KR20220133507A - Apparatus for removing sidestream smoke and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus for removing sidestream smoke and a control method thereof. The apparatus for removing sidestream smoke according to some embodiments of the present disclosure comprises: a device housing forming the exterior; a smoking structure combined with the device housing and having a smoking space for a smoking article; an ignition unit igniting the smoking article inserted into the smoking space; an exhaust fan disposed upstream of the smoking article inserted into the smoking space to exhaust sidestream smoke generated from the ignited smoking article; and a sidestream smoke purifying unit purifying the sidestream smoke generated from the ignited smoking article. An objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for removing sidestream smoke with improved usability, usage safety and smoking satisfaction.

Description

Sidestream smoke removal device and control method thereof

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for removing sidestream smoke and a method for controlling the same. More particularly, it relates to a sidestream smoke removal device with improved usability, safety in use and smoking satisfaction, and a control method performed in the device.

The sidestream smoke removal device is a kind of smoking aid designed for the purpose of reducing hand odor and removing (purifying) sidestream smoke. A sidestream smoke removal device generally has a closed smoking space and a sidestream smoke removal means therein, and users can smoke by inserting a cigarette into the smoking space inside the sidestream smoke removal device.

The sidestream smoke removal device is an advantageous device that can greatly reduce the discomfort of people around the smoker by reducing the smell of sidestream smoke. However, due to the problem of poor ease of use, safety of use, or satisfaction with smoking, it has not yet been widely used. Therefore, there is an urgent need for research to comprehensively improve the ease of use, safety of use, and satisfaction with smoking of the sidestream smoke removal device.

A technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus for removing sidestream smoke with improved ease of use, safety of use, and satisfaction with smoking, and a control method performed by the apparatus.

The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, 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, a sidestream smoke removal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a device housing that forms an exterior, a smoking structure coupled to the device housing and having a smoking space for smoking articles, and the smoking space An ignition unit for igniting a smoking article inserted into the smoking space, an exhaust fan disposed upstream of the smoking article inserted into the smoking space to exhaust sidestream smoke generated from the ignited smoking article, and sidestream smoke generated from the ignited smoking article It may include a side stream purifying unit that performs a purification process for the.

In some embodiments, the ignition unit is disposed at a predetermined position in the device housing, and the smoking structure is rotatably coupled to the device housing, and as it rotates, the upstream end of the smoking space or the inserted smoking article The upstream end may be coupled to be located near the ignition portion.

In some embodiments, the method may further include a sensing element for sensing that the smoking structure is located in the vicinity of the ignition unit, wherein the ignition unit may be activated in response to detecting the smoking structure by the sensing element.

In some embodiments, it may further include a material blocking unit disposed downstream of the sidestream soft purification unit to block the solid material in the smoking space from accessing the side stream soft purification unit.

In some embodiments, it may further include a fragrance supply unit disposed upstream of the sidestream smoke purification unit to supply fragrance to the purified sidestream smoke.

In some embodiments, a support element disposed inside the smoking space and spaced apart from an inner wall of the smoking space to support the inserted smoking article may be further included.

In some embodiments, the support element may be made of a porous material.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure described above, the smoking structure may be rotatably coupled to the device housing, and the ignition unit may be automatically operated as the smoking structure is moved to the vicinity of the ignition unit through rotation. Accordingly, the user can start smoking without additional manipulation by simply rotating the smoking structure, thereby greatly improving the convenience of using the sidestream smoke removal device.

In addition, since the ignition unit is operated only when the smoking structure is moved to the vicinity of the ignition unit or an automatic fire extinguishing function is performed according to the end of smoking, the safety of using the sidestream smoke removal device can be greatly improved. For example, since the ignition unit is prevented from being operated by a user's erroneous operation, safety of use may be greatly improved.

In addition, a support element for supporting a smoking article may be disposed in the smoking space. The support element can improve the user's satisfaction with the sidestream smoke removal device by preventing the shaking phenomenon of the smoking article. In addition, the support element is spaced apart from the inner wall of the smoking space and made of a porous material so that outside air can be smoothly introduced into the smoking space, and the introduced outside air promotes combustion of the smoking article, thereby improving the taste of smoking articles. can do it Of course, according to this, the user's smoking satisfaction may be improved.

In addition, a fragrance supply unit may be disposed upstream of the side stream coalescence purification unit. The fragrance supply unit supplies fragrance to the sidestream smoke purified by the sidestream smoke purification unit, thereby further reducing the cigarette smell of the sidestream smoke. Accordingly, the discomfort of people around you due to smoking may be further reduced.

