TW202015563A - Control unit, aerosol generating device, method and program for controlling heater, and smoking article - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol generating device according to the present invention includes a heater configured to heat an outer periphery of a smoking article including an aerosol source, and a control unit controlling the heater. The control unit is configured to control the heater such that a delivery profile of the aerosol in a predetermined inhalable period has one or more maximum values between the start point and the end point of the inhalable period.

Description

Control unit, mist generating device, method and program for controlling heater, and smoking articles

The invention relates to a control unit, a mist generating device, a method and program for controlling a heater, and smoking articles.

There is known a non-combustion type mist generating device, which replaces the traditional burning type cigarette, and is used to absorb the mist (aerosol, also called gas) generated by the atomization of the mist-forming substrate (smoking article) by the heater Sol) (Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

Patent Document 1 discloses a mist generating device including a smoking article including a solid mist-forming substrate, and a blade-type heater in which the mist-forming substrate is inserted during use. This heater heats mist to form a base material from the inside.

Patent Document 2 discloses a mist generating device including a smoking article including a solid mist-forming base material, and a cylindrical heater disposed in use on the outer periphery of the mist-forming base material. This heater heats mist to form a base material from the outer peripheral side.

The mist generating device disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 is different from the conventional burning cigarette, and lacks the appearance change due to the user's smoking action, so it may be difficult for the user to feel that he is smoking At what stage of the suction period.

[Prior Technical Literature] [Patent Literature]

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-113016

Patent Literature 2: WO 2018/019786 Gazette

The main features of the first feature are: a mist generating device provided with: a heater configured to heat the outer periphery of a smoking article containing a mist source, and a control unit that controls the heater; and the control unit is It is configured that the heater is controlled so that the delivery profile (also referred to as a profile or profile) of the mist in the predetermined puffable period has one or more between the start point and the end point of the puffable period maximum.

The gist of the second feature is that in the mist generating device of the first feature, the heater has a cylindrical shape surrounding the outer periphery of the cylindrical smoking article.

The gist of the third feature is that the mist generating device of the second feature includes a cylindrical heat insulating material disposed outside the heater in the radial direction.

The purpose of the fourth special is: from the first special to the third In the mist generating device of any one of the features, the smoking article includes: a region where the mist source exists, and a region where the mist source does not exist, the region where the mist source exists contains the mist source, and the region where the mist source does not exist is generated The flow direction of the mist is located downstream of the mist source area, and the heating portion of the heater is configured to extend from the mist source area of the smoking article to the mist source area of the smoking article.

The gist of the fifth feature is that: in the mist generating device of any one of the first feature to the fourth feature, the control unit is configured to control the temperature of the heater to the first target temperature during the first period , Controlling the temperature of the heater to a second target temperature that is lower than the first target temperature in the second period after the first period, and controlling the temperature of the heater in the third period after the second period It is directed to a third target temperature lower than the aforementioned second target temperature.

The main purpose of the sixth feature is that in any of the fog generating devices of the first feature to the fifth feature, the delivery amount of the mist at the aforementioned end point is greater than the delivery amount of the mist at the aforementioned starting point.

The main purpose of the seventh feature is that in the mist generating device of any one of the first feature to the sixth feature, the aforementioned delivery distribution includes: an initial stage with an increasing slope with increasing slope relative to the time axis, and a relative feature with respect to the time axis The end period that decreases with the decreasing slope, and the middle period that includes one or more maxima between the initial period and the final period.

The gist of the eighth feature is that: in the mist generating device of the seventh feature, the maximum value of the slope in the last period is higher than that in the previous period The maximum value of the aforementioned slope in the period is still small.

The main point of the ninth feature is that in the mist generating device for the seventh feature or the eighth feature, the minimum value of the slope in the final stage is smaller than the minimum value of the slope in the initial stage.

The tenth feature is aimed at: in the mist generating device having any one of the features from the seventh feature to the ninth feature, the intermediate period is longer than each of the initial period and the final period.

The main point of the eleventh feature is that in the mist generating device of any one of the seventh feature to the tenth feature, the intermediate period is equal to or longer than the total period of the initial period and the final period.

The twelfth feature is aimed at: in the mist generating device of any one of the seventh feature to the eleventh feature, the intermediate period includes a stable period, the stable period is: the slope is smaller than the slope in the initial period The value is still smaller and smaller than the slope in the last stage, the value is smaller, and the stable period is longer than each of the initial stage and the last stage.

The main point of the thirteenth feature is that a control unit is provided with a control unit for controlling a heater configured to heat the outer circumference of a smoking article containing a mist source, and the aforementioned control unit is configured as: The temperature of the aforementioned heater is controlled so that the mist delivery distribution in the predetermined puffable period has one or more maximum values between the start point and the end point of the puffable period.

The main purpose of the fourteenth special purpose is: a method of controlling the heater that heats the periphery of smoking articles containing a mist source, The method includes the step of controlling the heater so that the delivery distribution of the mist in the predetermined puffable period has one or more maximum values between the start point and the end point of the puffable period.

The main purpose of the fifteenth feature is: a program that causes the computer to perform the fourteenth feature method.

The main purpose of the sixteenth special is: a source containing mist, the smoking article is constituted as follows: the delivery distribution when used with a device configured to deliver the mist by heating the outer periphery of the aforementioned smoking article will be between the start point and the end point There is one or more maximum values.

10‧‧‧ battery

11A‧‧‧Base material department

11B‧‧‧Suction

20‧‧‧Control unit

22‧‧‧Control Department

30‧‧‧heater

40‧‧‧Notification Department

100‧‧‧Fragrant taste taster

110‧‧‧Smoking items

111‧‧‧filling

112‧‧‧The first roll of paper

113‧‧‧The second roll of paper

114‧‧‧Paper Tube Department

115‧‧‧ Filter

116‧‧‧Hollow section

120‧‧‧Mist generating device

130‧‧‧Insert hole

132‧‧‧Inner tube member

134‧‧‧Outer tube member

136‧‧‧Heat shrinkable tube

138‧‧‧Insulation material

140‧‧‧ Cover

150‧‧‧ button

160‧‧‧Air flow path

180‧‧‧Partition wall

D0‧‧‧Length

D0‧‧‧Length

D1‧‧‧Length

D2‧‧‧Length

D3‧‧‧Length

L0‧‧‧Length

P1‧‧‧ First period

P2‧‧‧ Second period

P3‧‧‧ Third period

P4‧‧‧ Issue 4

SP‧‧‧ stable period

S0‧‧‧ Starting point

S1‧‧‧ Junction

S2‧‧‧ Junction

S3‧‧‧End

Q1‧‧‧Early

Q2‧‧‧Mid

Q3‧‧‧Last

TA1‧‧‧ First target temperature

TA2‧‧‧Second target temperature

ΔT12‧‧‧Temperature difference

ΔT23‧‧‧Temperature difference

P1a‧‧‧warming period

During P1b‧‧‧

P1c‧‧‧Scheduled period

Pe‧‧‧ scheduled period

T0‧‧‧Sequence

T1‧‧‧Sequence

T2‧‧‧sequence

T3‧‧‧sequence

T4‧‧‧sequence

T5‧‧‧sequence

T6‧‧‧sequence

T7‧‧‧sequence

5R‧‧‧Region

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a flavor taster according to an embodiment.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing a flavor inhaler with smoking articles inserted.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the flavor taster shown in FIG. 2.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the smoking article shown in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a block diagram of the aroma inhaler.

