KR20220137241A - Multi cartridge and aerosol-generating apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a multi-cartridge and an aerosol-generating apparatus including the same. The aerosol-generating apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure comprises: a first liquid storage tank which stores a first liquid composition; a second liquid storage tank which stores a second liquid composition different from the first liquid composition; and a vaporizing element which generates an aerosol by vaporizing at least one of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition.

Description

MULTI CARTRIDGE AND AEROSOL-GENERATING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME

The present disclosure relates to a multi-cartridge and an aerosol-generating device comprising the same. More specifically, it relates to a multi-cartridge capable of storing and supplying a plurality of liquid compositions having different compositions and an aerosol-generating device comprising the same.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for alternative products that overcome the disadvantages of traditional cigarettes. For example, there is an increasing demand for an aerosol-generating device (e.g. a cigarette-type electronic cigarette) by electrically heating a cigarette, and accordingly, research on an electrically heated aerosol-generating device is being actively conducted.

Recently, a hybrid aerosol-generating device using a cigarette and a cartridge containing a liquid composition including an aerosol former has been proposed. In the proposed aerosol-generating device, an aerosol is formed as the liquid composition in the cartridge is vaporized, and the formed aerosol passes through the cigarette and is inhaled through the mouth of the user.

However, in the proposed aerosol-generating device, the actual amount of atomization produced due to the removal ability of the cigarette is significantly reduced compared to the aerosol formed in the cartridge. In addition, when a flavoring agent is added to the liquid composition, the specific gravity of the aerosol former is reduced, thereby further reducing the amount of atomization. In addition, due to this, the amount of the flavoring agent added to the liquid composition is also limited, and there is also a problem in that it is difficult to improve the flavor development.

A technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-cartridge capable of storing and supplying a plurality of liquid compositions having different compositions and an aerosol-generating device including the same.

Another technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a method capable of controlling the degree of vaporization for a plurality of liquid compositions stored in a multi-cartridge.

Another technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol-generating device capable of providing a user-customized smoking experience using a multi-cartridge.

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, the aerosol-generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is a first liquid storage tank in which a first liquid composition is stored, and a second liquid storage tank in which a second liquid composition different from the first liquid composition is stored. and a vaporizing element generating an aerosol by vaporizing at least one of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition.

In some embodiments, further comprising a housing defining a receiving space for receiving an aerosol-generating article, wherein an airflow path is formed such that the generated aerosol passes through the aerosol-generating article received in the receiving space, the first liquid phase The composition may include an aerosol former and the second liquid composition may include a flavoring agent.

In some embodiments, the vaporizing element may vaporize the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition together in a vaporization space.

In some embodiments, the vaporizing element comprises a first vaporizing element for vaporizing a first liquid composition to generate a first aerosol and a second vaporizing element for vaporizing a second liquid composition to generate a second aerosol; An airflow path may be formed so that the first aerosol and the second aerosol are mixed.

In some embodiments, the first liquid storage tank is included in the first cartridge, the second liquid storage tank is included in the second cartridge, and further comprising a cartridge holder in which the first cartridge and the second cartridge are mounted. can

In some embodiments, the degree of vaporization of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition may be adjusted based on a user input.

In some embodiments, the vaporizing element comprises a first vaporizing element for vaporizing a first liquid composition to generate a first aerosol and a second vaporizing element for vaporizing a second liquid composition to generate a second aerosol; The control unit may further include a control unit for controlling the degree of vaporization of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition by controlling the power supplied to the first vaporizing element and the second vaporizing element.

In some embodiments, the first liquid composition is delivered to the vaporizing element through a first delivery route, wherein the degree of vaporization of the first liquid composition may be controlled by the degree of opening of the first delivery route.

In order to solve the technical problem, a multi-cartridge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a first liquid storage tank in which a first liquid composition is stored, a second liquid storage tank in which a second liquid composition different from the first liquid composition is stored, and and a vaporizing element for vaporizing at least one of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure described above, a multi-cartridge for storing and supplying a plurality of liquid compositions having different compositions may be provided. For example, a multi-cartridge for supplying a first liquid composition containing an aerosol former and a second liquid composition containing a flavoring agent may be provided. Such a multi-cartridge can increase the specific gravity of the aerosol former and the flavoring agent at the same time, thereby increasing the atomization amount and the flavor development.

