Aerosol generator

Abstract

The one-sided aerosol generating device includes a power supply unit, a storage unit for storing aerosol generating material, a liquid transfer means for absorbing aerosol generating material, a cartridge containing a heater that receives power from the power supply unit and heats the aerosol generating material absorbed by the liquid transfer means, a resistance sensing unit that senses the resistance value of the heater which is varied by the heating of the heater, and a control unit that controls the power supply unit to supply reference power to the heater and, while the reference power is supplied to the heater, determines the depletion of the aerosol generating material absorbed by the liquid transfer means based on the change in the heater's resistance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device, and more particularly to an aerosol generating device that determines depletion of a liquid delivery means.

Background Art

[0002] Recently, there has been an increasing demand for alternative methods to overcome the disadvantages of conventional cigarettes. For example, there has been an increasing demand for a system that generates an aerosol by heating an aerosol generating substance using an aerosol generating device, rather than by burning a cigarette to generate an aerosol.

[0003] In such an aerosol generation system, when the aerosol generating substance is a liquid, the aerosol generating substance is stored in a storage unit, and a liquid delivery means is disposed within the storage unit to absorb the aerosol generating substance. Further, a heater is disposed so as to surround the liquid delivery means, and heats the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid delivery means to generate an aerosol. However, due to user use, the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid delivery means is depleted, and when the liquid delivery means is heated with the same power even though the liquid delivery means is depleted, it can cause user dissatisfaction due to a burnt taste and an abnormal odor. Therefore, it is necessary to detect depletion of the liquid delivery means and thereby control the power supplied to the heater.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] A technical problem of the present invention is to provide an aerosol generating device that detects depletion of a liquid delivery means and controls the power supplied to a heater in response to the depletion of the liquid delivery means.

[0005] The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and other technical problems can be analogously inferred from the following embodiments.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The one-sided aerosol generating device includes a power supply unit, a storage unit for storing aerosol generating material, a liquid transfer means for absorbing the aerosol generating material, a cartridge including a heater that receives power from the power supply unit and heats the aerosol generating material absorbed by the liquid transfer means, a resistance sensing unit that senses the resistance value of the heater which is varied by the heating of the heater, and a control unit that controls the power supply unit to supply a reference power to the heater and, while the reference power is supplied to the heater, determines the depletion of the aerosol generating material absorbed by the liquid transfer means based on the change in the resistance of the heater. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The aerosol generating apparatus of the present invention determines the depletion of the liquid transport means based on the resistance of the heater, thus eliminating the need for a separate configuration to determine the depletion of the liquid transport means. Consequently, manufacturing costs are reduced, and the product can be miniaturized.

[0008] Furthermore, since the aerosol generator determines the depletion of the liquid transport means based on the rate of change of the heater resistance rather than the absolute value of the heater resistance, there is no need to correct for manufacturing-related heater deviations for depletion determination, and the depletion of the liquid transport means can be determined even more accurately.

[0009] Furthermore, since the aerosol generator controls power consumption by depleting the liquid delivery means, it can reduce burnt tastes and unpleasant odors, thereby increasing user satisfaction.

[0010] On the other hand, if the storage unit where the aerosol-generating substance is stored becomes depleted, the liquid transfer means can no longer absorb the aerosol-generating substance. In this case, power control alone cannot solve the problem of the liquid transfer means becoming depleted. Therefore, the aerosol generating device of the present invention can further increase user satisfaction by detecting the depletion of the storage unit and notifying the user of this.

[0011] Furthermore, if the storage unit of the aerosol generator becomes depleted, it will notify the user and request replacement of the storage unit. The user can then easily replace the storage unit, thereby preventing carbonization of the liquid transfer means.

[0012] The effects of the invention are not limited to those exemplified above, and a wider variety of effects are included herein. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a drawing showing an aerosol generating apparatus according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a drawing showing an aerosol generating apparatus according to another embodiment. [Figure 3] This is an internal block diagram of an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a part of a circuit diagram illustrating a method for sensing the resistance of a heater according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the change in resistance due to the depletion of the liquid transmission means. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating a method for determining the depletion of a liquid transmission means and a power control method based on the same, in a first sensing section according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] This diagram illustrates a method for determining the depletion of a liquid transmission means and a power control method based on the same, in the second and third sensing sections according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the depletion of the liquid transmission means in a first sensing interval according to one embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the depletion of the liquid transmission means in the second and third sensing sections according to one embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a power control method due to the depletion of a liquid transmission means and a method for determining the depletion of a storage unit. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The aerosol generating device on one side includes a power supply unit, a storage unit for storing the aerosol generating substance, a liquid transfer means for absorbing the aerosol generating substance, a cartridge including a heater that is supplied with power from the power supply unit and heats the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means, a resistance sensing unit for sensing the resistance value of the heater that is variable by the heating of the heater, and a control unit for controlling the power supply unit to supply reference power to the heater, and determining depletion of the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means based on the resistance change of the heater in a state where the reference power is supplied to the heater.

[0015] Further, the aerosol generating device further includes a puff sensing unit for sensing the puff of the user, and the control unit determines depletion of the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means in each puff section.

[0016] Further, the control unit divides one puff section including the puff start time point to the puff end time point into a plurality of sensing sections, and determines depletion of the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means based on the resistance change of the heater in the first sensing section from the puff start time point to the first hour.

[0017] Further, when the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater in the first sensing section is greater than the reference change amount, the control unit determines that the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means has been depleted.

[0018] Further, the control unit divides one puff section including the puff start time point to the puff end time point into a first sensing section from the puff start time point to the first hour and a plurality of subsequent sensing sections after the first sensing section, and determines depletion of the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means based on the resistance change of the heater in the plurality of subsequent sensing sections.

[0019] Further, the plurality of subsequent sensing intervals include a second sensing interval and a third sensing interval consecutive to the second sensing interval, and the control unit determines depletion of the aerosol product substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means based on a first change amount which is the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater in the second sensing interval and a second change amount which is the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater in the third sensing interval.

[0020] Further, when the second change amount is greater than the first change amount, the control unit determines that the aerosol product substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means has been depleted in the third sensing interval.

[0021] Further, when the control unit determines that the aerosol product substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means has been depleted in the current sensing interval, it controls the power supply unit in a compensation interval consecutive to the current sensing interval to provide a compensation power smaller than the reference power to the heater.

[0022] Further, when the resistance of the heater decreases corresponding to the compensation power in the compensation interval, the control unit determines that the depletion of the aerosol product substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means has been eliminated, and controls the power supply unit in a sensing interval consecutive to the compensation interval to supply the reference power to the heater.

[0023] Further, when the resistance of the heater increases corresponding to the compensation power in the compensation interval, the control unit determines that the aerosol product substance stored in the storage unit has been depleted.

[0024] Further, when the control unit determines that the aerosol product substance stored in the storage unit has been depleted, it controls the power supply unit in a sensing interval consecutive to the compensation interval to cut off the power supplied to the heater.

[0025] Furthermore, the aerosol generator further includes an output unit that outputs the status of the aerosol generator, and the control unit, when it determines that the aerosol generating material stored in the storage unit has been depleted, controls the output unit and outputs the depletion status of the aerosol generating material stored in the storage unit.

[0026] The embodiments disclosed herein will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings, but regardless of the reference numerals used in the drawings, identical or similar components will be given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0027] The suffixes "module" and "part" used with respect to the constituent elements in the following description are added or used interchangeably solely for the purpose of facilitating the creation of the specification, and do not have any distinct meaning or role on their own.

[0028] Furthermore, in describing the embodiments disclosed herein, if a specific description of such prior art is deemed to obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed herein, such detailed description will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are merely for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the embodiments disclosed herein, and it should be understood that the accompanying drawings do not limit the technical ideas disclosed herein and include all modifications, equivalents, or substitutes that fall within the concept and technical scope of the present invention.

