Electronic smoking device and driving method thereof

Abstract

An electronic smoking device according to the present invention includes: a housing having a reception space into which a smoking article may be inserted; a battery for supplying power for operation of the electronic smoking device; a heating unit for heating the smoking article; a light-emitting unit for irradiating the smoking article with light; a light receiving unit for receiving output light from a medium unit included in the smoking article; and a control unit for analyzing the light received by the light receiving unit to identify a type of the smoking article and controlling the heating unit according to the type.

Description

Electronic smoking device and its driving method

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic smoking device and a driving method.

[0002] In recent years, there has been a growing preference for electronic smoking devices over traditional tobacco cigarettes. Electronic smoking devices can be broadly categorized into liquid-based e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn e-cigarettes.

[0003] Liquid-based e-cigarettes vaporize liquid nicotine into an aerosol that users inhale. Liquid-based e-cigarettes are less reliable, as the vaporizer can overheat with repeated use, and users may inhale the incorrect concentration of nicotine. Furthermore, heat-not-burn e-cigarettes typically incorporate a heat-not-burn tobacco stick into a housing, which is heated by a heating element to produce vapor. These heat-not-burn e-cigarettes are known to offer a similar taste and feel to traditional tobacco cigarettes. They are also known for their user-friendliness, as users can easily replace the supplied heat-not-burn tobacco stick by inserting it into the housing.

[0004] The tobacco sticks used in these heat-not-burn electronic cigarettes come in various types, depending on the tobacco ingredients contained within them. Each type has a different suitable heating temperature range. If each type of tobacco stick is not heated to the appropriate temperature, the user's perceived flavor may be diminished, potentially reducing user satisfaction. Therefore, an electronic smoking device capable of operating by setting an appropriate heating profile depending on the type of tobacco stick is required.

[0005] [Prior Art Literature]

[0006] [Patent Document]

[0007] Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-2686085 (Title of invention: Aerosol generation method and electronic device performing the method)

[0008] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems by providing an electronic smoking device that identifies the type of smoking article.

[0009] However, the technical tasks that this embodiment seeks to accomplish are not limited to the technical tasks described above, and other technical tasks may exist.

[0010] As a technical means for solving the above-described technical problem, an electronic smoking device according to the present invention comprises a housing having a receiving space into which a smoking article can be inserted, a battery for supplying power for the operation of the electronic smoking device, a heating unit for heating the smoking article, a light emitting unit for irradiating light to the smoking article, a light receiving unit for receiving light output from a medium unit included in the smoking article, and a control unit for analyzing the light received from the light receiving unit to distinguish the type of smoking article and controlling the heating unit according to the type.

[0011] A method for operating an electronic smoking device according to the present invention comprises the steps of: irradiating light onto a smoking article when a smoking article is inserted into the electronic smoking device; analyzing light emitted from the smoking article by the irradiation of light to identify the type of smoking article; and controlling a heating unit of the electronic smoking device based on a heating profile matching the identified type of smoking article. In this case, the heating profile includes information on a heating temperature and / or a heating time.

[0012] According to the above-described problem-solving means of the present invention, each type of smoking article can be distinguished, and the smoking article can be heated to a temperature range corresponding to each type, thereby providing the user with the best flavor.

[0013] Figure 1 is an example diagram showing the structure of a smoking article.

[0014] Figure 2 is an example diagram showing the types of smoking articles.

[0015] Figure 3 is an exemplary diagram schematically showing the configuration of an electronic smoking device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figures 4 to 6 are enlarged views of A in Figure 3, and are drawings showing various embodiments.

[0017] Figure 7 is an example diagram showing the light intensity by wavelength for each type of smoking article.

[0018] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a method for driving an electronic smoking device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In addition, the attached drawings are only intended to facilitate easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, and the technical ideas disclosed in the present specification are not limited by the attached drawings. In order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts that are not related to the description are omitted, and the size, shape, and shape of each component shown in the drawings can be variously modified. The same / similar drawing reference numerals are assigned to the same / similar parts throughout the specification.

[0020] The suffixes "assembly" and "part" used in the following description for components are assigned or used interchangeably solely for the convenience of writing the specification, and do not in themselves have distinct meanings or roles. Furthermore, in describing the embodiments disclosed herein, if a detailed description of a related known technology is judged to obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed herein, the detailed description thereof has been omitted.

