Aerosol generator and method for performing sensor calibration using the aerosol generator

Abstract

The aerosol generator and the method for performing sensor calibration with the aerosol generator provide a reference current for charging the capacitive sensor during the charging cycle of the capacitive sensor. When the capacitive sensor is fully charged from the discharge voltage to the charging voltage by the reference current, a counting value corresponding to the time it takes to fully charge the capacitive sensor is obtained. It is then determined whether the obtained counting value falls within a predetermined normal range, which includes a reference counting value indicating normality when no aerosol product is inserted. If it is determined that the obtained counting value falls outside the normal range, the level of the reference current provided to the capacitive sensor is adjusted to perform calibration for the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aerosol generating apparatus and a method for performing sensor calibration in an aerosol generating apparatus, and more particularly to performing sensor calibration for a capacitive sensor provided in an aerosol generating apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, there has been increasing demand for alternative methods to overcome the shortcomings of conventional cigarettes. For example, there is growing demand for systems that generate aerosols by heating an aerosol-generating substrate using an aerosol generator, rather than by burning cigarettes.

[0003] Such aerosol generators can be equipped with sensors for various purposes. For example, an aerosol generator may have a sensor that detects the insertion of aerosol products. In this case, the aerosol generator can activate various user-friendly functions that it can provide in conjunction with the sensor's output. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] If a sensor in an aerosol generator malfunctions, it can lead to malfunctions in the activation of various functions of the aerosol generator. This can result in users being unable to use the aerosol generator properly or experiencing inconvenience during use. Therefore, a method is required to detect sensor malfunctions in the aerosol generator and ensure its normal operation.

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

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve is to provide a method for ensuring the sensitivity or accuracy of a sensor by performing sensor calibration on a capacitive sensor provided in an aerosol generating device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one embodiment, a method for performing sensor calibration in an aerosol generating device includes the steps of: providing a reference current for charging the capacitive sensor in a charging cycle of the capacitive sensor; obtaining a counting value corresponding to the time it takes to fully charge the capacitive sensor when the capacitive sensor is fully charged from the discharge voltage to the charging voltage by the reference current; determining whether the obtained counting value is within a predetermined normal range, including a reference counting value that indicates normality when no aerosol product is inserted; and, if it is determined that the obtained counting value is outside the normal range, performing calibration for the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor by adjusting the level of the reference current provided to the capacitive sensor.

[0008] In other aspects, the aerosol generator includes a capacitive sensor that is fully charged from a discharge voltage to a charge voltage during a charging cycle using a reference current provided from a current source; and a control unit that controls the operation of the aerosol generator, the control unit which, when fully charged, obtains a counting value corresponding to the time it takes to fully charge the capacitive sensor, determines whether the obtained counting value is within a predetermined normal range including a reference counting value that indicates normal when no aerosol product is inserted, and, if the obtained counting value is determined to be outside the normal range, performs calibration of the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor by adjusting the level of the reference current provided to the capacitive sensor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, if an error in the capacitive sensor is detected due to aerosol condensation, environmental influences such as temperature / humidity, the sensitivity or accuracy of the capacitive sensor can be guaranteed through sensor calibration, thereby maintaining the normal operation of the aerosol generator. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram of an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a drawing showing an aerosol generating apparatus according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a drawing showing an aerosol generating apparatus according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a drawing showing an aerosol generating apparatus according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view of a heater assembly illustrating the arrangement of an inductor and a capacitor according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating a single-piece inductor and capacitor. [Figure 7] This is an internal block diagram of a control unit according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a diagram illustrating a method for obtaining a first monitoring value corresponding to a change in inductance according to one embodiment. [Figure 9] This diagram illustrates the method for determining the frequency change shown in Figure 8. [Figure 10] This diagram illustrates a method for obtaining a second monitoring value corresponding to a change in capacitance according to one embodiment. [Figure 11] This diagram illustrates how to determine the change in the full charging time shown in Figure 10. [Figure 12] This is a diagram illustrating how to obtain a counting value indicating the capacitance of the capacitor section according to one embodiment. [Figure 13]This is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the counting value and the full charging time according to one embodiment. [Figure 14] This diagram illustrates a method for determining whether or not an aerosol product has been inserted using a counting value that shows a change in capacitance, according to one embodiment. [Figure 15] This is a diagram illustrating a method for setting a reference current IDACset provided for charging the capacitor section according to one embodiment. [Figure 16] This is a diagram illustrating a method for monitoring the sensitivity error of a capacitor section according to one embodiment. [Figure 17] This is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling the operation of the sensor unit according to one embodiment. [Figure 18] This flowchart provides a more detailed explanation of a method for performing sensor calibration according to one embodiment. [Figure 19] This is a diagram illustrating a method for performing sensor calibration for a capacitive sensor according to one embodiment. [Figure 20] This diagram illustrates a case in which the power supply unit is equipped with multiple current sources IDAC1 and IDAC2 according to another embodiment. [Figure 21] This is a flowchart illustrating the operation method of an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] According to one embodiment, a method for performing sensor calibration in an aerosol generating device includes the steps of: providing a reference current for charging the capacitive sensor in a charging cycle of the capacitive sensor; obtaining a counting value corresponding to the time it takes to fully charge the capacitive sensor when the capacitive sensor is fully charged from the discharge voltage to the charging voltage by the reference current; determining whether the obtained counting value is within a predetermined normal range, including a reference counting value that indicates normality when no aerosol product is inserted; and, if it is determined that the obtained counting value is outside the normal range, performing calibration for the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor by adjusting the level of the reference current provided to the capacitive sensor.

[0012] Furthermore, the step performed involves adjusting the level of the reference current provided from the current source so that the acquired counting value falls within the normal range.

[0013] Furthermore, the normal range includes an upper threshold and a lower threshold, the upper threshold is set to a value that is a predetermined ratio larger than the reference counting value, and the lower threshold is set to a value that is a predetermined ratio smaller than the reference counting value.

[0014] Furthermore, the upper threshold value is set to a value smaller than the counting value threshold for determining whether the aerosol product has been inserted.

[0015] Furthermore, in the step described above, if the acquired counting value exceeds the upper threshold, the calibration is performed by controlling the current source so that the level of the reference current increases in order to reduce the counting value.

[0016] Furthermore, the step performed involves, if the acquired counting value is less than the lower threshold, controlling the current source so that the level of the reference current decreases in order to increase the counting value, thereby performing the calibration.

[0017] Furthermore, the reference counting value is initially set to half the maximum counting value that can be provided by the capacitive sensor.

[0018] Furthermore, the above-mentioned step involves performing the calibration by gradually adjusting the level of the reference current, thereby gradually updating the reference counting value and the normal range.

[0019] Furthermore, in the step described above, if the reference current is provided using a single current source, the calibration is performed by adjusting the counting value to be proportional or inversely proportional to the effect of adjusting the current level output from the single current source.

[0020] Furthermore, in the steps described above, when the reference current is provided using the first current source and the second current source, the calibration is performed by adjusting the counting value to be proportional or inversely proportional to the gain based on the first current level adjusted by the first current source, and by adjusting the counting value to the extent of the offset based on the second current level adjusted by the second current source.

[0021] In other aspects, the aerosol generator includes a capacitive sensor that is fully charged from a discharge voltage to a charge voltage during a charging cycle using a reference current provided from a current source; and a control unit that controls the operation of the aerosol generator, the control unit which, when fully charged, obtains a counting value corresponding to the time it takes to fully charge the capacitive sensor, determines whether the obtained counting value is within a predetermined normal range including a reference counting value that indicates normal when no aerosol product is inserted, and, if the obtained counting value is determined to be outside the normal range, performs calibration of the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor by adjusting the level of the reference current provided to the capacitive sensor.

[0022] Furthermore, the control unit adjusts the level of the reference current provided from the current source so that the acquired counting value falls within the normal range.

[0023] Furthermore, the normal range includes an upper threshold and a lower threshold, the upper threshold is set to a value that is a predetermined ratio larger than the reference counting value, and the lower threshold is set to a value that is a predetermined ratio smaller than the reference counting value.

[0024] Furthermore, if the acquired counting value exceeds the upper threshold, the control unit controls the current source to increase the level of the reference current in order to decrease the counting value, and if the acquired counting value is less than the lower threshold, the control unit controls the current source to decrease the level of the reference current in order to increase the counting value.

[0025] Furthermore, if the current source is a single current source, the control unit performs the calibration by adjusting the counting value to be proportional or inversely proportional to the effect of adjusting the current level output from the single current source. If the current source is a dual current source including a first current source and a second current source, the control unit performs the calibration by adjusting the counting value to be proportional or inversely proportional to the gain based on the first current level adjusted by the first current source, and by adjusting the counting value to the extent of the offset based on the second current level adjusted by the second current source.

[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. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components.

[0027] The suffixes "module" and "part" used in the following description for components are added or used interchangeably solely for the sake of ease of specification preparation and do not have a distinct meaning or role on their own. On the other hand, the suffixes "module" or "part" include units embodied by hardware, software, or firmware and can be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A "module" or "part" is the smallest unit or part of a component that is configured as a whole or performs one or more functions. For example, a "module" or "part" can be embodied in the form of an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).

[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] Embodiments of the present invention are embodied by software comprising one or more instruction words stored on a storage medium (e.g., memory 17) readable by a machine (e.g., aerosol generator 1). For example, the processor (e.g., control unit 12) of the machine (e.g., aerosol generator 1) can invoke and execute at least one instruction from the one or more instruction words stored on the storage medium. This enables the machine to be operated to perform at least one function by the invoked at least one instruction word. The one or more instruction words include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The storage medium readable by the machine may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, "non-transitory" simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently and cases where it is stored temporarily on the storage medium.

[0033] In this invention, the direction of the aerosol generator 1 can be defined with reference to a Cartesian coordinate system. In the Cartesian coordinate system, the x-axis direction is defined as the left-right direction of the aerosol generator 1. The y-axis direction is defined as the front-back direction of the aerosol generator 1. The z-axis direction is defined as the up-down direction of the aerosol generator 1.

[0034] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an aerosol generating device 1 according to one embodiment.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the aerosol generator 1 includes a power supply 11, a control unit 12, a sensor unit 13, an output unit 14, an input unit 15, a communication unit 16, a memory 17, and / or heaters 18, 24. However, a person with ordinary skill in the art according to this embodiment will understand that some of the components shown in Figure 1 may be omitted or new components may be added depending on the design of the aerosol generator 1.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the sensor unit 13 can sense the state of the aerosol generator 1 or the state of the area around the aerosol generator 1 and transmit the sensed information to the control unit 12. For example, the sensor unit 13 includes a temperature sensor, a puff sensor, an insertion sensor, a reuse sensor, an overly moist sensor, a cigarette identification sensor, a cartridge sensor, a cap sensor, and / or a motion sensor. On the other hand, the sensor unit 13 may further include a variety of sensors, such as a liquid level sensor for sensing the liquid level remaining in the cartridge and a water ingress sensor for sensing water ingress into the aerosol generator 1.

[0037] According to one embodiment, the temperature sensor can sense the temperature at which the heaters 18 and 24 are heated. The aerosol generator 1 may include a separate temperature sensor that senses the temperature of the heaters 18 and 24, or the heaters 18 and 24 themselves may act as temperature sensors. As an example, the temperature sensor is used to measure the impedance to the heater 18. The impedance to the heater 18 may correlate with the temperature of the heater 18. The temperature sensor can measure the current and / or voltage applied to the heater 18 (or induction coil). Based on the measured current and / or voltage, the impedance to the heater 18 is calculated. The control unit 12 can estimate the temperature of the heater 18 based on the calculated impedance.

[0038] For example, the temperature sensor includes a resistive element (e.g., a thermistor) whose resistance changes in response to temperature changes in the heaters 18 and 24. The temperature sensor outputs a signal corresponding to the resistance value of the resistive element, and the control unit 12 can detect the temperature and / or temperature changes of the heaters 18 and 24 based on the signal corresponding to the resistance value.

[0039] As another example, the temperature sensor includes a sensor that detects the resistance values ​​of heaters 18 and 24. The temperature sensor outputs a signal corresponding to the resistance values ​​of heaters 18 and 24, and the control unit 12 can detect the temperature and / or temperature change of heaters 18 and 24 based on the signal corresponding to the resistance values.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the temperature sensor can sense the temperature of the power supply 11. The temperature sensor is positioned adjacent to the power supply 11. For example, the temperature sensor is attached to one surface of the power supply 11 (e.g., a battery) and / or mounted on one surface of a printed circuit board. As an example, the aerosol generator 1 includes a power protection circuit module (PCM), and the temperature sensor may be positioned adjacent to the power supply 11 together with the power protection circuit.

[0041] According to one embodiment, the temperature sensor is placed inside the housing (not shown) of the aerosol generator 1 and can also sense the temperature inside the housing (not shown).

[0042] According to one embodiment, the puff sensor can detect the user's puff.

[0043] As an example, the puff sensor includes a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor outputs a signal corresponding to the internal pressure of the aerosol generator 1, and the control unit 12 can detect the user's puff based on the signal corresponding to the internal pressure. Here, the internal pressure of the aerosol generator 1 corresponds to the pressure of the airflow path through which the gas flows. The puff sensor may be positioned in the aerosol generator 1 corresponding to the airflow path through which the gas flows.

[0044] Another example is the puff sensor, which includes a temperature sensor. When a user puff occurs, a temporary temperature drop may occur in the airflow path, the space into which the aerosol product is inserted (hereinafter referred to as the insertion space), heaters 18 and 24, etc. The control unit 12 can detect the user puff based on the temperature-corresponding signal from the temperature sensor for the airflow path, etc.

[0045] As yet another example, the puff sensor may include both a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor. In this case, the temperature sensor may measure a temperature used to calibrate the internal pressure measured by the pressure sensor. For example, the puff sensor may calibrate a signal corresponding to the internal pressure based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor and output the calibrated signal. As yet another example, the puff sensor may output a signal corresponding to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor and a signal corresponding to the internal pressure measured by the puff sensor. In this case, the control unit 12 may receive the signals and calibrate the signal corresponding to the internal pressure based on the signal corresponding to the temperature.

[0046] As yet another example, the puff sensor includes a capacitance sensor. In this invention, the capacitance sensor is also referred to as a cap sensor or capacitive sensor. When a user puff occurs, a temperature change and / or aerosol flow occurs within the insertion space of the aerosol product, which can change the dielectric constant inside the insertion space. The control unit 12 can detect the user puff based on a signal corresponding to the dielectric constant inside the insertion space output from the capacitance sensor.

[0047] The puff sensor is not limited to the examples given above and can be implemented using a variety of sensors to detect the user's puff.

[0048] According to one embodiment, the insertion sensing sensor can detect the insertion and / or removal of an aerosol product. The insertion sensing sensor may be installed around the insertion space.

[0049] As an example, the insertion sensing sensor includes a capacitance sensor. The capacitance sensor includes at least one conductor, which may be positioned adjacent to the insertion space. When aerosol products are inserted into / removed from the insertion space, the dielectric constant around the conductor may change. The control unit 12 can detect the insertion and / or removal of aerosol products based on a signal output from the capacitance sensor that corresponds to the dielectric constant inside the insertion space.

[0050] As another example, insertion sensing sensors include inductive sensors. An inductive sensor includes at least one coil, which may be positioned adjacent to the insertion space. If the aerosol product (e.g., the wrapper of the aerosol product) contains a conductor, a change in the magnetic field may occur around the coil through which the current flows when the aerosol product is inserted into / out of the insertion space. The control unit 12 can sense the insertion and / or removal of the aerosol product containing a conductor based on the characteristics of the current output from or sensed by the inductive sensor (e.g., frequency, current value, voltage value, inductance value, impedance value, etc. of the AC current). Alternatively, the aerosol product (e.g., the medium portion of the aerosol product) may include a susceptor (SUS), etc. In this case as well, a change in the magnetic field occurs around the coil based on the insertion or removal of a susceptor or the like in the insertion space, and the control unit 12 can also sense the insertion and / or removal of aerosol products based on the current characteristics of the inductive sensor.

