JP2022539303A - aerosol generator - Google Patents

Abstract

The aerosol generator includes a first cartridge including a transmission hole for transmitting the aerosol generated from the first substance, and a chamber containing the second substance for passing the aerosol transmitted from the first cartridge. a second cartridge whose relative positions can be changed; a driving device for changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge; and a controller for changing the relative position of the second cartridge with respect to the first cartridge so that one passes the aerosol.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an aerosol generator, and more particularly, to an aerosol generator that automatically adjusts the relative positions of a first cartridge and a second cartridge and is convenient to carry and use.

There is an increasing demand for aerosol generators that generate aerosol in a non-combustible manner instead of burning cigarettes to generate aerosol. The aerosol generator, for example, has the function of generating a non-combustible aerosol from an aerosol-generating substance and supplying it to a user, or supplying a flavored aerosol by passing vapor generated from the aerosol-generating substance through a fragrance medium. It is a device to carry out.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an aerosol generating device that is easy to use and easy to carry.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an aerosol generator that generates good quality aerosol that satisfies various needs of consumers.

The present invention provides an aerosol generating device and an aerosol generating system that can solve the problems of the conventional aerosol generating devices described above.

The problems to be solved through the embodiments are not limited to the problems described above, and problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art in the technical field to which the embodiments belong from the present specification and accompanying drawings. will be understood.

An aerosol generator according to an embodiment includes a first cartridge containing a first substance and including a transmission hole for transmitting aerosol generated from the first substance; and allowing the aerosol transmitted from the first cartridge to pass through. a second cartridge including a plurality of chambers containing a second substance to be discharged to the outside by means of a second cartridge, the position of which can be changed relative to the first cartridge so that at least one of the chambers corresponds to the transmission hole; a drive for changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge by moving at least one of the cartridge and the second cartridge; and activating the drive if a preset condition is achieved. and a controller for changing the relative positions of the first and second cartridges such that at least one of the chambers passes the aerosol.

The aerosol generating device according to the embodiment as described above can be handled as one device in which the first cartridge containing the first substance and the second cartridge containing the second substance are integrated, and can be carried and used. is simple.

In addition, even if the first cartridge of the aerosol generator is designed to accommodate a large amount of the first substance, the driving device automatically changes the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge so as to supply the aerosol. Since it is possible to select the chamber to be used for the second substance, it is possible to obtain the effect of replacing the second substance with a new second substance without replacing the second cartridge containing the second substance.

Also, since the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge can be adjusted to select the chamber used for supplying the aerosol, it is possible to replace the medium with a new medium without replacing the medium cartridge. can get.

In addition, the chambers of the second cartridge can contain different types of second substances, and the user can select one of the chambers and select the desired second substance, thereby producing an aerosol with various flavors. Free to enjoy.

1 is a perspective view showing an aerosol generator according to one embodiment; FIG. 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; Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1; FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the connection relationship of some components of the aerosol generator according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing some components of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment; Figure 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing one operating state of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 5; FIG. 6 is a lateral cross-sectional view showing another operating state of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5; FIG. 11 is a perspective view schematically showing some components of an aerosol generating device according to yet another embodiment; FIG. 9 is a flow chart schematically showing an aerosol generation method by the aerosol generation device according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 8; FIG.

An aerosol generator according to an embodiment includes a first cartridge containing a first substance and including a transmission hole for transmitting aerosol generated from the first substance; and allowing the aerosol transmitted from the first cartridge to pass through. a second cartridge including a plurality of chambers containing a second substance to be discharged to the outside by means of a second cartridge, the position of which can be changed relative to the first cartridge so that at least one of the chambers corresponds to the transmission hole; a drive device for changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge by moving at least one of the cartridge and the second cartridge; and a controller for changing the relative positions of the first and second cartridges such that at least one of the chambers passes the aerosol.

The first cartridge further includes a heater that performs a heating operation to heat the first substance, and the preset conditions for the controller to operate the driving device include the accumulated time of the heater's heating operation for generating the aerosol, A combination of the cumulative time of the heating operation of the heater and the heating temperature of the heater may be included.

The aerosol generator further includes a puff sensor that senses fluctuations in fluid pressure and flow due to fluid flow inside the aerosol generator. and any one or a combination of the number of puffs determined based on and the accumulated time of puffs.

The aerosol generating device further includes a heater that performs a heating operation to heat the first substance of the first cartridge, and an input device that receives a user's input operation for starting the heating operation of the heater and generates an input signal. Including, the preset conditions under which the controller activates the drive device may include a usage time determined based on the input signal of the input device.

The first cartridge includes a plurality of reservoirs each partitioned to contain a first substance, a plurality of communication holes corresponding to each of the reservoirs, and at least one position of the chamber. The relative position of the second cartridge with respect to the first cartridge can be changed such that the position of the transmission hole of any one of the reservoirs.

One of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is rotatably coupled to the other one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge, and the driving device is configured to rotate between the first cartridge and the second cartridge. , can be rotated.

One of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is linearly movably coupled to the other one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge, and the driving device is configured to move the first cartridge and the second cartridge. Any one of the cartridges can be moved linearly.

The aerosol generating device may further include an information generator that announces notifications for repositioning of the chamber.

The controller can change the relative position of the second cartridge to the first cartridge such that the position of any one of the chambers is aligned with the position of the transmission hole.

The controller can change the relative position of the second cartridge with respect to the first cartridge such that adjacent ones of the chambers overlap the transmission holes at the same time.

