Aerosol generating device and method of operating the same

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an aerosol generating device and an operating method thereof. The aerosol generating device according to an embodiment may include: a housing; a heater configured to heat an aerosol generating substance inserted into the housing; an optical sensor configured to sense an optical signal reflected from a user's hand; and a processor configured to: obtain fingerprint information of the user from the optical signal sensed by the optical sensor; determine whether the user is authorized to use the aerosol generating device based on the obtained fingerprint information; obtain heart rate information from the sensed optical signal based on the user being determined to be an authorized user; and control the power supplied to the heater based on the heart rate information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an aerosol generating device and a method of operating the same. Background Art

[0002] Recently, there has been an increase in demand for alternatives to conventional cigarettes. For example, there is a growing demand for aerosol generating devices that generate aerosols by heating aerosol generating substances instead of burning cigarettes. Therefore, research on heating aerosol generating devices has been actively conducted. Summary of the invention

[0003] Technical issues

[0004] There is a need for an aerosol generating device that is capable of obtaining biometric information of a user and authenticating an authorized user based on the biometric information.

[0005] Problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand unmentioned problems through this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0006] Technical solutions to technical problems

[0007] According to an embodiment, an aerosol generating device may include: a shell; a heater configured to heat an aerosol generating substance inserted into the shell; a battery; an optical sensor configured to sense an optical signal reflected from a hand of a user; and a processor configured to: obtain fingerprint information of the user from the optical signal sensed by the optical sensor; determine whether the user is authorized to use the aerosol generating device based on the obtained fingerprint information; obtain heart rate information from the sensed optical signal based on the user being determined to be an authorized user; and control the power supplied from the battery to the heater based on the heart rate information.

[0008] According to another embodiment, a method for operating an aerosol generating device for heating an aerosol generating material may include: sensing an optical signal reflected from a user's hand; obtaining fingerprint information of the user from the optical signal; determining whether the user is authorized to use the aerosol generating device based on the obtained fingerprint information; based on the user being determined as an authorized user, sensing the optical signal reflected from the user's hand; obtaining heart rate information of the user from the optical signal; and controlling the aerosol generating device based on the heart rate information.

[0009] Beneficial effects of the present invention

[0010] The aerosol generating device according to the embodiment may improve safety for authorized users by integrally operating a security sensor, a sensor for measuring biometric information, and various sensors.

[0011] In addition, according to the aerosol generating device of the embodiment, by operating the security sensor, the biometric information measurement sensor and the various sensors in an integrated manner, the optimized operation for the authorized user can be performed based on the accumulated biometric information about the authorized user, and the optimized operation can be performed in response to changes in the surrounding environment.

[0012] Effects of the embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art through the present disclosure and the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment.

[0015] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment.

[0016] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment.

[0017] Figure 5 1 is a diagram illustrating a usage state of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment.

[0018] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment.

[0019] Figure 7 1 is a diagram illustrating a usage state of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment.

[0020] Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment.

[0021] Fig. 9 1 is a diagram illustrating a usage state of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment.

[0022] Fig.10 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Solution of the present invention

[0024] With regard to the terms used to describe various embodiments, the functions of the structural elements in the various embodiments of the present disclosure are considered to select the currently widely used general terms. However, the meaning of these terms can be changed according to intention, judicial precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, in some cases, uncommon terms can be selected. In this case, the meaning of the term will be described in detail at the corresponding part in the description of the present disclosure. Therefore, the terms used in the various embodiments of the present disclosure should be defined based on the term meaning and the description provided herein.

[0025] In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the term "include" and variations such as "include" or "includes" will be understood to mean including the stated elements but not excluding any other elements. In addition, the terms "-device", "-unit" and "module" described in the application documents refer to units for processing at least one function and / or work, and can be implemented by hardware components or software components and combinations thereof.

[0026] As used herein, expressions such as "at least one of..." when preceding a list of elements modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements in the list. For example, the expression "at least one of a, b, and c" should be understood to include only a, only b, only c, both a and b, both a and c, both b and c, or all of a, b, and c.

[0027] It should be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "above," "over," "above," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, the element or layer may be directly above, above, above, connected to, or coupled to another element or layer, or there may be intermediate elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly above," "directly on," "directly above," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to," there are no intermediate elements or layers. Throughout the text, the same reference numerals indicate the same elements.

[0028] The term "aerosol generating article" may refer to any article designed to be used for smoking by a person to inhale the aerosol generating article. The aerosol generating article may include an aerosol generating substance that generates an aerosol when heated, or even generates an aerosol without burning. For example, one or more aerosol generating articles may be loaded in an aerosol generating device and generate an aerosol when heated by the aerosol generating device. The shape, size, material and structure of the aerosol generating article may vary depending on the embodiment. Examples of aerosol generating articles may include, but are not limited to, substrates and cigarette-shaped cartridges. Hereinafter, the term "cigarette" (i.e., when used alone without modifiers such as "general", "traditional" or "combustible") may refer to an aerosol generating article having a shape similar to that of a traditional combustible cigarette.

