Aerosol generating device and method for controlling an aerosol generating device

Abstract

To provide an aerosol generation device and a method for controlling the aerosol generation device which prevents a fault operation of the aerosol generation device due to fault recognition of an external object as a cigarette.SOLUTION: An aerosol generation device includes: a heater assembly which conducts an induction heating of a cigarette stored in the aerosol generation device using a susceptor; a cigarette sensing part having a plurality of inductance sensing channels including a plurality of cigarette sensing channels for sensing an insertion of the cigarette and an error sensing channel for sensing an approach of a magnetic body outside the aerosol generation device; and a control part for determining whether or not the cigarette has been inserted into the aerosol generation device, or whether the magnetic body has approached to an outside of the aerosol generation device based on the level of an inductance change sensed by the cigarette sensing channel with respect to an inductance change sensed by the error sensing channel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device and a method for controlling an aerosol generating device, and more particularly to an aerosol generating device that recognizes the insertion of a cigarette and controls the heating of a heater. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, there has been an increasing demand for alternative methods to overcome the shortcomings of conventional cigarettes. For example, there has been an increasing demand for methods that generate aerosol by heating an aerosol-generating material, rather than by burning a cigarette. Accordingly, research into heated aerosol generators has been actively conducted. Meanwhile, in order to increase the convenience of use of aerosol generators, it is required that the aerosol generator accurately identify the insertion of a cigarette and activate the heating of a heater. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an aerosol generating device and a method for controlling an aerosol generating device that prevent malfunction of the aerosol generating device due to the aerosol generating device misidentifying an external object as a cigarette.

[0004] The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to those described above, and further technical problems can be inferred from the following examples. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one aspect, the aerosol generating device includes: a heater assembly that uses a susceptor to perform induction heating of a cigarette housed in the aerosol generating device; a cigarette sensing unit having a plurality of inductance sensing channels, including a plurality of cigarette sensing channels that detect the insertion of the cigarette and an error sensing channel that detects the approach of a magnetic body outside the aerosol generating device; and a control unit that determines whether the cigarette has been inserted into the aerosol generating device or whether the magnetic body has approached outside the aerosol generating device based on the degree of inductance change sensed by the cigarette sensing channels relative to the inductance change sensed by the error sensing channels.

[0006] According to another aspect, the aerosol generating device includes: a heater assembly for heating a cigarette housed in the aerosol generating device; a shielding material disposed outside the heater assembly for blocking a variable magnetic field; a cigarette sensing unit having a plurality of inductance sensing channels, including a plurality of cigarette sensing channels for detecting the insertion of the cigarette and an error sensing channel for detecting the approach of a magnetic body outside the aerosol generating device; and a control unit for determining whether the cigarette has been inserted into the aerosol generating device or whether the magnetic body has approached outside the aerosol generating device based on the degree of the inductance change detected by the cigarette sensing channels relative to the inductance change detected by the error sensing channels.

[0007] According to yet another aspect, a method for controlling an aerosol generating device includes the steps of: detecting an inductance change by a cigarette sensor having a plurality of inductance sensing channels, including a plurality of cigarette sensing channels for detecting insertion of a cigarette into the aerosol generating device and an error sensing channel for detecting the approach of a magnetic body outside the aerosol generating device; and The method includes determining whether the cigarette is inserted into the aerosol generating device or whether the magnetic material is approaching the outside of the aerosol generating device based on the degree of inductance change sensed by the sensing channel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] As described above, the correlation of inductance changes measured by the multiple inductance sensing channels can be used to accurately determine whether a cigarette is inserted or whether an external magnetic object is approaching, and a heating operation can be performed only when a cigarette is inserted. As a result, when an external object other than a cigarette is approaching, heating of the heater is prevented, thereby preventing malfunction of the aerosol generating device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an aerosol generating system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an aerosol product according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of a cigarette sensor according to an embodiment; [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram illustrating an inductance sensing channel of a cigarette sensor according to an embodiment; [Figure 6] 10 is a diagram illustrating an area where an inductance sensing channel of a cigarette sensor senses an inductance change according to an embodiment; [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram illustrating the cigarette insertion detection by a cigarette detector according to an embodiment; [Figure 8] 10 is a diagram illustrating a change in inductance of an inductance sensing channel when a cigarette is inserted, according to an embodiment; [Figure 9]10 is a diagram illustrating the cigarette sensor detecting the approach of a magnetic material outside the aerosol generating device according to an embodiment; [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram illustrating a change in inductance of an inductance sensing channel when a magnetic object outside the aerosol generating device approaches, according to an embodiment; [Figure 11] 10 is a view illustrating a cigarette sensor provided in an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment. [Figure 12] 1 is a flowchart of a method for controlling an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The terms used in the embodiments are currently commonly used terms, and are selected as much as possible while taking into consideration the functions of the embodiments. However, this may vary depending on the intentions of those skilled in the art, legal precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, in certain cases, the applicant may arbitrarily select terms, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the relevant description. Therefore, the terms used in the embodiments should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the overall content of the embodiments, rather than simply the names of the terms.

[0011] When a part of the entire specification "includes" a certain component, this does not mean that other components are excluded, and that other components may also be included, unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, terms such as "unit" and "module" used in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and may be realized by hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0012] As used herein, phrases such as "at least one of" are used interchangeably. When placed before a specified element, it modifies the entire element and not each element in the sequence. For example, the phrase "at least one of a, b, and c" should be interpreted as including a, b, and c, or a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c.

