Aerosol-generating device

Abstract

An aerosol generating device according to an embodiment includes a first storage unit that stores a first liquid containing nicotine, a second storage unit that stores a second liquid that reacts with the first liquid to form an inhalable composition, a reaction unit that can atomize the first liquid, and a surface wave generating unit that generates surface waves from the reaction unit to the first liquid. The surface acoustic wave can be transmitted to the reaction part; atomization of the first liquid may be controlled by the surface acoustic wave.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device. Background Art

[0002] Recently, the demand for alternative products that overcome the shortcomings of traditional cigarettes is increasing. For example, an inhaler is a device for inhaling a composition such as a medicine in liquid or gas form through the oral cavity or nasal cavity. This inhaler has a container for containing the inhalable composition, and the composition is inhaled by a thin tube from the container through the inhalation port and finally sprayed into the oral cavity or nasal cavity of the user.

[0003] As an example of the prior art, European Patent No. 0017578 (grant date: March 19, 1980) discloses an inhaler.

[0004] The above background technology is mastered or learned by the inventor in the process of deriving the present invention, and should not be understood as necessarily being known technology disclosed to the public before applying for the present invention. Summary of the invention

[0005] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0006] An object according to one embodiment is to provide an aerosol generating device capable of uniformly controlling the generation of nicotine salt vapor.

[0007] An object according to one embodiment is to provide an aerosol generating device capable of atomizing a low-concentration nicotine solution.

[0008] Means used to solve problems

[0009] According to one embodiment, an aerosol generating device may include: a first storage portion for storing a first liquid containing nicotine; a second storage portion for storing a second liquid that reacts with the first liquid to form an inhalable composition; a reaction portion for atomizing the first liquid; and a surface wave generating portion for transmitting surface acoustic waves to the reaction portion; the atomization of the first liquid can be controlled by the surface acoustic waves.

[0010] The content of nicotine contained in the first liquid may be 1% or less.

[0011] In a first state in which the user does not draw on the aerosol generating device, the first liquid may not be atomized, whereas in a second state in which the user draws on the aerosol generating device, the first liquid may be atomized.

[0012] The first liquid atomized in the second state may move in a direction toward the second storage portion and form an inhalable composition by reacting with the second liquid in the second storage portion.

[0013] The aerosol generating device according to an embodiment may further include an inhalation portion for a user to inhale the composition, and the second storage portion may be arranged between the reaction portion and the inhalation portion.

[0014] According to an embodiment, the aerosol generating device may further include a first connecting portion, and the first connecting portion may transfer the first liquid from the first storage portion to the reaction portion.

[0015] The surface wave generating section may transmit the surface acoustic wave to the reacting section by being activated in the second state.

[0016] According to an embodiment, the aerosol generating device may further include a second connecting portion, and the second connecting portion may transfer the second liquid from the second storage portion to the reaction portion.

[0017] The first liquid and the second liquid may be simultaneously atomized in the reaction section.

[0018] The reaction part may include a first reaction part that can atomize the first liquid and a second reaction part that can atomize the second liquid.

[0019] The surface wave generating portion may include: a first surface wave generating element capable of transmitting surface acoustic waves to the first reaction portion; and a second surface wave generating element capable of transmitting surface acoustic waves to the second reaction portion.

[0020] The first surface wave generating element and the second surface wave generating element can be independently controlled.

[0021] Aerosol generating device.

[0022] The first liquid, the second liquid, or both may be transferred to the reaction portion by capillary action.

[0023] Effects of the Invention

[0024] An aerosol generating device according to an embodiment can uniformly control the generation of nicotine salt vapor.

[0025] The aerosol generating device according to one embodiment can atomize a low-concentration nicotine solution. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 Detailed Description of the Invention FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the relationship between components of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment.

[0027] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of components of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment.

[0028] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of components of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment.

[0029] Figure 4a and Figure 4b FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of components of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment.

[0030] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Below, the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description is one of several aspects of the embodiment, and the following description constitutes a part of the detailed description of the embodiment. When describing an embodiment, the specific description of well-known functions or structures will be omitted to make the subject matter of the present invention clearer.

