RU2772840C1 - Control unit, aerosol generation device, heater control method, computer readable data medium and smoking product - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: aerosol generation devices.

SUBSTANCE: inventions group relates to an aerosol generation device, a control unit for such a device, a heater control method, a computer-readable data carrier and a smoking article. The aerosol generating device comprises a heater configured to heat the outer periphery of the smoking article containing the aerosol source, and a control part for controlling the heater. The control part is configured to control the heater in such a way that the aerosol supply profile in a given allowable suction period contains one or more maximum values ​​in the period between the start point and the end point in the allowable suction period. The predetermined allowable suction period extends over a plurality of suction actions. The delivery profile represents the change over time in the amount of aerosol inhaled per suction action over a plurality of suction actions.

EFFECT: invention makes it possible to recognize the specific period in which the user is currently located, based on the sensation experienced when sucking the aerosol.

16 cl, 9 dwg

Description

The technical field to which the invention belongs

The present invention relates to a control unit, an aerosol generating device, a heater control method and program, and a smoking article.

Background of the invention

[0002] A non-burning-type aerosol generating device, which is used instead of a burning-type cigarette of the prior art, is known to suck in an aerosol generated by spraying an aerosol-forming base material (smoking article) by a heater (Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2).

[0003] Patent Literature 1 discloses an aerosol generation apparatus that includes a smoking article containing a solid aerosol-forming base material and a knife-type heater to be inserted into the aerosol-forming base material when it is used. The heater heats the aerosol-forming base material from its interior.

[0004] Patent Literature 2 discloses an aerosol generation apparatus that includes a smoking article containing a solid aerosol-forming base material and a cylindrical-type heater to be located in the outer peripheral portion of the aerosol-forming base material when it is used. The heater heats the aerosol-forming base material from the outer periphery.

[0005] Unlike the prior art burning-type cigarette, the change in appearance corresponding to the user's sucking action is imperceptible in each of the aerosol generating devices disclosed in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, so that there is a case where it is difficult for the user to intuitively understand the stage in the allowable suction period that the user is currently in.

List of opposed documents

Patent Literature

[0006] PTL 1: Public Disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-113016

PTL 2: Publication of the international application under PCT no. WO 2018/019786

Brief description of the invention

[0007] The first feature is an aerosol generating device, and its essence is that the aerosol generating device includes a heater configured to heat the outer periphery of a smoking article containing an aerosol source, and a control part for controlling the heater, and the control part is configured to the ability to control the heater such that the aerosol supply profile in a given allowable suction period contains one or more maximum values in the period between the start point and the end point in the allowable suction period.

[0008] The second feature is an aerosol generating device according to the first feature, and the essence of it is that the heater has a cylindrical shape surrounding the outer periphery of the smoking article, which has the shape of a rod.

[0009] The third feature is an aerosol generating device according to the second feature, and the essence of it is that the aerosol generating device contains a heat-insulating material that has a cylindrical shape and is located on the outside in the heater radius direction.

[0010] The fourth feature is an aerosol generation device according to any of the first feature-third feature, and its essence lies in the fact that the smoking article contains an aerosol area, including an aerosol source and an aerosol-free area, which is located relative to the flow direction of the generated aerosol downstream of the area with the aerosol, and the heating element of the heater is located so that the heating element extends from the area with the aerosol of the smoking article to the area without the aerosol of the smoking article.

[0011] The fifth feature is an aerosol generating device according to any of the first feature to the fourth feature, and its essence lies in the fact that the control part is configured to control the temperature of the heater to bring the temperature to the first target temperature during the first period, control the temperature of the heater for bringing the temperature to a second target temperature that is lower than the first target temperature during the second period following the first period, and controlling the temperature of the heater to bring the temperature to the third target temperature that is lower than the second target temperature during the third period following the second period.

[0012] The sixth feature is an aerosol generating device according to any one of the first feature to the fifth feature, and its essence is that the aerosol supply amount at the end point is greater than the aerosol supply amount at the start point.

[0013] The seventh feature is an aerosol generating device according to any of the first feature to the sixth feature, and its essence lies in the fact that the feed profile includes an initial period in which an increase is observed with a gradient that gradually increases relative to the time axis, the final a period in which a decrease is observed with a gradient that gradually decreases with respect to the time axis; and an intermediate period, which is located between the start period and the end period and includes one or more maximum values.

[0014] The eighth feature is the seventh feature aerosol generation device, and its essence is that the largest gradient value in the end period is less than the largest gradient value in the initial period.

[0015] The ninth feature is the seventh feature or the eighth feature aerosol generation device, and its essence is that the smallest gradient value in the end period is smaller than the smallest gradient value in the initial period.

[0016] The tenth feature is an aerosol generating device according to any of the seventh feature to the ninth feature, and the essence of it is that the intermediate period is longer than each of the start period and the end period.

[0017] The eleventh feature is an aerosol generating device according to any one of the seventh feature to the tenth feature, and its essence is that the intermediate period is equal to or longer than the period equal to the sum of the start period and the end period.

[0018] The twelfth feature is an aerosol generating device according to any one of the seventh feature to the eleventh feature, and its essence is that the intermediate period includes a stable period in which the gradient is less than the smallest gradient value in the initial period and less than the smallest gradient value in the end period, and the stable period is longer than each of the start period and end period.

[0019] The thirteenth feature is a control unit containing a control part for controlling a heater that is configured to heat the outer periphery of a smoking article containing an aerosol source, and its essence lies in the fact that the control part is configured to control the temperature of the heater in such a way that that the aerosol delivery profile in a given allowable suction period contains one or more maximum values in the period between the start point and the end point in the allowable suction period.

[0020] The fourteenth feature is a method for controlling a heater that heats the outer periphery of a smoking article containing an aerosol source, and its essence lies in the fact that the method includes the step of controlling the heater so that the aerosol supply profile in a given allowable suction period comprises one or more maximum values in the period between the start point and the end point of the allowable suction period.

[0021] The fifteenth feature is a program, and its essence lies in the fact that the program causes the computer to execute the method on the fourteenth feature.

[0022] The sixteenth feature is a smoking article containing an aerosol source, and its essence lies in the fact that the delivery profile at the time of use of the smoking article, together with a device configured to heat the outer periphery of the smoking article and supply the aerosol, is made with one or more maximum values in the period between the start point and the end point.

Brief description of the drawings

[0023] Figure 1 is a view of an aroma inhaler according to an embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a view of an aromatic inhaler into which a smoking article is inserted;

Fig. 3 is a view of the internal structure of the aroma inhaler shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view of the internal structure of the smoking article shown in Fig. 2;

Fig.5 is a block diagram of an aromatic inhaler;

Fig. 6 is a schematic enlarged view of the region 5R in Fig. 3;

7 is a schematic view of the relative position between the base material part of the smoking article and the heater, and the inner cylindrical member of the aerosol generating device;

8 shows the heating profile of the heater and the feed profile of the main components of the aerosol;

Fig. 9 is a heating profile of the heater.

Description of Embodiments

[0024] In the following description, embodiments will be explained. To this end, in the following descriptions of the drawings, the same or like reference numerals refer to the same or like parts. It should be recalled that the drawings are schematic, so that the ratios between the respective dimensions, etc., may differ from the actual ratios, etc.

[0025] Thus, specific dimensions, etc., should be considered in light of the following description. In addition, it goes without saying that in the drawings, the relationships and proportions between dimensions in one drawing may differ from the relationships and proportions between dimensions in other drawings.

[0026] [Brief description of the disclosure]

In the case of the burning-type cigarette of the prior art, the user can easily recognize the specific stage, i.e., one of the start period, the intermediate period and the end period of the allowable suction period, in which the user is currently located, by visually recognizing the position of the cigarette in which the cigarette is burning. However, in many aerosol generating devices it is not possible to visually check the heating state of the smoking article because most of the smoking article is hidden in the interior of the heater or other elements.