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

1 is an exemplary exploded view illustrating an apparatus for removing sidestream smoke according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a detailed structure of an apparatus for removing sidestream smoke according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
3 and 4 are exemplary views for explaining an operation method of the sidestream smoke removal apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
5 is an exemplary view for explaining the detailed structure of the smoking structure according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
6 is an exemplary view for explaining a detailed structure of a smoking structure according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.
7 and 8 are exemplary views for explaining a detailed structure of a smoking structure and a method of determining a smoking progress state according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.
9 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a control method of an apparatus for removing sidestream smoke according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

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 apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, but may be implemented in various different forms, and only the following embodiments complete the technical spirit of the present disclosure, and in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs It is provided to fully inform those of ordinary skill in 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 the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are given the same reference numerals as much as possible even though they are indicated 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 thereof will be omitted.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used with the meaning commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. In addition, terms defined in a commonly used dictionary are not to be interpreted ideally or excessively unless clearly defined in particular. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing the embodiments and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. In this specification, the singular also includes the plural, unless specifically stated otherwise in the phrase.

In addition, in describing the components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the elements from other elements, and the essence, order, or order of the elements are not limited by the terms. When it is described that a component is “connected”, “coupled” or “connected” to another component, the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but another component is between each component. It should be understood that elements may be “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected.”

As used herein, “comprises” and/or “comprising” refers to a referenced component, step, operation and/or element of one or more other components, steps, operations and/or elements. The presence or addition is not excluded.

First, some terms used in various embodiments of the present disclosure will be clarified.

In the following examples, "smoking article" means any product capable of smoking, whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitutes. or any product capable of providing a smoking experience. For example, smoking articles may include smokeable articles such as cigarettes, cigars, and cigarillos.

In the following embodiments, a “smoking material” may mean a material that generates smoke and/or aerosol or is used for smoking. For example, the smoking material may comprise tobacco material. Tobacco material may include, for example, tobacco leaf pieces, tobacco stems or materials processed therefrom, and the like. As a more specific example, the tobacco material may include pulverized tobacco leaves, pulverized reconstituted tobacco, expanded cuttlefish, expanded stems and leaflets, and the like. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

In the following embodiments, "upstream" or "upstream direction" means a direction away from the user's bend, and "downstream" or "downstream direction" means a direction approaching from the user's bend. can do. The terms upstream and downstream may be used to describe the relative positions of elements associated with a smoking article. For example, in the sidestream smoke removal apparatus 1 illustrated in FIG. 2 , the sidestream smoke purification unit 16 located in the upper end direction of the fragrance supply unit 17 may be described as being located downstream of the fragrance supply unit 17 . This is because the downstream direction of the smoking article coincides with the upper direction, assuming that the smoking article is inserted into the smoking structure 11 .

In the following embodiments, "longitudinal direction" may mean a direction corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the smoking article.

In the following embodiments, "puff" refers to inhalation of the user, and inhalation may refer to a situation in which the user's mouth or nose is drawn into the user's mouth, 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 exploded view illustrating a sidestream smoke removal apparatus 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an internal structure of the sidestream smoke removal apparatus 1 . For reference, FIG. 1 shows a state before the smoking structure 11 is rotated (used), and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the smoking structure 11 is rotated to be used as an example.

1 or 2, the sidestream smoke removal device 1 includes a device housing 14, a smoking structure 11, an ignition unit 12, an exhaust fan 13, a material blocking unit 15, and sidestream smoke. It may include a purification unit 16 , a fragrance supply unit 17 , a battery 18 , and a control unit 19 . However, only the components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure are shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 . Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can see that other general-purpose components other than those shown in FIG. 1 may be further included. For example, the sidestream smoke removal device 1 may further include a display unit (not shown) that visually provides information on a smoking state to a user.

Also, it should be noted that, since FIG. 1 only shows a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, all components shown in FIG. 1 may not be essential components of the sidestream smoke removal device 1 . For example, the sidestream smoke removal apparatus 1 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in a form in which some of the components shown in FIG. 1 are omitted. As a more specific example, the sidestream smoke removal device 1 may be implemented in a form in which the fragrance supply unit 17 is omitted. Hereinafter, each component of the sidestream smoke removal apparatus 1 is demonstrated.

The device housing 14 may form the overall appearance of the sidestream smoke removal device 1 . The device housing 14 may be preferably made of a solid material to ensure the durability of the sidestream smoke removal device 1 and minimize the risk of damage due to external force. Components such as an ignition unit 12 , an exhaust fan 13 , and a material blocking unit 15 may be disposed in the device housing 14 .

An exhaust hole 142 for discharging gas (e.g. purified sidestream smoke) may be formed at an upstream end of the device housing 14 . Sidestream smoke purified by the sidestream smoke purification unit 16 may be discharged through the exhaust hole 142 while the sidestream smoke removal device 1 is in use. The exhaust hole 142 may be formed in any shape as long as the gas can be discharged. For example, the exhaust hole 142 may be formed in the same shape as a plurality of fine holes.

In some embodiments, a fastening hole 141 is formed in the device housing 14 , and the device housing 14 and the smoking structure 11 may be coupled through the fastening hole 141 . In order to exclude duplicate description, the present embodiment will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 3 .

