KR20230024816A - Aerosol generating apparatus and method of cotrolling thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol generating apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a storage unit in which an aerosol generating material is stored; a liquid delivery means absorbing the aerosol generating material stored in the storage unit; an atomizer including a vibrator that atomizes the aerosol generating material absorbed in the liquid delivery means into aerosol by generating ultrasonic vibration; and a processor controlling power supplied to the vibrator, wherein the processor detects an output value according to a pulse signal having a predetermined frequency, and an operating frequency for preheating is set based on the detected output value.

Description

Aerosol generating apparatus and method of controlling the same {Aerosol generating apparatus and method of cotrolling thereof}

Embodiments relate to an aerosol generating device and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an aerosol generating device using an ultrasonic vibrator and a control method thereof.

In recent years, demand for technology to replace a method of supplying an aerosol by burning a general cigarette is increasing. For example, an aerosol is generated from an aerosol-generating material in a liquid state or a solid state, or a vapor is generated from an aerosol-generating material in a liquid state, and then the generated vapor is passed through a solid-state flavor medium to supply an aerosol having a flavor. Research on such methods is in progress.

Conventional aerosol-generating devices generally heat an aerosol-generating material in a liquid or solid state using a heater to generate an aerosol. In order to supply an aerosol with excellent taste to the user, it is important to heat the aerosol generating material to an appropriate temperature. There was a problem that could happen.

In order to overcome the problems of the aerosol generating device using a heater, an aerosol generating device capable of generating aerosol using ultrasonic vibration has been proposed. An aerosol generating device using ultrasonic vibration lowers the viscosity of a liquid aerosol-generating material through heat generated as AC voltage is applied to the vibrator, and converts the aerosol-generating material into fine particles through ultrasonic vibration generated in the vibrator to generate an aerosol. can do.

The ultrasonic vibrator has a natural vibration frequency capable of generating the highest vibration efficiency, and the system of the device should output a frequency suitable for the natural vibration frequency. However, errors in the manufacturing and production of ultrasonic oscillators inevitably exist, and since the system will output the same frequency, there is a difference between the natural frequency of the ultrasonic oscillator and the system frequency, which eventually leads to a decrease in the amount of atomization and overheating of the ultrasonic oscillator. will lead

The present disclosure aims to solve the above problems by providing an aerosol generating device capable of compensating for an error in manufacturing an ultrasonic vibrator and a frequency deviation that exists due to an elastic body supporting an ultrasonic vibrator when assembling a cartridge, and a method for controlling the same. .

The problems to be solved through the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and problems not mentioned are clearly understood by those skilled in the art from this specification and the accompanying drawings to which the embodiments belong. It could be.

An aerosol generating device according to an embodiment includes a storage unit in which an aerosol generating material is stored; liquid delivery means for absorbing the aerosol generating material stored in the reservoir; an atomizer including a vibrator that atomizes the aerosol-generating material absorbed in the liquid delivery means into an aerosol by generating ultrasonic vibrations; and a processor controlling power supplied to the vibrator;

The processor detects an output value according to a pulse signal having a predetermined frequency, and sets an operating frequency for preheating based on the detected output value.

The operating frequency may be a frequency of the pulse signal for preheating the vibrator.

To set the operating frequency, the processor may output pulse signals having a plurality of frequencies for testing and set the operating frequency according to whether each output value is within a threshold range.

The processor outputs a frequency of a predetermined magnitude, checks an output value of power supplied to the vibrator, compares the checked output value with a target output value corresponding to a pre-stored operating frequency, and determines the output value according to the comparison result. The operating frequency can be set.

The processor may output a pulse signal corresponding to the set operating frequency.

The aerosol generating device may further include a sensing circuit for sensing an output value of an input side of the vibrator.

The output value may be a current value or a voltage value sensed from an input side of the vibrator.

The processor may set the operating frequency by converting the sensed current value or voltage value into a digital value and comparing the converted digital value with a pre-stored digital value for each frequency.

The operating frequency may be 2.7 MHz to 3.2 MHz.

The vibration frequency of the vibrator may be 2.6 MHz to 3.1 MHz.

A control method of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment includes outputting, by the processor, a pulse signal corresponding to a first frequency; checking an output value of power supplied to the vibrator; And determining whether the output value is within a preset threshold range, and setting an operating frequency according to the determination result;

When the output value is within a preset threshold range, the operating frequency is set, and when the output value is out of a preset threshold range, a second frequency different from the first frequency is changed, and the output value of power supplied to the vibrator Check the

A control method of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment includes outputting, by the processor, a pulse signal corresponding to a predetermined frequency; Checking an output value of power supplied to the vibrator; comparing the checked output value with reference to a pre-stored output value table for each frequency; and setting the operating frequency according to the comparison result.

The aerosol generating device and control method thereof according to the above-described embodiments can generate aerosol at a relatively low temperature compared to when using a heater by pulverizing an aerosol generating material into fine particles using a vibrator that generates ultrasonic vibration, As a result, it is possible to improve the user's smoking feeling.

In addition, the difference between the natural frequency of the ultrasonic transducer and the system frequency is minimized by compensating for the error in manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer according to the above-described embodiments and the frequency deviation that exists due to the elastic body supporting the ultrasonic transducer when assembling the cartridge. Efficiency can be optimized.

In addition, since a uniform amount of atomization can be provided to the user even when the frequency characteristics of the vibrator change, the user's smoking feeling can be enhanced.

The effects of the embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments belong from this specification and the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment.
Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the aerosol generating device shown in Figure 1;
3 is a perspective view of a cartridge according to one embodiment.
4 is an exploded perspective view of a cartridge according to an embodiment.
5 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the processor 550 shown in FIG. 5 .
7 and 8 are flowcharts for explaining a frequency calibration method before preheating of an ultrasonic transducer according to another embodiment.
8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control method of an aerosol generating device using an ultrasonic vibrator according to another embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a graph schematically illustrating a control method of power supplied to the ultrasonic transducer described in FIG. 8 .
10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a control method of an aerosol generating device using an ultrasonic vibrator according to another embodiment.
11 is a diagram schematically illustrating a graph of power versus time of an ultrasonic transducer operating in a puffing mode.
12 is a graph showing a case in which an event occurs in a puffing high state.
13 is a graph showing a case where an event occurs in the puffing low state.
14 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a control method of an aerosol generating device using an ultrasonic vibrator according to another embodiment.
15 is a diagram schematically illustrating a graph of power versus time when the preheating mode is omitted.
16 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a control method of an aerosol generating device using an ultrasonic vibrator according to another embodiment.
FIG. 17 is a graph for schematically explaining the number of puff standby hits described in FIG. 16 .
18 shows a graph of power versus time supplied to the ultrasonic vibrator when the puff high time is set to 0.
20 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of an aerosol generating device using an ultrasonic vibrator according to another embodiment.

The terms used in the embodiments have been selected from general terms that are currently widely used as much as possible while considering the functions in the present disclosure, but they may vary depending on the intention or precedent of a person skilled in the art, the emergence of new technologies, and the like. In addition, in certain cases, there are also terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, their meanings will be described in detail in the description of the relevant invention. Therefore, terms used in the present disclosure should be defined based on the meaning of the term and the general content of the present disclosure, not simply the name of the term.

In the present disclosure, when a part "includes" a certain component, it means that it may further include other components without excluding other components unless otherwise stated. In addition, terms such as "-unit" and "-module" described in this disclosure refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented as hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software.

As used in this disclosure, when an expression such as 'at least one of' precedes an array of elements, it modifies the entire array rather than individual elements. For example, the expression 'at least one of a, b, and c' should be interpreted as including a, b, c, or a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c. do.

In the present disclosure, 'aerosol' may refer to a gas in which vaporized particles generated from an aerosol-generating material and air are mixed.

Also, in the present disclosure, an 'aerosol generating device' may be an aerosol generating device using an aerosol generating material to generate an aerosol that can be directly inhaled into the user's lungs through the user's mouth.

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

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the embodiments of the present disclosure. can be implemented and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

1 is a block diagram of an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an aerosol generating device 1000 may include a battery 510, an atomizer 400, a sensor 520, a user interface 530, a memory 540, and a processor 550. However, the internal structure of the aerosol generating device 1000 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 1 . Depending on the design of the aerosol generating device 1000, it can be understood by those skilled in the art that some of the hardware components shown in FIG. 1 may be omitted or new components may be further added. .

As an example, the aerosol generating device 1000 may include a body, and in this case, hardware elements included in the aerosol generating device 1000 are located in the body.

As another embodiment, the aerosol generating device 1000 may include a main body and a cartridge, and hardware elements included in the aerosol generating device 1000 may be separately located in the main body and the cartridge. Alternatively, at least some of the hardware elements included in the aerosol generating device 1000 may be located in the main body and the cartridge, respectively.

Hereinafter, the operation of each element will be described without limiting the space where each element included in the aerosol generating device 1000 is located.

The atomizer 400 receives power from the battery 510 under the control of the processor 550 . The atomizer 400 may receive power from the battery 510 and atomize the aerosol generating material stored in the aerosol generating device 1000 .

The atomizer 400 may be located in the body of the aerosol generating device 1000. Alternatively, when the aerosol generating device 1000 includes a main body and a cartridge, the atomizer 400 may be located in the cartridge or separately located in the main body and the cartridge. When the atomizer 400 is located in the cartridge, the atomizer 400 may receive power from the battery 510 located in at least one of the main body and the cartridge. In addition, when the atomizer 400 is divided into a main body and a cartridge, parts requiring power supply in the atomizer 400 may be supplied with power from the battery 510 located in at least one of the main body and the cartridge.

The atomizer 400 generates an aerosol from an aerosol generating material inside the cartridge. Aerosol means a suspension in which liquid and/or solid fine particles are dispersed in a gas. Accordingly, the aerosol generated from the atomizer 400 may refer to a state in which vaporized particles generated from an aerosol generating material and air are mixed. For example, the atomizer 400 may convert the phase of an aerosol-generating material into a gaseous phase through vaporization and/or sublimation. In addition, the atomizer 400 may generate an aerosol by discharging liquid and/or solid aerosol-generating substances into fine particles.

For example, the atomizer 400 may generate an aerosol from an aerosol-generating material by using an ultrasonic vibration method. The ultrasonic vibration method may refer to a method of generating an aerosol by atomizing an aerosol generating material with ultrasonic vibration generated by a vibrator.

Although not shown in FIG. 1 , the atomizer 400 may optionally include a heater capable of heating an aerosol generating material by generating heat. The aerosol-generating material may be heated by a heater, resulting in the creation of an aerosol.

The heater may be formed from any suitable electrically resistive material. For example, suitable electrically resistive materials are titanium, zirconium, tantalum, platinum, nickel, cobalt, chromium, hafnium, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, tin, gallium, manganese, iron, copper, stainless steel, nichrome, etc. It may be a metal or metal alloy containing, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the heater may be implemented as a metal heating wire, a metal hot plate on which an electrically conductive track is disposed, a ceramic heating element, etc., but is not limited thereto.

