Cartridge and aerosol generating device including the same

Abstract

According to one embodiment, the cartridge for an aerosol generating device includes an opening through which an aerosol formed by heating an aerosol-forming substrate is discharged, and an information storage unit formed at the end of the cartridge where the cartridge is coupled to the main body and containing unique information about the cartridge. Unique information about other cartridges can be stored due to the physical structure of the information storage unit having a specific pattern.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Hereinafter, the embodiments relate to a cartridge and an aerosol generating device including the cartridge. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, there is an increasing demand for alternative methods to overcome the shortcomings of conventional cigarettes. For example, there is an increasing demand for devices that generate aerosol by heating an aerosol generating material, rather than a method of generating aerosol by burning cigarettes. Therefore, research into heated cigarettes or heated aerosol generating devices has been actively conducted. For example, JP Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0036585 discloses an aerosol inhaler. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] An object of one embodiment is to provide a cartridge for an aerosol generating device and an aerosol generating device that can easily transmit unique information of the cartridge to a main body.

[0004] Another object of one embodiment is to provide a cartridge for an aerosol generating device and an aerosol generating device that can recognize a cartridge without having to provide a sensor for recognizing the cartridge inside the main body of the aerosol generating device, thereby reducing the weight and production costs of the aerosol generating device and capable of precisely recognizing the unique information of the cartridge. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The cartridge for an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment includes an opening through which an aerosol formed by heating an aerosol-forming substrate is discharged, and an information storage section formed at an end of the cartridge where the cartridge is coupled to a main body of the aerosol generating device and containing unique information of the cartridge, and different unique information of the cartridge can be stored depending on a physical structure including a specific pattern of the information storage section.

[0006] The cartridge may further include a liquid reservoir capable of storing an aerosol-forming substrate, and a heating element disposed within the liquid reservoir and including a wick and a heating coil.

[0007] The particular pattern may include one or more Convex and one or more grooves, Convex The number and positions of the grooves and the number and positions of the grooves can indicate unique information of the cartridge.

[0008] The information storage unit includes a first storage area for storing first information about the cartridge, a second storage area for storing second information about the cartridge, and a third storage area for storing third information about the cartridge, and the specific pattern is Convex Depending on the combination of the grooves, unique information of the cartridge can be displayed.

[0009] The specific pattern is formed by two or more electrodes, and the specific pattern can indicate unique information of the cartridge depending on the number and positions of the electrodes.

[0010] The information storage unit includes a first storage area for storing first information about the cartridge, a second storage area for storing second information about the cartridge, and a third storage area for storing third information about the cartridge, and the specific pattern is stored in the first storage area to the third storage area. The position and number of each electrode within the region can indicate unique information about the cartridge.

[0011] An aerosol generating device according to one embodiment includes a liquid storage tank capable of storing an aerosol-forming substrate, a heating element installed inside the liquid storage tank and including a wick and a heating coil, an opening through which an aerosol formed by heating the aerosol-forming substrate is discharged, and an information storage unit formed at an end of the cartridge on the side coupled to the main body of the aerosol generating device and including unique information of the cartridge, the information storage unit including a cartridge having a specific pattern indicating the unique information of the cartridge, a power supply unit supplying power for heating the heating coil of the heating element of the cartridge, a housing accommodating the power supply unit, a cartridge recognition unit contacting the information storage unit of the cartridge to recognize the unique information of the cartridge, and a control unit capable of controlling the temperature of the heating element of the cartridge, and a main body coupled to the cartridge, the control unit of the main body being capable of controlling the operation of the aerosol generating device based on the unique information of the cartridge recognized by the cartridge recognition unit.

[0012] The particular pattern may include one or more Convex and one or more grooves, the particular pattern being Convex and the number and positions of the grooves of the cartridge. different The cartridge recognition unit of the main body indicates unique information. Convex and a number of physical switches equal to the number of grooves, Convex The unique information of the cartridge can be recognized based on at least one physical switch clicked by the.

[0013] The specific pattern is formed by two or more electrodes, and the specific pattern of the cartridge is determined according to the number and positions of the electrodes. differentThe cartridge recognition unit of the main body includes recognition terminals equal to or greater than the number of electrodes, and current is transmitted only to the recognition terminals that contact the electrodes of the cartridge, thereby recognizing the unique information of the cartridge.

