KR20240018828A - Aerosol-generating device capable of controlling flow of airflow - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an aerosol-generating article insertion unit into which an aerosol-generating article can be inserted, a sensor unit that detects stimulation, at least one airflow passage and a sensor unit connected to the aerosol-generating article insertion unit and capable of transmitting external air to the aerosol-generating article insertion unit. It relates to an aerosol generating device including an opening/closing control member that controls the opening/closing of an airflow passage based on the stimulus detected.

Description

Aerosol generating device capable of controlling air flow {AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE CAPABLE OF CONTROLLING FLOW OF AIRFLOW}

The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device. Specifically, the present invention relates to an aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air.

There has recently been a growing demand for alternative smoking articles that overcome the disadvantages of traditional aerosol-generating articles. For example, there is an increasing demand for devices that generate aerosols by electrically heating an aerosol-generating article stick (e.g., an aerosol-generating article-type electronic cigarette). Accordingly, research on electrically heated aerosol-generating devices and aerosol-generating product sticks (or aerosol-generating articles) applied thereto is actively being conducted.

An aerosol-generating device may include a passage through which airflow can flow within the device. At this time, it is necessary to control the flow of airflow through the airflow passage according to the preference of the user using the aerosol generating device.

For example, if the user wants to lower the suction resistance while smoking, the airflow needs to be strengthened. Conversely, if the user wants to increase suction resistance while smoking, it is necessary to weaken the airflow.

In another example, the user needs to strengthen the airflow to reduce the heat that occurs at the beginning of smoking. Conversely, it is necessary for the user to weaken the airflow in the middle of smoking to increase suction resistance and increase smoking satisfaction.

Research has already been conducted on technologies that control the opening and closing of the aerosol passage connected to the vaporizer that generates the aerosol, or control the air flow through the air flow passage connected to the outside, but the air flow depends on the user's preference. Additional research and development is needed on specific methods to control .

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0127579

As a result of the above research and development, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an aerosol generating device capable of controlling the opening and closing of at least one airflow passage based on the stimulus detected by the sensor unit.

An aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air according to embodiments of the present invention to solve the above object includes an aerosol-generating article insertion portion into which an aerosol-generating article can be inserted, a sensor portion that detects stimulation, and an aerosol-generating article insertion portion. It may include at least one airflow passage that is connected to and capable of delivering external air to the aerosol-generating article insertion unit, and an opening/closing control member that controls opening and closing of the airflow passage based on the stimulus detected by the sensor unit.

In embodiments, the airflow passages may be two or more.

In implementations, the size of at least one of the airflow passages may be different from the size of the others.

In embodiments, the opening/closing control member may be opened or closed based on the stimulus detected by the sensor unit.

In embodiments, the opening/closing control member may control opening/closing of the airflow passages independently of each other.

In embodiments, the stimulus is temperature, and when the temperature is above a preset temperature, the opening/closing control member may be opened, and when the temperature is below the preset temperature, the opening/closing control member may be closed.

In embodiments, the stimulus is a user's puff, and when the number of puffs is less than a first set number, the opening/closing control member is opened, and when the number of puffs is more than the first set number, the opening/closing control member is opened. can be closed.

In embodiments, when the number of puffs is greater than or equal to a second set number, the opening/closing control member is opened, and the second set number of times may be greater than the first set number.

In implementation examples, the sensor unit may include a touch sensor and open or close the opening/closing adjustment member based on the number of touches input to the touch sensor.

In implementation examples, the sensor unit may include a touch sensor and open or close the opening/closing adjustment member based on the duration of a touch input to the touch sensor.

In implementation examples, the sensor unit may include a touch sensor and open or close the opening/closing adjustment member based on the strength of a touch input to the touch sensor.

In embodiments, the method further includes a vaporization unit that heats the composition to generate an aerosol, and discharges the generated aerosol into the aerosol-generating article insert, wherein the generated aerosol is delivered to the aerosol-generating article insert through an aerosol passage. It can be.