[0029] The term "downstream" refers to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article in which the aerosol moves towards the user's mouth during smoking, while the term "upstream" refers to the opposite direction of downstream. The terms "downstream" and "upstream" may be used to indicate the relative positions of components of an aerosol-generating article.

[0030] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily implement the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0031] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment, Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment, and Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment.

[0032] refer to Figure 1 , the aerosol generating device 100 may include a battery 110, a heater 130, a sensor 160 and a controller 120. Figure 2 , the aerosol generating device 100 may include a battery 110, a heater 130, a sensor 160, a vaporizer 140, and a controller 120. Figure 3 The aerosol generating device 100 may include a battery 110 , a vaporizer 140 , a sensor 160 , an aerosol providing unit 150 , and a controller 120 .

[0033] According to an embodiment, an aerosol generating article (eg, cigarette 200) may be inserted into the aerosol generating device 100. The aerosol generating device 100 may heat the cigarette and / or the liquid aerosol generating substance by supplying power to the heater 130 or the vaporizer 140.

[0034] However, the internal structure of the aerosol generating device 100 is not limited to Figures 1 to 3 According to the design of the aerosol generating device 100, a person skilled in the art will understand that Figures 1 to 3 Some of the components shown in the figure may be omitted or new components may be added. For example, the aerosol generating device 100 may also include a user interface, a memory, and other types of sensors 160.

[0035] In an embodiment, the vaporizer 140 may be provided in a cartridge that is detachable from the main body of the aerosol generating device 100. In this case, the hardware components of the aerosol generating device 100 may be distributedly arranged in the main body and the vaporizer 140.

[0036] Hereinafter, a space where each component included in the aerosol generating device 100 is located is not limited, and the operation of each component will be described.

[0037] The battery 110 supplies power for operating the aerosol generating device 100. In other words, the battery 110 can supply power so that the heater 130 or the vaporizer 140 can be heated. The power supplied from the battery 110 to the heater 130 or the vaporizer 140 can be controlled by the controller 120. The battery 110 can start supplying power to the heater 130 or the vaporizer 140, increase or decrease the supplied power, or cut off the supplied power according to the command of the controller 120.

[0038] In addition, the battery 110 can supply power required for operating other components included in the aerosol generating device 100, namely the sensor 160, the user interface, the memory, and the controller 120. The battery 110 may be a rechargeable battery or a disposable battery. For example, the battery 110 may be a lithium polymer (LiPoly) battery, but is not limited thereto.

[0039] The heater 130 or the vaporizer 140 receives power from the battery 110 under the control of the controller 120. The heater 130 may receive power from the battery 110 to heat a cigarette inserted into the aerosol generating device 100, and the vaporizer 140 may heat a liquid aerosol generating substance contained in the vaporizer or a separate liquid storage portion.

[0040] The heater 130 may be positioned in the body of the aerosol generating device 100 and / or in the vaporizer 140. When the heater 130 is positioned in the vaporizer 140, the heater 130 may receive power from the battery 110.

[0041] The heater 130 may be formed of any suitable resistive material. For example, a suitable resistive material may be a metal or a metal alloy including, but not limited to, titanium, zirconium, tantalum, platinum, nickel, cobalt, chromium, hafnium, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, tin, gallium, manganese, iron, copper, stainless steel, or a nickel-chromium alloy. In addition, the heater 130 may be implemented by a metal wire, a metal plate with conductive traces arranged thereon, or a ceramic heating element, but not limited thereto.

[0042] In an embodiment, the heater 130 may be a component included in the vaporizer 140. The vaporizer 140 may include the heater 130, a liquid transport element, and a liquid storage portion. The aerosol generating substance contained in the liquid storage portion may move to the liquid transport element, and the heater 130 may heat the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transport element, thereby generating an aerosol. For example, the heater 130 may include a material such as nickel chromium, and the heater 130 may be wrapped around the liquid transport element or arranged adjacent to the liquid transport element.

[0043] In another embodiment, the heater 130 can heat the aerosol-generating article inserted into the accommodation space of the aerosol-generating device 100. When the aerosol-generating article is accommodated in the accommodation space of the aerosol-generating device 100, the heater 130 can be positioned inside and / or outside the aerosol-generating article. Therefore, the heater 130 can generate an aerosol by heating the aerosol-generating substance in the aerosol-generating article.

[0044] The heater 130 may include an induction heater. The heater 130 may include a conductive coil for heating the aerosol-generating article or vaporizer 140 by induction heating, and the aerosol-generating article or vaporizer 140 may include a susceptor that may be heated by the induction heater.

[0045] When a predetermined temperature is reached or a predetermined amount of heat energy is delivered, the aerosol generating substance heated by the heater 130 may be vaporized into an aerosol. The aerosol may be discharged to the outside of the aerosol generating device 100 through the aerosol providing unit 150 by means of inhalation of the user, and the aerosol may be provided to the user.

[0046] When the aerosol generating material is provided in the form of a cigarette, the aerosol providing unit 150 may be a housing unit for heating, in which the aerosol generating material is loaded. When the cigarette is heated in the housing unit, an aerosol is generated, and the aerosol can be discharged to the outside of the housing unit through the cigarette.

