KR102533112B1 - Aerosol-generating apparatus and heater control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol generating device and a method for controlling a heater thereof capable of ensuring consistency and uniformity of flavor delivery are provided. An aerosol generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a vaporizer for generating an aerosol from a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a flavor source storage unit configured to store a flavor source containing a solid material and allow the generated aerosol to pass therethrough, A heater for heating the stored flavor source and a control unit for controlling a heating temperature of the heater may be included. In this case, the controller may control the heating temperature so that the heating temperature of the second puff time point, which is after the first puff time point, is higher than the first puff time point. By doing so, the problem of a decrease in the amount of flavor delivery as puffing or smoking is repeated can be solved.

Description

Aerosol generating device and heater control method thereof

The present disclosure relates to an aerosol generating device and a heater control method thereof. More specifically, when aerosol is generated using a liquid aerosol-forming substrate and a solid flavor source, an aerosol generating device capable of ensuring the uniformity and continuity of flavor transfer amount and a heater control method performed in the device will be.

In recent years there has been a growing demand for alternative methods that overcome the disadvantages of conventional cigarettes. For example, demand for a hybrid type device generating and generating an aerosol using a liquid and a cigarette is increasing. Accordingly, studies on hybrid aerosol generating devices are being actively conducted.

Recently, a device for generating an aerosol using a liquid phase and tobacco granules has been proposed. In the proposed device, the aerosol generated through liquid phase heating is designed to pass through the tobacco granules, so that the nicotine component in the tobacco granules can be delivered to the user.

However, the device as described above shows an excellent amount of nicotine transfer in the beginning, but has a problem in that the amount of nicotine transfer drops rapidly as the number of puffs or smoking is accumulated. Accordingly, replacing tobacco granules frequently occurs before the recommended number of uses (e.g. number of puffs, number of smoking) is filled up due to deterioration in taste, which is a major factor that causes the departure of highly loyal users. becoming a factor.

A technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is an aerosol generating device capable of ensuring uniformity and persistence of the amount of flavor delivery when generating aerosol using a liquid aerosol-forming substrate and a solid flavor source, and It is to provide a heater control method performed in the device.

The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

In order to solve the above technical problem, an aerosol generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a vaporizer generating an aerosol from a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, storing a flavor source containing a solid material, and storing the generated aerosol. It may include a flavor source storage unit arranged to pass therethrough, a heater for heating the stored flavor source, and a control unit for controlling a heating temperature of the heater. At this time, the control unit may control the heating temperature so that the heating temperature of the second puff time point after the first puff time point is higher than the first puff time point.

In some embodiments, the flavor source may include pH adjusted tobacco material.

In some embodiments, the controller may control the heating temperature of the heater to tend to increase as the number of puffs increases.

In some embodiments, the control unit may maintain a constant heating temperature of the heater while the number of puffs falls within a specific range, and increase the heating temperature of the heater when the number of puffs deviates from the specific range.

In some embodiments, the control unit increases the heating temperature of the heater with a first average slope while the number of puffs belongs to a first section, and increases the heating temperature of the heater to a second section while the number of puffs belongs to a second section. It can be increased with an average slope.

In some embodiments, the flavor source may include a solid material of a first size and a solid material of a second size different from the first size.

In some embodiments, the flavor source may comprise tobacco material adjusted to a first pH and tobacco material adjusted to a second pH different from the first pH.

In some embodiments, the controller may adjust the heating temperature of the heater based on a user's puff pattern, and the puff pattern may be defined based on at least one of a puff length, a puff interval, and a puff strength.

In some embodiments, the flavor source storage unit includes a first storage unit storing a first flavor source and a second storage unit storing a second flavor source, and the heater is a first heating element for heating the first flavor source. and a second heating element for heating the second flavor source, and heating temperatures of the first heating element and the second heating element may be independently controlled by the control unit.

In some embodiments, the first flavor source comprises a solid material of a first size, the second flavor source comprises a solid material of a second size different from the first size, and the controller comprises the first size. At least one factor of the operating time of the heating element and the second heating element, the heating temperature, and the increasing slope of the heating temperature may be differently controlled.

In some embodiments, the first flavor source comprises tobacco material adjusted to a first pH, the second flavor source comprises tobacco material adjusted to a second pH different from the first pH, and wherein the control unit may differently control at least one factor of the operating time of the first heating element and the second heating element, the heating temperature, and the increasing slope of the heating temperature.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure described above, a heater for heating the flavor source may be disposed, and the heating temperature of the heater may be controlled to tend to increase as the number of puffs (or number of smoking, operation time) increases. there is. By doing so, the problem that the flavor delivery amount decreases as smoking is repeated can be solved, and the uniformity of the flavor delivery amount can be guaranteed until the flavor source is exhausted (replaced). For example, when tobacco substances are included in the flavor source, the problem that the amount of nicotine delivered in the second half decreases can be solved by increasing the heating temperature of the tobacco substance as the number of puffs (or the number of smoking) increases.