[0032] However, since various changes can be made to the embodiments, the scope of the present patent application is not limited to these embodiments. It should be understood that all changes, equivalents or substitutes to the embodiments are included in the scope of the claims.

[0033] In addition, the terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted by their usual or dictionary meanings, and should be interpreted as consistent with the meanings and concepts of the technical ideas of the present invention according to one embodiment, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concepts of terms in order to best explain the invention.

[0034] Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form also includes the plural form. In this specification, the terms "including" or "having" are used to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, constituent elements, parts or their combinations, and do not preclude the existence or additional possibilities of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, constituent elements, parts or their combinations.

[0035] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meanings as those generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the embodiments belong. Commonly used terms as defined in dictionaries should be understood to have the same meanings as those in the context of the relevant technology, and unless clearly defined in this application, should not be interpreted as idealized or overly formalized meanings. Terms such as "… part", "… module" used in the specification may refer to a unit for processing at least one function or operation, and may be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0036] In addition, when describing with reference to the drawings, regardless of the drawing numbers, the same components use the same drawing numbers and repeated descriptions are omitted. When describing an embodiment, if it is determined that a specific description of the related known technology will cause unnecessary confusion to the embodiment, its specific description will be omitted.

[0037] Furthermore, when describing the constituent elements of the embodiments, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b) and the like may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish a constituent element from other constituent elements, and the nature, order or sequence of the constituent element is not limited by the terms. When describing that a constituent element is "connected", "combined" or "attached" to another constituent element, it can be understood that the constituent element can be directly connected or attached to another constituent element, but it can also be understood that other constituent elements are "connected", "combined" or "attached" to each constituent element.

[0038] When a constituent element has a common function with a constituent element included in any embodiment, the same name is used for description in other embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, the description recorded in any embodiment can also be applied to other embodiments, and the specific description will be omitted within the scope of repetition.

[0039] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram showing the relationship between components of the aerosol generating device 1 according to an embodiment.

[0040] Reference Figure 1 According to one embodiment, the aerosol generating device 1 may include: a storage unit 200 for storing a liquid that can form an inhalable composition; a surface wave generating unit 400 for generating an acoustic surface wave for atomizing the liquid; and a reaction unit 300 for allowing the atomized liquid to react to form an inhalable composition.

[0041] The storage unit 200 may include a first storage unit 210 and a second storage unit 220. The first storage unit 210 may store a first liquid L1 containing nicotine. The second storage unit 220 may store a second liquid L2 that reacts with the first liquid to form an inhalable composition. The composition that the user can inhale may be in the form of a nicotine salt. The second liquid stored in the second storage unit 220 may be a solution containing an organic acid. The organic acid contained in the second liquid may react with the nicotine of the first liquid to produce a nicotine salt in the form of inhalable nicotine.

[0042] The first liquid and the second liquid may react in a state where they are respectively atomized. The first liquid and the second liquid may be atomized themselves or atomized by applying a surface acoustic wave.

[0043] The nicotine content percentage contained in the first liquid may be below a preset value. This may be because the first liquid is atomized into nicotine vapor only when the surface acoustic wave is applied. In other words, when the surface acoustic wave is not applied, the first liquid may remain in a non-atomized state. For example, the first liquid may be a solution containing less than 1% nicotine.

[0044] The surface wave generating unit 400 may generate a surface acoustic wave for atomizing the liquid. The surface acoustic wave is an acoustic wave propagating along the surface of an elastomer substrate, and may be generated from an electrical signal as a result of a piezoelectric effect. The surface acoustic wave generated by the surface wave generating unit 400 may atomize the first liquid or atomize the first liquid and the second liquid. The surface acoustic wave generated by the surface wave generating unit 400 may be transmitted to the reaction unit 300.

[0045] The surface wave generating unit 400 may be designed to operate and generate acoustic surface waves only when the user draws on the aerosol generating device. For example, the surface wave generating unit 400 may include a breathing sensor (not shown). The breathing sensor installed in the surface wave generating unit 400 may sense when the user draws on the aerosol generating device to generate an electrical control signal so as to activate the surface wave generating unit only when drawing.