[0051] The insertion sensing sensor is not limited to the examples described above and can be embodied by a variety of sensors (e.g., proximity sensors) for sensing the insertion and / or removal of aerosol products. The insertion sensing sensor may also include any combination of the examples described above. According to one embodiment, the insertion sensing sensor may include a switch for sensing pressure by the aerosol product.

[0052] According to one embodiment, the reuse detection sensor can detect whether an aerosol product has been reused. As an example, the reuse detection sensor is a color sensor for detecting the hue of an aerosol product. When an aerosol product is used by a user, the generated aerosol or heating may cause a change in the hue of a portion of the flaps surrounding the aerosol product. The color sensor can output a signal corresponding to the optical characteristics (e.g., wavelength of light) of the flaps based on the light reflected from the flaps. If a change in the hue of a portion of the flaps is detected, the control unit 12 can determine that the aerosol product inserted into the insertion space has already been used.

[0053] According to one embodiment, the over-humidity sensing sensor can sense whether or not the aerosol product is in an over-humid state. For example, the over-humidity sensing sensor includes a capacitance sensor. The capacitance sensor includes at least one conductor positioned adjacent to the insertion space. The control unit 12 can detect whether or not the aerosol product is in an over-humid state based on the level of a signal corresponding to the dielectric constant output from the capacitance sensor. As an example, the control unit 12 can check the level range that includes the level of the signal based on a lookup table and determine the amount of moisture in the aerosol product based on the checked level range.

[0054] According to one embodiment, the cigarette identification sensor can sense whether or not the aerosol product is genuine, and / or the type of aerosol product.

[0055] As an example, a cigarette identification sensor includes an optical sensor for sensing an identification substance (or identification mark) located on the outer surface (e.g., the flaps) of an aerosol product. The optical sensor can irradiate light onto the identification substance (or identification mark) of the aerosol product and, based on the reflected light, can sense whether or not the aerosol product is genuine and / or its type. For example, the identification substance may include a substance that emits light of a specific wavelength range based on the irradiated light. The control unit 12 can detect whether or not the aerosol product is genuine and / or its type based on the wavelength range.

[0056] Another example is a cigarette identification sensor, which includes a capacitance sensor. Depending on the type of aerosol product inserted into the insertion space, the dielectric constant inside the insertion space may differ from one another. The control unit 12 can detect whether the aerosol product is genuine and / or of the type based on a signal corresponding to the dielectric constant inside the insertion space output from the capacitance sensor.

[0057] As yet another example, a cigarette identification sensor includes an inductive sensor. If the hood and / or interior (e.g., the medium portion) of the aerosol product inserted into the insertion space contains a conductor, the characteristics of the current sensed by the inductive sensor when the aerosol product is inserted into the insertion space (e.g., frequency of AC current, current value, voltage value, inductance value, impedance value, etc.) may differ from one another depending on the type of aerosol product inserted into the insertion space. The control unit 12 can detect whether the inserted aerosol product is genuine and / or of the type based on the characteristics of the current output from or sensed by the inductive sensor.

[0058] The cigarette identification sensor is not limited to the examples given above and can be embodied by a variety of sensors for sensing whether an aerosol product is genuine or not, and / or for sensing the type of aerosol product. Furthermore, the cigarette identification sensor may include any combination of the examples given above.

[0059] According to one embodiment, the cartridge sensing sensor can detect the insertion and / or removal of a cartridge. For example, the cartridge sensing sensor includes an inductive sensor, a capacitance sensor, a resistance sensor, a Hall sensor (Hall IC), and / or an optical sensor.

[0060] According to one embodiment, a cap sensing sensor can sense the attachment and / or removal of a cap. For example, the cap sensing sensor includes an inductive sensor, a capacitance sensor, a resistance sensor, a contact sensor, a Hall sensor (Hall IC), and / or an optical sensor. The cap may include a structure that covers at least a portion of a cartridge attached to or inserted into the aerosol generator 1, or that covers at least a portion of the housing of the aerosol generator 1. The cap sensing sensor outputs a signal corresponding to the attachment or removal when the cap is attached to / from the housing, and the control unit 12 can sense the attachment or removal of the cap based on the signal corresponding to the attachment or removal.

[0061] According to one embodiment, the motion sensing sensor can sense the movement of the aerosol generator 1. The motion sensing sensor is embodied by at least one of an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the sensor unit 13 may further include at least one of the following sensors in addition to the aforementioned sensors: a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, or a proximity sensor. The function of each sensor can be intuitively inferred by an ordinary engineer from its name, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the output unit 14 can output information relating to the state of the aerosol generator 1. The output unit 14 includes, but is not limited to, a display, a haptic unit, and / or an acoustic output unit. For example, information relating to the aerosol generator 1 includes the charging / discharging state of the power supply 11 of the aerosol generator 1, the preheating state of the heaters 18 and 24, the insertion / removal state of the aerosol product and / or cartridge, the attachment and / or removal state of the cap, or a state in which the use of the aerosol generator 1 is restricted (e.g., detection of abnormal items). The display can visually provide the user with information relating to the state of the aerosol generator 1. For example, the display includes an LED (light-emitting diode) light-emitting element, a liquid crystal display panel (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), and the like. If the display includes a touchpad, it is also used as an input unit 15. The haptic unit can tactilely provide the user with information relating to the state of the aerosol generator 1. For example, the haptic section includes a vibration motor, a piezoelectric element, an electrical stimulator, etc. The acoustic output section can provide the user with information related to the aerosol generator 1 audibly. For example, the acoustic output section can convert electrical signals into acoustic signals and output them externally.

[0064] According to one embodiment, the power supply 11 can supply power for the operation of the aerosol generator 1. The power supply 11 may include one or more batteries. The power supply 11 can supply power so that the heaters 18 and 24 are heated. The power supply 11 can also supply power necessary for the operation of other components included in the aerosol generator 1, such as the control unit 12, sensor unit 13, output unit 14, input unit 15, communication unit 16, and memory 17. The power supply 11 may be a rechargeable battery or a disposable battery. For example, the power supply 11 is a lithium polymer (LiPoly) battery, but is not limited to this. The power supply 11 is also a replaceable type (detachable) battery (hereinafter referred to as a removable battery). The removable battery may be installed in a battery housing provided in the aerosol generator 1, or it may be removed from the battery housing. The removable battery is rechargeable by wire and / or wirelessly.

[0065] According to one embodiment, heaters 18 and 24 are powered by a power source 11 and can heat the aerosol product and / or the medium and / or aerosol generating substance in the cartridge. The aerosol generating apparatus 1 may include a heater 18 for heating the aerosol product and / or a cartridge heater 24 for heating the cartridge (i.e., solid and / or liquid medium).

[0066] According to one embodiment, heaters 18 and 24 are also electrical resistive heaters. For example, electrical resistive heaters include electrical resistive materials such as metals or metal alloys, including titanium, zirconium, tantalum, platinum, nickel, cobalt, chromium, hafnium, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, tin, gallium, manganese, iron, copper, stainless steel, and nichrome. Electrical resistive heaters are embodied by metal heating wires, metal heating plates on which conductive tracks are arranged, ceramic heating elements, and the like.

[0067] According to one embodiment, heaters 18 and 24 are also induction heaters. For example, an induction heater may include a susceptor that generates heat due to a magnetic field. An alternating current flowing through the induction coil generates a magnetic field from the induction coil. The generated magnetic field penetrates the heater, generating eddy currents in the susceptor. Based on the generation of eddy currents, the susceptor is heated. According to one embodiment, the susceptor may be contained inside the aerosol product (e.g., in the medium). In this case as well, the susceptor contained inside the aerosol product can be heated by the induction coil.

[0068] Heaters 18 and 24 include, or can be replaced by, a variety of heating methods, structures, components, etc., for heating aerosol products and / or cartridges, but are not limited to the examples given above.

[0069] According to one embodiment, the input unit 15 can receive information entered by the user. For example, the input unit 15 includes a touch panel, buttons, a keypad, a dome switch, a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

[0070] According to one embodiment, the memory 17 is hardware that stores various data processed within the aerosol generator 1, and can store data processed by the control unit 12 and data being processed. For example, the memory 17 includes at least one type of recording medium from among flash memory type, hard disk type, multimedia card micro type, card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory), RAM (random access memory), SRAM (static random access memory), ROM (read-only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), PROM (programmable read-only memory), magnetic memory, magnetic disk, and optical disk. For example, the memory 17 can store data such as the operating time of the aerosol generator 1, the maximum number of puffs, the current number of puffs, at least one temperature profile, and the user's smoking pattern.

[0071] According to one embodiment, the communication unit 16 includes at least one component for communication with other electronic devices (e.g., portable electronic devices). For example, the communication unit 16 includes a Bluetooth communication unit, a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication unit, a Near Field Communication unit, a WLAN (wireless local area network) communication unit, a ZigBee communication unit, an infrared (infrared Data Association: IrDA) communication unit, a WFD (Wireless Fidelity Direct) communication unit, an UWB (ultra-wideband) communication unit, an Ant (Adaptive Network Topology)+ communication unit, a cellular network communication unit, an Internet communication unit, a computer network (e.g., LAN or WAN) communication unit, and the like.

[0072] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the overall operation of the aerosol generator 1. For example, the control unit 12 includes at least one processor. The control unit 12 may be implemented by an array of numerous logic gates, or by a combination of a general-purpose MCU (microcontroller unit) (or microprocessor) and a memory in which a program executable by the MCU is stored. It can also be understood by a person with ordinary skill in the art to which this embodiment belongs that it may be implemented by other forms of hardware.

[0073] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the temperature of heaters 18 and 24 by controlling the supply of power from the power supply 11 to the heaters 18 and 24. The control unit 12 can control the temperature of heaters 18 and 24 and / or the power supplied to heaters 18 and 24 based on the temperature of heaters 18 and 24 sensed using a temperature sensor (e.g., sensor unit 13). The control unit 12 can control the temperature of heaters 18 and 24 and / or the power supplied to heaters 18 and 24 based on a temperature profile and / or power profile stored in memory 17.

[0074] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the power (e.g., voltage and / or current) supplied to the heaters 18 and 24 by controlling a power conversion circuit (not shown) electrically connected to the heaters 18 and 24 and the power supply 11. For example, the power conversion circuit includes a DC / DC converter (e.g., a buck converter, buck-boost converter, boost converter, Zener diode, etc.) that converts power to be supplied to the heaters 18 and 24, and a DC / AC converter (e.g., an inverter) that converts power to be supplied to an induction coil (not shown). The DC / AC converter is embodied by a full-bridge circuit or a half-bridge circuit that includes a plurality of switching elements. For example, the power conversion circuit may include at least one switching element, such as a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) or a field-effect transistor (FET).

[0075] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can adjust the frequency and / or duty cycle of a current pulse input to at least one switching element of a power conversion circuit (not shown) to adjust the current and / or voltage supplied to the heaters 18 and 24. The duty cycle for the on / off operation of the switching element corresponds to the ratio of the output voltage of the power conversion circuit to the output voltage of the power supply 11.

[0076] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the power supplied to the heaters 18 and 24 using at least one of the following methods: pulse width modulation (PWM) and proportional-integral-differential (PID). For example, the control unit 12 can use the PWM method to control the supply of current pulses having a predetermined frequency and duty cycle to the heaters 18 and 24. The control unit 12 can adjust the frequency and duty cycle of the current pulses to control the power supplied to the heaters 18 and 24. For example, the control unit 12 can determine a target temperature for control based on a temperature profile. The control unit 12 can control the power supplied to the heaters 18 and 24 using the PID method, which is a feedback control method that uses the difference between the temperature of the heaters 18 and 24 and the target temperature, the integral of the difference over time, and the derivative of the difference over time.

[0077] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can determine a target power for control based on the power profile. The control unit 12 can also control the power supplied to the heaters 18 and 24 to correspond to a predetermined target power over time.

[0078] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can detect a user's puff by sensing the power supplied to the heaters 18 and 24. More specifically, the control unit 12 can control the power supplied to the heaters 18 and 24 using a PID method. When a user's puff occurs, a temporary temperature drop may occur in the space into which the aerosol product is inserted (hereinafter referred to as the insertion space), the heaters 18 and 24, etc. This can cause a change in the power (or current) supplied to the heaters 18 and 24 during the PID power control. The control unit 12 can detect a user's puff based on the change in the controlled power.

[0079] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can prevent the heaters 18 and 24 from overheating. For example, the control unit 12 can control the operation of the power conversion circuit to reduce the amount of power supplied to the heaters 18 and 24 or to interrupt the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24 based on the temperature of the heaters 18 and 24 exceeding a predetermined limit temperature.

[0080] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the charging and discharging of the power supply 11. For example, the control unit 12 can check the temperature of the power supply 11 using a temperature sensor (e.g., sensor unit 13). If the temperature of the power supply 11 is above a first limit temperature, the control unit 12 can cut off charging of the power supply 11. If the temperature of the power supply 11 is above a second limit temperature, the control unit 12 can interrupt the use (e.g., discharge) of the power stored in the power supply 11. The control unit 12 can calculate the remaining capacity of the power stored in the power supply 11. For example, the control unit 12 can calculate the remaining capacity of the power supply 11 based on the voltage and / or current sensing values ​​of the power supply 11.

[0081] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24 based on the results sensed by the sensor unit 13.

[0082] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24 based on the insertion and / or removal of aerosol products into and from the insertion space. For example, if the control unit 12 determines, using an insertion sensing sensor (e.g., sensor unit 13), that aerosol products have been inserted into the insertion space, it can control the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24. If the control unit 12 determines, using an insertion sensing sensor (e.g., sensor unit 13), that aerosol products have been removed from the insertion space, it can cut off the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24. The control unit 12 can also determine that aerosol products have been removed from the insertion space if the temperature of the heaters 18 and 24 is above a limit temperature or if the temperature change gradient of the heaters 18 and 24 is above a set gradient.

[0083] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the power supply time and / or power supply amount to the heaters 18 and 24 based on the state of the aerosol product. For example, if the control unit 12 determines that the aerosol product is in an over-humid state using an over-humidity sensing sensor (e.g., sensor unit 13), it can increase the power supply time (e.g., preheating time) to the heaters 18 and 24.

[0084] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24 based on whether the aerosol product is reused. For example, if the control unit 12 determines that the aerosol product has been used, it can cut off the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24.

[0085] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24 based on the coupling and / or removal of the cartridge. For example, if the control unit 12 determines, using a cartridge sensing sensor (e.g., sensor unit 13), that the cartridge is separated, it can interrupt the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24 or control the system so that no power is supplied to the heaters 18 and 24.

[0086] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24 based on whether or not the aerosol-generating material in the cartridge has been exhausted. For example, if the control unit 12 determines that the temperature of the heaters 18 and 24 exceeds a limit temperature during preheating (i.e., in the preheating section), it can determine that the aerosol-generating material in the cartridge has been exhausted. If it determines that the aerosol-generating material in the cartridge has been exhausted, the control unit 12 can cut off the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24.

[0087] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24 based on whether or not the cartridge can be used. For example, based on the data stored in the memory 17, the control unit 12 can determine that the cartridge cannot be used if it determines that the current number of puffs is equal to or greater than the maximum number of puffs set for the cartridge. Alternatively, the control unit 12 can determine that the cartridge cannot be used if the total time the heaters 18 and 24 have been heated is equal to or greater than a predetermined maximum time, or if the total amount of power supplied to the heaters 18 and 24 is equal to or greater than a predetermined maximum amount of power. In this case, the control unit 12 can interrupt the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24, or control the system so that power is not supplied to the heaters 18 and 24.