In addition, by controlling the degree of opening of the path through which the liquid composition is delivered or by adjusting the electric power supplied to the vaporization element, the degree of vaporization of each liquid composition can be precisely controlled.

In addition, by controlling the degree of vaporization of the liquid composition by the user, a customized smoking experience may be provided to the user. For example, the user may be provided with a customized smoking experience by freely controlling the degree of vaporization of each flavor in the multi-cartridge in which different flavoring agents are stored.

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 view for explaining a multi-cartridge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
2 is an exemplary view for explaining a multi-cartridge according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.
3 is an exemplary view for explaining a multi-cartridge according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.
4 and 5 are exemplary views for explaining a method of adjusting the degree of vaporization of the multi-cartridge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
6 is an exemplary view for explaining a method of providing a user-dancing smoking experience using a multi-cartridge according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.
7 to 9 illustrate various types of aerosol-generating devices to which a multi-cartridge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

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.

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

In the following examples, "aerosol former" may mean a substance capable of facilitating the formation of an aerosol. Examples of aerosol formers include, but are not limited to, glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. In the art, an aerosol former may be used interchangeably with terms such as a humectant, a humectant, and the like.

In the following examples, "aerosol-forming substrate" may mean a material capable of forming an aerosol. Aerosols may contain volatile compounds. The aerosol-forming substrate may be solid or liquid.

For example, the solid aerosol-forming substrate may comprise a solid material based on tobacco raw materials such as leaf tobacco, cut filler, reconstituted tobacco, etc., and the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may include nicotine, tobacco extract, and/or various flavoring agents. It may include a liquid composition based on However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these examples. The aerosol-forming substrate may further comprise an aerosol former to stably form an aerosol.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-generating device" may refer to a device that uses an aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol to generate an inhalable aerosol directly into the user's lungs through the user's mouth. Reference is made to FIGS. 7 to 9 for some examples of aerosol-generating devices.

In the following examples, "aerosol-generating article" may mean an article capable of generating an aerosol. The aerosol-generating article may comprise an aerosol-forming substrate. A representative example of an aerosol-generating article may be a cigarette, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In the following embodiments, "puff" means inhalation of the user, and inhalation may mean a situation in which the user's mouth or nose is drawn into the user's mouth, nasal cavity, or lungs. .

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

In the following embodiments, "multi cartridge" may be a term conceptually referring to a cartridge and/or cartridge system capable of storing and supplying multiple liquid compositions. For example, the multi-cartridge may include both a cartridge system in the form of a single structure in which a plurality of liquid compositions are stored, and a cartridge system including a plurality of cartridges in which at least one liquid composition is stored. For various examples of the multi-cartridge, refer to FIGS. 1 to 3 .

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a multi-cartridge having a storage and supply function in a plurality of liquid compositions (or aerosols formed therefrom) having different compositions may be provided. Here, the difference in the composition of the liquid composition may include a case where the composition ratio is different as well as a case where the composition components are different. These multi-cartridges can be applied to liquid-type or hybrid-type aerosol-generating devices (e.g. 100-1 to 100-3 in FIGS. 7 to 9) to increase fragrance expression, atomization amount, etc., and provide a customized smoking experience to users It can be done, which will be described later.

A method of implementing the above-described multi-cartridge may be various. For example, the multi-cartridge may be implemented in a form in which a plurality of liquid compositions are stored in a cartridge of a single structure, or may be implemented in a form in which a plurality of cartridges are mounted in a cartridge holder (e.g. 33 in FIG. 3 ). Hereinafter, various implementation (implementation) examples of the multi-cartridge will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but for convenience of description, the liquid composition will be abbreviated as "liquid".

1 is an exemplary view for explaining a multi-cartridge 10 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in Fig. 1, the multi-cartridge 10 according to this embodiment may have a structure in which a plurality of liquid phases L1 and L2 are vaporized together in a vaporization space.

Specifically, as shown, the multi-cartridge 10 may include a plurality of liquid reservoirs 11 and 12 , a wicking element 14 , a vaporization element 15 and an airflow tube 13 . However, only the components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated in FIG. 1 . Accordingly, those skilled 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.