The first cartridge and the second cartridge may be joined together to form an aerosol-generating assembly and may further include a case including a containment passage for housing the aerosol-generating assembly.

The aerosol generating assembly may further include a heater provided in the first cartridge to heat the first substance, and the case may further include an electrical terminal coupled to the heater to supply electricity.

The case may further include a heater for heating the first substance supplied from the second cartridge of the aerosol generating assembly housed in the housing passageway.

The terms used in the examples have been selected as general terms that are currently widely used in consideration of the functions of the various embodiments of the present invention, but it does not reflect the intentions or precedents of those skilled in the art, It also depends on the emergence of new technology. Also, in certain cases, terms that are not commonly used may be selected and their meanings will be described in detail in the description of the invention. Accordingly, terms used in various embodiments of the present invention should be defined based on the term meanings and explanations provided herein.

In addition, when a part "includes" a certain component throughout the specification, this does not exclude other components, unless there is a specific statement to the contrary. It will be understood to mean including. In addition, terms such as "... unit" and "... module" described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and it is embodied by hardware or software, or It can also be embodied by a combination of hardware and software.

As used herein, expressions such as "at least one" appearing before a list of elements qualify the entire list of elements and do not qualify individual elements of the list. For example, "at least one of a, b, and c" can be simply "a", simply "b", simply "c", "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or It should be understood to include both "a, b and c".

When we refer to one element or layer being "on", "above", "on top of", "connected to", or "joined with" another element or layer, one element or layer may refer to the other. may be connected or bonded immediately above, above, or on top of the elements or layers of the Conversely, when we refer to one element as being “directly on,” “directly on,” “directly on top of,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to,” another element or layer, we use intermediate elements or layers. There are no intervening elements or layers. Like numbers throughout refer to like elements.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth herein.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment, and 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. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1; FIG.

The aerosol generator according to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a device that performs a function of supplying aerosol to a user, and is a heater that operates using electricity, an induced magnetic field, ultrasonic waves, or the like. A device that heats an aerosol-generating substance to generate an aerosol.

Referring to FIG. 3, the aerosol generator includes a first cartridge 10 containing a first substance 12 and including a transmission hole 11 for transmitting the aerosol generated from the first substance 12; a second cartridge 20 comprising a plurality of chambers 21 containing a second substance 22 through which the transmitted aerosol is passed and ejected to the outside.

The first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are integrally joined together to form the aerosol generating assembly 5 so that they can be integrated and handled as one piece.

The aerosol-generating device includes a case 7 containing a containment passage 7a capable of containing the aerosol-generating assembly 5 . The case 7 includes a display device 7f for communicating information to the user on the outer surface, and an indicator lamp 7d for communicating to the user information regarding the operational status of the aerosol generating device. The display device 7f and the display lamp 7d are an example of an information generator that performs the function of informing the user of various types of notifications, and the information generator can also be transformed into a speaker or a vibration generator. .

Case 7 also includes an input device 95 operated by a user to sense the user's operation and generate a user input signal.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the case 7 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and the aerosol-generating assembly 5 as a whole has an axially elongated cylindrical shape, but the embodiment may have such a shape. not limited by the shape of the case 7 and the aerosol generating assembly 5. For example, the case 7 may be deformed into various shapes such as a cylindrical shape elongated in the axial direction, a cylindrical shape having an elliptical cross section, a flat cylindrical shape, a regular hexahedron, a rectangular parallelepiped, and the like. Also, the aerosol-generating assembly 5 is also deformed into various shapes such as a rectangular parallelepiped and a regular hexahedron.

The first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are coupled so that their relative positions can be changed. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the rotation of the second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10 changes the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20. can be The first cartridge 10 has a cylindrical shape as a whole and includes a position fixing surface 10s formed at least partially in a direction different from the extending direction of the cylindrical surface.

The housing passage 7 a of the case 7 is formed as an elongated hollow cylindrical passage for housing the aerosol generating assembly 5 . A position holding surface 7s is formed on at least a part of the storage passage 7a so as to have a shape corresponding to the position fixing surface 10s of the first cartridge 10, and is formed in a direction different from the extending direction of the cylindrical surface of the inner wall surface of the storage passage 7a. is formed.

When the aerosol generating assembly 5 is housed in the housing passage 7a of the case 7, the position holding surface 7s and the position fixing surface 10s contact each other, so the position of the first cartridge 10 with respect to the case 7 can be stably held. . That is, while the second cartridge 20 rotates with respect to the first cartridge 10, the position fixing surface 10s of the first cartridge 10 is supported by the position holding surface 7s. The fixed state is stably maintained with respect to

In addition, the position holding surface 7s and the position fixing surface 10s are arranged so that when the aerosol generating assembly 5 is inserted into the housing passage 7a of the case 7, the axial center of the aerosol generating assembly 5 is relative to the axial center of the housing passage 7a. An alignment function can be performed to align the positions of interest. That is, the aerosol generating assembly 5 can be inserted into the housing passage 7a of the case 7 only when the position fixing surface 10s of the first cartridge 10 of the aerosol generating assembly 5 and the position holding surface 7s of the housing passage 7a correspond to each other.

The case 7 includes an electrical terminal 50 d provided at the end of the housing passage 7 a to supply electricity to the first cartridge 10 . When the aerosol generating assembly 5 is aligned with the housing passage 7a so that the position fixing surface 10s of the first cartridge 10 of the aerosol generating assembly 5 corresponds to the position holding surface 7s of the housing passage 7a, the electric terminal 50d is formed. can be accurately connected to the first cartridge 10 .