FIG. 6 is a schematic enlarged view of the area 5R in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship between the base portion of the smoking article, the heater of the mist generating device, and the inner tube member.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing the heating distribution of the heater and the delivery distribution of the main mist components.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing the heating distribution of the heater.

Hereinafter, the embodiment will be described. In the description of the following drawings, the same or similar parts are marked with the same or similar symbols. However, please note that the drawings are only schematic diagrams, and the ratio of each size may be different from the actual size ratio.

Therefore, specific dimensions should be judged by referring to the following description. In addition, of course, there may be cases where the drawings have mutually different dimensional relationships or ratios.

[Summary of this disclosure]

If it is a traditional burning cigarette, the user can recognize the burning position of the cigarette, so it is easy to know which stage among the early, middle and final stages of the smoking period. However, most of the mist generating devices are mostly hidden inside the heater or other parts of the smoking article, so the heating state of the smoking article cannot be recognized.

The delivery distribution of the main mist component described in Patent Document 1 is increased at the initial stage of operation of the heater, and then remains constant until the heater is stopped. Therefore, it is difficult for the user to know which period among the early stage, the middle stage, and the last stage of the puffable period from the feeling of the mist sucked.

In this aspect, the heater control system configured to heat the outer periphery of the smoking article containing the mist source is made such that the delivery of mist in the predetermined smoking period is distributed between the starting point and the ending point of the aforementioned smoking period Have one or more maxima.

That is, the delivery distribution of the mist increases first, then It has a maximum value, and then decreases. Therefore, the user can know which period among the early stage, the middle stage, and the last stage of the puffable period from the sense of the mist sucked.

(Fragrance taster)

Hereinafter, the flavor taster of one embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a flavor taster according to an embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram showing a flavor inhaler after a smoking article is inserted. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the flavor inhaler shown in FIG. 2. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the smoking article shown in Figure 2. Figure 5 is a block diagram of the aroma inhaler.

The flavor inhaler 100 may be a non-burning flavor inhaler for generating mist from smoking articles without accompanying combustion. The flavor inhaler 100 may be a portable machine.

The flavor inhaler 100 includes a smoking article 110 including a mist source, and a mist generating device 120 that generates mist from the smoking article 110.

The smoking article 110 is a replaceable cartridge that can contain a mist source and a fragrance source, and has a columnar shape extending in the longitudinal direction. The smoking article 110 is configured to be heated while inserted into the mist generating device 120 to emit mist and flavor components.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the smoking article 110 has a base portion 11A and a mouthpiece portion 11B. The base portion 11A includes a filler 111 and a first wrap around the filler 111 In the roll paper 112, the suction port portion 11B forms an end opposite to the base portion 11A. The base portion 11A and the suction opening portion 11B are different from the first roll paper 112 by Two rolls of paper 113 are connected. However, the second roll paper 113 may be omitted, and the first roll paper 112 may be used to connect the base portion 11A and the suction port portion 11B.

The suction port portion 11B in FIG. 4 includes a paper tube portion 114, a filter portion 115, and a hollow section 116 disposed between the paper tube portion 114 and the filter portion 115. The hollow section 116 is composed of, for example, a filler layer having one or more hollow channels, and a plug wrapper covering the filler layer. The filling density of the fibers in the filling layer is very high, so when pumping, air and mist will only flow through the hollow channel, and almost will not flow into the filling layer. In the smoking article 110, in order to reduce the situation where the mist component is reduced due to the filtering of the filter portion 115, the length of the filter portion 115 is shortened and replaced by the hollow section portion 116 because the amount of mist can be increased The big reason is the effective one.

The suction port 11B in FIG. 4 is composed of three segments, but in this embodiment, the suction port 11B may be composed of one or two segments, or may be composed of four or more segments. For example, the hollow section 116 may be omitted, and the paper tube portion 114 and the filter portion 115 may be arranged adjacent to each other to form the suction port portion 11B.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the length of the smoking article 110 in the longitudinal direction is preferably 40 to 90 mm, more preferably 50 to 75 mm, and even more preferably 50 to 60 mm. The circumference of the smoking article 110 is preferably 15 to 25 mm, preferably 17 to 24 mm, and more preferably 20 to 23 mm. In addition, in the longitudinal direction of the smoking article 110, the length of the base portion 11A may be 20 mm, the length of the first roll paper 112 may be 20 mm, the length of the hollow section 116 may be 8 mm, and the length of the filter portion 115 may be 7mm, However, the length of each section can be appropriately changed according to the manufacturing difficulty, required quality, and the like.

In this embodiment, the filler 111 of the smoking article 110 may contain a mist gas source that emits mist when heated at a predetermined temperature. The type of mist source is not particularly limited, and substances extracted from various natural objects and/or constituent components of various natural objects can be selected according to the application. Examples of mist sources include, for example, glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and the above. mixture. The content of the mist source in the filling 111 is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of emitting sufficient mist and giving a good taste, it is usually 5 wt% or more, preferably 10 wt% or more, and usually Below 50% by weight, preferably below 20% by weight.

The filler 111 of the smoking article 110 in this embodiment may contain cut tobacco as a flavor source. The material of shredded tobacco is not particularly limited, and known tobacco materials such as lamina and leaf bone can be used. The range of the content of the filler 111 in the smoking article 110 is, for example, 200 mm to 400 mg, and preferably 250 to 320 mg when the circumference is 22 mm and the length is 20 mm. The water content of the filling 111 is, for example, 8 to 18% by weight, and preferably 10 to 16% by weight. Such a water content will suppress the occurrence of fouling of the roll paper, and will make the wrapping property of the base portion 11A at the time of manufacture relatively good. The size of shredded tobacco used as the filler 111 and its preparation method are not particularly limited. For example, the dried tobacco leaves may be cut to a width of 0.8 to 1.2 mm. In addition, the dried smoke can also be used The powder whose leaves are crushed and homogenized to an average particle size of 20 to 200 μm is processed into flakes and then cut into a width of 0.8 to 1.2 mm. In addition, the above-mentioned material processed into a sheet shape may be gathered as a filler without being shredded. In addition, the filling 111 may contain one or more than two kinds of fragrances. The type of the fragrance is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of giving a good taste, it is preferably menthol.

In this embodiment, the first and second rolls 112, 113 of the smoking article 110 can be made of wax paper having a basis weight of, for example, 20 to 65 gsm, and preferably 25 to 45 gsm. The thickness of the roll paper 112, 113 is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of rigidity, air permeability, and ease of adjustment during papermaking, it is 10 to 100 μm, preferably 20 to 75 μm, and more preferably 30 to 50 μm. it is good.

In this embodiment, the rolls 112, 113 of the smoking article 110 may contain fillers. The content of the filler is, for example, 10% by weight or more but less than 60% by weight relative to the total weight of the roll paper 112,113, and preferably 15 to 45% by weight. In the present embodiment, the preferred range of the filler content is 15 to 45% by weight relative to the preferred basis weight range (25 to 45 gsm). As the filler, for example, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, kaolin, etc. can be used. The paper containing such a filler exhibits a bright white color that is very good from the viewpoint of using the rolled paper as the smoking article 110, and can keep it white for a long time. To make the roll paper contain a lot of fillers as mentioned above, for example, the ISO whiteness of the roll paper can be more than 83%. In addition, from the practical viewpoint of using roll paper as the smoking article 110, the first and second The roll paper 112, 113 preferably has a tensile strength of 8 N/15 mm or more. The tensile strength can be increased by reducing the filler content. Specifically, the tensile strength can be improved by reducing the content of the filler to be lower than the upper limit of the content of the filler in the range of each basis weight exemplified above.

