Aerosol generator for controlling heating through power amplification and its operation method

Abstract

According to one embodiment, the aerosol generating device includes a battery for supplying power, a heating element for heating at least a portion of the aerosol product, and an amplifier circuit electrically connected to the battery and the heating element, and the amplifier circuit can amplify a power signal supplied from the battery via a switching element to generate a first signal, remove harmonic components from the first signal via a filter, generate a second signal, and transmit the second signal to the heating element.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device that controls heating based on a signal from which harmonic components have been removed through power amplification, and an operating method thereof.

Background Art

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

[0003] Recently, in an aerosol generating device that employs induction heating, research has been underway on a method for more efficiently heating an aerosol-forming substrate. In particular, since the aerosol generating device is provided in a limited size for the convenience of the user's portability, a method for improving the power efficiency aspect within the limited size is required.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] One embodiment according to the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol generating device that amplifies a power signal by utilizing a class F amplifier and removes harmonic components.

[0005] The problems to be solved through the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described problems, and problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present embodiments belong from the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In one embodiment, an aerosol generating device includes a battery that supplies power, a heating element that heats at least a part of an aerosol generating article, and an amplifier circuit that is electrically connected to the battery and the heating element. The amplifier circuit amplifies a power signal supplied from the battery via a switching element to generate a first signal, removes harmonic components from the first signal via a filter to generate a second signal, and can transmit the second signal to the heating element.

[0007] A method of operating an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment includes an operation of amplifying a power signal supplied from a battery via a switching element to generate a first signal, an operation of removing harmonic components from the first signal via a filter to generate a second signal, and an operation of transmitting the second signal to a heating element that heats at least a part of an aerosol generating article.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, power for induction heating can be efficiently controlled through power amplification, and through efficient power control, the size of the aerosol generating device can be reduced, maximizing spatial advantages.

[0009] However, the effects according to the present embodiment are not limited to the aforementioned effects, and effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the embodiments belong from the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] In the present embodiment, the terms used are, as much as possible, general terms that are currently widely used while considering the functions in the present invention. However, this may also vary depending on the intentions of those skilled in the art, precedents, or the emergence of new technologies. Also, in certain cases, there are terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in such cases, the meaning thereof will be described in detail in the explanatory part of the invention. Therefore, the terms used in the present invention must be defined based not on the simple names of the terms but on the meaning of the terms and the overall content of the present invention.

[0012] Throughout the specification, when a certain part "includes" a certain component, it means that, unless there is a special contrary description, it does not exclude other components and may further include other components. Also, terms such as "~ part" and "~ module" described in the specification mean units that process at least one function or operation, and these can be embodied by hardware or software, or by a combination of hardware and software.

[0013] As used herein, when an expression such as "at least any one of" is in front of the arranged components, it modifies the entire components, rather than each of the arranged components. For example, the expression "at least any one of a, b, and c" should be interpreted to include a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c.

[0014] In one embodiment, the aerosol generating device is also a device that electrically heats a cigarette housed in an internal space to generate an aerosol.

[0015] The aerosol generating device also includes a heater. In one embodiment, the heater is also an electric resistance heater. For example, the heater also includes a conductive track, and if an electric current flows through the conductive track, the heater can be heated.

[0016] The heater also includes a tubular heating element, a plate-shaped heating element, a needle-shaped heating element, or a rod-shaped heating element, and depending on the form of the heating element, it can heat the inside or outside of the cigarette.

[0017] The cigarette also includes a tobacco rod and a filter rod. The tobacco rod can also be made of a sheet, a strand, or shredded tobacco with a finely cut tobacco sheet. Also, the tobacco rod can be surrounded by a heat conductive material. For example, the heat conductive material can be a metal foil such as aluminum foil, but is not limited thereto.

[0018] The filter rod is also a cellulose acetate filter. The filter rod can be composed of at least one or more segments. For example, the filter rod can also include a first segment that cools the aerosol and a second segment that filters a predetermined component contained in the aerosol.

[0019] In other embodiments, the aerosol generating device is also a device that utilizes a cartridge holding an aerosol generating substance to generate an aerosol.

[0020] The aerosol generating device also includes a cartridge holding an aerosol generating substance and a main body supporting the cartridge. The cartridge can be detachably coupled to the main body, but is not limited thereto. The cartridge may be integrally formed with the main body, or assembled and fixed so as not to be detached by the user. The cartridge can be mounted on the main body with the aerosol generating substance accommodated therein. However, without being limited thereto, the aerosol generating substance may also be injected into the cartridge while the cartridge is coupled to the main body.