[0046] The first liquid stored in the first storage part 210 and the second liquid stored in the second storage part 220 may be transferred to the reaction part 300 through a connection part (not shown). At this time, according to different embodiments of the aerosol generating device 1, the second liquid stored in the second storage part 220 may be transferred to the reaction part 300 or may not be transferred to the reaction part 300. Each liquid transferred to the reaction part may be atomized by the acoustic surface wave transferred from the surface wave generating part.

[0047] The first liquid or the first liquid and the second liquid can be atomized in the reaction part 300, and each atomized liquid can form an inhalable composition (e.g., the above-mentioned nicotine salt) by reacting with each other. That is, the "reaction" herein can include not only the atomization reaction of each liquid, but also the reaction of the atomized liquids interacting to form a composition. The reaction part 300 may include a first liquid L1 transferred from the first storage part 210 or a portion of the first liquid L1 transferred from the first storage part 210 and the second liquid L2 transferred from the second storage part 220. The reaction part 300 may include a substrate element formed so that surface acoustic waves can be easily transmitted.

[0048] The atomized first liquid and the second liquid may react with each other to form an inhalable composition n. As described above, the inhalable composition n may be formed in the form of nicotine salt.

[0049] Figure 2 1 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of components of an aerosol generating device 1 according to an embodiment.

[0050] Reference Figure 2 According to an embodiment, an aerosol generating device 1 may include a housing 100, a storage part 200, a reaction part 300, a surface wave generating part 400, and a connecting part 500. The inhalable composition may be formed in a state where the storage part 200, the reaction part 300, the surface wave generating part 400, and the connecting part 500 are accommodated in the housing 100. The storage part 200 may include a first storage part 210 for storing a first liquid and a second storage part 220 for storing a second liquid. The first liquid and the second liquid may be a nicotine solution with a concentration of 1% or less and an organic acid solution with a preset concentration, respectively.

[0051] The connection part 500 may include a first connection part 510 and a second connection part 520. The first connection part 510 may transfer the first liquid stored in the first storage part 210 to the reaction part 300 by connecting the first storage part 210 and the reaction part 300. The second connection part 520 may transfer the second liquid stored in the second storage part 220 to the reaction part 300 by connecting the second storage part 220 and the reaction part 300.

[0052] The first connection part 510 and the second connection part 520 may be formed in a microchannel form to finely supply each liquid to the reaction part 300. The first connection part 510 and the second connection part 520 may move each liquid to the reaction part 300 by capillary action.

[0053] The reaction part 300 may include a substrate element so that the surface acoustic wave can be transmitted more easily. The reaction part 300 may include at least one substrate element. Each liquid supplied to the reaction part 300 from the first connection part 510 and the second connection part 520 may exist in the form of coating on the substrate surface.

[0054] The surface wave generating unit 400 may generate a surface acoustic wave S and transmit the generated surface acoustic wave S to the reaction unit 300. When the reaction unit 300 receives the surface acoustic wave, the first liquid and the second liquid coated on the substrate of the reaction unit 300 begin to atomize. The atomized first liquid and the second liquid may react with each other to form an inhalable composition. However, Figure 2 Only the connection and operation states of the components of the aerosol generating device 1 according to one embodiment are shown, and the physical arrangement of each component is not limited to Figure 2 As shown, and the same is true below.

[0055] Figure 3 1 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of components of an aerosol generating device 1 according to an embodiment.

[0056] Reference Figure 3 According to an embodiment, an aerosol generating device 1 may include a housing 100, a storage part 200, a reaction part 300, a surface wave generating part 400, and a connecting part 500. The inhalable composition may be formed in a state where the storage part 200, the reaction part 300, the surface wave generating part 400, and the connecting part 500 are accommodated in the housing 100. The storage part 200 may include a first storage part 210 for storing a first liquid and a second storage part 220 for storing a second liquid. The first liquid and the second liquid may be a nicotine solution with a concentration of 1% or less and an organic acid solution with a preset concentration, respectively.