[0027] The delivery profile of the main aerosol components described in Patent Literature 1 shows an increase in the initial period of operation of the heater and, thereafter, maintains the delivery profile in a constant state until the heater is turned off. Thus, it is difficult for the user to intuit, based on the feeling experienced when performing the suction action, a specific period, i.e., one of the start period, the intermediate period, and the end period of the allowable suction period, that the user is currently in.

[0028] In the present embodiment, the heater, which is configured to heat the outer periphery of the smoking article containing the aerosol source, is controlled such that the aerosol supply profile in a predetermined suction allowable period contains one or more maximum values in the period between the start point and the end point allowable suction period.

[0029] That is, the aerosol delivery profile first increases, then has a maximum value, and then decreases. Thus, the user can recognize the specific period, i.e., one of the start period, the intermediate period and the end period of the allowable suction period, in which the user is currently located, based on the feeling experienced when sucking the aerosol.

[0030] (Aroma inhaler)

In the following description, an aroma inhaler according to the embodiment will be explained. Fig. 1 is a view of an aroma inhaler according to the embodiment, Fig. 2 is a view of an aroma inhaler into which a smoking article is inserted, Fig. 3 is a view of an internal structure of the aroma inhaler shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a view of an internal structure smoking article shown in figure 2 and figure 5 is a block diagram of an aromatic inhaler.

[0031] The aroma inhaler 100 may be a non-burning type aroma inhaler for generating an aerosol from a smoking article without a combustion process. Specifically, the aroma inhaler 100 may be a portable device.

[0032] Aroma inhaler 100 includes a smoking article 110 including an aerosol source and an aerosol generating device 120 for generating an aerosol from smoking article 110.

[0033] The smoking article 110 is a replaceable cartridge that may include an aerosol source and a flavor source and has a rod shape extending in the longitudinal direction. The smoking article 110 may be configured to generate an aerosol and flavor components when it is heated in the position in which it is inserted into the aerosol generating device 120.

[0034] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the smoking article 110 comprises a base material portion 11A that includes a filling article 111 and a first cigarette paper 112 with which the filling article 111 is wrapped, and a suction port portion 11B that forms an end the part opposite to the base material part 11A. The base material part 11A and the suction hole part 11B 11B are connected by the second cigarette paper 113, which is different from the first cigarette paper 112. For this purpose, it is possible to connect the base material part 11A and the suction hole part 11B with the first cigarette paper 112, so i.e., by eliminating the second cigarette paper 113.

[0035] The suction port portion 11B in FIG. 4 includes a paper tubular portion 114, a filter portion 115, a hollow portion 116 located between the paper tubular portion 114 and the filter portion 115. For example, the hollow portion 116 comprises a filling layer, including one or more hollow channels, and a wrapping material for closing the filling layer. Since the density of the filled fibers in the filling layer is high, air and aerosol only pass through the hollow channel, and air and aerosol hardly pass through the filling layer when performing the suction action. With regard to the aroma generating article 110, if it is desired to reduce the decrease in the amount of aerosol components due to filtration in the filter portion 115, effectively reduce the length of the filter portion 115 and replace this portion with a hollow portion 116 to increase the amount of aerosol supply.

[0036] The suction port part 11B in Fig. 4 is formed by using three parts, however, in the present embodiment, the suction port part 11B may be formed using one or two parts, or may be formed using four or more parts. For example, it is possible to eliminate the hollow section portion 116 and form the suction port portion 11B by arranging the paper tubular portion 114 and the filter portion 115 next to each other.

[0037] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, with respect to the length in the longitudinal direction of the smoking article 110, it is preferable to set it to 40-90 mm, more preferably to set it to 50-75 mm, and even more preferably to set it to 50-60 mm. With respect to the circumference of the smoking article 110, it is preferable to set it to 15-25 mm, more preferably to set it to 17-24 mm, and even more preferably to set it to 20-23 mm. In addition, in the longitudinal direction of the smoking article 110, the length of the base material portion 11A may be 20 mm, the length of the first cigarette paper 112 may be 20 mm, the length of the hollow portion 116 may be 8 mm, and the length of the filter portion 115 may be 7 mm, however , the length of each of the above parts can be appropriately changed according to manufacturing requirements, quality requirements, etc.

[0038] In the present embodiment, filling article 111 in smoking article 110 may comprise an aerosol source that generates aerosol when heat of a predetermined temperature is applied thereto. The kind of the aerosol source is not particularly limited, and the extracted material and/or components thereof, which are obtained from various natural products, can be selected as the aerosol source according to use. As aerosol sources, for example, glycerol, propylene glycol, triacetylglycerol, 1,3-butanediol, and mixtures thereof can be included. The content of the aerosol source of the filling article 111 is not particularly limited, and, considering the generation of a sufficient amount of aerosol and pleasant addition when puffing the flavor, the content of the aerosol source is usually equal to or greater than 5 wt.%, and preferably equal to or greater than 10 wt.%, and is usually equal to or less than 50 wt.%, and preferably equal to or less than 20 wt.%.

[0039] The filling article 111 in the smoking article 110 in the present embodiment may contain ground tobacco as a flavor source. The material of the ground tobacco is not particularly limited, and generally known material such as lamina, stem, etc. can be used as the material. The content range of the filling article 111 in the smoking article 110 in the case where the circumference is 22 mm and the length is 20 mm is, for example, 200-400 mg, and preferably 250-320 mg. The water content of the filling article 111 is, for example, 8-18% by mass, and preferably 10-16% by mass. In the case where the water content is the water content explained above, the occurrence of coloration at the time of folding is eliminated, and compliance with the requirements for folding at the time of manufacturing the main body 11A is found to be satisfactory. There is no particular restriction on the size, preparation method, etc., of the ground tobacco used as the filling product 111. For example, dried tobacco leaves cut into pieces each having a width of 0.8-1.2 mm can be used. Alternatively, dried tobacco leaves are crushed and uniformized into particles having an average size of 20-200 µm, and the particles are processed into a lamina, and the lamina is cut into pieces each having a width of 0.8-1.2 mm. In addition, the aforementioned flake formed by processing the flake can be processed to obtain it, and the resulting flake can be used as the filling product 111. In addition, the filling product 111 can contain one kind or two or more kinds of flavor additives. The kinds of flavors are not particularly limited, however, in view of providing a pleasant smoke flavor, the flavoring agent is preferably menthol.

[0040] In the present embodiment, each sheet of the first and second cigarette papers 112 and 113 can be made using a base paper that has a weight of, for example, 20-65 g/m ² and preferably 25-45 g/m ² . The thickness of each sheet of the first and second cigarette papers 112 and 113 is not particularly limited, however, in consideration of rigidity, gas permeability and ease of handling during papermaking, the thickness is set to 10-100 µm, and is preferably set to 20-75 µm, and , more preferably set to 30-50 µm.

[0041] In the present embodiment, the filler may be included in the cigarette paper 112 and 113 in the filler product 111. The filler content may be equal to or greater than 10 wt.% and less than 60 wt.% and preferably 15-45 wt.% relative to the total weight of the cigarette papers 112 and 113. In the present embodiment, it is preferred that the filler is 15-45% by weight relative to the preferred density range (25-45 g/m ² ). For example, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, kaolin, etc. can be used as a filler. Paper including a filler such as the filler described above has a white color which is preferable in terms of the appearance of the paper used as the cigarette paper of the smoking article 110 and is able to keep its whiteness permanently. By including a large amount of filler, such as the filler described above, the ISO whiteness of the cigarette paper can be increased to, for example, 83% or more. In addition, in view of the practicality of using it as a cigarette paper in the smoking article 110, it is preferable that the cigarette paper 112 and 113 have a tensile strength of 8 N/15 mm or more. Tensile strength can be increased by reducing the filler content. Specifically, the tensile strength can be increased by reducing the filler content to a filler content less than the upper filler content limit that has been shown for each density range illustrated in the above description.