[0021] The cartridge can hold an aerosol generating substance having any one of various states such as a liquid state, a solid state, a gaseous state, and a gel state. The aerosol generating substance also includes a liquid composition. For example, the liquid composition may be a liquid containing a tobacco-containing substance including a volatile tobacco flavor component, or a liquid containing a non-tobacco substance.

[0022] The cartridge can perform a function of converting the phase of the aerosol generating substance inside the cartridge into a gas phase by being operated by an electrical signal or a wireless signal transmitted from the main body, etc., to generate an aerosol. The aerosol can mean a vaporized particle generated from the aerosol generating substance and a gas in a state where air is mixed.

[0023] In still other embodiments, the aerosol generating device can heat a liquid composition to generate an aerosol, and the generated aerosol can pass through a cigarette and be transmitted to the user. That is, the aerosol generated from the liquid composition can move along the air flow path of the aerosol generating device, and the air flow path can be configured such that the aerosol passes through a cigarette and is transmitted to the user.

[0024] In still other embodiments, the aerosol generating device is also a device that utilizes an ultrasonic vibration method to generate an aerosol from an aerosol generating substance. At this time, the ultrasonic vibration method may mean a method of generating an aerosol by atomizing the aerosol generating substance by ultrasonic vibration generated by a vibrator.

[0025] The aerosol generating device also includes a vibrator, and through the vibrator, short-period vibrations can be generated to atomize the aerosol generating substance. The vibration generated by the vibrator is also ultrasonic vibration, and the frequency band of the ultrasonic vibration is also in the frequency band of about 100 kHz to about 3.5 MHz, but is not limited thereto.

[0026] The aerosol generating device also further includes a core that absorbs the aerosol generating substance. For example, the core may be arranged to cover at least one region of the vibrator or to contact at least one region of the vibrator.

[0027] When a voltage (e.g., an alternating voltage) is applied to the vibrator, heat and / or ultrasonic vibration are generated from the vibrator, and the heat and / or ultrasonic vibration generated from the vibrator can be transmitted to the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the core. The aerosol generating substance absorbed by the core is converted into the gas phase by the heat and / or ultrasonic vibration transmitted from the vibrator, and as a result, an aerosol can be generated.

[0028] For example, heat generated from the vibrator lowers the viscosity of the aerosol generating substance absorbed by the core, and the aerosol generating substance with lowered viscosity is atomized by the ultrasonic vibration generated from the vibrator, whereby an aerosol can be generated, but is not limited thereto.

[0029] In still other embodiments, the aerosol generating device is also a device that generates an aerosol by heating an aerosol generating article accommodated in the aerosol generating device by an induction heating method.

[0030] The aerosol generating device also includes a susceptor and a coil. In one embodiment, the coil can apply a magnetic field to the susceptor. When power is supplied from the aerosol generating device to the coil, a magnetic field can be formed inside the coil. In one embodiment, the susceptor is also a magnetic body that generates heat by an external magnetic field. When the susceptor is located inside the coil and a magnetic field is applied, the susceptor generates heat, and thus the aerosol generating article can be heated. Optionally, the susceptor can be located inside the aerosol generating article.

[0031] In still another embodiment, the aerosol generating device further includes a cradle.

[0032] The aerosol generating device can form a system together with a separate cradle. For example, the cradle can charge the battery of the aerosol generating device. Or, with the cradle and the aerosol generating device coupled together, the heater can be heated.

[0033] In the following, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail so that those having ordinary knowledge in the art can easily implement them. The present disclosure can be implemented in a form realizable by the aerosol generating devices of the various embodiments described above, or can be implemented in various different forms, but is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0034] In the following, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0035] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment.

[0036] Referring to FIG. 1, the aerosol generating device 100 also includes a battery 110, a heating element 120, and an amplifier circuit 130. However, the hardware components inside the aerosol generating device 100 are not limited to those illustrated in FIG. 1. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field related to this embodiment that some of the hardware configurations illustrated in FIG. 1 may be omitted or new configurations may be further added depending on the design of the aerosol generating device 100. In the following, the operations of each component will be described without limiting the space where each component included in the aerosol generating device 100 is located.

[0037] In one embodiment, the battery 110 can supply the electric power necessary for the aerosol generating device 100 to operate. Specifically, the battery 110 can supply electric power to the heating element 120 so that the heating element 120 heats at least a part of the aerosol generating article.

[0038] In one embodiment, the battery 110 can apply a DC (direct current) supply voltage to the amplifier circuit 130. For example, the range of the DC supply voltage applied by the battery is also about 2.5V to about 4.5V. For example, the DC supply voltage is also about 3V.