In addition, all components shown in FIG. 1 may not be essential components of the multi-cartridge 10 . For example, the multi-cartridge 10 may be implemented in a form in which some components are omitted from among the components shown in FIG. 1 . As a more specific example, the multi-cartridge 10 may be implemented in a form in which the wicking element 14 , the vaporization element 14 , the airflow pipe 13 and the like are omitted.

In addition, although FIG. 1 shows as an example a case in which the multi-cartridge 10 has two liquid storage tanks 11 and 12 (or the number of liquids), the number of liquid storage tanks (or liquid) is three or more. Of course it could be. However, in the following, for convenience of understanding, the description will be continued on the assumption that the number of liquid storage tanks (or liquid phases) is two, unless otherwise stated. Hereinafter, each component of the multi-cartridge 10 will be described.

Among the plurality of liquid storage tanks 11 and 12 , the first liquid storage tank 11 may store the first liquid phase L1 , and the second liquid storage tank 12 may store the second liquid phase L2 . In other words, the first liquid storage tank 11 and the second liquid storage tank 12 may have liquid storage spaces separated from each other to store different types of liquid phases L1 and L2. For example, the first liquid storage tank 21 and the second liquid storage tank 22 may be formed by separating a predetermined liquid storage space by a partition wall. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

As mentioned above, the first liquid phase L1 may have a different composition from the second liquid phase L2 . However, the detailed composition of each liquid phase L1 and L2 may vary depending on the embodiment.

In some embodiments, the first liquid phase L1 may include an aerosol former, and the second liquid phase L2 may include a flavoring agent. In this case, as the first liquid phase L1 is vaporized, the amount of atomization is increased, and at the same time, as the second liquid phase L2 is vaporized, the fragrance expression may also be increased. In other words, the specific gravity of the aerosol former can be increased through the first liquid phase (L1), and the specific gravity of the flavoring agent can also be increased through the second liquid phase (L2) separately from this, so that the atomization amount and the fragrance development can be achieved at the same time can be increased

Also, in some embodiments, the first liquid phase L1 may include a first flavoring agent, and the second liquid phase L2 may include a second flavoring agent different from the first flavoring agent. In this case, as the first liquid phase L1 is vaporized, the expressibility of the first flavor may be increased, and at the same time, as the second liquid phase L2 is vaporized, the expressivity of the second flavor may also be increased. In other words, the specific gravity of the first flavoring agent may be increased through the first liquid phase L1, and the specific gravity of the second flavoring agent may also be increased through the second liquid phase L2 separately therefrom, so that the first flavor and The expressiveness to the second flavoring agent may be simultaneously increased.

Also, in some embodiments, the first liquid phase L1 may include a flavoring agent and an aerosol former, and the second liquid phase L2 may also include a flavoring agent and an aerosol former. In this case, the flavoring agent included in the first liquid phase L1 and the flavoring agent included in the second liquid phase L2 may be the same or different. Even in this case, the amount of atomization can be increased at the same time as the fragrance expression.

Next, the wicking element 14 may absorb a plurality of liquid phases L1 and L2 stored in each of the liquid storage tanks 11 and 12 and deliver it to the vaporization element 15 . The wicking element 14 may be implemented with a material capable of absorbing a liquid material well, such as, for example, cotton, silica, a bead aggregate, a porous body (e.g. porous ceramic), etc. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The wicking element 14 may be implemented in any material (or shape) as long as it can absorb the liquid phases L1 and L2. The wicking element 14 may be replaced by other types of liquid delivery means known in the art.

Next, the vaporizing element 15 may generate an aerosol by vaporizing the liquid phase L1 , L2 delivered by the wicking element 14 . As shown, the vaporizing element 15 may be implemented as a heating element (e.g. heating coil) that vaporizes the liquid phases L1 and L2 through heating, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the vaporizing element 15 may be implemented as a vibrating element that vaporizes a liquid phase through vibration. However, in the following, in order to provide convenience of understanding, it is assumed that the vaporization element 15 is implemented as a heating element to continue the description.