[0014] The electrodes of the information storage portion of the cartridge may include one or more positive electrodes and one or more negative electrodes, and the cartridge recognition portion of the main body may include a negative electrode pad including two or more negative electrode terminals and a positive electrode pad including two or more positive electrode terminals, and each of the positive electrodes and the negative electrodes may correspond one-to-one to any one of the negative electrode terminals of the negative electrode pad and any one of the positive electrode terminals of the positive electrode pad.

[0015] A unique pattern for the information storage unit of the cartridge is pre-stored in the main body, and the control unit can determine whether the cartridge is authentic depending on whether the recognized unique pattern matches the pre-stored unique pattern.

[0016] If the authenticity verification fails, the control unit can cause the aerosol generating device to emit a warning sound or shut off the operation of the aerosol generating device.

[0017] The control unit of the main body can adjust the heating temperature of the heating element of the cartridge based on the unique information of the cartridge recognized by the cartridge recognition unit. Effect of the Invention

[0018] The cartridge for an aerosol generating device and the aerosol generating device according to an embodiment can easily transmit unique information of the cartridge to the main body.

[0019] The cartridge for an aerosol generating device and the aerosol generating device according to one embodiment of the present invention are This enables cartridge recognition without providing a sensor for recognizing the cartridge in the main body of the aerosol generating device, thereby reducing the weight and production costs of the aerosol generating device and accurately recognizing unique information of the cartridge.

[0020] The effects of the cartridge for an aerosol generating device and the aerosol generating device according to one embodiment are not limited to those mentioned above, and different effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a cartridge for the aerosol generation device of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by A in the cartridge for the aerosol generating device of FIG. 2 according to one embodiment. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the information storage section indicated by A in the cartridge for the aerosol generation device of FIG. 2 according to another embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main body in the aerosol generating device of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5 is an enlarged view of a cartridge recognition portion indicated by B in the main body of FIG. 4 according to one embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6A] 13 is a diagram showing a state before an information storage portion of a cartridge and a cartridge recognition portion of a main body of the cartridge according to an embodiment come into contact with each other. FIG. [Figure 6B] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a state after the information storage portion of the cartridge and the cartridge recognition portion of the main body have come into contact with each other according to an embodiment. [Figure 7A] 13 is a diagram showing a state before an information storage portion of a cartridge and a cartridge recognition portion of a main body according to another embodiment come into contact with each other. FIG. [Figure 7B] 13 is a diagram showing a state after the information storage portion of the cartridge and the cartridge recognition portion of the main body have come into contact with each other according to another embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the specific structural or functional description disclosed in this specification is merely for the purpose of describing the embodiments, and the embodiments may be implemented in various different forms, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in this specification. It should be understood that all modifications, equivalents, or alternatives to the embodiments are included in the scope of the claims.

[0023] The terms used in the embodiments are merely used for the purpose of explanation and are not to be construed as being limiting. A singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "include" or "have" indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0024] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Commonly used predefined terms should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted as ideal or overly formal unless expressly defined in this specification.

[0025] In addition, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components are given the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions thereof will be omitted. In the description of the embodiments, if a detailed description of related known technology is determined to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the embodiments, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0026] In addition, in describing components of the embodiments, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are used to distinguish the components from other components, and do not limit the nature, order, or sequence of the components. When a component is described as being "coupled," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, it will be understood that the component is directly coupled or connected to the other component, but that other components may be "coupled," "coupled," or "connected" between each component.

[0027] Components having a common function to components included in any of the embodiments will be described using the same names in the other embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, the description of any of the embodiments will be applied to the other embodiments, and detailed description will be omitted to the extent that they overlap.

[0028] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol generating device 10 according to an embodiment.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 1, the aerosol generating device 10 includes a cartridge 100 in which a liquid phase material for generating an aerosol is stored, and a battery for supplying power for heating the liquid phase material in the cartridge 100. A device 200 (i.e., a main body of the aerosol generating device 10) can be coupled to the cartridge 100. When the cartridge 100 is attached to the device 200 of the aerosol generating device 10, the device 200 can recognize unique information of the cartridge 100 to determine whether the cartridge 100 is genuine or counterfeit, or can transmit power to heat the cartridge 100 at an optimal heating temperature according to the type of the attached cartridge 100. The cartridge 100 may store different information depending on a physical structure having a specific pattern. The aerosol generating device 10 can recognize the unique information of the cartridge 100 and control the operation of the aerosol generating device 10 based on the recognized unique information of the cartridge 100.