For example, in one embodiment the heater may be part of the cartridge 2000. Also, the cartridge 2000 may include a liquid delivery unit and a liquid storage unit, which will be described later. The aerosol-generating material contained in the liquid reservoir may move to the liquid delivery means, and the heater may generate an aerosol by heating the aerosol-generating material absorbed in the liquid delivery means. For example, a heater may be wound around the liquid delivery means or disposed adjacent to the liquid delivery means.

As another example, the aerosol generating device 1000 may include an accommodation space capable of accommodating cigarettes, and the heater may heat the cigarette inserted into the accommodation space of the aerosol generating device 1000 . As the cigarette is accommodated in the accommodation space of the aerosol generating device 1000, the heater may be located inside and/or outside the cigarette. As such, the heater may heat the aerosol-generating material in the cigarette to generate an aerosol.

Meanwhile, the heater may be an induction heating type heater. The heater may include an electrically conductive coil for heating the cigarette or cartridge by induction heating, and the cigarette or cartridge may include a susceptor capable of being heated by the induction heater.

The battery 510 supplies power used to operate the aerosol generating device 1000. That is, the battery 510 may supply power so that the atomizer 400 can atomize the aerosol generating material. In addition, the battery 510 may supply power necessary for the operation of other hardware elements included in the aerosol generating device 1000, that is, the sensor 520, the user interface 530, the memory 540, and the processor 550. there is. The battery 510 may be a rechargeable battery or a disposable battery.

For example, the battery 510 may be a nickel-based battery (eg, a nickel-metal hydride battery, a nickel-cadmium battery), or a lithium-based battery (eg, a lithium-cobalt battery, a lithium-phosphate battery, a lithium titanate battery, lithium-ion battery or lithium-polymer battery). However, the type of battery 510 that can be used in the aerosol generating device 1000 is not limited as described above. If necessary, the battery 510 may include an alkaline battery or a manganese battery.

The aerosol generating device 1000 may include at least one sensor 520 . The result sensed by at least one sensor 520 is transmitted to the processor 550, and according to the sensing result, the processor 550 controls the operation of the atomizer 400, restricts smoking, inserts a cartridge (or cigarette) / The aerosol generating device 1000 may be controlled to perform various functions such as non-judgment and notification display.

For example, at least one sensor 520 may include a puff detection sensor. The puff detection sensor may detect a user's puff based on at least one of a change in flow of air flowing in from the outside, a change in pressure, and detection of sound. The puff detection sensor may detect the start timing and end timing of the user's puff, and the processor 550 may determine a puff period and a non-puff period according to the detected start timing and end timing of the puff. can judge

Also, at least one sensor 520 may include a user input sensor. The user input sensor may be a sensor capable of receiving a user's input, such as a switch, a physical button, or a touch sensor. For example, the touch sensor may be a capacitive sensor capable of detecting a user's input by generating a change in capacitance when the user touches a predetermined area formed of a metal material and detecting the change in capacitance. there is. The processor 550 may determine whether a user's input has occurred by comparing values before and after the change in capacitance received from the capacitive sensor. When the value before and after the capacitance change exceeds a preset threshold, the processor 550 may determine that a user's input has occurred.

Also, at least one sensor 520 may include a motion sensor. Information about the movement of the aerosol generating device 1000, such as an inclination, moving speed, and acceleration of the aerosol generating device 1000, may be obtained through a motion sensor. For example, the motion sensor may include a state in which the aerosol generating device 1000 is moving, a state in which the aerosol generating device 1000 is stationary, a state in which the aerosol generating device 1000 is tilted at an angle within a predetermined range for a puff, and each puff motion. Information about the tilted state of the aerosol generating device 1000 may be measured at an angle different from that during the puff operation. The motion sensor may measure motion information of the aerosol generating device 1000 using various methods known in the art. For example, the motion sensor may include an acceleration sensor capable of measuring acceleration in three directions, an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis, and a gyro sensor capable of measuring angular velocity in three directions.

Also, at least one sensor 520 may include a proximity sensor. Proximity sensor refers to a sensor that detects the presence or distance of an approaching object or an object existing nearby without mechanical contact by using the force of an electromagnetic field or infrared rays, etc., through which a user approaches the aerosol generating device 1000. It can be detected whether or not

Also, at least one sensor 520 may include an image sensor. The image sensor may include, for example, a camera for obtaining an image of an object. The image sensor may recognize an object based on an image acquired by a camera. The processor 550 may determine whether the user is in a situation to use the aerosol generating device 1000 by analyzing the image acquired through the image sensor. For example, when the user brings the aerosol generating device 1000 close to the lips to use the aerosol generating device 1000, the image sensor may acquire an image of the lips. The processor 550 may analyze the obtained image to determine that the user is in a situation to use the aerosol generating device 1000 when it is determined as the lips. Through this, the aerosol generating device 1000 may operate the atomizer 400 in advance or preheat the heater.

In addition, the at least one sensor 520 may include a consumable attachment/detachment sensor capable of detecting installation or removal of consumables (eg, cartridges, cigarettes, etc.) that may be used in the aerosol generating device 1000 . For example, the consumables detachment sensor may detect whether consumables are in contact with the aerosol generating device 1000 or may determine whether consumables are detached by an image sensor. In addition, the consumable detachment sensor may be an inductance sensor that detects a change in inductance value of a coil that can interact with a marker of consumables, or a capacitance sensor that detects a change in capacitance value of a capacitor that can interact with markers of consumables.

Also, at least one sensor 520 may include a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor may detect the temperature at which the heater (or aerosol generating material) of the atomizer 400 is heated. The aerosol generating device 1000 may include a separate temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the heater, or the heater itself may serve as the temperature sensor instead of including the separate temperature sensor. Alternatively, a separate temperature sensor may be further included in the aerosol generating device 1000 while the heater serves as the temperature sensor. In addition, the temperature sensor may detect not only the heater but also the temperature of internal parts such as a printed circuit board (PCB) and a battery of the aerosol generating device 1000.

Also, the at least one sensor 520 may include various sensors that measure information about the surrounding environment of the aerosol generating device 1000 . For example, the at least one sensor 520 may include a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the surrounding environment, a humidity sensor for measuring the humidity of the surrounding environment, and an atmospheric pressure sensor for measuring the pressure of the surrounding environment.

The sensor 520 that may be provided in the aerosol generating device 1000 is not limited to the above-described type, and may further include various sensors. For example, the aerosol generating device 1000 includes a fingerprint sensor capable of acquiring fingerprint information from a user's finger for user authentication and security, an iris recognition sensor analyzing an iris pattern of a pupil, and a vein intravenous injection from a palm image. It may include a vein recognition sensor that detects the amount of infrared absorption of reduced hemoglobin, a face recognition sensor that recognizes feature points such as eyes, nose, mouth, and facial contours in a 2D or 3D manner, and a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor. .

In the aerosol generating device 1000, only some of the examples of the various sensors 520 illustrated above may be selected and implemented. In other words, the aerosol generating device 1000 may combine and utilize information sensed by at least one of the sensors described above.

The user interface 530 may provide information about the status of the aerosol generating device 1000 to the user. The user interface 530 includes a display or lamp that outputs visual information, a motor that outputs tactile information, a speaker that outputs sound information, and an input/output (I/O) that receives information input from a user or outputs information to the user. ) Terminals for data communication with interfacing means (e.g., buttons or touch screens) or receiving charging power, wireless communication with external devices (e.g., WI-FI, WI-FI Direct, Bluetooth, NFC (Near-Field Communication), etc.) may include various interfacing means such as a communication interfacing module.

However, only some of the various user interface 530 examples exemplified above may be selected and implemented in the aerosol generating device 1000 .

The memory 540 is hardware that stores various data processed in the aerosol generating device 1000, and the memory 540 may store data processed by the processor 550 and data to be processed. The memory 540 may be a random access memory (RAM) such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), and an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). It can be implemented in different types.

The memory 540 may store operating time of the aerosol generating device 1000, the maximum number of puffs, the current number of puffs, at least one temperature profile, and data on a user's smoking pattern.

The processor 550 controls the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 1000. The processor 550 may be implemented as an array of a plurality of logic gates, or may be implemented as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory in which programs executable by the microprocessor are stored. Also, those skilled in the art can understand that the processor 550 may be implemented in other types of hardware.

The processor 550 analyzes a result sensed by at least one sensor 520 and controls subsequent processes to be performed.

The processor 550 may control power supplied to the atomizer 400 to start or end the operation of the atomizer 400 based on a result sensed by the at least one sensor 520 . In addition, the processor 550 determines the amount and power of power supplied to the atomizer 400 so that the atomizer 400 can generate an appropriate amount of aerosol based on the result sensed by the at least one sensor 520. You can control the feeding time. For example, the processor 550 may control the current or voltage supplied to the vibrator of the atomizer 400 so that the vibrator vibrates at a predetermined frequency.

In one embodiment, the processor 550 may initiate the operation of the atomizer 400 after receiving a user input for the aerosol generating device 1000 . In addition, the processor 550 may start the operation of the atomizer 400 after detecting a user's puff using a puff sensor. In addition, the processor 550 may count the number of puffs using the puff detection sensor and then stop supplying power to the atomizer 400 when the number of puffs reaches a predetermined number.

The processor 550 may control the user interface 530 based on a result sensed by the at least one sensor 520 . For example, when the number of puffs reaches a predetermined number after counting the number of puffs using a puff sensor, the processor 550 provides the user with an aerosol generating device 1000 using at least one of a lamp, a motor, and a speaker. ) can be foretold that it will end soon.

Meanwhile, although not shown in FIG. 1 , the aerosol generating device 1000 may be included in the aerosol generating system along with a separate cradle. For example, the cradle can be used to charge the battery 510 of the aerosol generating device 1000. For example, the aerosol generating device 1000 may charge the battery 510 of the aerosol generating device 1000 by receiving power from the battery of the cradle while being accommodated in the accommodation space inside the cradle.

2 is a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment.

At least one of the components of the aerosol generating device 1000 shown in FIG. 2 may be the same as or similar to at least one of the components of the aerosol generating device 1000 shown in FIG. should be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 2 , an aerosol generating device 1000 includes a cartridge 10 containing an aerosol generating material and a body 20 supporting the cartridge 10 .

The cartridge 10 may be coupled to the main body 20 while accommodating the aerosol generating material therein. For example, as at least a portion of the cartridge 10 is inserted into the main body 20, the cartridge 10 and the main body 20 may be coupled. As another example, by inserting at least a portion of the main body 20 into the cartridge 10, the cartridge 10 and the main body 20 may be coupled.