In some embodiments, a heat insulating member (not shown) may be disposed on the outer surface of the device housing 14 . The insulating member (not shown) is made of a material with low thermal conductivity, so that when the user's body comes into contact with the sidestream smoke removal device 1 (e.g. when holding the sidestream smoke removal device 1 for smoking), the risk of burns due to internal heat is prevented in advance can do. Alternatively, the device housing 14 itself may be made of a material having low thermal conductivity.

Next, the smoking structure 11 may include an insertion hole 111 into which a smoking article is inserted and a smoking space (or insertion space). The user can smoke through the illustrated sidestream smoke removal device 1 by inserting a smoking article into the smoking space through the insertion hole 111 (refer to the dotted arrow in FIG. 2 ).

The smoking structure 11 may be coupled to the device housing 14 . However, the coupling form may be designed in various ways.

In some embodiments, the smoking structure 11 may be coupled to the device housing 14 in a rotatable form. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , a fastening hole 141 may be formed in the device housing 14 , and a protruding member 112 may be present on the outer surface of the housing of the smoking structure 11 . Then, the smoking structure 11 can be coupled to the device housing 14 by fastening the protruding member 112 to the fastening hole 141 , and the smoking structure 11 is to be rotated using the protruding member 112 as a rotation axis. can However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, and the smoking structure 11 and the device housing 14 may be coupled in other ways. In addition, in the example of FIG. 3 , the smoking structure 11 may be rotated by a user's external force, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In the present embodiment, the smoking structure 11 may be moved to a designated smoking position (refer to the rightmost drawing of FIG. 3 ) by rotation. Here, the smokingable position may mean a place where the upstream end of the smoking space (or smoking article inserted into the smoking space) formed in the smoking structure 11 is placed near the ignition unit 12 . In some embodiments, a predetermined notification may be provided to the user as the smoking structure 11 reaches the smoking-enabled position. For example, the sidestream smoke removal device 1 may provide a notification to the user in the form of visual (e.g. notification through the display unit), audible (e.g. sound notification), or tactile (e.g. vibration notification) form. As a more specific example, the smoking structure 11 may be embodied to be mechanically fastened to the device housing 14 by making a fastening sound such as “click” in a smoking position, and a notification may be provided to the user through the fastening sound. have.

In addition, in some embodiments, a sensing element (see 21 of FIG. 4 ) for detecting the smoking structure 11 may be further disposed in the device housing 14 . The sensing element may detect that the smoking structure 11 is located near the ignition unit 12 (e.g. sensing that the smoking structure 11 is moved to the vicinity of the ignition unit 12 by rotation), and in response to the detection result, automatically As a result, the ignition unit 12 may be operated. For example, the control unit 19 may operate the ignition unit 12 in response to the detection result of the sensing element, and regardless of the control unit 19 through a circuit connection between the sensing element and the ignition unit 12 , the ignition unit ( 12) may work. According to the present embodiment, since the ignition unit 12 can be automatically operated by a sensing element without a separate user operation, the convenience of use of the sidestream smoke removal device 1 can be greatly improved. In addition, since the ignition unit 12 may be prevented from being operated unintentionally due to a user's erroneous operation, the safety of use of the sidestream smoke removal device 1 may also be improved.

In the above embodiments, a method of implementing the sensing element may be various.

For example, the sensing element may be implemented as a sensor (e.g. proximity sensor) capable of detecting the approach of the smoking structure 11 . In this case, the sensing element may transmit an electrical signal as the approach of the smoking structure 11 is sensed, and the controller 19 may operate the ignition unit 12 in response to the electrical signal being received.

As another example, as shown in FIG. 4 , the sensing element may be implemented as a switch element 21 disposed at a predetermined position (eg, in the downstream direction of the ignition unit 12 ) in the device housing 1 . Here, the switch element 21 is changed to an on state by the physical pressure generated by the smoking structure 11 (e.g. the physical pressure applied as the rotated smoking structure 11 moves to the vicinity of the ignition unit 12), and , may be configured to change to an off state as the physical pressure is released. In this case, since the operation of the ignition unit 12 is controlled according to the operating state of the switch element 21 , ease of use and safety of use may be greatly improved. In some embodiments, a notification may be provided to the user as the switch element 21 changes to the on state. For example, the switch element 21 may be mechanically implemented so that a predetermined sound (e.g. "click") is generated as the switch element 21 is turned on, and a notification in the form of visual, auditory or tactile information is provided through the control of the controller 19 . may be provided.

In addition, in some embodiments, a heat insulating member (not shown) may be disposed on the inner wall of the housing of the smoking structure 11 (ie, the inner wall of the smoking space). The heat insulating member (not shown) is made of a material with low thermal conductivity to prevent heat inside the smoking space from being emitted to the outside, and to concentrate heat inside the smoking space to improve the taste.

The detailed structure of the smoking structure 11 will be described in more detail later with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8 .

It will be described again with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 .

