Heat-not-burn apparatus and heating control method therefor

Abstract

A heat-not-burn apparatus and a heating control method therefor. The heating control method comprises: within a preset first time period, controlling a first heating element to heat a first portion of an aerosol-forming substrate at a first power, and either controlling a second heating element to not heat a second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, or controlling the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve (S10); after the first time period, controlling the first heating element to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset first temperature curve (S20).

Description

Heat-not-burn device and heating control method thereof Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of atomization, and in particular to a heat-without-combustion device and a heating control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Heat-not-burn devices heat an aerosol-forming substrate by controlling a heating element, atomizing the substrate for inhalation. However, when heating a long aerosol-forming substrate, localized temperatures can easily become too high or too low, affecting the user's puffing experience. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a heating without burning device and a heating control method thereof in order to address the technical defect in the prior art that the temperature of a long aerosol-forming substrate is difficult to control.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is to construct a heating control method for a heat-without-combustion device, wherein the heat-without-combustion device includes a first heating element for heating a first portion of an aerosol-forming substrate and a second heating element for heating a second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate. Upon receiving a heating start signal, the method performs the following steps:

[0005] controlling the first heating element to heat a first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate at a first power during a preset first time period; controlling the second heating element not to heat a second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, or controlling the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature profile;

[0006] After the first period of time, the first heating element is controlled to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset first temperature curve.

[0007] Preferably, it also includes:

[0008] When the end time of the second period after starting the heating arrives, the user is prompted to take a puff, wherein the end time of the second period is less than or equal to the end time of the first period.

[0009] Preferably, controlling the second heating element not to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, or controlling the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve, comprises:

[0010] Identify the type of the aerosol-forming substrate, and control the second heating element not to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to the type, or control the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve.

[0011] Preferably, the first power is the maximum output power of the power supply;

[0012] Alternatively, the first power is less than the maximum output power, and a difference between the first power and the maximum output power is less than a first preset value.

[0013] Preferably, the first power is less than the maximum output power corresponding to the power supply when outputting the first level voltage, and the difference between the first power and the maximum output power corresponding to the power supply when outputting the first level voltage is less than a second preset value.

[0014] Preferably, it also includes:

[0015] After the first period of time, the second heating element is controlled to heat the second part of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve; or, the second heating element is first controlled to heat the second part of the aerosol-forming substrate at a second power for a preset third time, and after the third time, the second heating element is controlled to heat the second part of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve.

[0016] Preferably, the second temperature curve includes at least two temperature intervals, and the target temperature value of the latter temperature interval is greater than or equal to the target temperature value of the former temperature interval.

[0017] Preferably, the heating method of the first heating element for heating the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate includes resistance heating, electromagnetic heating or infrared heating; and / or

[0018] The heating method used by the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate includes resistance heating, electromagnetic heating or infrared heating.

[0019] Preferably, controlling the first heating element to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset first temperature curve comprises:

[0020] using a PID algorithm to control the first heating element to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset first temperature curve; and / or,

[0021] Controlling the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve comprises:

[0022] A PID algorithm is used to control the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve. The present invention also provides a heat-not-burn device comprising a power supply, a processor, a memory storing a computer program, a first heating element for heating the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, and a second heating element for heating the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate. When executing the computer program, the processor implements the steps of the heating control method for a heat-not-burn device described above.

[0023] Through the technical solution of the present invention, two heating elements are used to heat and atomize a long aerosol-forming substrate. Furthermore, during the heating and atomization process, during a first period of time, the first heating element is controlled to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate at a first power; the second heating element is controlled not to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, or the temperature of the second heating element is controlled to change according to a preset second temperature curve to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate; after the first period of time, the temperature of the first heating element is controlled to change according to the preset first temperature curve to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate. In this way, even if the aerosol-forming substrate is long, the phenomenon of localized excessive temperature rise or fall will not occur, thus avoiding excessive carbonization of the aerosol-forming substrate or insufficient aerosol concentration, thereby improving the user's puffing experience. Furthermore, when controlling the first heating element, the first heating element is first controlled to heat at a first power during the first period of time. After the first period of time, the first heating element is then controlled to change the temperature of the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to the first temperature curve. This not only shortens the preheating time, but also ensures the production of an aerosol with consistent characteristics that do not change over time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for describing the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without inventive efforts. In the drawings:

[0025] FIG1 is a flow chart of a first embodiment of a heating control method for a heat-without-combustion device according to the present invention;

[0026] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a temperature control curve of a first heating element in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a temperature control curve of a second heating element in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a first embodiment of a heat-without-combustion device according to the present invention;

[0029] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a second embodiment of the heating without burning device of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a first embodiment of a heating control method for a heat-not-burn device according to the present invention. First, it should be noted that the heat-not-burn device includes a power supply, a first heating element, and a second heating element. The first heating element is used to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, and the second heating element is used to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate. Furthermore, the heating methods of the two heating elements may be resistive heating, electromagnetic heating, infrared heating, or the like. Furthermore, the first and second heating elements may be arranged along the axial direction of the aerosol-forming substrate, with the first heating element preferably being located closer to the mouthpiece.

