Heating circuit, aerosol generating device and heating method thereof

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a heating circuit, an aerosol generating device and a heating method thereof, and the heating circuit comprises a light heater which is used for emitting light to irradiate a to-be-heated object, thereby heating the to-be-heated object through the light; the power supply is used for supplying electric energy to the light heater; the heating circuit further comprises at least one switch element and at least one energy storage element, and the switch element is configured to receive a PWM signal and is switched on or switched off according to the level of the PWM signal, so that the light heater is connected or disconnected with the power supply; wherein the energy storage element is configured as follows: when the switch element is switched on to enable the light heater to be connected with the power supply, the energy storage element stores energy; and when the switch element is cut off to disconnect the light heater from the power supply, the energy storage element releases energy to provide electric energy for the light heater. In this way, the service life of light heaters such as a tungsten lamp can be prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of aerosol, and in particular, to a heating circuit, an aerosol generating device, and a heating method thereof.

Background Art

[0002] Traditional tobacco products (such as cigarettes, cigars, etc.) burn tobacco during use to produce tobacco smoke. There are already products in the prior art that release compounds without burning by heating to replace these traditional tobacco products. Examples of such products are aerosol generating devices, which usually include a heating element and an aerosol generating article used in conjunction with the aerosol generating device. The aerosol generating article can be a solid tobacco or non-tobacco filler, such as a cigarette stick. When the aerosol generating article is housed in the aerosol generating device, the heating element can heat the aerosol generating article, causing at least a portion of the active substances in the aerosol generating article to volatilize by heat to generate an aerosol.

[0003] In the prior art, a tungsten filament lamp is used as a heating element to heat the aerosol generating article. After the tungsten filament lamp is powered on, the temperature of its tungsten filament will gradually rise to an incandescent state and generate a large amount of thermal radiation, which will be transmitted to the aerosol generating article, and then the tobacco or non-tobacco filler in the aerosol generating article will be volatilized by heat to generate an aerosol.

[0004] To avoid over-baking the aerosol generating article, a switching element is usually used to control the power output to the tungsten filament lamp. The power output to the tungsten filament lamp can be adjusted by the high-speed conduction and cut-off of the switching element. However, at the moment when the switching element conducts each time, a current will pass through the tungsten filament of the tungsten filament lamp, and a large instantaneous current impact will be formed at the initial stage of power-on, causing a "hot spot effect" at relatively weak parts of the tungsten filament, resulting in excessive evaporation of the tungsten filament and breakage after multiple cycles. That is to say, frequent on-off of the current will greatly reduce the service life of the tungsten filament.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a heating circuit to solve the technical problem that when using a light heater such as a tungsten filament lamp to heat an object, the tungsten filament frequently generates a "hot spot effect" due to frequent on-off of the power supply, thereby reducing the service life of the tungsten filament.

[0006] A heating circuit includes:

[0007] A light heater for emitting light to irradiate an object to be heated, thereby heating the object to be heated by the light;

[0008] A power supply for supplying electrical energy to the light heater;

[0009] The heating circuit further includes at least one switching element and at least one energy storage element. The switching element is configured to receive a PWM signal and conduct or cut off according to the level of the PWM signal, so as to electrically connect or disconnect the optical heater to / from the power supply.

[0010] Wherein, the energy storage element is configured to: store energy when the switching element conducts to connect the optical heater to the power supply; release energy to supply electric power to the optical heater when the switching element cuts off to disconnect the optical heater from the power supply.

[0011] In one embodiment, the heating circuit includes a power control module, which is configured to supply different powers to the optical heater according to the conduction or cut-off of the switching element.

[0012] In one embodiment, the power control module includes a buck circuit and a boost circuit. The switching element is used to switch between the buck circuit and the boost circuit, so that the optical heater has different powers.

[0013] In one embodiment, the buck circuit includes a Buck buck circuit, the boost circuit includes a Boost boost circuit, and the energy storage element is disposed in the Buck buck circuit and the Boost boost circuit.

[0014] In one embodiment, the Buck buck circuit and the Boost boost circuit share the energy storage element.

[0015] In one embodiment, the switching element includes a first switching element, a second switching element, a third switching element, and a fourth switching element. The energy storage element includes an inductor and a capacitor. The first switching element and the second switching element are connected in series, the third switching element and the fourth switching element are connected in series. One end of the inductor is electrically connected between the first switching element and the second switching element, and the other end of the inductor is electrically connected between the third switching element and the fourth switching element. The positive pole of the power supply is electrically connected to one end of the first switching element, the negative pole of the power supply is electrically connected to one end of the second switching element, one end of the optical heater is electrically connected to one end of the third switching element, and the other end of the optical heater is electrically connected to one end of the fourth switching element. One end of the capacitor is electrically connected between the optical heater and the third switching element, and the other end of the capacitor is electrically connected to the reference ground. The controller is configured to input PWM signals to the control terminals of the first switching element, the second switching element, the third switching element, and the fourth switching element.