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily understand and practice the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0014] This embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an aerosol generating system according to one embodiment.

[0016] 1, an aerosol-generating system 1 may include an aerosol-generating device 10 and a cigarette 20. The aerosol-generating device 10 includes a cavity 160, which is a cigarette insertion space (cigarette storage space) into which the cigarette 20 is inserted, and may generate an aerosol by heating the cigarette 20 inserted into the cavity 160. The cigarette 20 is a type of aerosol-generating substrate and may include an aerosol-generating substance.

[0017] The aerosol generating device 10 may include a battery 110, a control unit 120, a susceptor 130, an induction coil 140, and a cigarette sensor 150. However, the internal structure and arrangement of the aerosol generating device 10 are not limited to those shown in Fig. 1. Those skilled in the art will understand that depending on the design of the aerosol generating device 10, some of the hardware components shown in Fig. 1 may be omitted or new components may be added, and each hardware component may be implemented in various arrangements.

[0018] The battery 110 supplies power used for operation of the aerosol generation device 10. For example, the battery 110 can supply power to the induction coil 140 to generate a variable magnetic field. The battery 110 can also supply power necessary for operation of other hardware components provided in the aerosol generation device 10, such as the control unit 120, various sensors, a user interface, and a memory. The battery 110 can be a rechargeable battery or a disposable battery. For example, the battery 110 can be a lithium polymer (LiPoly) battery, but the type of battery is not limited thereto.

[0019] The control unit 120 is hardware that controls the overall operation of the aerosol generation device 10. For example, the control unit 120 controls the operation of not only the battery 110, the susceptor 130, the induction coil 140, and the cigarette sensor 150, but also other components included in the aerosol generation device 10. The control unit 120 can also check the status of each component of the aerosol generation device 10 and determine whether the aerosol generation device 10 is in an operable state.

[0020] The control unit 120 includes at least one processor. The processor may be implemented by an array of logic gates, such as a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory storing a program executed by the microprocessor. Those skilled in the art will understand that the processor may also be implemented by other types of hardware.

[0021] The susceptor 130 may include a material that is heated by the application of a variable magnetic field induced by the induction coil 140. For example, the susceptor 130 may include a metal or carbon. The susceptor 130 may be made of ferrite, a ferromagnetic alloy, or a similar material. The susceptor 130 may include at least one of graphite, molybdenum, silicon carbide, niobium, nickel alloy, metal film, ceramic such as zirconia, transition metal such as nickel (Ni) or cobalt (Co), and metalloid such as boron (B) or phosphorus (P), but is not limited thereto.

[0022] The susceptor 130 may be tubular or cylindrical and may be disposed outside the susceptor 130 so as to surround the cavity 160 into which the cigarette 20 is inserted. Therefore, once the cigarette 20 is inserted into the cavity 160 of the aerosol generating device 10, the susceptor 130 may be disposed outside the cigarette 20 so as to surround the cigarette 20. This may increase the temperature of the aerosol-generating material inside the cigarette 20 due to heat transferred from the susceptor 130.

[0023] The induction coil 140 may generate a variable magnetic field by receiving power from the battery 110. The variable magnetic field generated by the induction coil 140 may be applied to the susceptor 130, thereby heating the susceptor 130. The power supplied to the induction coil 140 may be adjusted under the control of the control unit 120, so that the temperature to which the susceptor 130 is heated may be appropriately maintained.

[0024] The cigarette sensing unit 150 may detect whether the cigarette 20 is inserted into the cavity 160. The cigarette sensing unit 150 may detect a change in inductance caused by the insertion and extraction of the cigarette 20. To this end, the cigarette 20 may include an electromagnetic inductor 210. The electromagnetic inductor 210 may change the inductance sensed by the cigarette sensing unit 150. The electromagnetic inductor 210 may include a conductor in which an eddy current is induced and a magnetic material that generates a magnetic flux change. For example, the electromagnetic inductor 210 may include a metal material, magnetic ink, magnetic tape, etc. The electromagnetic inductor 210 may also be a metal material such as aluminum. However, the electromagnetic inductor 210 is not limited thereto, and may include, without limitation, any material that causes a change in inductance sensed by the cigarette sensing unit 150.

[0025] The cigarette sensor 150 can convert a frequency value that changes depending on an inductance change occurring inside or outside the aerosol generator 10 into an inductance output value and output the converted value. Here, the inductance change occurring inside or outside the aerosol generator 10 can be caused by the insertion or extraction of a cigarette 20 into or from the aerosol generator 10, or the approach of a magnetic body from outside the aerosol generator 10.

[0026] The cigarette sensing unit 150 may include one or more sensing coils, each of which may correspond to an inductance sensing channel. That is, the cigarette sensing unit 150 may have one or more inductance sensing channels, each of which may sense inductance changes occurring inside or outside the aerosol generation device 10.

[0027] The control unit 120 calculates the amount of change in inductance based on the inductance output value output by the cigarette sensing unit 150, and can determine whether the cigarette 20 is inserted or extracted, or whether a magnetic body is approaching from outside the aerosol generating device 10, based on the amount of change in inductance.