[0047] When the aerosol generating substance is provided in the form of liquid and stored in the vaporizer 140, the aerosol providing unit 150 may be a mouthpiece connected to the vaporizer 140. The liquid aerosol generating substance may be transferred to the vicinity of the heater in the vaporizer 140 by a moving device such as a wick. The aerosol generating substance is heated in the vaporizer 140 to generate an aerosol, and the generated aerosol may be provided to the user through the mouthpiece 150.

[0048] The aerosol-generating substance may include at least one of glycerol, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the aerosol-generating substance may include other additives, such as flavoring agents, wetting agents, and / or organic acids. In addition, a flavor liquid such as menthol or moisturizing agents may be added to the aerosol-generating substance.

[0049] The aerosol generating device 100 may include at least one sensor 160. The result sensed by the at least one sensor 160 is transmitted to the controller 120, and the controller 120 may control the aerosol generating device 100 to perform various functions, such as controlling the operation of the heater 130, restricting smoking, determining whether an aerosol generating article (or vaporizer 140) is inserted, and displaying a notification.

[0050] For example, the sensor 140 may include a puff detection sensor. The puff detection sensor may detect the user's puff based on any one of a temperature change, a flow change, a voltage change, and a pressure change.

[0051] Various types of sensors 160 for use with the aerosol generating device 100 will be described later in detail. Figure 4 Describe in more detail.

[0052] The controller 120 may control the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 100. The controller 120 may include at least one processor. The processor may be implemented as an array of multiple logic gates, or may be implemented as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory storing a program that can be executed in the microprocessor. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the processor may be implemented in other forms of hardware.

[0053] The controller 120 analyzes a result sensed by the at least one sensor 160 and controls a process to be subsequently performed.

[0054] The controller 120 may control the power supplied to the heater 130 based on the result sensed by the at least one sensor 160, so that the heater 130 starts or stops operating. In addition, based on the result sensed by the at least one sensor 160, the controller 120 may control the power supplied to the heater 130 and the time for supplying the power, so that the heater 130 is heated to a predetermined temperature or maintained at an appropriate temperature.

[0055] In an embodiment, the controller 120 may set the mode of the heater 130 to the preheating mode to start the heater 130 to operate after receiving the user's input to the aerosol generating device 100. In addition, the controller 120 may switch the mode of the heater 130 from the preheating mode to the operating mode after detecting the user's puff by using the puff sensor. Furthermore, after counting the number of puffs by using the puff sensor, the controller 120 may stop supplying power to the heater 130 when the number of puffs reaches a preset number.

[0056] The controller 120 may control the user interface based on the result sensed by the at least one sensor 160. For example, when the number of puffs reaches a preset number after counting the number of puffs using the puff sensor, the controller 120 may notify the user that the aerosol generating device 100 is about to terminate through at least one of a light emitter, a motor, or a speaker.

[0057] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an aerosol generating device 400 according to an embodiment.

[0058] refer to Figure 4 The aerosol generating device 400 may include a battery 410 , a heater 420 , a memory 430 , a user interface 440 , a controller 450 , and at least one sensor 460 . Figures 1 to 3 The description can also be applied to Figure 4 .

[0059] The sensor 460 may include a measuring element which measures a change in a predetermined physical quantity and a processor which converts the measured change in the physical quantity into a digital value and obtains predetermined information from the measured change in the physical quantity.

[0060] The controller 450 may receive a signal measured by the sensor 460 and may obtain predetermined information from the signal.

[0061] The aerosol generating device 400 may include various sensors, such as a distance sensor 461, a color sensor 462, a temperature sensor 463, a fingerprint sensor 464, a motion sensor 465, a heart rate sensor 466, and an electrocardiogram sensor 467. The various sensors are classified according to the type of sensing information and the purpose of the sensor.

[0062] Depending on the implementation, the various sensors may physically share the same hardware. For example, the fingerprint sensor 464 and the heart rate sensor 466 may include an element that measures the same optical signal and a processor that processes the optical signal. The processor may obtain fingerprint information or heart rate information from the optical signal based on the type of sensor.

[0063] The distance sensor 461 may measure the distance of an object in a predetermined direction from the distance sensor 461. For example, the distance sensor 461 is disposed at the downstream end of the aerosol generating device 400, and the distance sensor 461 may measure the interval distance from the aerosol generating device 400 to the user.

[0064] The distance sensor 461 may measure the distance to the object using various methods known in the art. For example, the distance sensor 461 may measure the distance to the target object by emitting an optical signal to the target object and detecting the optical signal reflected from the target object.

[0065] For example, the distance sensor 461 may include a proximity sensor that measures the separation distance based on the brightness of an optical signal reflected from a target object, or a time-of-flight (TOF) sensor that measures the separation distance based on the time taken for an optical signal or an ultrasonic signal to return after being reflected from a target object.

[0066] The color sensor 462 may obtain color information about the surrounding environment of the aerosol generating device 400 using various methods known in the art. For example, the color sensor 462 may detect the spectral intensity of light energy or the wavelength of an optical signal. The color sensor 462 may include a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), etc. The aerosol generating device 400 may also include a display, and the display may display different colors based on the color information of the surrounding environment.