In embodiments, the stimulus is a user's puff, and when the number of puffs is more than a preset number of times during a preset time, the opening/closing control member may be opened.

In embodiments, the opening/closing adjustment member may be partially open or fully open.

The aerosol generating device according to the present invention may include a sensor unit and an opening/closing control member capable of controlling the opening/closing of an airflow passage based on a stimulus detected by the sensor unit. Accordingly, the opening/closing control member can be operated according to the control of the user using the aerosol generating device or according to external circumstances (e.g., temperature, etc.), and allows airflow to flow inside the aerosol generating device to allow the user to use the aerosol generating device. Can increase smoking satisfaction.

1A to 1C are diagrams showing one embodiment of an aerosol generating device according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the aerosol generating device according to the present invention.
3A and 3B are diagrams showing another embodiment of the aerosol generating device according to the present invention.
Figures 4a to 4c are diagrams showing another embodiment of the aerosol generating device according to the present invention.
Figure 5 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the aerosol generating device according to the present invention.
Figure 6 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the aerosol generating device according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail.

The terms used in the embodiments are general terms that are currently widely used as much as possible while considering the function in the present invention, but this may vary depending on the intention or precedent of a person working in the art, the emergence of new technology, etc. In addition, in certain cases, there are terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning will be described in detail in the description of the relevant invention. Therefore, the terms used in the present invention should be defined based on the meaning of the term and the overall content of the present invention, rather than simply the name of the term.

Throughout the specification, when a part “includes” a certain element, this does not mean excluding other elements, unless specifically stated to the contrary, but may further include other elements. In addition, “…” stated in the specification. wealth", "… Terms such as “module” refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented as hardware or software, or as a combination of hardware and software.

Throughout the specification, “aerosol-generating material” means a material capable of generating an aerosol, and may also refer to an aerosol-forming substrate. Aerosols may contain volatile compounds. Aerosol-generating substances can be solid or liquid.

For example, solid aerosol-generating materials may include solid materials based on tobacco raw materials such as leaf tobacco, cut tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, etc., while liquid aerosol-generating materials may include nicotine, tobacco extracts, and various flavoring agents. It may contain a liquid substance. Of course, it is not limited to the above examples.

Throughout the specification, an aerosol generating device may be a device that generates an aerosol using an aerosol generating material to generate an aerosol that can be inhaled directly into the user's lungs through the user's mouth. For example, the aerosol-generating device may be a holder.

Throughout the specification, “puff” refers to the user's inhalation, and inhalation may refer to a situation where the puff is pulled into the user's oral cavity, nasal cavity, or lungs through the user's mouth or nose.

With reference to the attached drawings below, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily practice it. However, the present invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Hereinafter, implementation examples of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1A to 1C are diagrams showing one embodiment of the aerosol generating device according to the present invention, and Figure 2 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the aerosol generating device according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the aerosol generating device 100 includes an aerosol generating article insertion unit 110, a heating unit 120, a sensor unit 130, a control unit 140, a first airflow passage (PA1), and a first opening/closing unit. It may include an adjustment member (OC1). The aerosol-generating device 100 shows only components relevant to this embodiment. Accordingly, those skilled in the art can easily understand that other general-purpose components in addition to the components shown in FIG. 1A may be further included in the aerosol generating device 100. Additionally, the aerosol generating device 100 may be in the form of a stick or a holder.

The aerosol-generating article insertion portion 110 corresponds to one end area of the aerosol-generating device 100 and may provide a space into which the aerosol-generating article 10 is inserted. The aerosol-generating article 10 may have a generally known form, with tobacco raw material deposited on a heat-conducting material. For example, the heat-conducting material may be a metal foil, such as aluminum foil.