[0029] Terms including ordinal numbers, such as "first," "second," etc., can be used to describe a variety of components, but the components are not limited by such terms. The terms are simply used to distinguish one component from another.

[0030] When it is mentioned that one component is "linked" or "connected" to another component, it must be understood that it is either directly linked to the other component, or connected but with other components in between. On the other hand, when it is mentioned that one component is "directly linked" or "directly connected" to another component, it must be understood that there are no other components in between.

[0031] A singular expression includes plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0032] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an aerosol generating apparatus according to one embodiment, and Figure 2 is a diagram showing an aerosol generating apparatus according to another embodiment.

[0033] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the aerosol generator 1 may include a main body 10 and a cartridge 18. The aerosol generator 1 may include at least one of a power supply unit 11, a control unit 12, and a sensing unit 13. At least one of the power supply unit 11, the control unit 12, and the sensing unit 13 may be located inside the main body 10. The cartridge 18, which contains the aerosol product, may be mounted in the main body 10. The user can inhale the aerosol by putting the mouthpiece provided at one end of the cartridge 18 into their mouth.

[0034] The cartridge 18 contains an aerosol-generating substance in its internal chamber C0, which is in one of the following states: liquid, solid, gaseous, or gel. The aerosol-generating substance may include a liquid composition. For example, the liquid composition may be a liquid containing a tobacco-containing substance that includes volatile tobacco flavor components, or a liquid containing a non-tobacco substance.

[0035] The cartridge 18 can be detachably attached to the main unit 10. The cartridge 18 can be attached to the main unit 10 by being inserted into the main unit 10.

[0036] The main unit 10 may be configured such that outside air flows into the main unit 10 when the cartridge 18 is inserted. In this case, the outside air that flows into the main unit 10 passes through the cartridge 18 and can flow into the user's mouth through the airflow channel CN.

[0037] The cartridge 18 includes a chamber C0 containing an aerosol-generating material and / or a heater 183 for heating the aerosol-generating material in the chamber C0. A liquid transfer means 182 impregnated with (containing) the aerosol-generating material is disposed inside the chamber C0. Here, the liquid transfer means 182 includes a wick such as cotton fibers, ceramic fibers, glass fibers, or porous ceramic. The conductive track of the heater 183 may be formed as a coiled structure that winds the liquid transfer means 182, or as a structure that contacts one side of the liquid transfer means 182. The heater 183 is also referred to as a cartridge heater.

[0038] Cartridge 18 can generate an aerosol. The liquid transfer means 182 is heated by the heater 183, which can generate an aerosol. The generated aerosol can be inhaled into the user's mouth through the airflow channel CN.

[0039] An airflow channel CN ​​is provided in the cartridge 18. The airflow channel CN ​​can communicate the chamber C0 in which the heater 183 is located in the cartridge 18 with the outside of the cartridge. One end of the airflow channel CN ​​may open into the chamber C0 in which the heater 183 is located, and the other end may communicate with the mouthpiece 19. For example, referring to Figure 1, the airflow channel CN ​​may extend for a long distance along the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 18 from one side of the chamber C0 of the cartridge 18. For example, referring to Figure 2, the airflow channel CN ​​may extend for a long distance along the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 18, penetrating the chamber C0 of the cartridge 18.

[0040] The power supply unit 11 can supply power to the components of the aerosol generator 1 so that they can operate. The power supply unit 11 may include a battery (111 in Figure 4). The power supply unit 11 can supply power to at least one of the control unit 12, the sensing unit 13, and the heater 183.

[0041] The control unit 12 can control the overall operation of the aerosol generator 1. The control unit 12 may be mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB). The control unit 12 can control the operation of at least one of the power supply unit 11, the sensing unit 13, and the cartridge 18. The control unit 12 can control the operation of the display, motor, and other components provided in the aerosol generator 1. The control unit 12 can check the status of each component of the aerosol generator 1 and determine whether the aerosol generator 1 is in an operational state.

[0042] The control unit 12 can analyze the results sensed by the sensing unit 13 and control subsequent processing. For example, based on the results sensed by the sensing unit 13, the control unit 12 can control the power supplied to the heater 183 so that the heater 183 starts or stops operating. For example, based on the results sensed by the sensing unit 13, the control unit 12 can control the amount of power supplied to the heater 183 and the power supply time so that the heater 183 is heated to a predetermined temperature or maintains an appropriate temperature.

[0043] The sensing unit 13 may include at least one of a temperature sensor, a puff sensor, a cartridge sensing sensor, and a motion sensing sensor. For example, the sensing unit 13 can sense at least one of the temperature of the heater 183, the temperature of the power supply unit 11, and the temperature inside and outside the main unit 10. For example, the sensing unit 13 can sense the user's puff. For example, the sensing unit 13 can sense whether a cartridge is installed or not. For example, the sensing unit 13 can sense the movement of the aerosol generator 1.

[0044] Figure 3 is an internal block diagram of an aerosol generating apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0045] Referring to Figure 3, the aerosol generator 1 may include at least one of the following: a power supply unit 11, a cartridge 18, a sensing unit 13, a control unit 12, a memory 14, an input unit 15, and an output unit 16. On the other hand, the aerosol generator 1 of the present invention may further include other general-purpose components in addition to the components shown in Figure 3. For example, the aerosol generator 1 may further include a communication unit (not shown) for communicating with an external device.

[0046] The power supply unit 11 supplies power used for the operation of the aerosol generator 1. For example, the power supply unit 11 can supply power to at least one of the following: the cartridge 18, the sensing unit 13, the control unit 12, the memory 14, the input unit 15, and the output unit 16. The power supply unit 11 may include a battery (111 in Figure 4) and a power conversion unit (112 in Figure 4).

[0047] The battery 111 consists of a detachable battery that is detachably positioned in the aerosol generator 1. Alternatively, the battery 111 may be fixed to the aerosol generator 1. In this case, the battery 111 is either rechargeable or disposable. For example, the battery 111 is a lithium polymer (LiPoly) battery, but is not limited to this.

[0048] The power conversion unit 112 includes a DC-DC converter that boosts or buckles the DC power supply, and the DC-DC converter can supply power to the internal components of the aerosol generator 1 using the converted power supply. When the heater 183 of the cartridge 18 is heated by induction heating, the power conversion unit 112 further includes a DC-AC converter, which can convert the DC power supply to AC power supply and supply it to the heater 183.

[0049] The cartridge 18 may include a storage section 181, a liquid transmission means 182, and a heater 183.

[0050] The storage section 181 can store aerosol-generating material. In Figures 1 and 2, when the chamber C0 has the function of storing aerosol-generating material, the chamber C0 in Figures 1 and 2 corresponds to the storage section 181 in Figure 3. At least one side of the storage section 181 is open, and the opening may communicate with the airflow channel CN. The liquid transfer means 182 is located inside the storage section 181 and may be exposed to the aerosol-generating material stored in the storage section 181.

[0051] The liquid transport means 182 can absorb aerosol-generating substances. In one embodiment, the liquid transport means 182 may include a wick such as cotton fibers, ceramic fibers, glass fibers, and porous ceramics.

[0052] The heater 183 may be formed as a coil-like structure that winds the liquid transmission means 182 or as a structure that contacts one side of the liquid transmission means 182. The heater 183 may consist of an electrical resistance heater or an induction heating heater.

[0053] If the heater 183 is an electrically resistive heater, the heater 183 includes a conductive track and can be resistively heated by power supplied from the power supply unit 11.