[0016] In one embodiment, the switching element includes an NMOS tube, the D pole of the first switching element is electrically connected to the positive pole of the power supply, the S pole is electrically connected to the D pole of the second switching element, the S pole of the second switching element is electrically connected to the negative pole of the power supply, the D pole of the third switching element is electrically connected to one end of the photo heater and one end of the capacitor respectively, the S pole is connected to the D pole of the fourth switching element, the S pole of the fourth switching element is electrically connected to the other end of the photo heater, the S pole of the first switching element, the D pole of the second switching element and one end of the inductor are connected together at point A, and the S pole of the third switching element, the D pole of the fourth switching element and the other end of the inductor are connected together at point B.

[0017] In one embodiment, the light emitting element of the light heater comprises a tungsten filament.

[0018] An embodiment of the present application also provides an aerosol generating device, comprising the heating circuit described in the above embodiment, wherein the light heater is used to emit light to irradiate an aerosol generating product, thereby heating the aerosol generating product by light to generate an aerosol.

[0019] The embodiment of the present application further provides a heating method for an aerosol generating device, the aerosol generating device comprising a heating circuit for heating an aerosol generating product to generate an aerosol, the heating circuit comprising a light heater, a power supply for providing electrical energy to the light heater, at least one switching element and at least one energy storage element, the switching element being configured to be turned on or off according to the level of a PWM signal, the heating circuit comprising a buck circuit and a boost circuit, the switching element being used to switch the buck circuit and the boost circuit, the energy storage element being used to provide electrical energy to the light heater when the light heater is disconnected from the power supply, the heating method comprising:

[0020] Obtaining a working time period of the aerosol generating device;

[0021] If the working time period is a preheating stage, controlling the heating circuit to switch to a boost circuit to provide a first power to the optical heater;

[0022] If the working time period is the suction stage, controlling the heating circuit to switch to a step-down circuit to provide a second power to the optical heater;

[0023] Wherein, the first power is greater than the second power.

[0024] In one embodiment, the switching element includes a first switching element, a second switching element, a third switching element, and a fourth switching element. The energy storage element includes an inductor and a capacitor. The first switching element and the second switching element are connected in series. The third switching element and the third switching element are connected in series. One end of the inductor is electrically connected between the first switching element and the second switching element, and the other end of the inductor is electrically connected between the third switching element and the fourth switching element. The positive pole of the power supply is electrically connected to one end of the first switching element, the negative pole of the power supply is electrically connected to one end of the second switching element, one end of the optical heater is electrically connected to one end of the third switching element, the other end of the optical heater is electrically connected to one end of the fourth switching element, one end of the capacitor is electrically connected between the optical heater and the third switching element, and the other end of the capacitor is electrically connected to the reference ground;

[0025] The method specifically includes:

[0026] If the working time period is the preheating stage, control the first switching element to maintain the conducting state, and at the same time control the second switching element to maintain the cut-off state, so as to switch the heating circuit to the boost circuit;

[0027] If the working time period is the suction stage, control the third switch to maintain the conducting state, and at the same time control the fourth switching element to maintain the cut-off state, so as to switch the heating circuit to the buck circuit.

[0028] In the heating circuit provided by the above embodiments, since an energy storage element is adopted in the heating circuit, the energy storage element is in a charging and energy storage state when the switching element is conducting, and starts to release the internally stored energy to an optical heater such as a tungsten filament lamp when the switching element is disconnected, so that the tungsten filament lamp can continue to work. Thus, it is possible to avoid the current flowing through the tungsten filament lamp being zero when the switching element is disconnected, and further avoid the generation of a "hot spot effect" on the tungsten filament lamp when the switching element is conducting again, and effectively extend the service life of the optical heater such as the tungsten filament lamp.

Description of the Drawings

[0029] One or more embodiments are exemplarily illustrated by corresponding drawings. These exemplary illustrations do not limit the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are represented as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the drawings in the drawings do not constitute a proportional limitation.

[0030] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of an aerosol generating device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of a heating circuit of an aerosol generating device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the heating circuit structure of an aerosol generating device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the heating circuit structure of an aerosol generating device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the heating circuit structure of an aerosol generating device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 6 is Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the equivalent circuit in one case;

[0036] Figure 7 is Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the equivalent circuit in another case;

[0037] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the flow of the heating method of an aerosol generating device provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the controller of an aerosol generating device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed implementation manners

[0039] For ease of understanding the present application, the present application will be described in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that when an element is expressed as "fixed to" / "fixedly connected to" another element, it can be directly on the other element, or there can be one or more intermediate elements therebetween. When an element is expressed as "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element, or there can be one or more intermediate elements therebetween. The terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer" and similar expressions used in this specification are only for the purpose of illustration.

