: KT&G Corp
Current assignee: KT&G Corp
Priority date: 2020-05-25
Filing date: 2021-05-18
Publication date: 2023-12-05
Anticipated expiration: 2041-05-18
Also published as: JP7299355B2; JP2023116715A; EP3955757A1; JP2022539303A; CN114096170A; KR102493437B1; KR20210145430A; US20230354890A1; EP3955757A4; CA3139698A1; CA3139698C; WO2021241932A1

Abstract

The present application provides an aerosol-generating device comprising: a first cartridge comprising a delivery aperture for delivering an aerosol generated from a first material; a second cartridge comprising a chamber for receiving a second material and being capable of changing the relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge, the aerosol delivered from the first cartridge passing through the second material; a drive means for changing the relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge; and a controller for changing the relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge such that the aerosol passes through at least one of the plurality of chambers when a predetermined condition is met.

Description

Aerosol generating device

Technical Field

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to aerosol-generating devices, and more particularly, to aerosol-generating devices configured to automatically adjust the relative positions of a first cartridge and a second cartridge.

Background

Recently, there has been an increasing demand for aerosol-generating devices that generate aerosols based on non-combustion methods rather than burning cigarettes. For example, the aerosol-generating device may deliver an aerosol to the distal airway of the user by generating the aerosol using a non-combustion method, or the aerosol-generating device may deliver an aerosol to the distal airway of the user by generating an aerosol from an aerosol-generating substance and passing the aerosol through a flavour medium prior to output from the aerosol-generating device.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

Embodiments provide an aerosol-generating device that is easy to use and carry. Furthermore, embodiments provide an aerosol-generating device for generating high quality aerosol that can meet various consumer needs.

Technical proposal

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide an aerosol-generating device that may solve various problems of the related art.

Technical objects to be achieved by the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described objects, and the objects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the present specification and drawings.

An aerosol-generating device according to an embodiment comprises: a first cartridge configured to house a first material therein and including a delivery aperture configured to deliver an aerosol generated from the first material; a second cartridge including a plurality of chambers for receiving a second material through which aerosol delivered from the first cartridge passes and is discharged to the outside, wherein a relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge is changeable such that at least one chamber of the plurality of chambers corresponds to the delivery aperture; a drive configured to change a relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge by moving at least one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge; and a controller configured to: when the predetermined condition is fulfilled, the relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge is changed by operating the drive means to cause the aerosol to pass through at least one of the chambers.

Technical effects

Since the first cartridge containing the first material and the second cartridge containing the second material can operate as one integrated device, the aerosol-generating device according to the above-described embodiment can be easily carried and used.

Furthermore, even when the first cartridge of the aerosol-generating device is designed to comprise a large amount of the first material, the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge may be automatically changed by the driving means to select the chamber for supplying the aerosol, and the effect of replacing the second cartridge comprising the second material with a new second material may be obtained without replacing the second cartridge comprising the second material.

In addition, since the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge can be adjusted to select a chamber for supplying aerosol, the effect of replacing the cartridge for medium with a new medium can be obtained without replacing the cartridge for medium.

Furthermore, the chambers of the second cartridge may comprise different types of second material, such that a user may select one of the chambers to select a desired second material, and thus, the user may enjoy aerosols having various fragrances freely.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an aerosol-generating device according to an embodiment;

fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a separated state of some components of the aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 1;

fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 1;

fig. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the connection between some components of the aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 1;

fig. 5 is a perspective view schematically illustrating some components of an aerosol-generating device according to another embodiment;

fig. 6 is a sectional view showing an operation state of the aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 5;

fig. 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing another operational state of the aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 5;

fig. 8 is a perspective view schematically illustrating some components of an aerosol-generating device according to another embodiment; and

fig. 9 is a flow chart schematically illustrating a method of generating an aerosol performed by the aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment illustrated in fig. 1 to 8.

Detailed Description

Best mode

An aerosol-generating device according to an embodiment comprises: a first cartridge configured to house a first material therein and including a delivery aperture configured to deliver an aerosol generated from the first material; a second cartridge including a plurality of chambers for receiving a second material through which aerosol delivered from the first cartridge passes and is discharged to the outside, wherein a relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge is changeable such that at least one chamber of the plurality of chambers corresponds to the delivery aperture; a drive configured to change a relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge by moving at least one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge; and a controller configured to: when a predetermined condition is met, the relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge is changed by operating the drive means to cause the aerosol to pass through at least one of the chambers.

The first cartridge may further comprise a heater configured to perform a heating operation to heat the first material, and the predetermined condition for the controller to operate the driving means comprises: the cumulative time of the heating operation of the heater for generating the aerosol, or the combination of the cumulative time of the heating operation of the heater and the heating temperature of the heater.

The aerosol-generating device may further comprise: a suction sensor configured to: a change in fluid pressure or flow due to a flow of fluid flowing within the aerosol-generating device is detected, wherein the predetermined condition for causing the controller to operate the drive device comprises any one or any combination of a number of pumping operations and an accumulated time of pumping operations determined based on a signal detected by the pumping sensor.

The aerosol-generating device may further comprise: a heater configured to perform a heating operation to heat a first material of the first cartridge; and an input device configured to generate an input signal by receiving an input operation of a user for starting a heating operation of the heater, wherein a predetermined condition for causing the controller to operate the driving device includes a use time determined based on the input signal of the input device.

The first cartridge may comprise: a plurality of reservoirs, the plurality of reservoirs being partitioned such that each reservoir comprises a first material; and a plurality of delivery holes arranged to correspond to the plurality of reservoirs, respectively. The relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge is changed such that the position of at least one of the plurality of chambers corresponds to the position of any of the plurality of delivery apertures.

Either of the first and second cartridges is rotatably coupled to the other of the first and second cartridges, and the drive device is further configured to rotate either of the first and second cartridges.

Either one of the first and second cartridges is coupled to the other one of the first and second cartridges to be linearly movable, and the drive device is further configured to linearly move either one of the first and second cartridges.