[0067] The temperature sensor 463 may detect the temperature of the heater 420 (or the temperature at which the aerosol generating substance is heated). The aerosol generating device 400 may include a separate temperature sensor 463 for sensing the temperature of the heater 420. Alternatively, instead of including a separate temperature sensor 463, the heater 420 itself may be used as the temperature sensor 463. In an embodiment, the heater 420 may be used as a temperature sensor, and the temperature sensor 463 is separately included in the aerosol generating device 400.

[0068] The temperature sensor 463 may measure the temperature of the heater 420 using various methods known in the art. For example, the temperature sensor 463 may be a thermistor using a change in material resistance due to temperature. Alternatively, the temperature sensor 463 may measure the temperature using thermal expansion of a liquid material based on a temperature change. Alternatively, the temperature sensor 463 may measure the temperature using electromagnetic waves emitted according to the surface temperature.

[0069] When the temperature sensor 463 is a thermistor, the temperature sensor 463 may measure a voltage value, a current value, or a resistance value of the heater 420, and obtain the temperature value of the heater 420 by referring to a table in which the measured voltage value, current value, or resistance value of the heater 420 and the temperature value of the heater 420 are pre-matched. Alternatively, the temperature sensor 463 may directly calculate the temperature value of the heater 420 based on a formula defining the relationship between the measured voltage value, current value, or resistance value of the heater 420 and the temperature value of the heater 420.

[0070] The fingerprint sensor 464 may obtain fingerprint information from the user's finger in contact with the fingerprint sensor 464. The fingerprint sensor 464 may obtain the user's fingerprint information using various methods known in the art. For example, the fingerprint sensor 464 may measure the fingerprint information in a variety of ways, such as an optical sensing method that digitizes an optical signal received by a light receiving element after being reflected from a fingerprint, a capacitive sensing method that detects a capacitance difference between valleys and ridges of a fingerprint touching a sensor surface, an ultrasonic sensing method, a thermal sensing method, and the like.

[0071] The fingerprint sensor 464 may obtain feature points such as ridges, valleys, and sweat glands from the sensed fingerprint image and verify similarity between fingerprint information stored in the database of the memory 430 and the feature points of the sensed fingerprint.

[0072] The motion sensor 465 can obtain motion information about the motion state, inclination, and posture of the aerosol generating device 400. For example, the motion sensor 465 can sense a state in which the aerosol generating device 400 is moving, a state in which the aerosol generating device 400 is stopped, a state in which the aerosol generating device 400 is inclined at an angle within a predetermined range for puffing, and a state in which the aerosol generating device 400 is inclined at an angle outside the angle range corresponding to the puffing action.

[0073] Based on the obtained motion information, the motion sensor 465 or the controller 450 connected to the motion sensor 465 can sense whether the user is moving while holding the aerosol generating device 400, and sense information about whether the user performs an operation of lifting or lowering the aerosol generating device 400 when smoking.

[0074] The motion sensor 465 may use various methods known in the art to obtain motion information of the aerosol generating device 400. For example, the motion sensor 465 may include an acceleration sensor capable of measuring acceleration in three directions of the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis, and a gyroscope sensor capable of measuring angular velocity in three directions.

[0075] The heart rate sensor 466 can detect the heart rate information of the user. The heart rate information includes a pulse signal that electrically senses the heartbeat. The heart rate sensor 466 is positioned on the outer surface of the aerosol generating device 400 and can obtain the heart rate information through a part of the user's body. For example, the heart rate sensor can obtain the heart rate information from the user's hand holding the housing of the aerosol generating device 400.

[0076] The heart rate sensor 466 can sense heart rate information that changes as the user of the aerosol generating device 400 inhales the aerosol. The heart rate sensor 466 can sense heart rate information before the user inhales the aerosol, heart rate information that changes while the user inhales the aerosol, and heart rate information after the user completes inhalation of the aerosol.

[0077] According to an embodiment, the heart rate sensor 466 may be a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor. The amount of blood in the blood vessel changes due to the pulse, and the amount of light absorption also changes accordingly. The PPG sensor may detect the change in the amount of light absorption. The heart rate sensor 466 is not limited to a PPG sensor, and may include all other types of sensors capable of sensing heart rate information, such as heart rate variability.

[0078] Heart rate information may include pulse peak interval (PPI), RR interval, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), pulse transit time (PTT), and pulse wave velocity (PWV).

[0079] PPI is the time interval between consecutive peaks. The lower the PPI, the faster the heartbeat, because the time interval between peaks is shorter. Similarly, the higher the PPI, the slower the heartbeat, because the time interval between peaks is longer.

[0080] Heart rate variability is information about the variation of PPI. The greater the variation of PPI, the greater the heart rate variability. Similarly, the smaller the variation of PPI, the lower the heart rate variability.

[0081] PPI and heart rate variability may include information about the user's stress level, psychological and health status. The controller 450 may control the battery 410 and the heater 420 based on the measured heart rate information and the user's stress level obtained from the heart rate information.