[0042] Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the aerosol generating device 120 includes a mounting hole 130 into which the smoking article 110 can be inserted. That is, the aerosol generating device 120 includes an inner cylindrical member 132 that is a mounting hole member 130. The inner cylindrical member 132 may be formed with a heat conductive member such as aluminum, stainless steel (SUS), or the like, for example.

[0043] Further, the aerosol generating device 120 may include a cover 140 for closing the mounting hole 130. The cover 140 may be slidable between a position where the mounting hole 130 is closed (see FIG. 1) and a position where the mounting hole opening 130 is open (see FIG. 2).

[0044] The aerosol generation device 120 may include an air flow path 160 that communicates with the mounting hole 130. One end of the air flow path 160 is connected to the mounting hole 130, and the other end of the air flow path 160 communicates with the outside ) the aerosol generation device 120 through a portion other than the mounting hole 130.

[0045] The aerosol generation device 120 may include a cover 170 for closing the end of the airflow channel 160 on the side where the airflow channel 160 communicates with outside air. The cover 170 can be brought into a position in which the end on the side communicating with the outside air of the air flow passage 160 is thus closed, and into a position in which the air flow passage 160 is open.

[0046] The cover 170 does not block the airflow passage 160 in an airtight manner, even in the position in which it closes the airflow passage 160. That is, it is configured such that even in a state in which when the airflow passage 160 is closed by the cover 170, outside air can pass into the airflow passage 160 through the part adjacent to the cover 170.

[0047] In the position where the smoking article 110 is inserted into the aroma inhaler 100, the user holds the end portion of the smoking article 110, specifically, the suction port portion 11B in FIG. 4, in his mouth and performs the suction action. As a result of the user's suction action, outside air is drawn into the airflow channel 160 . The air passed into the airflow channel 160 is directed to the inside of the user's mouth through the smoking article 110 in the mounting hole 130.

The user may clean the inside of the airflow passage 160 in the inner cylindrical member 132 with a cleaning device such as a brush. The above cleaning device can be inserted from the side of the top cover 140 in Fig.3 into the inside of the airflow channel 160, or can be inserted from the side of the bottom cover 170 into the inside of the airflow channel 160.

[0049] The aerosol generation device 120 may include a temperature sensor in the airflow channel 160 or on a wall that is an element of the airflow channel 160. The temperature sensor may be a thermistor, a thermocouple, or the like, for example. When the user has performed a suction action through the suction port portion 11B of the smoking article 110, the temperature of the inside of the airflow passage 160 or the temperature of the wall that is a member of the airflow passage 160 is reduced by the effect of the air passing through the airflow passage 160 into direction from the side of the lid 170 to the side of the heater 30. The temperature sensor detects the puff of the user by measuring the decrease in temperature.

[0050] The aerosol generation device 120 includes a battery 10, a control unit 20, and a heater 30. The battery stores electrical energy to be used in the aerosol generation device 120. Battery 10 may be a rechargeable/dischargeable secondary battery. For example, the battery may be a lithium ion battery.

[0051] The heater 30 may be installed at a position around the inner cylindrical member 132. The area in which the heater 30 is placed and the area in which the battery 10 is placed may be separated by a partition 180. In the above case, the air heated by the heater can be prevented from passing through, to the area for accommodating the battery 10. Thus, the temperature rise of the battery 10 can be prevented.

[0052] Preferably, the heater 30 has a cylindrical shape that allows heating of the periphery of the rod-shaped smoking article 110. The heater 30 may be, for example, a film heater. The film heater may include a pair of film substrates and a resistive heating element positioned between the pair of film substrates. Preferably, the film-like substrate is made using a material having excellent heat resistance and electrical insulation, and generally, the film-like substrate is made using polyimide. Preferably, the resistance heating element is made using one or two or more alloys of copper, nickel, chromium alloy, stainless steel, platinum-rhodium, etc., and the resistance heating element can be made, for example, by using a base material of of stainless steel. In addition, for connection to a power source via a flexible printed circuit (FPC), the connection parts and their lead parts of the resistance heating element may be plated with copper.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a schematic enlarged view of the region 5R in FIG. 3, and a sectional view of the heater 30 and parts around it. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the heater 30 is a film heater as described above and is wound around the periphery of the inner cylindrical member 132 into which the smoking article 110 can be inserted. That is, the heater 30 is wound so that it forms a cylindrical shape surrounding the inner cylindrical element 132. As a result, the heater 30 surrounds the outer periphery of the smoking article and can heat the smoking article 110 from its outside.

[0054] Preferably, a heat shrink tube 136 may be installed on the outside of the heater 30. In other words, it is preferable that the heater 30 be installed in a heat shrink tube 136. Heat shrink tube 136 is a tube 136 that shrinks in the radial direction when heat is applied and can be made , for example, through the use of a thermoplastic elastomer. As a result of the shrinking effect of the heat-shrinkable tube 136, the heater 30 is pressed against the inner barrel 132. As a result, the adhesive strength between the heater 30 and the inner barrel 132 is increased, so that the heat conduction from the heater 30 to the smoking article 220 through the inner barrel 132 is improved.

[0055] The aerosol generating device 120 may include a thermal insulation material 138 having a cylindrical shape on the outer side in the radius direction of the heater 30, preferably on the outer side of the heat shrinkable tube 136. Preferably, the thermal insulation material 138 is located to surround the outer periphery of the heater 30. the material 138 may play a role in preventing the outer surface of the body of the aerosol generating device 120 from reaching an excessively high temperature by blocking heat from the heater 30. The thermal insulation material 138 may be made using an airgel such as silica airgel, carbon airgel, alumina airgel or the like, for example . For example, the airgel used as thermal insulation material 138 may be silica airgel, which has high thermal insulation properties and can be manufactured at a relatively low cost. In this regard, the thermal insulation material 138 may be a fibrous thermal insulation material such as glass wool, rock wool or the like, or may be a foamed thermal insulation material such as urethane foam or phenolic foam. Alternatively, the thermal insulation material 138 may be a vacuum thermal insulation material.

[0056] The insulating material 138 may be positioned between the inner cylindrical member 132 facing the smoking article 110 and the outer cylindrical member 134 on the outside of the insulating material 138. The outer cylindrical member 134 may be formed with a heat transfer member that comprises, such as aluminum or stainless steel (SUS). Preferably, the insulating material 138 is installed in an enclosed area.

[0057] Fig. 7 is a schematic view of the relative position in the direction of the center line between the main body 11A in the smoking article 110 and the heater 30 and the inner cylindrical member 132 in the aerosol generating device 120 in the aroma inhaler 100. The center line in this case means the central axis of the installation openings 130 in the aerosol generating device 120, and when the smoking article 110 is inserted into the mounting hole 130, the axial line and the central axis of the smoking article 110 partially overlap each other (see also FIG. 3).

[0058] The length D0 of the heater 30 in the centerline direction can be set to be shorter than the length L0 of the body 11A in the centerline direction in the smoking article 110 (D0<L0). In addition, the ratio of length D0 to length L0 (D0/L0) may be 0.70-0.90, preferably 0.75-0.85 and generally 0.80. Thus, in the case where the length L0 of the main body 11A is 20 mm, the length D0 of the heater 30 may be 14-18 mm, preferably 15-17 mm, and generally 16 mm.

[0059] The upstream end of the main member 11A may protrude toward the upstream side above the upstream end of the heater 30 by a length D1. The upstream side and the downstream side in this case correspond to the upstream side and the downstream side of the airflow passing through the interior of the airflow channel 160 as a result of a suction action by the user (see also FIG. 3). The part that protrudes from the heater 30 of the main body 11A does not have the heater 30 on the outside in the radius direction of the main body 11A, so that the temperature in its inside can become somewhat lower than the temperature of the other part of the main body 11A. Thus, the generation of aerosol at the upstream end and the position adjacent to it of the base material portion 11A can be prevented, so that the aerosol generated at the above positions can be prevented from condensing and passing back in the air flow path 160. The aerosol generated in another part of the main body 11A may be condensed at the upstream end and at a location adjacent to it of the main body 11A.