The aerosol-generating device may further comprise an information generator configured to notify a notification for changing the positions of the plurality of chambers.

The controller may be further configured to change the relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge such that the position of one of the plurality of chambers is aligned with the position of the delivery aperture.

The controller may be further configured to: the relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge is varied such that adjacent ones of the plurality of chambers overlap the delivery aperture simultaneously.

The aerosol-generating device may further comprise an aerosol-generating assembly comprising first and second cartridges integrally coupled, and a housing comprising a receiving channel receiving the aerosol-generating assembly.

The aerosol-generating assembly may further comprise a heater mounted in the first cartridge to heat the first material, and the housing further comprises electrical terminals connected to the heater to supply electrical power.

The housing further comprises a heater for heating a first material supplied from a first cartridge of the aerosol-generating assembly received in the receiving channel.

Scheme for implementing the invention

As for terms used in describing various embodiments of the present disclosure, general terms currently in wide use are selected in consideration of functions of structural elements in the various embodiments of the present disclosure. However, the meaning of these terms may vary depending on the intent, judicial cases, the advent of new technology, and the like. Furthermore, in some cases, terms that are not commonly used may be selected. In this case, meanings of the terms will be described in detail at corresponding parts in the detailed description of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the terms used to describe the various embodiments of the present disclosure should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the descriptions provided herein.

In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the term "comprising" and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising" will be understood to mean inclusion of the stated element but not the exclusion of any other element. In addition, the terms "-means", "-means" and "module" described in the application document refer to a unit for processing at least one function and operation, and may be implemented by hardware components or software components, and combinations thereof.

As used herein, a formulation such as "at least one of … …" modifies the entire list of elements when positioned before the list of elements without modifying each element in the list. For example, the expression "at least one of a, b and c" should be understood as: including a alone, b alone, c alone, both a and b, both a and c, both b and c, or all of a, b and c.

If one component or layer is referred to as being "on", "over", "connected to" or "coupled to" another component or layer, it can be disposed over, connected to or coupled to the other component or layer and have intermediate component(s) or intermediate layer(s), or no intermediate component(s) or intermediate layer(s). In contrast, if an element or layer is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there are no other elements or layers present between the elements or layers. In this disclosure, like reference numerals may denote like components.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which non-limiting example embodiments of the disclosure are shown, so that one of ordinary skill in the art may readily implement the disclosure. The embodiments of the present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an aerosol-generating device according to an embodiment, fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a separated state of some components of the aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 1, and fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 1.

The aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 3 may supply the aerosol to the user by heating the aerosol-generating substance and thereby generating the aerosol using a heater that is operated by using electricity, an induced magnetic field or ultrasound.

Referring to fig. 3, the aerosol-generating device may comprise: a first cartridge 10, the first cartridge 10 housing a first material 12 and comprising a delivery aperture 11 for delivering an aerosol generated by the first material 12; and a second cartridge 20, the second cartridge 20 comprising a plurality of chambers 21 for receiving a second material 22, the aerosol delivered from the first cartridge 10 passing through the second material 22 and being discharged to the outside of the aerosol-generating device.

The first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are bonded to each other to form the aerosol-generating assembly 5 which is operated as a single component.

The aerosol-generating device may comprise a housing 7, the housing 7 comprising a receiving channel 7a capable of receiving the aerosol-generating assembly 5. The housing 7 may comprise a display device 7f for sending information to a user and a display lamp 7d for sending a notification to the user regarding the operational status of the aerosol-generating device, wherein the display device 7f and the display lamp 7d are arranged on an outer surface of the housing 7. The display device 7f and the display lamp 7d may be examples of an information generator that can notify the user of various types of notifications, and the information generator may be in the form of, for example, a speaker or a vibration generator.

Furthermore, the housing 7 may comprise an input device 95, the input device 95 being manipulable by a user and generating a user input signal by detecting the manipulation of the user.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 3, the housing 7 may have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the aerosol-generating assembly 5 may have a cylindrical shape that extends long in the axial direction. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the shape of the housing 7 and the shape of the aerosol-generating assembly 5 shown in fig. 1-3. For example, the housing 7 may have other shapes such as a cylindrical shape extending long in the axial direction, a cylindrical shape having an elliptical cross section, a flat cylindrical shape, a regular cube, and a rectangular parallelepiped. Furthermore, the aerosol-generating assembly 5 may have other shapes such as a cuboid shape, a regular cube, etc.

The first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may be coupled to each other such that the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may be changed. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 3, the second cartridge 20 is rotated relative to the first cartridge 10 so that the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 can be changed. The first cartridge 10 may have a cylindrical shape as a whole and include a position fixing surface 10s, the position fixing surface 10s being formed at least partially to be different from an extending direction of the cylindrical surface.

The receiving channel 7a of the housing 7 may be formed as a hollow cylindrical path extending longer to receive the aerosol-generating assembly 5. The position maintaining surface 7s may be formed on at least a portion of the accommodation channel 7a to be different from an extending direction of the cylindrical surface of the inner wall surface of the accommodation channel 7a so as to have a shape corresponding to the position fixing surface 10s of the first cartridge 10.

When the aerosol-generating assembly 5 is inserted into the receiving channel 7a of the housing 7, the position-retaining surface 7s and the position-fixing surface 10s are in contact with each other, and therefore, the position of the first cartridge 10 can be stably maintained relative to the housing 7. That is, when the second cartridge 20 rotates relative to the first cartridge 10, the position fixing surface 10s of the first cartridge 10 is supported by the position holding surface 7s, so that the state in which the first cartridge 10 does not rotate but is fixed to the housing 7 can be stably held.

Furthermore, when the aerosol-generating assembly 5 is inserted into the receiving channel 7a of the housing 7, the position-maintaining surface 7s and the position-fixing surface 10s may align the relative position of the axial center of the aerosol-generating assembly 5 with respect to the axial center of the receiving channel 7 a. That is, (the angular position of) the position fixing surface 10s of the first cartridge 10 and (the angular position of) the position holding surface 7s of the accommodation channel 7a of the aerosol-generating assembly 5 need to correspond to each other so that the aerosol-generating assembly 5 can be inserted into the accommodation channel 7a of the housing 7.