Referring to FIG. 3, the mist generating device 120 has an insertion hole 130 into which the smoking article 110 can be inserted. That is, the mist generating device 120 has the inner cylindrical member 132 constituting the insertion hole 130. The inner tube member 132 may be composed of a heat conductive member such as aluminum and stainless steel (SUS).

In addition, the mist generating device 120 may have a cover portion 140 covering the insertion hole 130. The cover portion 140 is configured to be slidable between a state of covering the insertion hole 130 (refer to FIG. 1) and a state of exposing the insertion hole 130 (refer to FIG. 2).

The mist generating device 120 may have an air flow path 160 communicating with the insertion hole 130. One end of the air flow path 160 is connected to the insertion hole 130, and the other end of the air flow path 160 communicates with the outside of the mist generating device 120 (in communication with the atmosphere) at a point different from the insertion hole 130.

The mist generating device 120 may have a cover 170 that covers the end of the air flow path 160 on the side communicating with the atmosphere. The cover 170 may be in a state where the end of the air flow path 160 on the side communicating with the atmosphere is covered, or the air flow path 160 may be exposed.

The cover portion 170 does not airtightly block the air flow path 160 even when the air flow path 160 is covered. That is, the configuration is such that even when the cover 170 covers the air flow path 160, the outside air can pass through It flows into the air flow path 160 through the vicinity of the cover 170.

In a state where the smoking article 110 is inserted into the flavor inhaler 100, the user grips one end portion of the smoking article 110, specifically, the mouthpiece portion 11B in FIG. 4 and performs a suction operation. The user's suction action causes outside air to flow into the air flow path 160. The air flowing into the air flow path 160 is sucked into the mouth of the user through the smoking article 110 inserted into the hole 130.

In addition, in a state where the cover portion 140 does not cover the insertion hole 130 and the smoking article 110 is not inserted, that is, a state where the internal space of the inner tube member 132 and the air flow path 160 are exposed, the user can use the brush Cleaning tools to clean the inside of the air flow path 160 of the inner cylindrical member 132. This cleaning tool may be inserted into the air flow path 160 from the upper cover 140 side in FIG. 3 or may be inserted into the air flow path 160 from the lower cover 170 side.

The mist generating device 120 may have a temperature sensor inside the air flow path 160 or outside the wall portion constituting the air flow path 160. The temperature sensor may be, for example, a thermistor or thermocouple. The user inhales through the mouth portion 11B of the smoking article 110, and the air flows in the air flow path 160 from the cover portion 170 side to the heater 30 side. Under the influence of the air flowing there, the internal temperature of the air flow path 160 Or, the temperature of the wall portion constituting the air flow path 160 may decrease. The temperature sensor detects the decrease in the temperature and knows that the user has performed a suction action.

The mist generating device 120 includes a battery 10, a control unit 20, and a heater 30. Battery 10 is a device 120 for accumulating mist supply The electricity used. The battery 10 may be a rechargeable secondary battery. The battery 10 may be, for example, a lithium ion battery.

The heater 30 may be provided around the inner tube member 132. The space for storing the heater 30 and the space for storing the battery 10 can be separated by the partition wall 180. In this way, the air heated by the heater 30 can be suppressed from flowing into the space where the battery 10 is housed. Therefore, the temperature rise of the battery 10 can be suppressed.

The heater 30 preferably has a cylindrical shape that can heat the outer periphery of the cylindrical smoking article 110. The heater 30 may be, for example, a film heater. The thin film heating sheet may include a pair of film-shaped substrates and a resistance heating element sandwiched between the pair of substrates. The film-shaped substrate is preferably made of a material having good heat resistance and electrical insulation properties, and is typically made of polyimide. The resistance heating element is preferably made of one or more metal materials such as copper, nickel alloy, chromium alloy, stainless steel, platinum rhodium alloy, etc., and may be formed of a base material made of stainless steel, for example. In addition, in order to connect the flexible heating circuit (FPC) to the power supply, the resistance heating element may be plated with copper at the connection portion and its lead portion.

FIG. 6 is a schematic enlarged view of a region 5R in FIG. 3, which is an enlarged sectional view showing the heater 30 and its surroundings. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the heater 30 is the aforementioned film heating sheet, and is wrapped around the outer periphery of the inner tube member 132 that can receive the smoking article 110. That is, the heater 30 is rolled into a cylindrical shape surrounding the inner cylindrical member 132. In this way, the heater 30 surrounds the outer periphery of the smoking article, and the smoking article 110 can be heated from the outside.

Preferably, a heat-shrinkable tube 136 may be provided outside the heater 30. In other words, the heater 30 is preferably provided in the heat-shrinkable tube 136. The heat-shrinkable tube 136 is a tube that shrinks in the radial direction when heated, and can be formed of, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer (elastomer). The shrinking action of the heat shrinkable tube 136 presses the heater 30 against the inner tube member 132. As a result, the adhesion between the heater 30 and the inner tube member 132 is improved, so that the heat conductivity from the heater 30 to the smoking article 110 via the inner tube member 132 is improved.

The mist generating device 120 may have a cylindrical heat insulating material 138 outside the radial direction of the heater 30 and preferably outside the heat shrinkable tube 136. The heat insulating material 138 preferably surrounds the outer periphery of the heater 30. By blocking the heat of the heater 30, the heat insulating material 138 can serve to prevent the outer surface of the frame of the mist generating device 120 from becoming excessively hot and becoming hot. The heat insulating material 138 may be made of aerogel such as silica aerogel, carbon aerogel, aluminum aerogel, or the like. As the aerogel of the heat-insulating material 138, a silicon dioxide aerogel having a high heat-insulating performance and a relatively low manufacturing cost can be typical. However, the heat insulation material 138 may be a fiber-based heat insulation material such as glass wool or asbestos, or a foam-type heat insulation material of urethane foam or phenol foam. Alternatively, the heat insulation material 138 may be a vacuum heat insulation material.

The heat insulating material 138 may be provided between the inner tube member 132 facing the smoking article 110 and the outer tube member 134 outside the heat insulating material 138. The outer cylindrical member 134 may be composed of a thermally conductive material such as aluminum and stainless steel (SUS). The heat insulating material 138 is preferably provided in a closed space.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the fragrance inhalation of the present embodiment A diagram of the positional relationship in the axial direction between the base portion 11A of the smoking article 110 in the taster 100, the heater 30 of the mist generating device 120, and the inner tube member 132. The axis here refers to the central axis of the insertion hole 130 of the mist generating device 120. When the smoking article 110 is inserted into the insertion hole 130, the axis partially coincides with the central axis of the smoking article 110 (see also FIG. 3) .

The axial length D0 of the heater 30 may be smaller than the axial length L0 of the base portion 11A of the smoking article 110 (D0<L0). Furthermore, the ratio of the length D0 to the length L0 (D0/L0) may be from 0.70 to 0.90, and preferably from 0.75 to 0.85, and typically may be 0.80. Therefore, in the case where the length L0 of the base portion 11A is 20 mm, the length D0 of the heater 30 may be 14 to 18 mm, and preferably 15 to 17 mm, and typically 16 mm.