In one embodiment, the heating unit 120 may heat the aerosol-generating article 10 inserted into the aerosol-generating article insertion section 110. The heating unit 120 may be, for example, a heater module. The heater module may include a tubular heating element, a plate-shaped heating element, a needle-shaped heating element, or a rod-shaped heating element, and can heat the interior and/or exterior of the aerosol-generating article 10 depending on the shape of the heating element. . The heater module can heat the aerosol-generating article 10 to generate an aerosol flavored with tobacco. Accordingly, the user inhales one end of the aerosol-generating article 10 with the mouth to create an aerosol flavored with tobacco. It can be inhaled. The suction force with which the user inhales one end of the aerosol-generating article 10 may be maintained within a certain range. Therefore, the aerosol generating device 100 according to the present invention proposes a method of separately generating airflow and discharging it toward the aerosol generating article insertion unit 110 in order to reduce the suction resistance that occurs when the user inhales.

The sensor unit 130 can detect external stimuli. The control unit 140 may control the operation of the aerosol generating device 100 based on the stimulus detected by the sensor unit 130. In one implementation, the stimulus may be external temperature, and the sensor unit 130 may include a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature.

In another implementation, the stimulus may be a user's puff, and the sensor unit 130 may include a puff detection sensor for detecting the user's puff. The puff detection sensor may detect the number of puffs of the user.

In another implementation, the stimulus may be a user's touch, and the sensor unit 130 may include a touch sensor capable of detecting the user's touch. The touch sensor can detect microcurrent generated from the user's hand and can also sense pressure applied by the user's hand. The touch sensor may be a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, or a button-type touch sensor.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B , the control unit 140 may open the first opening/closing control member OC1 when the temperature detected by the sensor unit 130 is higher than a preset temperature. In this case, the airflow flowing in from the outside through the first airflow passage (PA1) can flow into the aerosol-generating article insertion part 110, so that the user's suction resistance can be reduced and the heat felt by the user when smoking can be reduced. . Conversely, the control unit 140 may close the first opening/closing control member OC1 when the temperature detected by the sensor unit 130 is less than the preset temperature. In this case, the airflow flowing in from the outside may be blocked, which may increase the user's resistance to suction, and the heat felt by the user when smoking may increase. In one embodiment, the control unit 140 may adjust the opening and closing of the first opening/closing adjustment member OC1 to completely close or completely open. In another implementation, as shown in FIG. 1C, the control unit 140 may control the opening and closing of the first opening/closing adjustment member OC1 to be completely closed, fully opened, or partially opened.

The preset temperature may vary depending on the user's settings. For example, the preset temperature may be 30°C, and when the external temperature detected by the sensor unit 130 is 30°C or higher, the control unit 140 may open the first opening/closing control member OC1.

The sensor unit 130 of the aerosol generating device 100 may detect the temperature of the vaporization unit 150 (see FIG. 2). The temperature of the vaporization unit 150 may refer to a heating temperature for heating the aerosol-generating material of the vaporization unit 150, or of the aerosol emitted from the vaporization unit 150 toward the aerosol-generating article insertion unit 110. It can also mean temperature.

In this way, the aerosol generating device 100 according to the present invention adjusts the opening and closing of the first opening and closing control member OC1 based on the external temperature and/or the internal temperature detected by the sensor unit 130, thereby allowing the user to By controlling the heat felt, the user's satisfaction with smoking can be increased.

Alternatively, the control unit 140 may open the first opening/closing control member OC1 when the number of puffs detected by the sensor unit 130 is less than the first set number. In this case, the airflow flowing in from the outside through the first airflow passage (PA1) can flow into the aerosol-generating article insertion part 110, so that the user's suction resistance can be reduced, and the user may be The discomfort you feel may be reduced. Since the heat generated when puffing decreases after the first set number of times, it is necessary to lower the suction resistance. Accordingly, the control unit 140 may close the first opening/closing control member OC1 when the number of puffs detected by the sensor unit 130 is greater than or equal to the first set number. When the number of puffs exceeds the second set number, which is greater than the first set number, the control unit 140 may reopen the first opening/closing control member OC1 to lower the suction resistance again in the latter half of smoking. In this way, the control unit 140 can open or close the first opening/closing control member OC1 according to the number of puffs, thereby increasing the user's smoking satisfaction with respect to suction resistance and heat sensation.