Embodiments are not limited by the coupling structure of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20, and the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 can be rotatably coupled to each other through various coupling structures. For example, the structure of the aerosol generating assembly 5 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is modified to fix the position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the case 7 so that the first cartridge 10 is attached to the second cartridge. 20 is rotatable. Alternatively, the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 can be changed by rotating the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 .

The first cartridge 10 can perform the function of transmitting the aerosol generated by the atomizer 50 a built in the case 7 to the second cartridge 20 .

A first cartridge 10 contains a first substance 12 therein. The first substance 12 is also, for example, a liquid or gel substance. The first substance 12 may be kept impregnated with a porous material such as liquid sponge or cotton inside the first cartridge 10 .

The first substance 12 is a liquid substance and may include, for example, tobacco-containing substances or non-tobacco substances containing volatile tobacco flavor components.

First substance 12 may include, for example, water, solvents, ethanol, plant extracts, fragrances, flavoring agents, or vitamin mixtures.

Flavors of the first substance 12 include, but are not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, various fruit scent components, and the like. Flavoring agents may include ingredients that provide a variety of flavors or flavors to the user.

The vitamin mixture of the first substance 12 is also a mixture of at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C and vitamin E, but is not limited thereto.

The first substance 12 may also include aerosol forming agents such as glycerin and propylene glycol.

An atomizer 50a for heating the first substance 12 of the first cartridge 10 to generate an aerosol and a controller 70 are provided inside the case 7 below the housing passage 7a. The controller 70 may include a battery for powering the atomizer 50a, a control chip or circuit board for controlling the operation of the atomizer 50a, and the like.

The atomizer 50a includes a wick 52 that absorbs and retains the first substance 12 from the first cartridge 10, and a second material that is wrapped around, in contact with, or positioned adjacent to the wick 52. It includes a heater 51 that heats a substance 12 to generate an aerosol, and an aerosol generation chamber 50c that surrounds the heater 51 and composes an atmosphere for generating the aerosol.

The atomizer 50a performs the function of converting the phase of the aerosol-generating substance into a gas phase to generate an aerosol. Aerosol means a gas in which air is mixed with vaporized particles generated from an aerosol-generating material.

The heater 51 is also an electrical resistance heating element that generates heat by electricity supplied from the controller 70 . The atomizer 50a includes an electrically resistive heating element, but embodiments are not limited by such a configuration of the atomizer 50a. The atomizer 50a generates an aerosol by, for example, an ultrasonic method or an induction heating method.

The first cartridge 10 includes a transmission hole 11 that extends along the extension direction of the first cartridge 10 and transmits aerosol. The aerosol generation chamber 50 c transmits the aerosol generated by the heater 51 to the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 . Therefore, the aerosol supplied from the aerosol generation chamber 50 c is transmitted to the second cartridge 20 through the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 .

The second cartridge 20 includes a plurality of chambers 21 rotatably arranged with respect to the first cartridge 10 and sequentially positioned along the direction of rotation, and a second substance that is housed in each of the chambers 21 and allows the aerosol to pass through. 22.

The second substance 22 is in a solid state, and may include, for example, powders or granules that are collections of small particles.

The second substance 22 may include, for example, tobacco-containing substances including volatile tobacco flavor components, or additives such as flavorants, humectants and/or organic acids, or additives such as menthol or humectants. It may contain any one or mixture of the following ingredients: fragrance substances, botanical extracts, fragrances, flavors and vitamin mixtures.

Flavors of the second substance 22 include, but are not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, various fruit scent components, and the like.

Flavoring agents of second substance 22 may include ingredients that provide a variety of flavors or flavors to the user. The vitamin mixture of the second substance 22 is also a mixture of at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C and vitamin E, but is not limited thereto.

The second cartridge 20 includes a plurality of chambers 21 that are sequentially spaced apart from each other along the rotational direction of the second cartridge 20 . The chambers 21 are partitioned independently of each other by partition walls.

Although three chambers 21 are provided in FIG. 2, the embodiment is not limited by the number of chambers 21, and two or four or more chambers 21 are provided.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first cartridge 10 includes a rotating shaft 40 protruding upward. The rotating shaft 40 protrudes upward from the first cartridge 10 and extends, and the second cartridge 20 is rotatably coupled to the rotating shaft 40 .

A mouthpiece 26 including an outlet 26e for discharging the aerosol that has passed through the second substance 22 in any one of the chambers 21 is coupled to the upper portion of the second cartridge 20 . A top plate 27 is arranged on top of the chamber 21 to cover the upper end of the chamber 21 . The top plate 27 includes an upper through hole 27p that allows the aerosol to pass through.

A flow guide 29 is coupled to the upper end of the rotary shaft 40 protruding from the upper surface of the upper plate 27 . The flow guide 29 is arranged inside the mouthpiece 26 and functions to guide the flow of the aerosol that has passed through the second substance 22 in the chamber 21 to the outlet 26e of the mouthpiece 26 . Flow guide 29 may include a plurality of vanes corresponding to each of chambers 21 .

At least one of the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 is changed by changing the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 while the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are coupled. One corresponds to the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 . Therefore, the aerosol discharged to the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 passes through the second substance 22 contained in the chamber corresponding to the transmission hole 11 among the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 . While the aerosol passes through the second substance 22, the properties of the aerosol can be changed.

The aerosol generating device further includes a driving device 60 that generates driving force to move at least one of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 . 1 to 3, the driving device 60 is disposed inside the case 7 and includes a motor 61 operated by an electric signal and a gear 62 transmitting the driving force of the motor 61 to the second cartridge 20. . A gear surface 20 g is provided on the outside of the second cartridge 20 so as to extend along the rotation direction of the second cartridge 20 .