The upstream end of the base portion 11A may protrude toward the upstream side by a length D1 than the upstream end of the heater 30. The so-called upstream and downstream here correspond to the upstream and downstream of the air flow passing through the air flow path 160 under the user's suction action (see also FIG. 3 ). Since the portion of the base material portion 11A protruding from the heater 30 does not have the heater 30 outside in the radial direction, the internal temperature can be lower than that of the other portion of the base material portion 11A. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of mist on the upstream end of the base portion 11A and its vicinity, and it is possible to prevent the mist generated there from condensing in the air flow path 160 or flowing backward in the air flow path 160. The mist generated in the other part of the base portion 11A may condense at the upstream end of the base portion 11A and its vicinity.

The ratio of the protruding length D1 to the total length L0 of the base portion 11A (D1/L0) may be 0.25 to 0.40, and preferably 0.30 to 0.35, typically Is 0.325. Therefore, in the case where the total length L0 of the base portion 11A is 20 mm, the protrusion length D1 may be 5 to 8 mm, preferably 6 to 7 mm, and typically may be 6.5 mm.

The downstream end of the heater 30 may protrude to the downstream side by a length D2 than the downstream end of the base portion 11A. Therefore, the downstream end of the base material portion 11A and its vicinity can be sufficiently heated, so that the generation of mist at that place is insufficient or the condensation of mist can be prevented. The ratio of the protruding length D2 of the heater 30 to the length L0 of the base portion 11A (D2/L0) may be 0.075 to 0.175, and preferably 0.1 to 0.15, and typically may be 0.125. Therefore, in the case where the length L0 of the base portion 11A is 20 mm, the protruding length D2 of the heater 30 may be 1.5 to 3.5 mm, and preferably 2 to 3 mm, and typically may be 2.5 mm.

The axial position of the upstream end of the inner cylindrical member 132 and the upstream end of the base portion 11A may be approximately the same. On the other hand, the downstream end of the inner cylindrical member 132 may be the same as the downstream end of the heater 30 and protrude to the downstream side by a length D3 more than the downstream end of the base portion 11A. In this way, in addition to the downstream end and the vicinity of the base portion 11A, the upstream end and the vicinity of the paper tube portion 114 can also be heated, so that the mist emitted from the base portion 11A can be prevented from reaching the upstream end and the paper tube portion 114 Condensation in the vicinity of excessive cooling. The ratio (D3/D2) of the protruding length D3 of the inner cylindrical member 132 to the protruding length D2 of the heater 30 may be 2.6 to 3.4, and preferably 2.8 to 3.2, and more preferably 3.0. Therefore, in the case where the protruding length D2 of the heater 30 is 2.5 mm, the protruding length D3 of the inner cylindrical member 132 may be 6.5 to 8.5 mm, and preferably 7.0 to 8.0 mm, and typically may be 7.5 mm.

Referring to FIG. 5, the control unit 20 may include a control board, CPU, memory, etc. The CPU and the memory system constitute a control unit 22 that controls the heater 30 that heats the mist source. In addition, the control unit 20 has a notification section 40 for reporting various information to let the user know. The notification section 40 may be a light-emitting element such as an LED or a vibration element, or a combination of both.

The control unit 22 detects that there is a start request from the user, and starts power supply from the battery 10 to the heater 30. The user's start request is issued by, for example, the operation of a button or slide switch made by the user, or the suction action made by the user. In this embodiment, the user's activation request is issued by pressing the button 150. More specifically, the user's activation request is issued by pressing the button 150 with the cover 140 opened. Alternatively, it can be regarded as the user's start request when the user's suction action is detected. The user's suction action can be detected using, for example, the aforementioned temperature sensor.

Next, the delivery distribution of the main mist components in the mist generating device will be described using FIG. 8. In the present embodiment, the so-called heating profile refers to a graph showing the time change of the target temperature under control of the heater 30. In addition, the so-called delivery distribution refers to a graph showing the time change of the main mist component amount for each puff action delivered to the user's mouth when the user smokes the smoking article 110. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the heating distribution of the heater 30 and the delivery distribution of the main mist components. The vertical axis of FIG. 8 represents the temperature of the heater or the delivery amount of the main mist component, and the horizontal axis of FIG. 8 represents the time.

Here, the so-called "main mist component" refers to the emission of various mist sources contained in smoking articles above a predetermined temperature Visible mist composition. The sources of mist contained in smoking articles are typically propylene glycol and glycerin. In addition, when the smoking article contains a flavor source such as tobacco, the main mist component also includes the mist component derived from the flavor source. On the other hand, in this specification, the mist component derived from the moisture contained in the smoking article is not regarded as the main mist component.

The delivery distribution of the main mist components can be determined by the following method. First, prepare a mist generating device to measure the delivery distribution of the main mist components. Next, in a state where the smoking article is inserted into the mist generating device, an automatic smoking machine (for example, manufactured by Borgwaldt KC Inc.) is used to suck from the mouth portion of the smoking article. In the meantime, the heater 30 is heated by the control method prescribed by the prepared mist generating device. Aspiration conditions are those listed in the HCI conditions (HCI; Health Canada Intense) set by Health Canada. Specifically, the suction conditions are: suction volume 27.5 ml/sec, suction time 2 sec/time, and suction interval 20 sec.

The mist drawn using the automatic smoking machine according to the aforementioned suction conditions was captured with a Cambridge filter (for example, manufactured by Borgwaldt KC Inc., CM-133). Specifically, the smoke passing through the above-mentioned Cambridge filter was collected into 10 mL of methanol cooled to -70°C with a dry ice-isopropanol refrigerant. Add 10 mL of methanol solution obtained by capturing smoke of smoking articles on Cambridge filter to add internal standard solution (d-32 pentadecane 0.05 mg/mL, d-1-ethanol 50 mL/L, anethole 2 mL/L, 1,3-Butanediol 4mL/L) After 1mL, shake for 30 minutes to extract the contents.

The extraction of the content component is performed every time the aspiration is performed. In this way, find out the delivery from the mist generating device to the automatic smoking machine during each puff The amount of the main mist component. The time of each puff and the corresponding amount of main mist components delivered to the automatic smoking machine are plotted, and the delivery distribution of the main mist components on the time axis is drawn discretely. Please note that in Fig. 8, the distribution of a series of data points that were originally discrete is drawn as continuous by the fitting curve.

In this embodiment, the delivery distribution of the main mist component has an initial Q1, an intermediate Q2, and an final Q3. In the early Q1, the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist components gradually increased with time. In other words, the initial Q1 can be said to be a period during which the increase in the delivery amount of the main mist component of each suction gradually increases.

Here, the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component refers to the absolute value of the slope of each point on the curve forming the delivery distribution. The slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component can be obtained by, for example, the following method. As mentioned above, the delivery distribution of the main mist components on the time axis was originally discrete data points. In this case, the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component may be: a value obtained by dividing the difference in the delivery amount of the main mist component by the time difference between the data points for the data points adjacent on the time axis.

In addition to the above method, the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component can also be calculated using, for example, a fitting curve derived based on discrete data points. In this case, as long as the mathematical formula of the fitting curve is determined, the differential value of the mathematical formula can be calculated and regarded as the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component. Such a fitting curve can be derived using, for example, a polynomial or a trigonometric function.