The housing 7 may comprise an electrical terminal 50d, the electrical terminal 50d being arranged at the end of the accommodation channel 7a and supplying power to the first cartridge 10. The electrical terminal 50d may be accurately electrically connected to the first cartridge 10 when the aerosol-generating assembly 5 is aligned with respect to the receiving channel 7a such that the position fixing surface 10s of the first cartridge 10 and the position retaining surface 7s of the receiving channel 7a of the aerosol-generating assembly 5 correspond to each other.

The embodiments are not limited to the coupling structure of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20, and the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may be rotatably coupled to each other by using various coupling structures. For example, by modifying the structure of the aerosol-generating assembly 5 shown in fig. 1 to 3, the first cartridge 10 may be rotated relative to the second cartridge 20 in a state in which the position of the second cartridge 20 is fixedly held at the housing 7. Alternatively, each of the first and second cartridges 10, 20 may be rotated such that the relative positions of the first and second cartridges 10, 20 may be changed.

The housing 7 may include a nebulizer 50a that generates an aerosol, and the first cartridge 10 may deliver the aerosol generated by the nebulizer 50a to the second cartridge 20.

The first cartridge 10 may house a first material 12. The first material 12 may be, for example, a liquid or gel material. The first material 12 may be maintained in a liquid state by impregnation with a porous material such as sponge or cotton located inside the first cartridge 10.

The first material 12 may be a liquid material and may include, for example, a non-tobacco material that contains tobacco material or that includes volatile tobacco aroma components.

The first material 12 may include, for example, water, solvents, ethanol, plant extracts, flavors, fragrances, or vitamin mixtures.

The flavor of the first material 12 may include, but is not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint, and various fruit flavor components. The flavoring agent may include ingredients capable of providing various flavors or tastes to the user.

The vitamin mixture of the first material 12 may be a mixture of at least one of vitamin a, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, the first material 12 may include aerosol-forming substances such as glycerin and propylene glycol.

The controller 70 and the atomizer 50a for generating an aerosol by heating the first material 12 of the first cartridge 10 may be mounted below the receiving channel 7a in the housing 7. The controller 70 may include a battery for supplying power to the atomizer 50a, a control chip or control circuit board for controlling the operation of the atomizer 50a, or the like.

The atomizer 50a may include: absorbing the first material 12 from the first cartridge 10 and retaining the core 52 of the first material 12; a heater 51, the heater 51 being wound around the core 52, or in contact with the core 52, or disposed adjacent to the core 52, to generate an aerosol by heating the first material 12; and an aerosol-generating chamber 50c, the aerosol-generating chamber 50c surrounding the heater 51 to create an atmosphere for generating an aerosol.

The atomizer 50a may generate an aerosol by converting the phase of the aerosol-generating substance into a gas phase. An aerosol may refer to a gas in which vaporized particles generated from an aerosol-generating substance are mixed with air.

The heater 51 may be a resistive heating element that generates heat by power supplied by the controller 70. The atomizer 50a includes a resistive heating element. However, the embodiment is not limited to the configuration of the atomizer 50 a. The atomizer 50a may also generate an aerosol by, for example, an ultrasonic method or an induction heating method.

The first cartridge 10 may comprise a delivery aperture 11, the delivery aperture 11 extending in the direction of extension of the first cartridge 10 and delivering the aerosol. The aerosol-generating chamber 50c may deliver the aerosol generated by the heater 51 to the delivery aperture 11 of the first cartridge 10. Accordingly, the aerosol supplied from the aerosol-generating chamber 50c may be delivered to the second cartridge 20 through the delivery aperture 11 of the first cartridge 10.

The second cartridge 20 may be arranged to rotate relative to the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 comprises: a plurality of chambers 21, the plurality of chambers 21 being positioned sequentially along the direction of rotation of the second cartridge 20; and a second material 22, the second material 22 being housed in each of the plurality of chambers 21 and the aerosol passing through the second material 22.

The second material 22 may be in a solid state and may include, for example, a powder or particle, which is a collection of small-sized particles.

The second material 22 may comprise, for example, a tobacco-containing material comprising volatile tobacco aroma components, or may comprise additives such as flavourants, humectants and/or organic acids, flavoured materials such as menthol or humectants, plant extracts, flavourants, fragrances, and any one of, or a mixture of, these components.

The flavor of the second material 22 may include, but is not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint, and various fruit flavor components.

The flavor of the second material 22 may include, but is not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint, and various fruit flavor components. The scents of the second material 22 may include ingredients capable of providing a variety of scents or flavors to the user.

The second cartridge 20 may comprise a plurality of chambers 21, which chambers 21 are sequentially arranged apart from each other in the direction of rotation of the second cartridge 20. The plurality of chambers 21 may be separated from each other independently by a partition wall.

Fig. 2 shows three chambers 21, but the embodiment is not limited to the number of chambers 21, and the number of chambers 21 may be 2, 4, or more.

Referring to fig. 3, the first cartridge 10 may include a rotation shaft 40 protruding upward. The rotation shaft 40 may protrude from the first cartridge 10 and extend upward, and the second cartridge 20 may be rotatably coupled to the rotation shaft 40.

A mouthpiece 26 including an outlet 26e for discharging aerosol passing through the second material 22 located in at least one of the chambers 21 to the outside may be coupled to an upper portion of the second cartridge 20. An upper plate 27 covering an upper end portion of the chamber 21 may be disposed on the chamber 21. The upper plate 27 may include an upper through hole 27p through which the aerosol passes.

The flow guide 29 may be coupled to an upper end portion of the rotation shaft 40 protruding from an upper surface of the upper plate 27. A flow guide 29 may be provided inside the mouthpiece 26 to direct the aerosol of the second material 22 passing through the plurality of chambers 21 to the outlet 26e of the mouthpiece 26. The flow guide 29 may include a plurality of wings corresponding to the plurality of chambers 21, respectively.