The ignition unit 12 may provide an ignition function for smoking articles inserted into the smoking space. Specifically, the ignition unit 12 is disposed upstream of the smoking space to ignite the upstream end of the smoking article inserted into the smoking space. The ignition unit 12 may be implemented in the form of, for example, a heating coil, but is not limited thereto. If the smoking article can be ignited, the ignition unit 12 may be implemented in any manner. The ignition unit 12 may be controlled by the control unit 19 , or may be controlled in other ways.

Next, the exhaust fan 13 may allow sidestream smoke generated from the ignited smoking article to be exhausted to the outside through the sidestream smoke purification unit 16 . Specifically, the exhaust fan 13 sucks the sidestream smoke in the direction of the sidestream smoke purification unit 16 through rotation, and the sidestream smoke that has passed through the sidestream smoke purification unit 16 passes through the exhaust hole 142 of the sidestream smoke removal device 1 It can be smoothly discharged to the outside. The operation of the exhaust fan 13 may be controlled by the control unit 19, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 9 and the like.

Meanwhile, although FIG. 1 illustrates the exhaust fan 13 as closely disposed to the ignition unit 12 , the exhaust fan 13 may be disposed to be spaced apart from the ignition unit 12 . In addition, although FIG. 1 shows as an example that the exhaust fan 13 is located downstream of the side stream joint purification unit 16 , the exhaust fan 13 may be disposed upstream of the side stream joint purification unit 16 in some cases. . That is, in some embodiments, the side stream purifying unit 16 may be disposed between the ignition unit 12 and the exhaust fan 13 .

Next, the material blocking unit 15 may be disposed downstream of the side stream purifying unit 16 to provide a blocking function for solid substances (e.g. cigarette ash) existing in the smoking space or the device housing 14 . That is, the material blocking unit 15 may block the solid material from approaching the side stream purifying unit 16 . Such a material blocking unit 15 prevents the performance of the side stream coalescing unit 16 from being deteriorated due to the solid material being adsorbed to the side stream coalescence purification unit 16, or the solid material is disposed downstream of the side stream coalescence purification unit 16. It is possible to prevent accumulation or prevent the solid material from being discharged through the exhaust hole 142 . The material blocking unit 15 may be implemented as, for example, a mesh network, but is not limited thereto, and may be implemented in any form as long as it can properly block the solid material.

Next, the sidestream smoke purification unit 16 may provide a purification (filtration) function for the sidestream smoke. For example, the sidestream combustion purification unit 16 may include a filter (adsorption) material to perform a purification treatment on the gas (e.g. sidestream smoke) passing through the sidestream coalescence purification unit 16 . Examples of filter materials may include, but are not limited to, silica gel, zeolite, activated alumina, and the like.

Next, the fragrance supply unit 17 may provide a fragrance supply function for the gas (e.g. sidestream smoke) that has passed through the side stream combustion purification unit 16 or the gas discharged through the exhaust hole 142 . For example, the fragrance supply unit 17 may be disposed upstream of the side stream coalescence purification unit 16 and include a fragrance material, thereby supplying fragrance to the gas (e.g. side stream smoke) that has passed through the side stream coalescence purification unit 16 . Specifically, the fragrance supply unit 17 can further reduce the cigarette smell of the sidestream smoke by supplying the fragrance to the sidestream smoke purified by the sidestream smoke purification unit 16, so that a gas with a good scent is discharged through the exhaust hole 142 can do. Accordingly, discomfort felt by the smoker himself and those around him due to the smell of cigarettes can be greatly reduced.

The fragrance material may be any material capable of supplying fragrance to the gas, but may be a solid or liquid material, but is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the side stream purifying unit 16 and the fragrance supply unit 17 may be implemented in the form of a replaceable cartridge. That is, since the side stream purifying unit 16 and the fragrance supply unit 17 are consumables whose performance deteriorates as they are used, they may be implemented to be replaceable. In some cases, the material blocking part 15 may also constitute a part of the cartridge.

Next, the battery 18 may supply the power used to operate the sidestream smoke removal device 1 . For example, the battery 18 may supply electric power so that the ignition unit 12 can ignite a smoking article, and may supply electric power required for the control unit 19 to operate.

In addition, the battery 18 may supply electric power required to operate electrical components such as a display unit (not shown) installed in the sidestream smoke removal device 1 .

Next, the control unit 19 may control the overall operation of the sidestream smoke removal device 1 . For example, the control unit 19 may control the operation of the exhaust fan 13 , may control the operation of the display unit (not shown), and may control the operation of other components included in the sidestream smoke removal device 1 . can also be controlled. In addition, the control unit 19 may determine the smoking progress of the smoking article, and determine whether the sidestream smoke removal device 1 is in an operable state by checking the state of each of the components of the sidestream smoke removal device 1 . may be A detailed operation method of the control unit 19 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 9 and the like.

The controller 19 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 a program executable in the microprocessor is stored. In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can clearly understand that the control unit 19 may be implemented in other types of hardware.

Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the sidestream smoke removal device 1 may further include a display unit (not shown) disposed on the device housing 14 or the outer surface of the housing of the smoking structure 11 . The display unit (not shown) may display various types of information under the control of the control unit 19 . For example, the display unit (not shown) may display information on smoking progress, device information, smoking history information, user information, and the like. Here, the information about the smoking progress status may include all information related to the smoking progress, such as the smoking progress status (e.g. the current smoking position), the number of remaining puffs, the smoking time, the remaining smoking time, and the like. In addition, the puff information may include all information related to a puff event, such as the number of puffs, a puff length, a puff interval, a puff strength, whether a puff is in progress, and the like, but is not limited thereto. The device information may include, but is not limited to, information such as, for example, a power state, whether there is a failure, and a battery state (eg, remaining battery level, whether charging is required, etc.). The smoking history information may include, but is not limited to, the cumulative number of cigarettes smoked. The display unit (not shown) is provided with a visual display means such as an LED display, so that the various information can be visually displayed. However, the specific display means may vary freely.

Also, in some embodiments, the sidestream smoke removal device 1 may further include a module for providing an audible and/or tactile output. For example, the sidestream smoke removal device 1 may further include a speaker, a vibration module, and the like. In this case, the control unit 19 may provide various types of information to the user by further using the illustrated modules.

So far, the sidestream smoke removal apparatus 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 . Hereinafter, smoking structures 11-1 to 11-3 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8 . However, for clarity of the present disclosure, descriptions of contents overlapping with the previous embodiments will be omitted.

5 is an exemplary view for explaining the detailed structure of the smoking structure 11-1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIGS. 5 and 6, a dotted line-shaped directional arrow illustrates the flow of external air (Air).

As shown in FIG. 5 , the smoking structure 11-1 according to the present embodiment may further include a support element 22 disposed inside the smoking space. The support element 22 supports at least a portion of the smoking article 31 inserted into the smoking space, thereby preventing the smoking article 31 from shaking during smoking or being separated from the smoking space regardless of the user's intention. Accordingly, ease of use and safety of use of the sidestream smoke removal device 1 may be further improved. In addition, due to the support element 22, the smoking space can be designed to have a sufficiently large space, and a large amount of outside air is introduced during smoking to promote combustion, thereby improving the taste of the smoking article 31. .

As shown, the support element 22 may be disposed to be spaced apart from the inner wall of the structure housing 113 forming the smoking space. In this case, outdoor air may be smoothly introduced through the insertion hole 111 during puffing, and the introduced outdoor air promotes combustion of the smoking article 31, thereby further improving the taste. Of course, according to this, the user's smoking satisfaction may be improved.

In some embodiments, as shown, the support element 22 may be made of a porous material. For example, the support element 22 may be made of a porous material such as a mesh element. In this case, outside air may be introduced through the inside of the support element 22 to further promote combustion of the smoking article 31 .

In addition, in some embodiments, as shown, a holder element 114 for supporting the smoking article 31 may be disposed in the vicinity of the insertion hole 111 of the structure housing 113 . The holder element 114 also supports the smoking article 31 during smoking, thereby improving the convenience and safety of use of the sidestream smoke removal device 1 .

On the other hand, in the above embodiments, the holder element 114 may be made of a structure capable of adjusting the size of the insertion hole (111). For example, the holder element 114 may have a structure capable of tightening (reducing) the insertion hole 111 through manual operation. As another example, the holder element 114 may be configured to automatically tighten the insertion hole 111 to fit the smoking article 31 . As a more specific example, the holder element 114 is controlled by the control unit 19, and the control unit 19 detects that the smoking article 31 is inserted through a sensor or the like or a user input (e.g. button push) is to be received. When the insertion hole 111 of the holder element 114 may be controlled to be tightened. According to this embodiment, since the size of the insertion hole 111 is adjusted to fit the smoking article 31, the shaking phenomenon of the smoking article 31 can be prevented and support stability can be greatly improved. Furthermore, since smoking articles 31 of various sizes can be inserted, the utility of the sidestream smoke removal device 1 can be improved.

Meanwhile, although the drawings below in FIG. 5 show as an example that the smoking article 31 is composed of a filter part located downstream and a smoking material part located upstream, the structure of the smoking article 31 may be changed.

So far, the smoking structure 11-1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 5 . Hereinafter, the smoking structure 11 - 2 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 6 .

6 is an exemplary view for explaining the detailed structure of the smoking structure 11-2 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the smoking structure 11 - 2 according to the present embodiment may include a storage element 23 for storing the solid tobacco material 33 . The storage element 23 may have any shape as long as it can store the solid tobacco material. The solid tobacco material may be, for example, but not limited to, cut filler, reconstituted tobacco such as leaflets, tobacco granules, and the like.

As shown, the storage element 23 may be made of a porous material and/or a porous material. By doing so, the heat generated by the ignition unit 12 is transferred to the inside or the airflow heated by the ignition unit 12 is introduced into the inside, so that the stored tobacco material 33 can be smoothly heated.