[0028] When the control unit 120 detects the insertion of the cigarette 20, it operates without any additional external input. The heating operation can be performed automatically. For example, if the control unit 120 detects that a cigarette 20 is inserted using the cigarette sensor 150, the control unit 120 can control the battery 110 to supply power to the induction coil 140. The induction coil 140 generates a variable magnetic field, which can heat the susceptor 130. Therefore, the cigarette 20 placed inside the susceptor 130 can be heated, and an aerosol can be generated.

[0029] On the other hand, if the control unit 120 detects the approach of an external magnetic body rather than the insertion of the cigarette 20, heating is not started.

[0030] Meanwhile, the aerosol generating device 10 may further include general-purpose components in addition to the battery 110, the control unit 120, the susceptor 130, the induction coil 140, and the cigarette sensing unit 150. For example, the aerosol generating device 10 may further include other sensors (e.g., a temperature sensor, a puff sensor, etc.), a user interface, etc. in addition to the cigarette sensing unit 150.

[0031] Although not shown in FIG. 1 , a user interface may provide a user with information related to the status of the aerosol generating device 10. The user interface may include a display or lamp that outputs visual information, a motor that outputs tactile information, a speaker that outputs sound information, and input / output (I / O) interfacing means (e.g., buttons or a touch screen) that receives information input from a user or outputs information to a user. The user interface may also include various interfacing means, such as a terminal for data communication or for receiving charging power, and a communication interfacing module for wireless communication with external devices (e.g., Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth®, Near-Field Communication (NFC), etc.).

[0032] However, the aerosol generating device 10 may be embodied by selecting only some of the various user interfaces exemplified above. Furthermore, the aerosol generating device 10 may be embodied by combining at least some of the various user interfaces exemplified above. For example, the aerosol generating device 10 may include a touchscreen display on its front surface that can output visual information and receive user input. The touchscreen display may include a fingerprint sensor, and user authentication may be performed using the fingerprint sensor.

[0033] 1, the aerosol generating device 10 may form a system together with a separate cradle. For example, the cradle may be used to charge the battery 110 of the aerosol generating device 10. Alternatively, the induction coil 140 may be heated when the cradle and the aerosol generating device 10 are coupled together.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an aerosol product according to one embodiment.

[0035] 2, aerosol product 200 corresponds to cigarette 20 of FIG. 1. Aerosol product 200 is divided into first portion 201, second portion 202, third portion 203, and fourth portion 204, and first portion 201, second portion 202, third portion 203, and fourth portion 204 may include an aerosol-generating element, a tobacco element, a cooling element, and a filter element, respectively. Specifically, first portion 201 may include an aerosol-generating material, second portion 202 may include a tobacco material and a humectant, third portion 203 may include a means for cooling airflow passing through first portion 201 and second portion 202, and fourth portion 204 may include a filter material.

[0036] The first portion 201, the second portion 202, the third portion 203, and the fourth portion 204 may be aligned sequentially based on the longitudinal direction of the aerosol product 200. The longitudinal direction of 200 is the direction in which the length of aerosol production product 200 extends. For example, the longitudinal direction of aerosol production product 200 is the direction from first portion 201 to fourth portion 204. As a result, the aerosol generated in at least one of first portion 201 and second portion 202 passes through first portion 201, second portion 202, third portion 203, and fourth portion 204 in sequence to form an airflow, which allows a user to inhale the aerosol from fourth portion 204.

[0037] The first portion 201 may include an aerosol-generating component, such as a flavoring agent, a humectant, and / or other additives, such as an organic acid, and may include a flavoring liquid, such as menthol or a moisturizer. The aerosol-generating component may include, for example, at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol.

[0038] The first portion 201 may include a crimped sheet, and the aerosol-generating element may be contained in the first portion 201 by being impregnated into the crimped sheet. Other additives and flavoring liquids, such as flavoring agents, humectants, and / or organic acids, may also be contained in the first portion 201 by being absorbed into the crimped sheet. The crimped sheet may also be a sheet made of a polymeric material. For example, the polymeric material may include at least one of paper, cellulose acetate, lyocell, and polylactic acid. For example, the crimped sheet may be a paper sheet that does not produce an unpleasant odor even when heated to a high temperature. However, the crimped sheet is not limited thereto.

[0039] The first portion 201 may extend from the end of the aerosol product 200 to a point about 7 to 20 mm, and the second portion 202 may extend from the end of the first portion 201 to a point about 7 to 20 mm. However, these numerical ranges are not necessarily limited, and the extension lengths of the first portion 201 and the second portion 202 may be appropriately adjusted within a range that can be easily changed by a skilled artisan.

[0040] The second portion 202 may include tobacco elements. The tobacco elements may be tobacco materials in a specific form. For example, the tobacco elements may be in the form of cut tobacco, tobacco particles, tobacco sheets, tobacco beads, tobacco granules, tobacco powder, or tobacco extract. The tobacco materials may also include, for example, one or more of tobacco leaves, tobacco veins, expanded tobacco, cut tobacco, flat tobacco, and reconstituted tobacco.

[0041] The third section 203 may include a means for cooling the airflow passing through the first section 201 and the second section 202. The third section 203 is made of a polymeric material or a biodegradable polymeric material and has a cooling function. For example, the third section 203 may be made of, but is not limited to, polylactic acid (PLA) fiber. Alternatively, the third section 203 may be made of a cellulose acetate filter having a plurality of holes formed therein. However, the third section 203 is not limited to the above examples, and any material that performs the function of cooling the aerosol may be used without limitation. For example, the third section 203 may be a hollow tube filter or a paper tube filter.