The cartridge 10 and the body 20 may be coupled by at least one of a snap-fit method, a screw coupling method, a magnetic coupling method, or an interference fit method, but the cartridge 10 and the body ( 20) is not limited to the above example.

According to one embodiment, the cartridge 10 may include a housing 100, a mouthpiece 160, a reservoir 200, a liquid delivery means 300, an atomizer 400 and a printed circuit board 500. there is.

The housing 100 may form the overall appearance of the cartridge 10 together with the mouthpiece 160, and components for operating the cartridge 10 may be disposed inside the housing 100. In one embodiment, the housing 100 may be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, but the shape of the housing 100 is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Depending on the embodiment, the housing 100 may be formed in the shape of a polygonal column (eg, a triangular column or a pentagonal column) or a cylindrical column.

The mouthpiece 160 is disposed in one area of the housing 100 and may include an outlet 160e for discharging aerosol generated from an aerosol generating material to the outside. In one embodiment, the mouthpiece 160 may be disposed in another area opposite to one area of the cartridge 10 coupled to the main body 20, and the user may contact the oral cavity with the mouthpiece 160. By inhaling, the aerosol can be supplied from the cartridge 10 .

A pressure difference may occur between the outside of the cartridge 10 and the inside of the cartridge 10 due to a user's inhalation or puff operation, and the inside of the cartridge 10 may be caused by the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cartridge 10. The aerosol generated in may be discharged to the outside of the cartridge 10 through the outlet 160e. That is, the user may be supplied with aerosol discharged to the outside of the cartridge 10 through the discharge port 160e by bringing the mouth into contact with the mouthpiece 160 and inhaling.

The storage tank 200 is located in the inner space of the housing 100 and may contain an aerosol-generating substance. In the present disclosure, the expression 'the storage tank accommodates the aerosol generating material' refers to the fact that the storage tank 200 simply performs a function of containing the aerosol generating material, such as the use of a container, and the inside of the storage tank 200, for example. For example, it may mean including an element that impregnates (contains) an aerosol-generating material such as a sponge, cotton, cloth, or porous ceramic structure. In addition, the above expression may be used in the same meaning below.

The reservoir 200 may contain an aerosol-generating material having any one state, such as a liquid state, a solid state, a gas state, or a gel state.

In one embodiment, the aerosol generating material may include a liquid composition. The liquid composition may be a liquid containing a tobacco-containing material including a volatile tobacco flavor component, or may be a liquid containing a non-tobacco material.

The liquid composition may include, for example, any one of water, solvent, ethanol, plant extract, fragrance, flavoring agent, and vitamin mixture, or a mixture of these ingredients. Fragrance may include menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, various fruit flavor components, etc., but is not limited thereto.

Flavoring agents can include ingredients that can provide a variety of flavors or flavors to the user. The vitamin mixture may be a mixture of at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E, but is not limited thereto. Liquid compositions may also contain aerosol formers such as glycerin and propylene glycol.

For example, a liquid composition may comprise a solution of glycerin and propylene glycol in any weight ratio to which a nicotine salt has been added. A liquid composition may also include two or more nicotine salts. Nicotine salts can be formed by adding a suitable acid, including organic or inorganic acids, to nicotine. The nicotine can be either naturally occurring nicotine or synthetic nicotine in any suitable weight concentration relative to the total solution weight of the liquid composition.

The acid for forming the nicotine salt may be appropriately selected in consideration of the absorption rate of nicotine in the blood, the operating temperature of the aerosol generating device 1000, flavor or taste, solubility, and the like. For example, acids for the formation of nicotine salts include benzoic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, lauric acid, sorbic acid, levulinic acid, pyruvic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, caproic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid , citric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, phenylacetic acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid, saccharic acid, malonic acid, or a single acid selected from the group consisting of malic acid or the above It may be a mixture of two or more acids selected from the group, but is not limited thereto.

The atomizer 400 is located inside the housing 100 and can generate an aerosol by converting a phase of an aerosol generating material stored inside the cartridge 10.

In one example, the aerosol generating material stored or accommodated in the reservoir 200 may be supplied from the reservoir 200 to the atomizer 400 through the liquid delivery means 300, and the atomizer 400 is the liquid delivery means ( An aerosol may be generated by atomizing the aerosol generating material supplied from 300). At this time, the liquid delivery unit 300 may be a wick including at least one of cotton fiber, ceramic fiber, glass fiber, and porous ceramic, but the liquid delivery unit 300 is not limited to the above-described embodiment. no.

According to one embodiment, the atomizer 400 of the aerosol generating device 1000 may change the phase of the aerosol generating material by using an ultrasonic vibration method to atomize the aerosol generating material with ultrasonic vibration.

For example, the atomizer 400 may include a vibrator generating short-period vibration, and the vibration generated from the vibrator may be ultrasonic vibration. The frequency of the ultrasonic vibration may be about 100 kHz to about 3.5 MHz, but is not limited thereto.

The aerosol-generating material supplied from the reservoir 200 to the atomizer 400 by the short-cycle vibration generated by the vibrator may be vaporized and/or made into particles to be atomized into an aerosol.

The vibrator may include, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic, and the piezoelectric ceramic generates electricity (voltage) by a physical force (pressure) and, conversely, generates vibration (mechanical force) when electricity is applied thereto. It may be a functional material capable of mutually converting mechanical forces. That is, as electricity is applied to the vibrator, vibration (physical force) of a short period may be generated, and the generated vibration may break the aerosol-generating material into small particles and atomize it into an aerosol.

The vibrator may be electrically connected to other components of the aerosol generating device 1000 through an electrical connection member.

According to one embodiment, the vibrator is connected to the battery 510 (eg, the battery 510 of FIG. 1) of the body 20 through the printed circuit board 500 located inside the housing 100 of the cartridge 10, It may be electrically connected to at least one of the processor 550 (eg, the processor 550 of FIG. 1 ) and the driving circuit of the aerosol generating device 1000 . For example, the vibrator is electrically connected to the printed circuit board 500 located inside the cartridge 10 through a first electrical connection member, and the printed circuit board 500 is connected to the main body (through a second electrical connection member). 20) may be electrically connected to the battery 510, the processor 550, and/or other driving circuits. That is, the vibrator may be electrically connected to components of the main body 20 via the printed circuit board 500 .

According to another embodiment (not shown), the vibrator does not use the printed circuit board 500 as a medium, and at least one of the battery 510 of the main body 20, the processor 550 and the driving circuit of the aerosol generating device 1000 It can also be directly connected to one.

The vibrator may receive current or voltage from the battery 510 of the main body 20 through an electrical connection member to generate ultrasonic vibration. Also, the vibrator may be electrically connected to the processor 550 of the main body 20 through an electrical connection member, and the processor 550 may control the operation of the vibrator.

The electrical connection member may include, for example, at least one of a pogo pin, a wire, a cable, a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), and a C-clip, but the electrical connection member is not limited to the above examples.

In another embodiment (not shown), the atomizer 400 also has a function of absorbing the aerosol-generating material and maintaining it in an optimal state for converting the aerosol-generating material into an aerosol without using a separate liquid delivery means 300 and the aerosol-generating material It may also be implemented as a mesh-shaped or plate-shaped vibration receiving unit that performs all of the functions of generating aerosol by transmitting vibration to the body.

The aerosol generated by the atomizer 400 may be discharged to the outside of the cartridge 10 through the discharge passage 150 and supplied to the user.

According to one embodiment, the discharge passage 150 is located inside the cartridge 10, and may connect or communicate with the atomizer 400 and the outlet 160e of the mouthpiece 160. Accordingly, the aerosol generated in the atomizer 400 may flow along the discharge passage 150 and may be discharged to the outside of the cartridge 10 or the aerosol generating device 1000 through the discharge port 160e. The user may receive an aerosol by contacting the oral cavity to the mouthpiece 160 and inhaling the aerosol discharged from the outlet 160e.

In one example, the discharge passage 150 may be arranged such that an outer circumferential surface thereof is surrounded by the storage tank 200 inside the housing 100, but the arrangement position of the discharge passage 150 is not limited to the above-described example.

Although not shown in the drawings, the cartridge 10 has at least one element for introducing air (hereinafter, referred to as external air) from the cartridge 10 or the aerosol generating device 1000 into the housing 100. It may include an air inlet passage.

External air may be introduced into a space where aerosol is generated by the discharge passage 150 inside the cartridge 10 or the atomizer 400 through at least one air introduction passage. The entrained outside air may mix with vaporized particles generated from the aerosol-generating material, resulting in an aerosol.

According to one embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the cartridge 10 and/or body 20 of the aerosol generating device 1000 in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction is circular, elliptical, square, rectangular or polygonal in various shapes. It may have a cross-sectional shape. However, the shape of the cross section of the cartridge 10 and/or the main body 20 is not necessarily limited to the above-described shape, or when the aerosol generating device 1000 extends in the longitudinal direction, it is not necessarily formed in a structure that extends in a straight line. .

In another embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the aerosol generating device 1000 may be curved in a streamlined shape to make it easier for a user to hold by hand, or may be bent at a predetermined angle in a specific area and extended long. It can change along the length direction.

3 is a perspective view of a cartridge according to an embodiment, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a cartridge according to an embodiment.

The cartridge 10 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 may be an embodiment of the cartridge 10 of the aerosol generating device 1000 shown in FIG. 2, and redundant description will be omitted below.

3 and 4, the cartridge 10 according to one embodiment includes a housing 100, a discharge passage 150, a mouthpiece 160, a reservoir 200, a liquid delivery means 300, an atomizer ( 400) and a printed circuit board 500. Components of the cartridge 10 according to an embodiment are not limited to the above-described examples, and depending on the embodiment, any one component may be added or any one component (eg, the mouthpiece 160) may be omitted. may be

The housing 100 may form an internal space in which components of the cartridge 10 may be disposed while forming the overall appearance of the cartridge 10 . In the drawing, the housing 100 of the cartridge 10 is shown only for an embodiment in which the overall rectangular pillar shape is shown, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment (not shown), the housing 100 may be formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole, or may be formed in a polygonal column shape other than a quadrangular column (eg, a triangular column or a pentagonal column).

According to one embodiment, the housing 100 may include a first housing 110 and a second housing 120 connected to one area of the first housing 110, and the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 may be connected to each other. 2 housing 120 may protect the components of the cartridge 10 disposed in the inner space formed by the combination of the first housing 110 and the second housing 120

For example, the first housing 110 (or 'upper housing') is coupled to a region located at the top (eg, z direction) of the second housing 120 (or 'lower housing'), so that the first housing ( 110) and the second housing 120, an internal space in which components of the cartridge 10 can be disposed may be formed, but is not limited thereto.

In the present disclosure, 'top' refers to the 'z' direction of FIGS. 3 and 4, and 'bottom' may mean the '-z' direction of FIGS. 3 and 4 pointing in the opposite direction to the top. can also be used with the same meaning.