[0088] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24 based on the user's puffs. For example, the control unit 12 can use a puff sensor (e.g., sensor unit 13) to determine whether a puff has occurred and / or the intensity of the puff. The control unit 12 can cut off the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24 if the number of puffs reaches a predetermined maximum number of puffs and / or if no puffs are detected for a predetermined time or longer. The control unit 12 can also control the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24 when a puff is detected.

[0089] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24 based on whether the aerosol product (or cartridge) is genuine and / or its type. For example, the control unit 12 can use a cigarette identification sensor (e.g., sensor unit 13) to detect whether the aerosol product is genuine and / or its type. As an example, if the control unit 12 detects that the aerosol product (or cartridge) is counterfeit, it can cut off the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24. If the control unit 12 detects that the aerosol product (or cartridge) is genuine, it can control (e.g., start) the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24. As another example, the control unit 12 can control the power supply to the heaters 18 and 24 differently depending on the type of aerosol product (or cartridge). More specifically, the control unit 12 can control the temperature and / or power of the heaters 18 and 24 based on the first temperature profile (or first power profile) if it detects that the aerosol product (or cartridge) is the first aerosol product (or first cartridge), and can control the temperature and / or power of the heaters 18 and 24 based on the second temperature profile (or second power profile) if it detects that the aerosol product (or second cartridge).

[0090] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the output unit 14 based on the results sensed by the sensor unit 13. For example, the control unit 12 can control the output unit 14 to provide visual, tactile, and / or auditory information that the aerosol generator 1 will immediately terminate when the number of puffs counted using the puff sensor (e.g., the sensor unit 13) reaches a predetermined number. For example, the control unit 12 can also control the output unit 14 to provide visual, tactile, and / or auditory information regarding the temperature of the heaters 18 and 24.

[0091] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can save and update a history of events in the memory 17 based on the occurrence of a predetermined event. For example, events include operations performed by the aerosol generator 1, such as sensing the insertion of an aerosol product, starting the heating of the aerosol product, detecting puffing, ending the puffing, detecting overheating of heaters 18 and 24, detecting the application of overvoltage to heaters 18 and 24, ending the heating of the aerosol product, turning the power of the aerosol generator 1 on / off, starting charging of the power supply 11, detecting overcharging of the power supply 11, and ending charging of the power supply 11. For example, the history of an event includes the date and time the event occurred, log data corresponding to the event, etc. For example, if a predetermined event is the sensing of the insertion of an aerosol product, the log data corresponding to the event includes data such as the sensing value of the insertion sensing sensor (e.g., sensor unit 13). For example, if a predetermined event is the detection of overheating in heaters 18 and 24, the log data corresponding to the event will include data on the temperature of heaters 18 and 24, the voltage applied to heaters 18 and 24, and the current flowing through heaters 18 and 24.

[0092] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can control the communication unit 16 to form a communication link with an external device such as a user's mobile terminal.

[0093] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can release the restriction on the use of at least one function (e.g., heating function) of the aerosol generator 1 if authentication data is received from an external device via a communication link. For example, the authentication data may include the user's date of birth, a unique number identifying the user, and whether the user's authentication is complete.

[0094] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can transmit data regarding the state of the aerosol generator 1 (for example, the remaining capacity of the power supply 11, the operating mode, etc.) to an external device via a communication link. The transmitted data is output through a display or the like on the external device.

[0095] According to one embodiment, when the control unit 12 receives a request from an external device to locate the aerosol generator 1 via a communication link, it can control the output unit 14 to perform an operation corresponding to the location search. For example, the control unit 12 can control the haptic unit to generate vibrations, or control the display to output an object corresponding to the location search and the completion of the search.

[0096] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can perform a firmware update when it receives firmware data from an external device via a communication link.

[0097] According to one embodiment, the control unit 12 can transmit data for sensing values ​​from at least one sensor unit 13 to an external server (not shown) via a communication link, and can receive and store a learning model generated by learning the sensing values ​​from the server through machine learning such as deep learning. Using the learning model received from the server, the control unit 12 can perform operations such as determining the user's inhalation pattern and generating a temperature profile.

[0098] Although not shown in Figure 1, the aerosol generator 1 may further include a power protection circuit. The power protection circuit includes at least one switching element and can shut off the circuit to the power supply 11 in response to overcharging and / or over-discharging of the power supply 11. The aerosol generator 1 may further include a connection interface, such as a USB (universal serial bus) interface, which can connect to other external devices to send and receive information or charge the power supply 11.

[0099] The aerosol product referred to in this invention includes at least one aerosol generating rod (e.g., a medium) and at least one filter rod. The heater 18 is arranged to correspond to at least one aerosol generating rod and may be designed differently from each other by the arrangement order and / or position of the aerosol generating rod and the filter rod. The aerosol generating rod may contain at least one of nicotine, an aerosol generating substance, and an additive. For example, the aerosol-generating substance may include glycerin (e.g., vegetable glycerin: VG) and / or propylene glycol (PG), and may also include a variety of other substances. For example, the additive may include flavoring agents and / or organic acids, and may also include a variety of other substances. For example, the aerosol-generating rod may include an aerosol-generating substrate (e.g., a sheet) impregnated with a non-tobacco substance in liquid form (e.g., aerosol-generating substance and / or nicotine), and / or a tobacco substance in solid form (e.g., tobacco leaves, reconstituted tobacco, etc.). The tobacco substance may be included in the aerosol-generating rod in various forms such as shredded tobacco, granules, or powder. According to one embodiment, the additive of the aerosol-generating rod may include a basic substance. Based on the basic substance, the nicotine of the tobacco substance included in the aerosol-generating rod may have a basic pH (e.g., pH 7.0 or higher). In this case, freebase nicotine can be released from the aerosol-generating rod even at low temperatures. Nicotine may be released. According to one embodiment, the aerosol generating rod includes two or more aerosol generating rods, each of which may contain tobacco and / or non-tobacco substances. On the other hand, although not shown, at least one aerosol generating rod and at least one filter rod may be wound together by at least one wrapper. In the present invention, the aerosol product is also referred to as a stick.

[0100] The cartridge referred to in this invention contains an aerosol-generating substance having 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. On the other hand, the cartridge may include a storage section containing the aerosol-generating substance and / or a liquid delivery means that impregnates (contains) the aerosol-generating substance. For example, the liquid delivery means may include a wick such as cotton fibers, ceramic fibers, glass fibers, or porous ceramic. The cartridge heater 24 is included in the cartridge in the form of a coil-shaped structure that surrounds (or winds) the liquid delivery means, or a structure that contacts one side of the liquid delivery means. Alternatively, the cartridge heater 24 may be included in an aerosol-generating device 1 that is separable from the cartridge.

[0101] Figure 2 shows an aerosol generating apparatus 1 according to one embodiment. Figure 3 shows an aerosol generating apparatus 1 according to one embodiment.

[0102] According to one embodiment, the aerosol generator 1 includes a housing 10, a power supply 11, a control unit 12, a sensor unit 13, and / or heaters 182, 183 (for example, heater 18 in Figure 1). However, a person with ordinary skill in the art according to this embodiment will understand that the components included in the aerosol generator 1 are not limited to those shown in Figure 2 or Figure 3, and that some components may be omitted or new components may be added. The aerosol generator 1 shown in Figure 2 is also referred to as an "internal heating type" aerosol generator that heats the inside of the aerosol product 2. The aerosol generator 1 shown in Figure 3 is also referred to as an "external heating type" aerosol generator that heats the outside of the aerosol product 2. In the following drawings, explanations that overlap with those in Figure 1 are omitted.

[0103] According to one embodiment, the housing 10 can provide an upwardly open space into which an aerosol product 2 can be inserted. In this invention, the upwardly open space is also referred to as the insertion space. The insertion space may be formed by recessing toward the interior of the housing 10 to a predetermined depth so that at least a portion of the aerosol product 2 can be inserted. The depth of the insertion space is greater than or equal to the length of the region in the aerosol product 2 that contains the aerosol-generating substance and / or medium. The lower end of the aerosol product 2 is inserted into the interior of the housing 10, and the upper end of the aerosol product 2 protrudes outward from the housing 10. The user can inhale the aerosol by putting the exposed upper end of the aerosol product 2 into their mouth.

[0104] According to one embodiment, the heaters 182 and 183 can heat the aerosol product 2.

[0105] Referring to Figure 2, heater 182 is also an internal heating type heater.

[0106] According to one embodiment, the internal heating element may extend upward in the space into which the aerosol product 2 is inserted (i.e., the insertion space). For example, the internal heating element may include a rod-shaped or needle-shaped heating element as shown in the figure, but may also include a variety of heating elements, such as a tubular heating element or a plate-shaped heating element. The internal heating element may be inserted through the bottom of the aerosol product 2.

[0107] According to one embodiment, the internal heating type heater may include an electrical resistance heater and / or an induction heating type heater.

[0108] For example, an electrical resistive heater may contain an electrical resistive material inside (e.g., hollow or inner surface) or outside (e.g., outer surface), and may be heated by an electric current flowing through the electrical resistive material. In this case, the electrical resistive heater may be electrically connected to a power supply 11 and directly generate heat by receiving current from the power supply 11. The induction coil 181 may also be omitted.

[0109] For example, in the case of an induction heater, the aerosol generator 1 may include an induction coil 181 surrounding at least a portion of the internally heated heater (for example, positioned externally to correspond to the length of at least a portion of the heater). In this case, the outside of the induction coil 181 may further include a magnetic flux concentrator or the like to enhance the efficiency of induction heating. The induction heater includes a susceptor and can generate heat based on the magnetic field generated from the induction coil 181. According to one embodiment, the induction heater (e.g., a susceptor) (or a heater module including the same) may be arranged to be separable from the housing 10.

[0110] According to one embodiment, the heater 182 is also a multiple heater. The multiple heater includes a first heater and a second heater and can be inserted into the aerosol product 2. The first heater and the second heater may be arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction. The first heater and the second heater can operate as an electrical resistance heater and / or an induction heater and may be heated sequentially or simultaneously. In this case, the first heater and the second heater may be positioned respectively at locations corresponding to the longitudinal positions of two or more aerosol generating rods. Alternatively, the first heater and the second heater may be positioned respectively at locations corresponding to the longitudinal positions of a first and second portion of a single aerosol generating rod. On the other hand, if the heater 182 is an induction heater, the aerosol generating device 1 includes a first induction coil and a second induction coil, and the first and second induction coils may be positioned respectively at locations corresponding to the longitudinal positions of the first heater and the second heater. Alternatively, the first and second induction coils may be positioned, respectively, at locations corresponding to the longitudinal positions of the first and second parts of a single heater 182. Furthermore, the heater and / or induction coils may comprise three or more units.

[0111] According to one embodiment, the susceptor may be placed (or included) inside the aerosol product 2 (for example, in the medium portion), and the susceptor included inside the aerosol product 2 may be heated based on the magnetic field generated from the induction coil 181.

[0112] Referring to Figure 3, heater 183 is also an external heating type heater.

[0113] According to one embodiment, the external heating element may extend upward around the space into which the aerosol product 2 is inserted (i.e., the insertion space). For example, the external heating element may be positioned to surround at least a portion of the insertion space. As an example, the external heating element may be tubular (e.g., cylindrical) with a hollow interior. The external heating element may also be shaped to enclose a hollow interior. In this case, the external heating element may be supported by a polyimide film. A heater supported by such a film is also called a film heater. The external heating element may be positioned to surround at least a portion of the insertion space. The external heating element can heat the outside of the aerosol product 2 inserted into the hollow.

[0114] According to one embodiment, the external heating type heater includes an electrical resistance heater and / or an induction heating type heater, and a description that overlaps with Figure 2 is omitted. On the other hand, in the case of an induction heating type heater, the aerosol generator 1 includes an external heating type heater embodied in a tubular susceptor and includes an induction coil 181 surrounding at least a portion of the external heating type heater (for example, positioned externally to correspond to the length of at least a portion of the heater). On the other hand, if the external heating type heater is an electrical resistance heater, the induction coil 181 may be omitted because heat can be generated through the flow of current on the tubular electrical resistance heater (for example, a film heater). On the other hand, an insulating material may be placed outside the external heating type heater. This can reduce the heat radiated radially outward from the heater 183 and applied to the outside of the housing 10.

[0115] According to one embodiment, the heater 183 is also a multiple heater, and the first and second heaters may be arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction, each surrounding at least a portion of the insertion space. The first and second heaters can operate as electrical resistance heaters and / or induction heaters, and may be heated sequentially or simultaneously. On the other hand, if the heater 183 is an induction heater, the aerosol generator 1 includes a first induction coil and a second induction coil, which may be positioned respectively at locations corresponding to the longitudinal positions of the first and second heaters. Alternatively, the first and second induction coils may be positioned at locations corresponding to the longitudinal positions of the first and second portions of a single heater 183.

[0116] Unlike those shown in Figure 2 or Figure 3, the heater 182 in Figure 2 and the heater 183 in Figure 3 may also be included together in the aerosol generator 1. In this case, the heater 182 can heat the inside of the aerosol product 2, and the heater 183 can heat the outside of the aerosol product 2.

[0117] According to one embodiment, the aerosol generator 1 may be provided with an airflow channel through which air flows. For example, the housing 10 includes a structure (e.g., a hole) through which air flows from the outside into the housing 10. The air flowing into the housing 10 may flow into the aerosol product 2 through its lower end (i.e., upstream side). The aerosol generated based on the heating of the aerosol product 2 may be inhaled into the user's mouth through its upper end (i.e., downstream side) along with the incoming air.

[0118] Figure 4 shows an aerosol generating apparatus 1 according to one embodiment.

[0119] According to one embodiment, the aerosol generator 1 includes a housing 10, a power supply 11, a control unit 12, a sensor unit 13, and / or heaters 183, 24 (for example, heaters 18, 24 in Figure 1). However, a person with ordinary skill in the art according to this embodiment will understand that the components included in the aerosol generator 1 are not limited to those shown in Figure 4, and that some components may be omitted or new components may be added. In the following drawings, descriptions that overlap with those in Figure 1 are omitted.

[0120] According to one embodiment, the housing 10 can provide an upper opening (hereinafter referred to as the insertion space) into which the aerosol product 2 is inserted. The insertion space may be formed by recessing toward the interior of the housing 10 to a predetermined depth so that at least a portion of the aerosol product 2 can be inserted. The lower end of the aerosol product 2 is inserted into the interior of the housing 10, and the upper end of the aerosol product 2 protrudes toward the exterior of the housing 10.

[0121] Contrary to the illustration, the cartridge 19 may also provide an insertion space for containing the aerosol product 2. In this case, the insertion space may be formed by recessing into the cartridge 19 to a predetermined depth so that at least a portion of the aerosol product 2 can be inserted. The lower end of the aerosol product 2 is inserted into the cartridge 19, and the upper end of the aerosol product 2 protrudes outside the cartridge 19. In this case, the aerosol generator 1 does not need to include the heater 183.

[0122] According to one embodiment, the depth of the insertion space is greater than or equal to the length of the region in the aerosol product 2 that contains the aerosol-generating substance and / or medium. The user can inhale air by putting the upper end of the aerosol product 2, which is exposed to the outside, into their mouth.

[0123] According to one embodiment, the heater 183 can heat the aerosol product 2. The heater 183 may extend upward around the space into which the aerosol product 2 is inserted (i.e., the insertion space). For example, the heater 183 is tubular (e.g., cylindrical) with a hollow interior. The heater 183 may also have a shape that encloses and covers the hollow interior. In this case, the heater 183 may be supported by a polyimide film. A heater supported by such a film is also called a film heater. The heater 183 may be positioned to surround at least a portion of the insertion space. The heater 183 can heat the outside of the aerosol product 2 inserted into the hollow. In the present invention, the heater 183 is also called an external heating heater that heats the outside of the aerosol product 2. On the other hand, an insulating material may be placed outside the heater 183. This reduces the amount of heat radiated radially outward from the heater 183 and applied to the outside of the housing 10.