[0031] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge 100 for the aerosol generation device of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 2, the cartridge 100 for the aerosol generating device includes a liquid-phase reservoir 110 capable of storing an aerosol-forming substrate. The aerosol-forming substrate refers to a substance capable of forming an aerosol. The aerosol may include a volatile compound. The aerosol-forming substrate may be solid or liquid-phase. For example, the solid aerosol-forming substrate may include a solid substance based on tobacco raw materials such as sheet tobacco, shredded tobacco, and reconstituted tobacco, and the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may include a liquid-phase composition based on nicotine, tobacco extract, and / or various flavoring agents. However, the scope of the present embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0033] 2, the cartridge 100 includes a heating element 120 including a wick 122 and a heating coil 124. The wick 122 includes, but is not limited to, at least one of cotton fiber, ceramic fiber, glass fiber, porous ceramic, or a combination thereof. The heating coil 124 is configured to wrap around the wick 122 and is connected to a power supply 210 of the device 200 to generate heat to heat the wick 122, which in turn heats the wick 122. This generates an aerosol.

[0034] 2, the cartridge 100 includes an opening 130 through which the aerosol formed by heating the aerosol-forming substrate is discharged. The opening 130 may have a mouthpiece shape protruding from one side of the cartridge 100 as shown in FIG. 2, but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the opening 130 may be in the shape of a gourd, a cylinder, a hole, or the like. The opening 130 may be made of various materials such as plastic synthetic resin, stainless steel, glass, Teflon, rubber, etc.

[0035] 2, the cartridge 100 includes an information storage unit 140 that includes unique information of the cartridge 100. The information storage unit 140 may be formed at an end of the cartridge 100 that is coupled to the device 200. The information storage unit 140 and the opening 130 are disposed on the opposite side of the cartridge 100. The unique information of the cartridge 100 stored in the information storage unit 140 includes, for example, whether the cartridge 100 is a genuine product, whether the cartridge 100 is compatible with the device 200, the type of medium contained in the cartridge 100, the flavor of the aerosol-generating base material stored in the cartridge 100, and the like, but is not limited thereto. The information storage unit 140 of the cartridge 100 can store the unique information of the cartridge as described above by a physical structure having a specific pattern. The physical structure having a specific pattern will be described in more detail below.

[0036] 3A and 3B are enlarged views of the portion indicated by A in the cartridge for the aerosol generating device of FIG. 2 according to various embodiments.

[0037] FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of the portion indicated by A in the cartridge for the aerosol generating device of FIG. 2 according to one embodiment, and the information storage unit 142 is a physically protruding Convex It is possible to store unique information of the cartridge 100 according to a combination of the groove portion 142a and the physically recessed groove portion 142b.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 3A, the information storage unit 142 includes one or more Convex The information storage section 142 includes a first portion 142a and one or more grooves 142b. Convex The information storage unit 142 may include a plurality of blocks, each of which may store different information depending on the combination of the number and positions of the grooves. Convex The more blocks in which the grooves 142a and 142b are formed, the more information storage unit 142 can store various pieces of information about the cartridge 100. For example, one block may include Convex Since one of the grooves 142a and 142b can be selectively arranged, when the number of blocks in which the grooves 142a and 142b are formed is n in the information storage section 142, information of 2n different cartridges 100 may be stored. For example, since a total of 10 blocks in which the grooves 142a and 142b are formed are illustrated in Fig. 3A, unique information of a total of 210 (i.e., 1024) different cartridges 100 can be stored.

[0039] 3A, the information storage unit 142 may include a plurality of partitioned regions according to the type of information of the cartridge 100 to be stored. For example, referring to FIG. 3A, the information storage unit 142 includes a first storage region 140a for storing the first information, a second storage region 140b for storing the second information, and a third storage region 140c for storing the third information. The n-th storage region stores unique information possessed by the cartridge 100, such as whether the cartridge 100 is compatible with the device 200, the type of medium contained in the cartridge 100, the flavor of the aerosol-generating base material stored in the cartridge 100, etc., as described above, but is not limited thereto. Each storage region includes one or more blocks in which the groove portions 142a, 142b are arranged. For example, referring to FIG. 3A, the first storage region 140a includes two storage regions 140b, 140c, 140d, 140e, 140f, 140g, 140h ... The first storage area 140a may include one block, the second storage area 140b may include three blocks, and the third storage area 140c may include five blocks. The more blocks a storage area includes, the more types of cartridge 100 information is stored, and the more information is stored in each of the first storage area 140a to the third storage area 140c. Convex Depending on the combination of 142a and groove 142b, unique information of the cartridge 100 can be stored.