When the aerosol generating assembly 5 is attached to the case 7, the gear surface 20g of the second cartridge 20 is coupled with the gear 62. As shown in FIG. When an electric signal is applied from the controller 70 to the motor 61 of the driving device 60 , the shaft of the motor 61 rotates and the driving force of the motor 61 is transmitted to the gear surface 20 g of the second cartridge 20 through the gear 62 . Therefore, the driving device 60 can perform the function of rotating the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 .

Embodiments are not limited by the configuration of the driving device 60 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, for example, the driving device 60 may be coupled with the first cartridge 10 to rotate the first cartridge 10 . Also, the gear 62 of the driving device 60 can be replaced with various power transmission elements such as belts and sprockets.

Here, the fact that at least one of the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 means that one of the plurality of chambers 21 corresponds to the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 . and two adjacent chambers 21 among the plurality of chambers 21 correspond to the transmission holes 11 of the first cartridge 10 .

1 and 2, the second cartridge 20 includes indicia 91 provided on its outer surface. The second cartridge 20 includes a plurality of chambers 21 inside, and the markings 91 of the second cartridge 20 are formed at positions corresponding to the respective chambers 21 .

The first cartridge 10 includes markings 92 on its outer surface that are used as reference locations for the markings 91 of the second cartridge 20 . Therefore, by matching the marking 91 of the second cartridge 20 to the marking 92 of the first cartridge 10, the position of at least one of the chambers can be aligned with the position of the communication hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 for discharging the aerosol. .

Also, the user can confirm the positions of the mark 91 of the second cartridge 20 and the mark 92 of the first cartridge 10, and can identify the information related to the chamber through which the aerosol is currently passed among the chambers of the second cartridge 20. .

Between the second cartridge 20 and the first cartridge 10, a second substance 22 is contained in the current aerosol-passing chamber among the chambers 21 according to the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20. A signal generator 97 is provided which indicates the type of

The signal generator 97 includes a transmitter 97a located on the second cartridge 20 and a receiver 97b located on the first cartridge 10 to detect the transmitter 97a. Embodiments are not limited by the location or number of transmitters 97a and receivers 97b.

The transmitter 97a and receiver 97b of the signal generator 97 are, for example, an optical sensor such as a photocoupler, a magnetic force sensor that senses magnetic force using the Hall effect, or an electrical resistance sensor that senses changes in electrical resistance. etc., or a combination thereof.

1 and 3, a puff sensor 79p is arranged inside the case 7 on the path along which the aerosol flows. The puff sensor 79p may perform a function of sensing an aerosol flow phenomenon that occurs in association with a user's aerosol inhalation action. The puff sensor 79p is connected to the transmission hole 11, for example, to detect fluctuations in fluid pressure and flow rate due to fluid including aerosol flowing through the transmission hole 11, that is, air flow, and generate a signal. A puff sensor 79p can be placed in a pressure sensing hole 79s connected to the transmission hole 11 .

When using the aerosol generator as described above, the aerosol transmitted from the first cartridge 10 and entering the chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 passes through the second substance 22 contained in the chamber 21 . The second substance 22 imparts flavor to the aerosol. The aerosol containing rich flavor while passing through the second substance 22 passes through the upper through-hole 27p of the upper plate 27 arranged in the upper part of the chamber 21, and then passes through the mouthpiece 26 to the outside of the aerosol generator. discharged to

The controller 70 actuates the driving device 60 when a preset condition is achieved, so that at least one of the chambers 21 allows the aerosol transmitted from the first cartridge 10 to pass through the first cartridge 10 . and the second cartridge 20 relative to each other. That is, the second substance 22 contained in the chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 has a preset usage time associated with the operation of passing the aerosol, and the second substance 22 performs the operation of passing the aerosol. When the actual usage time used for execution reaches the preset usage time, the position of the chamber 21 through which the aerosol passes should be changed.

The controller 70 selects another one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 or an adjacent chamber 21 for passage of the aerosol by changing the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10. can perform the functions of

FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing the connection relationship of some components of the aerosol generator according to the embodiment shown in FIG.

The controller 70 shown in FIG. 4 may be a circuit board disposed inside the case 7 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a semiconductor chip attached to the circuit board, or a semiconductor chip or circuit board mounted thereon. Any one or combination of software may be embodied.

The controller 70 includes an atomization controller 71 that controls the amount or temperature of the aerosol generated by controlling the atomizer 50a; Signals from a puff sensor 79p that senses changes in the pressure or speed of the generated air and a sensor that senses changes in the rotational position of the second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10, such as the signal generator 97 shown in FIG. A sensor controller 74 for receiving, an information controller 75 for controlling an information generator 96 for providing information or announcing an announcement to the user, and a button, touch screen, or input button for sensing user input actions. User input receiver 76 for receiving user input signals from user input device 95 and information regarding the type of first substance in first cartridge 10 and second substance in second cartridge 20 and the operation of the atomizer. An input/output controller 73 for transmitting and receiving data to and from a storage 78 containing temperature profiles for controlling temperature, user-related information, etc.; A medium determiner 72 for determining the type and a drive controller 77 for controlling the operation of the drive device 60 are included.

The controller 70, as described above, senses the user's inhalation action to initiate or deactivate the atomizer. Also, the controller 70 can determine the type of medium currently used based on the signal applied from the signal generator 97, and suitably control the operating temperature and operating time of the atomizer according to the type of medium. can.