In a state where the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are coupled to each other, at least one of the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 may be made to correspond to the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 by changing the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20. Accordingly, the aerosol discharged from the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 may pass through a chamber corresponding to the delivery hole 11 among the plurality of chambers accommodated in the second cartridge 20. As the aerosol passes through the second material 22, the characteristics of the aerosol may change.

The aerosol-generating device may further comprise a driving device 60, the driving device 60 being for generating a driving force to move at least one of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20. Referring to fig. 1 to 3, the driving device 60 includes: a motor 61 disposed inside the housing 7 and operated by an electric signal; and a gear 62 transmitting the driving force of the motor 61 to the second cartridge 20. The gear surface 20g may be provided on the outside of the second cartridge 20 to extend in the rotation direction of the second cartridge 20.

The gear surface 20g of the second cartridge 20 may be coupled to the gear 62 when the aerosol-generating assembly 5 is mounted on the housing 7. When an electric signal from the controller 70 is applied to the motor 61 of the driving device 60, the shaft of the motor 61 rotates, and thereby, the driving force of the motor 61 can be transmitted to the gear surface 20g of the second cartridge 20. Thus, the drive means 60 may rotate the second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10.

The embodiment is not limited to the configuration of the drive device 60 shown in fig. 1-3, and for example, the drive device 60 may be connected to the first cartridge 10 to rotate the first cartridge 10. In addition, the gear 62 of the driving device 60 may be replaced with various power transmission elements such as a belt, a sprocket, etc.

Here, the operation state in which the position of at least one of the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to the position of the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 may include all of the following states: the state includes a state in which the position of any one of the plurality of chambers 21 corresponds to the position of the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 and a state in which the positions of the adjacent two chambers 21 of the plurality of chambers 21 correspond to the position of the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the second cartridge 20 includes a first indicia 91 disposed on an outer surface of the second cartridge 20. The second cartridge 20 may include a plurality of chambers 21, and the first marks 91 of the second cartridge 20 are formed at positions corresponding to the respective chambers.

The first cartridge 10 may comprise a second marker 92, which second marker 92 is provided at the outer surface of the first cartridge 10 and may serve as a reference location for the first marker 91 of the second cartridge 20. Thus, by matching the first marking 91 of the second cartridge 20 and the second marking 92 of the first cartridge 10 to each other, the position of at least one of the plurality of chambers 21 may be aligned with the position of the delivery aperture 11 of the first cartridge 10 for discharging aerosol.

In addition, the user may check the position of the first marking 91 of the second cartridge 20 and the position of the second marking 92 of the first cartridge 10 to identify information of which of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 the aerosol is currently passing through (also referred to as "currently used chamber").

The signal generator 97 may be disposed between the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20, and the signal generator 97 may indicate the type of the second material 22 in the chamber through which the aerosol included in the plurality of chambers 21 is currently passing, depending on the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20.

The signal generator 97 may comprise a transmitter 97a arranged in the second cartridge 20 and a receiver 97b arranged in the first cartridge 10 to detect the transmitter 97 a. The embodiment is not limited to the arrangement or number of the transmitters 97a and the receivers 97b, and for example, the transmitters 97a may be arranged in the first cartridge 10, and the receivers 97b may be arranged in the second cartridge 20.

The transmitter 97a and the receiver 97b of the signal generator 97 may include any one or any combination of, for example, an optical sensor such as a photocoupler, a magnetic sensor for detecting magnetic force by using the hall effect, and a resistance sensor for detecting a change in resistance.

Referring to fig. 1 and 3, the suction sensor 79p is disposed on a path along which the aerosol flows in the housing 7. The suction sensor 79p may detect a flow phenomenon of the aerosol generated according to the aerosol inhalation operation of the user. The suction sensor 79p may be connected to the delivery orifice 11 to detect, for example, pressure fluctuations of the fluid, i.e., including the fluid flowing through the delivery orifice 11, or a flow rate according to the flow of air, and generate a signal. The suction sensor 79p may be disposed in a pressure sensing hole 79s connected to the delivery hole 11.

When using the aerosol-generating device described above, aerosol may flow from the first cartridge 10 to the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 and may then pass through the second material 22 housed in the plurality of chambers 21. The second material 22 may impart a fragrance to the aerosol. The aerosol passing through the second material 22 and containing sufficient flavour may pass through the upper through-hole 27p of the upper plate 27 provided at the upper portion of the chamber 21 and may then be discharged to the outside of the aerosol-generating device through the mouthpiece 26.

When the previously determined condition is reached, the controller 70 may operate the drive means 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 such that at least one of the chambers 21 is available for passage of aerosol delivered from the first cartridge 10. That is, the second material 22 included in the chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 has a preset use time associated with the operation of passing the aerosol therethrough, and when the actual use time for performing the operation of passing the aerosol therethrough reaches the preset use time, the position of the chamber through which the aerosol passes needs to be changed.

The controller 70 may vary the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 to select another chamber 21 or an adjacent chamber 21 of the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 to allow aerosol to pass through.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the connection between some components of the aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 1.

The controller 70 shown in fig. 4 may be implemented by any one of a circuit board disposed inside the housing 7 shown in fig. 1 and 3, a semiconductor chip attached to the circuit board, software installed on the semiconductor chip or the circuit board, a processor, a microprocessor, and a Control Processing Unit (CPU).

The controller 70 includes: an atomizing controller 71 for controlling the atomizer 50a to control the amount or temperature, etc. of aerosol to be generated; a sensor controller 74 (including a sensing data receiver), the sensor controller 74 being configured to receive signals from sensors that detect changes in the rotational position of the second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10, such as: a temperature sensor 79t to detect the temperature associated with the nebuliser, a suction sensor 79p to detect a change in pressure or speed of the air generated when the user inhales the aerosol, or a signal generator 97 shown in fig. 2, the signal generator 97 detecting the rotational position of the second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10; an information controller 75 for controlling the information generator 96, the information generator 96 providing information, notification to the user; a user input receiver 76, the user input receiver 76 being adapted to receive a user input signal from an input device 95, the input device 95 being a user input device such as a button, a touch screen or an input button for detecting an input operation of a user; an input/output controller 73 for exchanging data with a memory (e.g., a memory) 78, the memory 78 including or storing information related to the type of first material in the first cartridge 10 or second material in the second cartridge 20, a temperature profile for controlling the operating temperature of the atomizer, information related to a user, etc.; a medium determiner 72, the medium determiner 72 being configured to determine a type of medium currently being used based on the signal received from the signal generator 97; and a drive controller 77, the drive controller 77 being for controlling the operation of the drive device 60.