[0040] Figure 3B is an enlarged view of the information storage section, which is the portion indicated as A in the cartridge for an aerosol generating device of Figure 2 according to another embodiment, and the information storage section 144 can store unique information about the cartridge 100 based on a combination of the presence or absence and positions of the positive / negative electrodes of two or more electrodes 144p, 144n.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 3B, the information storage unit 144 may include two or more electrodes 144p, 144n, and the information storage unit 144 may store the information of the cartridge 100 according to a combination of the electrodes 144p, 144n having different numbers and positions. differentUnique information may be stored in the electrodes 144p and 144n. The electrodes 144p and 144n may not only store information about the cartridge, but also receive power from the power supply unit 210 included in the device 200. In order to receive power from the power supply unit 210, the positive and negative poles of the power supply unit 210 must be connected to the negative and positive poles of the cartridge 100 terminals, respectively, so the electrodes 144p and 144n include a positive electrode 144p and a negative electrode 144n. Here, the electrodes 144p and 144n may include a positive electrode region 146 and a negative electrode region 148.

[0042] Although not shown in FIG. 3B, the information storage section 144 may include a plurality of partitioned regions according to the type of information of the cartridge 100 stored therein, similar to the information storage section 142. For example, the information storage section 144 includes a first storage region for storing the first information, a second storage region for storing the second information, and a third storage region for storing the third information. The n-th storage region stores information unique to the cartridge 100, such as whether the cartridge 100 is compatible with the device 200, the type of medium contained in the cartridge 100, and the flavor of the aerosol-generating base material stored in the cartridge 100, as described above, but is not limited thereto. Each storage region includes one or more electrodes 144p, 144n. The more blocks a storage region includes, the more types of information of the cartridge 100 the storage region can store. The unique information of the cartridge 100 can be stored according to the combination of the positions and numbers of the electrodes in the first storage region 140a to the third storage region 140c.

[0043] The device 200 which is combined with the cartridge 100 to form the aerosol generating apparatus 10 will be described in detail below.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a device 200 of the aerosol generating apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 4, the device 200 includes a power supply unit 210 that stores power for heating the heating coil 124 of the heating element 120 of the cartridge 100. The power supply unit 210 can also supply power necessary for the operation of other hardware components provided in the aerosol generating device 10, i.e., the sensor, the user interface, the memory, the processor, and the control unit. The power supply unit 210 can be a rechargeable battery that can be used several times or a disposable battery. For example, the power supply unit 210 includes a nickel-based battery (e.g., a nickel-metal hydride battery, a nickel-cadmium battery), or a lithium-based battery (e.g., a lithium-cobalt battery, a lithium-phosphate battery, a lithium titanate battery, a lithium-ion battery, or a lithium-polymer battery). However, the power supply unit 210 that can be used in the aerosol generating device 10 may be a rechargeable battery that can be used several times or a disposable battery. The types of the power supply 10 are not limited to those mentioned above. If necessary, the power supply unit 210 may include an alkaline battery or a manganese battery.

[0046] Continuing to refer to FIG. 4, the device 200 includes a housing 220 that houses the power supply unit 210. The housing 220 may include other hardware components provided in the aerosol generating device 10 in addition to the power supply unit 210. The housing 220 may be manufactured in an ergonomic shape to provide a stable grip for a user. For example, the housing 220 may be manufactured in a shape that allows a user to hold the housing 220 comfortably, such as a cylindrical shape, a hexagonal prism shape, an octagonal prism shape, or a streamlined shape. A switch 230 that can adjust the operation of the aerosol generating device 10 may be disposed on the housing 220.