[0039] In one embodiment, the heating element 120 can heat at least a part of the aerosol generating article. For example, the heating element 120 is also an induction coil that generates a variable magnetic field to heat a susceptor included inside the aerosol generating article or a susceptor disposed outside the aerosol generating article. However, it is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments, the heating element 120 is also a film heater formed of an electrically resistive material.

[0040] In one embodiment, the aerosol generating device 100 also includes a resonant circuit for the heating element 120. When the heating element 120 is an induction coil, even if the susceptor disposed inside the induction coil and heated has electrical resistance characteristics, most of the power applied by the induction coil may have a reactive component due to the inductance of the induction coil. Therefore, in order to cancel out the reactive power and make the apparent power the same as the active power, the aerosol generating device 100 also includes a resonant circuit (e.g., an LC matching circuit) to which a capacitor is connected. The resonant frequency ( JPEG0007692531000001.jpg74) in the resonant circuit for the heating element 120 can be calculated via Equation 1.

[0041]

Equation

[0042] That is, based on the material properties, electrical properties, etc. of the susceptor disposed inside the heating element 120 (i.e., the induction coil), the resonant frequency ( JPEG0007692531000003.jpg74) at which the susceptor can be inductively heated is calculated, and based on the calculated resonant frequency ( JPEG0007692531000004.jpg74), the components of the resonant circuit can be set.

[0043] In one embodiment, the battery 110 can supply power corresponding to a variable magnetic field induced by the heating element 120 and corresponding to a preset frequency range in which the susceptor can be inductively heated. At this time, the preset frequency range is also about 20 KHz to about 100 MHz. More desirably, the preset frequency range is also about 1 MHz to about 100 MHz. For example, the preset frequency is also about 6.78 MHz.

[0044] In one embodiment, the amplifier circuit 130 can amplify an input signal input from the battery 110. For example, the amplifier circuit 130 can amplify the input signal via a DC supply voltage applied from the battery 110. At this time, the amplifier circuit 130 is also a class F power amplifier.

[0045] In one embodiment, the amplifier circuit 130 also includes a switching element 132 and a filter 134. At this time, the switching element 132 can be controlled by a processor (not shown) of the aerosol generating device 100.

[0046] In one embodiment, the switching element 132 can amplify a power signal supplied from the battery 110. At this time, the switching element 132 can be embodied by a transistor that amplifies or switches an electronic signal or power. For example, the switching element 132 can be any one of a field effect transistor (FET) and a bipolar junction transistor (BJP).

[0047] For example, when the switching element 132 is an FET, a DC supply voltage is applied from the battery 110 to the gate of the switching element 132, and the switching element 132 can control the current between the source and the drain with the applied voltage. Or, when the switching element 132 is a BJT, the DC supply voltage applied from the battery 110 is converted into a current at the base, and the switching element 132 can control the current between the collector and the emitter.

[0048] More specifically, the switching element 132 is also embodied by a field effect transistor such as a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) or a metal semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET).

[0049] In one embodiment, the switching element 132 has a substantially short switching time. That is, when the switching element 132 operates based on the voltage applied from the battery 110, the lower the drain-source resistance (Rds (on) ), the less the power loss, and the lower the total gate charge (Qg), the less the loss during switching. Also, the lower the losses as described above, the more capable the switching element 132 is of high-speed switching. Further, the shorter the switching time of the switching element 132, the more efficiently power can be supplied to the heating element 120 that generates a variable magnetic field with respect to the susceptor and performs induction heating.

[0050] For example, when the voltage applied from the battery 110 to the switching element 132 is 3V, the drain-source resistance Rds (on) during operation is also about 10 mΩ to about 500 mΩ, and the total gate charge Qg is also about 3 nC to about 50 nC.

[0051] In one embodiment, the filter 134 can remove harmonic components from the signal amplified through the switching element 132. At this time, the "harmonic components" can mean the waveform components excluding the fundamental wave component with the lowest frequency in the periodic waveform components of the signal. The linearity of the signal can be guaranteed by removing the harmonic components.

[0052] That is, when the power signal supplied from the battery 110 has a frequency in the range of about 20 KHz to about 100 MHz, the power signal substantially corresponds to a composite wave formed by synthesizing a fundamental wave component and a plurality of harmonic components, and the filter 134 can remove the plurality of harmonic components from the composite wave.

[0053] For example, when the power signal supplied from the battery 110 has a frequency of 5 MHz, the power signal may also include a fundamental wave component of 5 MHz, a second harmonic component of 10 MHz which is twice the frequency of the fundamental wave component, a third harmonic component of 15 MHz which is three times the frequency, and so on. The filter 134 can remove the second harmonic component of 10 MHz and the third harmonic component of 15 MHz from the power signal.