The mouthpiece 160 is a part inserted into the user's oral cavity and may be connected to one area of the housing 100 . For example, the mouthpiece 160 may be connected to one area of the first housing 110 connected to the second housing 120 and another area (eg, an upper area of the first housing 110) located in the opposite direction. can

In one embodiment, the mouthpiece 160 may be detachably coupled to one area of the housing 100, but depending on the embodiment, the mouthpiece 160 may be integrally formed with the housing 100.

The mouthpiece 160 may include at least one outlet 160e for discharging aerosol generated inside the cartridge 10 to the outside of the cartridge 10 . The user may contact the oral cavity with the mouthpiece 160 and receive the aerosol discharged to the outside through the outlet 160e of the mouthpiece 160 .

The storage tank 200 may be disposed in the inner space of the first housing 110, and an aerosol generating material may be stored inside the storage tank 200. For example, a liquid aerosol generating material may be stored in the storage tank 200, but is not limited thereto.

The liquid delivery means 300 may be located between the reservoir 200 and the atomizer 400, and the aerosol generating material stored in the reservoir 200 is supplied to the atomizer 400 through the liquid delivery means 300. It can be.

According to one embodiment, the liquid delivery means 300 may serve to receive an aerosol generating material from the reservoir 200 and deliver the supplied aerosol generating material to the atomizer 400 . For example, the liquid delivery means 300 can absorb aerosol-generating material moving from the reservoir 200 in the direction of the liquid delivery means 300, and the absorbed aerosol-generating material moves along the liquid delivery means 300. It can be supplied to the atomizer 400.

According to one embodiment, the liquid delivery means 300 may include a plurality of liquid delivery means. For example, the liquid delivery means 300 may include a first liquid delivery means 310 and a second liquid delivery means 320 .

The first liquid delivery means 310 may be disposed adjacent to the reservoir 200 to receive the liquid aerosol generating material from the reservoir 200 . For example, the first liquid delivery unit 310 may receive the aerosol generating material from the reservoir 200 by absorbing at least a portion of the aerosol generating material discharged from the reservoir 200 .

For example, the aerosol generating material stored in the storage tank 200 is directed to the outside of the storage tank 200 through a liquid supply hole (not shown) formed in one area of the storage tank 200 toward the first liquid delivery means 310. It may be discharged, but is not limited thereto.

The second liquid delivery means 320 is located between the first liquid delivery means 310 and the atomizer 400, and can deliver the aerosol supplied to the first liquid delivery means 310 to the atomizer 400. there is. For example, the second liquid delivery means 320 is located at the lower end (eg, -z direction) of the first liquid delivery means 310, and the aerosol generating material absorbed by the first liquid delivery means 310 is removed. It can be supplied to the firearm 400.

In one embodiment, one area of the second liquid delivery means 320 is in contact with one area of the first liquid delivery means 310 facing the -z direction, and the other area of the second liquid delivery means 320 is free. It may contact one area of the firearm 400 facing the z direction.

That is, the atomizer 400, the second liquid delivery unit 320, and the first liquid delivery unit 310 may be sequentially disposed along the longitudinal direction (eg, z direction) of the cartridge 10 or the housing 100. As a result, the second liquid delivery means 320 and the first liquid delivery means 310 may be sequentially stacked on the atomizer 400 .

At least a portion of the aerosol generating material supplied from the reservoir 200 to the first liquid delivery means 310 through the above-described arrangement structure moves to the second liquid delivery means 320 in contact with the first liquid delivery means 310. can In addition, the aerosol generating material moved to the second liquid delivery means 320 may reach the atomizer 400 in contact with the second liquid delivery means 320 while moving along the second liquid delivery means 320. .

In the drawing, only the embodiment including two liquid delivery means of the liquid delivery means 300 is shown, but according to the embodiment, the liquid delivery means 300 includes one liquid delivery means, or three or more liquid delivery means. may be included.

The atomizer 400 may generate an aerosol by atomizing the liquid aerosol generating material supplied from the liquid delivery unit 300 .

For example, the atomizer 400 may include a vibrator generating ultrasonic vibrations. The frequency of the ultrasonic vibration generated by the vibrator may be about 100 kHz to 10 MHz, preferably about 100 kHz to 3.5 MHz. As the vibrator generates ultrasonic vibration in the above-described frequency band, the vibrator may vibrate along the longitudinal direction (eg, z direction or -z direction) of the cartridge 10 or the housing 100 . However, the embodiments are not limited by the direction in which the vibrator vibrates, and the direction in which the vibrator vibrates may be in various directions (eg, z and -z directions, x and -x directions, y and -y directions, or any one of these directions). combination) can be changed.

The atomizer 400 may generate an aerosol at a relatively low temperature compared to a method of heating the aerosol generating material by atomizing the aerosol generating material using an ultrasonic method. For example, in the case of a method of heating an aerosol generating material using a heater, a situation in which the aerosol generating material is unintentionally heated to a temperature of 200 °C or higher may occur, and the user may feel a burnt taste in the aerosol.

On the other hand, the cartridge 10 according to one embodiment can generate an aerosol at a temperature range of about 100 °C to 160 °C, which is lower than when heated with a heater, by atomizing the aerosol generating material using an ultrasonic method. Accordingly, the cartridge 10 can minimize the feeling of burnt taste in the aerosol, thereby improving the user's smoking feeling.

In the present disclosure, “smoking feeling” may refer to a sensation experienced by a user during a smoking process, and the corresponding expression may be used in the same meaning below.

The atomizer 400 may be electrically connected to an external power source (eg, the battery 510 located inside the body 20 of FIG. 2) through the printed circuit board 500, and may be electrically connected to the power supplied from the external power source. can generate ultrasonic vibrations. For example, the atomizer 400 is electrically connected to the printed circuit board 500 located inside the cartridge 10, and the printed circuit board 500 is electrically connected to an external power source of the cartridge 10 Accordingly, the atomizer 400 may receive power from an external power source.

According to one embodiment, the atomizer 400 may be electrically connected to the printed circuit board 500 through the first conductor 410 and the second conductor 420 .

In one embodiment, the first conductor 410 includes a material (eg, metal) having electrical conductivity and is located on top of the atomizer 400 to connect the atomizer 400 and the printed circuit board 500. can be electrically connected.

For example, a portion (eg, an upper portion) of the first conductor 410 is arranged to surround at least one area of the outer circumferential surface of the atomizer 400 and contacts the atomizer 400, and the first conductor Another part (eg, a lower part) of 410 may be formed to extend in a direction toward the printed circuit board 500 at one part and contact one area of the printed circuit board 500 . The atomizer 400 and the printed circuit board 500 may be electrically connected by the above-described contact structure of the first conductor 410 .

In one example, an opening 410h (opening) may be formed in a portion of the first conductor 410 so that at least a portion of the atomizer 400 may be exposed to the outside of the first conductor 410 . A region of the atomizer 400 exposed to the outside of the first conductor 410 through the opening 410h of the first conductor 410 contacts the second liquid delivery means 320 to transfer the second liquid. An aerosol generating material may be supplied from means 320 .

In one embodiment, the second conductor 420 includes a material having electrical conductivity, and is located at the bottom of the atomizer 400 or between the atomizer 400 and the printed circuit board 500 to make the atomizer ( 400) and the printed circuit board 500 may be electrically connected. For example, as the second conductor 420 has one end in contact with the lower area of the atomizer 400 and the other end in contact with one area of the printed circuit board 500 facing the atomizer 400, The firearm 400 and the printed circuit board 500 may be electrically connected.

According to one embodiment, the second conductor 420 includes a conductive material having elasticity and serves not only to electrically connect the atomizer 400 and the printed circuit board 500, but also to the atomizer 400. It can also play a role of elastic support. For example, the second conductor 420 may include a conductive spring, but the second conductor 420 is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

The cartridge 10 according to one embodiment may further include an elastic supporter 430 positioned between the atomizer 400 and the printed circuit board 500 to support the second conductor 420 . The elastic supporter 430 includes, for example, a material having a flexible property, and may be disposed to surround the outer circumferential surface of the second conductor 420 to elastically support the second conductor 420. . However, the embodiment of the cartridge 10 is not limited thereto, and the elastic support 430 may be omitted according to the embodiment.

According to one embodiment, the printed circuit board 500 is located inside the second housing 120 and is electrically connected to the atomizer 400 through the first conductor 410 and the second conductor 420. At the same time as being connected, it may be electrically connected to an external power source (eg, the battery 510 of FIG. 2 ) through an electrical connection member (not shown).

The electrical connection member may include, for example, at least one of a pogo pin, a wire, a cable, a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), and a C-clip, but the electrical connection member is not limited to the above examples.

In one embodiment, the second housing 120 may include a plurality of through holes 121, 122, and 123 penetrating the inside of the second housing 120 and the outside of the cartridge 10, and a plurality of through holes 121, 122, and 123. An electrical connection member is disposed in the hole to electrically connect the printed circuit board 500 located inside the cartridge 10 and an external power source of the cartridge 10 .

The printed circuit board 500 is electrically connected to the atomizer 400 by the first conductor 410 and the second conductor 420, and electrically connected to the external power source of the cartridge 10 by the electrical connection member. As it is connected, the atomizer 400 may be electrically connected to an external power source via the printed circuit board 500 to receive power from the external power source.

A resistor R for removing noise (or 'noise signal') generated during the operation of the cartridge 10 may be mounted on at least one area of the printed circuit board 500, and the above-described resistor R is Damage to the atomizer 400 can be prevented by removing the noise. However, a detailed description of the operation of the resistor R to remove noise will be described later.

The aerosol atomized by the ultrasonic vibration generated by the atomizer 400 may be discharged to the outside of the cartridge 10 through the discharge passage 150 and supplied to the user. For example, the discharge passage 150 is formed to connect or communicate the inner space of the housing 100 and the outlet 160e of the mouthpiece 160, so that the aerosol generated by the atomizer 400 is discharged through the passage ( After flowing along 150, it may be discharged to the outside of the cartridge 10 through the outlet 160e.

According to one embodiment, the discharge passage 150 is located in the inner space of the housing 100, and at least one area of the outer circumferential surface of the discharge passage 150 may be disposed to be surrounded by the storage tank 200, but is limited thereto. it is not going to be

The cartridge 10 according to an embodiment may further include a sealing means 130 for preventing leakage generated from the reservoir 200 from flowing into the discharge passage 150 .

As the outer circumferential surface of the discharge passage 150 is surrounded by the storage tank 200, leakage generated from the storage tank 200 may flow into the discharge passage 150 and deteriorate the user's smoking sensation.