The controller 70 may start or stop operation of the atomizer by detecting inhalation by a user. Further, the controller 70 may determine the type of medium currently being used based on the signal received from the signal generator 97 and control the operating temperature or operating time of the atomizer to be adapted to the type of medium.

When a predetermined condition is reached, the controller 70 may operate the driving device 60. The predetermined conditions for changing the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 when the controller 70 operates the driving means 60 may include: a cumulative time of a heating operation in which the heater generates heat to generate aerosol; or a combination of an accumulated time of the heating operation of the heater and a heating temperature of the heater.

When a predetermined condition is reached, the controller 70 may first generate a notification via the information generator 96 for informing that the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 need to be changed. When the user recognizes the notification and operates the input device 95, the controller 70 may operate the drive device 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 based on the input signal received from the input device 95.

When the predetermined condition includes an accumulated time of the heating operation of the heater, the controller 70 may calculate an amount of current or an amount of power supplied to the heater through the atomizing controller 71, or the controller 70 may calculate an accumulated time of the heating operation of the heater by adding an amount of time that the current is supplied to the heater. For example, in the case where the time at which the aerosol can be given the fragrance when passing through the second material 22 included in one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 is predetermined to be n minutes, the controller 70 may determine that when the accumulated time of the heating operation of the heater reaches n minutes: the use of the chamber through which the aerosol passes must be terminated and the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 changed, and therefore a new chamber through which the aerosol passes can be selected from the chambers 21.

The heating operation of the heater may include: a primary heating operation that generates heat at a sufficient temperature to vaporize the first material of the first cartridge 10; and a preheating operation of generating heat in a temperature range lower than a temperature corresponding to the main heating operation. The heating operation of the heater included in the predetermined condition for causing the controller 70 to operate the driving device 60 may be a main heating operation.

When the predetermined condition includes a combination of an accumulated time of the heating operation of the heater and a heating temperature of the heater, the predetermined condition may be more useful when the heating operation of the heater includes a main heating operation and a preheating operation. For example, in the case where the time during which the second material 22 included in one of the chambers 21 can pass through the aerosol and can impart the fragrance to the aerosol is predetermined to be n minutes, the controller 70 may calculate the accumulated time of the heating operation of the heater only when the heating temperature of the heater reaches a temperature corresponding to the main heating operation.

The predetermined condition for the controller 70 to operate the driving means 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may include any one or any combination of the number of pumping operations and the accumulated time of pumping operations determined based on the signal detected by the pumping sensor 79 p. When the signal strength detected by the suction sensor 79p exceeds a predetermined threshold, the controller 70 may determine that the user has performed a valid suction operation, thereby counting the number of suction operations.

When the predetermined condition includes the number of suction operations, the controller 70 may calculate the number of suction operations performed by the chamber through which the aerosol in the chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 is currently passing based on the signal generated by the suction sensor 79 p. In this case, the controller 70 may calculate the number of times of the suction operation based only on the signal of the suction sensor 79p by ignoring the accumulated time of the suction operation in which the user continuously performs the suction operation of sucking the aerosol.

For example, in the case where the number of times of the suction operation in which the fragrance is imparted to the aerosol while the aerosol passes through the second material 22 included in one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 is predetermined as m, when the number of times of the suction operation reaches m, the controller 70 may determine that: the use of the chamber through which the aerosol passes must be terminated and the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 changed, and therefore a new chamber through which the aerosol passes can be selected from the chambers 21.

The controller 70 may determine the position change time of the second cartridge 20 for selecting a new chamber based on the usage environment of the aerosol-generating device or the inhalation habits of the user. For this purpose, the predetermined condition may include an accumulated time of the pumping operation, or a combination of the number of pumping operations and the accumulated time of the pumping operation.

The operation when the predetermined condition includes a combination of the number of pumping operations and the accumulated time of pumping operations may be as follows. For example, in the case where the number of times of the sucking operation that gives the fragrance to the aerosol passing through the second material 22 in the currently used chamber (of the plurality of chambers 21) is set to m and the accumulated time of the sucking operation is set to p minutes, the controller 70 may determine, according to a predetermined condition for selecting a new chamber: when both the first condition that the number of times of the pumping operation reaches m times and the second condition that the accumulated time of the pumping operation reaches p minutes are satisfied, the use of the currently used chamber is stopped. Therefore, even when the number of suction operations reaches m times based on the signal from the suction sensor 79p, when the accumulated time of the suction operations does not reach p minutes, the controller 70 can maintain the position of the chamber through which the aerosol currently passes until the accumulated time of the suction operations reaches p minutes, and thus, the number of suction operations can reach (m+x) times. As a new way of changing the operation condition, it may be determined that the controller 70 should terminate the use of the chamber through which the aerosol is currently passing, even when only one of the condition for the number of times of the suction operation to reach m and the condition for the accumulated time of the suction operation to reach p minutes is satisfied.

The predetermined conditions for the controller 70 to operate the drive device 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may include a time of use determined based on an input signal generated when the input device 95 receives a user input.

Where the predetermined condition includes a use time determined based on an input signal of the input device 95, the predetermined condition may be more useful when a user can directly start an operation of the heater. For example, according to the aerosol-generating device, when the user operates the input device 95 for the purpose of satisfying the user's taste or improved convenience, the heater of the atomizer may not perform a separate preheating operation but the heater may be immediately activated, and thus, a function of performing a main heating operation at a high speed may be provided. In this case, the predetermined condition includes a use time determined based on an input signal of the input device 95, and when the use time in the case of operating the atomizer according to an operation of the user reaches a predetermined reference use time, the controller 70 may determine to terminate the use of the currently used chamber and change the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10, and thereby may select a new chamber through which the aerosol passes from the chambers 21.