[0054] FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart showing a signal control method of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 2, an aerosol generating device (e.g., aerosol generating device 100 (FIG. 1)) can amplify a power signal supplied from a battery (e.g., battery 110 (FIG. 1)) via a switching element (e.g., switching element 132 (FIG. 1)) in operation 201 to generate a first signal.

[0056] For example, the power signal supplied from the battery 110 is a signal with an input voltage (V in ) of about 3V and a carrier frequency ( JPEG0007692531000005.jpg72) of about 5 MHz. The switching element 132 can be implemented by any transistor. When the power signal is supplied to the switching element 132, the input voltage (V in ) can be amplified to about 50V. Thereby, the switching element 132 can generate a first signal which is a power signal having a voltage of about 50V and a carrier frequency of about 5 MHz.

[0057] According to an embodiment, the aerosol generating device 100 can remove harmonic components from the first signal via a filter (e.g., filter 134) in operation 203 to generate a second signal.

[0058] For example, when the first signal amplified via the switching element 132 has a voltage of about 50V and a carrier frequency of about 5MHz, the first signal further includes a second harmonic component of about 10MHz and a third harmonic component of about 15MHz in addition to the fundamental wave component of about 5MHz. At this time, since the remaining harmonic components cause non-linearity in the signal transmission system, a second signal with the harmonic components removed can be generated via the filter 134 that serves as a trap for removing the harmonic components. However, a specific description of how the filter 134 removes the harmonic components will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0059] According to one embodiment, in operation 205, the aerosol generating device 100 can transmit the second signal to a heating element (e.g., heating element 120 (FIG. 1)) that heats at least a part of the aerosol generating article. Since the second signal is a power signal that does not contain harmonic components, the linearity of the power signal supplied from the battery 110 can be improved compared to the first signal.

[0060] In one embodiment, the aerosol generating device 100 can further perform output matching before transmitting the generated second signal to the heating element 120. At this time, "output matching" can mean controlling the frequency of the second signal in order to control the heating element 120 so that the susceptor is heated to a predetermined temperature. For example, the aerosol generating device 100 can control the frequency of the second signal at the resonance frequency ( JPEG0007692531000006.jpg74) so that the susceptor can be heated to the maximum temperature.

[0061] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a filter included in an amplifier circuit according to one embodiment.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 3, the filter 134 of the aerosol generating device (e.g., aerosol generating device 100 (FIG. 1)) also includes a first filter circuit 300, a second filter circuit 310, and a third filter circuit 320.

[0063] In one embodiment, the first filter circuit 300 can remove even harmonic components from a first signal amplified via a switching element (e.g., switching element 132 (FIG. 1)) of an amplifier circuit (e.g., amplifier circuit 130 (FIG. 1)). For example, the first signal corresponds to a composite wave (i.e., a distorted wave) in which a fundamental wave component and harmonic components are combined, and the time function of the composite wave can correspond to Equation 2.

[0064] [Number] At this time, JPEG0007692531000008.jpg75 is the DC component, JPEG0007692531000009.jpg721 and JPEG0007692531000010.jpg719 correspond to the fundamental wave component, and the rest correspond to the harmonic components. In particular, the first filter circuit 300 removes the JPEG0007692531000011.jpg723, JPEG0007692531000012.jpg722, etc. that correspond to the even harmonic components from the amplified first signal.

[0065] In the first signal, the even harmonic components include not only JPEG0007692531000013.jpg714, JPEG0007692531000014.jpg713, but also JPEG0007692531000015.jpg714, JPEG0007692531000016.jpg713, etc. However, as the order of the harmonics increases, the value of the harmonic component becomes smaller. Thus, the first filter circuit 300 according to this embodiment can be disclosed to remove only the second harmonic component. However, it is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments, the first filter circuit 300 of the amplifier circuit 130 can also remove all the even harmonic components.

[0066] In one embodiment, the second filter circuit 310 can remove odd harmonic components from the first signal amplified via the switching element 132 of the amplifier circuit 130. In particular, the second filter circuit 310 corresponds to the odd harmonic components from the amplified first signal JPEG0007692531000017.jpg723, JPEG0007692531000018.jpg722, etc. can be removed.

[0067] In the first signal, the odd harmonic components include JPEG0007692531000019.jpg714, not only JPEG0007692531000020.jpg713 but also JPEG0007692531000021.jpg714, JPEG0007692531000022.jpg713, etc. are further included. However, as the order of the harmonic increases, the value of the harmonic component becomes smaller. Thus, the second filter circuit 310 according to this embodiment can be disclosed to remove only the third harmonic component. However, it is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the second filter circuit 310 of the amplifier circuit 130 can also remove all odd harmonic components.