[0124] According to one embodiment, the heater 183 may include an electrical resistance heater and / or an induction heating heater.

[0125] For example, an electrical resistance heater contains an electrical resistance material and can be heated by an electric current flowing through the electrical resistance material. In this case, the electrical resistance heater is electrically connected to a power supply 11 and can be directly heated by an electric current supplied from the power supply 11.

[0126] For example, in the case of an induction heater, the aerosol generator 1 may further include an induction coil (not shown) surrounding at least a portion of the heater 183 (for example, positioned externally to correspond to the length of at least a portion of the heater 183). In this case, outside the induction coil (not shown), a magnetic flux concentrator or the like may be further included to enhance the efficiency of induction heating. The induction heater includes a susceptor and can generate heat based on the magnetic field generated from the induction coil (not shown).

[0127] According to one embodiment, the heater 183 is also a multiple heater. The multiple heater includes a first heater and a second heater and can be inserted into the aerosol product 2. The first heater and the second heater may be arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction. The first heater and the second heater can operate as an electrical resistance heater and / or an induction heater and may be heated sequentially or simultaneously. In this case, the first heater and the second heater may be positioned respectively at locations corresponding to the longitudinal positions of two or more aerosol generating rods. Alternatively, the first heater and the second heater may be positioned respectively at locations corresponding to the longitudinal positions of a first and second portion of a single aerosol generating rod. On the other hand, if the heater 183 is an induction heater, the aerosol generating device 1 includes a first induction coil and a second induction coil, and the first and second induction coils may be positioned respectively at locations corresponding to the longitudinal positions of the first heater and the second heater. Alternatively, the first and second induction coils may be positioned, respectively, at locations corresponding to the longitudinal positions of the first and second parts of a single heater 183. Furthermore, the heater and / or induction coils may comprise three or more units.

[0128] Contrary to the illustration, the aerosol generator 1 may not include the heater 183. The aerosol product 2 is heated directly or indirectly by the cartridge heater 24, or substantially unheated. Indirect heating means that the aerosol product 2 is heated by the transfer of heat contained in the aerosol as the aerosol generated by the cartridge heater 24 passes through the aerosol product 2. In this case, the aerosol generator 1 is also referred to as a non-heated (or indirectly heated) aerosol generator. The aerosol generating rod of the aerosol product 2 may contain additives such as basic substances. Based on such basic substances, the nicotine contained in the aerosol generating rod may have a basic pH (e.g., pH 7.0 or higher). Such basic nicotine can flow into the user's mouth together with the aerosol that flows into the aerosol product 2 from the cartridge 19, which will be described later.

[0129] Contrary to the illustration, the heater 183 may also include an internal heating type heater. For example, an internal heating type heater may include a variety of heating elements such as a rod-shaped heating element, a tubular heating element, a plate-shaped heating element, or a needle-shaped heating element. The internal heating type heater may be inserted through the bottom of the aerosol product 2 and configured to heat the inside of the aerosol product 2.

[0130] According to one embodiment, the cartridge 19 can be detachably coupled to the housing 10. For example, a space may be formed on one side of the housing 10, and at least a portion of the cartridge 19 may be inserted into the space formed on one side of the housing 10, thereby mounting the cartridge 19 to the housing 10. Alternatively, the cartridge 19 may be integrally formed with the housing 10.

[0131] According to one embodiment, the aerosol generator 1 and / or cartridge 19 may be provided with an airflow channel through which air flows. For example, the housing 10 includes a structure that allows air to flow into the housing 10 from the outside when the cartridge 19 is inserted. The incoming air passes through the cartridge 19 and flows into the insertion space through the airflow channel CN ​​and can flow into the user's mouth. The airflow channel CN ​​may include various structures to reduce residual droplets or to facilitate airflow.

[0132] In Figure 4, the cartridge 19 is shown to be positioned laterally to the aerosol product 2, and the airflow channel CN ​​is formed from the side of the cartridge 19 to the lower end (i.e., upstream side) of the aerosol product 2. However, the positions of the cartridge 19 and the airflow channel CN ​​are not limited to this. For example, the cartridge 19 may be positioned adjacent to the lower end (i.e., upstream side) of the aerosol product 2, in which case the airflow channel CN ​​may be formed substantially linearly to connect the cartridge 19 and the lower end (i.e., upstream side) of the aerosol product 2.

[0133] According to one embodiment, the cartridge 19 includes a chamber C0 containing an aerosol-generating substance, a cartridge heater 24, and / or a liquid delivery means impregnated with the aerosol-generating substance. The liquid delivery means can be impregnated with the aerosol-generating substance supplied from the chamber C0. For example, the liquid delivery means includes a wick such as cotton fibers, ceramic fibers, glass fibers, or porous ceramic.

[0134] According to one embodiment, the cartridge heater 24 can heat the aerosol-generating substance contained in the cartridge 19. For example, the cartridge heater 24 may include an electrical resistance heater and / or an induction heater.

[0135] As an example, an electrically resistive heater contains an electrically resistive material and is heated by the flow of an electric current through the electrically resistive material. As another example, in the case of an induction heater, the aerosol generator 1 may further include an induction coil (not shown) around the induction heater. The induction heater contains a susceptor and is heated based on a magnetic field generated from the induction coil (not shown). The cartridge heater 24 is formed in a coil shape that surrounds (or winds around) the liquid transport means and / or in a form (e.g., patterned) that contacts one side of the liquid transport means.

[0136] Contrary to what is shown in the illustration, the cartridge heater 24 may also be included in the aerosol generator 1. For example, the cartridge heater 24 may be located inside the housing 10. In this case, the cartridge 19 and the cartridge heater 24 can be separated by removing the cartridge 19.

[0137] According to one embodiment, an aerosol is generated based on the heat generated by the cartridge heater 24. For example, when an aerosol-generating substance impregnated in a liquid transfer means is heated by the cartridge heater 24, vapor is generated from the aerosol-generating substance, and the generated vapor is mixed with outside air flowing into the cartridge 19 to generate an aerosol. The aerosol generated by the cartridge heater 24 flows into the aerosol product 2 through the airflow channel CN. As the aerosol passes through the aerosol product 2, tobacco or a flavoring substance is added to the aerosol, and the tobacco or flavoring substance-added aerosol can be inhaled into the user's mouth through one end of the aerosol product 2.

[0138] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a heater assembly illustrating the arrangement of an inductor and capacitor according to one embodiment, and Figure 6 is a drawing illustrating an integrally formed inductor and capacitor.

[0139] Figure 5 illustrates an example where the heater 18 is an external heating type that heats the outside of the aerosol product 2. In Figure 5, the heater 18 is shown as an electrical resistive heater. However, the heater 18 of the present invention is not limited to this, and is not limited to the example in Figure 5, as long as the aerosol generating apparatus 1 has a cavity H1 that contains the aerosol generating substrate, and the inductors L1, L2 (hereinafter referred to as L when distinction is not necessary) and capacitor C surround the cavity H1. In other words, the structure and heating method of the heater 18 described in Figures 2 to 4 can also be applied to the following description.

[0140] Referring to Figure 5, the heater 18 may be located within the housing 10. The heater 18 may be referred to as a heater assembly. The heater 18 may also be tubular or cylindrical with a hollow interior. The heater 18 may surround a cavity H1. The cavity H1 may be referred to as an insertion space and may be provided by the heater 18. The cavity H1 or the aerosol product 2 inserted into the cavity H1 may be heated by the heater 18.

[0141] The heater 18 may include a flange 1810, a thermal conductive member 1820, and a conductive track 1830. Depending on the embodiment, the heater 18 may further include an insulator (not shown) between the thermal conductive member 1820 and the conductive track 1830 or outside the thermal conductive member 1820. The insulator may be formed from a flexible and heat-resistant material. The insulator may include, but is not limited to, polyimide or polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and may include other materials having elastic, heat-resistant, and electrically insulating properties.

[0142] The flange 1810 may be coupled to the housing 10. The thermal conductive member 1820 may be attached to or press-fitted to the flange 1810. The coupling of the flange 1810 and the thermal conductive member 1820 may form a cavity H1. The thermal conductive member 1820 may be located on the innermost side of the heater 18. The thermal conductive member 1820 may be coupled to the flange 1810 and extend vertically within the aerosol generator 1. The thermal conductive member 1820 may be positioned inside the conductive track 1830 and surround at least a portion of the cavity H1. At least a portion of the inner circumferential surface of the thermal conductive member 1820 may be in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the aerosol product 2 inserted into the cavity H1. The thermal conductive member 1820 may be made of stainless steel, aluminum, or an alloy, but is not limited to these materials.

[0143] The conductive track 1830 is also cylindrical in shape. The conductive track 1830 may be positioned outside the thermal conductive member 1820. The conductive track 1830 may surround at least a portion of the thermal conductive member 1820. The conductive track 1830 may be powered by the power supply 11 and generate heat. The conductive track 1830 may be formed by laser etching of a thin metal film. The conductive track 1830 may be made of stainless steel, copper, aluminum, or an alloy, but is not limited to these.

[0144] The flange 1810 may include an aperture H2. The aperture H2 is formed on one side of the flange 1810 and may communicate with the cavity H1. The aerosol product 2 may be inserted into the cavity H1. External air may flow in through the aperture H2 and into the interior of the aerosol product 2 through the end of the aerosol product 2.

[0145] The heater 18 may be equipped with an inductor section 810 and a capacitor section (1010 in Figure 10) for sensing the presence or absence of the aerosol product 2. The inductor section 810 may include at least one inductor L. The capacitor section 1010 may include at least one capacitor C as a capacitive sensor. Figure 5 shows that the inductor section 810 includes a first inductor L1 and a second inductor L2, and the capacitor section 1010 includes one capacitor C, but the number of inductors L and capacitors C is not limited thereto.

[0146] The first inductor L1 and the second inductor L2 may surround at least a portion of the cavity H1. The capacitor C may surround the remaining portion of the cavity H1. The regions surrounding the cavity H1 by the first inductor L1 and the second inductor L2 and the region surrounding the cavity H1 by the capacitor C do not overlap each other. The first inductor L1, the second inductor L2, and the capacitor C are formed as a single unit and may surround the cavity H1.

[0147] Figure 6 illustrates the inductor portion 810 and the capacitor portion 1010 arranged on the first surface 601 and the second surface 602 of the insulating substrate 131. In Figure 6, the first surface 601 may mean the surface facing the cavity H1, and the second surface 602 may mean the surface opposite the first surface 601. Referring to Figure 6, the inductor portion 810 includes a first inductor L1 and a second inductor L2, which may be embodied on the first surface 601 of the insulating substrate 131 by a pattern shape. In this case, the insulating substrate 131 is a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), but is not limited to that. The first inductor L1 and the second inductor L2 may be arranged side by side in the vertical direction. The first inductor L1 is located below the insulating substrate 131, and the second inductor L2 is spaced apart from the first inductor L1 but may be located above the first inductor L1.

[0148] The first inductor L1 and the second inductor L2 included in the inductor section 810 are passive elements, and their inductance can be varied by housing the aerosol product 2 in the cavity H1. The control unit 12 can monitor the variable value of the inductance through the first channel ch1 of the signal transmission unit 610. Thus, since the inductor section 810 includes only passive elements whose inductance can be varied, the inductor section 810 can be referred to as an inductor antenna.

[0149] The capacitor section 1010 includes a capacitor C and can be represented by a pattern shape on the first surface 601 of the insulating substrate 131. The capacitor C may be arranged side by side in the left-right direction, spaced apart from the first inductor L1.

[0150] Capacitor C may be provided in a single-electrode configuration. Since the single electrode surrounds the cavity H1, the cavity H1 can be understood as a dielectric space that causes a change in capacitance. That is, when the aerosol product 2 is inserted into the cavity H1, the dielectric constant of the passive single electrode is varied, and as a result, the capacitance can also be varied. In this way, the capacitor section 1010 does not separately have a transmitting electrode and a receiving electrode, and can output the capacitance of the single electrode itself. The control unit 12 can monitor the variable value of the capacitance through the second channel ch2 of the signal transmitting unit 610. Since the capacitor section 1010 includes only a passive element whose capacitance is varied, the capacitor section 1010 can be referred to as a capacitor antenna.

[0151] In some embodiments, the capacitor section 1010 may include a plurality of electrodes. In this case, the capacitor section 1010 may further include a compensation capacitor Ccp disposed on the second surface 602 of the insulating substrate 131. The compensation capacitor Ccp may be positioned on the second surface 602 of the insulating substrate 131 at a position corresponding to the capacitor C. Since the capacitor C disposed on the first surface 601 is located in close proximity to the heating space, it may not be able to exert the expected charge / discharge effect due to the temperature increase of the heating space, or it may degrade (fracture) due to the temperature increase of the heating space. The compensation capacitor Ccp may be disposed on the second surface 602 of the insulating substrate 131 to compensate for such temperature or degradation of the capacitor C. The output value of the compensation capacitor Ccp may be transmitted to the control unit 12 through the second channel ch2 of the signal transmission unit 610 together with the output value of the capacitor C, or it may be transmitted to the control unit 12 through a separate channel (not shown). On the other hand, depending on the embodiment, the inductor section 810 may also include an additional inductor (not shown) located on the second surface 602 of the insulating substrate 131, in addition to the inductors L1 and L2 located on the first surface 601 of the insulating substrate 131. The additional inductor (not shown) located on the second surface 602 may also be located to compensate for the temperature or degradation of the inductors L1 and L2 located on the first surface 601, or to sense changes in inductance outside the cavity H1.

[0152] The aerosol generating device 1 of the present invention is formed integrally as a thin film in which the inductor section 810 and the capacitor section 1010 share a signal transmitting section 610, thus significantly reducing the size of the device. Furthermore, unlike conventional inductive and capacitive sensors provided in IC chip form, the aerosol generating device 1 of the present invention separately provides only the passive elements as a configuration separated from the control unit 12, and the control unit 12 includes a configuration for determining the amount of change in the monitoring value within the IC chip. Therefore, power consumption is significantly reduced compared to conventional IC chip sensors, and product miniaturization is easily achieved.

[0153] Referring to Figure 5, the first inductor L1 and the second inductor L2 may surround at least a portion of the cavity H1 formed by the flange 1810 and the thermal conductive member 1820. For the sake of clarity in Figure 5, the insulating substrate 131 is omitted. The first inductor L1 may surround at least a portion of the cavity H1 on the underside of the heater 18. The first inductor L1 may be in contact with a portion of the flange 1810 and positioned to surround a portion of the outer casing of the flange 1810. The second inductor L2 may be positioned adjacent to the upper side of the first inductor L1 and may surround at least a portion of the cavity H1. The second inductor L2 may be positioned at a distance from the first inductor L1 and may be in contact with a portion of the thermal conductive member 1820. The second inductor L2 may be positioned to surround a portion of the outer casing of the thermal conductive member 1820.

[0154] Capacitor C may surround the remaining portion of the cavity H1 formed by the thermal conductive member 1820. Capacitor C may be positioned to contact a portion of flange 1810 and surround a portion of the outer casing of flange 1810. Capacitor C surrounds at least a portion of cavity H1 on the underside of heater 18, but the cover area of ​​capacitor C and the cover area of ​​first inductor L1 do not overlap. This allows a portion of capacitor C to be positioned opposite a portion of first inductor L1, as shown in Figure 5.

[0155] The control unit 12 can monitor the inductance change of the first inductor L1 and the second inductor L2. The inductance change of at least one of the first inductor L1 and the second inductor L2 can be calculated by the control unit 12 as a first monitoring value.

[0156] The control unit 12 can also monitor the change in capacitance of capacitor C. The change in capacitance of capacitor C can be calculated by the control unit 12 as a second monitoring value.