The predetermined condition for the controller 70 to operate the driving means 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may include any one or any combination of the number of pumping operations and the accumulated time of pumping operations determined based on the signal detected by the pumping sensor 79 p. When the signal intensity detected by the suction sensor 79p exceeds a predetermined threshold, the controller 70 may determine that the user performs an effective suction operation, thereby counting the number of suction operations.

In the above description, characters representing time or times such as m, n, p, and x may refer to integers, real numbers, or time lengths.

The predetermined conditions for the controller 70 to operate the drive means 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may include a selection condition, i.e. selecting at least one of the chambers 21 for use based on an input signal generated when the input device 95 receives a user's input.

The chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 may contain a second material 22 having a different type of medium or different particle size and the controller 70 causes the display lamp 7d to illuminate, change the color of the emission, or display information on the display device 7f, thereby providing information about the second material 22 included in the chambers of the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 that are currently aligned with the delivery aperture 11 of the first cartridge 10.

When the user operates the input device 95 and selects a desired chamber from the chambers 21, the controller 70 may determine that: the selection condition in which the user selects at least one of the chambers 21 based on the input signal from the input device 95 is satisfied, thereby changing the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20.

When using the aerosol-generating device described above, the user rotates the second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10 before mounting the aerosol-generating assembly 5 on the housing 7, thereby placing at least one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 in a position corresponding to the delivery aperture 11 of the first cartridge 10 and, therefore, the rotational position of the second cartridge 20 may be adjusted. After adjusting the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20, the user is able to mount the aerosol-generating assembly 5 on the housing 7.

This method of operation may be modified. In another embodiment, the user may be allowed to mount the aerosol-generating assembly 5 on the housing 7 without having to adjust the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20. For example, the drive means 60 built into the housing 7 automatically rotates the second cartridge 20 to automatically adjust the relative position of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 to the initial position for generating the aerosol. The "initial position" may be the following position: at this position, the position of any one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to the position of the delivery hole 11.

In a state in which the position of at least one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to the position of the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10, the user can inhale aerosol through the mouthpiece 26.

The aerosol-generating assembly 5 of the aerosol-generating device may operate as a single device in which the first cartridge 10 for housing the first material 12 and the second cartridge 20 for housing the second material 22 are bonded to each other, thereby facilitating portability and use.

Furthermore, even in the case where the first cartridge 10 of the aerosol-generating device is designed to comprise a large amount of the first material 12, the second cartridge 20 may be automatically rotated by the drive means 60 to select the chamber 21 to be used for supplying the aerosol, and thus the effect of replacing the second material 22 with a new material may be obtained without replacing the second cartridge comprising the second material 22.

Furthermore, the chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 may comprise a second material 22 of a different type. For example, even when the chamber 21 includes the second material 22 having a different particle size or a different fragrance property, the controller 70 may identify the use chamber in the chamber 21 currently used for aerosol penetration by aligning the use chamber to correspond to the delivery hole 11 based on the signal generated by the signal generator 97. Since the information about the use chambers recognized by the controller 70 and the information about the second material 22 included in the use chambers can be provided to the user, the user can select a desired second material 22 by selecting one of the chambers 21, thereby freely enjoying aerosols having various fragrances.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view schematically illustrating some components of an aerosol-generating device according to another embodiment.

In an aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the aerosol-generating assembly 5 may comprise a first cartridge 10 and a second cartridge 20 rotatably coupled to the first cartridge 10. The drive means 60 may be mounted in the first cartridge 10 and the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 may be changed when the drive means 60 rotates the second cartridge 20.

The first cartridge 10 may comprise: a plurality of reservoirs divided to respectively hold the first material 12; and a plurality of delivery holes 11, the plurality of delivery holes 11 being arranged to correspond to the plurality of reservoirs. In the aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, although the first cartridge 10 includes two reservoirs and two delivery holes 11, the embodiment is not limited to the configuration of the first cartridge 10, and the number of reservoirs and the number of delivery holes 11 may be variously changed.

The aerosol generated when the first material 12 is contained in the plurality of reservoirs may be delivered to the second cartridge 20 through the plurality of delivery apertures 11 of the first cartridge 10. When generating an aerosol in the first cartridge 10, the first material 12 of all of the reservoirs of the first cartridge 10 may be vaporized at the same time, and if desired, the first material 12 contained in only one of the plurality of reservoirs may be vaporized, or the first material 12 contained in a portion of the plurality of reservoirs may be vaporized.

The second cartridge 20 may comprise a plurality of chambers 21 for receiving the second material 22, and the aerosol delivered from the first cartridge 10 passes through the second material 22 and is discharged to the outside. The first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may be bonded to each other and integrally coupled to each other to be operated as one component, thereby forming the aerosol-generating assembly 5.

Fig. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing an operation state of the aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 5.

The second cartridge 20 may be rotated by the drive means such that the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 may be changed. As shown in fig. 6, the rotational position of the second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10 may be aligned such that: the position of one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 may correspond to the position of one of the delivery apertures 11. In the aligned state shown in fig. 6, one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 may be passed through by aerosol delivered from one of the delivery holes 11 of the first cartridge 10, thereby changing the characteristics of the aerosol.

Fig. 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view of another operational state of the aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 5.

When the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 is changed by rotating the second cartridge 20 using the driving means, as shown in fig. 7, the rotational position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 may be aligned such that: the position of the adjacent chamber 21 may correspond to the position of one of the transfer holes 11.

In fig. 7, each of the adjacent two chambers of the second cartridge 20 may be arranged to overlap with: which corresponds to half of one of the delivery holes 11. The embodiments are not limited to the aligned position of the second cartridge 20, and the rotational position of the second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10 may be aligned such that: the areas overlapping the delivery holes 11 in the adjacent two chambers 21 may be different from each other.