[0057] The reaction part 300 may include a first reaction part 310, a second reaction part 320, and a forming part 330. The first reaction part 310 is in communication with the first storage part 210, and atomization of the first liquid occurs in the first reaction part 310. The second reaction part 320 is in communication with the second storage part 220, and atomization of the second liquid occurs in the second reaction part 320. The first liquid atomized in the first reaction part 310 and the second liquid atomized in the second reaction part 320 may react with each other in the forming part 330 to form an inhalable composition. However, the first reaction part 310, the second reaction part 320, and the forming part 330 included in the reaction part 300 are only terms for indicating the constituent elements that perform the above-mentioned functions, and each of the first reaction part 310, the second reaction part 320, and the forming part 330 may not be physically separated in the reaction part 300.

[0058] The connection part 500 may include a first connection part 510 and a second connection part 520. The first connection part 510 may transfer the first liquid stored in the first storage part 210 to the first reaction part 310 by connecting the first storage part 210 and the first reaction part 310. The second connection part 520 may transfer the second liquid stored in the second storage part 220 to the second reaction part 320 by connecting the second storage part 220 and the second reaction part 320.

[0059] The first connection part 510 and the second connection part 520 may be formed in a microchannel form to supply each minute amount of liquid to the reaction part. The first connection part 510 and the second connection part 520 may move each liquid to the reaction part 300 by capillary action.

[0060] The surface wave generating unit 400 may generate a surface acoustic wave S and transfer the generated surface acoustic wave S to the reaction unit 300. The surface wave generating unit 400 may include a first surface wave generating element 410 and a second surface wave generating element 420. The first surface wave generating element 410 may transfer the surface acoustic wave S to the first reaction unit 310. The second surface wave generating element 420 may transfer the surface acoustic wave S to the second reaction unit 320. Here, by independently controlling the first surface wave generating element 410 and the second surface wave generating element 420, the atomization of the first liquid and the second liquid may be individually controlled.

[0061] Figure 4a and Figure 4b 1 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of components of an aerosol generating device 1 according to an embodiment.

[0062] Reference Figure 4a According to an embodiment, an aerosol generating device 1 may include a housing 100, a storage part 200, a reaction part 300, a surface wave generating part 400, a connecting part 500, and an inhalation part h. The inhalable composition may be formed in a state where the storage part 200, the reaction part 300, the surface wave generating part 400, and the connecting part 500 are accommodated in the housing 100. The storage part 200 may include a first storage part 210 for storing a first liquid and a second storage part 220 for storing a second liquid. The first liquid and the second liquid may be a nicotine solution with a concentration of 1% or less and an organic acid solution with a preset concentration, respectively.

[0063] The second storage part 220 may be arranged to be spaced apart from the first storage part 210. The second storage part 220 may be closer to the suction part h than the first storage part 210. In other words, the second storage part 220 may be provided between the first storage part 210 and the suction part h.

[0064] The reaction part 300 may include a first reaction part 310 and a forming part 350. The first reaction part 310 is connected to the first storage part 210, and atomization of the first liquid occurs in the first reaction part 310. When the user inhales the aerosol generating device v, the atomized first liquid g can flow in the direction toward the suction part h. An air flow channel t for the atomized first liquid g to flow can be formed between the first storage part 210 and the housing 100. The arrangement shape of the housing 100, the first storage part 210 and the first reaction part 310 and the shape of the air flow channel t formed by separating the space are not limited to those shown in FIG.

[0065] The second storage part 220 can be placed on the path of the atomized first liquid g flowing in the direction toward the inhalation part h. In the process of the atomized first liquid g flowing through the second storage part 220, a formation part 350 is formed at the proximal end of the second storage part 220. That is, the atomized first liquid g reacts with the second liquid immersed in the second storage part 220 or naturally atomized around the second storage part while passing through the second storage part 220, thereby forming an inhalable composition (for example, the above-mentioned nicotine salt). The entire range of the atomized first liquid g overlapping with the second storage part 220 through the flow path of the second storage part 220 is included in the formation part 350. However, it should be noted that the flow path of the atomized first liquid g shown in Figure 4 only represents a part of the flow path of the atomized first liquid g from the first reaction part 310 toward the inhalation part h, so the range of the formation part 350 formed at the proximal end of the second storage part 220 can also change accordingly.

[0066] The connection part 500 may be formed in a microchannel form, and may continuously transfer a minute amount of the first liquid between the first storage part 210 and the first reaction part 310 to the first reaction part 310 .