[0040] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field to which the present application belongs. The terms used in the specification of the present application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not used to limit the present application. The term "and / or" used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0041] In addition, the technical features involved in different embodiments of the present application described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0042] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "installation" includes fixing or restricting a certain component or device to a specific position or place by means such as welding, screwing, clamping, bonding, etc. The component or device can remain stationary at the specific position or place or can move within a defined range. After the component or device is fixed or restricted to the specific position or place, it can be disassembled or cannot be disassembled, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0043] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically and clearly defined.

[0044] An embodiment of the present application provides an aerosol generating device 100, as Figure 1 shown. The aerosol generating device 100 includes a battery cell 10, a main board 20, and a heating element 30. A controller of the aerosol generating device 100 is provided on the main board 20. The battery cell 10 and the heating element 30 are respectively electrically connected to the controller, so that the controller can control the battery cell 10 to supply electrical energy to the heating element 30. A longitudinally extending chamber 40 is also provided in the aerosol generating device 100. The chamber 40 is used to accommodate an aerosol generating article 200 that is used in conjunction with the aerosol generating device 100. The heating element 30 is disposed at the bottom of the chamber 30, so as to heat the aerosol generating article 200 in the chamber 40. When a part of the active substance filled in the aerosol generating article 200 is heated and volatilized, an aerosol can be generated, and a user can inhale the aerosol by sucking on the aerosol generating article 200.

[0045] The aerosol generating article 200 preferably uses a tobacco-containing material that releases volatile compounds from the article when heated; or it can also be a non-tobacco material that is suitable for electric heating and smoking after heating. The aerosol generating article 200 preferably uses a solid matrix, which can include one or more of powder, granule, fragment, strip, or sheet of vanilla leaf, tobacco leaf, homogenized tobacco, expanded tobacco, etc.; or the solid matrix can contain additional tobacco or non-tobacco volatile flavor compounds to be released when the matrix is heated.

[0046] The heating element 30 uses a light heater to heat the aerosol generating article 200. For example, the light heater in this embodiment is a tungsten filament lamp. The working principle of the tungsten filament lamp is to apply a voltage across the two ends of the tungsten filament. When an electric current passes through the tungsten filament, the temperature of the tungsten filament material will increase. That is, after power is applied to the tungsten filament, heat is generated due to Joule's law. The temperature of the tungsten filament continuously rises to the incandescent state, and at the same time, visible light is emitted to radiate light to the aerosol generating article 200, and then the aerosol generating article 200 is heated by light. Since the temperature of the tungsten filament is very high, the thermal radiation generated by it is transferred outward to the aerosol generating article 200 in the chamber 40. The tobacco or non-tobacco filler in the aerosol generating article 200 can be heated and volatilized to generate aerosol, and the user can inhale the aerosol by sucking on the aerosol generating article 200.

[0047] It should be noted that the light-emitting element in the light heater 30 is not limited to a tungsten filament. In other embodiments, the light-emitting element in the light heater 30 can also be a carbon fiber filament or a tin oxide filament, etc. Or in some other variant embodiments, the light-emitting element 32 can include a metal or alloy that can emit light, such as an Fe-Mn-Cu based alloy, etc.

[0048] In some embodiments, the controller can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a single-chip microcomputer, an ARM (Acorn RISC Machine), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of these components. Also, the controller can also be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The controller can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices. For example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP and / or any other such configuration. The controller 6 can also be the variable frequency board or the main control board of a washing machine.

[0049] As Figure 2 shown, the aerosol generating device 100 includes a heating circuit 50. The heating circuit 50 includes a power supply 51, at least one switching element 52, at least one energy storage element 53, and a tungsten filament lamp 30. The switching element 52 is electrically connected between the power supply 51 and the tungsten filament lamp 30. The energy storage element 53 is electrically connected to the tungsten filament lamp 30. The power supply 51 serves as the input voltage source of the heating circuit 50 to supply electrical energy to the tungsten filament lamp 30. It can be the battery cell 10, or other voltage converted from the voltage across the two ends of the battery cell 10 through a voltage conversion circuit.

[0050] The switching element 52 can be a triode, a MOS transistor (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor), or an IGBT transistor (Insulate-Gate Bipolar Transistor). Preferably, a MOS transistor is used. The switching element 52 is electrically connected to the controller. The controller can output a PWM signal to control the conduction or cutoff of the switching element 52. The switching element 52 usually has a control terminal, which is used to receive the PWM signal and conduct or cutoff according to the level of the PWM signal.