1 shows as an example that a plurality of liquid phases L1 and L2 are vaporized together through one vaporizing element 15, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the vaporizing element 15 is the first It may be composed of a first vaporizing element for vaporizing the liquid phase L1 and a second vaporizing element for vaporizing the second liquid phase L2. For example, the vaporization element 15 mainly absorbs the first heating element and the second liquid phase L2 for heating the portion (e.g. the left portion) where the wicking element 14 mainly absorbs and delivers the first liquid phase (L1). It may also consist of a second heating element that heats the delivery site (e.g. the right side area). In this case, the degree of vaporization (or the degree of supply) of the liquid phases L1 and L2 may be independently controlled through the power supplied to each vaporization element.

Next, the airflow pipe 13 may refer to a structure through which a gas such as an aerosol A formed (generated) by the vaporization element 15 and air is transmitted. 1 shows as an example that the airflow pipe 13 is located in the center of the multi-cartridge 10, which may be modified according to the design of the airflow path.

With reference to Figure 1 so far has been described with respect to the multi-cartridge 10 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the multi-cartridge 20 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 2 . However, for clarity of the present disclosure, descriptions of contents overlapping with the previous embodiments will be omitted.

2, the multi-cartridge 20 according to this embodiment may have a structure in which a plurality of liquid phases L1 and L2 are vaporized independently of each other to form an aerosol, and the formed aerosol is mixed.

Specifically, as shown, the multi-cartridge 20 includes a plurality of liquid reservoirs 21 , 22 , a plurality of wicking elements 24 , 26 , a plurality of vaporization elements 25 , 27 and an airflow tube 23 . may include

The liquid storage tanks 21 and 22 may correspond to the liquid storage tanks 11 and 12 of the previous embodiment. Therefore, a description thereof will be omitted.

Next, among the plurality of wicking elements, the first wicking element 24 may absorb the first liquid L1 from the first liquid storage 21 and transfer it to the first vaporizing element 25 . In addition, the second wicking element 26 may absorb the second liquid L2 from the second liquid storage tank 22 and transfer it to the second vaporizing element 27 .

Next, among the plurality of vaporizing elements 25 and 27 , the first vaporizing element 25 may vaporize the first liquid phase L1 to generate a first aerosol, and the second vaporizing element 27 may include a second liquid phase (L2) may be vaporized to generate a second aerosol. The generated first aerosol and the second aerosol may meet and mix in a predetermined mixing space and move through the airflow pipe 23 . Alternatively, the first aerosol and the second aerosol may be mixed in the airflow tube 23 .

Next, the airflow pipe 23 may correspond to the airflow pipe 13 of the previous embodiment. Therefore, a description thereof will be omitted.

Up to now, the multi-cartridge 20 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 2 . Hereinafter, the multi-cartridge 30 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

As shown in Figure 3, the multi-cartridge 30 according to this embodiment may be made of a structure in which a plurality of cartridges (31, 32) are mounted. To this end, the multi-cartridge 30 may be configured to include a plurality of cartridges 31 , 32 and a cartridge holder 33 .

Each cartridge (31, 32) may correspond to a single cartridge or the above-described multi-cartridge (e.g. 10, 20). Each of the cartridges 31 and 32 may have only a storage function for the liquid phases L1 and L2, or may also have a vaporization function for the liquid phases L1 and L2. Each cartridge (31, 32) can be mounted or detached from the cartridge holder (33). In order to exclude duplicate descriptions, further descriptions of the cartridges 31 and 32 will be omitted.

Next, the cartridge holder 33 may refer to a structure in which a plurality of cartridges 31 and 32 are mounted. The cartridge holder 33 may have only a mounting function for a plurality of cartridges 31 and 32, and further has a function of adjusting the supply level or vaporization level of the liquid phase L1, L2 stored in the cartridges 31 and 32. may be provided. A method of controlling the degree of vaporization of the liquid phases L1 and L2 will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 .

Up to now, the multi-cartridge 30 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 3 . Hereinafter, various methods for controlling the degree of vaporization (or the degree of supply) of the liquid (e.g. L1) stored in the above-described multi-cartridges 10 to 30 will be described with reference to the drawings of FIG. 4 or less.

4 and 5 are exemplary views for explaining a method of adjusting the degree of vaporization of the multi-cartridge 40 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, in FIGS. 4 and 5 , illustration of components such as a wicking element (e.g. 14), a vaporization element (e.g. 15), and an airflow tube (e.g. 13) are omitted for convenience of understanding. In addition, the multi-cartridge 40 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 may correspond to the multi-cartridge 10 to 30 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, and the direction of the arrow shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and The thickness means the delivery (transfer) direction and amount of the liquid, respectively. In addition, FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a case in which the delivery amount of the second liquid phase L2 is adjusted to be greater than that of the first liquid phase L1.