In this embodiment, the starting point S0 of the delivery distribution is determined as the starting point of the mist-puffable period (pumpable period) (see FIG. 9). Specifically, the start point S0 of the delivery distribution is set to the timing of the notification of the start of the puffable period described later (timing T2 in FIG. 9).

In addition, the boundary S1 between the initial Q1 and the intermediate Q2 can be determined as the point where the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component in the initial Q1 is the largest. In other words, the boundary S1 between the initial Q1 and the mid-Q2 can also be said to be the point where the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component begins to decrease initially in the entire delivery distribution. In the case where the delivery distribution is fitted by a continuous fitting curve, the boundary S1 between the initial Q1 and the intermediate Q2 can be defined as the inflection point.

The last period Q3 is a period during which the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist components gradually decreases with time. In other words, the final period Q3 can be said to be a period during which the decreasing amount of the delivery amount of the main mist component of each suction gradually decreases.

In this embodiment, the end point S3 of the delivery distribution is determined as the end point of the mist-puffable period (pumpable period) (refer to FIG. 9). Specifically, the end point S3 of the delivery distribution is determined as the timing of the notification of the end of the puffable period (timing T7 in FIG. 9).

In addition, the boundary S2 between the mid-term Q2 and the final period Q3 can be determined as the point where the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component in the final period Q3 is the largest. In other words, the boundary S2 between the mid-term Q2 and the final Q3 can also be said to be the point where the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component begins to decrease in the entire delivery distribution. In the case where the delivery distribution is fitted by a continuous fitting curve, the junction S2 between the mid-term Q2 and the final-stage Q3 can be determined as the inflexion point.

Mid-term Q2 is the period between the initial Q1 and the final Q3. The mid-term Q2 contains one or more maxima greater than the start and end points of the delivery distribution. In the delivery distribution shown in Fig. 8, the mid-term Q2 contains a maximum value (maximum value).

According to the aforementioned delivery distribution of mist, the delivery amount of mist increases from the initial period Q1 to the intermediate period Q2, has a maximum value in the intermediate period Q2, and decreases from the intermediate period Q2 to the final period Q3. Therefore, the user can know which period of the early Q1, mid-term Q2, and last period Q3 of the puffable period is from the feeling of the inhaled mist.

Moreover, in the initial Q1, the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component gradually increases with time, and the delivery distribution has a downward convex shape. On the other hand, in the mid-Q2, the delivery distribution is upwardly convex. Therefore, the delivery amount of mist can be greatly changed when it is transferred from the initial Q1 to the mid-Q2. And, in the final period Q3, the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component gradually decreases with time, and the delivery distribution has a downward convex shape. Therefore, the delivery amount of mist can be greatly changed when it moves from mid-term Q2 to late-stage Q3. Therefore, it is easier for the user to know from the feeling of the inhaled mist that the transition is from the initial Q1 to the intermediate Q2, and from the intermediate Q2 to the final Q3.

Preferably, the mid-term Q2 is longer than the initial Q1 and the final Q3. Mid-term Q2 is greater than or equal to the sum of the initial Q1 and the final Q3. For example, the mid-term Q2 accounts for 50 to 60% of the entire period, and the initial Q1 and the final Q3 account for 20 to 25% of the entire period. In this way, since the period of delivery of the main mist component is relatively long, the user can suck the main mist component for a long period of time.

The delivery amount of the main mist component at the end point S3 of the last period Q3 is preferably larger than the delivery amount of the main mist component at the starting point S0. In this case, it is possible to suppress the situation where the delivery amount of mist excessively decreases in the final period Q3. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the delivery amount of the main mist component from being reduced to a very low level during the suction period, and it is possible to maintain the delivery amount at a high level until the end of the last period Q3 in particular.

The maximum value of the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component in the final Q3 is preferably smaller than the maximum value of the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component in the initial Q1. In this case, since the increase rate of the main mist component in the initial Q1 becomes larger, a higher level of mist delivery amount can be achieved at an earlier stage in the puffable period. On the other hand, because the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component in the final period Q3 is small, the rate of decrease of the main mist component in the final period Q3 will be small. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the situation in which the delivery amount of mist is abruptly reduced in the final period Q3. Therefore, a relatively high level of mist delivery can be maintained for a long period of time.

The minimum value of the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component in the final Q3 is preferably smaller than the minimum value of the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component in the initial Q1. Because the minimum value of the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component in the final period Q3 is small, the decrease rate of the main mist component in the final period Q3 will be small. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the situation that the delivery amount of mist is abruptly reduced in the last period Q3.

The mid-term Q2 may include a stable period SP, the absolute value of the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component being smaller than the minimum value of the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component in the initial Q1, and And it is a period smaller than the minimum value of the slope of the delivery distribution of the main mist component in the last period Q3. In other words, the stable period SP is a period in which the delivery amount of the main mist component of each suction is small.

The SP during the stable period is preferably longer than the initial Q1 and the final Q3. In the stable period SP, the delivery amount of the main mist component is large, and the variation of the delivery amount is small. Therefore, if the stable period SP is longer than the initial period Q1 and the final period Q3, the main mist component can be continuously and stably supplied for a longer period in the intermediate period Q2. In addition, the SP during the stable period preferably accounts for 50 to 60% of the entire mid-term Q2. In this way, the main mist component can be continuously and stably supplied for a long period in the mid-term Q2.

Please note that the aforementioned delivery distribution and its advantages were discovered by the inventor of this case.

The control unit 22 of the mist generating device 120 may be configured to control the heater 30 so as to achieve the aforementioned delivery distribution of the main mist components. Here, the delivery distribution of the main mist component may mainly depend on the heating distribution of the heater 30.

Fig. 9 shows an example of the heating distribution of the heater. Please note that the heating distribution shown in Fig. 9 is suitable for an example of the above-mentioned main mist component delivery distribution, and it is not necessarily limited to this.

As mentioned above, the so-called heating profile refers to a graph showing the time change of the target temperature under control of the heater 30. The temperature control of the heater 30 can be realized by, for example, well-known feedback control. Specifically, the control portion 22 of the mist generating device 120 may cause the power supplied by the battery 10 to undergo pulse width modulation (PWM) or pulse frequency modulation (PFM) The form of the pulse is supplied to the heater 30. In this case, the control unit 22 can perform temperature control of the heater 30 by adjusting the duty ratio of the power pulse.

In terms of feedback control, the control unit 22 may measure or estimate the temperature of the heater 30, and then control the power supplied to the heater 30 based on the difference between the measured or estimated temperature of the heater 30 and the target temperature, for example The aforementioned load ratio. The feedback control may be, for example, PID control. The temperature of the heater 30 can be determined by measuring or estimating, for example, the resistance value of the heating resistor constituting the heater 30. This is because the resistance value of the heating resistor changes according to the temperature. The resistance value of the heating resistor can be estimated by measuring, for example, the voltage drop in the heating resistor. The amount of voltage drop in the heating resistor can be measured by measuring the potential difference applied to the heating resistor using a voltage sensor. In other examples, the temperature of the heater 30 can be measured by a temperature sensor provided near the heater 30.

As described above, the present embodiment controls the power supply to the heater 30 so that the actual temperature of the heater 30 approaches the target temperature of the heating distribution. However, there may be a case where the heating distribution includes sections where the target temperature changes abruptly, and in these sections, the deviation of the actual temperature of the heater 30 from the target temperature may temporarily increase. In the example of the heating distribution shown in FIG. 9, the area where the deviation of the actual temperature of the heater 30 from the target temperature becomes larger is indicated by a broken line.