[0082] The heart rate sensor 466 or the controller 450 connected to the heart rate sensor 466 can determine that the user's stress level is low and the user is in a healthy state when the heart rate variability is large and irregular. In addition, the controller 450 can determine that the user's stress level is increased and the health state is reduced when the heart rate variability is small and occurs intermittently.

[0083] The electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor can measure electrocardiogram information, which is an electrical signal related to the electrical activation stage of the heart. The electrocardiogram sensor 467 can obtain an impedance value through the contact surface of the electrocardiogram patch and obtain an electrocardiogram waveform. The electrocardiogram sensor 467 can measure the time of atrial depolarization P, ventricular depolarization QRS, and ventricular repolarization T. The electrocardiogram sensor 467 can determine whether the electrical activation stage of the heart is in a standard form based on the duration of each wave, the interval between waves, the amplitude and kurtosis of each wave.

[0084] The electrocardiogram sensor 467 can detect the user's electrocardiogram information from the bipolar contact points of both hands when the user holds the aerosol generating device 400 with both hands at the same time.

[0085] The ECG sensor 467 can sense ECG information before inhaling the aerosol, changes in the ECG information when the user inhales the aerosol, and ECG information after the user finishes inhaling the aerosol. The ECG information may include biometric information such as arrhythmia and blood pressure.

[0086] The sensor 460 that can be provided in the aerosol generating device 400 is not limited to the above-mentioned types, and may also include various sensors. According to an embodiment, the aerosol generating device 400 may include: an iris recognition sensor that analyzes an iris pattern of a pupil for user authentication and security; a vein recognition sensor that detects the absorption of infrared rays of hemoglobin restored from veins of a palm image; a facial recognition sensor that recognizes feature points such as eyes, nose, mouth, and facial contours in a 2D or 3D method; and a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor.

[0087] According to another embodiment, the aerosol generating device 400 may further include: a pressure sensor, which measures altitude information based on the difference between the ambient pressure and the standard air pressure at sea level; a touch sensor, which detects a user's touch input; a humidity sensor, which measures the humidity of the surrounding environment of the aerosol generating device 400; a geomagnetic sensor, which measures orientation or detects metal; and a gas sensor, which detects gas contact on the surface of the ceramic semiconductor.

[0088] The controller 450 may include at least one of the following: an analog signal processor that filters only signals having appropriate characteristics, a data converter that converts analog signals into digital signals, and an information acquisition unit that processes the digital signals to obtain predetermined information. The analog signal processor, the data converter, and the information acquisition unit are unit components classified by function and may be implemented by one or more processors.

[0089] The controller 450 may analyze the obtained predetermined information and the control process to be performed subsequently. For example, the controller 450 may adjust the power supplied from the battery 410 to the heater 420 based on the heart rate variability. The controller 450 may determine the stress level of the user based on the heart rate information, and may adjust the heating intensity and aerosol generation amount of the heater 420 to reduce or maintain the stress level.

[0090] The controller 450 may control the activation state of the sensor 460. The controller 450 may cut off the power supplied to the sensor 460 to deactivate the sensor 460. The controller 450 may reduce the consumption of standby power by deactivating the sensor 460. When a predetermined trigger is detected, the controller 450 may reactivate the sensor 460 in the inactive state.

[0091] For example, when receiving a user input for stopping the heating operation of the heater 420 through a button, or when the heating time of the heater 420 exceeds a predetermined time, the controller 450 may stop supplying power from the battery 410 to the heater 420 and deactivate the suction sensor.

[0092] The user interface 440 may provide the user with information about the status of the aerosol generating device 400. The user interface 440 may include various interface devices, such as a display or light that outputs visual information, a motor that outputs tactile information, a speaker that outputs sound information, a terminal for charging or data communication, an input / output (I / O) interface device (e.g., a button or a touch screen) for receiving input information from the user or outputting information to the user, and a communication interface module for wireless communication with an external device (e.g., WI-FI, WI-FI direct, Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), etc.).

[0093] However, in the aerosol generating device 400 , only some of the above-described various examples of the user interface 440 may be selected and implemented.

[0094] The memory 430 is hardware that stores various types of data processed in the aerosol generating device 400, and the memory 430 can store data processed by the controller 450 and data to be processed by the controller 450. The memory 430 can be implemented in various types, such as a random access memory (RAM) such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), and an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

[0095] The memory 430 may store various information, such as the operation time of the aerosol generating device 400, the maximum number of puffs, the current number of puffs, data of at least one temperature curve, the smoking pattern of the user, information obtained from the sensor 460, a program for processing the obtained information, and a predetermined threshold value.

[0096] At the same time, although not Figures 1 to 4 , the aerosol generating device 400 may constitute an aerosol generating system together with a separate cradle. For example, the cradle may be used to charge the battery 410 of the aerosol generating device 400. For example, the aerosol generating device 400 may receive power from the battery 410 of the cradle when it is accommodated in the accommodation space inside the cradle to charge the battery 410 of the aerosol generating device 400.

[0097] Figure 5 2 is a diagram illustrating a usage state of the aerosol generating device 400 according to the embodiment.