[0054] If the heater 183 is an induction heating type heater, the heater 183 may include at least one of ferrite, ferromagnetic alloy, stainless steel, and aluminum (Al). The heater 183 may also include at least one of graphite, molybdenum, silicon carbide, niobium, nickel alloy, metal film, ceramics such as zirconia, transition metals such as nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co), and metalloids such as boron (B) and phosphorus (P). If the heater 183 is an induction heating type heater, the aerosol generator 1 further includes an induction coil for induction heating the heater 183, and the heater 183 may be heated by an induced magnetic field generated from the induction coil. In this case, the induction coil may be located in the cartridge 18 or in the main body 10.

[0055] The heater 183 can heat the aerosol-generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means 182 to generate an aerosol. The generated aerosol can be inhaled into the user's mouth through the airflow channel CN.

[0056] The sensing unit 13 can sense various state information of the aerosol generator 1. The results sensed by the sensing unit 13 are transmitted to the control unit 12, and the control unit 12 can control the aerosol generator 1 so that various functions are performed based on the sensing results, such as controlling the operation of the heating unit, restricting smoking, determining whether or not the cartridge 18 is inserted, and displaying notifications.

[0057] The sensing unit 13 may include a resistance sensing unit 161 and a puff sensing unit 162.

[0058] The resistance sensing unit 161 can sense changes in the resistance of the heater 183. If the heater 183 is composed of conductive tracks, the resistance of the conductive tracks varies with temperature, and the resistance sensing unit 161 can sense the resistance value of the heater 183 due to temperature changes. For example, if the resistance of the heater 183 increases with temperature, the resistance sensing unit 161 can output the resistance value of the heater 183 at a predetermined period or in real time and transmit it to the control unit 12. The resistance sensing unit 161 includes a shunt resistor connected in series or parallel with the heater 183, and the resistance sensing unit 161 can output the resistance value of the heater 183 by estimating the resistance of the heater 183 from the resistance value of the shunt resistor. Alternatively, the resistance sensing unit 161 may measure the resistance of the heater 183 itself. However, the method for measuring the resistance of the heater 183 is not limited by the examples given above, and various methods for measuring the resistance of the heater 183 can be applied.

[0059] The puff sensing unit 162 can detect the user's puffs. For this purpose, the puff sensing unit 162 may include a pressure sensor, a flow sensor, an airflow sensor, and a microphone. However, the puff sensing means is not limited to the examples described above. The puff sensing unit 162 can detect each puff separately. Each puff appears in a continuous interval from the start of the puff to the end of the puff, and the puff sensing unit 162 may count the number of puffs.

[0060] On the other hand, the sensing unit 13 in Figure 3 shows components related to this embodiment. Therefore, a person with ordinary skill in the art related to this embodiment can understand that the sensing unit 13 may also include other general-purpose components in addition to those shown in Figure 3. For example, the sensing unit 13 may further include a water sensing sensor for sensing water inside and / or outside the aerosol generator 1, a cartridge insertion sensing sensor, a separate temperature sensor, and the like.

[0061] Memory 14 is hardware that stores various types of data processed within the aerosol generator 1, and can store data processed by the control unit 12 and data being processed. Memory can be implemented in various forms such as RAM (random access memory) such as DRAM (dynamic random access memory) and SRAM (static random access memory), ROM (read-only memory), and EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory). In one embodiment, memory 14 can store information regarding the reference power and compensation power supplied to the heater 183, or information regarding the sensing interval. Memory 14 can also store a reference for the amount of resistance change for each sensing interval of the heater 183.

[0062] The input section 15 can receive user input. The input section 15 can be embodied by physical keys and / or touch sensors for receiving user input. In some embodiments, the input section 15 may be omitted, in which case heating of the heater 183 is possible by user inhalation. For example, the input section 15 includes, but is not limited to, buttons, keypads, dome switches, jog wheels, jog switches, etc.

[0063] The output unit 16 may include a display that outputs visual information related to the aerosol generator 1. The output unit 16 may also include a motor that outputs tactile information related to the aerosol generator 1. Here, the visual and tactile information related to the aerosol generator 1 includes all information related to the operation of the aerosol generator 1. For example, the output unit 16 can output information regarding the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 and / or information regarding the depletion of the storage unit 181. For this purpose, the output unit 16 may include a display and a haptic motor. The display may be a liquid crystal display panel (LCD) or an organic light-emitting display panel (OLED). On the other hand, if the display and touchpad form a layered structure to constitute a touchscreen, the display may be used as an input device in addition to an output device. The haptic motor can convert electrical signals into mechanical or electrical stimuli, providing the user with tactile information regarding the aerosol generator 1.

[0064] The control unit 12 controls the overall operation of the aerosol generator 1. In one embodiment, the control unit 12 includes at least one processor. The processor may be embodied as an array of numerous logic gates, or as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and memory storing a program executable by the microprocessor. It can be understood by those ordinary skill in the art to which this embodiment belongs that it may also be embodied by other forms of hardware.

[0065] The control unit 12 receives user input through the input unit 15 and can control the power supplied to the heater 183 based on the user input. In one embodiment, when the puff sensing unit 162 detects a user puff, the control unit 12 can control the power supply unit 11 to control the power supplied to the heater 183. The control unit 12 may also control the output unit 16 and output to the heater 183 information regarding the depletion of the liquid transfer means 182 due to heating and / or information regarding the depletion of the storage unit 181.

[0066] On the other hand, the amount of aerosol-generating material absorbed by the liquid transfer means 182 may be insufficient due to frequent puffing by the user, a decrease in the absorption capacity of the liquid transfer means 182, prolonged periods of non-use of the device, and depletion of the storage compartment 181. If the liquid transfer means 182 is heated with the same power despite the insufficient amount of material absorbed by the liquid transfer means, the liquid transfer means 182 may carbonize, providing the user with a burnt taste and unpleasant odor. To solve this problem, the present invention can sense in advance the insufficiency of the aerosol-generating material absorbed by the liquid transfer means 182 and control the power supplied to the heater 183 in response to the insufficiency of the aerosol-generating material. On the other hand, in the present invention, insufficiency means that the amount of aerosol-generating material absorbed by the liquid transfer means 182 is less than a pre-set standard absorption amount, and can be used interchangeably with depletion. For example, the standard absorption amount may be set to 9.16 mg.

[0067] The following describes a method for detecting the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 and a power control method based on this.

[0068] Figure 4 is a portion of a circuit diagram illustrating a heater resistance sensing method according to one embodiment.

[0069] Referring to Figure 4, the power supply unit 11 may include a battery 111 and a power conversion unit 112. The battery 111 can output a DC power supply. The power conversion unit 112 includes a DC-DC converter that boosts or buckles the DC power supply, and the DC-DC converter can output the boosted or bucked DC power supply. In Figure 4, the converted DC power supply output by the power conversion unit 112 is represented as the input voltage V applied to the loads R,Rs. The input voltage V is a constant voltage, and its magnitude can be adjusted by the control unit 12.

[0070] The input voltage V output by the power conversion unit 112 can apply an input current I to the heater 183. The heater 183 is made of a material having a temperature coefficient of resistance α. Therefore, the resistance R of the heater 183 can be varied with temperature. On the other hand, the resistance R of the heater 183 may be referred to as the resistance value R for the time being in order to distinguish it from the reference resistance R0 of the heater 183, which will be described later.

[0071] Since the resistance R of the heater 183 is variable with temperature, the input current I can also be varied relative to the constant input voltage V. The resistance sensing unit 161 includes a shunt resistor and can sense such changes in the input current I through the shunt resistor. Furthermore, the resistance sensing unit 161 can obtain the resistance R of the heater 183 from the input current I.

[0072] In Figure 4, the shunt resistor is shown as a resistive element having a shunt resistance value Rs. Also, although Figure 4 shows the shunt resistor connected in series with the heater 183, in some embodiments, the shunt resistor may be connected in parallel with the heater 183.