Controller 70 may activate drive 60 if preset conditions are met. The preset conditions for the controller 70 to actuate the drive device 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are the heating conditions in which the heater generates heat to generate the aerosol. It may also include a cumulative operation time, or a combination of the cumulative heating operation time of the heater and the heating temperature of the heater.

The controller 70 can first generate a notification, through the information generator 96, that a relative position change between the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 is required when a preset condition is achieved. . When the user confirms the notification and operates the input device 95 , the controller 70 operates the driving device 60 based on the input signal applied from the input device 95 to move the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 relative to each other. position can be changed.

If the preset conditions include the cumulative time of heating operation of the heater, the controller 70 calculates the amount of current or power supplied to the heater by the atomization controller 71 or the amount of current supplied to the heater. The measured times can be summed to calculate the cumulative time of the heater's heating operation. For example, if the time during which the second substance 22 contained in one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 can pass the aerosol and impart flavor to the aerosol is preset as n minutes, then the controller 70 determines that the use of the current aerosol-passing chamber should be terminated when the accumulated time of the heating operation of the heater reaches n minutes, and changes the relative position of the second cartridge 20 to the first cartridge 10. By changing, a new chamber can be selected from the chambers 21 for passing the aerosol.

The heating operation of the heater includes a main heating operation that generates heat at a temperature sufficient to vaporize the first substance in the first cartridge 10 and a temperature range that is lower than the temperature range corresponding to the main heating operation. A pre-heating operation may be included to allow the The heating operation of the heater included in the preset conditions for the controller 70 to operate the driving device 60 is also the main heating operation.

If the preset condition includes a combination of the accumulated time of the heater's heating operation and the heater's heating temperature, it is also useful when the heater's heating operation includes the main heating operation and the pre-heating operation. For example, if the time for which the second substance 22 contained in one of the chambers 21 can pass through the aerosol and impart flavor to the aerosol is preset as n minutes, the controller 70 controls the heating of the heater. Only when the temperature reaches the temperature corresponding to the main heating operation can the accumulated time of the heating operation of the heater be counted.

Preset conditions for controller 70 to actuate drive device 60 to change the relative positions of first cartridge 10 and second cartridge 20 are determined based on signals sensed by puff sensor 79p. It may include any one or a combination of the number of puffing operations and the cumulative time of puffing operations. When the intensity of the signal sensed by the puff sensor 79p exceeds a preset threshold value, the controller 70 determines that the user has performed a valid inhalation action and counts the number of puff actions.

If the preset conditions include the number of puffing operations, the controller 70 determines the number of puffs performed on the current aerosol-passing chamber among the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 based on the signal generated by the puff sensor 79p. The number of actions can be counted. In such a case, the controller 70 ignores the accumulated time of the puffing action in which the user continuously performs the inhaling action of inhaling the aerosol, and simply counts the number of times the puffing action occurs based on the signal of the puff sensor 79p. do.

For example, if the number of puffing operations that allow the second substance 22 contained in one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 to pass through the aerosol and impart flavor to the aerosol is preset to m times, the control When the number of puffing operations reaches m, the device 70 determines that the use of the current aerosol-passing chamber should be terminated, and changes the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10. By doing so, a new chamber for passing the aerosol can be selected from among the chambers 21 .

The controller 70 can determine when to change the position of the second cartridge 20 to select a new chamber in consideration of the usage environment of the aerosol generator and the user's inhalation habits. Therefore, the preset conditions may include the cumulative time of the puffing action or a combination of the number of puffing actions and the cumulative time of the puffing action.

When the preset conditions include a combination of the number of puffs and the accumulated time of puffs, the operation is as follows. For example, the number of puffing operations that allows the second substance 22 contained in one of the chambers 21 to pass through the aerosol and impart flavor to the aerosol is m times, and the cumulative time of the puffing operations is p minutes. If preset, the controller 70 allows the current aerosol to pass only when both the condition that the number of puffing operations reaches m times and the condition that the cumulative time of puffing operations reaches p minutes are satisfied. Decide that the chamber should be decommissioned. Therefore, even if the number of puffing operations reaches m based on the signal from the puff sensor 79p, if the accumulated puffing time does not reach p minutes, the controller 70 determines that the accumulated puffing time By maintaining the position of the current chamber through which the aerosol passes until reaching p minutes, the number of puffing operations can reach m+x times. Even if only one of the condition that the number of puffing operations reaches m times and the condition that the cumulative time of puffing operations reaches p minutes, the controller 70 is It is determined that the current aerosol passing chamber must be retired.

Preset conditions for controller 70 to actuate drive device 60 to change the relative positions of first cartridge 10 and second cartridge 20 are generated by input device 95 receiving user input. A usage time determined based on the input signal may be included.

If the preset conditions include usage time determined based on the input signal of the input device 95, it is further useful when the user can perform the function of directly initiating operation of the heater. For example, the aerosol generating device does not allow the heater of the atomizer to perform a separate preheating operation when the user operates the input device 95 for the purpose of satisfying user preference or improving convenience. In both cases, it is possible to provide the function that the heater reacts immediately and performs the main heating operation at high speed. In such a case, since the preset condition includes the usage time determined based on the input signal of the input device 95, the usage time at which the atomizer is activated by the user's operation reaches the preset reference usage time. When the time comes, the controller 70 determines that the use of the current aerosol-passing chamber should be terminated, and by changing the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10, among the chambers 21, A new chamber can be selected for passage of the aerosol.