[0157] The control unit 12 can determine whether or not the aerosol product 2 is contained in the cavity H1 based on at least one of the first monitoring value and the second monitoring value. The aerosol generating device 1 of the present invention has a configuration for sensing whether or not the aerosol product 2 is inserted at the lower end of the cavity H1, which can significantly reduce malfunctions of the heater 18. In other words, the aerosol generating device 1 of the present invention automatically heats the heater 18 only when the aerosol product 2 is perfectly inserted into the narrow cavity H1, thus preventing unnecessary heating of the heater 18.

[0158] Figure 7 is an internal block diagram of a control unit according to one embodiment.

[0159] Referring to Figure 7, the control unit 12 may include a first arithmetic unit 121, a second arithmetic unit 122, and a shared configuration unit 123. The first arithmetic unit 121 and the second arithmetic unit 122 can be referred to as a central processing unit (CPU) or central processing unit core, as they are the configurations in which actual data processing is performed. The shared configuration unit 123 can be referred to as peripherals, as it is a collection of auxiliary configurations for data processing.

[0160] The first calculation unit 121 can determine whether or not the aerosol product 2 is inserted. The first calculation unit 121 can obtain a first monitoring value corresponding to the change in inductance of the inductor unit 810 and a second monitoring value corresponding to the change in capacitance of the capacitor unit 1010. Furthermore, the first calculation unit 121 can determine whether or not the aerosol product 2 has been inserted into the cavity H1 based on at least one of the first monitoring value and the second monitoring value.

[0161] The first calculation unit 121 uses some of the components included in the shared component unit 123 to obtain the first and second monitoring values. The components included in the shared component unit 123 are electrically connected to the first calculation unit 121 and can function for the derivation of the first and second monitoring values.

[0162] The shared component 123 may include a configuration for determining changes in the inductance of the inductor section 810 and changes in the capacitance of the capacitor section 1010. The shared component 123 may include a square wave oscillator (820 in Figure 8), a sine wave generator (830 in Figure 8), a current sensing unit (840 in Figure 8), a frequency change sensing unit (850 in Figure 8), a timer (851 in Figure 8), and a counter (852 in Figure 8) for obtaining a first monitoring value. Furthermore, the shared component 123 may further include a power supply unit (1020 in Figure 10), a switching unit (1030 in Figure 10), a charge / discharge control unit (1040 in Figure 10), a charging voltage sensing unit (1050 in Figure 10), a full charge time change sensing unit (1060 in Figure 10), a comparison unit (1061 in Figure 10), a timer (1062 in Figure 10), and a counter (1063 in Figure 10) for obtaining a second monitoring value.

[0163] The first calculation unit 121 can obtain the frequency change of the inductor unit 810 as a first monitoring value using some of the components included in the shared component unit 123. The first calculation unit 121 can also obtain the charge time change of the capacitor unit 1010 as a second monitoring value using some of the components included in the shared component unit 123. The first calculation unit 121 can determine whether or not the aerosol product 2 has been inserted into the cavity H1 based on at least one of the first monitoring value and the second monitoring value. Depending on the embodiment, the first monitoring value may be set as a main parameter for determining whether or not the aerosol product 2 has been inserted, and the second monitoring value may be set as an auxiliary parameter for determining whether or not the aerosol product 2 has been inserted. That is, the first calculation unit 121 can determine that the aerosol product 2 has been inserted into the cavity H1 if the first monitoring value is outside the first reference range and the second monitoring value is outside the second reference range. The aerosol generating apparatus 1 of the present invention can obtain even more accurate results because it determines whether or not to insert the aerosol product 2 by considering not only the change in inductance but also the change in capacitance.

[0164] In one embodiment, the first calculation unit 121 can acquire multiple inductance change values ​​as first monitoring values. For example, in an embodiment in which the inductor unit 810 includes multiple inductors L1 and L2, as shown in Figures 5 to 6, the first calculation unit 121 can acquire the inductance change value of the first inductor L1 surrounding the lower side of the cavity H1 as the first change value. The first calculation unit 121 can also acquire the inductance change value of the second inductor L2 positioned above the first inductor L1 as the second change value. If both the first change value and the second change value fall outside the first reference range, the first calculation unit 121 can acquire a second monitoring value to make a final decision on whether or not to insert the aerosol product 2. The aerosol generating apparatus 1 of the present invention acquires the first monitoring value, which is a key parameter, from multiple change values, thus further improving the accuracy of the decision on whether or not to insert the aerosol product.

[0165] On the other hand, the method by which the first arithmetic unit 121 acquires the first monitoring value will be explained in more detail in Figures 8 to 9, and the method by which the first arithmetic unit 121 acquires the second monitoring value will be explained in more detail in Figures 10 to 20.

[0166] The first arithmetic unit 121 may always be supplied with power, or it may be supplied with power at a predetermined interval. The second arithmetic unit 122 may operate in sleep mode, consuming minimal power or having its power cut off until a wake-up signal, described later, is provided.

[0167] The first calculation unit 121 may transmit a wake-up signal to the second calculation unit 122 when it determines that the aerosol product 2 has been inserted into the cavity H1. The second calculation unit 122 wakes up when it receives the wake-up signal and can control the operation of the aerosol generator 1.

[0168] The first calculation unit 121 is provided to perform a first function, and the second calculation unit 122 may be provided to perform a second function that is different from the first function. In one embodiment, the first function is a function to determine whether or not an aerosol product 2 is inserted, and the second function may mean various functions that can be performed by the aerosol generator 1 other than the function to determine whether or not an aerosol product 2 is inserted. For example, the second calculation unit 122 may control the output unit 14 and output the status of the aerosol generator 1. Alternatively, the second calculation unit 122 may control the communication unit 16 to communicate with an external device. Alternatively, the second calculation unit 122 may control the heater 18 to heat the aerosol product 2 contained in the cavity H1.

[0169] On the other hand, the sharing of the shared component 123 may mean not only the sharing of components for determining changes in inductance and capacitance, but also the sharing between the first calculation unit 121 and the second calculation unit 122. In other words, the components included in the shared component 123 may also be used to perform the functions of the second calculation unit 122.

[0170] On the other hand, the performance of the first arithmetic unit 121 is lower than that of the second arithmetic unit 122. The clock speed of the first arithmetic unit 121 is lower than that of the second arithmetic unit 122. For example, the clock speed of the first arithmetic unit 121 can be selected in the range of 30MHz to 90MHz, and the clock speed of the second arithmetic unit 122 can be selected in the range of 90MHz to 210MHz. Also, the number of interrupt processes handled by the first arithmetic unit 121 is lower than that handled by the second arithmetic unit 122. For example, the number of interrupt processes handled by the first arithmetic unit 121 is 10 to 50, while the number of interrupt processes handled by the second arithmetic unit 122 is 220 to 260. Furthermore, the power consumption of the first arithmetic unit 121 is lower than that of the second arithmetic unit 122. For example, the power consumption of the first arithmetic unit 121 is 4uW / MHz to 13uW / MHz, and the power consumption of the second arithmetic unit 122 is 20uW / MHz to 40uW / MHz. However, this difference in performance between the first arithmetic unit 121 and the second arithmetic unit 122 is merely an example, and the clock speed, number of interrupted processes, and power consumption are not limited thereto.

[0171] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating a method for obtaining a first monitoring value corresponding to a change in inductance according to one embodiment, and Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining the frequency change in Figure 8.

[0172] Referring to Figure 8, the control unit 12 may include a square wave oscillator 820, a sine wave generator 830, a current sensing unit 840, a frequency change sensing unit 850, and a first calculation unit 121. The square wave oscillator 820, sine wave generator 830, current sensing unit 840, and frequency change sensing unit 850 are also components included in the shared component 123. On the other hand, Figure 8 illustrates that the control unit 12 mainly includes components that perform operations related to acquiring the first monitoring value. However, the control unit 12 may also be equipped with other components in addition to those described in Figure 8.

[0173] The square wave oscillator 820 includes general-purpose input / output (GPIO) pins, and any one of these pins can be configured as an output port. The square wave oscillator 820 can output a square wave with a pre-set period via the output port based on an interrupt signal.

[0174] The sine wave generator 830 can generate AC power having a sine wave based on the square wave output by the square wave oscillator 820. The AC power output by the sine wave generator 830 can be supplied to the inductor 810. The supplied AC current output by the sine wave generator 830 can be adjusted by the inductance of the inductor 810, which is located outside the control unit 12. In this case, the first frequency f1 of the supplied AC current can be determined by the first inductance value Li, which is the initial inductance value of the inductor L included in the inductor 810, as shown in Equation 1 below.

number

[0175] The capacitance Ci in Equation 1 is either included in the inductor section 810 or is part of a separately provided resonant tank (not shown), contributing to the formation of the resonant frequency, and its value does not change depending on the approach of the aerosol product 2. That is, the inductor section 810 can be supplied with an alternating current having a resonant frequency determined by the initial inductance value of the inductor L.

[0176] The inductor section 810 includes at least one inductor L and is configured to be separate from the control unit 12, and may be provided separately. The inductor section 810 may be electrically connected to the sine wave generation section 830. Furthermore, the inductor section 810 may receive AC power from the sine wave generation section 830 and generate an external magnetic field based on the AC power.

[0177] On the other hand, as the aerosol product 2 approaches the inductor L, the external magnetic field is varied, and this change in the external magnetic field can cause a change in the inductance value of the inductor section 810. In one embodiment, the inductance value of the inductor section 810 can be varied from a first inductance value Li, which is the initial inductance value, to a second inductance value Lf. As a result, the resonant frequency of the alternating current flowing through the inductor section 810 can be varied to a second frequency f2, as shown in equation 2 below.

number

[0178] The current sensing unit 840 may be provided to sense changes in the alternating current flowing through the inductor unit 810 due to such changes in inductance. The current sensing unit 840 includes at least one shunt resistor and can acquire the sensing alternating current flowing through the inductor unit 810. The current sensing unit 840 can transmit the sensing alternating current to the frequency change sensing unit 850. In some embodiments, the current sensing unit 840 may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that converts the sensing alternating current into a digital value. In some embodiments, the analog-to-digital converter is also included in the frequency change sensing unit 850.

[0179] The frequency change sensing unit 850 can sense frequency changes based on the alternating current sensed by the current sensing unit 840. For this purpose, the frequency change sensing unit 850 may include a timer 851 and a counter 852. The timer 851 can measure the passage of time. The counter 852 may be provided to count the period of the sensed alternating current.

[0180] The first calculation unit 121 can determine whether or not the aerosol product 2 is contained in the cavity H1 based on the frequency change of the alternating current.

[0181] Referring to Figure 9, Figure 9 illustrates the supply AC current 910 provided to the inductor unit 810 and the sensing AC current 920 as an analog value obtained by the current sensing unit 840. Also in Figure 9, the supply pulse current 930 obtained by converting the supply AC current 910 into a digital value and the sensing pulse current 940 obtained by converting the sensing AC current 920 into a digital value are illustrated.

[0182] The timer 851 can measure the passage of time. The supplied AC current 910 can be expressed as an AC current having a first period T1, where the initial inductance value of the inductor section 810 is a first inductance value Li. The sensing AC current 920 can be detected as an AC current having a second period T2, where the changed inductance value of the inductor section 810 is a second inductance value Lf.

[0183] If the supplied AC current 910 is represented in pulse wave form, it can be expressed as high if it is positive and low if it is negative. The same applies when the sensing AC current 920 is represented in pulse wave form. In Figure 9, the second period T2 of the sensing AC current 920 is shown to be shorter than the first period T1 of the supplied AC current 910, but it is also possible to set the second period T2 to be longer than the first period T1 through design.

[0184] Since frequency is the period per unit time, the first calculation unit 121 can determine the frequency change of the inductor unit 810 based on the change in the number of periods per unit time. The period is related to the rising edge or falling edge of the pulse signal. This can be seen from the fact that the number of rising edges or falling edges is constant in one period of the supply AC current 910 and the sensing AC current 920 in Figure 9. The method for sensing frequency changes based on falling edges will be described below, but the control unit 12 of the present invention can sense frequency changes based on rising edges.

[0185] Memory 17 can store the pulse wave period for the supply pulse current 930. Timer 851 can measure the passage of time. Counter 852 can count the number of rising or falling edges of the supply pulse current 930. In one embodiment, counter 852 may be designed to count the number of falling edges of the supply pulse current 930. First arithmetic unit 121 can receive time-related information from timer 851 and receive the number of falling edges of the supply pulse current 930 from counter 852. First arithmetic unit 121 can determine the frequency change of the AC current flowing through the inductor unit 810 based on the number of falling edges per unit time.

[0186] In Figure 9, the supply pulse current 930 has one falling edge during a unit time of tr, while the sensing pulse current 940 has two falling edges. The first calculation unit 121 can determine the frequency change of the AC current flowing through the inductor unit 810 from the change in the number of falling edges per unit time. In an embodiment where one falling edge occurs in one cycle of the AC current, as shown in Figure 9, if the number of falling edges doubles, the first calculation unit 121 can calculate that the frequency of the AC current has approximately doubled.

[0187] The first calculation unit 121 can set the frequency change of the AC current flowing through the inductor unit 810 to a first monitoring value. The first calculation unit 121 can also determine whether or not the aerosol product 2 has been inserted into the cavity H1 based on the first monitoring value. The first calculation unit 121 can determine that the aerosol product 2 has been inserted into the cavity H1 if the first monitoring value exceeds a predetermined first reference range. The first reference range can be selected within a range of 1.1 to 10 times the frequency of the supplied AC current 910, but is not limited thereto.

[0188] In one embodiment, if the first calculation unit 121 determines that the aerosol product 2 has been inserted into the cavity H1 based on a change in the frequency of the alternating current flowing through the inductor unit 810, it can verify this based on a change in the charging time of the capacitor unit 1010.

[0189] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating a method for obtaining a second monitoring value corresponding to a change in capacitance according to one embodiment, and Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining the change in the full charge time in Figure 10.

[0190] Referring to Figure 10, the control unit 12 may include a power supply unit 1020, a switching unit 1030, a charge / discharge control unit 1040, a charging voltage sensing unit 1050, a full charge time change sensing unit 1060, and a first calculation unit 121. The power supply unit 1020, the switching unit 1030, the charge / discharge control unit 1040, the charging voltage sensing unit 1050, and the full charge time change sensing unit 1060 are also components included in the shared component unit 123. On the other hand, Figure 10 illustrates that the control unit 12 mainly includes components that perform operations related to acquiring the second monitoring value. However, the control unit 12 may be equipped with other components in addition to those described in Figure 10.

[0191] The power supply unit 1020 can supply power to the capacitor unit 1010. Depending on the embodiment, the power output from the power supply unit 1020 may be converted to an analog value and output. In this respect, the power supply unit 1020 may be referred to as a Current Digital to Analog Converter (CDAC or IDAC). The output of the power supply unit 1020 may be adjusted by the capacitance of the capacitor unit 1010. For example, the output of the power supply unit 1020 may be adjusted to a level of 30 to 5000 nA, but is not limited thereto, and the power supply unit 1020 may have a variety of output levels.

[0192] The switching unit 1030 may include at least one switching element. In one embodiment, the switching unit 1030 may include a first switching element S1 and a second switching element S2. The first switching element S1 may be connected between the power supply unit 1020 and the capacitor unit 1010, and the second switching element S2 may be connected between the capacitor unit 1010 and the ground terminal.

[0193] The capacitor section 1010 includes at least one capacitor C and may be provided separately as a passive element separated from the control section 12. The capacitor section 1010 is electrically connected to the switching section 1030 and can be charged and discharged by the switching section 1030.