[0073] The shunt resistance maintains a constant value even when the temperature is varied and can be set to be much smaller than the resistance value R of the heater 183. For example, the shunt resistance value Rs can be set to less than 1 / 10th of the resistance value R of the heater 183, but is not limited to this. Setting the shunt resistance value Rs to be small minimizes the power that must be used to heat the heater 183 being consumed by the shunt resistance.

[0074] A shunt resistor connected in series with the heater 183 can be used to sense the input current I. The resistance sensing unit 161 includes a voltmeter and can obtain the voltage Vs across the shunt resistor. Since the shunt resistance value Rs is constant regardless of temperature, the resistance sensing unit 161 can obtain the input current I from the voltage Vs across the shunt resistor.

[0075] The voltage Vh across the heater 183 is obtained by the difference between the input voltage V and the voltage Vs across the shunt resistor, and the resistance sensing unit 161 can obtain the current resistance R of the heater 183 based on the voltage Vh across the heater 183 and the input current I.

[0076] On the other hand, the current resistance R of heater 183 may be used to estimate the temperature of heater 183. The reference resistance R0 of heater 183 at reference temperature T0 and the current resistance R of heater 183 at current temperature T can satisfy Equation 1 below, given that the temperature coefficient of resistance is α.

[0077]

number

[0078] In this case, the reference temperature T0 is 25°C, and the reference resistance R0 represents the resistance value of the heater 183 measured by repeated experiments at 25°C. The control unit 12 may use equation 1 to estimate the current temperature T of the heater 183 from the current resistance value R. In this way, when the control unit 12 calculates the temperature of the heater 183 based on the resistance of the heater 183, a separate temperature sensor is not required.

[0079] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the change in resistance due to the depletion of the liquid transmission means.

[0080] Figure 5 shows a graph 410 of the change in resistance over time in one puff interval (1puff). In Figure 5, the x-axis represents time (sec), and the y-axis represents resistance (Ω).

[0081] Referring to Figure 5, when the puff sensing unit 162 detects a user's puff, the control unit 12 can supply reference power to the heater 183 from the start of the puff to the end of the puff. For example, the period from the start of the puff to the end of the puff includes the first time t1 to the fourth time t4, and each of these times can be set to 0.5 seconds. The reference power is 7W, but is not limited to this.

[0082] The resistance of heater 183 is proportional to the temperature. When heater 183 is supplied with reference power, it heats up and its temperature rises, so the resistance of heater 183 also increases over time. The following explanation will be based on the resistance of heater 183, but the following explanation can also be applied to the temperature of heater 183.

[0083] The resistance of heater 183 initially rises rapidly upon supply of reference power. The reference power supplied to heater 183 is set based on a normal state in which the aerosol-generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means 182 is sufficient. Therefore, if such reference power is supplied to heater 183 even though the liquid transfer means 182 is depleted in the initial stages of heating, the resistance of heater 183 increases at a faster rate than the resistance of heater 183 in a normal state. In one embodiment, if the liquid transfer means 182 is depleted at a first time t1, the resistance of heater 183 increases at a faster rate than the reference change rf1. The reference change rf1 means the amount of resistance change of heater 183 per unit time, and therefore the reference change rf1 can be referred to as the reference rate of change and the reference gradient. In this case, the unit time is the first time t1. For example, the reference change is set to 4 [Ω / sec], but is not limited to this.

[0084] Even during the second time t2 to the fourth time t4, if the reference power is supplied to the heater 183, the change in resistance of the heater 183 during the second time t2 to the fourth time t4 is smaller than the change in resistance of the heater 183 during the first time t1. This is because, as the heater 183 approaches its threshold resistance, not only does the rate of increase in resistance decrease, but the liquid transfer means 182 also absorbs aerosol-generating material from the storage unit 181 in response to the heated aerosol-generating material. The threshold resistance is set based on the maximum heating temperature of the heater 183 and may depend on the components of the heater 183. However, the liquid transfer means 182 may be temporarily or non-temporarily depleted due to frequent puffing by the user, a decrease in the absorption capacity of the liquid transfer means 182, and depletion of the storage unit 181. Such depletion of the liquid transfer means 182 can occur continuously or discontinuously during the initial stages of puffing. Figure 5 shows a portion of graph df1, which illustrates the discontinuous depletion of the liquid transport means 182 during the third time t3 or fourth time t4, following the first time t1 in the initial puff stage.

[0085] In Figure 5, if the liquid transfer means 182 is depleted between the third time t3 and the fourth time t4, the resistance of the heater 183 increases at a rapid rate, similar to the initial heating period at the first time t1. In particular, since less material is heated between the third time t3 and the fourth time t4 when the liquid transfer means 182 is depleted, compared to the previous heating period at the second time t2 and the third time t3, the resistance of the heater 183 in the third time t3 and the fourth time t4 increases at a faster rate than in the previous heating period at the second time t2 and the third time t3. However, the gradient of the resistance change of the heater 183 in the third time t3 and the fourth time t4 is smaller than the gradient of the resistance of the heater 183 in the first time t1. This is because, as the threshold resistance of the heater 183 approaches, not only does the rate of increase in resistance decrease, but the liquid transfer means 182 also absorbs a smaller amount of aerosol-generating material from the storage unit 181 than under normal conditions, in response to the heated aerosol-generating material. Therefore, in the third time t3 to the fourth time t4, as in the first time t1, it is impossible to determine the depletion of the liquid transfer means 182 based on the reference change amount rf1.

[0086] On the other hand, if the same reference power is supplied to the heater 183 even though the liquid transmission means 182 is depleted in the initial puffing section or in subsequent sections after the initial puffing section, the liquid transmission means 182 may be carbonized. To solve this problem, the present invention controls the power supplied to the heater 183 in response to the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182.

[0087] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining the depletion of a liquid transmission means and a power control method based on the same, in a first sensing section according to one embodiment.

[0088] Figure 6 shows Figure 510 in the case where the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 is resolved by providing compensatory power to the heater 183 due to the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 from the first sensing interval se1, which is the initial stage of puffing, and Figure 520 in the case where the depletion is not resolved.

[0089] Referring to Figure 6, the method for determining the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 in the first sensing section se1 in Figures 510 and 520 is the same.

[0090] In Figures 510 and 520, the control unit 12 can divide a single puff interval 1puff, including the time from the start of the puff to the end of the puff, into a plurality of sensing intervals se1 to se4. The plurality of sensing intervals se1 to se4 (hereinafter referred to as se when division is not necessary) may include a first sensing interval se1 from the time from the start of the puff to the first time t1, a second sensing interval se2 from the first time t1 to the second time t2, a third sensing interval se3 from the second time t2 to the third time t3, and a fourth sensing interval se4 from the third time t3 to the fourth time t4. Each sensing interval is set to the same length; for example, each sensing interval is set to 0.5 seconds, but is not limited to this. Figure 6 shows an example in which the plurality of sensing intervals se are divided into four, but depending on the user's puff length and settings, the plurality of sensing intervals se may include fewer than four or more sensing intervals.

[0091] In the first sensing interval se1, which is the initial stage of puffing, there is no preceding sensing interval. In the initial stage of heating, the need to prevent carbonization of the liquid transfer means 182 due to the rapid temperature rise is greater than in the subsequent sensing intervals se2 to se4. Therefore, the control unit 12 can determine the depletion of the liquid transfer means 182 in a single sensing interval.