[0060] The ratio of the protruding length D1 to the entire length L0 of the body 11A (D1/L0) may be 0.25-0.40, preferably 0.30-0.35, and typically 0.325. Thus, in the case where the entire length L0 of the body 11A is 20 mm, the protruding length D1 may be 5-8 mm, preferably 6-7 mm, and generally 6.5 mm.

[0061] The downstream end of the heater 30 may protrude to the downstream side under the downstream end of the body 11A by a length D2. Thus, it is possible to sufficiently heat the downstream end and the position adjacent to it of the main body 11A, so that a shortage of the generated aerosol amount and the occurrence of aerosol condensation at the above-mentioned positions can be prevented. The ratio of the protruding length D2 of the heater 30 to the length L0 of the body 11A (D2/L0) may be 0.075-0.175, preferably 0.1-0.15 and typically 0.125. Thus, in the case where the length L0 of the body 11A is 20 mm, the protruding length D2 of the heater 30 may be 1.5-3.5 mm, preferably 2-3 mm, and generally 2.5 mm.

[0062] The position of the upstream end of the inner cylindrical member 132 and the position of the upstream end of the body 11A in the direction of the center line may approximately coincide with each other. On the other hand, like the case of the downstream end of the heater 30, the downstream end of the inner cylindrical member 132 may protrude towards the downstream side under the downstream end of the body 11A by a length D3. Thus, in addition to the downstream end and the position adjacent to it of the main body 11A, it is possible to heat the upstream end and the position adjacent to it of the paper tube 114, so that excessive cooling and condensation of the aerosol generated by the main body 11A in the forward end can be prevented. along and adjacent the end of the paper tube 114. The ratio of the protruding length D3 of the inner cylindrical member 132 to the protruding length D2 of the heater 30 (D3/D2) may be 2.6-3.4, preferably 2.8-3.2 and , more preferably 3.0. Thus, in the case where the protruding length D2 of the heater is 2.5 mm, the protruding length D3 of the inner cylindrical member 132 may be 6.5-8.5 mm, preferably 7.0-8.0 mm, and generally 7 .5 mm.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 20 may include a control board, processor, memory, and so on. The processor and memory are elements for forming a control part 22 which controls the heater 30 to heat the aerosol source. In addition, the control unit 20 has a notification portion 40 for informing a user of various information. For example, the notification portion 40 may be a light emitting element, such as an LED, or a vibrating element, or a combination thereof.

[0064] The control part 22, upon detecting an activation request issued by the user, starts supplying power from the battery 10 to the heater 30. The user activation request is generated, for example, as a result of the user operating a push button or slide switch, or a suction action by the user. In the present embodiment, a user activation request is generated as a result of pressing push button 150. More specifically, a user activation request is generated as a result of pressing push button 150 at the time of the position where cover 140 is opened. Alternatively, a user activation request may be generated when a suction action of the user is detected. For example, a user's suction action may be detected by a temperature sensor, as described above.

[0065] Next, the supply profile of the main aerosol components related to the aerosol generating device will be explained using FIG. In the present embodiment, the heating profile is a curve showing the change in time of the target temperature when the heater is controlled. In addition, the delivery profile is a curve showing the change in time of the amount of the main components of the aerosol per one suction action, which is supplied to the user's mouth when the user has performed the suction action with the smoking article 110. Fig. 8 is a curve showing the heating profile of the heater 30 and the delivery profile of the main components of the aerosol. The vertical axis in Fig. 8 represents the heater temperature or the supply amount of the main components of the aerosol. The horizontal axis in Fig. 8 represents time.

[0066] As such, "aerosol major components" refers to the visible aerosol components that are generated when various aerosol sources included in a smoking article are heated to a temperature above a predetermined temperature. Typically, the sources of aerosol included in a smoking article are propylene glycol and glycerin. In addition, in the case where the smoking article contains a flavor source such as tobacco or the like, an aerosol component obtained from the flavor source is included in the main aerosol components. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the aerosol component obtained from the moisture included in the smoking article is not considered to be an object to be included in the main aerosol components.

[0067] The delivery profile of the main components of the aerosol can be measured using a method such as the method explained below. First, an aerosol generating device is prepared against which the delivery profile of the main components of the aerosol is to be measured. Then, at the position where the smoking article has been inserted into the aerosol generating device, suction is performed from the suction port part of the smoking article by an automatic smoking device (which, for example, is manufactured by Borgwaldt KC Inc.). When performing the above process, the heater 30 is heated in accordance with the control method determined with respect to the prepared aerosol generation device. With respect to absorption conditions, conditions equivalent to the HCI conditions (HCI; health Canada Intense) as defined by Health Canada are adopted. Specifically, the suction conditions are as follows: a suction amount of 27.5 ml per second, a suction time of 2 seconds per action, and an interval between suction actions of 20 seconds.

[0068] The aerosol sucked in by the automatic smoking device under the above suction conditions is collected by a Cambridge filter (eg, CM-133 manufactured by Borgwaldt KC Inc.). Specifically, the smoke that has passed through the aforementioned Cambridge filter is collected in 10 ml of methanol that has been cooled to -70° C. with dry ice and isopropanol as a refrigerant. 10 ml methanol solution in which tobacco smoke was collected and internal standard solution (0.05 mg/ml pentadecane-d32, 50 ml/l d-1-ethanol, 2 ml/l anethole and 4 ml/l 1.3 -butanediol) is added to the Cambridge filter, shaken for 30 minutes and the components contained are extracted.

[0069] Extraction of contained components was performed with respect to each of the suction impacts. As a result, the amount of the main components of the aerosol supplied from the aerosol generating device to the automatic smoking device was determined with respect to each suction action. By plotting the amount of major aerosol constituents delivered over the time each suction action was performed, the delivery profile of the major aerosol constituents on the time axis can be discretely plotted. It should be recalled that in FIG. 8, the discretely obtained feed profile has been drawn in a continuous manner by using a fitted curve.

[0070] In the present embodiment, the supply profile of the main components of the aerosol includes the start period Q1, the intermediate period Q2 and the end period Q3. The initial period Q1 is the period during which the gradient relative to the main components of the aerosol gradually increases with time. In other words, the initial period Q1 is the period during which the increase in the supply amount of the basic aerosol components per each suction action is gradually increased.

[0071] To this end, the gradient of the delivery profile of the main components of the aerosol is the absolute value of the slope of each point on the curve that forms the delivery profile. The delivery profile gradient of the main components of the aerosol can be determined, for example, by using the following method. As explained above, the delivery profile of the main components of the aerosol along the time axis is obtained discretely. In the above case, the gradient of the aerosol majors delivery profile can be determined with respect to the plotted dots that are adjacent to each other on the time axis by a value obtained by dividing the aerosol majors delivery profile difference by the time difference between the plotted dots.

[0072] Alternatively, the gradient of the delivery profile of the main components of the aerosol can be obtained, for example, by using a fitted curve based on discrete curve fitting. In the above case, if the analytical formula of the fitted curve is determined, the gradient of the supply profile of the main components of the aerosol can be determined by calculating the differential value of the analytical formula. A curve fit, such as the curve fit described above, can be obtained, for example, by using a polynomial expression or by using a trigonometric function.

[0073] In the present embodiment, the start point S0 of the feed profile is determined by the start point of the allowable suction period of the aerosol (allowable suction period) (see Fig. 9). Specifically, the supply profile start point S0 is determined by reporting the start of the allowable suction period (time T2 in FIG. 9), which will be explained below.

[0074] In addition, the boundary S1 between the initial period Q1 and the intermediate period Q2 can be defined by the point at which the gradient of the main components of the aerosol in the initial period Q1 becomes the largest. In other words, the boundary S1 between the initial period Q1 and the intermediate period Q2 is the point at which the first drop in the gradient of the main aerosol components in the entire delivery profile begins. In the case where the feed profile is approximated by using a continuous fit curve, the boundary S1 between the initial period Q1 and the intermediate period Q2 may be defined by an inflection point.