Regarding the heating profile shown in FIG. 9, when receiving the user’s start request and starting the power supply from the battery 10 to the heater 30, the control unit 22 first controls the heater 30 during the first period P1 The temperature is directed toward the first target temperature TA1. That is, the control unit 22 heats the heater 30 to increase the temperature from the initial temperature toward the first target temperature TA1. In the first period P1, when the heater 30 reaches the first target temperature TA1, the control unit 22 controls the temperature of the heater 30 to be maintained at the first target temperature TA1.

The first target temperature TA1 is preferably between 225 and 240°C, typically 230°C.

By setting the first target temperature TA1 to be higher in the first period P1, the temperature rising speed of the heater 30 can be made faster. By making the temperature increase rate of the heater 30 faster, the period from the start of power supply to the heater 30 until the mist can be sucked in can be shortened.

The control unit 22 may be configured to report that the user's puffable period has started while maintaining the temperature of the heater 30 at the first target temperature TA1 during the first period P1. The notification that the pumping period has started can be performed by the control of the notification unit 40, for example, by controlling the change of the light emission color of the light emitting element such as LED, the change of the light emitting mode, the vibration of the vibrating element, or the like Way.

In the example shown in FIG. 9, the notification that the puffable period has started is performed at time sequence T2. More specifically, it is reported that the pumping period has started, as long as the timing T2 of the predetermined period P1b passes after the temperature of the heater 30 reaches the first target temperature, and the predetermined period passes after the power supply to the heater 30 starts The timing of the timing of the period may be the earlier of the two. The predetermined period P1b is preferably between 20 and 26 seconds, typically 23 seconds.

Preferably, the control unit 22 may be configured to perform the notification that the puffable period has started in the second half of the first period P1. The second half of the first period P1 refers to the period immediately after the middle of the first period P1.

The control unit 22, after notifying the timing T2 that the puffable period has started, passes the timing T3 of the predetermined period P1c, and transitions to the second period P2 described later. The predetermined period P1c is preferably 5 to 15 seconds, typically 10 seconds. In this case, the possibility that the user performs the first suction operation in the first period P1 will increase. In this case, the user can be allowed to perform the first suction operation while the heater temperature is maintained near the highest temperature of the heating profile (that is, the first target temperature TA1).

The first period P1 will vary depending on the heating state of the heater 30 and the smoking article 110 and the surrounding temperature, but it can typically be in the range of 35 to 55 seconds. However, the control unit 22 is preferably configured to change the length of the first period P1 in accordance with the rate at which the temperature of the heater 30 rises in the first period P1. More specifically, it can be configured such that the initial temperature rise period P1a among the first period P1 can be changed according to the rate at which the temperature of the heater 30 rises. Specifically, the control unit 22 is preferably configured such that the shorter the period from the start of heating of the heater 30 until the predetermined temperature is reached, the shorter the length of the first period P1.

In the present embodiment, when the temperature of the heater 30 reaches the first target temperature TA1 and then a predetermined period (P1b+P1c) passes, the first period P1 ends. That is, the faster the temperature of the heater 30 rises, the shorter the period P1a from the timing T0 at which the power supply starts to the heater 30 until the temperature of the heater 30 reaches the first target temperature TA1. Scheduled The period (P1b+P1c) is preferably between 25 and 41 seconds, typically 33 seconds.

As described above, when the temperature rise rate of the heater 30 is fast, shortening the preliminary heating period can reduce the power consumed during the preliminary heating period.

The variable range of the first period P1, more specifically, the variable range of the period (P1a+P1b) until the start of the reportable puff period, preferably has a predetermined upper limit value. For example, the upper limit of the period (P1a+P1b) from the start of the power supply T0 to the start of the pumping period T2 (P1a+P1b) is preferably 40 to 60 seconds, typically 50 seconds. This can prevent the situation where the temperature of the heater 30 does not reach the first target temperature TA1, and the control unit 22 does not shift to the second period P2 and continues to perform preliminary heating.

Next, the control unit 22 controls the temperature of the heater 30 to change to the second target temperature TA2 lower than the first target temperature TA1 in the second period P2 after the first period P1. That is, the control unit 22 controls the heater 30 so that the temperature of the heater 30 decreases from the first target temperature TA1 and then maintains the second target temperature TA2.

The second target temperature TA2 is preferably in the range of 190 to 210°C, typically 200°C. The second period P2 is preferably in the range of 105 to 160 seconds, typically 130 seconds. The second period P2 is preferably longer than the first period P1 and the third period P3 described later. Since the second period is maintained at a temperature higher than the third period P3, it is a period during which mist can be stably supplied. As described above, the period during which the mist can be stably supplied can be relatively extended.

Lowering the target temperature in the second period P2 can reduce the power consumed in the second period P2.

The control unit 22 may have a first off period from the end of the first period P1 until the beginning of the second period P2 to stop the power supply to the heater 30. The first rest period is set so that the temperature decrease from the first target temperature TA1 to the second target temperature TA2 can be achieved in the shortest time. The control unit 22 may also continuously monitor the temperature of the heater 30 during the first rest period. In this case, the control unit 22 may be configured to resume the power supply to the heater 30 when the temperature of the heater 30 drops to the vicinity of the second target temperature TA2.

The first rest period is preferably a time interval during which a general user cannot perform more than two suction operations. If the user performs more than two pumping operations during the rest period, the temperature of the heater 30 may suddenly drop to a value far lower than the second target temperature TA2. In this case, the amount of mist emitted from the smoking article 110 may be reduced. Assuming that the time interval of a typical user's suction operation is about 20 seconds, the first rest period is preferably in the range of, for example, 15 to 20 seconds. The first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 may be set such that the temperature decrease from the first target temperature TA1 to the second target temperature TA2 due to natural cooling in the first rest period will be performed within the above-mentioned time range. Alternatively, the control unit 22 may be configured to count the first rest period and forcibly restart the power supply to the heater 30 once the first rest period reaches a predetermined upper limit value. In this case, the upper limit of the first rest period is preferably 15 to 20 seconds.

Next, the control unit 22 controls the temperature of the heater 30 in the third period P3 after the second period P2 to change to the third target temperature TA3 which is lower than the second target temperature TA2. That is, the control unit 22 controls the heater 30 so that the temperature of the heater 30 decreases further from the second target temperature TA1, and then maintains the third target temperature TA3. The third target temperature TA3 is preferably in the range of 175 to 190°C, typically 185°C. The third period P3 is preferably in the range of 30 to 90 seconds, typically 60 seconds. In the third period P3, the target temperature is further reduced, and the power consumed in the third period P3 can be further reduced.

The temperature difference (ΔT12) between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 is preferably greater than the temperature difference (ΔT23) between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3. Since the power consumption of the heater 30 is greater in the second period P2 than in the third period P3, the temperature difference (ΔT12) when migrating from the first period P1 to the second period P2 is greater than that from the second period P2 The temperature difference (ΔT23) at the time of the third period P3 is still large, which contributes to the reduction of power consumption throughout the period. Therefore, ΔT12/ΔT23 is preferably greater than 1. On the other hand, if ΔT12 is much larger than ΔT23, the target temperature TA2 in the second period P2 of the stable supply of mist will be relatively low, and there will be unstable generation of mist in the second period P2 Yu. Therefore, ΔT12/ΔT23 preferably has a predetermined upper limit value. The upper limit of ΔT12/ΔT23 may be 2.5, for example. ΔT12/ΔT23 is preferably 1.0 to 2.5, and typically 2.0.