4 and 5 , the first liquid L1 stored in the first liquid storage tank 41 may be transferred through the first transfer path 43 , and stored in the second liquid storage tank 42 . The second liquid phase L2 may be delivered through the second delivery path 44 . For example, the first liquid phase L1 may be transferred to the wicking element (e.g. 14) or the vaporizing element (e.g. 15) through the first transfer path (43).

In this case, the multi-cartridge 40 can control the degree of vaporization of the liquid phase (L1, L2) through the adjusting member (45 to 48) for adjusting the degree of opening of the liquid delivery path (43, 44). Specifically, the multi-cartridge 40 includes a first adjusting member 45 and 47 for controlling the degree of opening of the first delivery path 43 and a second adjusting member for controlling the degree of opening of the second delivery path 44 ( 46, 48). In addition, as the degree of opening of each of the delivery paths 43 and 44 is controlled by each of the adjusting members 45 to 48, the degree of supply (e.g., feed rate, feed amount) of the liquid phases L1 and L2 may be adjusted. In addition, as a result, the degree of vaporization of each of the liquid phases L1 and L2 can be adjusted. For example, as the first regulating member 45 closes the first transfer path 43 , the vaporization of the first liquid L1 may be stopped, and the first regulating member 45 moves to the first transfer path 43 . The vaporization of the first liquid phase L1 may be accelerated by completely opening the .

On the other hand, the method of implementing the adjustment members 45 to 48 may be various.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 4 , the adjusting members 45 and 46 are disposed vertically of the liquid delivery paths 43 and 44 to be implemented as structures that open or close the liquid delivery paths 43 and 44 . can

As another example, as shown in FIG. 5 , the adjusting members 47 and 48 may be implemented as rotating plates in which a plurality of holes 481 and 482 of different sizes are formed. The rotating plate 48 may control the degree of supply of the liquid phases L1 and L2 through the plurality of holes 481 and 482 . For example, as the first hole 481 having a relatively small size is positioned on the second liquid transfer path 44 by rotation, the supply amount of the second liquid phase L2 may be relatively reduced, and the size may be relatively large. As the large second hole 482 is positioned on the second liquid transfer path 44 by rotation, the amount of supply of the second liquid L2 may be relatively increased. Of course, as the portion in which the holes (e.g. 481 and 482) are not formed by rotation is located on the second liquid transfer path 44, the supply of the second liquid phase L2 may be stopped.

However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the above-described examples, and the adjusting members 45 to 48 may be implemented based on various types of valve structures known in the art.

Meanwhile, according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the degree of vaporization of the liquid phases L1 and L2 may be adjusted through the power supplied to the vaporization elements (e.g. 25 and 27). For example, the degree of vaporization of the first liquid phase L1 may be controlled by adjusting the electric power supplied to the first vaporizing element (e.g. 25) for vaporizing the first liquid phase L1. This is because as the power supplied to the first vaporizing element (e.g. 25) increases, the vaporization amount (or vaporization rate) of the first liquid phase L1 will also increase. The power supplied to the vaporizing elements (e.g. 25, 27) may be controlled by the control unit (e.g. 120 in FIG. 7).

So far, a method of controlling the degree of vaporization of the liquid phase (L1, L2) in the multi-cartridge 40 has been described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 . As described above, by adjusting the degree of opening of the liquid transfer paths 43 and 44 through the adjusting members 45 to 48 or by controlling the output supplied to the vaporization elements (e.g. 25 and 27), the liquid phases L1 and L2 ) can be accurately and easily controlled.

Hereinafter, a method of providing a user-customized smoking experience using the multi-cartridge 40 described above with reference to FIG. 6 will be described. In particular, FIG. 6 shows as an example a case in which the multi-cartridge is composed of three cartridges (51 to 53; or liquid storage tank), and each cartridge (51 to 53) stores different liquids (L1 to L3). have. Hereinafter, it will be described with reference to FIG. 6 .