[0092] The control unit 12 can control the power supply unit 11 to supply reference power w1 to the heater 183 during the first sensing interval se1. The resistance sensing unit 161 can sense the change in resistance of the heater 183 when the reference power w1 is supplied to the heater 183. The control unit 12 can determine the depletion of the aerosol-generating substance absorbed by the liquid transmission means 182 based on the change in resistance of the heater 183 when the reference power w1 is supplied to the heater 183.

[0093] The control unit 12 can determine that the aerosol-generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means 182 has been depleted if the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183 in the first sensing interval se1 is greater than the reference change amount rf1. In this case, the unit time is the length of the first sensing interval se1, which is the first time t1. That is, the control unit 12 can determine whether the liquid transfer means 182 has been depleted by linearly approximating the amount of resistance change and the reference change amount in the first sensing interval se1 and comparing them. The reference change amount rf1 means the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183, and therefore the reference change amount rf1 can be called the reference rate of change and the reference gradient. For example, the reference change amount is set to 4 [Ω / sec], but is not limited to this. Therefore, in an embodiment where the reference change amount rf1 is a reference gradient, the control unit 12 can determine that the aerosol-generating substance absorbed by the liquid transmission means 182 has been depleted if the change in resistance per unit time of the heater 183 is greater than the reference gradient (where the reference gradient is a positive number). In Figures 510 and 520, the control unit 12 can determine that the liquid transmission means 182 has been depleted because the change in resistance per unit time of the heater 183 is greater than the reference gradient rf1 in the first sensing interval se1.

[0094] In Figures 510 and 520, if the control unit 12 determines that the aerosol-generating substance absorbed by the liquid transmission means 182 has been depleted in the current sensing section, it can control the power supply unit 11 in the compensation section adjacent to the current sensing section and supply a compensation power w2 lower than the reference power w1 to the heater 183. In Figure 6, the current sensing section is the first sensing section se1 in which the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 is detected, and the compensation section is the second sensing section se2 in which a compensation power w2 lower than the reference power w1 is supplied to the heater 183.

[0095] In Figure 510, the control unit 12 can determine that the depletion of aerosol-generating material absorbed by the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved if the resistance of the heater 183 decreases in the second sensing interval se2 in accordance with the compensation power w2. The control unit 12 can determine whether the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved by monitoring the resistance of the heater 183 in real time in accordance with the compensation power w2, or by monitoring the amount of resistance change per unit time. In an embodiment in which the control unit 12 monitors the amount of resistance change per unit time, the control unit 12 can determine that the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved if the slope of the amount of resistance change of the heater 183 per unit time in accordance with the compensation power w2 is negative. That is, the control unit 12 can determine whether the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved by linearly approximating the amount of resistance change in the second sensing interval se2 and based on the sign of the slope of the linearly approximated amount of resistance change.

[0096] As will be described later, the control unit 12 can select a compensation power w2 within the range of 0.3 to 0.6 times the reference power w1 in order to distinguish between the depletion of the storage unit 181 and the depletion of the liquid transfer means 182. For example, if the reference power w1 is 7W, the compensation power w2 may be set to 4W. If the reference power w1 and the compensation power are not set to have a significant difference, the change in resistance of the heater 183 will have a positive gradient even though the depletion of the liquid transfer means 182 has been resolved, making it difficult to distinguish between the depletion of the storage unit 181 and the depletion of the liquid transfer means 182, as will be described later. Furthermore, the lower limit of the compensation power w2 is set to 0.3 times the reference power w1 in order to continuously heat the aerosol generating substance above its vaporization temperature even in the compensation section.

[0097] If the control unit 12 determines that the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved in the second sensing section se2, which is a compensation section, it can control the power supply unit 11 in the third sensing section se3, which is continuous with the compensation section, and supply the reference power w1 to the heater 183 again. If the control unit 12 determines that the liquid transmission means 182 is not depleted in the third sensing section se3, it can also supply the reference power w1 to the heater 183 in the fourth sensing section se4. The method for depleting the liquid transmission means 182 in subsequent sections after the initial puff section will be described later with reference to Figure 7 and subsequent figures.

[0098] Conversely to Figure 510, in Figure 520, even though the control unit 12 supplies a compensation power w2 smaller than the reference power w1 to the heater 183 in the second sensing interval se2, the resistance of the heater 183 may increase in accordance with the compensation power w2. If the resistance of the heater 183 increases in accordance with the compensation power w2 in the second sensing interval se2, the control unit 12 can determine that the storage unit 181 is depleted, and that the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 cannot be resolved by power control. The control unit 12 can determine the depletion of the storage unit 181 by monitoring the resistance of the heater 183 in real time in accordance with the compensation power w2, or by monitoring the amount of resistance change per unit time. In an embodiment in which the control unit 12 monitors the amount of resistance change per unit time, the control unit 12 can determine that the storage unit 181 is depleted if the slope of the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183 in accordance with the compensation power w2 is a positive number. In other words, the control unit 12 linearly approximates the resistance change amount in the second sensing interval se2, and can also determine whether the storage unit 181 is depleted based on the sign of the gradient of the linearly approximated resistance change amount.

[0099] If the control unit 12 determines that the liquid has been depleted from the second sensing section se2, which is the compensation section, to the storage section 181, the depletion of the liquid transfer means 182 will not be resolved. Therefore, in the third sensing section se3, which is continuous with the compensation section, the control unit 12 can control the power supply unit 11 and cut off the power supplied to the heater 183. In other words, since the cartridge is not replaced in one puff section (1puff), the control unit 12 can also control the power supply unit 11 and cut off the power supplied to the heater 183 in the fourth sensing section se4, which is continuous with the third sensing section se3.

[0100] On the other hand, if the control unit 12 determines that the storage unit 181 is depleted, it can control the output unit 16 to notify the user of the depleted state of the storage unit 181 visually, audibly, and tactilely.

[0101] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining the depletion of a liquid transmission means and a power control method based on the same, in the second and third sensing sections according to one embodiment.

[0102] Referring to Figure 7, as shown in Figure 6, the control unit 12 can divide one puff interval 1puff, which includes the start and end of the puff, into multiple sensing intervals se1 to se4. The duration and number of the multiple sensing intervals se are as described in Figure 6.

[0103] The control unit 12 can determine the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 based on the change in resistance of the heater 183 during subsequent sensing intervals se2 to se4, following the first sensing interval se1 in the initial stages of puffing.

[0104] On the other hand, unlike the first sensing interval se1, which is the initial stage of puffing, the resistance change of the heater 183 in the subsequent sensing intervals se2 to se4 is not significantly variable, unlike in the first sensing interval se1. This is because the rate of increase in resistance decreases as the heater 183 approaches its threshold resistance. Therefore, in the subsequent sensing intervals se2 to se4, it is difficult to set a reference gradient to distinguish such low gradients. Furthermore, since the resistance of the heater 183 is variable in each interval, it is difficult to set a reference gradient that is commonly applied to each interval. To solve these problems, the present invention monitors the amount of resistance change of the heater 183 in multiple sensing intervals rather than a single sensing interval in the subsequent sensing intervals se2 to se4, and determines the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 based on the amount of resistance change of the heater 183 in these multiple sensing intervals.

[0105] Figure 7 shows Figure 610 and Figure 620, which show the case where the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 is resolved by providing compensatory power to the heater 183 in the subsequent sensing sections se2 to se4 after the first sensing section se1, which is the initial stage of puffing, and where the depletion is not resolved.

[0106] The method for determining the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 is the same in the first sensing section se1 to the third sensing section se3 in Figures 610 and 620.