[0047] 4, the device 200 includes a cartridge recognition unit 240 that contacts the information storage unit 140 of the cartridge 100 to recognize the unique information of the cartridge 100, and a control unit 250 that can control the temperature of the heating element 120 of the cartridge 100. The control unit 250 of the device 200 can control the operation of the aerosol generating device 10 based on the unique information of the cartridge 100 recognized by the cartridge recognition unit 240. Hereinafter, a method in which the cartridge recognition unit 240 contacts the information storage unit 140 of the cartridge 100 to recognize the unique information of the cartridge 100, and a method in which the control unit 250 controls the operation of the aerosol generating device 10 based on the recognized unique information of the cartridge 100 will be described in detail.

[0048] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the cartridge recognition unit 240, which is the portion indicated by B in the device 200 of FIG. 4, according to one embodiment.

[0049] 5, the cartridge recognition unit 242 includes a plurality of physical switches s. The physical switches s are Convex The number of physical switches s may be the same as the total number of the blocks, i.e., the number of the blocks. Here, the physical switches s may all be clicked independently. Thus, when the cartridge 100 is mounted on the device 200 to constitute the aerosol generating device 10, the information storage section 142 of the cartridge 100 is engaged with the cartridge recognition section 242 of the device 200, and here, among the physical switches s of the cartridge recognition section 242 of the device 200, the information storage section 142 of the cartridge 100 is engaged with the information storage section 142 of the cartridge 100. ConvexBy clicking only the physical switch in contact with 142a, the unique information of the cartridge 100 can be transmitted to the device 200. If the unique information of the cartridge 100 transmitted to the device 200 is recognized by the control unit 250, the control unit 250 can control the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 10 according to the unique information of the cartridge 100, such as the type of medium and the type of flavoring agent. For example, the control unit 250 can transmit power to the heating element 120 of the cartridge 100 so that an optimal temperature profile according to the unique information of the cartridge 100 is realized.

[0050] 5, the device 200 may store an encrypted unique pattern for the information storage unit 142 of the cartridge 100 in advance to authenticate the cartridge 100 as a genuine product. For example, in the information storage unit 142 of the cartridge 100, the blocks corresponding to the 0th and 9th switches s of the device 200 are always Convex By forming the grooves 142a and 142b of the information storage unit 140 of the cartridge 100, an encrypted pattern that the switch s must be clicked may be pre-stored, or an encrypted pattern that three or more consecutive switches s must be clicked may be pre-stored. The encrypted unique pattern for authenticating the cartridge 100 is not limited to this, and may include various patterns. Here, the positions of the grooves 142a and 142b of the information storage unit 140 of the cartridge 100 And if the combination or the position and combination of electrodes 142p, 142n does not match an encrypted pattern pre-stored in the device, the aerosol generating device 10 may emit an alarm, send a warning message to a display (not shown) of the device 200, or shut down operation of the aerosol generating device 10.

[0051] 6A and 6B are diagrams showing the states before and after the information storage unit 142 of the cartridge 100 and the cartridge recognition unit 242 of the device 200 according to one embodiment come into contact with each other, respectively.

[0052] 6A and 6B, before the information storage unit 142 of the cartridge 100 and the cartridge recognition unit 242 of the device 200 come into contact with each other, all the switches s of the cartridge recognition unit 242 are held in a protruding state, i.e., a non-click state. After the information storage unit 142 of the cartridge 100 and the cartridge recognition unit 242 of the device 200 come into contact with each other, Convex It can be seen that only the physical switch in contact with 142a has been clicked. In this manner, depending on the combination of clicked switches s, the control unit 250 of the device 200 can recognize the unique information of the cartridge 100 and control the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 10. For example, the control unit 250 can adjust the heating temperature of the heating element 120 of the cartridge 100 based on the unique information of the cartridge 100 recognized by the cartridge recognition unit 240.

[0053] 7A and 7B are diagrams showing states before and after contact between an information storage section of a cartridge and a cartridge recognition section of a device according to another embodiment.

[0054] 7A and 7B, the information storage unit 144 of the cartridge 100 includes two or more electrodes 144p, 144n, and the information storage unit 144 stores the information of the cartridge 100 according to the combination of the number and positions of the electrodes 144p, 144n. different The electrodes 144p, 144n may include one or more positive electrodes 144p and one or more negative electrodes 144n.