For example, when the lifetime associated with the function of aerosol passing through the second material 22 contained in one of the two adjacent chambers 21 reaches 20%, one of the two adjacent chambers 21 may be arranged to overlap with: said region corresponds to about 80% of the delivery holes 11, while the other of the two adjacent chambers 21 may be arranged to overlap with the following region: said area corresponds to about 20% of the delivery holes 11.

For example, when the lifetime associated with the function of aerosol passing through the second material 22 contained in one of the two adjacent chambers 21 reaches 60%, one of the two adjacent chambers 21 may be arranged to overlap with: said region corresponds to about 40% of the delivery holes 11, while the other of the two adjacent chambers 21 may be arranged to overlap with the following region: said area corresponds to about 60% of the delivery holes 11.

Further, when the lifetime associated with the function of the aerosol passing through the second material 22 contained in one of the two adjacent chambers 21 reaches 80%, the one of the two adjacent chambers 21 may be arranged to overlap with: said region corresponds to about 20% of the delivery holes 11, while the other of the two adjacent chambers 21 may be arranged to overlap with the following region: said area corresponds to about 80% of the delivery holes 11.

As described above, the predetermined conditions for changing the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 by using the controller may be determined in consideration of the lifetime associated with the function of the aerosol passing through the second material 22 contained in the chamber 21, as described above.

Further, as described above, when the second cartridge 20 is rotated to change the region where the adjacent chamber 21 overlaps the delivery hole 11 based on the life of the second material 22 of the chamber 21, the second cartridge 20 may be intermittently moved according to the change in time, or the second cartridge 20 may be continuously moved according to the change in time.

As shown in fig. 7, according to the method in which the positions are changed so that the adjacent chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 overlaps one of the delivery holes 11, when the second cartridge 20 rotates around the first cartridge 10, the first cartridge 10 generates aerosol and the operation of allowing the aerosol to flow is continuously maintained without stopping the operation of delivering the aerosol to the second cartridge 20.

Further, by changing the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20, the chamber through which the aerosol passes can be sequentially selected from the plurality of chambers 21. When the second cartridge 20 is rotated by selecting a chamber through which the aerosol passes from the plurality of chambers 21, the position of the previous chamber through which the aerosol passes currently is not immediately released from the delivery hole 11, and an operation of passing the aerosol through the previous chamber and the subsequent chamber which is then aligned with the position of the delivery hole 11 due to the rotational movement of the second cartridge 20 can be performed simultaneously.

According to this operating method, when the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are changed, characteristics of the aerosol, such as temperature, humidity, and fragrance, delivered to the user are not rapidly changed, so that the aerosol can be smoothly and stably supplied.

In addition, when the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 each include the second material 22 having different characteristics, the aerosol may pass through adjacent chambers so that characteristics of the aerosol such as composition and fragrance may be changed, so that various types of aerosols may be provided to the user.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view schematically illustrating some components of an aerosol-generating device according to another embodiment.

The aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in fig. 8 may comprise: a first cartridge 10, the first cartridge 10 comprising reservoirs 10a and 10b separated from each other to contain a first material; a second cartridge 20, the second cartridge 20 being coupled to the first cartridge 10 to be movable linearly or laterally; and a drive 60, the drive 60 moving the second cartridge 20 linearly or laterally.

The first cartridge 10 may comprise: channels 11p and 11q, the channels 11p and 11q being for delivering an aerosol generated by vaporizing a first material contained in each of the reservoirs 10a and 10b; and a conveyance hole 11 formed in an end of each of the passages 11p and 11 q.

The first cartridge 10 may include a linear guide 10t that surrounds an upper portion of the delivery aperture 11 and extends linearly, and the second cartridge 20 may include a track 20l slidably coupled to the linear guide 10 t. The second cartridge 20 may be linearly moved in the extending direction of the linear guide 10t of the first cartridge 10. The second cartridge 20 may comprise: a main body 20t, the main body 20t having a plate shape and extending long along the extending direction of the linear guide 10 t; and a plurality of chambers 20a, 20b, and 20c, the plurality of chambers 20a, 20b, and 20c being sequentially arranged to be separated from each other along an extending direction of the main body 20 t.

In fig. 8, two reservoirs 10a and 10b are arranged, and three chambers 20a, 20b, and 20c are arranged. However, the number of reservoirs and the number of chambers may be varied differently.

The aerosol-generating device may comprise a drive device 60, the drive device 60 generating a drive force to move at least one of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20. The driving means 60 may include a motor 61 operated by an electric signal and a gear 62 transmitting a driving force of the motor 61 to the second cartridge 20. The gear surface 20g may be provided on one side of the body 20t of the second cartridge 20.

In fig. 8, although the driving device 60 is shown as an electric motor for generating a rotational force for rotating the gear 62, the embodiment is not limited to the type of the driving device 60. For example, the driving device 60 may include: a linearly arranged permanent magnet; a linear motor positioned to correspond to the permanent magnet and including an electromagnet having an electrical coil; or a cylinder using fluid pressure.

When the second cartridge 20 moves linearly, the position of any one of the chambers 20a, 20b, and 20c of the second cartridge 20 may be aligned to correspond to the position of any one of the delivery holes 11. Furthermore, the position of one set of chambers 20a, 20b and 20c of the second cartridge 20 may be aligned to correspond to the position of one of the two delivery holes 11, and at the same time, the position of the other set of chambers 20a, 20b and 20c may be aligned to correspond to the position of the other of the two delivery holes 11.

Fig. 9 is a flow chart schematically illustrating a method of generating an aerosol by an aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment illustrated in fig. 1 to 8.