[0075] The end period Q3 is the period during which the gradient relative to the main components of the aerosol over time gradually decreases. In other words, the end period Q3 is the period during which the decrease in the supply amount of the main aerosol components per each suction action is gradually reduced.

[0076] In the present embodiment, the end point S3 of the delivery profile is determined by the end point of the allowable suction period of the aerosol (allowable suction period) (see Fig. 9). Specifically, the end point S3 of the supply profile is determined by the time when the end of the allowable suction period is reported (time T7 in FIG. 9).

[0077] In addition, the boundary S2 between the intermediate period Q2 and the final period Q3 can be defined by the point at which the gradient of the main components of the aerosol in the final period Q3 becomes the largest. In other words, the S2 boundary between the intermediate period Q2 and the final period Q3 is the point at which the final decrease in the aerosol principal gradient over the entire delivery profile begins. In the case where the feed profile is approximated by using a continuous fit curve, the boundary S2 between the intermediate period Q2 and the end period Q3 may be defined by an inflection point.

[0078] The interim period Q2 is the period between the start period Q1 and the end period Q3. The intermediate period Q2 includes one or more maximum values that are greater than the start point and end point of the feed profile. In the feed profile shown in FIG. 8, the intermediate period Q2 includes one maximum value (highest value).

[0079] In accordance with the above-described aerosol supply profile, the aerosol supply amount increases in the period from the start period Q1 to the intermediate period Q2, has a maximum value in the intermediate period Q2, and decreases in the period from the intermediate period Q2 to the end period Q3. Thus, the user can recognize a specific period, i.e., one of the start period Q1, the intermediate period Q2, and the end period Q3 of the allowable suction period that the user is currently in, based on the feeling experienced when sucking the aerosol.

[0080] In addition, in the initial period Q1, the gradient with respect to the main components of the aerosol over time gradually increases, so that the delivery profile has a convex downward shape. On the other hand, in the intermediate period Q2, the feed profile has an upward convex shape. Thus, the amount of aerosol supply may change dramatically during the transition from the initial period Q1 to the intermediate period Q2. In addition, in the final period Q3, the gradient with respect to the main components of the aerosol over time gradually decreases, so that the delivery profile has a convex downward shape. Thus, the amount of aerosol supply may change abruptly during the transition from the intermediate period Q2 to the final period Q3. Thus, the user can more easily recognize, based on the feeling experienced when sucking in the aerosol, the transition from the start period Q1 to the intermediate period Q2 and the transition from the intermediate period Q2 to the end period Q3.

[0081] Preferably, the intermediate period Q2 is longer than each of the start period Q1 and the end period Q3. More preferably, the intermediate period Q2 is equal to or longer than the sum of the start period Q1 and the end period Q3. For example, the interim period Q2 may be 50-60% of the entire period, and each of the start period Q1 and the end period Q3 may be 20-25% of the entire period. According to the above construction, the period during which the supply amount of aerosol main components is large becomes relatively long, so that the user can suck in aerosol main components for a relatively long period.

[0082] Preferably, the aerosol base components supply amount at the end point S3 in the end period Q3 is larger than the aerosol main components supply amount at the start point S0. In the above case, excessive reduction of the aerosol supply amount in the end period Q3 can be prevented. According to the above arrangement, the supply amount of the main aerosol components can be prevented from falling to a low level during the allowable suction period, and especially, the high level supply amount can be maintained until the end of the end period Q2.

[0083] Preferably, the largest value of the gradient associated with the main components of the aerosol in the final period Q3 was less than the largest value of the gradient associated with the main components of the aerosol in the first period Q1. In the above case, the increase rate of the main components of the aerosol in the initial period Q1 becomes relatively high, so that the amount of aerosol supply can be brought to a high level at a relatively early stage of the allowable suction period. On the other hand, the gradient related to the main aerosol components in the final period Q3 is small, so that the rate of decline of the main aerosol components in the final period Q3 becomes relatively low. Thus, a sharp decrease in the amount of aerosol supply in the final period Q3 can be prevented. According to the above arrangement, the high level aerosol supply amount can be maintained for a relatively long period.

[0084] Preferably, the smallest value of the gradient relative to the main components of the aerosol in the final period Q3, was less than the smallest value of the gradient relative to the main components of the aerosol in the initial period Q1. Since the smallest value of the gradient relative to the main aerosol components in the final period Q3 is small, the rate of decline of the main aerosol components in the final period Q3 becomes relatively slow. Thus, a sharp decrease in the amount of aerosol supply in the final period Q3 can be prevented.

[0085] The interim period Q2 may include a stable period SP in which the absolute value of the gradient relative to the principal aerosol components is less than the smallest value of the gradient relative to the principal aerosol components in the initial period Q1 and less than the smallest value of the gradient relative to the principal aerosol components in the final period Q3. That is, the stable period SP is the period in which the change in the supply amount of the main components of the aerosol for each suction action is relatively imperceptible.

[0086] Preferably, the stable period SP is longer than each of the start period Q1 and the end period Q3. In the stable period SP, the supply amount of the main components of the aerosol is large, and the change in the supply amount is small. Thus, in the case where the stable period SP is larger than each of the start period Q1 and the end period Q3, the main aerosol components can be stably supplied for a relatively long period in the intermediate period Q2. In addition, it is preferable that the stable period SP is 50-60% of the intermediate period Q2. According to the above construction, the main components of the aerosol can be stably supplied for a relatively long period in the intermediate period Q2.

[0087] It should be recalled that the above-described delivery profile and its advantages are the delivery profile and advantages that have been obtained as a result of careful study by the inventors regarding the application of the subject.

[0088] The control portion 22 of the aerosol generating device 120 may be configured to control the heater 30 to obtain the above-described supply profile of the main aerosol components. To this end, the delivery profile of the main components of the aerosol depends mainly on the heating profile of the heater 30.

[0089] FIG. 9 is an example of a heater heating profile. It should be recalled that the heating profile depicted in Fig. 9 is an example that is suitable for obtaining the above-described supply profile of the main components of the aerosol, and the heating profile is not necessarily limited to the above heating profile.

[0090] As explained above, the heating profile is a curve showing the change over time of the target temperature when the heater 30 is controlled. The temperature of the heater 30 can be controlled, for example, by using well-known feedback control. In particular, the control portion 22 of the aerosol generation apparatus 120 may supply electrical power from the battery 22 to the heater 30 in the form of pulses in accordance with pulse width modulation (PWM) or pulse frequency modulation (PWM). In the above case, the control part 22 can control the temperature of the heater 30 by adjusting the duty cycle of the power supply pulses.

[0091] In the closed-loop control, the control part 22 may measure or estimate the temperature of the heater 30, and based on the difference between the measured or estimated temperature of the heater 30 and the target temperature or the like, control the electric power supplied to the heater 30, for example, adjust the duty cycle described above. . For example, closed-loop control may be PID control. The temperature of the heater can be quantified, for example, by measuring or evaluating the electrical resistance value of the resistance heater, which is an element of the heater 30. This is because the electrical resistance value of the resistance heater varies with temperature. The electrical resistance value of the resistance heater can be estimated, for example, by measuring the magnitude of the voltage drop across the resistance heater. The amount of voltage drop across the resistance heater can be measured by a voltage sensor that measures the potential difference applied to the resistance heater. In another example, the temperature of the heater 30 may be measured by a temperature sensor installed in a position adjacent to the heater 30.

[0092] As explained above, in the present embodiment, the power supply to the heater 30 can be controlled so that the actual temperature of the heater 30 approaches the target temperature in the heating profile. To this end, since there may be a case where the heating profile includes a portion in which the target temperature changes rapidly, there may be a case where, in a portion such as the above portion, the separation between the actual temperature of the heater 30 and the target temperature temporarily becomes large. In the heating profile shown in FIG. 9, each of the parts where the separation between the actual temperature of the heater 30 and the target temperature is large is shown by using a broken line.