Also, the heating temperature of the heater may be dynamically adjusted based on the user's puff pattern. For example, the heating temperature of the heater may be adjusted based on the user's puff strength, puff length, puff interval, and/or variations thereof. Since the puff pattern is information containing user feedback on the taste, when the heating temperature is adjusted based on the puff pattern, an effect of precisely adjusting the amount of flavor delivery based on the user feedback can be achieved. Accordingly, the user's satisfaction with smoking can be improved.

In addition, a plurality of flavor sources having different characteristics may be heated by independently controlled heating elements. For example, a first tobacco material adjusted to a first pH may be heated by a first heating element and a second tobacco material adjusted to a second pH higher than the first pH may be heated by a second heating element. . At this time, the control unit delays the operation time of the heating element of the flavor source (e.g. the second tobacco material), which has a good flavor transition, lowers the heating temperature, or reduces the heating temperature increase gradient, so that the flavor source is quickly transferred at the beginning. can prevent it from happening. Accordingly, even in an environment where a plurality of flavor sources exist, the continuity and uniformity of flavor transfer can be guaranteed.

Effects according to the technical spirit of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

1 is an exemplary diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol-generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
2 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a heater control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
3 to 7 are exemplary diagrams for amplifying a temperature control method of a heater control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
8 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a puff pattern-based heater control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
9 is an exemplary diagram for explaining an aerosol generating device having a plurality of storage units according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
10 and 11 are exemplary views for explaining a heater control method that can be performed in the aerosol generating device illustrated in FIG. 9 .

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Advantages and features of the present disclosure, and methods of achieving them, will become clear with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments and can be implemented in various different forms, and only the following embodiments complete the technical idea of the present disclosure, and in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs. It is provided to completely inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the present disclosure, and the technical spirit of the present disclosure is only defined by the scope of the claims.

In adding reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components have the same numerals as much as possible even if they are displayed on different drawings. In addition, in describing the present disclosure, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description will be omitted.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the following embodiments may be used with meanings commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. In addition, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not interpreted ideally or excessively unless explicitly specifically defined. Terms used in the following examples are for describing the examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In the following examples, singular forms also include plural forms unless specifically stated otherwise in a phrase.

Also, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used in describing the components of the present disclosure. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and the nature, order, or order of the corresponding component is not limited by the term. When an element is described as being “connected,” “coupled to,” or “connected” to another element, that element is directly connected or connectable to the other element, but there is another element between the elements. It will be understood that elements may be “connected”, “coupled” or “connected”.

As used in this disclosure, "comprises" and/or "comprising" means that a stated component, step, operation, and/or element is one or more other components, steps, operations, and/or elements. Existence or additions are not excluded.

Prior to description of various embodiments of the present disclosure, some terms used in the embodiments will be clarified.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-forming substrate" may mean a material capable of forming an aerosol. Aerosols may contain volatile compounds. Aerosol-forming substrates may be solid or liquid. For example, the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may be a liquid composition containing a humectant such as glycerin, propylene glycol, or the like. In some cases, the aerosol-forming substrate may further include at least one of nicotine, tobacco extract, and/or various flavoring agents. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples listed above. In the following embodiments, liquid phase may refer to a liquid aerosol-forming substrate.

In the following examples, "flavor source" may mean a flavor or a substance capable of generating a flavor. For example, the flavor source may include tobacco material or other flavoring agents. The tobacco material may include materials based on tobacco raw materials, such as, for example, tobacco granules, leaf tobacco cut filler, leaf tobacco, etc., but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In the following embodiments, an “aerosol generating device” may refer to an aerosol generating device using an aerosol forming substrate to generate an aerosol that can be directly inhaled into the user's lungs through the user's mouth. See FIG. 1 for an example of an aerosol-generating device. However, since the type and/or detailed structure of the aerosol generating device may vary, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the example of FIG. 1 .

In the following embodiments, "puff" refers to a user's inhalation, and inhalation may refer to a situation in which the user's mouth or nose is pulled into the user's oral cavity, nasal cavity, or lungs. .

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol generating device 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Arrows in FIG. 1 indicate the direction of movement of the aerosol.