As described above, when the degree of vaporization of each of the liquid phases L1 to L3 is adjusted, a customized smoking experience may be provided to the user. Specifically, when the degree of vaporization of each liquid phase (L1 to L3) is implemented to be adjusted based on a user input, the type and amount of the component included in the aerosol (e.g. A1, A2) is changed according to the user input, whereby user-customized smoking experience can be provided. In other words, a user-customized smoking experience may be provided by adjusting the degree of vaporization of each liquid phase L1 to L3 according to the user's preference. For example, the control unit (e.g. 120 in FIG. 7 ) may generate a user-customized aerosol (e.g. A1, A2) by adjusting the degree of vaporization of each liquid phase (L1 to L3) based on the received user input. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

As a specific example, as shown, the user adjusts the first liquid phase L1 and the second liquid phase L2 to vaporize at the same ratio, so that the components of the first liquid phase L1 and the second liquid phase L2 are uniform. It is possible to generate a customized aerosol (A1) in combination. For example, the user may generate an aerosol in which the components of the first flavoring agent and the components of the second flavoring agent are uniformly combined.

Alternatively, the user controls each of the first liquid phase L1, the second liquid phase L2, and the third liquid phase L3 to be vaporized at different ratios, so that the components of the first to third liquid phases L1 to L3 are mutually exclusive. It is possible to generate a dancing aerosol (A2) combined in different proportions. For example, the user may generate an aerosol in which components of the first to third flavoring agents are combined in different ratios.

In some embodiments, a multi-cartridge may be configured as illustrated in FIG. 3 . In this case, the user may be provided with a customized smoking experience by mounting the cartridge containing the preferred liquid in the cartridge holder (e.g. 33) and changing the degree of vaporization of the liquid. In addition, the user may be provided with various smoking experiences by changing the cartridge mounted on the cartridge holder (e.g. 33).

In addition, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control unit (e.g. 120 in FIG. 7) of the aerosol-generating device (e.g. 100-1 in FIG. 7) to which the multi-cartridge is applied can provide various convenient functions for a customized smoking experience. have.

For example, the control unit (e.g. 120 in FIG. 7 ) may provide a function of storing and loading liquid combination information. Here, the combination information may include information about the type of liquid and the degree of vaporization. In this example, when an aerosol having a characteristic that the user prefers is formed, the user can store the combination including the type of liquid and the degree of vaporization, and load the stored information later to receive the preferred aerosol again.

As another example, the control unit (e.g. 120 in FIG. 7 ) may provide a history storage function for liquid combination information. In addition, the controller may separately store the liquid combination repeatedly used by the user or the liquid combination continuously used by the user or recommend it to the user.

As another example, the control unit (e.g. 120 of FIG. 7 ) may provide an automatic liquid combination function. As a more specific example, the control unit may randomly combine a plurality of liquid phases (e.g. randomly determine the type and vaporization level of the liquid phase and combine it) and provide it to the user (e.g. randomly select the liquid type and vaporization level for each puff) combined and provided to the user). Alternatively, when the user designates the base liquid, the control unit may randomly combine other liquids with the base liquid and provide them to the user. Alternatively, the controller determines the base liquid based on the liquid combination history (e.g., a liquid with a high frequency of use, a liquid with a short use interval, and a liquid used recently as the base liquid), and randomly selects another liquid from the determined base liquid. It can be combined and provided to the user. Alternatively, the controller may provide the user by combining the liquid with a recipe that the user has not experienced based on the liquid combination history (e.g. combining the liquid at a ratio that does not exist in the existing history). Alternatively, the control unit may provide by changing the combination of the liquid phase based on the degree of exhaustion of the liquid (e.g. reducing the degree of vaporization of the liquid with a high exhaustion rate or high exhaustion rate, or increasing the degree of vaporization of the liquid with a low exhaustion or slow exhaustion rate) increase).

So far, a method for providing a user-customized smoking experience using a multi-cartridge (e.g. 40) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 6 . Hereinafter, various types of aerosol-generating devices (100-1 to 100-3) to which the multi-cartridge (e.g. 10 to 40) described above with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 can be applied (or including the multi-cartridge described above) to be explained.