[0068] In one embodiment, the third filter circuit 320 can remove components other than the resonance frequency component from the signal that has passed through the first filter circuit 300 and the second filter circuit 310. For example, so that induction heating is started by the heating element (e.g., heating element 120 (FIG. 1)) and the susceptor, the third filter circuit 320 can generate a second signal including only the resonance frequency component and transmit it to the heating element 120.

[0069] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart showing a method for removing harmonic components in an amplifier circuit according to one embodiment. FIG. 5 illustrates a circuit diagram of an amplifier circuit according to one embodiment.

[0070] Since FIG. 4 is a flowchart for specifically explaining operation 203 in FIG. 2, in the description related to FIG. 4, content that corresponds to, is the same as, or is similar to the foregoing content may be omitted.

[0071] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, an aerosol generating device (e.g., aerosol generating device 100 (FIG. 1)) can bypass the second harmonic component of the first signal to the ground terminal via the first filter circuit 300 in operation 203a. At this time, the first signal is also a signal obtained by amplifying a power signal supplied from a battery by the switching element 500.

[0072] In one embodiment, the first filter circuit 300 also includes a first inductor L 2 , a first capacitor C 2 and a bypass capacitor 510. For example, the first inductor L 2 and the first capacitor C 2 connected in series can, together with the bypass capacitor 510, bypass the second harmonic component to the ground terminal and apply a high impedance value to the remaining frequency components other than the second harmonic component.

[0073] According to one embodiment, the aerosol generating device 100 can apply an open - circuit impedance to the third harmonic component of the first signal via the second filter circuit 310 in operation 203b.

[0074] In one embodiment, the second filter circuit 310 also includes a second inductor L 3 and a second capacitor C 3 . For example, the second inductor L 3 and the second capacitor C 3 connected in parallel can apply an open - circuit impedance to the third harmonic component and apply a short - circuit impedance to the remaining frequency components other than the third harmonic component.

[0075] Applying the "open - circuit impedance" may substantially mean applying a very high impedance. Therefore, for the third - harmonic component of the first signal, applying the open - circuit impedance may mean that the third - harmonic component of the first signal cannot pass through the second filter circuit 310 and is removed.

[0076] Applying the "short - circuit impedance" may substantially mean applying a very low impedance. Therefore, for the remaining frequency components other than the third - harmonic component of the first signal, applying the short - circuit impedance may mean that the remaining components other than the third - harmonic component of the first signal can pass through the second filter circuit 310.

[0077] According to an embodiment, in operation 203c, the aerosol - generating device 100 can apply the open - circuit impedance to the resonance - frequency components of the signal that has passed through the first filter circuit 300 and the second filter circuit 310 via the third filter circuit 320, and apply the short - circuit impedance to the components other than the resonance frequency. At this time, the signal that has sequentially passed through the first filter circuit 300 and the second filter circuit 310 is also in a state where the second - harmonic component and the third - harmonic component are removed.

[0078] In one embodiment, the third filter circuit 320 includes a third inductor L 0 and a third capacitor C 0 For example, the third inductor L 0 and the third capacitor C 0 connected in parallel can apply the open - circuit impedance to the resonance - frequency components so that the resonance - frequency components are not transmitted to the ground terminal connected to the third filter circuit 320. Also, the third inductor L 0 and the third capacitor C 0 connected in parallel can apply the short - circuit impedance to the components other than the resonance frequency so that the components other than the resonance frequency are transmitted to the ground terminal.

[0079] However, in FIG. 4, although operations 203a and 203b are illustrated as being sequentially performed, it is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, operations 203a and 203b may also be performed in parallel, and after operation 203b is preferentially performed, operation 203a may also be performed.

[0080] FIG. 6 illustrates a graph showing the difference between an input signal and an output signal related to an amplifier circuit according to an embodiment.

[0081] Referring to FIG. 6, an amplifier circuit (e.g., amplifier circuit 130 (FIG. 1)) may generate an input signal based on a transmission signal output from a battery (e.g., battery 110 in FIG. 1). When the transmission signal output from battery 110 is a voltage, the transmission signal may be applied as a gate-source voltage 610 of a switching element (e.g., switching element 132 (FIG. 1)) of amplifier circuit 130. For example, for switching element 132, a gate-source voltage 610 of about 3V applied from battery 110 is also an input signal to amplifier circuit 130.

[0082] Also, if a gate-source voltage 610 is applied to switching element 132 of amplifier circuit 130, switching element 132 of amplifier circuit 130 can output a drain-source voltage 620. For example, switching element 132 can output a drain-source voltage 620 of about 50V, and the output drain-source voltage 620 is also an output signal from amplifier circuit 130.