As shown in FIG. 1, the aerosol generating device 1 includes a housing 60, a mouthpiece unit 70, a vaporizer 30, a flavor source storage unit 50, a heater 40, and a battery 10. And it may include a control unit 20. However, only components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure are shown in FIG. 1 . Accordingly, those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs may know that other general-purpose components may be further included in addition to the components shown in FIG. 1 . For example, the aerosol-generating device 1 may have an output device (e.g. a motor, display, speaker) outputting the state of the device and/or an input device (e.g. a button) for receiving a user's input (e.g. device on/off, etc.) etc. may be further included. Hereinafter, each component of the aerosol generating device 1 will be described.

The housing 60 may form the exterior of the aerosol-generating device 1 . The specific shape of the exterior may be appropriately designed based on various factors such as functionality and aesthetics of the aerosol generating device 1 and may be modified in various ways. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the form illustrated in FIG. 1 . The housing 60 may be implemented with an appropriate material capable of protecting internal components.

Next, the mouthpiece part 70 may function as a mouthpiece in contact with the user's mouth. That is, as the user holds the mouthpiece part 70 in his mouth and inhales, the flavored aerosol 82 can be discharged through the mouthpiece part 70, and the discharged aerosol 82 blows the user's mouth. can be inhaled through The mouthpiece part 70 is located at the top of the aerosol generating device 1 and may have a shape that is easy for a user to bite into the mouth, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The mouthpiece part 70 may be implemented in various forms. For example, a portion of the housing 60 may function as the mouthpiece portion 70, or a separate mouthpiece structure may be implemented in a form mounted on the housing 60.

Next, the vaporizer 30 may generate an aerosol 81 by vaporizing the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The vaporizer 30 may be designed in various structures, and its detailed structure may vary depending on the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the vaporizer 30 according to some embodiments may include a liquid reservoir 31 , a wick 32 and a vaporization element 33 . Hereinafter, the components of the vaporizer 30 will be briefly described.

The liquid storage tank 31 has a storage space capable of storing the liquid aerosol-forming substrate, and can store the liquid in the provided space. The stored liquid phase may be transferred to the vaporizing element 33 through the wick 32 . However, in some embodiments, the vaporizer 30 may not include the wick 32, and in this case, the stored liquid phase may be transferred to the vaporization element 33 through another type of liquid delivery means.

Next, the wick 32 may absorb the liquid aerosol-forming substrate stored in the liquid reservoir 31 . The wick 32 may be implemented with a material capable of absorbing a liquid phase through a capillary phenomenon, such as silica, cotton, or a bead aggregate, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these examples.

Next, the vaporizing element 33 may generate an aerosol 81 by vaporizing the liquid absorbed by the wick 32 . 1 shows that the vaporizing element 33 is implemented as a heating element that vaporizes the liquid absorbed by the wick 32 through heating as an example, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to this example. For example, the vaporizing element 33 may be implemented in a form of vaporizing a liquid phase through ultrasonic waves.

The vaporizer 30 may be implemented in a replaceable form such as a cartridge, or may be implemented in a form for refilling a liquid, which may be implemented in any form.

For reference, the vaporizer 30 may be used interchangeably with terms such as atomizer, atomizer, and atomizer in the art.

Next, the flavor source storage unit 50 may store flavor sources. The flavor source storage unit 50 may be disposed on a path along which the aerosol 81 generated by the vaporizer 30 moves, and may have a structure through which the aerosol 81 may pass (permeate). For example, a plurality of micro-holes may be formed in the flavor source storage unit 50, and the aerosol 81 may pass through the flavor source storage unit 50 through the micro-holes, and in the process, the aerosol ( 81) may be contacted with a flavor source to add flavor to the aerosol 81.

The flavor source storage unit 50 may be implemented in a replaceable form such as a cartridge, or may be implemented in a form for refilling flavor sources, whichever form may be implemented.

The flavor source may include a solid material capable of adding flavor to the aerosol 81 . For example, the flavor source may include solid tobacco material. As a more specific example, the flavor source may include solid tobacco material processed into various forms, such as tobacco particles, tobacco granules, leaf tobacco cut fillers, tobacco sheets (eg reconstituted tobacco sheets such as leaflets), and the like.

In some embodiments, the solid phase tobacco material may be pH adjusted. For example, the pH of the tobacco material can be adjusted to be alkaline. Any method of adjusting the pH may be used. In this case, nicotine transfer can be promoted more than when the pH is not adjusted, so that the taste of smoking can be improved. For example, even when the heating temperature of the heater 40 is not high, nicotine transfer can be performed well, and the taste can be improved. Also, due to this, power consumption required for the heater 40 may be reduced.