7 is an exemplary diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol-generating device 100-1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the aerosol generating device 100 - 1 may include a housing, a mouthpiece 110 , a vaporizer 1 , a battery 130 , and a control unit 120 . However, only the components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated in FIG. 7 . Accordingly, those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can see that other general-purpose components other than those shown in FIG. 7 may be further included. For example, the aerosol generating device 100-1 includes an input module (e.g. button, touchable display, etc.) for receiving a command from a user and an output module (e.g. LEDs, displays, vibration motors, etc.) may be further included. Hereinafter, each component of the aerosol generating device 100-1 will be described.

The housing may form the overall appearance of the aerosol-generating device 100 - 1 . It may be preferable that the housing is implemented with a material capable of protecting internal components.

Next, the mouthpiece 110 may be positioned at one end of the aerosol generating device 100-1, and come into contact with the user and the mouth. The user may inhale the aerosol generated from the vaporizer 1 by putting the mouthpiece 110 in the mouth and puffing.

Next, the vaporizer 1 may generate an aerosol by vaporizing the liquid composition. The vaporizer 1 may be a component corresponding to the above-described multi-cartridge (e.g. 10 to 40), or may be a component including the above-described multi-cartridge (e.g. 10 to 40). In order to exclude redundant description, further description of the vaporizer 1 will be omitted.

Next, the battery 130 may supply power used to operate the aerosol generating device 100 - 1 . For example, the battery 130 may supply power to the vaporizer 1 to generate an aerosol, and may supply power required for the control unit 120 to operate.

In addition, the battery 130 may supply power required to operate electrical components such as a display (not shown), a sensor (not shown), and a motor (not shown) installed in the aerosol generating device 100-1.

Next, the controller 120 may control the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 100 - 1 . For example, the controller 120 may control the operations of the vaporizer 1 and the battery 130 , and may also control the operations of other components included in the aerosol generating device 100 - 1 . The controller 120 may control the power supplied by the battery 130 , the vaporization rate of the vaporizer 1 , and the like. In addition, the controller 120 may determine whether the aerosol-generating device 100-1 is in an operable state by checking the state of each of the components of the aerosol-generating device 100-1.

The controller 120 may be implemented by at least one processor. The control unit may be implemented as an array of a plurality of logic gates, or may be implemented as a combination of a general-purpose microcontroller and a memory in which a program executable in the microcontroller is stored. In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can clearly understand that the controller 120 may be implemented with other types of hardware.

Hereinafter, other types of aerosol-generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 . However, for clarity of the present disclosure, a description of the content overlapping with the previous embodiment will be omitted.

8 and 9 are diagrams for explaining the aerosol-generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, the drawings below FIG. 8 illustrate as an example a state in which the aerosol-generating article 150 is accommodated (inserted) in the devices 100 - 2 and 100 - 3 .

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , the aerosol-generating devices 100 - 2 and 100 - 3 according to the present embodiment may further include a heater unit 140 for heating the aerosol-generating article 150 . In addition, the aerosol-generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 may have an airflow path formed so that the aerosol generated by the vaporizer 1 passes through the aerosol-generating article 150 and is delivered to the user.

8 illustrates that the heater part 140 (or aerosol-generating article 150) and the vaporizer 1 are arranged in parallel, and FIG. 9 shows the heater part 140 (or the aerosol-generating article 150) and the vaporizer ( 1) is exemplified to be arranged in a line. However, the internal structure of the aerosol-generating devices 100 - 2 and 100 - 3 is not limited to the examples of FIGS. 8 and 9 , and the arrangement of components may be changed at will.

The heater unit 140 may heat the aerosol-generating article 150 accommodated in the accommodation space. The receiving space may be formed by the housing of the aerosol-generating device 100 - 2 , 100 - 3 . Specifically, when the aerosol-generating article 150 is accommodated in the accommodating space of the aerosol-generating device 100-2, 100-3, the heater unit 140 operates the aerosol-generating article 150 by electric power supplied from the battery 130. ) can be heated.

The operation method and/or implementation form of the heater unit 140 may vary.

For example, the heater unit 140 may operate in a resistance heating method. For example, the heater unit 140 includes an electrically insulating substrate (eg, a substrate formed of polyimide) and an electrically conductive track (track), and electrically resistive heating that generates heat as a current flows in the electrically conductive track It can contain elements.

As another example, the heater unit 140 may operate in an induction heating method. For example, the heater unit 140 may include an induction coil and a heating element (ie, a susceptor) that is inductively heated by the induction coil. A susceptor may be located outside or inside the aerosol-generating article 150 .