[0042] The fourth portion 204 may include a filter material. For example, the fourth portion 204 may be a cellulose acetate filter. Meanwhile, the shape of the fourth portion 204 is not limited. For example, the fourth portion 204 may be a cylindrical rod, a tubular rod with a hollow inside, or a recessed rod. If the fourth portion 204 is composed of multiple segments, at least one of the multiple segments may be made to have a different shape. Ugh.

[0043] The fourth portion 204 may be configured to release a flavor. For example, a flavoring liquid may be sprayed onto the fourth portion 204, and additional fibers coated with the flavoring liquid may be inserted into the fourth portion 204.

[0044] The aerosol product 200 may include a wrapper 250 that encases at least a portion of the first portion 201 to the fourth portion 204. Alternatively, the aerosol product 200 may include a wrapper 250 that encases all of the first portion 201 to the fourth portion 204. The wrapper 250 is located at the outermost periphery of the aerosol product 200, and the wrapper 250 may be a single wrapper or a combination of multiple wrappers.

[0045] The wrapper 250 is an electromagnetic inductor 210 for cigarette detection using the cigarette sensor 150 of FIG. 1 and may include a thermally conductive material. For example, the thermally conductive material may be a metal foil such as silver foil (Ag), aluminum foil (Al), or copper foil (Cu), but is not limited thereto. The thermally conductive material provided in the wrapper 250 uniformly distributes heat transferred to the first portion 201 and the second portion 202, improving thermal conductivity and thereby improving the tobacco taste. The thermally conductive material provided in the wrapper 250 may also function as a susceptor.

[0046] The thermally conductive material of the wrapper 250 can change the inductance of the cigarette sensing unit 150. Based on the change in inductance sensed by the cigarette sensing unit 150, the aerosol generating device (10 in FIG. 1) can determine whether the aerosol product 200 has been inserted into or extracted from the aerosol generating device (10 in FIG. 1).

[0047] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the aerosol generating device according to one embodiment.

[0048] Referring to Fig. 3, the aerosol generating device 10 may include a battery 110, a control unit 120, a susceptor 130, an induction coil 140, a cigarette sensor 150, and a memory 170. The aerosol generating device 10 shown in Fig. 3 illustrates components related to this embodiment. Therefore, a person skilled in the art will understand that the aerosol generating device 10 may further include other general components in addition to the components illustrated in Fig. 3. Meanwhile, the operation of the aerosol generating device 10 described in Fig. 1 may be directly applied to the aerosol generating device 10 of Fig. 3.

[0049] The cigarette sensor 150 senses whether a cigarette 20 is inserted into or extracted from the cavity (160 in FIG. 1) or whether a magnetic body is approaching the outside of the aerosol generating device 10.

[0050] Specifically, the cigarette sensor 150 may be implemented as an inductive sensor capable of detecting changes in surrounding inductance. When the cigarette 20 is inserted or extracted, the cigarette sensor 150 may measure the amount of inductance change that varies depending on the distance between the inductive sensor and the electromagnetic inductor 210 provided on the cigarette 20. The cigarette sensor 150 may also measure the amount of inductance change that occurs when a magnetic body approaches outside the aerosol generating device 10. Thus, the cigarette sensor 150 may transmit data regarding the amount of inductance change caused by the insertion / extraction of the cigarette 20 or the approach of an external magnetic body to the control unit 120.

[0051] The control unit 120 receives the inductance change data from the cigarette sensor 150. Based on this, it is determined whether the cigarette 20 is inserted / extracted or whether an external magnetic object is approaching.

[0052] To explain the cigarette sensing unit 150 in more detail, the cigarette sensing unit 150 includes a plurality of inductance sensing channels, including a plurality of cigarette sensing channels that sense the insertion of a cigarette 20 and an error sensing channel that senses the approach of a magnetic body outside the aerosol generating device 10. That is, the cigarette sensing unit 150 may include a plurality of inductive sensors that independently sense the amount of inductance change. Each inductive sensor corresponds to a respective inductance sensing channel of the cigarette sensing unit 150.

[0053] If the cigarette sensing unit 150 does not include an inductance sensing channel such as an error sensing channel that can sense the approach of an external magnetic body, the cigarette sensing unit 150 may erroneously sense an inductance change caused by an external magnetic body as being caused by the insertion of a cigarette 20. This may cause the heater assembly 310 to start heating even though there is no cigarette 20, resulting in a malfunction of the aerosol generation device 10. In contrast, the cigarette sensing unit 150 according to this embodiment is provided with an independent inductance sensing channel such as a cigarette sensing channel and an error sensing channel, thereby preventing abnormal heating of the aerosol generation device 10.

[0054] The inductance sensing channel continues to receive power for immediately detecting an inductance change even when the aerosol generating device 10 is in a standby mode and not generating aerosol. When an inductance change is detected by the cigarette sensing unit 150, the control unit 120 determines whether a cigarette 20 is inserted into the aerosol generating device 10 or whether a magnetic object has approached the outside of the aerosol generating device 10 based on the degree of the inductance change detected by the cigarette sensing channel relative to the inductance change detected by the error sensing channel.