[0021] Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be "connected (connected, in contact with, or coupled)" to another part, this includes not only cases where it is "directly connected (connected, in contact with, or coupled)" but also cases where it is "indirectly connected (connected, in contact with, or coupled)" with another member in between. Furthermore, when a part is said to "include (have or provide)" a certain component, this does not mean that it excludes other components, but rather that it may "include (have or provide)" other components, unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0022] As used herein, ordinal terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used solely to distinguish one component from another and do not limit the order or relationship of the components. For example, the first component of the present invention may be referred to as the "second component," and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the "first component."

[0023] The present invention relates to an electronic smoking device (100), and more particularly, to an electronic smoking device (100) that identifies the type of a smoking article (200) and heats the smoking article (200) to a temperature range corresponding to the type of the identified smoking article (200).

[0024] Before describing the electronic smoking device (100), the smoking article (200) used in the electronic smoking device (100) will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0025] Figure 1 is an example drawing of a smoking article (200), and Figure 2 is an example drawing showing the type of smoking article (200).

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, a smoking article (200) may include a filter portion (210), a medium portion (220), a shear portion (230), a metal film portion (240), and a wrapper portion (250).

[0027] The smoking article (200) is arranged in the order of a filter portion (210), a medium portion (220), and a front end portion (230), and can be implemented in a form in which the filter portion (210), the medium portion (220), and the front end portion (230) are wrapped with a wrapper portion (250). In addition, the smoking article (200) generates smoking substances as the medium portion (220) and / or the front end portion (230) are heated, and the user can inhale the smoking substances while holding the filter portion (210) in his / her mouth.

[0028] The filter unit (210) can filter out certain components contained in the smoking material. For example, the filter unit (210) may be a cylindrical rod or a tubular rod having a hollow interior. Furthermore, the filter unit (210) may be manufactured to generate a flavor. For example, the filter unit (210) may include fibers impregnated with a flavoring agent or may have a capsule containing a flavoring agent positioned therein.

[0029] The medium (220) may include a tobacco extract and / or tobacco particles. In addition, the smoking article (200) may be classified into types according to the components of the medium (220). Specifically, referring to FIG. 2, the types of smoking articles (200) may be classified according to the type of the medium (220). For example, the smoking article (200) may be classified into a first type, a second type, and a third type. The first type is a type in which paper is impregnated with a liquid tobacco extract, the second type is a type in which tobacco leaf particles or granular flavoring granules are mixed with paper impregnated with a tobacco extract, and the third type may be a type that is generally composed only of tobacco leaf raw materials. The present invention can identify the types of such smoking articles (200) and heat the smoking article (200) to an optimal temperature range suitable for each type, which will be described in detail later.

[0030] The front end (230) is manufactured in the form of a cylindrical rod and may contain a moisturizer and / or a tobacco extract. In this case, the moisturizer and / or the tobacco extract may be impregnated into the material constituting the front end (230). In addition, the front end (230) can physically block the medium (220) from escaping to the outside, and serves to prevent liquefied smoking material from the medium (220) during smoking from flowing into the electronic smoking device (100).

[0031] The metal film portion (240) surrounds the medium portion (220) or surrounds the front end portion (230) and the medium portion (220), and may be made of aluminum foil, copper foil, or silver foil, but is not limited thereto. The metal film portion (240) may receive current or heat from the heating portion (130) of the electronic smoking device (100) described below to heat the medium portion (220) and / or the front end portion (230). At this time, a smoking substance including nicotine is generated from the heated medium portion (220), and the user may inhale the smoking substance generated from the medium portion (220) through the filter portion (210).

[0032] The wrapper portion (250) can surround the front portion (230), the medium portion (220), and the filter portion (210), and can be made of paper material. In addition, the metal film portion (240) can be located on the inner surface or inside of the wrapper portion (250).

[0033] FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram schematically showing the configuration of an electronic smoking device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 4 to 6 are enlarged views of A of FIG. 3 and are drawings showing various embodiments, and FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram showing light intensity by wavelength for each type of smoking article (200).

[0034] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7, an electronic smoking device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 3, the electronic smoking device (100) includes a housing (110), a battery (120), a heating unit (130), a light emitting unit (140), a light receiving unit (150), and a control unit (160).