[0093] In the heating profile shown in FIG. 9, when the power supply from the battery 10 to the heater 30 is started in response to receiving an activation request from the user, the control part 22 first adjusts the temperature of the heater 30 to bring it to the first target temperature TA1 in during the first period P1. That is, the control part 22 heats the heater 30 to raise the temperature from the start temperature to the first target temperature TA1. In the first period P1, after the temperature of the heater 30 has reached the first target temperature TA1, the control part 22 controls to maintain the temperature of the heater 30 at the first target temperature TA1.

[0094] The first target temperature TA1 may be 225-240°C preferably and 230°C typically.

[0095] The temperature rise rate of the heater 30 can be increased by setting the first target temperature TA1 in the first period P1 to a relatively high temperature. By increasing the temperature rise rate of the heater 30, the period from the start of power supply to the heater 30 until the time when the aerosol can be sucked can be shortened.

[0096] The control part 22 may be configured to notify the user that the allowable suction period has begun in a period that is in the first period P1 and during which the temperature of the heater 30 is maintained at the first target temperature TA1. Reporting the status that the allowable suction period has begun can be done by controlling the notifying part 40, and for example, can be done by executing a control process for changing the color of light emitted from a light emitting element such as an LED or the like, a control process for changing a pattern light emission, or a control process for driving the vibration element, or a control process comprising a combination of the above control processes.

[0097] In the example shown in FIG. 9, the suction allowable period start status message is executed at time T2. More specifically, the notification of the suction allowable period start state can be performed either at the time T2 when the predetermined period P1b has elapsed since the temperature of the heater 30 reaches the first target temperature, or at the time when the predetermined period has elapsed since the start of power supply to the heater. 30 which occurs earlier. The predetermined period P1b may be 20-26 seconds preferably and 23 seconds typically.

[0098] Preferably, the control part 22 may be configured to report, in the second half of the first period P1, the state of the start of the allowable suction period. The second half of the first P1 period means the period after the center of the first P1 period.

[0099] At the time T3 when the predetermined period P1c has elapsed from the time Ts when the beginning of the allowable suction period was reported, the control part 22 operates to change the period to the second period P2 to be explained later. The predetermined period P1c may be 5-15 seconds preferably and 10 seconds typically. According to the above construction, the occurrence probability of the event when the user performs the suction action for the first time during the first period P1 becomes high. In the above case, it is possible to make the user perform the suction action for the first time during the period when the temperature of the heater is maintained at a temperature close to the first target temperature TA1, which is the highest temperature in the heating profile.

[0100] The first period P1 varies due to heating conditions, ambient temperature, etc., of the heater 30 and the smoking article 110, however, it may generally be a period in the range of 35-55 seconds. To this end, it is preferable that the control part 22 be configured to change the length of the first period P1 based on the temperature rise rate of the heater 30 in the first period P1. More specifically, the initial temperature rise period P1a in the first period P1 may be configured to change based on the temperature rise rate of the heater 30. Specifically, it is preferable that the control portion 22 be configured to change the length of the first period P1 to become shorter, so as the period from the start of heating of the heater 30 to when the temperature has reached the set temperature becomes shorter.

[0101] In the present embodiment, the first period P1 ends when the predetermined period (P1b+P1c) has elapsed since the temperature of the heater 30 has reached the first target temperature TA1. That is, if the temperature rise rate of the heater 30 is high, the period P1, i.e., from the time T0 when power is supplied to the heater 30 to the time when the temperature of the heater 30 reaches the first target temperature TA1, becomes short. The predetermined period (P1b+P1c) may be 25-41 seconds preferably and 33 seconds typically.

[0102] As explained above, in the case where the temperature rise rate of the heater 30 is high, the consumption of electric power used during the preheating period can be reduced by shortening the preheating period.

[0103] Preferably, the variable range of the first period P1, more specifically, the variable range of the period (P1a+P1b) that ends when the start of the allowable suction period is signaled, has a predetermined upper limit value. For example, the upper limit value of the period (P1a+P1b), i.e., from the start of power supply T0 until the start of the allowable suction period T2 is reported, is 40-60 seconds preferably and 50 seconds generally. According to the above construction, it is possible to prevent the preheating control part 22 from continuing without proceeding to the second period P2 in the case where the temperature of the heater 30 does not reach the first target temperature TA1.

[0104] Then, during the second period P2 following the first period P1, the control part 22 controls the temperature of the heater 30 to change it to a second target temperature TA2 that is lower than the first target temperature TA1. That is, the control part 22 controls the heater 30 to lower the temperature of the heater 30 from the first target temperature TA1 and maintain the temperature at the second target temperature TA2.

[0105] The second target temperature TA2 may be a temperature in the range of 190-210°C preferably and 200°C typically. The second period P2 may be a period in the range of 105-160 seconds preferably and 130 seconds typically. Preferably, the second period P2 is longer than each of the first period P1 and the third period P3, which will be explained below. Since the second period is the period during which the temperature is maintained above the temperature in the third period P3, the second period is the period during which the aerosol is stably supplied. Thus, the period during which the aerosol can be stably supplied can be relatively long.

[0106] By lowering the target temperature in the second period P2, it becomes possible to reduce the power consumption in the second period P2.

[0107] The control part 22 may have a first shutdown period, that is, from the end of the first period P1 to an early period in the second period P2, to cut off power supply to the heater 30. By setting the first shutdown period, the decrease in temperature from the first target temperature TA1 to the second target temperature TA2 can be completed in the shortest period of time. The control part 22 may continue to measure the temperature of the heater 30 even during the first shutdown period. In the above case, the control part 22 may be configured to resume power supply to the heater 30 when the temperature of the heater 30 has decreased and reached a temperature close to the second target temperature TA2.

[0108] Preferably, the first shutdown period is a period of time during which a normal user cannot perform two or more suction actions. If the user performs two or more sucking actions during the off period, the temperature of the heater 30 may be drastically reduced and may be well below the second target temperature TA2. In the above case, there may be a possibility that the amount of aerosol generated from the smoking article 110 will decrease. If it is assumed that the time interval between normal suction actions by a normal user is approximately 20 seconds, then it is preferable that the first off period be in the range of 15-20 seconds, for example. The first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 may be set such that the temperature drop from the first target temperature TA1 to the second target temperature TA2 due to free cooling during the first off period is completed in the above time range. Alternatively, the control part 22 may be configured to measure the elapsed time of the first OFF period and, when the first OFF period has reached a predetermined upper limit value, forcibly restart the power supply to the heater 30. Preferably, the upper limit value of the first OFF period in the above case was 15-20 seconds.

[0109] Then, during the third period P3 following the second period P2, the control part 22 adjusts the temperature of the heater 30 to change it to a third target temperature TA3 that is lower than the second target temperature TA2. That is, the control part 22 controls the heater 30 to further lower the temperature of the heater 30 from the second target temperature TA2 and maintain the temperature at the third target temperature TA3. The third target temperature TA3 may be in the range of 175-190°C preferably and 185°C typically. The third period P3 may be a period in the range of 30-90 seconds preferably and 60 seconds typically. By further reducing the target temperature in the third period P3, it becomes possible to reduce the electricity consumption in the third period P3.

[0110] Preferably, the temperature difference (ΔT12) between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 is larger than the temperature difference (ΔT23) between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3. The electrical power input of the heater 30 in the second period P2 is larger than the electrical power input of the heater in the third period p3, so that the power consumption in the entire period can be reduced when the temperature difference (ΔT12) at the time of transition from the first period P1 to the second period P2 is set to a value greater than the temperature difference (ΔT23) at the moment of transition from the second period P2 to the third period P3. Thus, it is preferable that ΔT12/Δ23 is greater than 1. On the other hand, in the case where Δ12 becomes excessively large compared to Δ23, the target temperature TA2 in the second period P2, which is set considering stable aerosol supply, becomes relatively low, so there may be a possibility that the aerosol supply in the second period P2 becomes unstable. Thus, it is preferable that ΔT12/Δ23 has a specific upper limit value. For example, the upper limit value ΔT12/Δ23 may be 2.5. ΔT12/Δ23 may be 1.0-2.5 preferably and 2.0 generally.