[0055] 7A and 7B, the cartridge recognition unit 240 of the device 200 may include recognition terminals 244 equal to or greater than the number of electrodes 144p, 144n of the information storage unit 144 of the cartridge 100. The recognition terminals 244 can exchange electrical signals through current transmitted by contacting the electrodes 144p, 144n of the information storage unit 144 of the cartridge 100. Since the recognition terminals 244 that come into contact with the electrodes 144p, 144n are different depending on the combination of the number and positions of the electrodes 144p, 144n, the number of the recognition terminals 244 that come into contact with the electrodes 144p, 144n can be determined by the combination of the number and positions of the electrodes 144p, 144n. different The unique information can be recognized. Here, the recognition terminal 244 includes a negative electrode pad 246 and a positive electrode pad 248. The negative electrode pad 246 may include a plurality of negative electrode terminals n, and the positive electrode pad 248 may include a plurality of positive electrode terminals p. One positive electrode terminal p included in the positive electrode pad 248 contacts one negative electrode 144n of the information storage unit 144, and one negative electrode terminal n included in the negative electrode pad 246 contacts one positive electrode 144p of the information storage unit 144. That is, each positive electrode 144p and negative electrode 144n corresponds one-to-one to any one of the negative electrode terminals n of the negative electrode pad 246 and one of the positive electrode terminals p of the positive electrode pad 248.

[0056] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and a person having ordinary knowledge in the art may apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above. For example, the described techniques may be performed in a different order from the described method, and / or the components of the described system, structure, device, circuit, etc. may be combined or combined in a different form from the described method, or may be replaced or substituted by other components or equivalents to achieve appropriate results. can.

[0057] Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment, but should be defined by the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A cartridge for an aerosol generating device, comprising: an opening through which the aerosol formed by heating the aerosol-forming substrate is discharged; an information storage unit formed at an end of the cartridge where the cartridge is coupled to a main body of the aerosol generating device, the information storage unit storing unique information of the cartridge; Including, the information storage section has a physical structure including a specific pattern that indicates unique information of the cartridge, the specific pattern is formed by one or more convex portions and one or more groove portions, and indicates different unique information of the cartridge depending on the number and positions of the convex portions and the number and positions of the groove portions; The information storage unit includes: a first storage area for storing first information about the cartridge; a second storage area for storing second information about the cartridge; a third storage area for storing third information about the cartridge; Including, the specific pattern indicates different unique information of the cartridge according to a combination of the protrusions and the grooves in each of the first storage area, the second storage area, and the third storage area; The first information, the second information, and the third information stored in the first storage area, the third storage area, respectively, are at least one piece of unique information regarding whether the cartridge is genuine, whether the cartridge is compatible with the aerosol generating device, the type of medium contained in the cartridge, and the flavor of the aerosol generating base material stored in the cartridge, and are different from each other.

2. a liquid phase reservoir capable of storing an aerosol-forming substrate; a heating element disposed within the liquid phase reservoir and including a wick and a heating coil; The cartridge of claim 1 further comprising:

3. A cartridge for an aerosol generating device, comprising: an opening through which the aerosol formed by heating the aerosol-forming substrate is discharged; an information storage unit formed at an end of the cartridge where the cartridge is coupled to a main body of the aerosol generating device, the information storage unit storing unique information of the cartridge; Including, the information storage section has a physical structure including a specific pattern that indicates unique information of the cartridge, the specific pattern is formed by two or more electrodes, and the specific pattern indicates different unique information of the cartridge depending on the number and positions of the electrodes; The information storage unit includes: a first storage area for storing first information about the cartridge; a second storage area for storing second information about the cartridge; a third storage area for storing third information about the cartridge; Including, the specific pattern indicates different unique information of the cartridge according to the position and number of electrodes in each of the first storage area, the second storage area, and the third storage area; The first information, the second information, and the third information stored in the first storage area, the third storage area, respectively, are at least one piece of unique information regarding whether the cartridge is genuine, whether the cartridge is compatible with the aerosol generating device, the type of medium contained in the cartridge, and the flavor of the aerosol generating base material stored in the cartridge, and are different from each other.