On the other hand, the cartridge 10 according to one embodiment blocks leakage generated from the reservoir 200 from flowing into the discharge passage 150 through the sealing means 130, thereby preventing the user from deteriorating the feeling of smoking. can

In one embodiment, the sealing member 130 is located inside the discharge passage 150 to prevent leakage of liquid from flowing into the discharge passage 150 . For example, the sealing means 130 may be fitted to the discharge passage 150 and closely adhere to the inner wall of the discharge passage 150, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, the sealing means 130 is formed in a hollow shape with an empty inside, preventing leakage generated from the storage tank 200 from flowing into the discharge passage 150 and preventing the flow of aerosol generated from the atomizer 400. may not be disturbed.

In another embodiment, the sealing means 130 may absorb ultrasonic vibration generated from the atomizer 400 by including a material having elasticity (eg, rubber), and as a result, the atomizer 400 Transmission of the generated ultrasonic vibration to the user through the housing 100 of the cartridge 10 can be minimized.

In another embodiment, the sealing means 130 is located on top of the liquid delivery means 300 and presses the liquid delivery means 300 in a direction toward the atomizer 400, so that the liquid delivery means 300 and the Contact with the firearm 400 may be maintained. For example, the sealing means 130 pressurizes the first liquid delivery means 310 and/or the second liquid delivery means 320 in the -z direction, so that the second liquid delivery means 320 and the atomizer 400 ) can maintain contact between them.

The cartridge 10 according to one embodiment is a structure 140 for preventing droplets bouncing from the atomizer 400 from being supplied to the user, and a first structure 140 for fixing or supporting the structure 140. A support unit 141 may be further included.

In the process of atomizing the aerosol-generating material by the ultrasonic vibration generated by the atomizer 400, some aerosol-generating material may not be atomized yet and droplets may be generated, and the generated droplet may be generated by the ultrasonic vibration generated by the atomizer 400. It may occur that it is discharged to the outside of the cartridge 10 through the discharge port 160e by jumping up.

The structure 140 may be disposed adjacent to the discharge passage 150 to restrict the movement or flow of the splashed liquid in a direction toward the outlet 160e of the mouthpiece 160 .

For example, the structure 140 includes a material capable of absorbing droplets (eg, a felt material) and absorbs droplets bouncing from the atomizer 400, thereby directing the droplets toward the outlet 160e. Movement or flow may be restricted, but is not limited thereto.

When liquid droplets bouncing from the atomizer 400 are discharged to the outside of the cartridge 10 through the outlet 160e and delivered to the user, the user feels uncomfortable and the overall smoking feeling may be reduced.

On the other hand, the cartridge 10 according to one embodiment is not atomized through the above-described structure 140 and restricts the movement of liquids bouncing from the atomizer 400 in the direction toward the discharge port 160e, It is possible to reduce the deterioration of the user's smoking sensation. In the present disclosure, “action bounce” may mean a droplet that has not yet been atomized in the atomizer 400 bounces, and the corresponding expression may be used in the same meaning below.

The first supporting means 141 may accommodate at least one region of the structure 140 and maintain or fix the accommodated structure 140 to one region of the first housing 110 . For example, the first support means 141 may hold or fix the structure 140 to a region (eg, an upper region) adjacent to the mouthpiece 160 of the first housing 110, but is limited thereto. It is not.

In one embodiment, the first supporting means 141 may be disposed to surround at least one area of the structure 140 to accommodate the structure 140, and the first supporting means 141 accommodating the structure 140 As the structure 140 is coupled to one area of the first housing 110 (eg, a z-direction area), the structure 140 may be fixed to one area of the first housing 110 .

The first support means 141 accommodating the structure 140 and the first housing 110 may be coupled in such a way that at least a portion of the first support means 141 is press-fitted to the first housing 110. , The coupling method of the first housing 110 and the first support means 141 is not limited to the above example. In another example, the first housing 110 and the first supporting means 141 may be coupled by at least one of a snap-fit method, a screw coupling method, and a magnetic coupling method.

The first supporting means 141 includes a material (eg, rubber) having a predetermined rigidity and water resistance, and not only fixes the structure 140 to the first housing 110, but also in the storage tank 200. Leakage of aerosol-generating substances generated can be prevented. For example, the first supporting means 141 blocks an area of the reservoir 200 facing the mouthpiece 160, thereby preventing leakage of the aerosol generating material.

The cartridge 10 according to one embodiment may further include a second support means 330 for holding the liquid delivery means 300 and/or the atomizer 400 inside the first housing 110. .

The second support means 330 is disposed to surround at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the first liquid delivery means 310, the second liquid delivery means 320, and/or the atomizer 400, so that the first liquid delivery means 310 ), the second liquid delivery means 320 and/or the atomizer 400 may be accommodated.

In one embodiment, the second support means 330 may be coupled to another region (eg, a region in the -z direction) located in an opposite direction to one region of the first housing 110, and as a result, transfer the first liquid. The means 310 , the second liquid delivery means 320 and/or the atomizer 400 may be held or fixed in different areas of the first housing 110 .

The second support means 330 may be coupled to the first housing 110 in such a way that at least a partial area is press-fitted to the first housing 110, but the first housing 110 and the second support means 330 ) is not limited to the above example. In another example, the first housing 110 and the second supporting means 330 may be coupled by at least one of a snap-fit method, a screw coupling method, and a magnetic coupling method.

According to one embodiment, the second support means 330 includes a material (eg, rubber) having water resistance while having a predetermined rigidity, and the liquid delivery means 300 and the atomizer 400 are provided in the first housing ( 110), and leakage of the aerosol generating material generated in the reservoir 200 can be prevented. For example, the second supporting means 330 blocks an area adjacent to the liquid delivery means 300 or the atomizer 400 of the reservoir 200, thereby preventing leakage of the aerosol generating material.

Even if the above-described ultrasonic vibrator is designed to have a certain range of vibration frequencies, errors in manufacturing and production of the ultrasonic vibrator inevitably exist. In addition, a frequency deviation caused by the support structures 410 and 420 above or below the vibrator 400 described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 or the elastic body inevitably occurs.

In an embodiment, before using the aerosol generating device or starting a preheating operation, an operating frequency capable of minimizing a frequency deviation of the ultrasonic vibrator is set. For example, when the operating frequency of the aerosol generating device is set to 3.0 MHz, the frequency of the target ultrasonic vibrator may be 2.9 MHz. This is because the system frequency and the frequency of the vibrator may not be the same due to the loss of the driving circuit of the aerosol generating device.

Table 1 below shows the correspondence between the system set frequency and the actually measured frequency.

Set frequency (MHz) Actual frequency (MHz) 2.9 2.828 3.0 2.924 3.1 3.045

In embodiments, the aerosol generating device may set various operating frequencies to suit system performance and design. For example, the operating frequency may be 2.7 MHz to 3.2 MHz, and the usable frequency of the ultrasonic vibrator may be 2.6 MHz to 3.1 MHz.

In an embodiment, the frequency calibration for correcting the frequency deviation of the ultrasonic vibrator may be performed before using the aerosol generating device or before preheating.

5 is a driving circuit diagram for driving an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment. In an embodiment, the aerosol generating device may check an output value according to a pulse signal having a predetermined frequency, and set an operating frequency based on the checked output value. Here, the predetermined frequency may be a test frequency for setting an operating frequency. For example, as a frequency range usable in the device, for example, it can be output while changing in the range of 2.9Mhz to 3.1Mhz, or it can output a fixed 3.0MHz.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the driving circuit includes a battery 510, a DC/DC converter 511, a power driving circuit 512, a processor 550, an inductor, a power switch 513, and a sensing circuit 514. . In an embodiment, the processor 550 may output a pulse signal having a predetermined frequency, and check the frequency of power actually supplied to the vibrator P according to the pulse signal. An output value of the actually supplied power for this purpose, for example, a current value or a voltage value may be checked. As another example, the frequency of power supplied to the vibrator may be actually measured and compared.

The DC/DC converter 511 boosts the battery voltage of the battery 510 to a first voltage. The battery voltage may be included in the range of 3.4V to 4.2V, but is not limited thereto. The battery voltage may be included in the range of 3.8V to 6V, and may be included in the range of 2.5V to 3.6V. The first voltage V1 may be included in the range of 10V to 13V, but is not limited thereto. The first voltage V1 may be included in the range of 7V to 10.5V, or may be included in the range of 12V to 20V. In one example, the first voltage may be at least three times the battery voltage or more. However, it is not necessarily limited thereto.

The power driving circuit 512 generates switching voltages Vsw_p and Vsw_n for switching the power switches TR1 and TR2 based on the PWM control signals PWM_P and PWM_N input from the processor 550 . Here, each of the PWM control signals PWM_P and PWM_N may be signals complementary to each other. It may be a pulse signal having a constant duty ratio or frequency. In an embodiment, the pulse signal for setting the operating frequency of the processor 500 may be a PWM control signal.

The step-up circuit 513 boosts the first voltage V1 output from the DC/DC converter 511 to the second voltage V2 according to the first switching voltage Vsw_p and the second switching voltage Vsw_n so as to generate a vibrator Applies to (P).

When the first switching voltage V _{SW_P} is in a first state (eg, high or low state) and the second switching voltage V _{SW_N} is in a second state (eg, low or high state), As current flow between one of the first inductor (L1) and the second inductor (L2) and the ground is allowed, energy corresponding to a change in current flowing through the one inductor is stored in the one inductor, As current flow between the other one of the first inductor L1 and the second inductor L2 and the ground is blocked, energy stored in the other one inductor can be transferred to the vibrator.

When the first switching voltage V _{SW_P} is in a high state, current flow between the source electrode and the drain terminal of the first transistor TR1 may be allowed. Accordingly, current flow between the first inductor L1 and the ground may be permitted. The first inductor L1 is also connected to the transducer P, but the transducer P has a non-zero load value (eg, capacitance), whereas the resistance of the ground is zero or substantially close to zero, Substantially all of the current I ₁ flowing through the first inductor L1 may be transferred to the ground. Meanwhile, since current I 1 flows through the first inductor _L1 , the first inductor L1 may store energy corresponding to the current I ₁ . When the second switching voltage V _{SW_N} is in a low state, current flow between the source electrode and the drain terminal of the second transistor TR2 may be blocked. Accordingly, energy stored in the second inductor L2 may be supplied to the vibrator P. For example, the current I flowing through the vibrator P may correspond to the current I ₂ flowing through the second inductor L2. In an embodiment, the currents I1 and I2 flowing through the first inductor L1 or the second inductor L2 may be output values according to the pulse signal. The processor 550 may detect a current value flowing through the first inductor L1 or the second inductor L2. The processor 500 may estimate the frequency of the vibrator by referring to the table of current values for each frequency of the vibrator. Here, the current value table for each frequency may be a raw data value of the current value for each frequency of the vibrator stored in advance.

When the first switching voltage V _{SW_P} is in a low state, current flow between the source electrode and the drain terminal of the first transistor TR1 may be blocked. Accordingly, energy stored in the first inductor L1 may be supplied to the vibrator P. For example, the current I flowing through the vibrator P may correspond to the current I ₁ flowing through the first inductor L1.