[0194] The charge / discharge control unit 1040 can control the switching unit 1030 to charge and discharge the capacitor unit 1010. The charge / discharge control unit 1040 can output a first switching signal Si1 and a second switching signal Si2. The first switching element S1 can be turned on or turned off by the first switching signal Si1. The second switching element S2 can also be turned on or turned off by the second switching signal Si2. The first switching element S1 and the second switching element S2 can operate complementaryly to each other. In one embodiment, the charge / discharge control unit 1040 can turn on the first switching element S1 and turn off the second switching element S2 in charge mode. As a result, the capacitor unit 1010 can be charged by the power supplied by the power supply unit 1020. In discharge mode, the charge / discharge control unit 1040 can turn on the second switching element S2 and turn off the first switching element S1. As a result, the voltage charged in the capacitor section 1010 can be discharged through the ground terminal.

[0195] On the other hand, the capacitance of the capacitor section 1010 can be varied as the aerosol product 2 approaches the capacitor section 1010. In one embodiment, when the aerosol product 2 approaches the capacitor section 1010, the capacitance can increase due to the approaching aerosol product 2. This increase in capacitance can be described as the parasitic capacitor Cs generated by the approaching aerosol product 2 being connected in parallel to the capacitor C. When the capacitor C has an initial capacitance, which is a first capacitance Ci, and the parasitic capacitor Cs has a second capacitance Cf, the combined capacitance Ceq of the parallel-connected capacitors is expressed as the sum of the first capacitance Ci and the second capacitance Cf, as shown in equation 3 below.

number

[0196] In other words, the capacitance of the capacitor section 1010 can increase from the initial capacitance, the first capacitance Ci, to the combined capacitance Ceq, which is the sum of the first capacitance Ci and the second capacitance Cf. As the capacitance of the capacitor section 1010 increases, the charging time increases, and this phenomenon can be understood as being increased by the approach of the aerosol product 2.

[0197] The charging voltage sensing unit 1050 may be provided to sense the charging voltage of the capacitor unit 1010 due to such a change in capacitance. The charging voltage sensing unit 1050 can obtain the charging voltage of the capacitor unit 1010 by measuring the voltage across the capacitor C. The charging voltage sensing unit 1050 can transmit the obtained charging voltage to the full charge time change sensing unit 1060. Depending on the embodiment, the charging voltage sensing unit 1050 may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that converts the analog value back into a digital value. The charging voltage sensing unit 1050 may also perform the function of controlling the output of the power supply unit 1020 based on the obtained charging voltage.

[0198] The full charge time change sensing unit 1060 can sense changes in the full charge time of the capacitor unit 1010 based on the charging voltage. For this purpose, the full charge time change sensing unit 1060 may include a comparison unit 1061, a timer 1062, and a counter 1063. The timer 1062 and counter 1063 in Figure 10 have the same configuration as the timer 851 and counter 852 in Figure 8. The timer 1062 can measure the passage of time. The comparison unit 1061 can compare a previously set reference voltage with the charging voltage of the capacitor unit 1010 and output the comparison result. The counter 1063 can count the number of full charges of the capacitor unit 1010 from the comparison result. The first calculation unit 121 can sense the change in full charge time from the number of full charges of the capacitor unit 1010 per unit time and determine whether or not the aerosol product 2 is contained in the cavity H1 based on the change in full charge time.

[0199] Referring to Figure 11, Figure 11 illustrates the change in the first charging voltage 1110 due to the first capacitance Ci, which is the initial capacitance of the capacitor section 1010. Also in Figure 11, when the aerosol product 2 is inserted into the cavity H1, Figure 11 also illustrates the change in the second charging voltage 1120 due to the combined capacitance, which is the capacitance sensed by the charging voltage sensing section 1050. On the other hand, although the charging voltage is represented as an analog value in Figure 11, the first calculation section 121 can also convert the charging voltage to a digital value and monitor the charging time.

[0200] Timer 1062 can measure the passage of time. The first charging voltage 1110 can be pre-charged to an initial capacitance, which is a first capacitance Ci. That is, the first charging voltage 1110 initially has a full charge voltage Vr, and gradually discharges and decreases as time passes. The first charging voltage 1110 decreases to a predetermined discharge voltage Vd, and the charge / discharge control unit 1040 can increase it again from the discharge voltage Vd to the full charge voltage Vr. The first charging voltage 1110 can repeat such charging and discharging over time.

[0201] The second charging voltage 1120 can also increase to the full charge voltage Vr in charging mode and decrease to the discharge voltage Vd in discharge mode. However, the difference between the first charging voltage 1110 and the second charging voltage 1120 is shown in the charging and discharging times.

[0202] The comparison unit 1061 can compare a previously set reference voltage with the charging voltage of the capacitor unit 1010. The reference voltage can be set to a value less than or equal to the full charge voltage Vr. Figure 11 illustrates an example where the reference voltage is set to the same value as the full charge voltage Vr, but is not limited to this. If the charging voltage is equal to or greater than the reference voltage, the comparison unit 1061 may determine that the capacitor unit 1010 is fully charged and output full charge information.

[0203] The counter 1063 can count the number of times the full charge information is output. The fact that the counter 1063 counts the number of times the full charge information is output is equivalent to counting the number of times the capacitor section 1010 is fully charged.

[0204] The first calculation unit 121 can calculate the change in the full charge time of the capacitor unit 1010 based on the number of times full charge information is output per unit time.

[0205] The number of times full charge information is output per unit time for the first charging voltage 1110 can be stored in memory 17. The number of times full charge information is output per unit time for the first charging voltage 1110 can be set in advance by experimentation or calculated by the first calculation unit 121 when the aerosol product 2 is not inserted into the cavity H1.

[0206] The charging voltage sensing unit 1050 can obtain the second charging voltage 1120, which is the current charging voltage of the capacitor unit 1010. The first calculation unit 121 can receive information related to the passage of time from the timer 1062 and obtain the number of times full charge information is output per unit time for the second charging voltage 1120 from the comparison unit 1061 and the counter 1063. Based on the number of times full charge information is output per unit time for the second charging voltage 1120, the first calculation unit 121 can calculate the change in the full charging time of the capacitor unit 1010.

[0207] In Figure 11, the unit time is tr, and excluding the initial pre-charged time (0), the number of charging cycles per unit time for the first charging voltage 1110 is 2, while the number of charging cycles per unit time for the second charging voltage 1120 decreases to 1. That is, as the capacitance of the capacitor section 1010 increases from the first capacitance Ci to the combined capacitance Ceq, the charging time may also increase. In the embodiment shown in Figure 11, where the number of charging cycles per unit time decreases by 0.5 times, the first calculation unit 121 can calculate that the full charging time has increased by approximately 2 times. In this way, the first calculation unit 121 can determine the change in full charging time from the change in the number of charging cycles per unit time.

[0208] The first calculation unit 121 can set the change in the full charge time of the capacitor unit 1010 to a second monitoring value. The first calculation unit 121 can also determine whether or not the aerosol product 2 has been inserted into the cavity H1 based on the second monitoring value. If the second monitoring value exceeds a second reference range, the first calculation unit 121 can determine that the aerosol product 2 has been inserted into the cavity H1. The second reference range can be selected from 1.1 to 10 times the charging time of the capacitor C, but is not limited to that range.

[0209] On the other hand, the first calculation unit 121 can determine whether or not to insert the aerosol product 2 based solely on the change in the charging time of the capacitor unit 1010. Alternatively, the first calculation unit 121 can determine whether or not to insert the aerosol product 2 based on both the change in the charging time of the capacitor unit 1010 and the change in the frequency of the inductor unit 810. In an embodiment that uses both the change in the charging time of the capacitor unit 1010 and the change in the frequency of the inductor unit 810, the first calculation unit 121 can use the change in the charging time of the capacitor unit 1010 for verification purposes regarding the presence or absence of insertion. That is, the first calculation unit 121 can make a preliminary determination regarding the presence or absence of the aerosol product 2 based on the change in the frequency of the inductor unit 810, and then verify the preliminary determination based on the change in the charging time of the capacitor unit 1010.

[0210] On the other hand, in addition to the embodiment of the method of determining whether or not to insert the aerosol product 2 based on the change in the number of charging cycles of the capacitor section 1010 per unit time as explained in Figure 11, the aerosol generator 1 may also determine whether or not to insert the aerosol product 2 using other determination methods. Below, we will describe an embodiment in which the aerosol generator 1 determines whether or not to insert the aerosol product 2 based on a digital value (hereinafter also referred to as "Unit Count") that has been counted until the capacitor section 1010 is fully charged, which differs from the embodiment in Figure 11.

[0211] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating how to obtain a counting value indicating the capacitance of the capacitor section according to one embodiment.

[0212] The counter 1063 shown in Figure 12 corresponds to the counter 1063 described in Figure 10, but can perform operations according to other embodiments. The counter 1063 may include a Capacitance-to-Digital Converter 1261.

[0213] Information relating to the change in capacitance of the capacitor section 1010 can be provided to the Capacitance-to-Digital Converter 1261 and converted into a digital value, a counting value (Unit Counts). Alternatively, since the change in capacitance can correspond to a change in the time required to fully charge the capacitive sensor, the counting value can correspond to the time required to fully charge the capacitive sensor.

[0214] More specifically, in one embodiment, the Capacitance-to-Digital Converter 1261 can output a counting value representing the time required for the capacitor section 1010 to fully charge by counting the number of clock signals of a predetermined period or frequency until the voltage of the capacitor section 1010 changes from the discharge voltage Vd to the full charge voltage Vr. Here, the value counted by the Capacitance-to-Digital Converter 1261 may be referred to as Unit Counts. The counting value (Unit Counts) is also a value proportional to the time required for the capacitor section 1010 to fully charge. Furthermore, the counting value (Unit Counts) is also a value proportional to the capacitance of the capacitor section 1010 (i.e., the combined capacitance). The aforementioned second monitoring value may include the counting value output from the counter 1063.

[0215] On the other hand, in other embodiments, the Capacitance-to-Digital Converter 1261 may obtain a converted counting value using the following formula 4.

number

[0216] Referring to Equation 4, "V" may mean the voltage corresponding to the fully charged voltage Vr of capacitor C in capacitor section 1010. During the charging cycle of capacitor C, power supply section 1020 provides a reference current IDAC for charging capacitor C. set It provides the following: "I" is the reference current IDAC provided from the power supply unit 1020 to the capacitor unit 1010. setIt may mean. "F" may correspond to the frequency of one cycle in which the capacitor C is fully charged and then fully discharged (or one cycle in which it is fully discharged and then fully charged). Therefore, "F" may be related to the on / off times of the first switching element S1 and the second switching element S2. "C" may correspond to the equivalent capacitance Ceq of the capacitor unit 1010. Therefore, according to Equation 4, when "V", "I", and "F" are determined, the counting value is also a value that depends on the equivalent capacitance Ceq of the capacitor unit 1010. Here, Equation 4 may correspond to an embodiment for obtaining a counting value when the power supply unit 1020 includes a single current source IDAC.

[0217] Also, according to still another embodiment, the Capacitance-to-Digital Converter 1261 may obtain a counting value converted using the following Equation 5.

Equation

[0218] Referring to Equation 5, "V" may mean a voltage corresponding to the full charge voltage Vr of the capacitor C of the capacitor unit 1010. "I gain " and "I offset " may mean the reference current IDAC provided from each current source to the capacitor unit 1010 when the power supply unit 1020 includes dual current sources IDAC1 and IDAC2. set "F" may correspond to the frequency of one cycle in which the capacitor C is fully charged and then fully discharged (or one cycle in which it is fully discharged and then fully charged). "C" may correspond to the equivalent capacitance Ceq of the capacitor unit 1010. Therefore, according to Equation 5, when "V", "I gain ", "I offset " and "F" are determined, the counting value is also a value that depends on the equivalent capacitance Ceq of the capacitor unit 1010.

[0219] A relatively large number of Unit Counts indicates that the time it takes for the capacitor section 1010 to fully charge, from the discharge voltage Vd to the full charge voltage Vr, is relatively long. Conversely, a relatively small number of Unit Counts indicates that the time it takes for the capacitor section 1010 to fully charge, from the discharge voltage Vd to the full charge voltage Vr, is relatively short.

[0220] In this way, information related to the change in capacitance of the capacitor section 1010 is converted into counting values ​​(Unit Counts), and it is possible to determine whether or not the aerosol product 2 has been inserted based on the level of the counting values ​​(Unit Counts).

[0221] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between counting values ​​(Unit Counts) and full charging time according to one embodiment.

[0222] Referring to Figure 13, when the aerosol product 2 is not inserted, there is no parasitic capacitor Cs, so the capacitor section 1010 only has the initial capacitance, which is the first capacitance Ci. The counting value (Unit Counts) obtained when the capacitor section 1010 changes from the discharge voltage Vd to the full charge voltage Vr when the aerosol product 2 is not inserted is also in the range of approximately 32,000 to 35,000.

[0223] The control unit 12 can obtain a counting value from the counter 1063 each time a charge-discharge cycle of the capacitor unit 1010 is completed. The control unit 12 can pre-set a range of counting values ​​corresponding to the uninserted state, and if the counting value output by the counter 1063 falls within this predetermined range, it can determine that the aerosol product 2 has not yet been inserted.

[0224] However, monitoring the counting value in any charge-discharge cycle may show a counting value of approximately 60,000. With aerosol product 2 inserted, a second capacitance Cf due to the parasitic capacitor Cs is added to the first capacitance Ci, so it takes even longer for the capacitor section 1010 to change from the discharge voltage Vd to the full charge voltage Vr. As a result, the counting value (Unit Counts) may increase to a level of approximately 60,000.

[0225] The control unit 12 can pre-set a range of counting values ​​corresponding to the insertion state, and if the counting value output by the counter 1063 falls within this predetermined range, it can determine that the aerosol product 2 has been inserted.

[0226] In other words, when the control unit 12 attempts to determine whether or not the aerosol product 2 is inserted based on the change in capacitance of the capacitor unit 1010, the control unit 12 can perform the determination using the change in the counting value output from the counter 1063.

[0227] On the other hand, the numerical values ​​of the counting values ​​explained in Figure 13 are merely examples, and this embodiment is not limited thereto. The counting values ​​can be expressed by a variety of other numerical values ​​depending on the settings of the counter 1063.

[0228] Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining whether or not an aerosol product is inserted using a counting value that shows the change in capacitance, according to one embodiment.

[0229] Referring to Figure 14, Graph 1401 shows the voltage change of the capacitor section 1010 when the aerosol product 2 is not inserted (uninserted state), and Graph 1402 shows the currently monitored voltage change. Here, the voltage change of the capacitor section 1010 may represent the change from the discharge voltage Vd to the fully charged voltage Vr.

[0230] Referring to Graph 1401, the value counted until the voltage of the capacitor unit 1010 changes from the discharge voltage Vd to the full charge voltage Vr in the uninserted state is Unit empty_set which is Unit empty_set empty_set may represent a value proportional to the full charge time (t empty_set ) in the state where the aerosol generating article 2 is not inserted. Therefore, Unit empty_set can be set to correspond to the reference counting value indicating the uninserted state.

[0231] Referring to Graph 1402, due to the currently monitored voltage change, the counted value is Unit detect Comparing Graph 1402 with Graph 1401, a larger counting value Unit detect is output, which may mean that a longer full charge time t detect is taken. That is, Graph 1402 can indicate that another capacitance is added in addition to the initial capacitance of the capacitor unit 1010.

[0232] To determine whether the voltage change according to Graph 1402 is due to the insertion of the aerosol generating article 2, a threshold value Unit th_insertion can be preset. That is, when the currently output counting value exceeds the threshold value Unit th_insertion , the control unit 12 can determine that the aerosol generating article 2 is inserted.

[0233] In FIG. 14, since the current counting value Unit detect exceeds the threshold value Unit th_insertion , the control unit 12 can determine that the aerosol generating article 2 is in the inserted state at the time when the counting value Unit detect is output.