[0036] The housing (110) is formed in a shape that is easy for a user to hold in his hand, and a receiving space into which a smoking article (200) can be inserted is formed.

[0037] The battery (120) supplies power for the operation of the electronic smoking device (100). In other words, the battery (120) can supply power to the heating unit (130) to heat the smoking article (200), and can supply power required for the operation of the light emitting unit (140), the light receiving unit (150), and the control unit (160). For example, the battery (120) can be a rechargeable battery or a disposable battery.

[0038] The heating unit (130) can heat the smoking article (200) by receiving power from the battery (120). In addition, the heating unit (130) can be located adjacent to the metal film unit (240). For example, the heating unit (130) can electrically heat the smoking article (200) using an induction coil, but is not limited thereto and can heat the smoking article (200) in various forms.

[0039] In addition, the heating unit (130) heats the smoking article (200) according to a heating profile set by the control unit (160), but the heating profile may have a different temperature range depending on the type of smoking article (200). At this time, the heating profile may include information on the optimal heating temperature or heating time for each smoking article (200).

[0040] In other words, each type of smoking article (200) must be heated to a different temperature range, and accordingly, an optimal heating profile must be established for each type of smoking article (200). Meanwhile, each type of smoking article (200) may be manufactured in various ways depending on the manufacturer, and even if identified as the same type, different heating profiles may be applied depending on the manufacturer.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 4, the electronic smoking device (100) includes a light emitting unit (140) that irradiates light to a smoking article (200) and a light receiving unit (150) that receives output light from a medium unit (220) included in the smoking article.

[0042] The light emitting unit (140) can irradiate light of various wavelength ranges, such as the near-infrared range or the visible light range, to the smoking article (200). In addition, the light emitting unit (140) can sequentially irradiate light of a plurality of different wavelengths. In another embodiment, the light emitting unit (140) can irradiate continuous wavelengths of a broadband. At this time, the light emitting unit (140) can be implemented in the form of a light emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an LD (Laser Diode), a VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser), etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0043] The light receiving unit (150) detects the output light from the medium unit (220) included in the smoking article (200). At this time, the output light from the medium unit (220) may include light that has been irradiated by the light emitting unit (140) and then transmitted through the medium unit (220), reflected from the medium unit (220), or absorbed or scattered by the medium unit (220). At this time, the light receiving unit (150) may be implemented in the form of a light sensor such as a PD (Photo Diode), but is not limited thereto.

[0044] The light emitting unit (140) and the light receiving unit (150) may be placed in close contact with the smoking article (200) or may be placed at a predetermined distance from the smoking article (200).

[0045] The light emitting unit (140) and the light receiving unit (150) are arranged to face each other with the smoking article (200) in between, but are not necessarily arranged to face each other, and the arrangement state can be changed to have an optimal angle. At this time, since the metal film unit (240) can block the propagation of light irradiated from the light emitting unit (140), the light emitting unit (140) and the light receiving unit (150) can be arranged in an area that is not covered by the metal film unit (240) among the areas including the medium unit (220), that is, an area of ​​the medium unit (220) adjacent to the filter unit (210). Through this, it is possible to prevent the light output from the light emitting unit (140) from being blocked by the metal film unit (240).

[0046] In addition, referring to FIG. 5, when the light emitting unit (140) and the light receiving unit (150) are arranged at a predetermined distance apart, the electronic smoking device (100) may include at least one of a first waveguide (142) that transmits light irradiated from the light emitting unit (140) to a smoking article (200) and a second waveguide (152) that receives output light from a medium unit (220) included in the smoking article (200) and transmits it to the light receiving unit (150). For example, the first waveguide (142) and the second waveguide (152) may be formed of optical fibers, but are not limited thereto.

[0047] In addition, referring to FIG. 6, the electronic smoking device (100) may further include a lens portion (144) positioned between the light emitting portion (140) and the smoking article (200) and focusing light irradiated from the light emitting portion (140). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the lens portion (144) may be positioned at an end of the first waveguide (142) to focus light irradiated from the first waveguide (142), but is not limited thereto. The lens portion may also be positioned between the light emitting portion (140) and the first waveguide (142) to focus light irradiated from the light emitting portion (140) and transmit it to the first waveguide (142).