The number of settings may vary depending on the user's settings. For example, the first set number of times may be 4, and the control unit 140 may open the first opening/closing control member OC1 until the number of puffs detected by the sensor unit 130 is 3, and the puff When the number of times is 4, the first opening/closing control member OC1 can be closed. Through this, it is possible to reduce the user's decline in smoking satisfaction caused by the high heat that occurs in the early stages of smoking.

The second set number of times may be 10, and the control unit 140 may reopen the first opening/closing control member OC1 when the number of puffs detected by the sensor unit 130 reaches 10. Through this, the user's satisfaction with smoking can be increased by reducing suction resistance in the later stages of smoking.

The puff allows the user to inhale both aerosol and air. If the desired amount of aerosol and air is not inhaled by the puff, the user may puff repeatedly to achieve smoking satisfaction. Accordingly, when continuous puffs are detected, the sensor unit 130 may open the first opening/closing control member OC1 to increase the user's smoking satisfaction.

In embodiments, when the sensor unit 130 detects more than a preset number of puffs within a preset time, the first opening/closing control member OC1 may be partially or fully opened. For example, when three or more puffs are detected within 5 seconds after one puff, the sensor unit 130 determines that the suction resistance is high and may partially or fully open the first opening/closing control member OC1. When the first opening/closing control member OC1 is partially opened and the sensor unit 130 detects more than a preset number of puffs within a preset time again, the sensor unit 130 determines that the suction resistance is still high and The first opening/closing control member OC1 can be opened more.

However, this is an example, and the constant time may be determined in various ways other than 5 seconds, and the number of puffs detected within the certain time may be determined in various ways other than 3 or more.

Alternatively, the control unit 140 may open or close the first opening/closing control member OC1 based on the number of touches detected by the sensor unit 130. For example, the control unit 140 may open the first opening/closing control member OC1 when the number of touches is one, and close the first opening/closing control member OC1 when the number of touches is two.

The control unit 140 may open or close the first opening/closing control member OC1 based on the duration of the touch detected by the sensor unit 130. For example, the control unit 140 may open the first opening/closing control member (OC1) when the duration of the touch is 1 to 3 seconds, and close the first opening/closing control member (OC1) when the duration of the touch is 4 to 6 seconds. .

The control unit 140 may open or close the first opening/closing control member OC1 based on the intensity of the touch detected by the sensor unit 130. For example, when the intensity of the touch reaches the first set intensity, the control unit 140 opens the first opening/closing control member (OC1), and when the touch intensity reaches the second set intensity, the first opening/closing control member (OC1) ) can be closed. The description of the above-described first opening/closing control member OC1 may be equally applied to the opening/closing control members described later.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the aerosol generating device 100 may further include a vaporization unit 150. The vaporization unit 150 may be coupled to the aerosol generating device 100 so as to be replaceable. The vaporization unit 150 may generate an aerosol by heating the liquid composition, and convert the generated aerosol into an aerosol inserted so that the generated aerosol passes through the aerosol-generating article 10 inserted into the aerosol-generating article insertion section 110. It can be emitted toward the generating article (10). The generated aerosol can travel through the aerosol passage. The opening and closing of the aerosol generation passage may be controlled by the same opening/closing control member as the opening/closing control member described above. Therefore, tobacco flavor may be added to the aerosol that passes through the aerosol-generating article 10, and the user can inhale an aerosol with tobacco flavor by inhaling one end of the aerosol-generating article 10 with the mouth. there is. Accordingly, the user can inhale the aerosol generated by the vaporization unit 150 and the aerosol generated from heating the aerosol-generating article 10 together. At this time, the heater module may heat the aerosol-generating article 10 at a relatively low temperature. For example, the heater module can heat the aerosol-generating article 10 to a temperature of about 40°C to 200°C.