[0051] When the controller controls the switching element 52 to conduct, at this time, the tungsten filament lamp 30 is electrically connected to the power supply 51, and the power supply 51 supplies power to the tungsten filament lamp 30, causing the tungsten filament lamp 30 to start working and generate thermal radiation. At the same time, the power supply 51 also charges the energy storage element 53, so that the energy storage element 53 stores a certain amount of energy. When the controller controls the switching element 52 to cutoff, at this time, the tungsten filament lamp 30 is disconnected from the power supply 51, and the power supply 51 cannot continue to supply power to the tungsten filament lamp 30. At this time, the energy storage element 53 starts to release energy to the tungsten filament lamp 30 to maintain the electrical energy required for the operation of the tungsten filament lamp 30. When the switching element 52 conducts again, the energy storage element 53 starts to charge again, and the tungsten filament lamp 30 is powered by the power supply 51 again.

[0052] Thus, since the energy storage element 53 is adopted in the heating circuit 50, the energy storage element 53 is in a charging and energy storage state when the switching element 52 conducts, and starts to release the internally stored energy to the tungsten filament lamp 30 when the switching element 52 is cutoff, so that the tungsten filament lamp 30 can continue to work, avoiding the current flowing through the tungsten filament lamp 30 being zero when the switching element 30 is cutoff, and further avoiding the "hot spot effect" generated on the tungsten filament lamp 30 when the switching element 52 conducts again, effectively extending the service life of the tungsten filament lamp 30.

[0053] In some embodiments, as Figure 3 shown, the heating circuit 50 includes a power control module 54, and the power control module 54 is used to adjust the power output to the tungsten filament lamp 30. There are multiple switching elements 52, and the multiple switching elements 52 are arranged in the power control module 54. The controller controls a part of the switching elements 52 to conduct, so that the power control module outputs a first power to the tungsten filament lamp 30. When the controller controls another part of the switching elements 52 to conduct, the power control module outputs a second power to the tungsten filament lamp 30, and the power values of the first power and the second power are different.

[0054] The aerosol generating device 100 generally has a preheating stage and a puffing stage. The preheating stage is when the aerosol generating device is started, the battery cell 10 provides a relatively large power to the heating element 30 of the aerosol generating device, so that the temperature of the heating element 30 rises rapidly to a preset temperature, at which the aerosol generating product can be heated and volatilized to produce a suitable aerosol. The puffing stage refers to the stage when the user can start to use the aerosol generating product for puffing. In the puffing stage, the battery cell 10 provides a relatively small power to the heating element 30. Since the temperature of the heating element 30 has risen to the preset temperature, only a relatively small power needs to be provided in the puffing stage to basically maintain the temperature of the heating element 30 at the preset temperature.

[0055] Thus, when the aerosol generating device 100 is in the preheating stage, the controller can control a part of the switch elements 52 to be turned on, so that the power control module 54 provides the first power to the tungsten filament lamp 30, so that the temperature of the tungsten filament lamp 30 can quickly rise to the preset temperature; when the aerosol generating device 100 enters the inhalation stage, the controller can control the switch elements 52 of this part to be cut off, and control the switch elements 52 of another part to be turned on, so as to provide the second power to the tungsten filament lamp 30. The second power is less than the first power, and the temperature of the tungsten filament lamp 30 can basically maintain the temperature at the preset temperature under the action of the second power.

[0056] Further in some embodiments, Figure 4 As shown, the power control module 54 includes a boost circuit 541 and a buck circuit 542. A part of the switch element 52 is connected to the boost circuit 541, and the other part is connected to the buck circuit 542. The boost circuit 541 is used to increase the voltage of the power supply 51, and the buck circuit 542 is used to reduce the voltage of the power supply 51.

[0057] When the aerosol generating device 100 is in the preheating stage, the controller controls the switch element 52 connected to the boost circuit 541 to be turned on, and controls the switch element connected to the buck circuit 542 to be turned off, so that the power supply 51 is connected to the tungsten filament lamp 30 through the boost circuit 541, and the boost circuit 541 increases the voltage of the power supply 51 and loads it on both ends of the tungsten filament lamp 30, so that the tungsten filament lamp 30 can obtain a larger first power.

[0058] When the aerosol generating device 100 is in the inhalation stage, the controller controls the switch element 52 connected to the step-down circuit 542 to be turned on, and controls the switch element 52 connected to the step-up circuit 541 to be turned off, so that the power supply 51 is connected to the tungsten filament lamp 30 through the step-down circuit 541, and the step-down circuit 542 reduces the voltage of the power supply 51 and loads it on both ends of the tungsten filament lamp 30, so that a smaller second power can be obtained on the tungsten filament lamp 30.