4. An aerosol generating device, comprising: Including a cartridge and a main body, The cartridge comprises: a liquid phase reservoir capable of storing an aerosol-forming substrate; a heating element disposed within the liquid phase reservoir and including a wick and a heating coil; an opening through which the aerosol formed by heating the aerosol-forming substrate is discharged; an information storage unit formed at an end of the cartridge that is coupled to the main body of the aerosol generating device, the information storage unit including a physical structure having a specific pattern that indicates unique information of the cartridge; Including, The main body includes: a power supply section for supplying power to heat the heating coil of the heating element of the cartridge; a housing that accommodates the power supply unit; a cartridge recognition unit that comes into contact with the information storage unit of the cartridge to recognize the unique information of the cartridge; a control unit capable of controlling the temperature of the heating element of the cartridge; and coupled to the cartridge, the control unit of the main body controls the operation of the aerosol generating device based on the unique information of the cartridge recognized by the cartridge recognition unit, the specific pattern is formed by one or more protrusions and one or more grooves, and the specific pattern indicates different unique information of the cartridge depending on the number and positions of the protrusions and the grooves; the cartridge recognition unit of the main body includes physical switches equal in number to the total number of the protrusions and the grooves, and recognizes unique information of the cartridge based on at least one physical switch clicked by the protrusion of the cartridge; The information storage unit includes: a first storage area for storing first information about the cartridge; a second storage area for storing second information about the cartridge; a third storage area for storing third information about the cartridge; Including, the specific pattern indicates different unique information of the cartridge according to a combination of a protrusion and a groove in each of the first storage area, the second storage area, and the third storage area; The first information, the second information, and the third information stored in the first storage area, the third storage area, respectively, are at least one piece of unique information regarding whether the cartridge is genuine, whether the cartridge is compatible with the aerosol generating device, the type of medium contained in the cartridge, and the flavor of the aerosol generating base material stored in the cartridge, and are different from each other.

5. An aerosol generating device, comprising: Including a cartridge and a main body, The cartridge comprises: a liquid phase reservoir capable of storing an aerosol-forming substrate; a heating element disposed within the liquid phase reservoir and including a wick and a heating coil; an opening through which the aerosol formed by heating the aerosol-forming substrate is discharged; an information storage unit formed at an end of the cartridge that is coupled to the main body of the aerosol generating device, the information storage unit including a physical structure having a specific pattern that indicates unique information of the cartridge; Including, The main body includes: a power supply section for supplying power to heat the heating coil of the heating element of the cartridge; a housing that accommodates the power supply unit; a cartridge recognition unit that comes into contact with the information storage unit of the cartridge to recognize the unique information of the cartridge; a control unit capable of controlling the temperature of the heating element of the cartridge; and coupled to the cartridge, the control unit of the main body controls the operation of the aerosol generating device based on the unique information of the cartridge recognized by the cartridge recognition unit, The specific pattern is formed by two or more electrodes, and indicates different unique information of the cartridge depending on the number and positions of the electrodes; the cartridge recognition unit of the main body includes recognition terminals equal to or greater than the number of the electrodes, and recognizes the unique information of the cartridge by transmitting a current only to the recognition terminals that contact the electrodes of the cartridge; The information storage unit includes: a first storage area for storing first information about the cartridge; a second storage area for storing second information about the cartridge; a third storage area for storing third information about the cartridge; Including, the specific pattern indicates different unique information of the cartridge according to the position and number of electrodes in each of the first storage area, the second storage area, and the third storage area; The first information, the second information, and the third information stored in the first storage area, the third storage area, respectively, are at least one piece of unique information regarding whether the cartridge is genuine, whether the cartridge is compatible with the aerosol generating device, the type of medium contained in the cartridge, and the flavor of the aerosol generating base material stored in the cartridge, and are different from each other.

6. the electrodes of the information storage portion of the cartridge include one or more positive electrodes and one or more negative electrodes; The cartridge recognition portion of the main body includes a negative pad including two or more negative terminals and a positive pad including two or more positive terminals, The aerosol generating device according to claim 5 , wherein each of the positive electrodes and the negative electrodes corresponds one-to-one with any one of the negative electrode terminals of the negative electrode pad and one of the positive electrode terminals of the positive electrode pad.

7. An aerosol generating device described in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein a unique pattern for the information storage section of the cartridge is pre-stored in the main body, and the control section determines whether the cartridge is authenticated as a genuine product depending on whether the recognized unique pattern matches the pre-stored unique pattern.

8. The aerosol generating device according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit, when the authenticity authentication fails, causes the aerosol generating device to emit a warning sound or shuts off the operation of the aerosol generating device.

9. The aerosol generating device according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit of the main body adjusts the heating temperature of the heating element of the cartridge based on the unique information of the cartridge recognized by the cartridge recognition unit.

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