[0083] FIG. 7 illustrates a graph showing an output signal from which harmonic components have been removed through an amplifier circuit according to an embodiment.

[0084] Referring to FIG. 7, by removing harmonic components through a filter (e.g., filter 134 in FIG. 1) of an amplifier circuit (e.g., amplifier circuit 130 (FIG. 1)), the output signal can have an ideal voltage / current waveform of a class F amplifier.

[0085] For example, when the first filter circuit (e.g., the first filter circuit 300 (FIG. 3)) removes the second harmonic component, the second harmonic current is short-circuited, whereby the current waveform 710 can have the form of a sine half-wave. Also, when the second filter circuit (e.g., the second filter circuit 310 (FIG. 3)) removes the third harmonic component, the third harmonic voltage is added so as not to match the phase of the drain-source voltage (e.g., the drain-source voltage 620 (FIG. 6)), and the voltage waveform 720 can have the form of a rectangular wave.

[0086] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an aerosol generating device 800 according to another embodiment.

[0087] The aerosol generating device 800 also includes a control unit 810, a sensing unit 820, an output unit 830, a battery 840, a heater 850, a user input unit 860, a memory 870, and a communication unit 880. However, the internal structure of the aerosol generating device 800 is not limited to what is shown in FIG. 8. That is, depending on the design of the aerosol generating device 800, some of the components shown in FIG. 8 may be omitted, or new components may be further added, which should be understandable to those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field related to this embodiment.

[0088] The sensing unit 820 can sense the state of the aerosol generating device 800 or the state around the aerosol generating device 800 and transmit the sensed information to the control unit 810. Based on the sensed information, the control unit 810 can control the aerosol generating device 800 so as to perform various functions such as operation control of the heater 850, restriction of smoking, determination of whether an aerosol generating article (e.g., a cigarette, a cartridge, etc.) is inserted, and notification display.

[0089] The sensing unit 820 includes at least one of a temperature sensor 822, an insertion sensing sensor 824, and a puff sensor 826, but is not limited thereto. The temperature sensor 822 can sense the temperature at which the heater 850 (or the aerosol generating substance) is heated. The aerosol generating device 800 may include a separate temperature sensor that senses the temperature of the heater 850, or the heater 850 itself may serve as a temperature sensor. Alternatively, the temperature sensor 822 may also be arranged around the battery 840 to monitor the temperature of the battery 840.

[0090] The insertion sensing sensor 824 can sense the insertion and / or removal of the aerosol generating article. For example, the insertion sensing sensor 824 may include at least one of a film sensor, a pressure sensor, a light sensor, a resistive sensor, a capacitive sensor, an inductive sensor, and an infrared sensor, and can sense a signal change caused by the insertion and / or removal of the aerosol generating article.

[0091] The puff sensor 826 can sense the user's puff based on various physical changes in the air flow path or air flow channel. For example, the puff sensor 826 can sense the user's puff based on any one of a temperature change, a flow change, a voltage change, and a pressure change. In addition to the aforementioned sensors (the temperature sensor 822, the insertion sensing sensor 824, and the puff sensor 826), the sensing unit 820 may further include at least one of a temperature / humidity sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a position sensor (e.g., GPS (global positioning system)), a proximity sensor, and an RGB (red - green - blue) illuminance sensor. Since the functions of each sensor can be intuitively inferred by an ordinary technician from its name, specific descriptions may be omitted.

[0092] The output unit 830 can output information related to the state of the aerosol generating device 800 and provide it to the user. The output unit 830 includes at least one of the display unit 832, the haptic unit 834, and the acoustic output unit 836, but is not limited thereto. When the display unit 832 and the touch pad form a layer structure and are configured as a touch screen, the display unit 832 can be used as an input device in addition to the output device.

[0093] The display unit 832 can visually provide information related to the aerosol generating device 800 to the user. For example, the information related to the aerosol generating device 800 means various information such as the charging / discharging state of the battery 840 of the aerosol generating device 800, the preheating state of the heater 850, the insertion / removal state of the aerosol generating article, or the state in which the use of the aerosol generating device 800 is restricted (e.g., abnormal article detection), and the display unit 832 can output the information to the outside. The display unit 832 is, for example, a liquid crystal display panel (LCD), an organic light emitting display panel (OLED), or the like. Further, the display unit 832 is also in the form of an LED light emitting element.

[0094] The haptic unit 834 can convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus or an electrical stimulus and provide information related to the aerosol generating device 800 to the user tactilely. For example, the haptic unit 834 includes a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

[0095] The acoustic output unit 836 can aurally provide information related to the aerosol generating device 800 to the user. For example, the acoustic output unit 836 can convert an electrical signal into an acoustic signal and output it to the outside.