[0059] As a specific implementation method, Figure 5As shown, the switching element 52 includes a first NMOS transistor 521, a second NMOS transistor 522, a third NMOS transistor 523, and a fourth NMOS transistor 524. The energy storage element 53 includes an energy storage inductor 531 and a capacitor 532. The control terminals (G poles) of the first NMOS transistor 521, the second NMOS transistor 522, the third NMOS transistor 523, and the fourth NMOS transistor 524 are all electrically connected to the controller to receive PWM signals. The D pole of the first NMOS transistor is electrically connected to the positive electrode of the power supply 51, and the S pole is electrically connected to the D pole of the second NMOS transistor. The S pole of the second NMOS transistor is electrically connected to the reference ground and the negative electrode of the power supply 51.

[0060] The D pole of the third NMOS transistor is electrically connected to one end of the tungsten filament lamp 30, and the S pole is electrically connected to the D pole of the fourth NMOS transistor. The S pole of the fourth NMOS transistor is electrically connected to the reference ground and the other end of the tungsten filament lamp 30 respectively. One end of the energy storage inductor 531, the S pole of the first NMOS transistor, and the D pole of the second NMOS transistor are commonly connected to point A. The other end of the energy storage inductor 531, the S pole of the third NMOS transistor, and the D pole of the fourth NMOS transistor are commonly connected to point B. One end of the capacitor 532, one end of the tungsten filament lamp 30, and the D pole of the third NMOS transistor are electrically connected. The other end of the capacitor 532 is electrically connected to the reference ground.

[0061] When the aerosol generating device 100 is in the preheating stage, the controller controls the PWM signal input to the G pole of the first NMOS transistor to be at a high level to keep the first NMOS transistor in the conducting state, and at the same time controls the PWM signal input to the G pole of the second NMOS transistor to be at a low level to keep the second NMOS transistor in the cut-off state. At this time, the equivalent circuit of the heating circuit 50 is as Figure 7 shown. This circuit is a Boost boost circuit. The Boost boost circuit can increase the voltage of the power supply 51, so that the tungsten filament lamp 30 can obtain a relatively large first power.

[0062] Specifically, the controller controls the third NMOS transistor and the fourth NMOS transistor to conduct or cut off alternately. When the controller controls the third NMOS transistor to cut off and the fourth NMOS transistor to conduct, at this time the tungsten filament lamp 30 is disconnected from the power supply 51, and the power supply 51 cannot supply electrical energy to the tungsten filament lamp 30. The power supply 51 charges the energy storage inductor 531, and energy begins to be stored in the energy storage inductor 531, while the capacitor 532 begins to release electrical energy through the tungsten filament lamp 30 to maintain the continuous operation of the tungsten filament lamp 30, so that the current on the tungsten filament lamp 30 is not zero.

[0063] When the controller controls the third NMOS transistor to conduct and the fourth NMOS transistor to cut off, the tungsten filament lamp 30 is electrically connected to the power supply 51 at this time. Since the energy storage inductor 531 already stores energy, the power supply 51 and the energy storage inductor 531 will supply electrical energy to the tungsten filament lamp 30 simultaneously. The voltage obtained by the tungsten filament lamp 30 will be higher than the voltage of the power supply 51, so as to increase the voltage of the power supply 51. A relatively large first power can be obtained on the tungsten filament lamp 30. At this time, by controlling the duty cycle of the PWM, the larger the duty cycle, the higher the voltage across the tungsten filament lamp 30, and thus the larger the second power. At the same time, the power supply 51 and the energy storage inductor 531 will also recharge the capacitor 532, so that when the third NMOS transistor cuts off and the fourth NMOS transistor conducts next time, the capacitor 532 can discharge again to maintain the continuous operation of the tungsten filament lamp 30.

[0064] When the aerosol generating device 100 is in the suction stage, the controller controls the PWM signal input to the G pole of the third NMOS transistor to be at a high level to keep the third NMOS transistor in the conducting state, and at the same time controls the PWM signal input to the G pole of the fourth NMOS transistor to be at a low level to keep the fourth NMOS transistor in the cut-off state. At this time, the equivalent circuit of the heating circuit 50 is as Figure 6 shown. This circuit is a Buck bucking circuit, and the Buck bucking circuit can reduce the voltage of the power supply 51, so that the tungsten filament lamp 30 can obtain a relatively small second power.

[0065] Specifically, the controller controls the first NMOS transistor and the second NMOS transistor to conduct or cut off alternately. When the controller controls the first NMOS transistor to conduct and the second NMOS transistor to cut off, the tungsten filament lamp 30 is electrically connected to the power supply 51 at this time. Due to the presence of the energy storage inductor 531, the current flowing through the tungsten filament lamp 30 will increase slowly, and the energy storage inductor 531 starts to store energy. The voltage across the tungsten filament lamp 30 also increases slowly accordingly. By controlling the duty cycle of the PWM, the voltage obtained by the tungsten filament lamp 30 can be made less than the voltage of the power supply 51, so as to play a role in bucking, and a relatively small second power can be obtained on the tungsten filament lamp 30. During this process, the power supply 51 also charges the capacitor 532.