Preset conditions for controller 70 to actuate drive device 60 to change the relative positions of first cartridge 10 and second cartridge 20 are determined based on signals sensed by puff sensor 79p. It may include any one or a combination of the number of puffing operations and the cumulative time of puffing operations. When the intensity of the signal sensed by the puff sensor 79p exceeds a preset threshold value, the controller 70 determines that the user has performed a valid inhalation action and counts the number of puff actions.

In the above description, letters such as m, n, p, and x for indicating time and number of times mean integers or real numbers and length of time.

Preset conditions for controller 70 to actuate drive device 60 to change the relative positions of first cartridge 10 and second cartridge 20 are generated by input device 95 receiving user input. A selection condition may be included in which at least one of the chambers 21 determined based on the input signal is selected.

The chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 contains second substances 22 having different types of media or different particle sizes, and the controller 70 causes the display lamp 7d to emit light, changes the emission hue, or displays By displaying information on the device 7f, the user is provided with information on the second substance 22 contained in the chamber currently aligned with the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 among the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20. can do.

When the user operates the input device 95 to select a desired chamber from among the chambers 21 , the controller 70 allows the user to select at least one of the chambers 21 based on the input signal input from the input device 95 . The relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 can be changed by determining that the selection condition of selecting one chamber has been achieved.

When using the aerosol generating device as described above, the user rotates the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 before mounting the aerosol generating assembly 5 to the case 7, so that the chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 is The rotational position of the second cartridge 20 can be adjusted such that at least one of the positions is positioned corresponding to the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 . After adjusting the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 , the user attaches the aerosol generating assembly 5 to the case 7 .

Even if the user does not modify the operation method and adjust the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20, if the user attaches the aerosol generating assembly 5 to the case 7, the case 7 The built-in driving device 60 automatically rotates the second cartridge 20, so that the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 can be automatically adjusted to the initial position for aerosol generation. . The “initial position” is also the position where any one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to the position of the transmission hole 11 .

A user can inhale the aerosol through the mouthpiece 26 with the position of at least one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponding to the position of the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 .

The aerosol-generating assembly 5 of the aerosol-generating device can be handled as one device in which the first cartridge 10 containing the first substance 12 and the second cartridge 20 containing the second substance 22 are integrated, and is portable. and convenient to use.

Also, even if the first cartridge 10 of the aerosol generator is designed to contain a large amount of the first substance 12, the second cartridge 20 is automatically rotated by the driving device 60 and used for aerosol delivery. Since the chamber 21 can be selected, the effect of replacing with a new second substance 22 can be obtained without replacing the second cartridge containing the second substance 22 .

Also, the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 may contain second substances 22 of different types. For example, even if the chamber 21 contains second substances 22 having different particle sizes or different flavor kinetics, the controller 70 may determine, based on the signal generated by the signal generator 97, that the chamber 21 has a transmission hole. 11 to identify the "use chamber" currently in use to pass the aerosol. The user may be provided with information regarding the working chambers identified by the controller 70 and the second substance 22 contained in the working chambers so that the user can select one of the chambers 21 and select the desired second substance 22 . can be selected, so you can freely enjoy aerosols with various flavors.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of some components of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment.

In the aerosol-generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the aerosol-generating assembly 5 includes a first cartridge 10 and a second cartridge 20 rotatably coupled to the first cartridge 10 . A driving device 60 is provided in the first cartridge 10 , and the driving device 60 rotates the second cartridge 20 to change the position of the second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10 .

The first cartridge 10 includes a plurality of reservoirs partitioned to respectively contain the first substances 12, and a plurality of transmission holes 11 corresponding to the plurality of reservoirs. Although the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. The number of storage tanks and the number of transmission holes 11 may be variously changed without limitation.

Aerosol generated by vaporizing the first substance 12 contained in the plurality of reservoirs is transferred to the second cartridge 20 through the plurality of transfer holes 11 of the first cartridge 10 . When generating an aerosol in the first cartridge 10, the first substance 12 in all reservoirs of the first cartridge 10 is simultaneously vaporized, and if necessary, the first substance 12 is vaporized in only one of the plurality of reservoirs. may be vaporized, or the first substance 12 may be vaporized in a plurality of the plurality of storage tanks.

The second cartridge 20 includes a plurality of chambers 21 containing a second substance 22 through which the aerosol transferred from the first cartridge 10 is passed and discharged to the outside. The first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are integrally joined together to form the aerosol generating assembly 5 so that they can be integrated and handled as one piece.

6 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing one operating state of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5; FIG.

The position of the second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10 can be changed by rotating the second cartridge 20 by the driving device. As shown in FIG. 6, the rotational position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 is aligned such that one position of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to the position of one transmission hole 11 . sell. In the aligned state shown in FIG. 6, one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 passes the aerosol transmitted from one transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10, thereby changing the characteristics of the aerosol. It can perform its function.

7 is a lateral cross-sectional view showing another operating state of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5. FIG.

When the relative position of the second cartridge 20 to the first cartridge 10 is changed by rotating the second cartridge 20 by the driving device, the position of the adjacent chambers 21 as illustrated in FIG. The rotational position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 may be aligned to correspond to the position of the transmission hole 11 .

In FIG. 7, each of two adjacent chambers among the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 is positioned to overlap a region corresponding to half of one transmission hole 11 . Embodiments are not limited by such an aligned position of the second cartridge 20 , and the second cartridge 20 may be arranged such that two adjacent ones of the chambers 21 have different overlapping areas with the transmission holes 11 . The rotational position for one cartridge 10 can be aligned.

For example, when the second substance 22 contained in one of the two adjacent chambers 21 reaches 20% of its lifetime related to the aerosol passing function, it corresponds to about 80% of the transmission hole 11. The other one of the two adjacent chambers 21 may overlap an area corresponding to about 20% of the transmission hole 11 .