[0048] When the electronic smoking device (100) detects that a smoking article (200) has been inserted, it can irradiate light from the light emitting portion (140) to the smoking article (200) and receive the output light from the medium portion (220) at the light receiving portion (150). At this time, the received light can be represented as any one of the graphs shown in Fig. 7. At this time, the graphs shown in Fig. 7 illustrate intensity graphs of light by wavelength for each of the first type (31), the second type (32), and the third type (33).

[0049] The control unit (160) can analyze a graph of light received through the light receiving unit (150) to distinguish the type of smoking article (200) and control the temperature of the heating unit (130) using a heating profile matching the type of smoking article (200). At this time, the heating profile can include heating information such as heating temperature and heating time for the type of smoking article (200).

[0050] The control unit (160) can distinguish the type of the smoking article (200) based on the light intensity values ​​for each wavelength of the light received through the light receiving unit (150). As illustrated in FIG. 7, it can be confirmed that the slopes of the straight lines connecting the intensity values ​​of the output light at the first wavelength (10) and the second wavelength (20) in the first type (31), second type (32), and third type (33) graphs are all different. Therefore, the control unit (160) can distinguish the type of the smoking article (200) by comparing the slope of the straight line connecting the first light intensity value at any first wavelength (10) and the second light intensity value at any second wavelength (20) with slope information including the slope range for each preset type.

[0051] In other words, the control unit (160) distinguishes the type of smoking article (200) through the slope connecting the intensity values ​​of the output light at two different wavelengths in the light intensity graph as in FIG. 7. Since the smoking article (200) exhibits different slope characteristics depending on the medium (220) constituting the interior, the control unit (160) can distinguish the type of smoking article (200) through this slope characteristic.

[0052] For example, if a first type of smoking article is inserted into an electronic smoking device (100), the light received by the light receiving unit (150) may exhibit almost the same intensity at the first wavelength (10) and the second wavelength (20). At this time, the control unit (160) can determine that the smoking article is the first type by comparing the slope information including the slope and the preset slope range for each type.

[0053] In addition, the electronic smoking device (100) may be configured to receive a user's selection of the type of smoking article (200) to be inserted in advance, and the control unit (160) may compare the type of smoking article (200) selected by the user with the type of smoking article (200) identified, and if they are not the same, output a notification to the user.

[0054] To perform such operations, the electronic smoking device (100) may further include an input / output module (not shown, Input / Output Module, button input, touch screen input, etc.). The input / output module is provided on one side of the housing (110) of the electronic smoking device (100) and can receive a user's selection input. The user can select and input type information regarding the smoking article (200) to be smoked through the input / output module.

[0055] However, when a user inserts a smoking article (200) of a different type from the type of smoking article (200) selected by the user into the electronic smoking device (100), or inputs selection information different from the type of smoking article (200) inserted by the user into the input / output module, a problem occurs in that the electronic smoking device (100) is driven according to a heating profile different from that of the inserted smoking article (200). Accordingly, in the present invention, the control unit (160) can check the type of smoking article (200) regardless of the user's selection, and based on this, apply a heating profile corresponding to the type of smoking article (200).

[0056] In an embodiment, when the electronic smoking device (100) includes an input / output module for receiving user selection information, the type of the inserted smoking article (200) may be automatically recognized, and then the type of the smoking article (200) selected by the user may be compared with the type of the recognized smoking article (200) to determine whether they match, and a notification may be output based on whether they match. For example, when the type of the smoking article (200) selected by the user and the type of the smoking article (200) identified by the control unit (160) are different, a notification may be output to the user, so that the user may take follow-up actions, such as replacing the inserted smoking article (200) or correcting the user's input.

[0057] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a driving method of an electronic smoking device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 8, a driving method of an electronic smoking device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0059] In step (S110), as a smoking article (200) is inserted into an electronic smoking device (100), light is irradiated onto the smoking article (200), and the light output from the smoking article (200) by the light irradiation is analyzed to distinguish the type of the smoking article (200).