[0066] When the controller controls the first NMOS transistor to cut off and the second NMOS transistor to conduct, the tungsten filament lamp 30 is disconnected from the power supply 51 at this time, and the power supply 51 cannot continue to supply electrical energy to the tungsten filament lamp 30. Since the energy storage inductor 531 already stores energy, the energy storage inductor 531 serves as the power supply of the heating circuit 50 at this time and discharges through the tungsten filament lamp 30 to maintain the continuous operation of the tungsten filament lamp 30, so that the current on the tungsten filament lamp 30 is not zero.

[0067] Thus, through the above-mentioned Buck and Boost circuits, the current of the tungsten filament lamp 30 will not drop to zero during the preheating stage and the inhalation stage of the aerosol generating device 100. The tungsten filament lamp 30 will only produce a "hotspot effect" when the aerosol generating device 100 is started, and will not produce a "hotspot effect" during the preheating stage and the inhalation stage, thereby effectively reducing the frequency of the tungsten filament lamp 30 producing a "hotspot effect" and thereby increasing the service life of the tungsten filament lamp 30.

[0068] In addition, by providing the capacitor 532 , the charging and discharging of the capacitor 532 can also play a filtering role, so that a relatively smooth voltage can be obtained at both ends of the tungsten filament lamp 30 .

[0069] It should be noted that the Buck circuit and the Boost circuit in this embodiment share the energy storage inductor 531 and the capacitor 532, that is, when the controller controls the first NMOS tube to be maintained in the on state and controls the second NMOS tube to be maintained in the off state, the heating circuit 50 forms a Boost circuit through the energy storage inductor 531 and the capacitor 532; and when the controller controls the third NMOS tube to be maintained in the on state and controls the fourth NMOS tube to be maintained in the off state, the heating circuit 50 forms a Buck step-down circuit through the energy storage inductor 531 and the capacitor 532, which can save components and thus reduce the manufacturing cost of the aerosol generating device 100.

[0070] It is easy to understand that the Buck step-down circuit and the Boost step-up circuit can also be independently set, without sharing the energy storage inductor 531 and the capacitor 532. Also, in some embodiments, the boost circuit 541 and the buck circuit 542 can also be implemented by other circuit methods. In this embodiment, the boost and buck are implemented by the Boost and Buck circuits. Since the Boost and Buck circuits implement the boost and buck through the energy storage element, the energy storage element can discharge to the tungsten filament lamp 30 when the tungsten filament lamp 30 and the power supply 51 are disconnected while implementing the boost and buck, so as to maintain the tungsten filament lamp 30 to continue working and make the current on the tungsten filament lamp 30 non-zero.

[0071] Also, it should be noted that the heating circuit 50 is not limited to the aerosol generating device 100. Any electronic device that needs to use a tungsten filament lamp 30 for heating can use the heating circuit 50 to avoid the tungsten filament lamp 30 from frequently generating a "hot spot effect", thereby extending the service life of the tungsten filament lamp 30.

[0072] Based on the above-mentioned aerosol generating device 100, an embodiment of the present application further provides a heating method of the aerosol generating device, such as Figure 8 As shown, the method includes:

[0073] S10. Obtain the working time period of the aerosol generating device;

[0074] As can be seen from the above, the aerosol generating device 100 generally includes a preheating stage and a suction stage, and the working time period of the aerosol generating device 100 is the preheating stage and the suction stage.

[0075] Specifically, in some embodiments, a temperature sensing element is provided in the aerosol generating device 100. The temperature sensing element is used to sense the temperature of the tungsten filament lamp 30. When the aerosol generating device 100 is started, the temperature sensing element starts to obtain the temperature of the tungsten filament lamp 30 and sends the obtained temperature to the controller. The controller determines whether the current temperature reaches the preset temperature of the preheating stage. If the preset temperature is not reached, it means that the aerosol generating device 100 is in the preheating stage; if the current temperature reaches the preset temperature, it means that the preheating stage is completed.

[0076] At the same time, a feedback element can be provided in the aerosol generating device 100. The feedback element can be a vibration motor or a buzzer. When the controller determines that the current temperature has reached the preset temperature, the controller controls the vibration motor to start vibrating, or controls the buzzer to start beeping. The user can perceive the vibration of the vibration motor or hear the beeping sound of the buzzer to know that the aerosol generating device 100 has been preheated, and the user can start using the aerosol generating article 200 for suction.