[0067] The surface wave generating portion 400 may generate a surface acoustic wave S and transfer the generated surface acoustic wave S to the first reaction portion 310 .

[0068] Reference Figure 4b , the arrangement form of the first storage part 210 and the first reaction part 310 in the housing 100 can be changed as needed. As described above, when the first storage part 210 and the first reaction part 310 are arranged at the same distance from the inner circumference of the housing, the air flow channel t2 formed by the separated space can be formed in the form of surrounding the first storage part 210 and the first reaction part 310.

[0069] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an aerosol generating device 900 according to an embodiment.

[0070] The aerosol generating device 900 may include a control unit 910, a sensing unit 920, an output unit 930, a battery 940, a heater 950, a user input unit 960, a memory 970, and a communication unit 980. However, the internal structure of the aerosol generating device 900 is not limited to that shown in Fig. 6. That is, a person skilled in the art of the present embodiment should understand that, according to the design of the aerosol generating device 900, a part of the structure shown in Fig. 6 may be omitted or a new structure may be added.

[0071] The sensing unit 920 can detect the state of the aerosol generating device 900 or the surrounding state of the aerosol generating device 900, and transmit the detected information to the control unit 910. The control unit 910 can control the aerosol generating device 900 to perform various functions based on the detected information, such as controlling the operation of the heater 950, restricting smoking, determining whether an aerosol generating substance (e.g., a cigarette, a cigarette cartridge, etc.) is inserted, displaying a notification, etc.

[0072] The sensing part 920 may include at least one of a temperature sensor 922, an insertion detection sensor 924, and a suction sensor 926, but is not limited thereto.

[0073] The temperature sensor 922 can detect the heating temperature of the heater 950 (or the aerosol generating substance). The aerosol generating device 900 may include a separate temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the heater 950, or the heater 950 itself may be used as a temperature sensor. Alternatively, the temperature sensor 922 may be provided around the battery 940 to monitor the temperature of the battery 940.

[0074] The insertion detection sensor 924 can detect whether the aerosol generating article is inserted and / or removed. For example, the insertion detection sensor 924 can include at least one of a membrane sensor, a pressure sensor, a light sensor, a resistance sensor, a capacitance sensor, an inductance sensor, and an infrared sensor, which can detect a signal change when the aerosol generating article is inserted and / or removed.

[0075] The suction sensor 926 can detect the user's suction based on various physical changes in the airflow path or airflow channel. For example, the suction sensor 926 can detect the user's suction based on any one of temperature change, flow change, voltage change and pressure change.

[0076] In addition to the above sensors (922 to 926), the sensing unit 920 may further include at least one of a temperature / humidity sensor, an air pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a position sensor (e.g., GPS), a proximity sensor, and an RGB sensor (e.g., an illuminance sensor). Since a person of ordinary skill in the art can intuitively infer the function of each sensor from the name, a detailed description is omitted.

[0077] The output unit 930 may output state information about the aerosol generating device 900 to the user. The output unit 930 may include at least one of a display unit 932, a tactile unit 934, and a sound output unit 936, but is not limited thereto. When the display unit 932 and the touch pad form a layered structure to form a touch screen, the display unit 932 may be used not only as an output device but also as an input device.

[0078] The display unit 932 can provide information about the aerosol generating device 900 to the user in a visual manner. For example, the information about the aerosol generating device 900 may refer to various information such as the charging / discharging state of the battery 940 of the aerosol generating device 900, the preheating state of the heater 950, the insertion / removal state of the aerosol generating product, or the use restriction state of the aerosol generating device 900 (for example, abnormal substances are detected), and the display unit 932 can output the information to the outside. The display unit 932 may be a liquid crystal display panel (LCD), an organic light emitting display panel (OLED), etc. The display unit 932 may also be an LED light emitting element.

[0079] The haptic portion 934 may convert the electrical signal into mechanical stimulation or electrical stimulation and provide information about the aerosol generating device 900 to the user in a tactile manner. For example, the haptic portion 934 may include a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

[0080] The sound output unit 936 may provide the user with information about the aerosol generating device 900 in an auditory manner. For example, the sound output unit 936 may convert an electrical signal into a sound signal and output it to the outside.