In some embodiments, the flavor source may include a flavor material other than tobacco material. Examples of such flavor substances may include menthol and the like, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the flavor source may include a moisturizing treated solid material. Examples of the moisturizing material may include glycerin, propylene glycol, and the like, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. According to this embodiment, the effect of increasing the amount of atomization can be achieved as the amount of moisturizing material increases during smoking.

Meanwhile, FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which the flavor source storage unit 50 includes one storage unit as an example, but the number of storage units may vary depending on the embodiment, and the type and/or number of flavor sources may also vary according to the embodiment. may vary depending on

In some embodiments, the flavor source storage unit 50 may include a plurality of storage units. Additionally, each reservoir may contain flavor substances (e.g. tobacco substances) with the same or different characteristics (e.g. pH, size, etc.). Even in this case, uniformity of flavor transfer can be ensured by the control unit 20 appropriately controlling the heating temperature of the heater 40, which will be described in detail later with reference to the drawings below in FIG. 9.

Also, in some embodiments, the flavor source storage unit 50 may store flavor sources having different characteristics. For example, the flavor source storage unit 50 may include a solid material processed into a first size (e.g. tobacco granules, etc.) and a solid material processed into a second size different from the first size. In this case, since the solid material having a large size is transferred slowly at the beginning and transferred quickly through the assistance of the heater 40 in the second half, uniformity and continuity of flavor transfer can be effectively guaranteed. As another example, the flavor source storage unit 50 may include tobacco material adjusted to a first pH and tobacco material adjusted to a second pH different from the first pH. Even in this case, since the tobacco material having a relatively low pH is transferred slowly at the beginning and quickly transferred through the assistance of the heater 40 in the second half, uniformity and continuity of flavor transfer can be effectively ensured. In a context similar to the previous examples, the flavor source storage unit 50 is a first flavor substance having a relatively fast flavor transition rate and a second flavor substance that is relatively slow (e.g. size difference, pH difference, difference in processing method, material Flavor substances with different transition rates due to differences in structure, etc.) may be included.

Next, the heater 40 may heat the flavor source stored in the flavor source storage unit 50 . The operation and/or heating temperature of the heater 40 may be controlled by the control unit 20, which will be described in detail with reference to drawings such as FIG. 2 later.

As long as the flavor source can be heated, the heater 40 may be implemented in any way. For example, the heater 40 may be an electric resistance heater or may operate in an induction heating method. In addition, the heater 40 may include one heating element or may include a plurality of heating elements.

1 illustrates, as an example, that the heater 40 includes a heating element for heating the flavor source from the outside, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, when the heater 40 operates in an induction heating method and the flavor source storage unit 50 includes a susceptor material (e.g. a susceptor material in the form of particles), the flavor source is an inductor (e.g. an induction coil). ) may be internally heated by the inductively heated susceptor material.

Next, the battery 10 may supply power used for the operation of the aerosol generating device 1 . For example, the battery 10 may supply power to the heater 40 and supply power necessary for the controller 20 to operate. In addition, the battery 10 may supply power necessary for the vaporizer 30 to operate.

In addition, the battery 10 may supply power necessary for operating electrical components such as a display (not shown), a sensor (not shown), and a motor (not shown) installed in the aerosol generating device 1.

Next, the controller 20 may control the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 1 . For example, the controller 20 may control the operation of the heater 40 and the battery 10, and may also control the operation of other components included in the aerosol generating device 1, such as the vaporizer 30. can The controller 20 may control power supplied by the battery 10 and heating temperature of the heater 40 . In addition, the controller 20 may determine whether or not the aerosol generating device 1 is in an operable state by checking the state of each component of the aerosol generating device 1 .

In some embodiments, the controller 20 may increase the heating temperature of the heater 40 to compensate for the gradual decrease in the amount of flavor delivery. For example, the controller 20 may control the heating temperature of the heater 40 so that the heating temperature of the second puff time point, which is after the first puff time point, is higher than the first puff time point. There may be various reasons for the decrease in the amount of flavor implementation. For example, since the flavor source is exhausted whenever smoking is performed, and substances in a state that can be easily implemented are quickly implemented at the beginning, the amount of flavor delivery may gradually decrease as smoking (or puff) is repeated. Therefore, in order to ensure continuous and uniform implementation of the flavor source, the control unit 20 may increase the heating temperature of the heater 40 . For example, the controller 20 may control the heating temperature of the heater 40 to tend to increase as the operating time, the number of puffs, or the number of smoking increases (accumulates) of the aerosol generating device 1 . A method for the control unit 20 to control the heating temperature of the heater 40 based on the number of puffs will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2 and the following drawings.