The control unit 22 may have a second off period from the end of the second period P2 until the initial period of the third period P3 to stop the power supply to the heater 30. Set the second rest period so that The temperature reduction from the second target temperature TA2 to the third target temperature TA3 can be achieved in the shortest time. The control unit 22 may continuously monitor the temperature of the heater 30 during the second rest period. In this case, the control unit 22 may be configured to resume the power supply to the heater 30 when the temperature of the heater 30 drops to the vicinity of the third target temperature TA3. The second rest period is preferably the same as the first rest period, which is a time interval during which a general user cannot perform more than two suction operations, and is preferably in the range of, for example, 15 to 20 seconds. The second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3 may be set such that the temperature decrease from the second target temperature TA2 to the third target temperature TA3 due to natural cooling in the second rest period will be performed within the above-mentioned time range. Alternatively, the control unit 22 may be configured to count the second rest period and forcibly restart the power supply to the heater 30 once the second rest period reaches a predetermined upper limit value.

As described above, from the viewpoint of reducing power consumption, the temperature difference (ΔT12) between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 is preferably larger than the temperature difference (ΔT23) between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3 This relationship is also preferable from the viewpoint that the first rest period and the second rest period should be as close as possible. According to the Newtonian cooling law, the rate of temperature decrease during natural cooling in the high temperature zone will be greater than in the low temperature zone, so it is necessary to make the first rest period and the second rest period as similar as possible. The temperature difference (ΔT12) between the target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 is relatively large. Suppose that the temperature difference (ΔT12) between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 is equal to the temperature difference (ΔT23) between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3, or the temperature of the former The degree difference (ΔT12) is smaller than the latter temperature difference (ΔT23), the first rest period will be constant shorter than the second rest period, and theoretically it is impossible to make the two rest periods the same.

In addition, the ratio of the difference between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 and the difference between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3 is preferably less than 2.5. This is because the difference between the first target temperature TA1 and the second target temperature TA2 should not be too large, and mist can be stably generated in the middle of the puffable period.

From the viewpoint of reducing power consumption, the heater 30 may be controlled from the first target temperature TA1 to the third target temperature TA3 without passing through the second target temperature TA2. However, in that case, the period from the first target temperature TA1 to the third target temperature TA3 (second rest period) becomes relatively longer. Since the power supply to the heater 30 is stopped from the first target temperature TA1 to the third target temperature TA3, if the user performs multiple pumping operations during this period, there will be a heater 30 The temperature may fall far below the third target temperature. Before starting from the first target temperature TA1 and reaching the third target temperature TA3, the second target temperature TA2 between the first target temperature TA1 and the third target temperature TA2 is passed to change from one target temperature to another target The temperature period is shortened. Therefore, since the continuous period of the rest period during which the power supply to the heater 30 is stopped is relatively short, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the smoking article from dropping too much due to a plurality of pumping operations, resulting in unstable generation of mist Situation.

The control unit 22 causes the third period P3 to end The power supply to the heater 30 is stopped. Then, after the power supply to the heater 30 is stopped (sequence T6), the control unit 22 notifies the end of the puffable period at the timing T7 when a predetermined period passes. In other words, after the power supply to the heater 30 is stopped, and before a predetermined period of time has passed, the user can perform the mist suction operation, so that the user can use the residual heat of the heater 30 and the smoking article 110 to absorb the mist . The notification of the end of the pumping period can be performed by the notification unit 40, for example, by controlling the light emission color of the light emitting element such as LED, changing the light emitting mode, vibrating the vibrating element, or a combination of the above And proceed.

After the heater 30 passes through the first period P1, the second period P2, and the third period P3 of the heating distribution, the heat of the heater 30 is sufficiently transferred to the inside of the smoking article 110. Therefore, in the period from the end of the third period P3 to the end of the smoking period, that is, in the fourth period P4 in FIG. 8, the residual heat of the heater 30 and the smoking article 110 alone can also generate a certain amount of Fog. However, in the fourth period P4, as in the first rest period and the second rest period, the generation of mist tends to become unstable, so it is preferable to be a time interval during which the user cannot perform more than two suction operations. Therefore, the fourth period P4 is preferably between 5 and 15 seconds, typically 10 seconds.

，可利用通知部40而進行，可藉由例如使LED等的發光元件的發光色變化、使發光模式變化、使振動元件振動等之控制、 或以上方式的組合而進行。 In addition, the control unit 22 may notify the user that the puffing period is about to end at a timing T5 that is a predetermined period Pe earlier than the timing T7 when the puffing period has been notified. Such an announcement can be made, for example, 20 to 40 seconds before the end of the puffable period. Such an announcement

It can be performed by the notification unit 40, and can be performed by, for example, control of changing the light emission color of the light emitting element such as LED, changing the light emitting mode, vibrating the vibrating element, or a combination of the above methods.

In the aforementioned aspect, the control unit 22 stops the supply of electric power to the heater 30 at the timing when the third period P3 ends. In addition, the control unit 22 may stop the power supply to the heater 30 even when the number of suction operations by the user exceeds a predetermined number, even during the second period P2 or the third period P3 . The smoking action performed by the user can be detected using, for example, the aforementioned temperature sensor.

Refer again to Figure 8. The delivery distribution of the main mist components may mainly depend on the heating distribution of the heater 30. Specifically, the delivery distribution of the main mist component is basically a distribution corresponding to the temperature distribution inside the smoking article 110. Since the temperature distribution inside the smoking article 110 follows the heating distribution of the heater 30, it is generally easy to have a shape that is delayed in time with respect to the heating distribution.

Therefore, by setting the first target temperature TA1 in the first period P1 to the highest temperature in the entire heating distribution, it is easier to cause the delivery distribution of the main mist component to form a steep slope rising curve in the initial Q1. In addition, by maintaining the temperature of the heater 30 at the second target temperature TA2 for most of the second period P2 after the first period P1, it is relatively easy to distribute the delivery of the main mist components in the mid-term Q2. Stable period SP with small changes. And, by controlling the temperature of the heater 30 to the third target temperature TA3 lower than the second target temperature TA2 in the third period P3 after the second period P2, it is easier to make the main mist component The delivery distribution forms a downward curve in the final period Q3. In particular, by making the temperature difference between the second target temperature TA2 and the third target temperature TA3 If T23 is small, it will be easier to make the delivery distribution of the main mist components form a gentle slope decline curve in the final period Q3. As described above, the heating control of the heater 30 according to the heating distribution illustrated in FIG. 8 makes it easier to make the delivery distribution of the main mist component in the mid-term Q2 as a whole having a maximum upwardly convex curve, which is easier At the beginning Q1 forms a steep slope rising curve, and it is easier to form a gentle slope descending curve at the end Q3.

As described above, the delivery distribution of the main mist component mainly depends on the heating distribution of the heater 30. However, the delivery distribution of the main mist components may depend on the shape of the heater 30, the presence and shape of the heat insulating material 138, the size of the smoking article 110, the contact degree of the heater 30 with the smoking article 110, and the heater 30 relative to smoking Factors such as the position of the heated portion of the article 110 vary. Therefore, in order to achieve the desired delivery distribution of the main mist components, it is only necessary to appropriately combine the heating distribution of the heater 30 and the above-mentioned factors.