[0234] On the other hand, for the periodic charging of the capacitor unit 1010, the power supply unit 1020 uses the current IDAC setThe capacitor section 1010 is provided with a reference current IDAC having a determined current value. In order to determine the insertion of the aerosol product 2 based on the change in the full charge time of the capacitor section 1010, the capacitor section 1010 is provided with a reference current IDAC having a determined current value. set The following must be provided. Reference current IDAC set This section explains how to configure this setting.

[0235] Figure 15 shows the reference current IDAC provided for charging the capacitor section according to one embodiment. set This is a diagram illustrating how to configure it.

[0236] Referring to Figure 15, in order to find the current level at which the counting value of the counter 1063 is output to the maximum, the power supply unit 1020 may set the current level supplied to the capacitor unit 1010 to the minimum. Here, the minimum current level is IDAC min It can be referred to as the current IDAC. For example, assuming that the current output that can be provided by the power supply unit 1020 can be adjusted in the range of approximately 30 to 5000 nA, the current IDAC can be defined as the current IDAC. min This could correspond to approximately 100 nA. However, such values ​​are examples for the sake of explanation and are not limiting, and the current output range of the power supply unit 1020, current IDAC, etc. min The value of can have other values.

[0237] Referring to the voltage change of the capacitor section 1010 shown in Graph 1501, the current IDAC in the capacitor section 1010 is min When supplied, the counter 1063 outputs the Unit as the maximum possible counting value. empty_max This can be output. This is the state when aerosol product 2 is not inserted.

[0238] Next, the reference current IDAC used to charge the capacitor section 1010. set To explore the level, the maximum counting value of counter 1063 is Unit empty_max The counting value Unit corresponds to approximately 50% of the total. empty_setThe current level to be output is the reference current IDAC set which can be set. As an arbitrary value, for example, when the maximum counting value Unit empty_max is 65,535, the counting value Unit empty_set can be determined to be 32,768. At this time, when the capacitor unit 1010 is fully charged, the reference current IDAC empty_set is set so that the counting value Unit set 32,768 is output.

[0239] Thus, referring to the graph 1502, when the reference current IDAC set is supplied and the capacitor unit 1010 is fully charged, the counter 1063 can output the counting value Unit empty_set

[0240] However, in this embodiment, although the counting value Unit empty_set is described as corresponding to about 50% of the maximum counting value Unit empty_max this is merely an exemplary value. That is, the counting value Unit empty_set is not limited thereto and can be variously set to 40%, 60%, or other levels of the maximum counting value Unit empty_max

[0241] On the other hand, the above-described initial calibration process of the reference current IDAC set is performed in a state where the aerosol generating article 2 is not inserted.

[0242] FIG. 16 is a drawing for explaining a method of monitoring an error in the sensitivity of a capacitor unit according to an embodiment.

[0243] ​​Referring to Figure 16, the capacitor C, which corresponds to the capacitive sensor provided in the capacitor section 1010, corresponds to the capacitor C on the insulating substrate 131 mentioned above in Figure 6. Frequent use of the aerosol generator 1 continuously generates aerosols, which causes the accumulation of condensed aerosols 1610 on the capacitor C located around the cavity (h1 in Figure 5). If this phenomenon is repeated, the sensitivity and accuracy of the capacitor section 1010 will decrease. For example, even when no aerosol product 2 is inserted, an error may occur in which a counting value higher than the normal range is output due to the parasitic capacitance effect of the condensed aerosols 1610. Here, the normal range is a predetermined range including the reference counting value mentioned above in Figure 14, and is also the range of counting values ​​that indicates that the sensitivity or accuracy of the capacitor section 1010 is normal when no aerosol product 2 is inserted.

[0244] The control unit 12 monitors whether an error has occurred based on the aerosol 1610 condensed in the capacitor unit 1010, and if an error occurs, it can correct the sensitivity of the capacitor unit 1010 by performing sensor calibration.

[0245] As explained in Figure 15, a reference current IDAC is used to charge the capacitor section 1010. set With the supply and aerosol product 2 not inserted, counter 1063 counts the Unit value. empty_set This can be output. This is because these conditions were set in advance.

[0246] However, if condensed aerosols 1610 accumulate in capacitor C, the counter 1063 will be affected by the parasitic capacitance caused by the condensed aerosols 1610, resulting in a normal counting value of Unit. empty_set Large counting value Unit errorThe output is generated. If the condensed aerosol 1610 gradually increases and the effect of parasitic capacitance increases sustainably, a threshold Unit is used to determine when aerosol product 2 is inserted, even when aerosol product 2 is not inserted. th_insertion A saturation state can be reached where the counting value exceeds a certain threshold. In such a saturation state, even if aerosol product 2 is inserted, the insertion of aerosol product 2 cannot be accurately detected.

[0247] Therefore, the control unit 12 controls the normal range Unit empty_set By monitoring whether a different counting value is output, the control unit 12 determines whether or not an error has occurred in the sensitivity of the capacitor unit 1010.

[0248] To identify sensitivity errors, conditions indicating error occurrence can be predefined. Specifically, the upper threshold of the counting value indicating error occurrence is Unit th_upper The lower threshold is, Unit th_lower This can be pre-set. Upper and lower threshold values ​​Unit th_upper and Unit th_lower Each represents a normal counting value (Unit). empty_set Based on the count value Unit empty_set This could correspond to values ​​of approximately 150% and approximately 50%. For example, the normal counting value Unit empty_set If it is pre-set to 32,768, the upper threshold Unit th_upper The lower threshold unit is 50,000. th_lower This can be preset to 16,000. However, such a value is merely an example, and this embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0249] The control unit 12 periodically monitors the counting value output from the counter 1063, and sets the upper threshold Unit when the counting value is reached. th_upper If it exceeds the lower threshold Unit th_lowerDetermine whether it is less than or equal to the threshold Unit. However, the counting value is not equal to the threshold Unit. th_insertion If the value is greater than this, the control unit 12 may determine that the aerosol product 2 has been inserted.

[0250] The monitored counting value is the upper threshold unit. th_upper and lower threshold Unit th_lower If the counting value falls within the range between these two values, the control unit 12 may determine that no error has occurred. However, if the counting value falls within the upper threshold Unit th_upper If it exceeds the lower threshold Unit th_lower If the value is less than the specified value, the control unit 12 may determine that an error has occurred in the sensitivity of the capacitor section.

[0251] Here, the upper threshold Unit for determining an error. th_upper This is a threshold unit for determining when aerosol product 2 is inserted. th_insertion It is smaller than the threshold Unit. th_insertion Before reaching and saturating, the upper threshold Unit th_upper Errors can be identified in advance using this method.

[0252] In other words, the control unit 12 receives the currently acquired counting value Unit. detect However, as shown in Figure 16, when aerosol product 2 is not inserted, the conditions (Unit) that indicate the counting value is normal are not met. th_lower <Unit detect <Unit th_upper ), when aerosol product 2 is inserted, the conditions that indicate the counting value is normal (Unit th_insertion <Unit detect ), and error conditions (1. Unit th_upper <Unit detect <Unit th_insertion , or 2. Unit detect <Unit th_lower By determining whether or not any of the following conditions are met, it is possible to determine whether or not the sensitivity of the capacitor section is normal.

[0253] On the other hand, in FIG. 16, the influence of the aerosol 1610 condensed in the capacitor C was explained as an error. However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto, and can also be applied to determine an error in which the sensitivity of the capacitor C is changed by environmental influences such as temperature / humidity and a counting value outside the normal range is output. That is, the present embodiment can be used to monitor an error state in which the counting value is out of the normal range regardless of the cause of the sensitivity change.

[0254] FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining a method of controlling the operation of the sensor unit according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 17, the control unit 12 can determine that the aerosol generating article 2 has been inserted based on the output of the sensor unit 13, or can determine that an error has occurred in the sensitivity of the sensor unit 13. Here, the sensor unit 13 may mean the capacitor unit 1010.

[0255] In step 1701, the control unit 12 monitors the counting value required to charge the capacitor C of the capacitor unit 1010. At this time, the capacitor unit 1010 can repeatedly perform a charging cycle by supplying a preset reference current IDAC set .

[0256] In step 1702, the control unit 12 determines whether a change in the monitoring result, the counting value, is detected. Specifically, the control unit 12 determines whether the currently obtained counting value Unit detect satisfies the condition indicating that the counting value is normal when the aerosol generating article 2 described in FIG. 16 is not inserted (Unit th_lower <Unit detect <Unit th_upper ), the condition indicating that the counting value is normal when the aerosol generating article 2 is inserted (Unit th_insertion <Unit detect ), and the error condition (1.Unit th_upper <Unit detect <Unit th_insertionOr 2.Unit detect <Unit th_lower Determine whether any of the following conditions are satisfied.

[0257] If the currently acquired counting value Unit detect when the aerosol generating article 2 is not inserted, the condition indicating that the counting value is normal (Unit th_lower <Unit detect <Unit th_upper ) is satisfied, the control unit 12 determines that there is no change in the counting value and performs the monitoring at step 1701 again.

[0258] However, if the currently acquired counting value Unit detect satisfies the remaining conditions, the control unit 12 performs step 1703.

[0259] At step 1703, the control unit 12 determines whether the aerosol generating article 2 has been inserted based on the currently acquired counting value Unit detect That is, the control unit 12 determines whether the condition indicating that the counting value is normal (Unit detect when the aerosol generating article 2 is inserted) (Unit th_insertion <Unit detect ) is satisfied. If the condition is satisfied, the control unit 12 performs step 1704. However, if the condition is not satisfied, the control unit 12 performs step 1705.

[0260] At step 1704, the control unit 12 determines that the aerosol generating article 2 has been inserted by determining that the currently acquired counting value Unit detect has been inserted.

[0261] At step 1705, the control unit 12 determines that the currently acquired counting value Unit detect is an error condition (1.Unit th_upper <Unit detect <Unit th_insertionOr 2. Unit detect <Unit th_lower The condition is met, and it is determined that an error has occurred in the capacitor section 1010. That is, the control unit 12 determines that an error has occurred in the sensitivity of the capacitor section 1010, as explained in Figure 16.

[0262] At step 1706, if an error occurs in the sensitivity of the capacitor unit 1010, the control unit 12 may perform a calibration process. Specifically, the control unit 12 provides a reference current IDAC to the capacitor unit 1010 to adjust the counting value and calibrate the sensitivity of the capacitor unit 1010. set Perform a calibration process to adjust the level.

[0263] Figure 18 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail a method for performing sensor calibration according to one embodiment.

[0264] Figure 18 shows the counting value Unit currently acquired by the control unit 12, as explained in Figure 17. detect The process of determining the occurrence of an error based on this, and performing sensor calibration for the sensitivity of the capacitor section 1010 if an error occurs, will be explained in more detail.

[0265] At step 1801, the control unit 12 monitors the counting value required to charge the capacitor C of the capacitor unit 1010. At this time, the capacitor unit 1010 uses the previously set reference current IDAC. set Charged by the supply of energy, the counter 1063 provides a counting value to the control unit 12 with each charging cycle, and the control unit 12 can perform monitoring based on the provided counting value.

[0266] At step 1802, the control unit 12 monitors the results and the currently acquired counting value Unit. detect Error condition (1. Unit th_upper <Unit detect <Unit th_insertionOr 2. Unit detect <Unit th_lower The control unit 12 determines whether the condition is met. If the error condition is met, the control unit 12 performs step 1803. However, if the error condition is not met, the control unit 12 performs monitoring step 1801 again.

[0267] At stage 1803, the currently acquired counting value is Unit. detect If the error condition is met, the control unit 12 will check the currently acquired counting value Unit. detect Upper threshold Unit th_upper If it exceeds the lower threshold Unit th_lower Determine if it is less than the counting value Unit. detect Upper threshold Unit th_upper If it exceeds the counting value Unit, the control unit 12 performs step 1804. detect Lower threshold Unit th_lower If it is less than 1805, the control unit 12 performs step 1805.

[0268] Steps 1804 and 1805 provide a reference current IDAC to the capacitor section 1010 to adjust the counting value output from the counter 1063. set This indicates the stage in which the sensitivity calibration of the capacitor section 1010 is performed by adjusting the level. That is, the currently acquired counting value Unit detect If it is determined that the value has fallen outside the normal range, a reference current IDAC is supplied to the capacitor C of the capacitor section 1010 through the 1804th or 1805th step. set By adjusting the level, calibration can be performed for the sensitivity of capacitor C.

[0269] At step 1804, the control unit 12 receives the currently acquired counting value Unit. detect Upper threshold Unit th_upper If it exceeds the limit, the reference current IDAC setPerform calibration to increase the level of the reference current IDAC. set If the level increases, capacitor C of capacitor section 1010 can be fully charged at an even faster rate. A faster charging rate means a shorter charging time, which can result in a lower counting value for counter 1063. Currently acquired counting value Unit detect Upper threshold Unit th_upper Exceeding this value means that the counting value is higher than the normal range. Therefore, the control unit 12 adjusts the reference current IDAC so that the counting value returns to the normal range. set Lower the counting value by performing calibration that increases the level of [the function / method].

[0270] At step 1805, the control unit 12 receives the currently acquired counting value Unit. detect Lower threshold Unit th_lower If it is less than, the reference current IDAC set Perform calibration to reduce the level. Reference current IDAC set If the level decreases, capacitor C in capacitor section 1010 may be fully charged at an even slower rate. A slower charging rate means a longer charging time, which can result in a higher counting value for counter 1063. Currently acquired counting value Unit detect Lower threshold Unit th_lower Being less than means that the counting value is smaller than the normal range. Therefore, the control unit 12 adjusts the reference current IDAC so that the counting value returns to the normal range. set The counting value is increased by performing calibration that reduces the level of [unclear].

[0271] When an aerosol condenses in capacitor C of capacitor unit 1010, the sensitivity of capacitor unit 1010 may change due to environmental influences such as temperature and humidity, potentially leading to errors. If such an error occurs, the control unit 12 calibrates the counting value indicating the full charge time of capacitor unit 1010 by adjusting the current level of the current source supplied to capacitor unit 1010. Therefore, the aerosol generator 1 can prevent malfunctions related to the insertion detection of aerosol products 2 through calibration, thereby ensuring the sensitivity or accuracy of the capacitive sensor.

[0272] Figure 19 is a diagram illustrating a method for performing sensor calibration for a capacitive sensor according to one embodiment.

[0273] Referring to Figure 19, case number 1901, along with step 1804 in Figure 18, currently has the acquired counting value Unit. detect Upper threshold Unit th_upper The calibration method for cases exceeding this value is shown, and the case of reference number 1902, along with the 1805 steps in Figure 18, shows the currently acquired counting value Unit. detect Lower threshold Unit th_lower The calibration method for values ​​less than the specified value is shown.

[0274] The power supply unit 1020 supplies a reference current IDAC to the capacitor unit 1010 so that the capacitor unit 1010 is charged from the discharge voltage Vd to the full charge voltage Vr. set To provide.

[0275] However, along with the calibration of reference number 1901, the currently acquired counting value Unit detect Upper threshold Unit th_upper If an error exceeding the limit occurs, the power supply unit 1020 will set the reference current IDAC setThis increases the level of the capacitor unit 1010, which speeds up the charging speed, reduces the charging time, and increases the count value in the uninserted state to the upper threshold Unit. th_upper It may decrease further and return to the normal range.

[0276] Conversely, as with the calibration of reference number 1902, the currently acquired counting value Unit detect Lower threshold Unit th_lower If an error occurs where the reference current is less than IDAC, the power supply unit 1020 will... set This reduces the level of the capacitor. As a result, the charging speed of the capacitor unit 1010 slows down, the charging time increases, and the count value in the uninserted state is reduced to the lower threshold Unit. th_lower It may rise further and then return to the normal range.

[0277] Figure 20 is a diagram illustrating a case in which the power supply unit is equipped with multiple current sources IDAC1 and IDAC2 according to another embodiment.