Also, in some embodiments, the controller 20 may dynamically control the heating temperature of the heater 40 based on the user's puff pattern. In this case, the puff pattern may be defined based on, for example, at least one of puff length, puff intensity, and puff interval. For example, the controller 20 may increase the heating temperature of the heater 40 in response to detecting a pattern of increasing puff strength. This is because an increase in puff intensity is highly likely to indicate a user's negative feedback on the taste (e.g. weak taste). According to the present embodiment, since the flavor delivery amount can be adjusted based on the user feedback predicted from the puff pattern, the flavor delivery amount can be more precisely adjusted, and thus the user's satisfaction with smoking can be improved. This embodiment will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 8 .

The controller 20 may be implemented by at least one processor. The processor may be implemented as an array of a plurality of logic gates, or may be implemented as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory in which programs executable by the microprocessor are stored. In addition, those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can clearly understand that the control unit 20 may be implemented with other types of hardware.

So far, with reference to FIG. 1 , an aerosol generating device 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been schematically described. Hereinafter, a method of controlling the heating temperature of the heater 40 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings below in FIG. 2 . Each step of the control method described below may be performed by the control unit 20 . Therefore, when the subject of a specific operation is omitted in the following description, it can be understood that it can be performed by the control unit 20 .

2 is an exemplary flowchart showing a heater control method of the aerosol generating device 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. However, this is only a preferred embodiment for achieving the object of the present disclosure, and it goes without saying that some steps may be added or deleted as needed.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the heater control method may start at step S110 of initializing the number of puffs. For example, the controller 20 may initialize the number of puffs when the flavor source storage unit 50 is replaced with a new one or when the flavor source is refilled. The controller 20 may detect the replacement of the flavor source storage unit 50 or the refill of the flavor source using any method.

In step S120, the controller 20 may detect the user's puff and count the number of puffs. For example, the controller 20 may count the detected puffs while accumulating the number of puffs until the number of puffs is initialized again.

In this step, the method for the controller 20 to detect the user's puff may vary. For example, the controller 20 may detect a user's puff based on a change in air flow detected by an air flow sensor. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the controller 20 may detect the puff in other ways.

In step S130, the controller 20 may control the heating temperature of the heater 40 based on the counted number of puffs. For example, the control unit 20 may control the heating temperature of the heater 40 to tend to increase as the number of puffs increases. This is because as the number of puffs increases, the amount of flavor transfer decreases, and thus, to compensate for this, it is necessary to increase the heating temperature. However, a detailed method of adjusting the heating temperature may vary depending on the embodiment.

In some embodiments, the controller 20 may control the heating temperature so that the heating temperature of the heater 40 rises with a constant slope as the number of puffs increases. Here, the fact that the heating temperature rises with a constant slope means that the instantaneous slope (e.g. the slope at the number of puffs a, b or c) is constant (e.g. see FIGS. 3 and 4) as well as the average slope of a specific section (e.g. in FIG. 3). A case where the slope of the straight line connecting the starting point and the ending point of the section 101) is constant may also be included. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 or 4, the control unit 20 may control the heating temperature of the heater 40 to increase constantly during each section 101 to 103 or 111 to 113. there is. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4 , the controller 20 may control the heating temperature of the heater 40 to increase by a predetermined width when the section is changed (eg, section 111 to section 112). As a more specific example, when the recommended number of puffs in the flavor source storage unit 50 is c, the control unit 20 performs the first section 101 and 111, the middle section 102 and 112, and the second half section 103 and 113. The heating temperature of the heater 40 may be controlled so that the heating temperature is constantly increased. Also, in this embodiment, the control unit 20 may operate the heater 40 after a specific number of puffs and uniformly increase the heating temperature after the heater 40 operates. For example, the control unit 20 does not operate the heater 40 in the early sections 101 and 111, and operates the heater 40 from the middle sections 102 and 112 to keep the heating temperature of the heater 40 constant. may increase it. According to the present embodiment, as the heating temperature of the heater 40 is gradually increased, the flavor transfer may be gradually promoted, and accordingly, the uniformity of the flavor transfer amount may be ensured.

In some other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5 , the controller 20 may control the heating temperature so that the slope of the heating temperature of the heater 40 increases as the number of puffs increases. For example, the control unit 20 has a third slope greater than the slope θ2 of the second section 122 so that the slope θ2 of the second section 122 is greater than the slope θ1 of the first section 121. The heating temperature of the heater 40 may be increased so that the slope θ3 of the section 122 is large. According to this embodiment, since the heating temperature of the heater 40 will be most rapidly increased in the second half when the flavor transition is the lowest, the amount of flavor transit in the second half can be well guaranteed. However, in some other embodiments, the control unit 20 may control the heating temperature so that the slope of the heating temperature of the heater 40 decreases as the number of puffs increases, and the slope of the heating temperature may decrease according to predetermined conditions. It is also possible to control the heating temperature in the form of increasing or decreasing.