[0107] In Figures 610 and 620, the control unit 12 can control the power supply unit 11 in the first sensing interval se1 and supply reference power w1 to the heater 183. The resistance sensing unit 161 can sense the change in resistance of the heater 183 when the reference power w1 is supplied to the heater 183. With the reference power w1 supplied to the heater 183, the control unit 12 can determine the depletion of the aerosol-generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means 182 based on the change in resistance of the heater 183. If the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183 in the first sensing interval se1 is less than or equal to the reference change amount rf1, the control unit 12 can determine that the aerosol-generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means 182 has not been depleted. In this case, the unit time is the length of the first sensing interval se1, which is the first time t1. In other words, the control unit 12 can determine whether or not the liquid transfer means 182 is depleted by linearly approximating the resistance change amount and the reference change amount in the first sensing interval se1 and comparing them. The reference change amount rf1 means the resistance change amount of the heater 183 per unit time, and therefore the reference change amount rf1 can be called the reference rate of change and the reference gradient. For example, the reference change amount is set to 4 [Ω / sec], but is not limited to this. Therefore, in an embodiment in which the reference change amount rf1 is the reference gradient, the control unit 12 can determine that the aerosol-generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means 182 has not been depleted if the resistance change amount of the heater 183 per unit time is smaller than or equal to the reference gradient (provided that the reference gradient is a positive number). In Figures 610 and 620, the control unit 12 can determine that the liquid transmission means 182 has not been depleted because the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183 in the first sensing interval se1 is less than or equal to the reference gradient rf1.

[0108] If the control unit 12 determines that the liquid transmission means 182 was not depleted in the first sensing section se1, it can supply the reference power w1 to the heater 183 in the second sensing section se2, which is continuous with the first sensing section se1.

[0109] In the sensing intervals se2 to se4 following the first sensing interval se1, the control unit 12 does not determine the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 based solely on the change in resistance of the heater 183 in a single interval.

[0110] The control unit 12 can control the power supply unit 11 in the second sensing section se2, which is continuous with the first sensing section se1, and supply reference power w1 to the heater 183. The resistance sensing unit 161 can sense the resistance change of the heater 183 when the reference power w1 is supplied to the heater 183. The control unit 12 can obtain a first change amount, which is the amount of resistance change of the heater 183 per unit time, when the reference power w1 is supplied to the heater 183. In this case, the unit time is the length of the second sensing section se2, and means the difference between the second time t2 and the first time t1, and is the same as the first time t1. The first change amount means the amount of resistance change of the heater 183 per unit time, and therefore the first change amount can be called the first rate of change and the first gradient of change. That is, the control unit 12 can linearly approximate the first change amount in the second sensing section se2.

[0111] The control unit 12 can control the power supply unit 11 in the third sensing section se3, which is continuous with the second sensing section se2, and supply reference power w1 to the heater 183. The resistance sensing unit 161 can sense the resistance change of the heater 183 when the reference power w1 is supplied to the heater 183. The control unit 12 can obtain a second change amount, which is the amount of resistance change of the heater 183 per unit time, when the reference power w1 is supplied to the heater 183. In this case, the unit time is the length of the third sensing section se3, and means the difference between the third time t3 and the second time t2, which is the same as the first time t1. The second change amount means the amount of resistance change of the heater 183 per unit time, and therefore the second change amount can be called the second rate of change and the second gradient of change. That is, the control unit 12 can linearly approximate the second change amount in the third sensing section se3.

[0112] The control unit 12 can determine the depletion of aerosol-generating substances absorbed by the liquid transfer means 182 based on a first change amount, which is the change in resistance of the heater 183 per unit time in the second sensing interval se2, and a second change amount, which is the change in the heater 183 per unit time in the third sensing interval se3. If the second change amount is even greater than the first change amount, the control unit 12 can determine that the aerosol-generating substances absorbed by the liquid transfer means 182 have been depleted in the third sensing interval se3. In embodiments where the first and second change amounts are gradients, the control unit 12 can determine that the aerosol-generating substances absorbed by the liquid transfer means 182 have been depleted in the third sensing interval se3 if the second change gradient is even greater than the first change gradient. In other words, the control unit 12 can determine whether the aerosol-generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means 182 has been depleted by comparing the gradients of the linearly approximated first and second change amounts in each section (in this case, the linearly approximated first and second change amounts are positive numbers). In Figures 610 and 620, the control unit 12 can determine that the liquid transfer means 182 has been depleted in the third sensing section se3 because the change amount per unit time of the heater 183 in the third sensing section se3 is greater than the change amount per unit time of the heater 183 in the second sensing section se2.

[0113] On the other hand, although Figure 7 shows the second sensing interval se2 as an interval continuous with the first sensing interval se1, depending on the embodiment, the second sensing interval se2 may not be an interval continuous with the first sensing interval se1. In other words, the control unit 12 may determine the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 in the third sensing interval se3 and the fourth sensing interval se4. Alternatively, the control unit 12 may determine the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 in the first sensing interval se1 and the second sensing interval se2.

[0114] In Figures 610 and 620, if the control unit 12 determines that the aerosol-generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means 182 has been depleted in the current sensing section, it can control the power supply unit 11 in the compensation section adjacent to the current sensing section and supply a compensation power w2 lower than the reference power w1 to the heater 183. In Figure 7, the current sensing section is the third sensing section se3 in which the depletion of the liquid transfer means 182 is detected, and the compensation section is the fourth sensing section se4 in which a compensation power w2 lower than the reference power w1 is supplied to the heater 183.

[0115] In Figure 610, the control unit 12 can determine that the depletion of aerosol-generating material absorbed by the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved if the resistance of the heater 183 decreases in the fourth sensing interval se4 in accordance with the compensation power w2. The control unit 12 can determine whether the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved by monitoring the resistance of the heater 183 in real time in accordance with the compensation power w2, or by monitoring the amount of resistance change per unit time. In an embodiment in which the control unit 12 monitors the amount of resistance change per unit time, the control unit 12 can determine that the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved if the slope of the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183 in accordance with the compensation power w2 is negative. That is, the control unit 12 can linearly approximate the amount of resistance change in the compensation interval and determine whether the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved based on the sign of the slope of the linearly approximated amount of resistance change.

[0116] As in Figure 6, the compensation power w2 is selected within the range of 0.3 to 0.6 times the reference power w1 in order to distinguish between the depletion of the storage unit 181 and the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182.

[0117] As in Figure 6, when the control unit 12 determines that the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved in the fourth sensing section se4, which is a compensation section, it controls the power supply unit 11 in the sensing section adjacent to the compensation section and supplies the reference power w1 to the heater 183 again. In other words, when the control unit 12 determines that the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved in the fourth sensing section se4, which is a compensation section, it can control the power supply unit 11 in the fifth sensing section (not shown) adjacent to the fourth sensing section se4 and supply the reference power w1 to the heater 183.

[0118] Conversely to Figure 610, in Figure 620, even though the control unit 12 supplies a compensation power w2 smaller than the reference power w1 to the heater 183 in the fourth sensing interval se4, the resistance of the heater 183 may increase in accordance with the compensation power w2. If the resistance of the heater 183 increases in accordance with the compensation power w2 in the fourth sensing interval se4, the control unit 12 can determine that the storage unit 181 has been depleted, and that the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 cannot be resolved by power control. The control unit 12 can determine that the storage unit 181 has been depleted by monitoring the resistance of the heater 183 in accordance with the compensation power w2 in real time, or by monitoring the amount of resistance change per unit time. In an embodiment in which the control unit 12 monitors the amount of resistance change per unit time, the control unit 12 can determine that the storage unit 181 has been depleted if the gradient of the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183 in accordance with the compensation power w2 is a positive number. In other words, the control unit 12 can linearly approximate the resistance change amount in the compensation section and determine whether the storage unit 181 is depleted based on the sign of the gradient of the linearly approximated resistance change amount.