[0111] The control part 22 may have a second shutdown period, i.e., from the end of the second period P2 to an early period in the third period P3, to cut off power supply to the heater 30. By setting the second shutdown period, lowering the temperature from the second target temperature TA2 to the third target temperature TA3 can be completed in the shortest period of time. The control part 22 may continue to measure the temperature of the heater 30 even during the second off period. In the above case, the control part 22 can be configured to resume power supply to the heater 30 when the temperature of the heater 30 has decreased and reached a temperature close to the third target temperature TA3. Like the first OFF period, it is preferable that the second OFF period be a period of time during which the general user cannot perform two or more suction actions, and that the second OFF period be a period of time in the range of 15-20 seconds. The second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3 can be set such that the temperature drop from the second target temperature TA2 to the third target temperature TA3 by natural cooling during the second off period is completed in the above time range. Alternatively, the control part 22 may be configured to measure the elapsed time of the second OFF period and, when the second OFF period has reached a predetermined upper limit, forcibly re-energize the heater 30.

[0112] As explained above, it is preferable that the temperature difference (ΔT12) between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 is larger than the temperature difference (ΔT23) between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3, and the above ratio is preferable considering settings of the first OFF period and the second OFF period so that they have values close to each other. According to Newton's law of cooling, the rate of temperature decrease in the high temperature range is higher than the temperature decrease rate in the low temperature range in the case of free cooling, so in order to set the first off period and the second off period as close to each other, it is necessary to set the temperature difference ( ΔT12) between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2, which belongs to the high temperature range, to relatively large. If it is assumed that the temperature difference (ΔT12) between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 is set to the temperature difference (ΔT23) between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3, or if it is assumed that the temperature difference (ΔT12) of the first OFF period is set less than the temperature difference (ΔT23) of the second OFF period, the first OFF period always becomes shorter than the second OFF period, so that it becomes theoretically impossible to set the two OFF periods to be equal to each other.

[0113] In addition, it is preferable that the ratio of the difference between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 to the difference between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3 is less than 2.5. The reason why the above structure is adopted is to ensure stable aerosol generation during the middle stage of the puff allowance period by preventing an excessively large difference between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2.

[0114] It should be recalled that due to the reduction in power consumption, there may be a case where it is preferable to operate the heater 30 at the third target temperature TA3 without going through the second target temperature TA2 step after the first target temperature TA1. However, in the above case, the period (second off period) required for changing the temperature from the first target temperature TA1 to the third target temperature TA3 becomes relatively long. Since the power supply to the heater 30 is cut off during the period necessary to reach the third target temperature TA3 from the first target temperature TA1, it may be possible that the temperature of the heater 30 may become much lower than the third target temperature if the user performs multiple suction actions during the specified period. period. By passing through the second target temperature T2, which is set between the first target temperature TA1 and the third target temperature TA3, before changing from the first target temperature TA1 to the third target temperature TA3, the time required to change from one target temperature to another target temperature can be shortened. . According to the above structure, the length of the OFF period during which the power supply to the heater 30 is cut off becomes shorter, so that it becomes possible to prevent the temperature of the smoking article from dropping excessively due to multiple times of suction and to prevent unstable aerosol generation as a result.

[0115] The control part 22 stops supplying power to the heater 30 at the end of the third period P3. Then, the control part 22 reports the end of the allowable suction period at time T7 when a predetermined period has elapsed since the power supply to the heater 30 was cut off (time T6). That is, even at this time, after the power supply to the heater 30 is cut off, the user quickly performs the suction action of the aerosol before the expiration of the predetermined period to provide the user with a taste of the aerosol by using the remaining heat of the heater 30 and the smoking article 110. the suction period may be performed by the notifying part 40, and for example, may be performed by executing a control process for changing the color of light emitted from a light emitting element such as an LED or the like, a control process for changing the light emission pattern, or a control process for driving a vibration element or control process containing a combination of the above control processes.

[0116] After the heater 30 has passed the first period P1, the second period P2 and the third period P3 in the heating profile, the heat from the heater 30 has been sufficiently transferred to the inside of the smoking article 110. Thus, in the period from the end of the third period P3 to the end of the allowable suction period, that is, in the fourth period P4 in FIG. 8, a specific amount of aerosol can be generated by using the remaining heat of the heater 30 and the smoking article 110. To this end, like the cases of the first off period and the second off period, the aerosol generation becomes unstable in the fourth period P4, so it is preferable that the fourth period P4 be a time interval during which the user does not perform two or more suction actions. Thus, the fourth period P4 is preferably 5-15 seconds, and typically 10 seconds.

[0117] In addition, the control part 22 may report the state that the allowable suction period is coming to an end at time T5, which is earlier by a predetermined period Pe than time T7 when the end of the allowable suction period is reported. Reporting, such as the reporting described above, can be performed, for example, 20-40 seconds before the end of the allowable suction period. The message, such as the message described above, may be executed by the notifying part 40, and, for example, may be performed by executing a control process for changing the color of light emitted from a light emitting element such as an LED or the like, a control process for changing the light emission pattern, or a control process for actuating the vibration element, or a control process comprising a combination of the above control processes.

[0118] In the above-described embodiment, the control part 22 stops supplying power to the heater 30 at the end of the third period P3. In addition, the control part 22 may stop supplying power to the heater 30 even in the second period P2 or the third period P3 in the case where the number of times the user sucks more than a predetermined number of times. For example, a puff action by a user can be detected by the above-described temperature sensor.

[0119] Again, refer to Fig.8. The delivery profile of the major aerosol constituents may generally depend on the heating profile of the heater 30. In particular, the delivery profile of the major constituents of the aerosol may be generally a profile corresponding to the temperature profile of the interior of the smoking article 110. The temperature profile of the interior of the smoking article 110 depends on the heating profile of the heater 30 so that it generally tends to have a shape that lags behind the heating profile.

[0120] Thus, by setting the first target temperature TA1 in the first period P1 to the highest temperature in the entire heating profile, it becomes easier to build an upward curve having a steep gradient in the initial period Q1 in the supply profile of the main aerosol components. In addition, by maintaining the temperature of the heater 30 at the second target temperature TA2 for most of the second period P2 following the first period P1, it becomes easier to establish a stable period SP, during which the change per suction action is small, in the intermediate period Q2 in the profile supply of the main components of the aerosol. In addition, by controlling the temperature of the heater 30 to bring it to the third target temperature TA3 which is lower than the second target temperature TA2 during the third period P3 following the second period P2, it becomes easier to build a downward curve in the end period Q3 in the supply profile of the main aerosol components. . Especially, by making the temperature difference T23 between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3 small, it becomes easier to build a downward curve having a flatter slope in the final period Q3 in the supply profile of the main aerosol components. As explained above, by controlling the heater 30 according to the heating profile shown in FIG. 8, it becomes easier to build an upward convex curve generally having a maximum point in the intermediate period Q2, it becomes easier to build an upward curve having a sharp gradient in the initial period. Q1, and it becomes easier to build a downward curve having a gentle slope in the final period Q3 in the supply profile of the main components of the aerosol.

[0121] As explained above, the supply profile of the main aerosol components mainly depends on the heating profile of the heater 30. However, the supply profile of the main aerosol components may vary in accordance with factors such as the shape of the heater 30, the presence/absence and shape of the thermal insulation material 138, the size of the smoking article 110, the degree of contact between the heater 30 and the smoking article 110, the position of the heating portion of the heater 30 relative to the smoking article 110, and so on. Thus, the heating profile of the heater 30 and the above factors can be combined as appropriate to obtain the desired delivery profile of the main components of the aerosol.