[0077] Alternatively, in some embodiments, a timing unit is provided in the aerosol generating device 100. The timing unit is electrically connected to the controller. When the aerosol generating device 100 is started, the tungsten filament lamp 30 starts to work, and at the same time the timing unit starts to record the heating duration. The controller is pre-set with the duration for the temperature to rise to the preset temperature. If the heating duration is greater than the preset duration, it means that the aerosol generating device 100 has been preheated; if the heating duration is less than the preset duration, it means that the aerosol generating device 100 is still in the preheating stage.

[0078] S20. If the working time period is the preheating stage, control to switch the heating circuit to a boost circuit to provide a first power to the optical heater;

[0079] If the working time period is the suction stage, control to switch the heating circuit to a buck circuit to provide a second power to the optical heater, where the first power is greater than the second power.

[0080] According to the above content, when the aerosol generating device 100 is in the preheating stage, the controller controls the first NMOS tube to maintain in the on state, and controls the second NMOS tube to maintain in the off state. At this time, the heating circuit 50 forms a Boost circuit, and the Boost circuit increases the voltage of the power supply 51 and applies it to the tungsten filament lamp 30, so that the tungsten filament lamp 30 has a larger first power.

[0081] When the aerosol generating device 100 is in the inhalation stage, the controller controls the third NMOS tube to maintain in the on state, and controls the fourth NMOS tube to maintain in the off state. At this time, the heating circuit 50 forms a Buck step-down circuit, and the Buck step-down circuit reduces the voltage of the power supply 51 and applies it to the tungsten filament lamp 30, so that the tungsten filament lamp 30 has a smaller second power.

[0082] When the heating circuit 50 forms a Boost circuit, the controller controls the third NMOS tube to be turned off and the fourth NMOS tube to be turned on. At this time, the tungsten filament lamp 30 and the power supply 51 are disconnected, and the power supply 51 cannot provide electrical energy to the tungsten filament lamp 30. The power supply 51 charges the energy storage inductor 531, and the energy storage inductor 531 begins to store energy, and the capacitor 532 begins to release electrical energy through the tungsten filament lamp 30 to keep the tungsten filament lamp 30 working, so that the current on the tungsten filament lamp 30 is not zero.

[0083] When the heating circuit 50 forms a Buck step-down circuit, the controller controls the first NMOS tube to be turned off and the second NMOS tube to be turned on. At this time, the tungsten filament lamp 30 and the power supply 51 are disconnected, and the power supply 51 can no longer provide power to the tungsten filament lamp 30. Since the energy storage inductor 531 has stored energy, the energy storage inductor 531 now serves as the power supply of the heating circuit 50 and discharges through the tungsten filament lamp 30 to keep the tungsten filament lamp 30 working, so that the current on the tungsten filament lamp 30 is not zero.

[0084] Further, such as Figure 9 As shown, the controller includes: at least one processor; and a memory connected to the at least one processor in communication. Figure 9 A processor is taken as an example. The memory stores instructions that can be executed by at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by at least one processor so that at least one processor can execute the control method of the above embodiment. The processor and the memory can be connected via a bus or other means. Figure 9 The example of connecting through bus is taken in the following.

[0085] The processor may be implemented by using at least one of the following: application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), digital signal processor (DSP), digital signal processing device (DSPD), programmable logic device (PLD), field programmable gate array (FPGA), processor, controller, microcontroller, microprocessor, and other electronic units that execute these functions.

[0086] The memory includes high-speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. In some embodiments, the memory optionally includes a memory remotely disposed relative to the processor, and these remote memories may be connected to the aerosol generating appliance through a network. Examples of the above-mentioned network include but are not limited to the Internet, intranet, local area network, mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

[0087] The memory is used to store non-volatile software programs, non-volatile computer executable programs, and modules, such as the program instructions / units corresponding to the control method / device described herein. The processor executes various functional applications and data processing of the aerosol generating appliance by running the non-volatile software programs, instructions, and units stored in the memory, that is, implements the control method described in the above embodiments.

[0088] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application and are not intended to limit them; under the concept of the present application, the technical features in the above embodiments or different embodiments may also be combined, and the steps may be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations in different aspects of the present application as described above. For the sake of brevity, they are not provided in detail; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A heating circuit, characterized in that, Comprising: A light heater for emitting light to irradiate an object to be heated, thereby heating the object to be heated by the light; A power supply for supplying electrical energy to the light heater; The heating circuit further includes at least one switching element and at least one energy storage element. The switching element is configured to receive a PWM signal and conduct or cut off according to the level of the PWM signal, thereby electrically connecting or disconnecting the light heater to the power supply; Wherein, the energy storage element is configured to: store energy when the switching element conducts to connect the light heater to the power supply; release energy to supply electrical energy to the light heater when the switching element cuts off to disconnect the light heater from the power supply.