[0081] The battery 940 can provide the power required for the aerosol generating device 900 to operate. The battery 940 can supply power to enable the heater 950 to heat. In addition, the battery 940 can provide the power required for the other components (e.g., the sensing unit 920, the output unit 930, the user input unit 960, the memory 970, and the communication unit 980) in the aerosol generating device 900 to operate. The battery 940 can be a rechargeable battery or a disposable battery. For example, the battery 940 can be a lithium polymer (LiPoly) battery, but is not limited thereto.

[0082] The heater 950 may receive power from the battery 940 to heat the aerosol generating substance. Although not shown in FIG. 6 , the aerosol generating device 900 may further include a power conversion circuit (e.g., a DC / DC converter) that converts the power of the battery 940 and supplies it to the heater 950. In addition, when the aerosol generating device 900 generates aerosol by induction heating, the aerosol generating device 900 may further include a DC / AC converter that converts the DC power of the battery 940 into AC power.

[0083] The control unit 910, the sensing unit 920, the output unit 930, the user input unit 960, the memory 970, and the communication unit 980 may receive power from the battery 940 to implement their functions. Although not shown in FIG6 , a power conversion circuit, such as a low dropout (LDO) circuit or a voltage regulator circuit, which converts the power of the battery 940 and supplies the power to each component may also be included.

[0084] In one embodiment, the heater 950 may be formed of any suitable resistive material. For example, the suitable resistive material may be a metal or metal alloy including titanium, zirconium, tantalum, platinum, nickel, cobalt, chromium, hafnium, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, tin, gallium, manganese, iron, copper, stainless steel, nickel-chromium, etc., but is not limited thereto. In addition, the heater 950 may be implemented as a metal heating wire, a metal heating plate arranged with an electrical conductive track, a ceramic heating element, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0085] In another embodiment, the heater 950 may be an induction heating heater. For example, the heater 950 may include a susceptor that generates heat through a magnetic field applied by a coil to heat the aerosol generating substance.

[0086] In one embodiment, the heater 950 may include a plurality of heaters. For example, the heater 950 may include a first heater for heating cigarettes and a second heater for heating liquids.

[0087] The user input unit 960 can receive information input by the user or output information to the user. For example, the user input unit 960 can be a keyboard (key pad), a dome switch (dome switch), a touch pad (contact capacitance method, pressure resistance film method, infrared sensor method, surface ultrasonic conduction method, integral tension measurement method (integral tension measurement type), piezoelectric effect method, etc.), a roller, a micro switch, etc., but is not limited to this. In addition, although not shown in Figure 6, the aerosol generating device 900 may also include a connection interface (connection interface) such as a universal serial bus (USB) interface, and can be connected to other external devices through a connection interface such as a USB interface to send and receive information, or charge the battery 940.

[0088] The memory 970 is hardware for storing various data processed in the aerosol generating device 900, and can store data processed by the control unit 910 and data to be processed. The memory 970 is at least one storage medium selected from a flash memory type memory, a hard disk type memory, a multimedia card micro type memory, a card type memory (such as an SD or XD memory, etc.), a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk. For example, the memory 970 can store data on the action time of the aerosol generating device 900, the maximum number of puffs, the current number of puffs, at least one temperature curve, and a user's smoking pattern.

[0089] The communication unit 980 may include at least one component for communicating with other electronic devices. For example, the communication unit 980 may include a short-range communication unit 982 and a wireless communication unit 984 .

[0090] The short-range wireless communication unit 982 includes a Bluetooth communication unit, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication unit, a near field communication unit (Near Field Communication unit), a WLAN (Wi-Fi) communication unit, a Zigbee communication unit, an infrared (IrDA, infrared Data Association) communication unit, a Wi-Fi direct connection (WFD) communication unit, an ultra wideband (UWB) communication unit, an Ant+ communication unit, etc., but is not limited to these.

[0091] The wireless communication unit 984 may include, but is not limited to, a cellular network communication unit, an Internet communication unit, a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN) communication unit, etc. The wireless communication unit 984 may also use subscriber information (e.g., an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI)) to identify and authenticate the aerosol generating device 900 within the communication network.