[0119] If the control unit 12 determines that the storage unit 181 has been depleted in the fourth sensing section se4, which is a compensation section, it controls the power supply unit 11 in the sensing section adjacent to the compensation section to cut off the power supplied to the heater 183, as in Figure 6. In other words, if the control unit 12 determines that the storage unit 181 has been depleted in the fourth sensing section se4, which is a compensation section, it can control the power supply unit 11 in the fifth sensing section (not shown) adjacent to the fourth sensing section se4 to cut off the power supplied to the heater 183.

[0120] On the other hand, if the control unit 12 determines that the storage unit 181 is depleted, it can control the output unit 16 to notify the user of the depleted state of the storage unit 181 visually, audibly, and tactilely.

[0121] On the other hand, if the control unit determines that the liquid transfer means 182 and / or storage unit 181 are depleted during the final section of one puff, it does not adjust the power supplied to the heater 183 because there are no further sensing sections, and repeats the method shown in Figures 6 and 7 for subsequent puffs.

[0122] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the depletion of the liquid transmission means in a first sensing interval according to one embodiment.

[0123] Referring to Figure 8, at S710, the puff sensing unit 162 can sense the user's puff.

[0124] The puff sensing unit 162 includes at least one of a pressure sensor, a flow sensor, an airflow sensor, and a microphone, and can transmit the puff sensing result to the control unit 12. The control unit 12 can determine in real time in each puff section whether the aerosol-generating substance absorbed by the liquid transmission means 182 has been depleted.

[0125] In step S720, the control unit 12 can control the power supply unit 11 and supply reference power to the heater 183.

[0126] The power supply unit 11 includes a battery 111 and a power conversion unit 112, and the control unit 12 can supply reference power to the heater 183 when puffing starts.

[0127] In S730, the resistance sensing unit 161 can sense the resistance change of the heater 183 in the first sensing interval.

[0128] The resistance sensing unit 161 can output the resistance value of the heater 183 in real time and transmit it to the control unit 12. The control unit 12 can monitor the resistance change of the heater 183 while supplying reference power to the heater 183. The control unit 12 divides one puff interval, including the time from the start of the puff to the time from the end of the puff, into multiple sensing intervals, and can monitor the resistance change of the heater 183 in the first sensing interval from the start of the puff to the first hour. The resistance change of the heater 183 is shown as the amount of resistance change of the heater 183 per unit time, and the control unit 12 can monitor the amount of resistance change of the heater 183 per unit time in real time in the first sensing interval. Depending on the embodiment, the amount of resistance change of the heater 183 per unit time may be displayed as a linearly approximated slope.

[0129] In S740, the control unit 12 can compare the reference change amount with the change in resistance per unit time of the heater 183.

[0130] The control unit 12 can compare the reference change amount with the resistance change amount of the heater 183 per unit time in the first sensing interval. In an embodiment where the reference change amount and the resistance change amount of the heater 183 per unit time are gradients, the control unit 12 can compare the reference gradient and the resistance gradient of the heater 183 with each other.

[0131] If the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183 in the first sensing interval se1 is less than or equal to the reference amount of change, the control unit 12 determines that the liquid transmission means 182 has not been depleted and continues to supply the reference power to the heater 183. In an embodiment where the reference amount of change and the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183 are gradients, if the resistance gradient of the heater 183 in the first sensing interval se1 is less than or equal to the reference gradient, the control unit 12 determines that the liquid transmission means 182 has not been depleted and continues to supply the reference power to the heater 183.

[0132] In S750, the control unit 12 can determine that the liquid transmission means 182 has been depleted if the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183 in the first sensing interval se1 is greater than the reference amount of change.

[0133] In an embodiment where the reference change amount and the resistance change amount per unit time of the heater 183 are gradients, the control unit 12 can determine that the liquid transmission means 182 has been depleted if the resistance gradient of the heater 183 is greater than the reference gradient in the first sensing section. If the liquid transmission means 182 is depleted, the power control method in the subsequent sensing section will be described later with reference to Figure 10.

[0134] On the other hand, in the initial stages of puffing, the present invention determines whether the liquid transfer means 182 is depleted based solely on the change in resistance of the heater 183 in the first sensing section, which is a single sensing section. This is because, in the first sensing section, which is the initial stage of puffing, there is no previous sensing section, and in the initial stages of heating, the need to prevent carbonization of the liquid transfer means 182 due to the rapid temperature rise is greater than in subsequent sensing sections.

[0135] Furthermore, when determining the depletion of the liquid transfer means 182 in the aerosol generating apparatus 1 of the present invention, the absolute values ​​are not compared with each other, but rather the gradients, which are the rate of change per unit time, are compared with each other. This is because, even in the initial state before heating, each heater 183 has a different resistance value due to manufacturing errors, and in this case, if the depletion of the liquid transfer means 182 is determined using the same absolute reference value, it is impossible to make an accurate determination of depletion.

[0136] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the depletion of the liquid transmission means in the second and third sensing sections according to one embodiment.

[0137] Referring to Figure 9, at S810, the control unit 12 controls the power supply unit 11 in the second sensing section and the third sensing section continuous with the second sensing section, and can supply reference power to the heater 183.

[0138] The sensing interval includes a first sensing interval and a plurality of subsequent sensing intervals following the first sensing interval, and the control unit 12 can determine the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 in the subsequent sensing intervals. The second and third sensing intervals do not necessarily have to be intervals that are continuous with the first sensing interval in Figure 8; depending on the embodiment, the second sensing interval may mean an interval that has elapsed for a predetermined time from the first sensing interval.

[0139] In S820, the control unit 12 can detect the resistance change of the heater 183 in both the second sensing section and the third sensing section.

[0140] The resistance sensing unit 161 can output the resistance value of the heater 183 in real time and transmit it to the control unit 12. The control unit 12 can monitor the resistance change of the heater 183 while supplying reference power to the heater 183. The control unit 12 can divide one puff interval, including the time from the start of the puff to the time from the end of the puff, into multiple sensing intervals. In one embodiment, the control unit 12 divides one puff interval into a first sensing interval from the start of the puff to the first hour and multiple sensing intervals following the first sensing interval, and the control unit 12 can monitor the resistance change of the heater 183 in the multiple subsequent sensing intervals. The resistance change of the heater 183 is shown as the amount of resistance change of the heater 183 per unit time, and the control unit 12 can monitor the amount of resistance change of the heater 183 per unit time in real time in the multiple subsequent sensing intervals. In one embodiment, the amount of resistance change of the heater 183 per unit time can be displayed as a linearly approximated slope.

[0141] The control unit 12 can obtain a first change amount, which is the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183 in the second sensing interval, and a second change amount, which is the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183 in the third sensing interval, from the resistance value of the heater 183 output by the resistance sensing unit 161.

[0142] In S830, the control unit 12 can compare the first change amount in the second sensing interval with the second change amount in the third sensing interval.

[0143] The control unit 12 stores the first change amount in the second sensing interval in the memory 14 and can compare the first change amount and the second change amount in the third sensing interval. In an embodiment where the first change amount and the second change amount are gradients, the control unit 12 can compare the first change gradient and the second gradient with each other.

[0144] If the second change is smaller than or equal to the first change, the control unit 12 determines that the liquid transmission means 182 has not been depleted and continues to supply reference power to the heater 183. In the embodiment where the first change and the second change are gradients, if the second change gradient is smaller than or equal to the first change gradient in the third sensing section, the control unit 12 determines that the liquid transmission means 182 has not been depleted and continues to supply reference power to the heater 183.

[0145] In S840, the control unit 12 can determine that the liquid transmission means 182 has been depleted if the second change amount is greater than the first change amount.

[0146] In an embodiment where the first change amount and the second change amount are gradients, the control unit 12 can determine that the liquid transmission means 182 has been depleted if the second change gradient is greater than the first change gradient in the third sensing section. If the liquid transmission means 182 is depleted, the power control method in the subsequent sensing section will be described later with reference to Figure 10.