[0122] For example, in the case where the heater 30 has a cylindrical shape surrounding the outer periphery of the rod-shaped smoking article, it is difficult for the heat transferred to the smoking article 110 to be dissipated to the outside, so that it becomes easier for the delivery profile to follow the heating profile of the heater 30. Similarly, in the case where the cylindrical thermal insulation material 138 is disposed on the outside in the radius direction of the heater 30, it is difficult for the heat transferred to the smoking article 110 to be dissipated to the outside, so that it becomes easier for the supply profile of the aerosol main components to follow the heating profile of the heater 30. In the above case, the rate of profile increase feed in the initial period Q1 becomes relatively high, so that the overall upward curve of the feed profile in the initial period Q1 may have steeper gradients. On the other hand, the rate of decrease of the feed profile in the end period Q3 becomes relatively slow, so that the overall downward curve of the feed profile in the end period Q3 can have flatter slopes.

[0123] In addition, if the size of the smoking article 110, more specifically, the diameter of the smoking article 110, is made smaller, heat transfer from the outside of the smoking article 110 to the inside of the smoking article 110 becomes easier. Thus, if the diameter of the smoking article 110 is made smaller, it becomes easier for the delivery profile of the main aerosol components to depend on the heating profile of the heater 30.

[0124] In addition, if the degree of contact between the heater 30 and the smoking article 110 becomes high when using them, it becomes easier to transfer heat from the heater 30 to the smoking article 110. That is, if the area between the smoking article 110 and the mounting hole 130 is set smaller in the position in which the smoking article 110 is inserted into the insertion hole 130 makes it easier for the supply profile of the main components of the aerosol to follow the heating profile of the heater 30.

[0125] In addition, the delivery profile of the major components of the aerosol may depend on the relative position between the smoking article 110 and the heater 30. As shown in FIG. part 11A, which contains the aerosol source, to the paper tube 114, which does not contain the aerosol source. According to the above structure, it becomes easier to transfer heat from the heater 30 sufficiently to the end surface on the downstream side and the location of the base material 11A adjacent thereto, so that it becomes easier for the supply profile of the main aerosol components to follow the heating profile of the heater 30. In addition, , it is preferable that the inner cylindrical member 132, which has an inner peripheral surface that comes into contact with the smoking article 110 and an outer peripheral surface that comes into contact with the heater 3, is positioned so that it extends from the body 11A, which contains an aerosol source, up to the paper tubular portion 114, which does not contain an aerosol source. It is especially preferable that the downstream end of the inner cylindrical member 132 protrude to the downstream side under the downstream end of the heater 30. According to the above construction, in addition to the end surface downstream of the body 11A, the end surface upstream flow and place the paper tube portion 114 next to it, and thus the condensation of the aerosol in the above portion can be prevented, so that the above problem becomes a factor for the overall increase in the feeding profile. For this purpose, the heating part 31 of the heater 30 is the part that is actively heated. In the case of a heater containing a resistance heater, the heating portion 31 of the heater 30 refers to a resistance heater.

[0126] In addition, the aerosol main components delivery profile may be determined by the components that make up the smoking article 110. More specifically, the amount of moisture in the smoking article 110 may influence the rate of increase in the initial period Q1 in the aerosol main components delivery profile. For example, in the case where the amount of moisture in the smoking article 110 is relatively large, the heat from the heater 30 can be used to evaporate the moisture instead of heating the aerosol source, and the above problem can become a factor in reducing the rate of increase in the supply profile of the main aerosol components. As a result, the portion of the feed profile corresponding to the initial period Q1 may generally have gentler slopes. As explained above, the aerosol coming from the moisture in the smoking article 110 typically does not include the main components of the aerosol.

[0127] By appropriately setting the heating profile of the heater 30, taking into account factors such as those described above that affect the delivery profile, the above-described desired delivery profile of the main components of the aerosol can be obtained.

[0128] (Program and storage medium)

The control flow for obtaining the heating profile and/or delivery profile of the main aerosol components that have been explained above may be executed by the control part 22. That is, the present invention may include a program for forcing the aroma inhaler 100 and/or the aerosol generating device 120 to execute the above method, and a storage medium in which the program is stored. A storage medium, such as the storage medium described above, may be a non-volatile storage medium.

[0129] [Other Embodiments]

Although the present invention has been explained with reference to the above embodiments, it should be understood that the descriptions and drawings that form part of the present disclosure are not the descriptions and drawings that are used to limit the present invention. Various alternative implementations, practical examples and methods of operation will become clear to a person skilled in the art from the present disclosure.

Claims (16)

1. An aerosol generation device, comprising a heater configured to heat the outer periphery of a smoking article containing an aerosol source, and a control part for controlling the heater, the control part being configured to control the heater such that the aerosol supply profile in a given allowable suction period comprises one or more maximum values in the period between the start point and the end point in the allowable suction period, and the predetermined allowable suction period is distributed over a plurality of suction actions, and the delivery profile represents the change in time of the amount of aerosol inhaled in one suction action, during a plurality of suction actions. 2. The aerosol generation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heater is cylindrical in shape surrounding an outer periphery of the smoking article, which is in the form of a rod. 3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 2, comprising a heat-insulating material that is cylindrical in shape and located on the outside in the direction of the radius of the heater. 4. An aerosol generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the smoking article comprises an aerosol region including an aerosol source and an aerosol-free region that is located downstream of the aerosol region with respect to the flow direction of the generated aerosol; and the heating portion of the heater is positioned such that the heating portion extends from an area with smoking article aerosol to an area without smoking article aerosol. 5. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control part is configured to control the temperature of the heater to bring the temperature to the first target temperature during the first period, control the temperature of the heater to bring the temperature to the second target temperature, which is lower than the first target temperature during the second period following the first period, and controlling the temperature of the heater to bring the temperature to a third target temperature that is lower than the second target temperature during the third period following the second period. 6. The aerosol generation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the aerosol supply amount at the end point is greater than the aerosol supply amount at the start point. 7. An aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the delivery profile includes an initial period in which an increase is observed with a gradient that gradually increases with respect to the time axis, an end period in which a decrease is observed with a gradient that gradually decreases with respect to the time axis, and an intermediate period, which is located between the start period and the end period and includes one or more maximum values. 8. The aerosol generation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the largest gradient value in the end period is less than the largest gradient value in the initial period. 9. The aerosol generating device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the smallest gradient value in the end period is less than the smallest gradient value in the initial period. 10. An aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the intermediate period is longer than each of the start period and the end period. 11. An aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the intermediate period is equal to or longer than a period equal to the sum of the start period and the end period. 12. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the intermediate period includes a stable period in which the gradient is less than the smallest gradient value in the initial period and less than the smallest gradient value in the final period, and the stable period is longer than each of the initial period and end period. 13. The control unit of the aerosol generation device, containing a control part for controlling a heater, which is configured to heat the outer periphery of a smoking article containing an aerosol source, and the control part is configured to control the temperature of the heater so that the aerosol supply profile in a given allowable suction period contains one or more maximum values in the period between the start point and the end point in the allowable suction period, and the predetermined allowable suction period applies to a plurality of suction actions, and the delivery profile represents the change in time of the amount of aerosol inhaled in one suction action, during the set suction action. 14. A method for controlling a heater that heats an outer periphery of a smoking article containing an aerosol source, comprising the step of controlling the heater such that the aerosol supply profile in a given allowable suction period contains one or more maximum values in the period between a start point and an end point in allowable suction period, wherein the predetermined allowable suction period is spread over a plurality of suction actions, wherein the delivery profile represents the change in time of the amount of aerosol inhaled in one suction action during the plurality of suction actions. 15. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program that causes the computer to perform the method of claim 14. 16. A smoking article containing an aerosol source, in which the delivery profile in a predetermined allowable puff period, at the moment when the smoking article is used together with a device configured to heat the outer periphery of the smoking article and supply aerosol, is made with one or more maximum values in the period between the start point and the end point, and the predetermined allowable suction period is spread over a plurality of suction actions, and the delivery profile represents the change in time of the amount of aerosol inhaled in one suction action, during a plurality of suction actions.

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