[0060] In detail, as the smoking article (200) is inserted into the electronic smoking device (100), light is irradiated from the light emitting portion (140) of the smoking article (200), the output light from the medium portion (220) is received by the light receiving portion (150), and the received light from the medium portion (220) is analyzed to distinguish the type of the smoking article (200). At this time, the type of the smoking article (200) is distinguished based on the light intensity value for each wavelength of the light output from the smoking article (200), and the first light intensity value at an arbitrary first wavelength (10) and the second light intensity value at an arbitrary second wavelength (20) are calculated, and the type of the smoking article (200) can be distinguished according to the slope of the straight line connecting the first light intensity value and the second light intensity value.

[0061] In addition, a step of outputting a notification when the type of smoking article (200) selected by the user is different from the type of smoking article (200) identified through the input / output module of the electronic smoking device (100) may be further included. At this time, the user can check the output notification and take follow-up actions, such as replacing the smoking article (200) or modifying the user's input.

[0062] In step (S120), the heating unit (130) of the electronic smoking device (100) is controlled based on a heating profile matching the type of the distinguished smoking article (200). At this time, the heating profile includes information on the heating temperature and / or heating time.

[0063] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, based on the above description, the present invention can be readily modified into other specific forms without altering the technical spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the following claims, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention.

[0064] The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

[0065] [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 100: Electronic smoking device

[0067] 110: Housing 120: Battery

[0068] 130: Heating section

[0069] 140: Light-emitting part 142: First waveguide

[0070] 144: Lens section

[0071] 150: Light receiving unit 152: Second waveguide

[0072] 160: Control unit

[0073] 200: Smoking items

[0074] 210: Filter section 220: Medium section

[0075] 230: Shear section 240: Metal film section

[0076] 250: Rapper Department

Claims

1. In electronic smoking devices, A housing having a receiving space into which a smoking article can be inserted; A battery for supplying power for the operation of the electronic smoking device; A heating unit for heating the above smoking article; A light emitting unit that irradiates light onto the smoking article; A light receiving unit that receives output light from a medium included in the above smoking article; and An electronic smoking device comprising a control unit that analyzes light received from the light receiving unit to distinguish the type of the smoking article and controls the heating unit according to the type.

2. In paragraph 1, An electronic smoking device, wherein the control unit controls the heating unit using a heating profile matching the type of the smoking article, wherein the heating profile includes information about a heating temperature and / or a heating time.

3. In paragraph 1, An electronic smoking device comprising at least one of a first waveguide for transmitting light irradiated from the light emitting portion to the smoking article and a second waveguide for receiving output light from a medium portion included in the smoking article and transmitting the light to the light receiving portion.

4. In paragraph 1, An electronic smoking device further comprising a lens portion positioned between the light emitting portion and the smoking article and focusing light irradiated from the light emitting portion.

5. In paragraph 1, An electronic smoking device, wherein the control unit distinguishes the type of smoking article based on the light intensity value for each wavelength of light received through the light receiving unit.

6. In paragraph 5, The above control unit An electronic smoking device that calculates a first light intensity value at an arbitrary first wavelength and a second light intensity value at an arbitrary second wavelength, and distinguishes the type of the smoking article according to the slope of a straight line connecting the first light intensity value and the second light intensity value.

7. In paragraph 1, The above electronic smoking device further comprises an input / output module, An electronic smoking device, wherein the control unit outputs a notification when the type of smoking article selected by the user through the input / output module is different from the type of smoking article distinguished through the control unit.

8. In a method for driving an electronic smoking device, As a smoking article is inserted into the electronic smoking device, a step of irradiating light onto the smoking article and analyzing light output from the smoking article by the irradiation of the light to distinguish the type of the smoking article; and A step of controlling a heating unit of the electronic smoking device based on a heating profile matching the type of the above-mentioned smoking article, A method for driving an electronic smoking device, wherein the heating profile includes information about a heating temperature and / or a heating time.

9. In paragraph 8, The steps for distinguishing the types of the above smoking articles are: The type of smoking article is distinguished based on the light intensity value of each wavelength of light emitted from the smoking article. A method for driving an electronic smoking device, wherein a first light intensity value at an arbitrary first wavelength and a second light intensity value at an arbitrary second wavelength are calculated, and the type of the smoking article is distinguished based on the slope of a straight line connecting the first light intensity value and the second light intensity value.

10. In paragraph 8, A method for driving an electronic smoking device, further comprising a step of outputting a notification when the type of smoking article selected by the user and the type of the distinguished smoking article are different through an input / output module of the electronic smoking device.

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