[0278] In the embodiment described above, the power supply unit 1020 uses a single current source IDAC to generate a reference current IDAC. set It was explained that the level is adjusted. In this case, when using only a single current source IDAC, the reference current IDAC set The level can be adjusted in proportion to the current level output from the current source IDAC, and the counting value can also be adjusted inversely to the current level output from the current source IDAC. In this case, the relationship explained in Equation 4 can be used as a reference.

[0279] However, according to other embodiments, the power supply unit 1020 may be equipped with two current sources IDAC1 and IDAC2.

[0280] The current source IDAC1 of the power supply unit 1020 has current I gain Provides current I gain This may correspond to the gain for adjusting the counting value. The current source IDAC2 of the power supply unit 1020 is current Ioffset Provides current I offset This could be considered an offset used to adjust the counting value.

[0281] Using dual current sources IDAC1 and IDAC2, reference current IDAC set If provided, current I gain The current I is adjusted by the adjustment of the current I gain The counting value can be adjusted to be proportional or inversely proportional by the gain based on the level of current I offset The current I is adjusted by the adjustment of the current I offset The counting value can be adjusted by adding or subtracting an offset based on the level. In this case, the relationship explained in Equation 5 can be used as a reference.

[0282] In other words, the power supply unit 1020 is embodied in an embodiment that has a single current source IDAC or an embodiment that has dual current sources IDAC1 and IDAC2, and the counting value can be calibrated by adjusting the current output provided from the current source.

[0283] On the other hand, if calibration is required, the reference current IDAC set It is advisable not to adjust the level and counting values ​​excessively at once.

[0284] For example, suppose the normal counting value is 32,768, and the current counting value reaches the upper threshold requiring calibration (e.g., a counting value of 50,000). Even in that case, to reduce the current counting value to the normal counting value of 32,768 all at once, the reference current IDAC would need to be used. set If the level is increased excessively all at once, this can lead to further signal saturation problems. Therefore, the control unit 12 adjusts the reference current IDAC so that the counting value gradually enters the normal range. set The level can be increased in stages. Alternatively, the control unit 12 may set the reference current IDAC to such an extent that it does not cause problems with insertion sensing.set By gradually changing the level, the baseline counting value can be updated, for example, to approximately 40,000, and the normal range can be set slightly differently from the existing normal range.

[0285] The following describes a method for controlling the operation of the aerosol generator 1 by sensing the insertion of the aerosol product 2 using both the inductor section 810 and the capacitor section 1010.

[0286] Figure 21 is a flowchart illustrating the operation method of an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment.

[0287] Referring to Figure 21, at step 2110, the control unit 12 can obtain a first monitoring value corresponding to the change in inductance.

[0288] The aerosol generator 1 includes an inductor section 810, which is separated from the control unit 12. The inductance value of the inductor section 810 can be varied as the aerosol product 2 approaches the inductor section 810. By varying the inductance value of the inductor section 810, the frequency of the alternating current flowing through the inductor section 810 can also be varied. The first calculation unit 121 within the control unit 12 can use a shared component 123 to sense the frequency change of the alternating current.

[0289] The current sensing unit 840 within the shared component 123 can sense the alternating current flowing through the inductor unit 810. Furthermore, the current sensing unit 840 can transmit information related to the alternating current to the frequency change sensing unit 850.

[0290] The frequency change sensing unit 850 may include a timer 851 and a counter 852. The current sensing unit 840 or the frequency change sensing unit 850 includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that converts information related to AC current into digital values, and the frequency change sensing unit 850 may count the rising or falling edges of the AC current over time.

[0291] The number of rising edges or falling edges of the AC current per unit time is the same as the period of the AC current per unit time, and the first calculation unit 121 can calculate the frequency change of the AC current based on the number of rising edges or falling edges of the AC current per unit time. The memory 17 stores the first frequency of the AC current with a first inductance value Li, which is the initial inductance value of the inductor unit 810, and the first calculation unit 121 can obtain the second frequency of the AC current with a second inductance value Lf, which is the current inductance value of the inductor unit 810.

[0292] The first calculation unit 121 can obtain the frequency change of the AC current by comparing the first frequency and the second frequency. The frequency change of the AC current can be obtained by the first calculation unit 121 as a first monitoring value.

[0293] At step 2120, the control unit 12 can obtain a second monitoring value corresponding to the change in capacitance.

[0294] The aerosol generator 1 includes a capacitor section 1010, which is separated from the control unit 12. The capacitance of the capacitor section 1010 can be varied as the aerosol product approaches the capacitor section 1010. By varying the capacitance of the capacitor section 1010, the full charge time of the capacitor section 1010 can also be varied. The first calculation unit 121 within the control unit 12 can use a shared component 123 to sense the change in the full charge time of the capacitor section 1010.

[0295] The charging voltage sensing unit 1050 within the shared component 123 can sense the charging voltage of the capacitor unit 1010. Furthermore, the charging voltage sensing unit 1050 can transmit information related to the charging voltage to the full charge time change sensing unit 1060.

[0296] The full charge time change sensing unit 1060 may include a comparison unit 1061, a timer 1062, and a counter 1063. Depending on the embodiment, the charging voltage sensing unit 1050 or the full charge time change sensing unit 1060 may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that converts an analog value back into a digital value.

[0297] The comparison unit 1061 can compare a previously set reference voltage with the charging voltage of the capacitor unit 1010. If the charging voltage is equal to or greater than the reference voltage, the comparison unit 1061 can determine that the capacitor unit 1010 is fully charged and output full charge information. The timer 1062 can measure the passage of time.

[0298] In one embodiment, the counter 1063 can count the number of times full charge information is output over time. The fact that the counter 1063 counts the number of times full charge information is output is the same as counting the number of times the capacitor unit 1010 is fully charged. The number of full charges per unit time corresponds to the charging time, and the first calculation unit 121 can calculate the change in the full charge time of the capacitor unit 1010 based on the number of full charges per unit time. The memory 17 can store the first number of full charges per unit time of the capacitor unit 1010 based on the first capacitance, which is the initial capacitance of the capacitor unit 1010. The first calculation unit 121 can obtain the second number of full charges per unit time of the capacitor unit 1010 based on the second capacitance, which is the current capacitance of the capacitor unit 1010.

[0299] The first calculation unit 121 can obtain the change in the full charge time of the capacitor unit 1010 by comparing the first full charge cycle with the second full charge cycle. The change in full charge time can be obtained by the first calculation unit 121 as a second monitoring value.

[0300] In another embodiment, the counter 1063 may count the full charge time of the capacitor unit 1010 based on the full charge information. The counter 1063 may convert the time it takes for the voltage of the capacitor unit 1010 to change from the discharge voltage to the full charge voltage into a count value and output it. The memory 17 may store the first full charge time of the capacitor unit 1010 with a first capacitance, which is the initial capacitance of the capacitor unit 1010. The first calculation unit 121 may obtain the second full charge time of the capacitor unit 1010 with a second capacitance, which is the current capacitance.

[0301] The first calculation unit 121 can obtain the change in the full charge time of the capacitor unit 1010 by comparing the first full charge time with the second full charge time. The change in full charge time can be obtained by the first calculation unit 121 as a second monitoring value.

[0302] Thus, the counter 1063 counts the number of full charges or the full charge time of the capacitor unit 1010 based on the full charge information output by the comparison unit 1061, and the first calculation unit 121 can calculate the change in the full charge time of the capacitor unit 1010 corresponding to the second monitoring value based on the number of full charges or the full charge time of the capacitor unit 1010. A more specific method by which the counter 1063 obtains the second monitoring value based on the number of full charges of the capacitor unit 1010 is as described above in Figures 10 and 11. Furthermore, a more specific method by which the counter 1063 obtains the second monitoring value based on the full charge time of the capacitor unit 1010 is as described above in Figures 12 to 20.

[0303] At step 2130, the control unit 12 may determine whether or not the aerosol product 2 is contained in the cavity H1 based on at least one of the first monitoring value and the second monitoring value.

[0304] The function of determining whether or not the aerosol product 2 is contained in the cavity H1 can be performed by the first calculation unit 121 in the control unit 12.

[0305] The first calculation unit 121 may determine that the aerosol product 2 has been inserted into the cavity H1 if the first monitoring value exceeds a predetermined first reference range. For example, if the first reference range is selected to be 1.1 to 2 times the first frequency, the first calculation unit 121 may determine that the aerosol product 2 has been inserted into the cavity H1 if the second frequency exceeds twice the first frequency.

[0306] The first calculation unit 121 may determine that the aerosol product 2 has been inserted into the cavity H1 if the second monitoring value exceeds a predetermined second reference range. For example, if the second reference range is set to a range of 1.1 to 2 times the first charging time due to the initial capacitance of the capacitor unit 1010, the first calculation unit 121 may determine that the aerosol product 2 has been inserted into the cavity H1 if the second charging time due to the current capacitance of the capacitor unit 1010 exceeds twice the first charging time.

[0307] On the other hand, in an embodiment in which the presence or absence of the aerosol product 2 is determined using both the first monitoring value and the second monitoring value, the second monitoring value may be used to verify the primary determination. For example, the first calculation unit 121 may, after making a primary determination of the presence or absence of the aerosol product 2 based on the frequency change of the inductor unit 810, verify the primary determination based on the charging time change of the capacitor unit 1010.

[0308] At step 2140, the control unit 12 can make a final decision on whether or not to insert the aerosol product 2.

[0309] If the first calculation unit 121 determines that the aerosol product 2 has not been inserted into the cavity H1, it returns to step 2110 and obtains the first monitoring value again.

[0310] The first arithmetic unit 121 may output a wake-up signal if it determines that the aerosol product 2 has been inserted into the cavity H1. The wake-up signal may be provided to the second arithmetic unit 122. When the second arithmetic unit 122 receives the wake-up signal, it may switch from sleep mode to wake-up mode.

[0311] At 2150 steps, the control unit 12 can heat the heater 18.

[0312] The heating of the heater 18 can be controlled by a second arithmetic unit 122 within the control unit 12. At least one of the clock speed and interrupt processing number of the second arithmetic unit 122 is higher than that of the first arithmetic unit 121. In one embodiment, the clock frequency of the second arithmetic unit 122 may be set higher than that of the first arithmetic unit 121. For example, the second arithmetic unit 122 may be set to a clock frequency of 100 MHz, and the first arithmetic unit 121 may be set to a clock frequency of 48 MHz. As a result, the active time of the second arithmetic unit 122 may be set to be longer than the active time of the first arithmetic unit 121. In this case, the active time may mean the operating time. Therefore, the power consumption of the second arithmetic unit 122 is higher than that of the first arithmetic unit 121.

[0313] The second calculation unit 122 can automatically heat the heater 18 without user input when the aerosol product 2 is contained in the cavity H1.

[0314] The aerosol generator 1 of the present invention, although low in performance, uses a first calculation unit 121 with low power consumption to determine whether or not to insert an aerosol product 2, which is a relatively simple calculation. The second calculation unit 122, which is high in performance but has high power consumption, is used to control the heater 18. This allows for increased energy efficiency compared to conventional aerosol generators equipped with a single calculation unit.

[0315] Furthermore, the aerosol generator 1 of the present invention can perform accurate insertion sensing while preventing malfunctions of the capacitive sensor and ensuring the sensitivity or accuracy of the capacitive sensor, by performing a function that can calibrate the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor even if errors occur in the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor due to aerosol condensation due to frequent use or environmental influences such as temperature / humidity.

[0316] Any or other embodiments of the present invention described above are not mutually exclusive or distinct from one another. Any or other embodiments of the present invention described above may be used in combination or in combination with each other, depending on their respective configurations or functions.

[0317] For example, this means that configuration A described in a particular embodiment and / or drawing may 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 it is possible to combine them unless it is stated that such combination is impossible.

[0318] The above detailed description should not be interpreted restrictively in any way and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the invention should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the claims, and all modifications within the equivalent scope of the invention are included within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. In a method for performing sensor calibration using an aerosol generator, A step of providing a reference current for charging the capacitive sensor during the charging cycle of the capacitive sensor, When the capacitive sensor is fully charged from the discharge voltage to the charging voltage by the aforementioned reference current, the steps include obtaining a counting value corresponding to the time required for the capacitive sensor to be fully charged, The steps include determining whether the obtained counting value is within a predetermined normal range, which includes a reference counting value indicating that it is normal when no aerosol product is inserted, A method comprising the step of performing calibration for the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor by adjusting the level of the reference current supplied to the capacitive sensor if the acquired counting value is determined to be outside the normal range.

2. The aforementioned steps to be performed are: The method according to claim 1, wherein the level of the reference current provided from the current source is adjusted so that the acquired counting value falls within the normal range.

3. The aforementioned normal range includes an upper threshold and a lower threshold, The upper threshold is set to a value that is larger by a predetermined ratio of the reference counting value. The method according to claim 1, wherein the lower threshold value is set to a value that is smaller by a predetermined ratio of the reference counting value.

4. The aforementioned upper threshold is The method according to claim 3, wherein the counting value for determining whether the aerosol product has been inserted is set to a value smaller than a threshold value.

5. The aforementioned steps to be performed are: The method according to claim 3, wherein if the acquired counting value exceeds the upper threshold, the calibration is performed by controlling the current source to increase the level of the reference current in order to reduce the counting value.

6. The aforementioned steps to be performed are: The method according to claim 3, wherein if the acquired counting value is less than the lower threshold, the calibration is performed by controlling the current source to decrease the level of the reference current in order to increase the counting value.

7. The aforementioned standard counting value is, The method according to claim 1, wherein the capacitive sensor is initially set to half of the maximum counting value that can be provided by the capacitive sensor.

8. The aforementioned steps to be performed are: The method according to claim 1, wherein the calibration is performed by gradually updating the reference counting value and the normal range by gradually adjusting the level of the reference current.

9. The aforementioned steps to be performed are: The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the reference current is provided using a single current source, the calibration is performed by adjusting the counting value to be proportional or inversely proportional to the effect of adjusting the current level output from the single current source.

10. The aforementioned steps to be performed are: The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the reference current is provided using a first current source and a second current source, the calibration is performed by adjusting the counting value to be proportional or inversely proportional by a gain based on a first current level adjusted by the first current source, and by adjusting the counting value to an offset based on a second current level adjusted by the second current source.

11. In an aerosol generating device, A capacitive sensor that is fully charged from discharge voltage to charge voltage during a charging cycle using a reference current supplied from a current source, The aerosol generating device includes a control unit that controls the operation of the aerosol generating device, The control unit, When fully charged, a counting value corresponding to the time required to fully charge the capacitive sensor is obtained. It is determined whether the obtained counting value falls within a predetermined normal range, which includes a reference counting value indicating that the state is normal when no aerosol product is inserted. If the acquired counting value is determined to be outside the normal range, the aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 1 performs calibration of the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor by adjusting the level of the reference current supplied to the capacitive sensor.

12. The control unit, The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the level of the reference current provided from the current source is adjusted so that the acquired counting value falls within the normal range.

13. The aforementioned normal range includes an upper threshold and a lower threshold, The upper threshold is set to a value that is larger by a predetermined ratio of the reference counting value. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the lower threshold value is set to a value that is smaller by a predetermined ratio of the reference counting value.

14. The control unit, If the acquired counting value exceeds the upper threshold, the current source is controlled to increase the level of the reference current in order to reduce the counting value. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 13, wherein if the acquired counting value is less than the lower threshold, the current source is controlled to decrease the level of the reference current in order to increase the counting value.

15. The control unit, If the current source is a single current source, the calibration is performed by adjusting the counting value so that it is proportional or inversely proportional to the effect of adjusting the current level output from the single current source. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the current source is a dual current source including a first current source and a second current source, the calibration is performed by adjusting the counting value to be proportional or inversely proportional to a gain based on a first current level adjusted by the first current source, and by adjusting the counting value to the extent of an offset based on a second current level adjusted by the second current source.

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