[0055] Specifically, the control unit 120 may make a determination based on the difference between the inductance change amount sensed by each cigarette sensing channel and the inductance change amount sensed by the error sensing channel. For example, the control unit 120 may make the determination by comparing a sum of a first difference between the change amount sensed by the first cigarette sensing channel and the change amount sensed by the error sensing channel and a second difference between the change amount sensed by the second cigarette sensing channel and the change amount sensed by the error sensing channel with a predetermined threshold. As a result, if the sum of the first difference and the second difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the control unit 120 determines that a cigarette 20 has been inserted into the aerosol generating device 10. However, if the sum of the first difference and the second difference is less than the predetermined threshold, the control unit 120 determines that a magnetic object has approached the outside of the aerosol generating device 10, rather than that a cigarette 20 has been inserted.

[0056] When it is determined that a cigarette 20 has been inserted into the aerosol generator 10, the control unit 120 controls the heater assembly 310 to start induction heating of the cigarette 20. However, when it is determined that a magnetic body has approached the outside of the aerosol generator 10, rather than that a cigarette 20 has been inserted, the control unit 120 prevents induction heating from starting. On the other hand, when it is determined that a cigarette 20 has been extracted, the control unit 120 can control the heater assembly 310 to stop heating by cutting off the power supplied to the heater assembly 310.

[0057] The heater assembly 310 includes a susceptor 130 and an induction coil 140, and generates aerosol using the susceptor 130 arranged to inductively heat the cigarettes 20 accommodated in the aerosol generating device 10. In this case, the control unit 120 controls the heater assembly 310 to generate aerosol using a pulse width modulation (PWM) method or the like. In one example, the control unit 120 may include a separate heating integrated circuit (IC) for controlling only the power supply to the induction coil 140.

[0058] The memory 170 is hardware that stores various data processed within the aerosol generating device 10, and may store data processed by the control unit 120 and data to be processed by the control unit 120. The memory may be implemented using various types of memory, such as RAM (random access memory) such as DRAM (dynamic random access memory) and SRAM (static random access memory), ROM (read-only memory), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).

[0059] The memory 170 may store a reference value (or threshold value) of the inductance change amount for determining whether the cigarette 20 is inserted / extracted or whether an external magnetic object is approaching. In addition, the memory 170 may store various data related to the operation time of the aerosol generating device 10, the maximum number of puffs, the current number of puffs, at least one temperature profile, and the user's smoking pattern.

[0060] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of a cigarette sensor according to an embodiment.

[0061] 4, the susceptor 130 is cylindrical, and a cavity (160 in FIG. 1) for accommodating the cigarette 20 is formed inside the susceptor 130. That is, the susceptor 130 is disposed so as to inductively heat the cigarette 20 accommodated in the aerosol generating device 10.

[0062] An induction coil 140 may be disposed outside the susceptor 130 along the longitudinal direction of the susceptor 130. The induction coil 140 is supplied with power under the control of a control unit (120 in FIG. 3) to generate a variable magnetic field and control induction heating of the susceptor 130.

[0063] The cigarette sensing unit 150 is disposed in the region between the susceptor 130 and the induction coil 140. The length of the cigarette sensing unit 150 is preferably longer than the length of the susceptor 130, and the cigarette sensing unit 150 is disposed so that the susceptor 130 is included within the length of the cigarette sensing unit 150, but is not limited thereto. Meanwhile, since no magnetic field is generated by the induction coil 140 before the induction heating operation is initiated by the induction coil 140, the inductance change sensed by the cigarette sensing unit 150 can be determined to be caused by the insertion of the cigarette 20 or the approach of an external magnetic object.

[0064] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an inductance sensing channel of a cigarette sensor according to an embodiment.

[0065] 5, the cigarette sensor 150 may include a plurality of inductance sensing channels, such as a first cigarette sensing channel 150a, an error sensing channel 150b, and a second cigarette sensing channel 150c. As shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of inductance sensing channels may be arranged in a row on the outside of the susceptor 130 along the longitudinal direction of the susceptor 130.

[0066] Of the multiple inductance sensing channels, each of the cigarette sensing channels 150a and 150c is arranged to extend longer than the susceptor 130 in the longitudinal direction. The sensing channel 150b is disposed between the cigarette sensing channels 150a and 150c and is shorter than the length of the susceptor 130.

[0067] The susceptor 130 is disposed in a manner surrounding the outer circumferential surface of a cavity 160, which is a cigarette insertion space (cigarette storage space) for inserting the cigarette 20. In addition, the first cigarette sensing channel 150a, the error sensing channel 150b, and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c of the cigarette sensor 150 are disposed in a manner surrounding the outer circumferential surface of the susceptor 130.

[0068] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an area where an inductance sensing channel of a cigarette sensor senses an inductance change according to an embodiment.

[0069] 6, the first cigarette sensing channel 150a and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c can sense inductance changes in the cavity 160 inside the susceptor 130 and inductance changes outside the aerosol generation device 10. That is, they can sense inductance changes both inside and outside the cigarette sensing unit 150. Therefore, the first cigarette sensing channel 150a and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c can sense inductance changes when a cigarette 20 is inserted into or extracted from the cavity 160, or when an external magnetic object approaches the aerosol generation device 10.

[0070] 6, some regions of the first cigarette sensing channel 150a and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c may not be able to sense inductance changes in some regions (directions) within the cavity 160 due to shielding by the susceptor 130. However, the embodiment is not limited to the arrangement shown in FIG. 6, and the first cigarette sensing channel 150a and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c may be embodied in such a way that they are positioned completely off the length of the susceptor 130 to avoid shielding by the susceptor 130.