When the second switching voltage V _{SW_N} is in a high state, current flow between the source electrode and the drain terminal of the second transistor TR2 may be allowed. Accordingly, current flow between the second inductor L2 and the ground may be permitted. The second inductor L2 is also connected to the oscillator P, but since the oscillator P has a non-zero load value (eg, capacitance), the resistance of the ground is 0 or substantially close to 0, Substantially all of the current I ₂ flowing through the second inductor L2 may be transferred to the ground. Meanwhile, since current I 2 flows through the second inductor _L2 , the second inductor L2 may store energy corresponding to the current I ₂ .

)에 비례할 수 있다.On the other hand, each of the first switching voltage (V _{SW_P} ) and the second switching voltage (V _{SW_N} ) has a frequency corresponding to the PWM signal and corresponds to a voltage signal that repeats a high state or a low state, so that the switching states are quickly repeated. It can be. The counter electromotive force of the inductor is the inductance value (L) of the inductor and the change in current over time (

) can be proportional to

[Equation 1]

Therefore, as the first voltage V ₁ increases and the current I flowing through the inductor increases, or as the switching speed increases (ie, as the cycle of the PWM signal decreases), a higher voltage can be applied to the vibrator. . In an embodiment, the peak-to-peak voltage value of the AC voltage applied to the vibrator P may correspond to a range of 55V to 70V. This may be a value corresponding to a range of a minimum of 13.1 times to a maximum of 20.6 times the battery voltage (eg, 3.4V to 4.2V).

The sensing circuit 514 may be connected to one side or the other side of the vibrator and detect a current flowing through the vibrator P by switching of the first or second transistor T1 or T2. Here, the sensing circuit 514 is a circuit for detecting current and may be a current or voltage amplifying circuit. It is not limited thereto, and other electrical characteristic values or temperature values may be detected as a matter of course.

For example, hardware that can be used to measure the frequency of the vibrator may be a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, or a humidity sensor. The temperature sensor may detect a current temperature of the changing vibrator and provide the detected temperature to the processor 550 .

The processor 550 may check an output value provided from the sensing circuit 514, for example, a current value, a voltage value, a temperature, and the like, and set an operating frequency corresponding thereto. Here, the output value can be converted through an analog-to-digital converter (Analog-Digital Converter, hereinafter referred to as ADC). You can compare the digital value with the previously stored data value. Here, the correlation between the output value and the frequency or operating frequency of the vibrator corresponding thereto may be experimentally, empirically, or mathematically measured in advance and stored in the memory of the aerosol generating device. The correlation between the output value and the frequency or operating frequency of the vibrator may be stored in a memory in the form of a table, formula, or matching table.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the processor 550 includes an output value checking unit 600 , an operating frequency setting unit 601 and a pulse signal generating unit 602 .

The output value checking unit 600 checks the output value output from the sensing circuit 514 . Here, the output value checking unit 600 may include an amplifier circuit and an ADC.

The operating frequency setting unit 601 compares the checked output value with a previously stored data value to set the operating frequency. Here, the pre-stored data value may be a value included in the correlation between the above-described output value and the frequency or operating frequency of the vibrator.

The pulse signal generator 602 may generate pulse signals corresponding to the set operating frequency, for example, first and second PWM signals PWM_P and PWM_N shown in FIG. 5 .

7 and 8 are flowcharts for explaining a frequency calibration method before preheating of an ultrasonic transducer according to another embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 7 , in step 700, a first frequency is set.

In step 702, an output value is checked.

In step 704, it is determined whether the output value is within a threshold range. When the output value is within the threshold range, in step 706, the first frequency is set as the operating frequency, and in step 710, the vibrator is preheated to the set operating frequency.

However, if the output value is not within the threshold range, in step 708, the frequency is changed to the second frequency, in step 702, the output value is checked, in step 704, it is determined whether the output value is within the threshold range, and in step 704, it is determined whether the output value is within the threshold range. In this case, in step 706, the second frequency is set as the operating frequency.

In the embodiment, the operating frequency is set according to whether the output value is within the threshold range while changing from the first frequency to the Nth frequency. Here, N may be an integer of 2 or greater. For example, the first frequency may be 3.1 MHz, the second frequency may be 3.0 MHz, and the third frequency may be 2.9 MHz, and the frequency change interval may be 0.1 MHz, but is not limited thereto. Here, the threshold range may be a range obtained by statistically analyzing values that can be arbitrarily set for each vibrator frequency.

In an embodiment, the frequency calibration method described with reference to FIG. 7 applies an operating frequency within a preset output value range while changing an operating frequency, and then preheats the vibrator. Before supplying power to the vibrator, the support structure of the vibrator It is possible to compensate for the frequency deviation that exists by the elastic body.

Referring to FIG. 8 , in step 800, a predetermined frequency is set. Here, the predetermined frequency may be a reference frequency determined empirically or experimentally. For example, the predetermined frequency may be 3 MHz, but is not limited thereto.

In step 802, an output value is checked.

In step 804, a table of output values for each frequency is compared with the confirmed output value. Here, the frequency-specific output value table may include a plurality of operating frequencies and an output value corresponding to each operating frequency.

In step 806, an operating frequency is set.

In step 808, the vibrator is preheated to the set operating frequency.

In an embodiment, the frequency calibration method described with reference to FIG. 8 checks the output value based on a specific frequency, for example, 3 MHz, based on the output value for each frequency of the vibrator, compares the output value for each frequency of the vibrator, and applies the operating frequency. .

The control method of the aerosol generating device described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 is to calibrate the frequency deviation of the vibrator, and it is possible to accurately correct the frequency according to the deviation of the ultrasonic vibrator. Therefore, it is possible to accurately set the operating frequency before preheating the vibrator of the aerosol generating device.

9 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a control method of an aerosol generating device using an ultrasonic vibrator according to another embodiment.

FIG. 9 schematically shows a control method included in a control signal generated by the processor described in FIGS. 1 and 2. The ultrasonic vibrator receives the control signal and operates based on a series of commands included in the control signal. can do. Hereinafter, the operation process of the ultrasonic vibrator receiving the control signal will be sequentially described.

First, when the power of the aerosol generating device according to the present invention is turned on, the ultrasonic vibrator receiving the control signal starts preheating. In step 910, the step of preheating the ultrasonic vibrator receiving the control signal from the processor may be referred to as a preheat mode.

While the preheating mode continues in step 910, a voltage having a fixed level may be provided to the ultrasonic transducer. A voltage of a fixed magnitude provided to the ultrasonic vibrator will be described later with reference to FIG. 10 .

Subsequently, when the preheating of the ultrasonic transducer is completed, the ultrasonic transducer may receive a control signal from the processor again and enter the power repetition control mode. In step 920, the power repetition control mode is entered after preheating is completed, and means a mode in which power is supplied to the ultrasonic transducer or power supply is cut off to the ultrasonic transducer alternately and repeatedly. The power repetition control mode is a mode that waits until the user puffs through the aerosol generating device. If the ultrasonic vibrator included in the aerosol generating device is continuously supplied with power even after the preheating is completed (when the rated voltage is applied), the temperature rises exponentially and may be damaged.

In the embodiment, in order to prevent damage to the ultrasonic vibrator, a power repetition control mode is included as an intermediate mode in which the user's inhalation (puff) is secondarily waited until aerosol is generated after the primary preheating is completed. can do. In particular, in the power repetition control mode, the power supply to the ultrasonic transducer is temporarily completely cut off, and then the power supply to the ultrasonic transducer is temporarily resumed before the preheating effect completely disappears, thereby increasing the temperature of the ultrasonic transducer exponentially. Exponentially rises and prevents breakage, while at the same time enabling rapid generation of aerosol when inhalation of the user is detected.

In the embodiment, the power repetition control mode is distinguished from the conventional method in that it includes at least one section in which the power supply to the ultrasonic transducer is completely cut off after the preheating is primarily completed. A traditional aerosol generating device using a heating heater controls the heater by steadily raising the temperature of the heater to the target temperature through a pulse width modulated (PWM) power signal or proportional integral derivative (PID) control method. Even if the preheating is completed, the power supply to the heater is not completely cut off (stopped). This is because the heating heater can keep the temperature constant through the ratio of the PWM power signal or PID control without cutting off the supplied power.

On the other hand, since the ultrasonic vibrator of the aerosol generating device has a characteristic of vibrating at a predetermined frequency, after power is supplied to the ultrasonic vibrator for a certain period of time, and after preheating is completed, if the user does not use the device, the ultrasonic vibrator for another predetermined time It is possible to minimize the case where the ultrasonic vibrator is overheated and damaged by essentially providing a section for cutting off power supply to. A schematic description of the power repetition control mode will be described later with reference to FIG. 10 .

The processor 550 determines whether a user's puff is detected by various puff detection sensors, and if the user's puff is detected while the ultrasonic vibrator operates in the power repetition control mode, the power repetition control mode is terminated and an aerosol is generated. The ultrasonic vibrator can be controlled as much as possible. Specifically, when a user's puff is detected, the processor 550 transmits a control signal to the ultrasonic vibrator and controls the vibration of the ultrasonic vibrator to generate an aerosol according to a preset temperature profile.

In step 950, if the user's puff is not detected while the ultrasonic vibrator operates in the power repetition control mode, the processor 550 repeats a predetermined number of repetitions (a predetermined number of times) or a predetermined time (a predetermined time) has elapsed. After that, the power repetition control mode can be terminated.

FIG. 10 is a graph schematically illustrating a control method of power supplied to the ultrasonic transducer described in FIG. 9 .

In FIG. 10, for convenience, the above-described power repetition control mode is abbreviated as a puff standby mode, and the horizontal axis of FIG. 10 denotes time, and the vertical axis denotes power supplied to the ultrasonic vibrator. Also, even though the same power is shown as being supplied to the ultrasonic transducer in a specific section of FIG. 10 , voltage values applied to the ultrasonic transducer in the specific section may be different.

As shown in FIG. 10, the ultrasonic vibrator of the aerosol generating device receives a control signal from the processor 550 in a preheating mode (1010, preheat mode), a puff wait mode (1030, puff wait mode), and a puffing mode (1050, puffing mode). mode) to generate aerosol.

The ultrasonic vibrator may be preheated by receiving fixed power for a period set in the preheating mode. At this time, the voltage applied to supply power to the ultrasonic vibrator may be any one value selected from 10V to 15V. As a preferred embodiment, the voltage applied to the ultrasonic vibrator in the preheating mode 1010 may be 13V.

When the preheating of the ultrasonic vibrator is completed, the preheating mode 1010 ends and the puff standby mode 1030 enters, and the puff standby mode 1030 temporarily cuts off the power supply to the ultrasonic vibrator. Wait Off) section and Puff Wait Heat section in which power to the ultrasonic vibrator is temporarily restored following the puff wait off section may be alternately repeated.