In another embodiment, the aerosol-generating article insertion portion 110 may not include a heating portion 120 for heating the inserted aerosol-generating article 10. In this case, the aerosol generated by the vaporization unit 150 (see FIG. 2) may be flavored with tobacco even if it passes through the unheated aerosol-generating article 10. In particular, the flavor control treated aerosol-generating article 10 may release tobacco flavor components upon contact with ambient air or aerosol. Accordingly, the user can inhale the tobacco flavored aerosol from the unheated aerosol-generating article 10.

Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 2 together, the control unit 140 can generally control the operation of the aerosol generating device 100. Specifically, the control unit 140 controls the operations of the heating unit 120, the sensor unit 130, the vaporizing unit 150, and the first opening/closing control member OC1 as well as other components included in the aerosol generating device 100. You can control it. Additionally, the control unit 140 may check the status of each component of the aerosol generating device 100 and determine whether the aerosol generating device 100 is in an operable state. For example, the aerosol generating device 100 may further include a battery, and the control unit 140 may determine whether the aerosol generating device 100 is in an operable state by checking the charging state of the battery.

The control unit 140 may include at least one processor. The processor may be implemented as an array of multiple logic gates, or may be implemented as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory storing a program that can be executed on the microprocessor. Additionally, anyone skilled in the art can easily understand that the present implementation may be implemented with other types of hardware.

3A and 3B are diagrams showing another embodiment of the aerosol generating device according to the present invention. FIGS. 3A and 3B may be substantially the same as FIGS. 1A and 1B except that a second airflow passage (PA2) and a second opening/closing control member (OC2) are added. Accordingly, description of overlapping configurations will be omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B , the aerosol generating device 100 may include first and second airflow passages (PA1 and PA2) and first and second opening/closing control members (OC1 and OC2). The first opening/closing control member OC1 may control the opening/closing of the first airflow passage PA1, and the second opening/closing control member OC2 may control the opening/closing of the second airflow passage PA2. At this time, the first opening/closing control member (OC1) and the second opening/closing control member (OC2) may operate independently. For example, the first opening/closing control member (OC1) and the second opening/closing control member (OC2) are normally closed, and may open simultaneously when the stimulus is detected, or only one of them may be open. Opening and closing of the second opening/closing control member OC2 may also be performed based on the stimulus detected by the sensor unit 130.

When the first and second opening/closing control members OC1 and OC2 are opened simultaneously, the external air current can flow stronger than when only one is opened, and the user's suction resistance can be effectively reduced.

In FIGS. 1A and 1B, the first opening/closing control member OC1 is shown as being opened by sliding to one side, but this is an example and may be opened by sliding to both sides as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

In addition, in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the first airflow passage (PA1) and the second airflow passage (PA2) are shown as being combined with each other, but this is an example, and the first airflow passage (PA1) and the second airflow passage (PA2) ) may be separately connected to the aerosol-generating article insertion unit 110. Although the opening/closing control devices OC1 and OC2 are shown to be disposed only at the inlet portion of each of the airflow passages PA1 and PA2, this is an example and is not limited thereto. For example, an opening/closing control member (not shown) may be disposed at a location where the respective airflow passages (PA1, PA2) are combined and connected to the aerosol-generating article insertion portion 110, and the airflow may be controlled by the opening/closing control member (not shown). The flow may be controlled. This can be equally applied to the implementation examples described below.