For example, in the case where the heater 30 has a cylindrical shape surrounding the outer circumference of the cylindrical smoking article, since the heat transferred to the smoking article 110 is not easily dissipated to the outside, the delivery distribution of the main mist components may easily follow the heater 30 Heating distribution. Similarly, in the case where the cylindrical heat insulating material 138 is disposed outside the heater 30 in the radial direction, since the heat transmitted to the smoking article 110 is not easily dissipated to the outside, the delivery distribution of the main mist components will more easily follow the heater 30 Heating distribution. In this case, since the rate of increase of the delivery distribution in the initial Q1 becomes relatively large, the rising curve of the delivery distribution of the initial Q1 may have a steeper slope as a whole. another On the one hand, since the rate of decrease in the delivery distribution in the final period Q3 will be relatively small, the decline curve of the delivery distribution in the final period Q3 may have a gentler slope as a whole.

In addition, the smaller the size of the smoking article 110, more specifically, the smaller the diameter of the smoking article 110, the easier heat is transferred from the outside of the smoking article 110 to the inside of the smoking article 110. Therefore, the smaller the diameter of the smoking article 110, the easier the delivery distribution of the main mist component follows the heating distribution of the heater 30.

In addition, the higher the degree of contact between the heater 30 and the smoking article 110 during use, the easier the heat generated by the heater 30 is transferred to the smoking article 110. That is, in a state where the smoking article 110 is inserted into the insertion hole 130, the gap between the smoking article 110 and the inner tube member 132 is small, and the delivery distribution of the main mist component easily follows the heating distribution of the heater 30.

In addition, the delivery distribution of the main mist component may also be related to the positional relationship between the smoking article 110 and the heater 30. Referring again to FIG. 7, the heater 30 is preferably arranged to extend from the base portion 11A of the smoking article 110 containing the mist source to the paper tube section 114 that does not contain the mist source. In this way, the heat generated by the heater 30 can be more easily transferred to the downstream end surface of the base portion 11A and its vicinity, so the delivery distribution of the main mist component can easily follow the heating distribution of the heater 30. In addition, the inner cylindrical member 132 in which the inner circumferential surface is in contact with the smoking article 110 and the outer circumferential surface is in contact with the heater 3 is preferably arranged to extend from the base portion 11A containing the mist source to the paper tube section 114 not containing the mist source . In particular, it is preferable that the downstream end portion of the inner cylindrical member 132 protrudes downstream from the downstream end portion of the heater 30. in this way, Not only the downstream end surface of the base portion 11A can be sufficiently heated, but also the upstream end surface of the paper tube portion 114 and its vicinity can be sufficiently heated. Therefore, the condensation of mist at this location can be suppressed, and the delivery distribution can be increased as a whole. In addition, the heating portion 31 of the heater 30 is actively heated. In the case of a heater including a heating resistor, the heating portion 31 of the heater 30 refers to the heating resistor.

Furthermore, the delivery distribution of the main mist components may also be related to the components constituting the smoking article 110. More specifically, the amount of water contained in the smoking article 110 has an effect on the rate of increase in the initial Q1 of the delivery distribution of the main mist component. For example, if the amount of water contained in the smoking article 110 is high, the heat generated by the heater 30 is used to vaporize the moisture instead of heating the mist source, so it may reduce the rate of increase in the delivery distribution of the main mist components Small reason. Therefore, the delivery distribution in the initial Q1 will have a gentle slope as a whole. As mentioned above, the mist originating from the moisture in the smoking article 110 is generally not included in the main mist component.

The heating distribution of the heater 30 is appropriately set in consideration of the factors that affect the delivery distribution as described above, and the aforementioned delivery distribution of the main mist component can be achieved.

(Programs and memory media)

The control flow for realizing the aforementioned heating distribution and/or delivery distribution of main mist components can be executed by the control unit 22. That is, the present invention may also include a program that causes the flavor inhaler 100 and/or mist generating device 120 to perform the aforementioned method, and a memory medium that stores the program. Such a memory medium may be a non-transitory memory medium.

[Other embodiments]

The present invention has been described above through the above-mentioned embodiments, but it should not be construed that the discussion and illustrations that are part of the above disclosure limit the present invention. Based on the above disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples, and operation techniques are easily understood by those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field.

10‧‧‧ battery

22‧‧‧Control Department

30‧‧‧heater

40‧‧‧Notification Department

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Claims (16)

A mist generating device includes: a heater configured to heat the outer periphery of a smoking article including a mist source; and a control section to control the heater; the control section is configured to control the heater such that The delivery distribution of the mist in the predetermined puffable period has one or more maximum values between the start point and the end point of the aforementioned puffable period. The mist generating device according to item 1 of the patent application range, wherein the heater has a cylindrical shape surrounding the outer circumference of the columnar smoking article. The mist generating device according to item 2 of the patent application scope includes a cylindrical heat insulating material disposed outside the heater in the radial direction. The mist generating device according to any one of items 1 to 3 of the patent application scope, wherein the smoking article includes a mist source existing area and a mist source non-existing area, and the mist source existing area includes a mist source The non-existent region of the mist source is located downstream of the mist source region in the flow direction of the generated mist, and the heating portion of the heater is configured to extend from the mist source region of the smoking article to the smoking There is no area for the aforementioned mist source of the article. The mist generating device according to any one of items 1 to 4 of the patent application scope, wherein the control unit is configured to: Control the temperature of the heater to the first target temperature, and control the temperature of the heater to the second target temperature lower than the first target temperature in the second period after the first period, in the second In the third period after the period, the temperature of the heater is controlled to a third target temperature lower than the second target temperature. The mist generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the delivery amount of the mist at the end point is larger than the delivery amount of the mist at the start point. The mist generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the delivery distribution includes: an initial stage having an increasing slope with respect to the time axis and a decreasing slope with respect to the time axis The reduced end period, and the middle period between the aforementioned initial period and the aforementioned final period and having one or more maximum values. The mist generating device according to item 7 of the patent application range, wherein the maximum value of the slope in the last stage is smaller than the maximum value of the slope in the early stage. The mist generating device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the minimum value of the slope in the final stage is smaller than the minimum value of the slope in the initial stage. The mist generating device according to any one of items 7 to 9 of the patent application scope, wherein the mid-term is higher than that of the early-stage and the late-stage Those are still long. The mist generating device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the intermediate period is equal to or longer than the total period of the initial period and the final period. The mist generating device according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the intermediate period includes a stable period in which the slope is smaller than the minimum value of the slope in the initial stage, and It is smaller than the minimum value of the slope in the final stage, and the stable period is longer than that of the initial stage and the final stage. A control unit is provided with a control unit for controlling a heater configured to heat the outer periphery of a smoking article containing a mist source, wherein the control unit is configured to control the temperature of the heater The distribution of the delivery of mist in the predetermined smoking period has one or more maximum values between the starting point and the ending point of the aforementioned smoking period. A method of controlling a heater that heats the outer periphery of a smoking article containing a mist source, the method comprising: controlling the heater so that the delivery of mist in a predetermined smokeable period is distributed in the smokeable Steps with one or more maxima between the beginning and end of the period. A program that causes the computer to execute the item 14 of the scope of patent application Methods. A smoking article comprising a source of mist, the smoking article is configured to have a delivery distribution when used with a device configured to heat the outer circumference of the smoking article and deliver mist to have a position between the start point and the end point Or multiple maximum values.

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