The puff standby off period is a period in which power supplied to the ultrasonic vibrator is temporarily cut off, and damage caused by excessive vibration of the ultrasonic vibrator and rapid rise in temperature can be prevented. The puff standby heat period refers to a period in which power supply to the ultrasonic transducer is temporarily resumed in order to change the state of the ultrasonic transducer primarily preheated through the preheating mode (1010) to a state in which aerosol is easily generated.

Since the puff standby off period and the puff standby heat period are intervals in which the power supplied to the ultrasonic vibrator is repeatedly turned on/off, the control signal for implementing the puff standby mode 1030 has a constant duty cycle It may be a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal having As an example, the processor 550 may generate a pulse width modulated signal having a duty cycle of 50% to implement the puff standby mode 1030, and the ultrasonic vibrator receiving the control signal has a puff standby off section. and the time length of the puff waiting hit section is the same. As another example, the control signal for implementing the puff standby mode 1030 may be a pulse width modulated signal having a duty cycle of one value selected from 40% to 60%.

When a user's inhalation is detected while operating in the puff standby mode (1030), the ultrasonic vibrator may receive a control signal from the processor 550 and operate in the puffing mode (1050). In the puffing mode 1050, an aerosol may be generated by supplying power of a certain size to the ultrasonic vibrator. When the preset number of puffs ends or the preset puffing time elapses, the puffing mode 1050 of the ultrasonic vibrator ends.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the embodiment, the aerosol generating device receives a control signal from the processor 550, and is an ultrasonic vibrator that sequentially operates in a preheating mode 1010, a puff standby mode 1030, and a puffing mode 1050. By providing, it is possible to prevent overheating of the ultrasonic vibrator and stably provide aerosol to the user. In particular, the control method according to the present invention can prevent damage to the ultrasonic vibrator by alternately repeating the puff standby off section and the puff standby hit section in the puff standby mode 1030 of the ultrasonic vibrator.

11 is a diagram schematically illustrating a graph of power versus time of an ultrasonic transducer operating in a puffing mode.

11 is a flowchart specifically explaining another example of implementing the puffing mode 1050 in the control method described in FIG. Suppose you have entered

The control signal of the puffing mode 1050 received from the processor 550 may control the ultrasonic vibrator to enter a puffing high state (1110). In step 1110, the puffing high state means a state in which relatively high power is supplied to the ultrasonic vibrator for a predetermined time in order to generate aerosol through the vibration of the ultrasonic vibrator operating in the puff standby mode (1030).

In the puffing high state, a preset voltage may be applied to the ultrasonic vibrator for a preset time period. For convenience of description, the preset voltage applied to the ultrasonic vibrator in the puffing high state and the interval in which the voltage is maintained for the preset time are each limited. It will be called 1 voltage and 1st section. In addition, below, occurrence of a timeout for a specific state means that a preset holding time has elapsed.

Subsequently, when a timeout occurs for the puffing high state (1120), the ultrasonic vibrator may be controlled to the puffing low state by a control signal (1130). Here, in the puffing low state, a preset voltage may be applied to the ultrasonic vibrator for a preset time. For convenience of description, a predetermined voltage applied to the ultrasonic vibrator in the puffing low state and a period in which the voltage is maintained for a predetermined time will be referred to as a second voltage and a second period, respectively.

The first voltage applied to the ultrasonic vibrator is greater than the second voltage. As an example, the first voltage may be one voltage value selected from 12V to 14V, and the second voltage may be one voltage value selected from 9V to 11V. As another preferred embodiment, the first voltage may be 13V and the second voltage may be 10V. The time lengths of the first section and the second section may be the same or different. In addition, the time length of the first section and the second section may be influenced by the time length of the blocking section described later.

The processor 550 determines whether a timeout occurs for the second period, which is the maintenance period of the puffing low state, and if a timeout occurs for the second period (1140), the ultrasonic vibrator receives a control signal from the processor 550 It may be received and enter the puffing block state (1150).

No voltage is applied to the ultrasonic vibrator operating in the puffing block state. In order to prevent damage to the overheated ultrasonic vibrator in the process of sufficiently operating to generate aerosol, in the puff blocking mode, external signals are blocked for a certain period of time so that the ultrasonic vibrator does not operate regardless of any input. The section in which the ultrasonic vibrator maintains the puffing block state may be abbreviated as a blocking section like the first section and the second section.

The processor 550 determines whether a timeout occurs for the blocking section, and when a timeout occurs for the blocking section (1160), the ultrasonic vibrator receives a control signal from the processor 550 and enters the puff standby mode. can (1170). As another example of step 1170, when a timeout for the blocking section occurs, the aerosol generating device may enter a sleep mode or be turned off to minimize battery power consumption in preparation for the user's next puff. there is.

A schematic description of the above-described first section, second section, and blocking section will be described later with reference to FIG. 12 .

12 is a diagram schematically illustrating a graph of power versus time of an ultrasonic vibrator operating in a puffing mode.

When compared with the graph shown in FIG. 10, the graph shown in FIG. 12 is different in the puffing mode. Specifically, in the puffing mode 1050 of FIG. 10, the same voltage is applied to the ultrasonic vibrator during the puffing mode to generate aerosol, but in the puffing mode 1250 of FIG. 12, the puffing high state 1251 and the puffing low state 1253 , It is divided into the puffing block state 1255, and aerosol is generated through the process of applying a voltage to the ultrasonic vibrator only in the puffing high state 1251 and the puffing low state 1253, and in the puffing block state 1255, the ultrasonic vibrator No voltage is applied to

The puffing mode 1250 of FIG. 12 is characterized in that a puffing high state 1251, a puffing low state 1253, and a puffing block state 1255 are sequentially configured. The voltages applied to the ultrasonic vibrator in the puffing high state 1251 and the puffing low state 1253 are the first voltage and the second voltage, respectively, the first voltage is one voltage value selected from 12V to 14V, and the second voltage is 9V It may be one voltage value selected from 11V to 11V. Also, as another example, the first voltage may be 13V and the second voltage may be 10V.

The ratio of the first period, which is the duration of the puffing high state 1251, the second period, which is the duration of the puffing low state 1253, and the blocking period, which is the duration of the puffing block state 1255, may be a preset ratio value. For example, the ratio of time lengths of the first section, the second section, and the blocking section may be 2:3:1. Here, the ratio of the time lengths of the first section, the second section, and the blocking section can be selected as an appropriate ratio to prevent damage to the ultrasonic transducer and to stably generate aerosol, and this ratio can be determined experimentally, empirically, and mathematically. may be a predetermined value.

In FIG. 12 , the puffing block state 1255 is the same as the puff standby off period of the puff standby mode 1230 in that it is a period in which voltage is not temporarily applied to the ultrasonic vibrator. However, in the puff waiting off period, when a user's puff is detected, it is immediately switched to the puffing mode 1250 to generate aerosol, while the puffing block state 1255 is the puffing high state 1251 and the puffing low state ( Since the aerosol has already been generated in 1253), the operation of the ultrasonic vibrator is forcibly blocked. Even if the user's puff is detected, all signals are blocked and no voltage is applied to the ultrasonic vibrator to drive the ultrasonic vibrator.

The operation of the ultrasonic vibrator from the first section of the puffing mode 1250 of FIG. 12 to the blocking section proceeds as follows. For convenience, it is assumed that the ratio of the time lengths of the first period to the blocking period is 2:3:1, and the first voltage and the second voltage are 13V and 10V, respectively.

The ultrasonic vibrator entering the puffing high state 1251 operates for 2 seconds with a voltage of 13V applied thereto. Subsequently, when 2 seconds elapse and timeout occurs, the ultrasonic vibrator that has entered the puffing low state 1253 operates for 3 seconds with a voltage of 10V applied thereto. When 3 seconds have elapsed and timeout occurs, no voltage is applied to the ultrasonic vibrator entering the puffing block state 1255, and even if there is an external control signal, all of them are blocked, and the puffing block state 1255 is maintained for 1 second. When the puffing block state 1255 times out, the puffing mode 1250 ends and can be switched to the puff standby mode 1230 as described in FIG. 11 .

Through the above process, the puffing mode 650 can be accurately controlled, and an aerosol of a uniform amount of atomization can be generated each time while preventing damage to the ultrasonic vibrator.

13 is a graph showing a case in which an event occurs in a puffing high state.

Specifically, FIG. 13 is a graph schematically showing operational characteristics of an ultrasonic vibrator when a user's inhalation interruption 1399 is detected in the puffing high state 1251 of the puffing mode 1250 of FIG. 12 .

When the ultrasonic vibrator of FIG. 13 enters the puffing mode 1350 and the first voltage is applied according to the puffing high state and the processor 550 detects that the user's inhalation is cut off through a puff sensor or the like while operating, the puffing mode 1350 is immediately terminated, and the operation mode of the ultrasonic vibrator is switched to the puff standby mode (1370). Here, the puff standby mode 1370 entered after the puffing mode 1350 has the same characteristics as the puff standby mode 1330 before the puffing mode 1350.

In FIG. 13 , the point at which the user's inhalation is stopped is before the puffing high state times out. For example, in the puffing high state where the first voltage is maintained for 2 seconds after switching to the puffing mode 1350, when it is detected that the user's suction is cut off 1 second after switching to the puffing mode 1350, the ultrasonic vibrator waits for the puff Mode 1370 may be entered.

The puff standby mode 1370 switching algorithm as shown in FIG. 13 makes it possible to prevent unnecessary application of voltage to the ultrasonic vibrator and generation of aerosol even though the user's inhalation is not detected. In addition, since the puffing low state and the puffing block state are omitted and immediately switched to the puff standby mode 1370, it helps the user to quickly inhale the aerosol again.

14 is a graph showing a case where an event occurs in the puffing low state.

Specifically, FIG. 14 is a graph schematically showing operating characteristics of an ultrasonic vibrator when a user's inhalation interruption 1499 is detected in the puffing low state 1253 of the puffing mode 1250 of FIG. 12 .

When the ultrasonic vibrator of FIG. 14 enters the puffing mode 1450 and the second voltage is applied according to the puffing low state and the processor 550 detects that the user's inhalation is cut off through a puff sensor or the like during operation, the puffing mode 1450 is immediately terminated, and the operation mode of the ultrasonic vibrator is switched to the puff standby mode (1470). Here, the puff standby mode 1470 entered after the puffing mode 1450 has the same characteristics as the puff standby mode 1430 before the puffing mode 1450.

In FIG. 14 , the point at which the user's inhalation is stopped is before the puffing low state times out. For example, in the puffing low state maintained at the second voltage for 3 seconds after switching to the puffing mode 1450, when it is detected that the user's suction is cut off 2 seconds after switching to the puffing low state, the ultrasonic vibrator is in the puff standby mode ( 1470) can be entered.