[0071] The error sensing channel 150b senses only inductance changes outside the aerosol generating device 10, and cannot sense inductance changes in the cavity 160 inside the susceptor 130. In other words, the error sensing channel 150b is blocked from sensing inductance changes inside the susceptor 130 (cavity 160) due to the shielding of the susceptor 130, and can sense only inductance changes caused by the approach of an external magnetic body outside the susceptor 130.

[0072] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the cigarette insertion detection by the cigarette detector according to an embodiment.

[0073] 7, when a cigarette 20 is inserted, each of the first cigarette sensing channel 150a and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c may sense a change in inductance caused by the electromagnetic inductor 210 of the metal material contained in the inserted cigarette 20. That is, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 6 in which no cigarette 20 is inserted into the cavity 160, when a cigarette 20 is inserted as shown in FIG. 7, the inductance measurements of the first cigarette sensing channel 150a and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c may change. Here, the amount of change in the inductance measurements may correspond to the amount of change in the sensing frequency of the inductive sensor provided in each of the first cigarette sensing channel 150a and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c.

[0074] In contrast, the error sensing channel 150b cannot sense the inductance change inside the susceptor 130 due to the shielding of the susceptor 130, and therefore the cigarette 20 is inserted, there is almost no change in the inductance measurement of the error sensing channel 150b.

[0075] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a change in inductance of an inductance sensing channel when a cigarette is inserted according to an embodiment.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 8, a graph of the inductance change amount of the first cigarette sensing channel 150a, the error sensing channel 150b, and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c when the cigarette 20 described in FIG. 7 is inserted is shown.

[0077] First, let us look at the graph of the inductance change of the first cigarette sensing channel 150a and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c. When the cigarette 20 is inserted, the measured inductance of each of the first cigarette sensing channel 150a and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c changes suddenly. That is, when the cigarette 20 is inserted, the inductance change increases rapidly due to the electromagnetic inductor 210 in the cigarette 20.

[0078] However, the error sensing channel 150b experiences little change in inductance measurement even when the cigarette 20 is inserted due to the shielding of the susceptor 130.

[0079] As described above with reference to FIG. 3, the control unit 120 can determine whether the cigarette 20 is inserted based on the phenomenon of the inductance change.

[0080] Table 1 below shows the simulation results obtained by repeatedly measuring the inductance change amount of each of the first cigarette sensing channel 150a, the error sensing channel 150b, and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c when the cigarette 20 is inserted.

[0081] [Table 1]

[0082] "L CH1 ” is the amount of inductance change sensed by the first cigarette sensing channel 150a, and “L CH2 ” is the amount of inductance change sensed by the error sensing channel 150b, and “L CH3" is the inductance change sensed by the second cigarette sensing channel 150c. "diff" is the inductance change sensed by the second cigarette sensing channel 150c. CH1 -L CH2 )+(L CH3 -L CH2 ) value.

[0083] Referring to Table 1, when the cigarette 20 is inserted, the inductance change amount (L CH1 and L CH3 ) is the inductance change amount L sensed by the error sensing channel 150b. CH2 This is because the first cigarette sensing channel 150a and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c can sense the inductance change caused by the electromagnetic inductor 210 inside the cigarette 20, but the error sensing channel 150b cannot sense the inductance change inside the susceptor 20.

[0084] The control unit 120 can determine whether the cigarette 20 is inserted by taking into account the difference in the sensing characteristics of the inductance sensing channels.

[0085] Specifically, the inductance change amount L sensed by the cigarette sensing channels 150a and 150c is CH1 ,L CH3 and the inductance change amount L sensed by the error sensing channel 150b. CH2 For example, the control unit 1 20 is the amount of change L sensed by the first cigarette sensing channel 150a CH1 and the amount of change L sensed by the error sensing channel 150b. CH2 The first difference between L CH1 -L CH2 and the change L sensed by the second cigarette sensing channel 150c. CH3 and the amount of change L sensed by the error sensing channel 150b. CH2 The second difference between L CH3 -L CH2The "diff" value (L CH1 -L CH2 )+(L CH3 -L CH2 ) with a predetermined threshold value, the determination is performed. Meanwhile, in this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the combined value of the first difference and the second difference is also referred to as a "diff" value.

[0086] The control unit 120 determines that a cigarette 20 is inserted into the aerosol generating device 10 only when the "diff" value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. That is, when the "diff" value is less than the predetermined threshold value, the control unit 120 determines that a cigarette 20 is not inserted. Such a case occurs when an external magnetic object approaches or when a foreign object other than a cigarette 20 is inserted into the cavity 160.

[0087] Meanwhile, the threshold (or reference value) for comparison with the "diff" value may be preset. The range of inductive change measured by the inductive sensing channel may vary depending on various factors, such as the material, thickness, and other physical characteristics of the electromagnetic inductor 210 provided in the cigarette 20, and the sensitivity and other sensor characteristics of the inductive sensor. That is, the optimal threshold value may also differ depending on the characteristics of the components used in the aerosol generating system (1 in FIG. 1). Therefore, the threshold value may be determined as an optimal value depending on the inductance change measured from tens, hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of simulation results using the aerosol generating system (1 in FIG. 1) to be implemented. For example, the threshold value may be predetermined to a desired value based on statistics, such as the minimum or average value of the "diff" value obtained from multiple simulation results.