In some other embodiments, the controller 20 may control the heating temperature of the heater 40 so that the heating temperature increases stepwise. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , when the control unit 20 maintains the heating temperature of the heater 40 constant during a specific section 131 to 133 and enters the next section after leaving the corresponding section (e.g. Changed from section 131 to section 132) The heating temperature may be increased. As a more specific example, when the recommended number of puffs of the flavor source storage unit 50 is c, the control unit 20 does not operate the heater 40 during the initial period 131, and the heater 40 during the middle period 132 ) may be operated at the first temperature, and the heater 40 may be operated at a second temperature higher than the first temperature during the second half section 133. As another example, as shown in FIG. 7 , the control unit 20 performs heating so that the maintenance intervals 141, 143, and 145 and the rising intervals 142 and 144 of the heating temperature repeatedly appear as the number of puffs increases. You can also control the temperature. At this time, the length of each section 141 to 145 and the slope of the rising sections 142 and 144 may be set in various ways.

In the above-described embodiments, the lengths of each section (e.g. 101 to 103, 111 to 113, etc.) may be the same or different. In addition, the length of each section (e.g. 101 to 103, 111 to 113, etc.) may be a preset fixed value or a variable value that changes according to circumstances. For example, the length of each section (e.g. 101 to 103, 111 to 113, etc.) may be determined as the same or different values based on the recommended number of puffs (or smoking number) of the flavor source storage unit 50. For another example, the control period may be dynamically changed based on a user's puff pattern. For example, the control unit 20 controls the heating temperature of the heater 40 with the first slope θ1 of the first interval 121, and when a pattern in which the puff intensity increases is detected, in the second interval 122 Upon entering, the heating temperature of the heater 40 may be controlled with the second slope θ1. In this case, the length of each section (e.g. 101 to 103, 111 to 113, etc.) varies depending on circumstances.

So far, a heater control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7 . According to the above method, the heating temperature of the heater may be controlled to increase as the number of puffs increases. By doing so, the problem that the flavor delivery amount decreases as smoking is repeated can be solved, and the continuity and uniformity of the flavor delivery amount can be guaranteed until the flavor source is exhausted (replaced).

Meanwhile, the above description may be applied even when the control unit 20 controls the heating temperature of the heater 40 based on the number of smoking times or the operation time (e.g. smoking time) of the aerosol generating device 1. For example, the control unit 20 initializes the operating time of the aerosol generating device 1 when the flavor source storage unit 50 is replaced, and then operates the device 1 while in use (ie, smoking). Time is accumulated (summed up), and based on the accumulated operation time, the heating temperature of the heater 40 can be controlled to tend to increase. As another example, the control unit 20 initializes the smoking number when the flavor source storage unit 50 is replaced, and then accumulates and counts the smoking number each time the device 1 is used (that is, each time smoking), , The heating temperature of the heater 40 may be controlled to tend to increase based on the counted smoking number.

Hereinafter, a heater control method based on a puff pattern according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 8 .

8 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a heater control method based on a puff pattern according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. However, this is only a preferred embodiment for achieving the object of the present disclosure, and it goes without saying that some steps may be added or deleted as needed.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the heater control method may start in step S210 of detecting a puff pattern. The puff pattern may be defined based on, for example, at least one of puff length, puff interval, and puff strength. However, it is not limited thereto.

In step S220, the controller 20 may adjust the heating temperature of the heater 40 based on the detected puff pattern. In this step, a specific method for controlling the heating temperature by the control unit 20 may be designed in various ways.

For example, the controller 20 may increase the heating temperature or the slope of the heating temperature of the heater 40 in response to detecting a pattern of increasing puff strength. This is because the increase in puff strength is likely to indicate user feedback that the taste is weak. Here, the meaning of increasing the heating temperature of the heater 40 may include operating the heater 40 when the heater 40 is not in operation. In the opposite case, the controller 20 may decrease the heating temperature or the slope of the heating temperature of the heater 40 . Here, the meaning of reducing the heating temperature of the heater 40 may include stopping the operation of the heater 40 .

As another example, the controller 20 may increase the heating temperature or the slope of the heating temperature of the heater 40 in response to detecting a pattern in which the puff length increases. This is because the increase in puff length is likely to indicate user feedback that the taste is weak. In the opposite case, the controller 20 may decrease the heating temperature or the slope of the heating temperature of the heater 40 .

As another example, the controller 20 may increase the heating temperature or the slope of the heating temperature of the heater 40 in response to detecting a pattern of decreasing puff intervals. This is because it is highly likely that the decrease in puff interval means user feedback that the taste is weak. In the opposite case, the controller 20 may decrease the heating temperature or the slope of the heating temperature of the heater 40 .