[0098] refer to Figure 5 The aerosol generating device 400 may include a shell forming an exterior. The shell extends in one direction and has a form similar to a cigarette. A user may inhale the aerosol through one end (ie, the downstream end) of the shell.

[0099] The sensor 460 may be positioned on the outer surface of the housing. A recess may be formed on the outer surface of the housing to facilitate gripping of the aerosol generating device 400. The sensor 460 may be positioned in the recess to contact the fingers of a user gripping the housing.

[0100] The sensor 460 may include a light emitting module and a light receiving module, the light emitting module irradiating an optical signal of a predetermined wavelength to the user's finger, and the light receiving module receiving the optical signal reflected from the user's finger or a blood vessel inside the finger.

[0101] According to an embodiment, the controller 450 may receive an optical signal from the sensor 460, process the optical signal, and obtain predetermined information from the optical signal. The controller 450 may obtain various types of information from the optical signal. For example, the controller 450 may obtain fingerprint information of the user and / or heart rate information of the user from the optical signal.

[0102] That is, the optical signal measured by sensor 460 may include various information, including fingerprint information and / or heart rate information, and depending on the type of information obtained from the optical signal by the controller 450 or the processor of sensor 460, sensor 460 may operate as a fingerprint sensor 464 or a heart rate sensor 466.

[0103] According to an embodiment, the optical signal irradiated by the light emitting module to obtain fingerprint information and the optical signal irradiated by the light emitting module to obtain heart rate information may have different characteristics. For example, in order to obtain fingerprint information, the light emitting module may irradiate an optical signal of a certain wavelength with high reflectivity to the surface of the finger. For example, in order to obtain heart rate information, the light emitting module may irradiate an optical signal of a certain wavelength band with high transmittance to the surface of the finger.

[0104] According to an embodiment, the fingerprint sensor 464 and the heart rate sensor 466 may be provided as separate hardware. The fingerprint sensor 464 and the heart rate sensor 466 may be positioned close to each other in the recess. Therefore, when the user's finger contacts the recess, the fingerprint sensor 464 and the heart rate sensor 466 may obtain fingerprint information and heart rate information from the user's finger, respectively. In this case, the fingerprint sensor 464 may work in an electrostatic manner or an ultrasonic manner.

[0105] The type of light used by the sensor 460 can be changed. The sensor 460 can use two or more types of light at the same time. For example, the sensor 460 can obtain heart rate information by using infrared (IR) light, green light or red light. Therefore, the light emitting module 137 may include an infrared light emitting module, a green light emitting module and a red light emitting module, and the light receiving module 139 may include an infrared light receiving module, a green light receiving module and a red light receiving module.

[0106] The information obtained by the sensor 460 may differ according to the type of light. According to an embodiment, the sensor 460 may use infrared light to detect that the body has contacted the sensor 460. In addition, the sensor 460 may obtain heart rate information based on light reflected from blood vessels using green light having high transmittance to the skin.

[0107] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating the aerosol generating device 400 according to an embodiment.

[0108] In working step S1100, the sensor 460 may sense an optical signal from the user's hand. In addition, the controller 450 may obtain fingerprint information from the optical signal sensed by the optical sensor.

[0109] In operation step S1200, the controller 450 may perform an authentication process based on the fingerprint information. The controller 450 may authenticate the authorized user by comparing the fingerprint information of the authorized user stored in the memory 430 with the fingerprint information sensed by the optical sensor.

[0110] According to an embodiment, there may be a plurality of authorized users. Fingerprint information about the plurality of authorized users may be stored in the memory 430. The controller 450 may identify a user currently requesting authorization from among the plurality of authorized users based on information sensed by the optical sensor.

[0111] In operation step 1300, when the authorized user is authenticated, the controller 450 may obtain heart rate information from the optical signal sensed by the optical sensor. After the authorized user is authenticated, the optical sensor may sense the optical signal again. The controller 450 may obtain heart rate information from the optical signal sensed by the optical sensor and display the heart rate information in real time through the user interface 440.

[0112] The measured heart rate information of the authorized user may be recorded in the memory 430. The controller 450 may compare and analyze the past heart rate information and the currently measured heart rate information. According to an embodiment, when there are multiple authorized users, the controller 450 may record the currently measured heart rate information under the current user account.

[0113] When the user is authenticated, the controller 450 may change the characteristics of the optical signal emitted by the light emitting module to obtain the heart rate information. For example, after the user is authenticated, the controller 450 may emit green light with high transmittance to the skin through the light emitting module.

[0114] Therefore, the aerosol generating device 400 can monitor the heart rate information of the authenticated user based on the fingerprint information. The aerosol generating device 400 can save power required to obtain or display the heart rate information by monitoring or displaying the heart rate information only when the user is authenticated.

[0115] In addition, the aerosol generating device 400 can obtain fingerprint information and heart rate information through a single user's gripping of the recess. An authorized user can simply perform authentication by gripping the recess and can continuously monitor heart rate information.

[0116] When the user authentication fails, the controller 450 may return to the operation step S1100 to obtain fingerprint information for user authentication.