As shown, the smoking structure 11-2 may further include a mouthpiece 32 that is in contact with the user's mouth. The user may smoke by inhaling the aerosol generated in the tobacco material 33 through the mouthpiece 32 .

In some embodiments, a partial wall 1131 (e.g. vertical wall) of the structure housing 113 may be formed in an openable and openable form (see arrow). In this case, the user can open the partial wall 113 to put the tobacco material 33 into the storage element 23 , close the partial wall 113 , and then smoke.

So far, the smoking structure 11-2 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 6 . Hereinafter, the smoking structure 11-3 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 .

7 is an exemplary view for explaining the detailed structure of the smoking structure 11-3 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the smoking structure 11-3 according to the present embodiment may include a temperature sensor 24 disposed in the smoking space. For example, the temperature sensor 24 may be disposed on the inner wall of the structure housing 113 forming the smoking space. However, the number, shape, arrangement position, arrangement interval, etc. of the temperature sensors 24 may be designed in various ways, which may vary depending on the embodiment.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7 , a temperature sensor 24 may be arranged to measure the temperature near the downstream end of the smoking space. In this case, whether or not smoking is terminated can be accurately determined using only one temperature sensor 24 without an additional monitoring module. It can be understood (refer to the right figure of FIG. 7 ). For example, if the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 24 is greater than or equal to the reference value (e.g., when the current smoking position reaches the downstream end of the smoking material unit), or the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 24 increases and then falls below the reference value When it decreases (e.g. when the combustion power is weakened at the downstream end of the smoking material part), it can be judged that smoking has ended.

In some other embodiments, the plurality of temperature sensors 24 may be disposed at different locations within the smoking space. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8 , a plurality of temperature sensors 24 - 1 to 24 - 3 may be disposed in the longitudinal direction of the smoking article 31 . Alternatively, the plurality of temperature sensors 24 may be disposed at positions facing each other. Although FIG. 8 shows as an example that three temperature sensors 24-1 to 24-3 are disposed, the number of temperature sensors 24 may be two or four or more. In addition, the arrangement interval of the temperature sensor 24 may be the same or different. When a plurality of temperature sensors (e.g. 24-1 to 24-3) are used, the smoking progress (e.g. smoking progress) can be monitored more accurately, and various monitoring information can be obtained as follows.

In some examples, the onset of smoking may be detected (determined) through a temperature sensor (e.g. 24-3) disposed near the upstream end of the smoking space. For example, the controller 19 may determine that smoking has started when the measured temperature of the temperature sensor (e.g. 24-3) is equal to or greater than a reference value.

In some examples, as shown in FIG. 8 , by comparing the measured temperatures of the plurality of temperature sensors 24-1 to 24-3 disposed in the longitudinal direction, the smoking progress status (e.g. current smoking ( combustion) location) can be determined. Specifically, the control unit 19 compares the measured temperatures of the first temperature sensor 24-1, the second temperature sensor 24-2, and the third temperature sensor 24-3 to determine the current value of the smoking article 31. Smoking location and smoking progress can be determined. For example, the measured temperature of the first temperature sensor 24-1 is the lowest, the measured temperature of the third temperature sensor 24-3 is lower than that of the second temperature sensor 24-2, and the second temperature sensor 24- When the measured temperature of 2) is the highest, the controller 19 determines that the current smoking position of the smoking article 31 is between the second temperature sensor 24-2 and the third temperature sensor 24-3, and the second It can be determined that it is closer to the temperature sensor 24-2 (refer to the smoking position in the middle drawing). At this time, the controller 19 may determine that the second temperature sensor 24-2 is closer to the second temperature sensor 24-2 as the temperature difference between the second temperature sensor 24-2 and the third temperature sensor 24-3 increases.

In some examples, the plurality of temperature sensors 24 are disposed at positions opposite to each other with respect to the inserted smoking article 31, or disposed in the circumferential direction of the smoking article 31 in the smoking space (e.g. at intervals of 90 degrees). Four temperature sensors 24 can be arranged). In this case, the degree of inclination (shake) of the smoking article 31 may be determined by comparing the measured temperatures of the plurality of temperature sensors 24 . For example, when the measured temperature of the specific temperature sensor is higher than that of the other temperature sensors, the controller 19 may determine that the smoking article 31 inserted in the direction of the specific temperature sensor is inclined. Alternatively, when the temperature measured by the plurality of temperature sensors 24 varies by more than a reference value, the controller 19 may determine that the inserted smoking article 31 is shaking.

So far, smoking structures 11-1 to 11-3 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8 . Hereinafter, a method of controlling the sidestream smoke removal device (e.g. 1) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 9 .

Each step of the control method to be described below may be performed by the controller e.g. 19 of the sidestream smoke removal device e.g. 1 . In addition, each step of the control method may be implemented with one or more instructions executed by the control unit. The control method may be applied to various types of sidestream smoke removal apparatuses, but for convenience of understanding, it is assumed that the control method is performed in the sidestream smoke removal apparatus 1 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 and the description will be continued. Accordingly, in the following description, when the subject of a specific operation is omitted, it may be understood that the operation is performed by the controller 19 of the exemplified apparatus 1 .