[0088] When it is determined that a cigarette 20 has been inserted into the aerosol generating device 10, the control unit 120 controls the heater assembly 310 to start induction heating of the cigarette 20. However, when it is determined that a magnetic body has approached the outside of the aerosol generating device 10, rather than that a cigarette 20 has been inserted, the control unit 120 controls the heater assembly 310 so that induction heating is not started.

[0089] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the cigarette sensor detecting the approach of a magnetic material outside the aerosol generating device according to an embodiment.

[0090] 9, when an external magnetic body 900 approaches the aerosol generation device 10, the first cigarette sensing channel 150a, the error sensing channel 150b, and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c can each sense a change in inductance caused by the approach of the external magnetic body 900. That is, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 6 in which no external magnetic body approaches the aerosol generation device 10, when the external magnetic body 900 approaches, the inductance measurements of the first cigarette sensing channel 150a, the error sensing channel 150b, and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c can change.

[0091] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a change in inductance of an inductance sensing channel when a magnetic object outside the aerosol generating device approaches according to an embodiment.

[0092] 10, there is shown a graph of the inductance change amount of the first cigarette sensing channel 150a, the error sensing channel 150b, and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c when the external magnetic body 900 described in FIG. 9 approaches.

[0093] From the moment the external magnetic body 900 approaches, the first cigarette sensing channel 150a, the error The inductance measurements of sensing channel 150b and second cigarette sensing channel 150c change suddenly.

[0094] Table 2 below shows the simulation results of repeatedly measuring the inductance changes of the first cigarette sensing channel 150a, the error sensing channel 150b, and the second cigarette sensing channel 150c when the external magnetic body 900 approaches.

[0095] [Table 2]

[0096] Unlike Table 1, the approach of the external magnetic body 900 causes a sudden change in inductance in all inductance sensing channels. Therefore, it can be seen that the "diff" values ​​in Table 2 are mostly smaller than the "diff" values ​​in Table 1. That is, the "diff" values ​​obtained when the external magnetic body 900 is approached are smaller than a predetermined threshold value. Therefore, if the "diff" value is less than the predetermined threshold value, the control unit 120 determines that a cigarette 20 is not inserted. In such a case, it can be determined that an external magnetic body has approached or that a foreign object other than a cigarette 20 has been inserted into the cavity 160.

[0097] As described above, the cigarette sensor 150 according to this embodiment includes an inductance sensing channel that senses the insertion of a cigarette 20 and an inductance sensing channel that senses the approach of an external magnetic body 900 of the aerosol generating device 10. As a result, the cigarette sensor 150 can accurately determine whether a cigarette 20 has been inserted or whether an external magnetic body 900 has approached, using the correlation between the inductance changes measured by the inductance sensing channels. As a result, the aerosol generating device 10 according to this embodiment performs a heating operation only when a cigarette 20 is actually inserted, and can prevent malfunctions such as abnormal heating when an external object other than a cigarette 20 approaches.

[0098] Meanwhile, the control unit 120 according to this embodiment can determine the insertion of the cigarette 20 or the approach of the external magnetic body 900 by only calculating the "diff" value corresponding to the correlation of the inductance change amount of the inductance channel. Therefore, by comparing the inductance change amount measured for each inductance channel with the individual threshold value in stages, it is possible to perform a more accurate and quick determination compared to other methods of determining the insertion of the cigarette 20 or the approach of the external magnetic body 900.

[0099] FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a cigarette sensor provided in an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment.

[0100] 11, the aerosol generating device 1100 differs from the aerosol generating device 10 of FIG. 1 in that it is provided with an internal heating type elongated heater 1121 inserted into the cigarette in a cavity 1110, or an external heating type cylindrical film heater 1122 that heats the outer surface of the cigarette. In other words, the aerosol generating device 1100 does not have the cylindrical susceptor 130 and induction coil 140 described in FIG. 4, but is also a device that has another type of heater assembly.

[0101] In the aerosol generating device 1100, a shielding material 1130 may be arranged in place of the susceptor 130 of the aerosol generating device 10 in the above-mentioned drawings. The multiple inductance sensing channels 1500a, 1500b, and 1500c are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating device 1100 (i.e., the longitudinal direction of the shielding material 1130).

[0102] A shielding material 1130 is disposed inside the error sensing channel 1500b to block detection of inductance changes caused by the insertion of a cigarette, so that the error sensing channel 1500b can only sense the approach of an external magnetic object. Each of the cigarette sensing channels 1500a and 1500c is disposed to extend longitudinally beyond the shielding material 1130 and can sense inductance changes caused by electromagnetic inductors such as metal materials contained within the cigarette.

[0103] That is, the aerosol generating device 1100 differs from the aerosol generating device 10 of FIG. 1 in that a shielding material 1130 is disposed instead of a susceptor 130 in the heater assembly implementation, and other features of the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 10 may be applied to a method of determining cigarette insertion or the approach of an external magnetic object using inductance sensing channels 1500a, 1500b, and 1500c of the cigarette sensing unit. Meanwhile, the shielding material may be implemented as a material that blocks the magnetic field generated by the inductive sensor. Because the material properties of the shielding material are different from those of the susceptor 130, the threshold value to be compared with the "diff" value may be set differently than when the susceptor 130 is used.