[0117] Figure 7 FIG. is a diagram illustrating the usage state of the aerosol generating device 400 according to an embodiment.

[0118] Reference Figure 7 , the aerosol generating device 400 may include a distance sensor 461 that measures distance information from the user and a temperature sensor 463 that measures temperature information of the user. The distance sensor 461 is positioned at the proximal end (i.e., the downstream end) of the aerosol generating device 400, and the distance sensor 461 may measure the spacing distance between the user and the aerosol generating device 400. The temperature sensor 463 is positioned at the proximal end of the aerosol generating device 400, and the temperature sensor 463 may measure the temperature of the user.

[0119] The temperature sensor 463 may operate in a non-contact manner by measuring the temperature of the user based on the energy of infrared rays emitted from the user. The accuracy of the non-contact temperature sensor 463 may vary according to the spacing distance between the temperature sensor 463 and the target object. Therefore, when the user is positioned within a predetermined distance (dsense < dthres), the temperature sensor 463 may measure the temperature of the user to improve accuracy. The controller 450 may control the operating state of the temperature sensor 463 based on the spacing distance of the user.

[0120] Figure 8 FIG. is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of the aerosol generating device 400 according to an embodiment.

[0121] Reference Figure 8 , in the operation step S2100, the distance sensor 461 may measure the spacing distance dsense between the user and the aerosol generating device 400.

[0122] In the operation step S2200, the controller 450 may determine whether the spacing distance sensed by the distance sensor 461 is less than a reference spacing distance (dsense < dthres). The reference spacing distance dthres is the maximum distance at which the temperature sensor 463 can accurately measure the temperature of the user, and may be determined in advance through experiments and stored in the memory 430.

[0123] In operation step S2300, when the interval distance sensed by the distance sensor 461 is less than the reference interval distance (dsense < dthres), the controller 450 may operate the temperature sensor 463 to measure the user's temperature. The controller 450 may activate the temperature sensor 463 by supplying power from the battery 410 to the temperature sensor 463.

[0124] In operation step S2400, the controller 450 may determine whether the user's temperature is within the reference temperature range (Tmin < Tsense < Tmax). The reference temperature range is the range considered to be the normal body temperature of the user. For example, the minimum temperature Tmin may be 35.5 °C, and the maximum temperature Tmax may be 37.5 °C, such that the reference temperature range includes 36.5 °C.

[0125] In operation step S2500, when the user's temperature is within the reference temperature range (Tmin < Tsense < Tmax), the controller 450 may perform a predetermined operation. In this case, the controller 450 may check again whether the user is within the reference interval distance dthres, and if the user is not within the reference interval distance dthres, the predetermined operation may not be performed.

[0126] The predetermined operation in S2500 may be to allow the user to smoke. For example, the predetermined operation may be an operation of supplying power to the heater 420 and / or the vaporizer 140. Thus, the controller 450 may shorten the time required for smoking by preheating the aerosol-generating substance when sensing the user approaching.

[0127] As another example, the predetermined operation may be an operation of activating the suction sensor. Thus, the controller 450 may activate the suction sensor when the user is approaching and deactivate the suction sensor when the user is not approaching, thereby saving the standby power required for the suction sensor.

[0128] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating the usage state of the aerosol generating device 400 according to an embodiment.

[0129] Reference Fig. 9 , the aerosol generating device 400 may move up and down during the user's smoking. The motion sensor 465 may sense the motion information of the aerosol generating device 400. The heart rate sensor 466 may measure the heart rate information of the user.

[0130] According to an embodiment, the aerosol generating device 400 may measure the heart rate information when it is in a stopped state (i.e., when the movement of the aerosol generating device 400 has stopped). For example, the controller 450 may determine the stopped state of the aerosol generating device 400 based on the motion information measured by the motion sensor 465. When the aerosol generating device 400 is determined to be in a stopped state, the controller 450 may measure the heart rate information by driving the heart rate sensor 466. Therefore, it is possible to prevent noise from being generated in the heart rate information due to the movement of the aerosol generating device 400.

[0131] According to another embodiment, the aerosol generating device may measure the user's heart rate information even when the aerosol generating device 400 is in motion (i.e., when the aerosol generating device 400 is moving). However, in this case, the heart rate sensor 466 may misidentify the vibration caused by the motion of the aerosol generating device 400 as a heartbeat, and the heart rate information may include noise caused by the motion of the aerosol generating device 400.

[0132] Information about noise, which is generated by the movement of the aerosol generating device 400 and affects the heart rate information, may be stored in the memory 430. The noise information may be obtained by experiment or may be calculated by a formula. In particular, information about the noise generated when the aerosol generating device 400 moves upward or downward during the user's smoking may be pre-stored in the memory 430. The controller 450 may correct the measured heart rate information by removing the noise based on the noise information stored in the memory 430.

[0133] Fig.10 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating the aerosol generating device 400 according to an embodiment.

[0134] refer to Fig.10 In operation step S3100 , the motion sensor 465 may measure the motion information of the aerosol generating device 400 . The controller 450 may obtain the motion information of the aerosol generating device 400 from the motion sensor 465 .