2. The heating circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that The heating circuit includes a power control module configured to supply different powers to the light heater according to the conduction or cut-off of the switching element.

3. The heating circuit according to claim 2, wherein The power control module includes a buck circuit and a boost circuit. The switching element is used to switch between the buck circuit and the boost circuit, thereby enabling the light heater to have different powers.

4. The heating circuit according to claim 3, wherein The buck circuit includes a Buck buck circuit, the boost circuit includes a Boost boost circuit, and the energy storage element is disposed in the Buck buck circuit and the Boost boost circuit.

5. The heating circuit according to claim 4, characterized in that, The Buck buck circuit and the Boost boost circuit share the energy storage element.

6. The heating circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The switching element includes a first switching element, a second switching element, a third switching element, and a fourth switching element. The energy storage element includes an inductor and a capacitor. The first switching element and the second switching element are connected in series, the third switching element and the fourth switching element are connected in series. One end of the inductor is electrically connected between the first switching element and the second switching element, and the other end of the inductor is electrically connected between the third switching element and the fourth switching element. The positive pole of the power supply is electrically connected to one end of the first switching element, the negative pole of the power supply is electrically connected to one end of the second switching element, one end of the light heater is electrically connected to one end of the third switching element, the other end of the light heater is electrically connected to one end of the fourth switching element, one end of the capacitor is electrically connected between the light heater and the third switching element, and the other end of the capacitor is electrically connected to the reference ground. The controller is configured to input a PWM signal to the control terminals of the first switching element, the second switching element, the third switching element, and the fourth switching element.

7. The heating circuit according to claim 6, wherein The switching element includes an NMOS tube, the D pole of the first switching element is electrically connected to the positive pole of the power supply, the S pole is electrically connected to the D pole of the second switching element, the S pole of the second switching element is electrically connected to the negative pole of the power supply, the D pole of the third switching element is electrically connected to one end of the photo heater and one end of the capacitor respectively, the S pole is connected to the D pole of the fourth switching element, the S pole of the fourth switching element is electrically connected to the other end of the photo heater, the S pole of the first switching element, the D pole of the second switching element and one end of the inductor are connected together at point A, and the S pole of the third switching element, the D pole of the fourth switching element and the other end of the inductor are connected together at point B.

8. The heating circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that The light emitting element of the light heater includes a tungsten filament.

9. An aerosol generating device, characterized in that, The heating circuit comprises the heating circuit of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the light heater is used to emit light to illuminate the aerosol-generating article, thereby heating the aerosol-generating article by the light to generate an aerosol.

10. A heating method for an aerosol generating device, the aerosol generating device comprising a heating circuit for heating an aerosol generating article to generate an aerosol, characterized in that, The heating circuit includes a light heater, a power supply for providing electric energy to the light heater, at least one switching element and at least one energy storage element, wherein the switching element is configured to be turned on or off according to the level of a PWM signal, the heating circuit includes a buck circuit and a boost circuit, the switching element is used to switch the buck circuit and the boost circuit, and the energy storage element is used to provide electric energy to the light heater when the light heater is disconnected from the power supply, and the heating method includes: Obtaining a working time period of the aerosol generating device; If the working time period is a preheating stage, controlling the heating circuit to switch to a boost circuit to provide a first power to the optical heater; If the working time period is the suction stage, controlling the heating circuit to switch to a step-down circuit to provide a second power to the optical heater; Wherein, the first power is greater than the second power.

11. The heating method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The switch element comprises a first switch element, a second switch element, a third switch element and a fourth switch element, the energy storage element comprises an inductor and a capacitor, the first switch element and the second switch element are connected in series, the third switch element and the third switch element are connected in series, one end of the inductor is electrically connected between the first switch element and the second switch element, the other end of the inductor is electrically connected between the third switch element and the fourth switch element, the positive electrode of the power supply is electrically connected to one end of the first switch element, the negative electrode of the power supply is electrically connected to one end of the second switch element, one end of the photoheater is electrically connected to one end of the third switch element, the other end of the photoheater is electrically connected to one end of the fourth switch element, one end of the capacitor is electrically connected between the photoheater and the third switch element, and the other end of the capacitor is electrically connected to a reference ground; The method specifically comprises: If the working time period is a preheating stage, the first switch element is controlled to be maintained in an on state, and the second switch element is controlled to be maintained in an off state, so as to switch the heating circuit to the boost circuit; If the working time period is the pumping stage, control the third switch to maintain the on state, and at the same time control the fourth switching element to maintain the off state, so as to switch the heating circuit to the buck circuit.

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