[0096] The battery 840 can supply the power used for the aerosol generating device 800 to operate. The battery 840 can supply power so that the heater 850 can be heated. Also, the battery 840 can supply the power necessary for the operation of other components (e.g., the sensing unit 820, the output unit 830, the user input unit 860, the memory 870, and the communication unit 880) provided in the aerosol generating device 800. The battery 840 is a rechargeable battery and also a single-use battery. For example, the battery 840 is a lithium polymer (LiPoly) battery, but is not limited thereto.

[0097] The heater 850 is supplied with power from the battery 840 and can heat the aerosol generating substance. Although not shown in FIG. 8, the aerosol generating device 800 may further include a power conversion circuit (e.g., a DC (direct current) / DC converter) that converts the power of the battery 840 and supplies it to the heater 850. Also, when the aerosol generating device 800 generates aerosol by an induction heating method, the aerosol generating device 800 may further include a DC / AC (alternating current) converter that converts the DC power source of the battery 840 into an AC power source.

[0098] The control unit 810, the sensing unit 820, the output unit 830, the user input unit 860, the memory 870, and the communication unit 880 can be supplied with power from the battery 840 and perform their functions. Although not shown in FIG. 8, it may further include a power conversion circuit that converts the power of the battery 840 and supplies it to each component, for example, an LDO (low dropout) circuit or a voltage regulator circuit.

[0099] In one embodiment, the heater 850 can be formed of any suitable electrically resistive material. For example, suitable electrically resistive materials include, but are not limited to, metals or metal alloys such as titanium, zirconium, tantalum, platinum, nickel, cobalt, chromium, hafnium, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, tin, gallium, manganese, iron, copper, stainless steel, nichrome, etc. Also, the heater 850 can be embodied by, but is not limited to, a metal wire, a metal plate with conductive tracks disposed thereon, a ceramic heating element, etc.

[0100] In other embodiments, the heater 850 is also an induction heating type heater. For example, the heater 850 includes a susceptor that generates heat through a magnetic field applied by a coil and heats the aerosol generating substance.

[0101] The user input unit 860 can receive information input from the user or output information to the user. For example, the user input unit 860 can include, but is not limited to, a keypad, a dome switch, a touch pad (capacitive touch type, pressure resistive film type, infrared sensing type, surface acoustic wave conduction type, integral tension measurement type, piezoelectric effect type, etc.), a jog wheel, a jog switch, etc. Also, although not shown in FIG. 8, the aerosol generating device 800 further includes a connection interface such as a USB (universal serial bus) interface, and can be connected to other external devices via a connection interface such as a USB interface to transmit and receive information or charge the battery 840.

[0102] The memory 870 is hardware that stores various data processed within the aerosol generating device 800, and can store the data processed by the control unit 810 and the data to be processed. The memory 870 also includes at least one type of recording medium such as a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (e.g., SD (secure digital) memory or XD (extreme digital) memory, etc.), 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, or optical disk. The memory 870 can store data related to the operating time of the aerosol generating device 800, the maximum puff count, the current puff count, at least one temperature profile, and the smoking pattern of the user.

[0103] The communication unit 880 also includes at least one component for communication with other electronic devices. For example, the communication unit 880 also includes a short-range wireless communication unit 882 and a wireless communication unit 884.

[0104] The short-range communication unit 882 includes, but is not limited to, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication unit, a BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) communication unit, a near field communication unit, a WLAN (wireless local area network) (Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity)) communication unit, a Zigbee (registered trademark) communication unit, an infrared (IrDA: infrared data association) communication unit, a WFD (Wi-Fi Direct) communication unit, a UWB (ultra-wideband) communication unit, an Ant+ communication unit, etc.

[0105] The wireless communication unit 884 includes, but is not limited to, a cellular network communication unit, an Internet communication unit, a computer network (e.g., LAN (local area network) or WAN (wide area network)) communication unit, etc. The wireless communication unit 884 can also use subscriber information (e.g., the international mobile subscriber identifier (IMSI)) to identify and authenticate the aerosol generating device 800 within the communication network.

[0106] The control unit 810 can control the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 800. In one embodiment, the control unit 810 also includes at least one processor. The processor can also be implemented by an array of a large number of logic gates, and can also be implemented by a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory storing a program that can be executed by the microprocessor. Also, the fact that it can be implemented by other forms of hardware should be understandable to those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which this embodiment belongs.