So far, a method for controlling a heater based on a puff pattern according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 8 . According to the above method, the heating temperature of the heater 40 may be dynamically adjusted based on the user's puff pattern. For example, the heating temperature of the heater 40 may be adjusted based on the user's puff strength, puff length, and/or puff interval. Since the puff pattern is information containing user feedback on the taste, adjusting the heating temperature based on the puff pattern can achieve an effect of adjusting the amount of flavor delivery based on the user feedback. Accordingly, the user's satisfaction with smoking can be further improved.

Meanwhile, although the heater control method illustrated in FIG. 8 has been described separately from FIG. 2 , the heater control method illustrated in FIG. 8 may be performed together with the method illustrated in FIG. 2 . For example, the control unit 20 may control the heating temperature of the heater 40 based on the number of puffs overall and at the same time adjust the heating temperature of the heater 40 in detail based on the puff pattern. In this case, the heating temperature of the heater 40 generally tends to increase according to the number of puffs, but detailed changes may vary depending on the user's puff pattern. Therefore, the heating temperature of the heater 40 can be more accurately and precisely controlled.

Hereinafter, a heater control method when the flavor source storage unit 50 includes a plurality of storage units according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 .

9 is an exemplary diagram for explaining an aerosol generating device 1 having a plurality of storage units according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. 9 shows that the flavor source storage unit 50 includes two storage units 51 and 52 as an example, but this is only for convenience of understanding, and the flavor source storage unit 50 includes three It may include more than one storage unit.

As shown in FIG. 9 , in some embodiments, the flavor source storage unit 50 may include a plurality of storage units 51 and 52 , and the first flavor source may be stored in the first storage unit 51 . and the second flavor source may be stored in the second storage unit 52 . In addition, the heater 40 may include a plurality of heating elements 41 and 42 to heat the flavor sources in the respective storage units 51 and 52 . At this time, the operation and/or heating temperature of each of the heating elements 41 and 42 may be independently controlled by the control unit 20 .

In this embodiment, the characteristics of the first flavor source and the second flavor source may be designed in various ways, and the control method of the heating elements 41 and 42 may vary according to the characteristics of the flavor source.

For example, the first flavor source may include a flavor material having the same properties as the second flavor source. For example, the first flavor source may comprise solid material of the same size as the second flavor source, or may comprise tobacco material of the same pH. In this case, the controller 20 may control the heating temperatures of the first heating element 41 and the second heating element 42 in the same way. For example, the control unit 20 may control the heating temperature of the two heating elements 41 and 42 in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 8 .

As another example, a first flavor source may include a solid material of a first size and a second flavor source may include a solid material of a second size different from the first size. In this case, the control unit 20 may differently control at least one factor among operating time points of the first heating element 41 and the second heating element 42, the heating temperature, and the increasing slope of the heating temperature. For example, it is assumed that the first flavor source includes a smaller size solid material than the second flavor source. Then, as shown in the graphs 151 and 152 illustrated in FIG. 10 , the control unit 20 controls the heating elements 41 and 42 so that the increasing slope of the heating temperature of the second heating element 42 is greater than that of the first heating element 41 . ) to control the temperature. Alternatively, as shown in the graphs 161 and 162 illustrated in FIG. 11 , the control unit 20 controls the heating element 41 so that the operating time (e.g. number of puffs a) of the first heating element 41 is later than that of the second heating element 42 . , 42) can be controlled. In this case, the first solid material with relatively good flavor transition is prevented from rapidly moving at the beginning, and the transition of the second solid material with relatively poor flavor transition is promoted, ensuring continuity and uniformity of flavor transition. It can be.

As another example, a first flavor source may include tobacco material adjusted to a first pH and a second flavor source may include tobacco material adjusted to a second pH different from the first pH. In this case, the control unit 20 may differently control at least one factor among operating time points of the first heating element 41 and the second heating element 42, the heating temperature, and the increasing slope of the heating temperature. Assume, for example, that the first flavor source contains tobacco material at a higher pH than the second flavor source. Then, as shown in the graphs 151 and 152 illustrated in FIG. 10 , the control unit 20 controls the heating elements 41 and 42 so that the increasing slope of the heating temperature of the second heating element 42 is greater than that of the first heating element 41 . ) to control the temperature. Alternatively, as shown in the graphs 161 and 162 illustrated in FIG. 11 , the control unit 20 controls the heating element 41 so that the operating time (e.g. number of puffs a) of the first heating element 41 is later than that of the second heating element 42 . , 42) can be controlled. In this case, the rapid transition of the first tobacco material with relatively good nicotine transfer is prevented at the beginning, and the transfer of the second tobacco material with relatively poor nicotine transfer is promoted, ensuring continuity and uniformity of flavor transition. It can be.