[0147] On the other hand, in the section after the first sensing section, which is the initial stage of puffing, the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 is determined based on the amount of resistance change in multiple sensing sections. This is because, unlike the initial stage of puffing, in subsequent sensing sections, the resistance change is not abrupt due to the threshold resistance of the heater 183, and therefore, it is difficult to set a reference gradient to distinguish such a low gradient in subsequent sensing sections. Furthermore, since the resistance of the heater 183 is also variable in each section, it is difficult to efficiently manage the limited capacity of the memory 14 if a separate reference is set for each section.

[0148] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating a power control method and a method for determining depletion of the storage unit in one embodiment, based on the depletion of the liquid transmission means.

[0149] Referring to Figure 10, at S910, if the liquid transmission means 182 is depleted, the control unit 12 controls the power supply unit 11 in the compensation section and can supply a compensation power lower than the reference power to the heater 183.

[0150] The compensation interval refers to the interval after the sensing interval in which the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 was determined. In order to distinguish between the depletion of the storage unit 181 and the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182, the compensation power w2 can be selected within the range of 0.3 to 0.6 times the reference power w1.

[0151] In S920, the resistance sensing unit 161 can sense the resistance change of the heater 183 corresponding to the compensated power.

[0152] The resistance sensing unit 161 can output the resistance value of the heater 183 in real time and transmit it to the control unit 12. The control unit 12 can monitor the resistance change of the heater 183 while supplying compensation power to the heater 183. The resistance change is shown as the amount of resistance change per unit time, and the control unit 12 can monitor the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183 in real time during the compensation interval. Depending on the embodiment, the amount of resistance change of the heater 183 per unit time may be displayed as a gradient.

[0153] In S930, the control unit 12 can determine whether the resistance of the heater 183 decreases due to the supply of compensatory power.

[0154] The control unit 12 can determine whether the depletion of the liquid transfer means 182 has been resolved by monitoring the resistance of the heater 183 corresponding to the compensation power in real time, or by monitoring the amount of resistance change per unit time.

[0155] In S940, the control unit 12 can determine that the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved if the resistance of the heater 183 decreases in accordance with the compensation power.

[0156] In an embodiment in which the control unit 12 monitors the amount of resistance change per unit time, the control unit 12 can determine that the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved if the gradient of the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183 is negative in relation to the compensation power.

[0157] In S950, if the control unit 12 determines that the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved in the compensation section, it can control the power supply unit 11 in the sensing section adjacent to the compensation section and supply reference power to the heater 183 again.

[0158] If the control unit 12 determines that the depletion of the liquid transmission means 182 has been resolved in the compensation section, it repeatedly performs S910 while supplying reference power to the heater 183.

[0159] In S960, if the resistance of the heater 183 increases despite the control unit 12 supplying a compensation power smaller than the reference power to the heater 183 during the compensation section, it can determine that the aerosol-generating material stored in the storage unit 181 has been depleted.

[0160] In an embodiment in which the control unit 12 monitors the amount of resistance change per unit time, the control unit 12 can determine that the storage unit 181 has been depleted if the gradient of the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater 183 is a positive number in relation to the compensation power.

[0161] In S970, if the control unit 12 determines that the storage unit 181 has been depleted, it can control the power supply unit 11 and cut off the power supplied to the heater 183.

[0162] If the control unit 12 determines that the storage unit 181 is depleted, it will cut off the power supplied to the heater 183, even if it detects the user puffing, and will stop heating the heater 183 until a new cartridge 18 is inserted. Furthermore, if the control unit 12 determines that the storage unit 181 is depleted, it will control the output unit 16 to replace the cartridge and output the depleted status of the storage unit 181. The user can then insert a new cartridge 18 into the main unit 10 in response to the display of the depleted status of the storage unit 181.

[0163] On the other hand, the aerosol generating device 1 of the present invention can distinguish not only the depletion of the liquid transfer means 182 but also the depletion of the storage unit 181 through the change in the resistance of the heater 183, and notify the user of this. In particular, in the case of depletion of the storage unit 181, the depletion of the liquid transfer means 182 will not be resolved until the cartridge is replaced, so the present invention can more reliably prevent carbonization of the liquid transfer means 182 by distinguishing and notifying the user of the depletion of the storage unit 181 as well.

[0164] The embodiments of the present invention described above are not mutually exclusive or distinct from each other. The respective configurations or functions of the embodiments of the present invention described above may be used in combination or in combination with each other.

[0165] For example, it means that configuration A described in a particular embodiment and / or drawing can be combined with configuration B described in another embodiment and / or drawing. In other words, even if the combination of configurations is not directly described, it means that combination is possible unless it is stated that such combination is impossible.

[0166] The detailed description set forth herein should not be interpreted restrictively in any way, but should be considered illustrative. The scope of the invention shall be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the equivalent scope of the invention shall be included within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. In an aerosol generating device, Power supply unit, A cartridge comprising a storage unit for storing aerosol-generating material, a liquid transfer means for absorbing the aerosol-generating material, and a heater supplied with power from the power supply unit for heating the aerosol-generating material absorbed by the liquid transfer means, A resistance sensing unit that senses the resistance value of the heater which is varied by heating the heater, an aerosol generating apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the power supply unit and supplies reference power to the heater, and, while the reference power is supplied to the heater, determines the depletion of the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means based on a change in the resistance of the heater.

2. It further includes a puff sensing unit that senses the user's puff, The control unit, The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the depletion of the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means is determined in each puff section.

3. The control unit, The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a single puffing period including the start time of puffing and the end time of puffing is divided into multiple sensing periods, and the depletion of the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means is determined based on the change in the resistance of the heater in the first sensing period from the start time of puffing to the first hour.

4. The control unit, The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, in the first sensing interval, if the amount of change in the resistance of the heater per unit time is greater than a reference amount, it is determined that the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transmission means has been depleted.

5. The control unit, The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a single puffing period including the start time of puffing and the end time of puffing is divided into a first sensing period from the start time of puffing to the first hour, and a plurality of subsequent sensing periods thereafter, and the depletion of the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means is determined based on the change in the resistance of the heater in the plurality of subsequent sensing periods.

6. The plurality of subsequent sensing intervals include a second sensing interval and a third sensing interval that is continuous with the second sensing interval. The control unit, The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the depletion of the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means is determined based on a first change amount, which is the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater in the second sensing interval, and a second change amount, which is the amount of resistance change per unit time of the heater in the third sensing interval.

7. The control unit, The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein if the second change is even greater than the first change, it is determined that the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transmission means has been depleted in the third sensing interval.

8. The control unit, The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if it is determined that the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transfer means has been depleted in the current sensing section, the power supply unit is controlled in a compensation section continuous with the current sensing section, and a compensation power smaller than the reference power is provided to the heater.

9. The control unit, The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein if the resistance of the heater decreases in the compensation section in accordance with the compensation power, it is determined that the depletion of the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the liquid transmission means has been resolved, and the power supply unit is controlled in a sensing section continuous with the compensation section to supply the reference power to the heater.

10. The control unit, The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein if the resistance of the heater increases in the compensation section in accordance with the compensation power, it is determined that the aerosol generating material stored in the storage section has been depleted.

11. The control unit, The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when it is determined that the aerosol generating material stored in the storage unit has been depleted, the power supply unit is controlled in a sensing section continuous with the compensation section to cut off the power supplied to the heater.

12. The system further includes an output unit that outputs the status of the aerosol generating device, The control unit, The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when it is determined that the aerosol generating material stored in the storage unit has been depleted, the output unit is controlled to output the state of depletion of the aerosol generating material stored in the storage unit.

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