[0107] The control unit 810 can control the temperature of the heater 850 by controlling the supply of power from the battery 840 to the heater 850. For example, the control unit 810 can control the power supply by controlling the switching of the switching element between the battery 840 and the heater 850. In another example, the heating direct circuit can also control the power supply to the heater 850 according to the control command of the control unit 810.

[0108] The control unit 810 can analyze the results sensed by the sensing unit 820 and then control the processes to be performed. For example, based on the results sensed by the sensing unit 820, the control unit 810 can control the power supplied to the heater 850 so that the operation of the heater 850 is started or terminated. For another example, based on the results sensed by the sensing unit 820, the control unit 810 can control the amount of power supplied to the heater 850 and the time during which the power is supplied so that the heater 850 can be heated to a predetermined temperature or maintain an appropriate temperature.

[0109] Based on the results sensed by the sensing unit 820, the control unit 810 can control the output unit 830. For example, if the number of puffs counted via the puff sensor 826 reaches a preset number, the control unit 810 can notify the user that the aerosol generator 800 will end soon via at least one of the display unit 832, the haptic unit 834, and the acoustic output unit 836.

[0110] One embodiment may also be embodied in the form of a recording medium including computer-executable instructions such as program modules executed by a computer. A computer-readable medium is also any available medium that can be accessed by a computer and includes both volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. Also, a computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media. The computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media embodied by any method or technology for the storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. The communication media typically includes modulated data signals such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data, or other transmission mechanisms, and includes any information delivery media.

[0111] The foregoing description of the embodiments is illustrative only, and those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. Therefore, the true scope of protection of the invention is defined by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope equivalent to the content described in the claims shall be construed to be included within the scope of protection defined by the claims.

Claims

1. In an aerosol generating device, a battery that supplies power, a heating element that heats at least a part of an aerosol generating article, and an amplifier circuit electrically connected to the battery and the heating element, wherein the amplifier circuit amplifies a power signal supplied from the battery via a switching element to generate a first signal, removes harmonic components from the first signal via a filter to generate a second signal, and transmits the second signal to the heating element, wherein the filter includes a first filter circuit that removes the second harmonic component of the first signal, a second filter circuit that removes the third harmonic component of the first signal, and a third filter circuit that removes components other than the resonance frequency component from the signal that has passed through the first filter circuit and the second filter circuit, an aerosol generating device.

2. The first filter circuit bypasses the second harmonic component of the first signal to a ground terminal, the aerosol generating device according to claim 1.

3. The second filter circuit applies an open circuit impedance to the third harmonic component of the first signal, the aerosol generating device according to claim 1.

4. The third filter circuit applies an open circuit impedance to the resonance frequency component of the signal that has passed through the first filter circuit and the second filter circuit, and applies a short circuit impedance to the remaining components other than the resonance frequency component, the aerosol generating device according to claim 1.

5. The carrier frequency range of the power signal supplied from the battery is 20 kHz to 100 MHz, the aerosol generating device according to claim 1.

6. The carrier frequency range of the power signal supplied from the battery is 1 MHz to 20 MHz, the aerosol generating device according to claim 1.

7. The range of the DC (direct current) supply voltage of the battery is 2.5 V to 4.5 V, the aerosol generating device according to claim 1.

8. In a method of operating an aerosol generating device, an operation of amplifying a power signal supplied from a battery via a switching element to generate a first signal, an operation of removing harmonic components from the first signal via a filter to generate a second signal, and an operation of transmitting the second signal to a heating element that heats at least a part of an aerosol generating article, the operation of generating the second signal An operation of removing the second harmonic component of the first signal through the first filter circuit, an operation of removing the third harmonic component of the first signal through the second filter circuit, and an operation of removing components other than the resonance frequency component from the signal that has passed through the first filter circuit and the second filter circuit through the third filter circuit. An operation method of an aerosol generating device.

9. The operation of generating the second signal further includes an operation of bypassing the second harmonic component of the first signal to the ground terminal through the first filter circuit of the filter. The aerosol generating device according to claim 8 Operation method.

10. The operation of generating the second signal further includes an operation of applying an open circuit impedance to the third harmonic component of the first signal through the second filter circuit of the filter. The operation method of the aerosol generating device according to claim 8.

11. The operation method of the aerosol generating device according to claim 8 further includes an operation of applying an open circuit impedance to the resonance frequency component of the second signal and applying a short circuit impedance to the remaining components other than the resonance frequency component.

12. The carrier frequency range of the power signal supplied from the battery is 20 kHz to 100 MHz. The operation method of the aerosol generating device according to claim 8.

13. The carrier frequency range of the power signal supplied from the battery is 1 MHz to 20 MHz. The operation method of the aerosol generating device according to claim 8.

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