[0092] The control unit 910 can control the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 900. In one embodiment, the control unit 910 can include at least one processor. The processor can be implemented as a plurality of logic gate arrays, or as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a program executable by the microprocessor. In addition, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the at least one processor can also be implemented as other forms of hardware.

[0093] The control section 910 may control the temperature of the heater 950 by controlling the power of the battery 940 supplied to the heater 950. For example, the control section 910 may control the power supply by controlling the switching of the switching element between the battery 940 and the heater 950. In another example, according to the control command of the control section 910, the heating integrated circuit may control the power supply to the heater 950.

[0094] The control unit 910 may analyze the detection result of the sensing unit 920 and control the subsequent processing. For example, the control unit 910 may control the power supplied to the heater 950 according to the detection result of the sensing unit 920 to start and stop the heater 950. For another example, the control unit 910 may control the amount of power supplied to the heater 950 and the power supply time according to the detection result of the sensing unit 920 to heat the heater 950 to a predetermined temperature or maintain it at an appropriate temperature.

[0095] The control unit 910 may control the output unit 930 according to the result detected by the sensing unit 920. For example, when the number of puffs counted by the puff sensor 926 reaches a preset number, the control unit 910 may inform the user through at least one of the display unit 932, the tactile unit 934, and the sound output unit 936 that the aerosol generating device 900 is about to stop.

[0096] In one embodiment, the control unit 910 can control the power supply time and / or power supply amount of the heater 950 according to the state of the aerosol generating product detected by the sensing unit 920. For example, when the aerosol generating product 15 is in an over-humidified state, the control unit 910 can control the induction coil (e.g., Figure 2 The power supply time of the induction coil 124 in the aerosol generating article 15 can be increased, thereby increasing the preheating time compared to when the aerosol generating article 15 is in a normal state.

[0097] An embodiment may be implemented in the form of a recording medium including instructions executable by a computer, for example, a program module executed by a computer. Computer-readable media may be any available media accessible by a computer, including volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. In addition, computer-readable media may include computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media include volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media implemented by any method or technology for storing information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Communication media typically include other data or other transmission mechanisms such as modulated data signals of computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and include any information transfer media.

[0098] As described above, in the embodiments, although the embodiments are described by specific matters such as specific constituent elements, limited embodiments and drawings, this is provided to help overall understanding. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs can make various modifications and deformations. Therefore, the idea of ​​the present invention should not be limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and the scope of the claims described below and all things equivalent to or equivalently deformed to the scope of the claims belong to the scope of the idea of ​​the present invention.

Claims

1. An aerosol generating device, characterized in that: include: The first storage part stores a first liquid containing nicotine, A second storage part stores a second liquid that reacts with the first liquid to form an inhalable composition, a reaction unit capable of atomizing the first liquid, and a surface wave generating unit capable of transmitting surface acoustic waves to the reaction unit; Atomization of the first liquid is controlled by the surface acoustic wave.

2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The content of nicotine contained in the first liquid is 1% or less.

3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: In a first state in which the user does not draw on the aerosol generating device, the first liquid is not atomized, and in a second state in which the user draws on the aerosol generating device, the first liquid is atomized.

4. The aerosol generating device according to claim 3, characterized in that: In the second state, the atomized first liquid moves toward the second storage portion and forms an inhalable composition by reacting with the second liquid in the second storage portion.

5. The aerosol generating device according to claim 4, characterized in that: Also includes an inhalation portion, so that the user can inhale the composition, The second storage portion is disposed between the reaction portion and the suction portion.

6. The aerosol generating device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The device further includes a first connecting portion capable of transferring the first liquid from the first storage portion to the reaction portion.

7. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The surface wave generating unit transmits the surface acoustic wave to the reaction unit by being activated in the second state.

8. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The device further includes a second connecting portion capable of transferring the second liquid from the second storage portion to the reaction portion.

9. The aerosol generating device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first liquid and the second liquid can be simultaneously atomized in the reaction section.

10. The aerosol generating device according to claim 8, characterized in that The reaction unit comprises: a first reaction part capable of atomizing the first liquid, and The second reaction part is capable of atomizing the second liquid.

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