[0135] In operation step S3200, the controller 450 may determine whether the motion information is within a predetermined range. According to an embodiment, the predetermined range may represent a motion range measured when the aerosol generating device 400 is in a stopped state. Alternatively, the predetermined range may represent a motion range of the aerosol generating device 400 that does not affect the accuracy of the heart rate sensor 466. When the aerosol generating device 400 moves quickly, the accuracy of the heart rate sensor 466 may deteriorate.

[0136] According to another embodiment, the predetermined range may represent a range of motion generated when the aerosol generating device 400 repeatedly rises or falls during a user's smoking.

[0137] In operation step S3300, when the motion information is within a predetermined range, the controller 450 may measure the user's heart rate information by driving the heart rate sensor 466. The heart rate sensor 466 may measure the heart rate information from the finger of the user of the aerosol generating device 400.

[0138] In operation step S3400, the controller 450 may remove noise from the heart rate information based on the motion information. The controller 450 may obtain the noise of the heart rate information caused by the motion of the aerosol generating device 400 by referring to the memory 430. The controller 450 may improve the accuracy of the heart rate information by removing noise from the heart rate information measured by the motion sensor 465.

[0139] When the aerosol generating device 400 is in a stopped state and the heart rate information is measured by the heart rate sensor 466 , the controller 450 may omit step S3400 .

[0140] According to an exemplary embodiment, at least one of the components, elements, modules or units (collectively referred to as "components" in this paragraph) represented by the boxes in the accompanying drawings, such as the controller 450 and the sensor 460, can be implemented as various numbers of hardware, software and / or firmware structures that perform the above-mentioned various functions. For example, at least one of these components can use a direct circuit structure, such as a memory, a processor, a logic circuit, a lookup table, etc., and the direct circuit structure can perform the corresponding function by the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Moreover, at least one of these components can be implemented by a part of a module, a program or a code, which contains one or more executable instructions for performing a specific logical function, and the executable instructions are executed by one or more microprocessors or other control devices. In addition, at least one of these components can include a processor, a microprocessor, etc. such as a central processing unit (CPU) that performs the corresponding function, or can be implemented by a processor, a microprocessor, etc. such as a central processing unit (CPU) that performs the corresponding function. Two or more of these components can be combined into a single component, which performs all operations or functions of the two or more components combined. Moreover, at least a portion of the functions of at least one of these components can be performed by another of these components. In addition, although the bus is not shown in the above block diagram, the communication between the components can be performed by the bus. The functional aspects of the above exemplary embodiments can be implemented with an algorithm executed on one or more processors. In addition, the components represented by the frame or processing step can adopt any number of related technologies to carry out electronic configuration, signal processing and / or control, data processing, etc.

[0141] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the scope of the above-mentioned features. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the equivalent scope of the present disclosure are understood to be included in the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating device, wherein: The aerosol generating device comprises: case; a heater configured to heat an aerosol-generating substance inserted into the housing; an optical sensor configured to sense an optical signal reflected from a hand of a user; and A processor configured to: obtaining fingerprint information of the user from the optical signal sensed by the optical sensor, determining whether the user is authorized to use the aerosol generating device based on the obtained fingerprint information, based on the user being determined to be an authorized user, obtaining heart rate information from the sensed optical signal, and Power supplied to the heater is controlled based on the heart rate information.

2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein: The optical sensor comprises: a light emitting unit configured to emit light toward a hand of the user; and A light receiving unit is configured to receive light reflected from a hand of the user.

3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 , further comprising a motion sensor configured to obtain motion information of the aerosol generating device. in, The processor is configured to determine whether to obtain heart rate information from the optical signal based on the motion information.

4. The aerosol generating device according to claim 3, wherein: The processor is configured to obtain heart rate information from the optical signal based on the motion information indicating that the aerosol generating device is in a stopped state.

5. The aerosol generating device according to claim 3, wherein: The motion sensor includes at least one of a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor.

6. The aerosol generating device according to claim 3, wherein: The processor is configured to: obtain noise information related to noise from the motion information, the noise being caused by the motion of the aerosol generating device and the noise affecting the heart rate information; And correcting the heart rate information based on the noise information.

7. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, further comprising: a distance sensor configured to measure the distance between the user and the aerosol generating device; and a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the user, Wherein, the processor is configured to control the temperature sensor based on the measured distance.

8. The aerosol generating device according to claim 7, wherein: The processor is configured to control the temperature sensor to measure the temperature based on the measured distance being less than a predetermined reference distance.

9. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, further comprising: a color sensor configured to obtain color information of a surrounding area; and a display, Wherein the processor is configured to change a color displayed on the display based on the color information.

10. A method for operating an aerosol generating device, wherein: The operation method comprises: sensing an optical signal reflected from a user's hand; Obtaining fingerprint information of the user from the optical signal; determining whether the user is authorized to use the aerosol generating device based on the obtained fingerprint information; Based on the user being determined to be an authorized user, sensing an optical signal reflected from a hand of the user; Obtaining the user's heart rate information from the optical signal; and The aerosol generating device is controlled based on the heart rate information.

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