The vaporization unit 150 described in FIG. 2 may also be added to the aerosol generating device 100 disclosed in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

Figures 4a and 4b are diagrams showing another embodiment of the aerosol generating device according to the present invention. FIGS. 4A and 4B may be substantially the same as FIGS. 3A and 3B except that a third airflow passage (PA3) and a third opening/closing control member (OC3) are added. Accordingly, description of overlapping configurations will be omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4C, the aerosol generating device 100 includes first to third airflow passages (PA1, PA2, PA3) and first to third opening/closing control members (OC1, OC2, OC3). can do. The first opening/closing control member (OC1) controls the opening/closing of the first airflow passage (PA1), the second opening/closing control member (OC2) controls the opening/closing of the second airflow passage (PA2), and the third opening/closing control member ( OC3) can control the opening and closing of the third airflow passage (PA3). At this time, the first to third opening/closing control members OC1, OC2, and OC3 may operate independently. For example, as shown in FIG. 4C, the first opening and closing member OC1 and the second opening and closing member OC2 may be open, and the third opening and closing member OC3 may be closed. That is, the first to third opening/closing control members OC1, OC2, and OC3 are normally closed and may open simultaneously when the stimulus is detected, or at least one of them may be open.

Opening and closing of the third opening/closing control member OC3 may also be performed based on the stimulus detected by the sensor unit 130.

When the aerosol generating device 100 controls opening and closing using the first and third opening and closing control members OC1 and OC2, the suction resistance during smoking can be lowered by using the intensity of various air currents. For example, if necessary, only one of the first to third opening and closing control members (OC1, OC2, OC3) may be opened to form a weak airflow, and the first to third opening and closing control members (OC1, OC2, Any two of OC3) may be opened to form a middle air current that is stronger than the weak air flow, and all of the first to third opening and closing control members (OC1, OC2, OC3) may be opened to form an air flow stronger than the middle air flow. .

Unlike what was described above, the first to third opening and closing members OC1, OC2, and OC3 may be opened while rotating with one end fixed to the fixed axis. For example, referring to FIGS. 4A to 4C , the first to third opening/closing control members OC1, OC2, and OC3 may be opened by rotating 90 degrees while one end is fixed.

In addition, in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the first to third airflow passages PA1, PA2, and PA3 are shown to be merged with each other, but this is an example, and the first airflow passage PA1 and the second airflow passage PA2 ) and the third airflow passage (PA3) may each be separately connected to the aerosol-generating article insertion portion 110.

The vaporization unit 150 described in FIG. 2 may also be added to the aerosol generating device 100 disclosed in FIGS. 4A to 4C.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the aerosol generating device according to the present invention. FIG. 5 may be substantially the same as FIG. 4A except that the first to third airflow passages PA1, PA2, and PA3 have different sizes. Accordingly, description of overlapping configurations will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 5, the first airflow passage (PA1) has a first size (D1), the second airflow passage (PA2) has a second size (D2), and the third airflow passage (PA3) has a third size (D2). It can have a size (D3). In this specification, the size of the airflow passage refers to the diameter of the airflow passage when the shape of the airflow passage is circular in plan, and when the shape of the airflow passage is square in plan, it refers to the space between one cross section of the square and the other cross section facing the one cross section. It can be defined as the straight line distance of . In addition, the shape of the airflow passage may vary, and the size of the airflow passage may be defined differently depending on the shape. For example, if the shape of the airflow passage is a triangle in the plane, the size of the airflow passage may be defined as the area of the triangle.

The first size (D1), the second size (D2), and the third size (D3) may be different from each other. Accordingly, when the opening and closing of the first to third opening and closing control members OC1, OC2, and OC3 are independently adjusted based on the stimulus detected by the sensor unit 130, the intensity of the airflow can be adjusted in various ways. As the first to third sizes (D1, D2, D3) are different from each other, when the first to third opening/closing adjustment members (OC1, OC2, OC3) are opened independently, they are placed in the aerosol-generating article insertion portion (10). The intensity of the transmitted airflow may vary.