However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described examples, and if the aerosol-generating article 150 can be heated to a desired temperature, the heater unit 140 may be operated in any manner. Here, the desired temperature may be preset in the aerosol generating device 100-2, 100-3 (e.g. when a temperature profile is stored in advance), or may be set to a desired temperature by the user.

The aerosol-generating article 150 may have a structure similar to that of a general combustion cigarette. For example, the aerosol-generating article 150 may be divided into an aerosol-forming substrate portion comprising an aerosol-forming substrate (e.g. an aerosol former, a nicotine-generating substrate, etc.) and a filter portion comprising a filter material. At least a portion of the aerosol-forming substrate is inserted into the aerosol-generating device 100-2, 100-3, and the filter unit may be exposed to the outside, but is not limited thereto. The user can smoke while holding the filter unit with his or her mouth.

Up to now, various types of aerosol-generating devices (100-1 to 100-3) to which multi-cartridges (e.g. 10 to 40) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied have been described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. .

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 the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the technical ideas defined by the present disclosure.

10, 20, 30, 40: multi cartridge
11, 12, 21, 22, 41, 42: liquid storage tank
13, 23: air flow tube
14: 24, 26: wicking element
15, 25, 27: vaporizing element
31, 32, 51, 52, 53: cartridge
33: cartridge holder
43, 44: liquid delivery route
45, 46, 47, 48: adjusting member
100-1, 100-3, 100-3: aerosol generating device
1: Vaporizer
110: mouthpiece
120: control unit
130: battery
140: heater unit
150: aerosol-generating article

Claims (11)

a first liquid storage tank in which the first liquid composition is stored;
a second liquid storage tank in which a second liquid composition different from the first liquid composition is stored; and
a vaporizing element generating an aerosol by vaporizing at least one of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition;
aerosol-generating device. The method of claim 1,
further comprising a housing defining a receiving space for receiving the aerosol-generating article;
An airflow path is formed so that the generated aerosol passes through the aerosol-generating article accommodated in the receiving space,
wherein the first liquid composition comprises an aerosol former;
wherein the second liquid composition comprises a flavoring agent;
aerosol-generating device. The method of claim 1,
wherein the first liquid composition comprises a flavoring agent and an aerosol former;
The second liquid composition also comprises a flavoring agent and an aerosol former.
aerosol-generating device. The method of claim 1,
wherein the vaporizing element vaporizes the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition together in a vaporization space;
aerosol-generating device. The method of claim 1,
the vaporizing element comprises a first vaporizing element vaporizing the first liquid composition to generate a first aerosol and a second vaporizing element vaporizing the second liquid composition to generate a second aerosol;
an airflow path is formed so that the first aerosol and the second aerosol are mixed,
aerosol-generating device. The method of claim 1,
The first liquid storage tank is included in the first cartridge,
The second liquid storage tank is included in the second cartridge,
Further comprising a cartridge holder in which the first cartridge and the second cartridge are mounted,
aerosol-generating device. The method of claim 1,
The degree of vaporization of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition is adjusted based on a user input,
aerosol-generating device. The method of claim 1,
the vaporizing element comprises a first vaporizing element vaporizing the first liquid composition to generate a first aerosol and a second vaporizing element vaporizing the second liquid composition to generate a second aerosol;
Further comprising a control unit for controlling the degree of vaporization of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition by controlling the power supplied to the first vaporizing element and the second vaporizing element,
aerosol-generating device. The method of claim 1,
wherein said first liquid composition is delivered to said vaporizing element via a first delivery route;
The degree of vaporization of the first liquid composition is controlled by the degree of opening of the first delivery path,
aerosol-generating device. 10. The method of claim 9,
Further comprising a rotating plate disposed on the first transmission path and formed with a plurality of holes of different sizes,
wherein the rotating plate is configured to adjust the degree of opening of the first transfer path by positioning at least one of the plurality of holes on the first transfer path by rotation.
aerosol-generating device. a first liquid storage tank in which the first liquid composition is stored;
a second liquid storage tank in which a second liquid composition different from the first liquid composition is stored; and
a vaporizing element for vaporizing at least one of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition;
multi cartridge.

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