The method of generating an aerosol according to the embodiment shown in fig. 9 may include: an operation S100 of detecting inhalation of the user; an operation S110 of determining that the inhalation operation is detected and starting the aerosol supply operation; an operation S120 of detecting a rotational position of the second cartridge with respect to the first cartridge; determining if the detected signal of the rotational position of the second cartridge is operating normally (e.g., if the amplitude of the detected signal of the rotational position of the second cartridge or the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the signal is greater than a preset threshold) S130; an operation S131 of adjusting the rotational position of the second cartridge when the signal of the rotational position is abnormal; when the signal of the rotational position of the second cartridge is normal, an operation S140 of determining a type of medium currently used for supplying aerosol based on the signal of the rotational position of the second cartridge (e.g., type of second material); an operation S150 of determining at least one of a target temperature for operation of the atomizer and a heating profile for controlling a heating operation of the atomizer based on the determined type of medium; an operation S160 of operating the atomizer based on the target temperature or the heating profile; an operation S170 of detecting a current temperature and comparing the detected temperature with a target temperature; an operation S180 of judging whether a predetermined condition is reached; and an operation S190 of changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge when the condition is reached.

The predetermined conditions for changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge may include: a cumulative time of a heating operation in which the heater generates heat to generate aerosol; or a combination of the accumulated time of the heating operation of the heater and the heating temperature of the heater.

Alternatively, the predetermined condition for changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge may include any one or any combination of the number of pumping operations and the accumulated time of pumping operations determined based on the signal detected by the pumping sensor.

Alternatively, the predetermined condition for changing the relative positions of the first and second cartridges may comprise a time of use determined based on an input signal generated when the input device receives input from a user.

In operation S190 of changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge, a use chamber through which the aerosol in the chamber of the second cartridge is currently passing may be replaced so that the position of a subsequent chamber may be changed to a position corresponding to the delivery hole of the first cartridge. The operation S190 of changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge may be automatically performed by a driving device operated by the controller.

The operation S190 of changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge may include: when a predetermined condition is reached, notifying a user of an operation of changing the position of the chamber, an operation of receiving an input signal generated when the user operates the input device, and an operation of changing the position of at least one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge by operating the driving device based on the received input operation.

When the relative positions of the first and second cartridges change, the usage chamber may immediately be disengaged from the position corresponding to the delivery hole, and the subsequent chamber may be aligned with the delivery hole, and then the aerosol may pass through the subsequent chamber as a new usage chamber, or the usage chamber and the subsequent chamber may temporarily together perform the aerosol passing operation, and only the subsequent chamber may perform the aerosol passing operation as a new usage chamber over time.

After operation S190 of changing the relative positions of the first and second cartridges, the process may return to operation S100 of detecting inhalation by the user, and the above-described operations may be repeatedly performed.

Even when the first cartridge of the aerosol-generating device is designed to accommodate a large amount of the first material, the second cartridge may be automatically rotated by the drive means to select the chamber for supplying the aerosol, and thus the effect of replacing the second material with a new second material may be obtained without replacing the second cartridge comprising the second material.

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art in connection with the present embodiment that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the features of the present disclosure. The disclosed methods should be considered as illustrative only and not for the purpose of limitation.

Industrial applicability

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an aerosol-generating device that may be portable and practical because the relative positions of the first and second cartridges may be automatically adjusted.

Claims

1. An aerosol-generating device, wherein the aerosol-generating device comprises:

a first cartridge configured to contain a first material therein, and the first cartridge comprising a delivery aperture configured to deliver an aerosol generated from the first material;

a second cartridge including a plurality of chambers for accommodating a second material through which the aerosol delivered from the first cartridge passes and is discharged to the outside, wherein a relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge is changeable such that at least one chamber of the plurality of chambers corresponds to the delivery hole;

A drive configured to change the relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge by moving at least one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge; and

a controller configured to: changing the relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge by operating the drive means when a predetermined condition is met, to cause the aerosol to pass through the at least one of the plurality of chambers,

wherein the first cartridge further comprises a heater configured to perform a heating operation to heat the first material, and the predetermined condition for the controller to operate the drive device comprises: an accumulated time of the heating operation of the heater for generating the aerosol, or a combination of the accumulated time of the heating operation of the heater and a heating temperature of the heater, or

Wherein the aerosol-generating device further comprises a puff sensor configured to: detecting a change in fluid pressure or flow due to a flow of fluid flowing within the aerosol-generating device, and the predetermined condition for the controller to operate the drive device comprises: any one or any combination of the number of pumping operations determined based on the signal detected by the pumping sensor and the accumulated time of the pumping operations, or

Wherein the aerosol-generating device further comprises a heater configured to perform a heating operation to heat the first material of the first cartridge; and an input device configured to generate an input signal by receiving an input operation of a user for starting the heating operation of the heater, and the predetermined condition for causing the controller to operate the driving device includes a use time determined based on the input signal of the input device.

2. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the first cartridge comprises: a plurality of reservoirs, the plurality of reservoirs being partitioned such that each reservoir comprises the first material; and a plurality of delivery holes arranged to correspond to the plurality of reservoirs, respectively, and

wherein the relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge is changed such that the position of the at least one of the plurality of chambers corresponds to the position of any of the plurality of delivery apertures.

3. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein either of the first and second cartridges is rotatably coupled to the other of the first and second cartridges, and the drive device is further configured to rotate either of the first and second cartridges.

4. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein either of the first and second cartridges is coupled to the other of the first and second cartridges to be linearly movable, and the drive device is further configured to linearly move either of the first and second cartridges.

5. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, further comprising an information generator configured to notify a notification for changing the position of the plurality of chambers.

6. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: the relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge is changed such that the position of one of the plurality of chambers is aligned with the position of the delivery aperture.

7. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: the relative position of the first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge is varied such that adjacent ones of the plurality of chambers overlap the delivery aperture simultaneously.

8. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, further comprising:

An aerosol-generating assembly comprising the first and second cartridges integrally coupled, and

a housing comprising a receiving channel for receiving the aerosol-generating assembly.

9. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 8, wherein the heater is mounted in the first cartridge to heat the first material, and the housing further comprises electrical terminals connected to the heater to supply electrical power.

10. An aerosol-generating device according to claim 8, wherein the heater is mounted in the housing for heating the first material supplied from the first cartridge of the aerosol-generating assembly housed in the housing channel.