The puff standby mode 1470 switching algorithm as shown in FIG. 14 makes it possible to prevent unnecessary application of voltage to the ultrasonic vibrator and generation of aerosol even though the user's inhalation is not detected. In addition, since the puffing block state is omitted and immediately switched to the puff standby mode 1470, it helps the user to quickly inhale the aerosol again.

15 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a control method of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment.

More specifically, FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a process of omitting the preheating mode and immediately entering the puff standby mode in the aerosol generating device.

First, when the power of the ultrasonic vibrating aerosol generating device is turned on by the user (1510), the processor 550 determines whether the idle period is shorter than the reference time (1520).

In step 1520, the idle period is a time value calculated by counting how much time has elapsed since the device was not used by the user, and the processor 550 may detect the idle period based on the latest time when the device was used. The processor 550 may detect a gap between the latest use time of the aerosol generating device stored in the memory and the current time as the idle period. As another example, the processor 550 may directly acquire the idle period based on a separately provided time counter to count the idle period.

As an optional embodiment, in step 1520, the processor may determine whether to omit the preheating mode after confirming whether the predetermined preheating time is set to a value greater than 0 seconds without comparing the idle period with the reference time by detecting the idle period. This optional embodiment will be described later with reference to FIG. 20 .

The processor 550 may control the ultrasonic vibrator so that the preheating mode for the ultrasonic vibrator is skipped and the ultrasonic vibrator immediately enters the puff standby mode when the idle period is shorter than the predetermined reference time based on the size (1530).

Meanwhile, if the idle period is longer than the predetermined reference time, the processor 550 may enter a preheating mode for the ultrasonic vibrator in order to increase the efficiency of aerosol generation (1540).

16 is a diagram schematically illustrating a graph of power versus time when the preheating mode is omitted.

Referring to the time axis of the graph of FIG. 16, at the moment when the power of the aerosol generating device is turned on by the processor 550, whether to omit the preheating mode is determined (1610), and as the preheating mode is omitted, the ultrasonic vibrator immediately puffs. It can be seen that the standby mode 1630 has entered.

17 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a control method of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment.

More specifically, FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of pre-determining the number of times of entering a puff standby hit section in a puff standby mode (power repetition control mode).

When the power of the ultrasonic vibrating aerosol generating device is turned on, the processor 550 controls the preheating of the ultrasonic vibrator to start (1710).

When the preheating of the ultrasonic vibrator is completed, the processor 550 controls the ultrasonic vibrator to enter the power repetition control mode (1720), and determines whether the preset number of puff standby hits is greater than the cumulative number of puffs (1730).

In step 1730, the number of puff standby hits means the number of times the ultrasonic vibrator enters the puff standby hit section in the power repetition control mode and may be set in advance. In step 1730, the cumulative number of puffs is the number of puffs accumulated by the user, and is normally 0 unless the user continuously uses the device without turning off the power.

If the number of puff standby hits is set to an integer value greater than 0, the ultrasonic vibrator enters the puff standby hit section by the preset number of puff standby hits (1740). In step 1740, the ultrasonic vibrator may alternately and repeatedly enter the puff standby hit interval and the puff standby off interval.

On the other hand, if the number of puff waiting hits is smaller than the cumulative number of puffs, the ultrasonic vibrator maintains the puff waiting off section (1750). In step 1750, the puff wait-off period may be maintained until the user turns off the device or the user's puff is detected and switched to the puffing mode.

FIG. 18 is a graph for schematically explaining the number of puff standby hits described in FIG. 17 .

Referring to FIG. 18, it can be seen that after the ultrasonic vibrator, which has been primarily preheated, enters a puff waiting off period for device protection, the processor 550 determines how many times the preset number of puff waiting hits is. There is (1850).

As an example, if the number of puff waiting hits determined by the processor 550 is 4 and the cumulative number of puffs is 0, the number of entries into the puff waiting section in the puff waiting mode 1830 is a total of 4 times, so FIG. 18 As shown in , it can be seen that the puff standby hit interval and the puff standby off interval alternately enter the puff standby hit interval a total of four times.

The embodiments described in FIGS. 17 and 18 are examples of how many times a puff standby hit section is to be generated until a user's puff is detected in a state in which the ultrasonic vibrator is completely preheated. If an appropriate number of puff standby hits is set, waste of the battery of the aerosol generating device can be prevented while minimizing the length of the puff standby mode.

19 shows a graph of power versus time supplied to the ultrasonic vibrator when the puff high time is set to 0.

As described in FIG. 12, the puffing mode may consist of a puffing high state, a puffing low state, and a puffing block state. However, when the puffing high time determining the holding time of the puffing high state is set to 0, as soon as the ultrasonic vibrator enters the puffing mode, a voltage may be applied and operated according to the puffing low state.

19 schematically shows that the puffing high time is set to 0 and becomes the puffing low state 1951 from the starting point of the puffing mode. In particular, the processor 550 may check the puff high time at the time point 1999 when the puff is detected, and control the ultrasonic vibrator to enter the puff low state and operate based on the fact that the puff high time is 0.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a flowchart comprehensively explaining the embodiment described in FIGS. 9 to 19 .

The processor 550 may sequentially and repeatedly control the operation of the ultrasonic vibrator by generating the control algorithm shown in FIG. 20 as a control signal. With the ultrasonic vibrator controlled by the method according to FIG. 20, the aerosol generating device can be controlled to produce a uniform amount of atomization for each puff while preventing damage due to overheating of the ultrasonic vibrator.

First, the processor 550 determines whether the preset preheating time is greater than 0 (2010), and if the preset preheating time is greater than 0, the ultrasonic vibrator operates in the preheating mode (2020).

When the preheating mode times out, the processor 550 controls the ultrasonic vibrator to enter the power repetition control mode (puff standby mode) (2030).

After the first puff wait-off period has elapsed, the processor 550 checks whether the preset puff-wait-hit count is greater than the cumulative puff count (2040), and if the puff-wait-hit count is greater than the cumulative puff count, the ultrasonic vibrator It can be controlled to enter the puff standby hit section and operate (2050).

The processor 550 may control the ultrasonic vibrator to enter the puffing mode and operate when a puff by the user is sensed while operating after entering the puff waiting period or the puff waiting off period.

In addition, the processor 550 determines whether the preset puffing high time is greater than 0 before the ultrasonic vibrator enters the puffing mode (2060), and the ultrasonic vibrator is in the puffing high state only when the preset puffing high time is greater than 0. It can be controlled to enter and operate (2070). As an embodiment, it has already been described that a voltage of 13V may be applied to the ultrasonic vibrator for 2 seconds in the puffing high state.

Meanwhile, the processor 550 may control the ultrasonic vibrator to enter the puffing low state and operate when the preset puffing high time is not greater than 0 or when the puffing high state of the ultrasonic vibrator times out (2080). As an embodiment, it has already been described that a voltage of 10 V may be applied to the ultrasonic vibrator for 3 seconds in the puffing low state.

When the puffing low state of the ultrasonic vibrator times out, the processor 550 may control the ultrasonic vibrator to enter the puffing block state (2090). It has already been described that the ultrasonic vibrator entering the puffing block state can block the control signal for the ultrasonic vibrator for a certain period of time to protect the overheated ultrasonic vibrator while generating aerosol.

In the embodiment, the aerosol generating device is a device that operates by being divided into a preheating mode, a power repetition control mode (puff standby mode), and a puffing mode, and can prevent damage due to overheating of the ultrasonic vibrator and ensure a uniform amount of atomization for each puff. It includes a control algorithm that allows In particular, it is possible to prevent overheating of the ultrasonic vibrator by entering the puff waiting-off section at least once after the primary preheating is completed, and after the user's puff is completed, the puff block state is set aside to receive all user input. and prevent the wasteful use of the aerosol generating device.

In addition, when the user's inhalation is detected and then quickly cut off, a control algorithm that does not unnecessarily maintain the puffing mode is additionally included.

Those skilled in the art related to the present embodiment will be able to understand that it may be implemented in a modified form within a range that does not deviate from the essential characteristics of the above description. Therefore, the disclosed methods are to be considered in an illustrative rather than a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is shown in the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the equivalent range should be construed as being included in the present invention.

10: cartridge 20: body
100: housing 110: first housing
120: second housing 121: first through hole
122: second through hole 123: third through hole
130: sealing means 140: structure
141: first support means 150: discharge passage
160: mouthpiece 160e: outlet
200: reservoir 300: liquid delivery means
310: first liquid delivery means 320: second liquid delivery means
330: second support means 400: atomizer

Claims (12)

a storage unit in which aerosol-generating substances are stored;
liquid delivery means for absorbing the aerosol generating material stored in the reservoir;
an atomizer including a vibrator that atomizes the aerosol-generating material absorbed in the liquid delivery means into an aerosol by generating ultrasonic vibrations; and
A processor controlling power supplied to the vibrator;
the processor,
An aerosol generating device that checks an output value according to a pulse signal having a predetermined frequency and sets an operating frequency based on the checked output value. According to claim 1,
The operating frequency is
a frequency of the pulse signal for preheating the vibrator. According to claim 1,
the processor,
To set the operating frequency, pulse signals having a plurality of frequencies for testing are output,
and setting the operating frequency according to whether each output value is within a threshold range. According to claim 1,
the processor,
outputting a frequency of a predetermined magnitude and checking the output value of power supplied to the vibrator;
An aerosol generating device that compares the confirmed output value with a target output value corresponding to a pre-stored operating frequency and sets the operating frequency according to the comparison result. According to claim 1,
the processor,
An aerosol generating device that outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the set operating frequency. According to claim 1,
Further comprising a sensing circuit for sensing an output value of the input side of the vibrator, the aerosol generating device. According to claim 6,
The output value is
A current value or voltage value detected at the input side of the vibrator, the aerosol generating device. According to claim 7,
the processor,
Converting the sensed current value or voltage value into a digital value;
The aerosol generating device for setting the operating frequency by comparing the converted digital value with a pre-stored digital value for each frequency. According to claim 1,
The operating frequency is 2.7 MHz to 3.2 MHz, the aerosol generating device. According to claim 9,
The vibration frequency of the vibrator is 2.6 MHz to 3,1 MHz, aerosol generating device. In the control method of the aerosol generating device according to claim 1,
outputting, by the processor, a pulse signal corresponding to a first frequency;
checking an output value of power supplied to the vibrator; and
Determining whether the output value is within a preset threshold range, and setting an operating frequency according to the determination result;
When the output value is within a preset threshold range, setting the operating frequency;
When the output value is out of a preset threshold range, changing the second frequency to a second frequency different from the first frequency and checking the output value of the power supplied to the vibrator. In the control method of the aerosol generating device according to claim 1,
In a processor, outputting a pulse signal corresponding to a predetermined frequency;
Checking an output value of power supplied to the vibrator;
comparing the checked output value with reference to a pre-stored output value table for each frequency; and
And a control method comprising the step of setting the operating frequency according to the comparison result.

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