For example, when the second substance 22 contained in one of the two adjacent chambers 21 reaches 60% of its lifetime related to the aerosol passing function, it corresponds to about 40% of the transmission hole 11. The other one of the two adjacent chambers 21 may overlap an area corresponding to about 60% of the transmission hole 11 .

In addition, when the second substance 22 contained in one of the two adjacent chambers 21 reaches 80% of the life related to the aerosol passing function, it corresponds to about 20% of the transmission hole 11. The other one of the two adjacent chambers 21 may overlap an area corresponding to about 80% of the transmission hole 11 .

The life of the second substance 22 contained in the chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 is determined by the controller changing the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 as described above. can be determined by the preset conditions used to

Further, as described above, when the second cartridge 20 is rotated in consideration of the life of the second substance 22 in the chamber 21 and the overlapping area of the adjacent chamber 21 with the transmission hole 11 is changed, the second cartridge 20 is changed over time. can be intermittently moved, or the second cartridge 20 can be moved continuously over time.

As shown in FIG. 7, according to a method of aligning positions such that adjacent chambers of the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 are overlapped with one transmission hole 11, the second cartridge 20 is the first cartridge. To continuously hold the operation of generating aerosol in the first cartridge 10 and transmitting the generated aerosol toward the second cartridge 20 without stopping the operation of rotating the cartridge 10. can be done.

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 among the plurality of chambers 21. FIG. When a chamber through which the aerosol passes is selected from among the plurality of chambers 21 and the second cartridge 20 is rotated, the position of the previous chamber through which the aerosol passes is not immediately removed from the transmission hole 11, and the second cartridge 20 is rotated. The rotation of 20 allows the aerosol to pass through both the succeeding chamber and the preceding chamber, which are subsequently aligned with respect to the position of the transmission hole 11 .

According to such an operation method, while changing the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20, characteristics such as temperature, humidity, and flavor of the aerosol delivered to the user do not suddenly change. constant and stable supply of aerosol is possible.

Further, when each of the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 contains the second substance 22 having different characteristics, the aerosol can pass through the adjacent chambers together, so that the characteristics of the aerosol such as components and flavor can be changed. can be variously deformed, it is possible to provide users with various forms of aerosol.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of some components of an aerosol generating device according to yet another embodiment.

The aerosol generating device according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8 comprises a first cartridge 10 comprising independently compartmentalized reservoirs 10a, 10b each containing a first substance, and a linear movement to the first cartridge 10. It includes a second cartridge 20 operably coupled thereto and a drive device 60 for linearly moving the second cartridge 20 .

In addition, the first cartridge 10 includes passages 11p and 11q for transmitting the aerosol generated by vaporizing the first substance contained in each of the storage tanks 10a and 10b, and at the ends of the passages 11p and 11q. It includes a transmission hole 11 formed therein.

The first cartridge 10 includes a linear guide 10t extending linearly around the upper portion of the transmission hole 11, and the second cartridge 20 includes a rail 201 slidably coupled to the linear guide 10t. The second cartridge 20 can move linearly along the extension direction of the linear guide 10t of the first cartridge 10 . The second cartridge 20 includes a plate-like main body 20t that extends along the extending direction of the linear guide 10t, and a plurality of chambers 20a, 20b, and 20c that are sequentially spaced apart along the extending direction of the main body 20t. include.

In FIG. 8, two storage tanks 10a and 10b and three chambers 20a, 20b and 20c are provided, but the number of storage tanks and the number of chambers may vary.

The aerosol generating device includes a driving device 60 that generates driving force to move at least one of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 . The driving device 60 includes a motor 61 operated by electric signals and a gear 62 for transmitting the driving force of the motor 61 to the second cartridge 20 . A gear surface 20g is provided on one side of the main body 20t of the second cartridge 20 .

In FIG. 8, the driving device 60 is illustrated as an electric motor that generates a rotational force that rotates the gear 62, but embodiments are not limited by the type of driving device 60 as such. For example, the drive device 60 may include a linear motor, such as a linearly arranged permanent magnet and an electromagnet having an electrical coil positioned corresponding to the permanent magnet, or a cylinder using fluid pressure. .

By linearly moving the second cartridge 20 , one of the chambers 20 a , 20 b , 20 c of the second cartridge 20 or an adjacent chamber is aligned with the position of one transmission hole 11 . sell. Also, the position of one group of the chambers 20a, 20b, 20c of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to one position of the two transmission holes 11, and at the same time, the position of the other group of the chambers 20a, 20b, 20c The positions can be aligned to correspond to the remaining one position of the two transmission holes 11 .

FIG. 9 is a flow chart schematically showing an aerosol generation method by the aerosol generation device according to the embodiment shown in FIGS.

The aerosol supply method according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 includes steps of detecting a user's inhalation motion (S100), determining that the inhalation motion is detected, and starting an aerosol supply operation (S110); sensing the rotational position of the second cartridge with respect to the first cartridge (S120); judging whether the signal of the sensed rotational position of the second cartridge is good or not (S130); The step of adjusting the rotational position of the second cartridge (S131), and if the rotational position signal of the second cartridge is good, based on the rotational position signal of the second cartridge, currently used for aerosol supply Determining the type of medium, that is, the type of the second material (S140), and controlling the target temperature for the operation of the atomizer and the heating operation of the atomizer based on the determined type of medium. determining at least one heating profile (S150); operating the atomizer based on the target temperature or heating profile (S160); sensing the current temperature and comparing it to the target temperature (S170 ), comparing whether the preset condition is achieved (S180), and changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge if the preset condition is achieved (S180). S190) and.