[0104] Fig. 12 is a flowchart of a method for controlling an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment. The control method of Fig. 12 corresponds to steps that are processed in a time series manner in the aerosol generating device 10 described in the description of the drawings above. Therefore, even if the content is omitted below, the content previously described in the drawings can also be applied to the control method of Fig. 12.

[0105] In step 1201, the cigarette sensor 150 senses a change in inductance. The cigarette sensor 150 has a plurality of inductance sensing channels, including a plurality of cigarette sensing channels that sense the insertion of a cigarette 20 into the aerosol generating device 10 and an error sensing channel that senses the approach of a magnetic object outside the aerosol generating device 10.

[0106] In step 1202, if the control unit 120 determines that an inductance change has been detected by the cigarette sensing unit 150, it determines whether a cigarette 20 has been inserted into the aerosol generating device 10 or whether a magnetic object has approached outside the aerosol generating device 10 based on the degree of the inductance change detected by the cigarette sensing channel relative to the inductance change detected by the error sensing channel.

[0107] The above-mentioned method can be implemented by a computer-executable program, and The method can be implemented by a general-purpose digital computer that runs the program using a computer-readable recording medium. The data structures used in the method can be recorded in various ways on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic recording media (e.g., ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM, USB, floppy disk, hard disk, etc.) and optically readable media (e.g., CD-ROM, DVD, etc.).

[0108] Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention may be embodied in various modified forms without departing from the essential characteristics of the above description. Therefore, the disclosed method should be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not the above description, and all variations within the scope of the claims should be construed as being within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. In the aerosol generating device, a heater assembly for heating the cigarette contained in the aerosol generating device; a cigarette sensor disposed around the heater assembly and including a plurality of inductance sensing channels that have an inductance change due to the insertion of the cigarette or the approach of a magnetic body outside the aerosol generating device; An aerosol generating device comprising: a control unit that determines whether the cigarette has been inserted into the aerosol generating device or whether the magnetic body has approached the outside of the aerosol generating device by comparing the degree of inductance change between the inductance sensing channels.

2. The control unit The aerosol generating device of claim 1, wherein the judgment is performed based on the degree of difference between the inductance change sensed by a first type of inductance sensing channel among the inductance sensing channels and the inductance change sensed by a second type of inductance sensing channel among the inductance sensing channels.

3. the first type inductance sensing channel is a channel that senses a change in inductance due to insertion of the cigarette; The aerosol generating device according to claim 2 , wherein the second type inductance sensing channel is a channel that senses a change in inductance due to the approach of the magnetic body outside the aerosol generating device.

4. the first type of inductance sensing channels includes a first channel and a second channel; The control unit The aerosol generating device of claim 2, wherein the determination is performed by comparing the sum of a first difference between the inductance change sensed by the first channel and the inductance change sensed by the second type inductance sensing channel and a second difference between the inductance change sensed by the second channel and the inductance change sensed by the second type inductance sensing channel with a predetermined threshold.

5. The control unit determining that the cigarette has been inserted into the aerosol generating device if the sum of the first difference and the second difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold; The aerosol generating device according to claim 4 , wherein when the sum of the first difference and the second difference is less than the predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the magnetic body has approached the outside of the aerosol generating device.

6. The plurality of inductance sensing channels include: The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the heater assembly is arranged in a line outside the heater assembly along the longitudinal direction of the heater assembly.

7. the inductance sensing channels include a plurality of first-type inductance sensing channels and one second-type inductance sensing channel; The aerosol generating device according to claim 6 , wherein the second type inductance sensing channel is disposed between the plurality of first type inductance sensing channels and has a length shorter than that of the heater assembly.

8. The second type inductance sensing channel comprises: The aerosol generating device of claim 7, wherein the shielding of the heater assembly blocks sensing of inductance changes inside the heater assembly, and senses inductance changes caused by the approach of the magnetic material outside the heater assembly.

9. the plurality of first-type inductance sensing channels are arranged to extend longitudinally from the heater assembly; The aerosol generating device of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of first type inductance sensing channels senses an inductance change caused by an electromagnetic inductor contained within the inserted cigarette when the cigarette is inserted.

10. The control unit When it is determined that the cigarette has been inserted into the aerosol generating device, controlling the heater assembly to start heating the cigarette; The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the heating is prevented from being started when it is determined that the magnetic body has approached the outside of the aerosol generating device.

11. a shielding material is disposed inside the second type inductive sensing channel; The aerosol generating device of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of first type inductance sensing channels is arranged to extend longitudinally from the shielding material and senses inductance changes caused by electromagnetic inductors contained within the cigarette.

12. 1. A method for controlling an aerosol generating device, comprising: detecting an inductance change by a cigarette sensor disposed around the heater assembly and having a plurality of inductance sensing channels for detecting insertion of a cigarette into the aerosol generating device or approach of a magnetic body outside the aerosol generating device; and determining whether the cigarette has been inserted into the aerosol generating device or whether the magnetic body has approached the outside of the aerosol generating device by comparing the degree of inductance change between the inductance sensing channels.

13. The determining step includes:

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determination is performed based on a difference between an inductance change sensed by a first type of inductance sensing channel among the inductance sensing channels and an inductance change sensed by a second type of inductance sensing channel among the inductance sensing channels.

14. When it is determined that the cigarette has been inserted into the aerosol generating device, the method further includes controlling the heater assembly to start heating the cigarette; The method according to claim 12 , wherein the heating is not initiated when it is determined that the magnetic body has approached the outside of the aerosol generating device.

Images