9 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a control method of an apparatus for removing sidestream smoke according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. However, this is only a preferred embodiment for achieving the purpose of the present disclosure, and it goes without saying that some steps may be added or deleted as needed.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the control method may be started in step S10 of detecting the start of smoking. There may be various ways of detecting the start of smoking in this step.

In some embodiments, the control unit 19 may detect the start of smoking based on the detection result of the above-described sensing element (e.g. 21 of FIG. 4 ). Alternatively, the controller 19 may detect the start of smoking through a user input (eg, button input, etc.) requesting to start smoking.

In some other embodiments, the controller 19 may detect the start of smoking in response to determining that the temperature measured by the temperature sensor (eg, 24-3 of FIG. 8 ) is equal to or greater than a reference value. In this case, the temperature sensor (e.g. 24-3 of FIG. 8 ) may be arranged to measure the temperature near the upstream end of the smoking space, for example.

In step S20 , in response to the start of smoking being detected, the controller 19 may operate the exhaust fan 13 . This is because sidestream smoke generated during smoking can be smoothly exhausted only when the exhaust fan 13 is operated.

Meanwhile, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the controller 19 may control the exhaust fan 13 based on the user's puff event while smoking. However, the specific control method may be various.

In some examples, the controller 19 may control (adjust) the rotation direction of the exhaust fan 13 based on the puff event. Specifically, the controller 19 may operate (rotate) the exhaust fan 13 in a reverse direction during puffing, and may operate (rotate) the exhaust fan 13 in a forward direction during non-puff. Here, the forward direction may mean a rotational direction in which the sidestream smoke is sucked toward the sidestream smoke purification unit 16, and the reverse direction may mean the opposite rotational direction. In this case, when puffing, the airflow (external air) is concentrated toward the upstream end of the smoking article 31 to promote combustion. can be

In some examples, the controller 19 may adjust the rotation speed of the exhaust fan 13 based on information about the puff event (eg, puff strength, puff interval, puff length, etc.). For example, when the puff strength is increased, the puff length is increased, or the puff interval is shortened, the control unit 19 controls the rotation speed ( That is, the rotation speed in the reverse direction) can be increased. In the opposite case, the controller 19 may reduce the rotation speed of the exhaust fan 13 .

In some examples, the control unit 19 may perform control based on a combination of the above-described examples.

In the previous examples, the method in which the control unit 19 detects the puff may be various. For example, the controller 19 may detect the puff based on a change in temperature measured by the temperature sensor 24 . Specifically, when the degree of temperature change is equal to or greater than the reference value (e.g. when the combustion temperature of the smoking article 31 instantaneously increases), the controller 19 may recognize that the puff has occurred. This may be understood as using a phenomenon in which combustion is accelerated at the upstream end of the smoking article 31 during puffing. Also, the control unit 19 may determine the puff strength based on the degree of temperature change. For example, the controller 19 may determine that the greater the degree of temperature change, the stronger the puff strength, and the smaller the temperature change, the weaker the puff strength is.

In step S30, the control unit 19 may detect the end of smoking. In this step, there may be various ways in which the control unit 19 detects the end of smoking, which may vary according to embodiments.

In some embodiments, the control unit 19 may detect termination of smoking based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 24 . In this case, the temperature sensor 24 may be disposed near the downstream end of the smoking space, for example. For example, when the measured temperature of the temperature sensor 24 is equal to or greater than a reference value or the measured temperature increases and then decreases, the control unit 19 may determine that smoking is finished.

In some other embodiments, the control unit 19 may detect the end of smoking based on an elapsed time since the start of smoking, a puff event, or the like. For example, the control unit 19 may determine that smoking has ended when a certain time has elapsed since the start of smoking, when the number of puffs is equal to or greater than a reference value, or when puffs are not sensed for more than a predetermined time after a recent puff.

In some other embodiments, a smoking termination condition may be set. For example, the smoking termination condition may be set based on the number of puffs, the elapsed smoking time, and the like. In this case, the control unit 19 may determine the end of smoking in response to the preset smoking termination condition being satisfied.

In step S40, in response to the detection of smoking cessation, the control unit 19 may perform an automatic fire extinguishing function. In this step, there may be various ways in which the control unit 19 performs the automatic fire extinguishing function.

In some embodiments, the controller 19 may block the inflow of external air by strongly tightening the insertion hole 111 through the holder element 114 and stop the operation of the exhaust fan 13 . In this case, the smoking article 31 may be naturally digested due to lack of oxygen.

In some other embodiments, the control unit 19 blocks the inflow of external air by strongly tightening the insertion hole 111 through the holder element 114 , and stops or continuously operates the exhaust fan 13 after operation for a certain period of time. can make it work In this case, the smoking article 31 can be naturally digested by discharging the air inside the smoking space to the outside through the exhaust fan 13 .