The preset conditions for changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge are the cumulative heating operation time for the heater to generate heat to generate the aerosol, and the cumulative heating operation time of the heater. and the heating temperature of the heater.

Alternatively, the preset conditions for changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge are the number of puff actions determined based on the signal sensed by the puff sensor and the cumulative time of puff actions. Among them, any one or a combination thereof may be included.

Alternatively, the preset condition for changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge includes the usage time determined based on the input signal generated by the input device receiving the user's input. It's okay.

By changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge (S190), the position of the subsequent chamber is transferred to the first cartridge by replacing the currently used chamber through which the aerosol passes among the chambers of the second cartridge. It can be changed to a position corresponding to the hole. The step of changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge (S190) is automatically performed by a drive device operated by a controller.

The step of changing the relative position of the first cartridge and the second cartridge (S190) is the step of notifying the user of the need to change the position of the chamber when a preset condition is achieved. receiving an input signal generated by a user operating the input device; and operating the driving device based on the received input operation to change the position of at least one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge. and including.

When the relative position of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is changed, the use chamber is immediately removed from the position corresponding to the transmission hole, and after aligning the subsequent chamber with the transmission hole, the subsequent chamber is used to pass the aerosol. Alternatively, both the use chamber and the subsequent chamber can temporarily act to pass the aerosol, and only the subsequent chamber can act to pass the aerosol over time.

After the step of changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge (S190), the step of sensing the user's inhalation action (S100) may be returned to and the above steps may be repeated. can.

Even if the first cartridge of the aerosol generator is designed to contain a large amount of the first substance, the second cartridge can be automatically rotated by the drive to select the chamber used for aerosol delivery. , the effect of replacing with a new second substance can be obtained without exchanging the second cartridge containing the second substance.

In addition, the chambers of the second cartridge may contain different types of second substances, and the user can select one of the chambers and select the desired second substance, so that aerosols with various flavors can be freely produced. to enjoy.

The descriptions of the configurations and effects of the above-described embodiments are merely exemplary, and a person skilled in the art will be able to make various modifications and other equivalent embodiments accordingly. You can understand that it is possible. Therefore, the true technical scope of protection of the invention should be determined by the claims.

An embodiment relates to an aerosol generating device in which the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge are automatically adjusted so that it is convenient to carry and use.

Claims (13)

a first cartridge containing a first substance therein and including a transmission hole for transmitting an aerosol generated from the first substance;
a plurality of chambers containing a second substance through which the aerosol transmitted from the first cartridge is passed to be discharged to the outside; at least one of the chambers is relative to the first cartridge so as to correspond to the transmission hole a second cartridge whose position can be changed dynamically;
a driving device that changes relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge by moving at least one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge;
Control for changing the relative position of the first cartridge and the second cartridge such that at least one of the chambers allows passage of the aerosol by operating the driving device when a preset condition is achieved. an aerosol-generating device, comprising: The first cartridge further includes a heater that performs a heating operation to heat the first substance, and the preset condition for the controller to operate the driving device is the heater for generating an aerosol. 2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, including a cumulative time of the heating operation and a combination of the cumulative time of the heating operation of the heater and the heating temperature of the heater. Further comprising a puff sensor that senses fluctuations in fluid pressure and flow due to the flow of fluid flowing inside the aerosol generator, wherein the preset condition for the controller to operate the driving device is a signal sensed by the puff sensor. 2. The aerosol generating device of claim 1, comprising any one of the number of puffs determined based on and the accumulated time of said puffs, or a combination thereof. a heater that performs a heating operation to heat the first substance of the first cartridge; and an input device that receives a user's input operation for starting the heating operation of the heater and generates an input signal, 2. The aerosol generating device of claim 1, wherein the preset conditions under which the controller activates the drive device include usage time determined based on the input signal of the input device. The first cartridge includes a plurality of reservoirs partitioned to respectively contain the first substance, a plurality of the transmission holes are provided corresponding to each of the reservoirs, and the chamber 2. The aerosol according to claim 1, wherein the relative position of said second cartridge to said first cartridge is changed such that at least one position of corresponds to the position of said transmission hole of any one of said reservoirs generator. One of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is rotatably coupled to the other one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge, and the driving device comprises: the first cartridge; and the second cartridge, any one of which is rotated. One of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is linearly movably coupled to the other one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge, and the driving device comprises: 2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is linearly moved. 11. The aerosol generating device of claim 1, further comprising an information generator that announces notifications for repositioning of the chamber. 2. The aerosol generator of claim 1, wherein the controller changes the relative position of the second cartridge with respect to the first cartridge such that the position of any one of the chambers is aligned with the position of the transmission hole. Device. 2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the controller changes the relative position of the second cartridge with respect to the first cartridge such that adjacent ones of the chambers overlap the transmission holes at the same time. 2. The aerosol generating device of claim 1, wherein the first cartridge and the second cartridge are coupled together to form an aerosol generating assembly, and further comprising a case including a receiving passage for receiving the aerosol generating assembly. . 12. The aerosol generating assembly further comprises a heater provided in the first cartridge to heat the first substance, and the case further comprises an electrical terminal connected to the heater to supply electricity. The aerosol generator according to . 12. The aerosol generating device according to claim 11, wherein the case further includes a heater for heating the first substance supplied from the second cartridge of the aerosol generating assembly housed in the housing passage.

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