So far, a heater control method in the case of having a plurality of storage units according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 . According to the above-described method, even in an environment where a plurality of flavor sources having different characteristics exist, the continuity and persistence of flavor transfer can be guaranteed through temperature control of the heating element.

The technical idea of the present disclosure described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11 so far may be implemented as computer readable code on a computer readable medium. The computer-readable recording medium may be, for example, a removable recording medium (CD, DVD, Blu-ray disc, USB storage device, removable hard disk) or a fixed recording medium (ROM, RAM, computer-equipped hard disk). can The computer program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium may be transmitted to another computing device through a network such as the Internet, installed in the other computing device, and thus used in the other computing device.

In the above, even though all the components constituting the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described as being combined or operated as one, the technical idea of the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to these embodiments. That is, within the scope of the purpose of the present disclosure, all of the components may be selectively combined with one or more to operate.

Although actions are shown in a particular order in the drawings, it should not be understood that the actions must be performed in the specific order shown or in a sequential order, or that all shown actions must be performed to obtain a desired result. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of the various components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation, and the described program components and systems may generally be integrated together into a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. It should be understood that there is

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art may implement the present disclosure in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features. can understand that there is Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not limiting. The protection scope of the present disclosure should be construed by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent range should be construed as being included in the scope of rights of the technical ideas defined by the present disclosure.

1: aerosol generating device 10: battery
20: control unit 30: vaporizer
31: liquid reservoir 32: wick
33: vaporization element 40: heater
50: Hyangmiwon storage unit 60: Housing
70: mouthpiece part 41: first heating element
42: second heating element 51: first storage unit
52: second storage unit

Claims (13)

a vaporizer generating an aerosol from the liquid aerosol-forming substrate;
a flavor source storage unit arranged to store a flavor source containing a solid material and pass the generated aerosol;
a heater for heating the stored flavor source; and
And a control unit for controlling the heating temperature of the heater,
The control unit controls the heating temperature of the heater to be constant or increase as the number of puffs increases,
The control unit keeps the heating temperature of the heater constant while the number of puffs belongs to the first section, and maintains the heating temperature of the heater while the number of puffs belongs to the second section after the first section. The heating temperature of the heater is increased than the heating temperature of the second section and then kept constant, and while the number of puffs belongs to the third section after the second section, the heating temperature of the heater is increased from the heating temperature of the second section and then kept constant, or ,
While the number of puffs belongs to a first section, the heating temperature of the heater is increased with a first average slope, and while the number of puffs belongs to a second section after the first section, the heating temperature of the heater is increased to the first average slope. Increasing with a second average slope greater than the slope, and increasing the heating temperature of the heater with a third average slope greater than the second average slope while the number of puffs belongs to a third interval after the second interval,
Aerosol generating device. According to claim 1,
The flavor source comprises a pH-adjusted tobacco material,
Aerosol generating device. delete According to claim 1,
The control unit initializes the number of puffs in response to determining that the flavor source storage unit has been replaced.
Aerosol generating device. delete delete delete According to claim 1,
The flavor source comprises a solid material of a first size and a solid material of a second size different from the first size,
Aerosol generating device. According to claim 1,
The flavor source comprises a tobacco material adjusted to a first pH and a tobacco material adjusted to a second pH different from the first pH.
Aerosol generating device. According to claim 1,
The control unit adjusts the heating temperature of the heater based on the user's puff pattern,
The puff pattern is defined based on at least one element of puff length, puff interval, and puff strength.
Aerosol generating device. According to claim 1,
The flavor source storage unit includes a first storage unit storing a first flavor source and a second storage unit storing a second flavor source,
The heater includes a first heating element for heating the first flavor source and a second heating element for heating the second flavor source,
The heating temperature of the first heating element and the second heating element is independently controlled by the controller,
Aerosol generating device. According to claim 11,
The first flavor source comprises a solid material of a first size,
the second flavor source comprises a solid material of a second size different from the first size;
The control unit differently controls at least one factor of the operation time of the first heating element and the second heating element, the heating temperature, and the increasing slope of the heating temperature.
Aerosol generating device. According to claim 11,
wherein the first flavor source comprises tobacco material adjusted to a first pH;
wherein the second flavor source comprises tobacco material adjusted to a second pH different from the first pH;
The control unit differently controls at least one factor of the operation time of the first heating element and the second heating element, the heating temperature, and the increasing slope of the heating temperature.
Aerosol generating device.

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