Meanwhile, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control unit 19 may operate the exhaust fan 13 in the forward direction (ie, in the sucking direction) for a predetermined period of time in response to detecting the end of smoking. In this case, smoking by-products such as cigarette ash are collected near the upstream end of the smoking space by the exhaust fan 13 , so that when the smoking article 31 is removed, the smoking by-products are unintentionally discharged through the insertion hole 111 . can be prevented. In addition, after the smoking structure 111 is rotated to its original position after smoking is finished, post-treatment (cleaning) can be easily performed. In some examples, the controller 19 may adjust the rotation speed of the exhaust fan 13 based on the degree of exhaustion of the smoking article 31 . For example, since there will be more by-products when the smoking article 31 is completely exhausted, the control unit 19 may rotate the exhaust fan 13 faster, and vice versa. The degree of exhaustion of the smoking article 31 may be determined based on the number of puffs, the elapsed time of smoking, the degree of smoking progress, and the like.

So far, a method of controlling a sidestream smoke removal apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 9 . According to the above-described method, the exhaust fan 13 can be appropriately controlled according to the smoking progress, so that the user's satisfaction with the sidestream smoke removal device 1 can be improved. In addition, since the automatic fire extinguishing function is performed when smoking is finished, the risk of fire and burns due to the user's carelessness can be minimized.

The technical idea of the present disclosure described with reference to FIG. 9 so far may be implemented as computer-readable codes on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable recording medium may be, for example, a removable recording medium (CD, DVD, Blu-ray disk, USB storage device, removable hard disk) or a fixed recording medium (ROM, RAM, computer-equipped hard disk). can The computer program recorded in the computer-readable recording medium may be transmitted to another computing device through a network such as the Internet and installed in the other computing device, thereby being used in the other computing device.

In the above, even though it has been described that all components constituting the embodiment of the present disclosure are combined or operated as one, the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to this embodiment. That is, within the scope of the object of the present disclosure, all of the components may operate by selectively combining one or more.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains may practice the present disclosure in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features. can understand that there is Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The protection scope of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within an equivalent range should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the technical ideas defined by the present disclosure.

1: Sidestream smoke removal device
11, 11-1, 11-2, 11-3: Smoking structure
12: ignition part
13: exhaust fan
14: device housing
15: material blocking part
16: sidestream coalition purification department
17: fragrance supply unit
18: battery
19: control unit
21: sensing element
22: support element
23: storage element
24, 24-1, 24-2, 24-3: temperature sensor
31: smoking article
32: mouthpiece
33: tobacco substances

Claims (11)

Device housing forming an appearance;
a smoking structure coupled to the device housing and having a smoking space for smoking articles;
an ignition unit to ignite the smoking article inserted into the smoking space;
an exhaust fan disposed upstream of the smoking article inserted into the smoking space to exhaust sidestream smoke generated from the ignited smoking article; and
and a sidestream smoke purification unit for performing purification processing on sidestream smoke generated from the ignited smoking article;
sidestream smoke removal device. The method of claim 1,
The side stream purifying unit is disposed upstream of the exhaust fan,
sidestream smoke removal device. The method of claim 1,
The ignition unit is disposed at a predetermined position in the device housing,
The smoking structure is rotatably coupled to the device housing, and as it rotates, the upstream end of the smoking space or the upstream end of the inserted smoking article is coupled to be located near the ignition unit;
sidestream smoke removal device. 4. The method of claim 3,
Further comprising a sensing element for detecting that the smoking structure is located in the vicinity of the ignition unit,
In response to detecting the smoking structure by the sensing element, the ignition unit is operated,
sidestream smoke removal device. 5. The method of claim 4,
The sensing element includes a switch element disposed at a predetermined position in the device housing to sense a physical pressure generated by the rotating smoking structure,
sidestream smoke removal device. The method of claim 1,
It is disposed downstream of the side stream soft purification unit, further comprising a material blocking unit for blocking the solid material in the smoking space from approaching the side stream soft purification unit,
sidestream smoke removal device. The method of claim 1,
It is disposed upstream of the side stream purifying unit, further comprising a fragrance supply unit for supplying fragrance to the purified side stream smoke,
sidestream smoke removal device. The method of claim 1,
Doedoe disposed inside the smoking space, and further comprising a support element spaced apart from the inner wall of the smoking space to support the inserted smoking article,
sidestream smoke removal device. 9. The method of claim 8,
The support element is made of a porous material,
sidestream smoke removal device. The method of claim 1,
a temperature sensor arranged to measure a temperature near the downstream end of the smoking space; and
Further comprising a control unit for determining whether to quit smoking based on the measurement result of the temperature sensor,
sidestream smoke removal device. The method of claim 1,
Further comprising a control unit for controlling the exhaust fan,
The control unit is
Controlling the rotation direction of the exhaust fan based on the user's puff event,
sidestream smoke removal device.

Images