By designing the first size (D1) to be half the second size (D2), when opening the first opening/closing control member (OC1), the same effect can be obtained as when opening the second opening/closing control member (OC2) only halfway. . Therefore, the aerosol generating device 100 simply adjusts the first to third opening and closing control members (OC1, OC2, OC3) to completely open and close the first to third opening and closing control members (OC1, OC2, OC3). ) can achieve the same effect as adjusting any one or more of them to be partially open.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the aerosol generating device according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6 , only at least one size among the first to third sizes D1, D2, and D3 may be different. For example, the first size D1 and the second size D2 may be the same size, and the third size D3 may be different from the first size D1 and the second size D2. In addition, the first to third airflow passages (PA1, PA2, PA3) are either combined in the middle and connected to the aerosol-generating article insertion portion 110, or only some of them are combined in the middle and connected to the aerosol-generating article insertion section 110. can be connected For example, the first airflow passage (PA1) and the second airflow passage (PA2) are combined in the middle and connected to the aerosol-generating article insertion portion 110, and the third airflow passage (PA3) is a separate aerosol-generating article. It may be connected to the insertion unit 110. However, this is an example, and the first to third airflow passages PA1, PA2, and PA3 may each be separately connected to the aerosol-generating article insertion portion 110.

Although the present invention has been described in relation to the above-mentioned preferred embodiments, various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the appended claims will cover such modifications and variations as long as they fall within the spirit of the present invention.

10: Aerosol-generating articles
100: Aerosol generating device
110: Aerosol-generating article insertion portion
120: heating unit
130: sensor unit
140: control unit
150: vaporization unit
PA1, PA2, PA3: first to third airflow passages
OC1, OC2, OC3: first to third opening and closing adjustment members

Claims (14)

An aerosol-generating article insertion portion into which an aerosol-generating article can be inserted;
A sensor unit that detects stimulation;
At least one airflow passage connected to the aerosol-generating article insertion portion and capable of delivering external air to the aerosol-generating article insertion portion; and
An aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air, including an opening/closing control member that controls opening/closing of the air flow passage based on the stimulus detected by the sensor unit. According to claim 1,
An aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air, characterized in that there are two or more airflow passages. According to clause 2,
An aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air, characterized in that the size of at least one of the air flow passages is different from the size of the others. According to clause 3,
An aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air, wherein the opening/closing control member opens or closes based on the stimulus detected by the sensor unit. The aerosol generating device according to claim 2, wherein the opening/closing control member independently controls the opening/closing of the airflow passages. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus is temperature,
If the temperature is higher than the preset temperature, open the opening/closing control member,
An aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air, characterized in that the opening/closing control member is closed when the temperature is below the preset temperature. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus is a user's puff,
When the number of puffs is less than the first set number, open the opening/closing adjustment member,
An aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air, characterized in that the opening/closing control member is closed when the number of puffs is equal to or greater than the first set number. The method of claim 7, wherein when the number of puffs is greater than or equal to a second set number, the opening/closing control member is opened,
An aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air, characterized in that the second set number of times is greater than the first set number of times. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor unit includes a touch sensor,
An aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air, characterized in that it opens or closes the opening/closing control member based on the number of touches input to the touch sensor. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor unit includes a touch sensor,
An aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air, characterized in that it opens or closes the opening/closing control member based on the duration of the touch input to the touch sensor. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor unit includes a touch sensor,
An aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air, characterized in that it opens or closes the opening/closing control member based on the strength of the touch input to the touch sensor. According to claim 1,
It further comprises a vaporization unit that heats the composition to generate an aerosol and releases the generated aerosol into the aerosol-generating article insert,
An aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air, characterized in that the generated aerosol is delivered to the aerosol generating article insertion portion through an aerosol passage. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulus is a user's puff,
An aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air, characterized in that opening the opening/closing control member when the number of puffs is more than a preset number during a preset time. According to claim 1,
An aerosol generating device capable of controlling the flow of air, wherein the opening/closing adjustment member is partially opened or fully opened.