[0032] In the heating control method of this embodiment, as shown in FIG1 , upon receiving a heating start signal, the first heating element and the second heating element are respectively controlled as follows:

[0033] Step S10: controlling the first heating element to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate at a first power within a preset first time period; controlling the second heating element not to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, or controlling the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve;

[0034] In this step, within the first time period, for the heating control of the first heating element, as shown in FIG2 , it is first heated for a fixed time (first time period) and a fixed power (first power). For example, the temperature of the first heating element can be raised to about 330 degrees in about 3 to 15 seconds to preheat the first part of the aerosol-forming matrix, thereby rapidly raising the temperature of the aerosol-forming matrix and effectively shortening the preheating time. For the heating control of the second heating element, the second heating element can be controlled not to heat, or the temperature of the second heating element can be controlled to change according to a preset second temperature curve. For example, as shown in FIG3 , within the first time period, the temperature of the second heating element is maintained at 230 degrees. In addition, with respect to the first time period, it can be close to the user's preheating prompt time; preferably, it is slightly longer than the preheating prompt time.

[0035] Step S20: After the first period of time, controlling the first heating element to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset first temperature curve.

[0036] In this step, after the first time period, the heating control of the first heating element is performed according to the first temperature curve based on the current temperature of the first heating element. For example, as shown in Figure 2, after the first time period, the temperature of the first heating element is stabilized at around 240 degrees (lower than the preheating temperature of the first time period). It should be understood that in other embodiments, the first temperature curve may also be a curve in which the temperature changes with time after the first time period.

[0037] Through the technical solution of this embodiment, two heating elements are used to heat and atomize a long aerosol-forming substrate. Furthermore, during the heating and atomization process, during a first period of time, the first heating element is controlled to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate at a first power; the second heating element is controlled not to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, or the temperature of the second heating element is controlled to change according to a preset second temperature curve to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate; after the first period of time, the temperature of the first heating element is controlled to change according to the preset first temperature curve to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate. This not only shortens the preheating time but also ensures the production of an aerosol with consistent characteristics that do not change over time.

[0038] Furthermore, in an optional embodiment, the heating control method of the present invention further includes prompting the user to take a puff upon the expiration of a second period after the start of heating, wherein the expiration of the second period is less than or equal to the expiration of the first period. In this embodiment, it should be noted that the second period starts at the same time as the first period: upon receipt of the heating initiation signal, the expiration of the second period is less than or equal to the expiration of the first period. Furthermore, if the user's first puff is not detected within the second period, a prompt message is issued upon the expiration of the second period, prompting the user to take a puff. In some embodiments, the user may be prompted to take a puff upon completion of preheating (end of the first period). In other embodiments, the user may be prompted to take a puff slightly prior to completion of preheating. Furthermore, prompting methods are not limited to vibration prompts, flashing LED lights, and voice prompts.

[0039] Furthermore, in an optional embodiment, controlling the second heating element not to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, or controlling the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve in step S10, comprises: identifying the type of the aerosol-forming substrate, and controlling the second heating element not to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, or controlling the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to the type. In this embodiment, when the aerosol-forming substrate is inserted into the device, the type of the aerosol-forming substrate is first identified, for example, by reading a specific mark provided on the aerosol-forming substrate to obtain the type of the aerosol-forming substrate, and then determining the heating method of the second heating element during the first time period based on the type.

[0040] Furthermore, in one optional embodiment, the first power in step S10 is the maximum output power of the power supply. In another optional embodiment, the first power is less than the maximum output power, and the difference between the first power and the maximum output power is less than a preset value. For example, the first power is between 70% and 100% of the maximum power. Furthermore, the first power is less than the maximum output power corresponding to the power supply outputting a first voltage level, and the difference between the first power and the maximum output power corresponding to the power supply outputting a first voltage level is less than a second preset value. In this embodiment, the power supply can output voltages at multiple voltage levels, and the first power used during preheating is related to the maximum output power corresponding to the power supply outputting a first voltage level. For example, the first power is equal to or slightly less than the maximum output power corresponding to the power supply outputting a first voltage level. Furthermore, the first voltage level is the minimum voltage capable of heating one unit of aerosol-generating substrate, where one unit of aerosol-generating substrate is the smallest unit heated by the heat-not-burn device at a time, such as one stick of aerosol-generating substrate.

[0041] Furthermore, in an optional embodiment, step S20 also includes: after the first time period, controlling the second heating element to heat the second part of the aerosol-forming matrix according to a preset second temperature curve; or first controlling the second heating element to heat the second part of the aerosol-forming matrix at a second power for a preset third time, and after the third time, controlling the second heating element to heat the second part of the aerosol-forming matrix according to a preset second temperature curve.

[0042] In this embodiment, after the first time period, the heating control of the second heating element can be performed according to the second temperature curve based on the current temperature of the second heating element, for example, by using a PID algorithm to control its temperature; or it can be heated for a fixed time (third time) and a fixed power (second power) first, and then the temperature of the second heating element can be controlled according to the second temperature curve based on the current temperature of the second heating element.

[0043] In addition, it should be noted that when the first power or the second power is the maximum output power of the power supply, the constant power heating of the first heating element and the constant power heating of the second heating element can be performed asynchronously to ensure the staggered energy supply of the power supply, that is, when instantaneous energy is supplied to the first heating element, instantaneous energy is not supplied to the second heating element; when instantaneous energy is supplied to the second heating element, instantaneous energy is not supplied to the first heating element.

[0044] Furthermore, in an optional embodiment, the second temperature curve includes at least two temperature intervals, and the target temperature value of the subsequent temperature interval is greater than or equal to the target temperature value of the previous temperature interval. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the second temperature curve includes two temperature intervals, and the heating time of the first temperature interval is approximately 120 seconds, which is much longer than the preheating prompt time (approximately 10 seconds). Moreover, the target value of the first temperature interval is approximately 230 degrees, and the target value of the second temperature interval is approximately 260 degrees. It should also be noted that the target value of each temperature interval can also be a temperature range.

[0045] Furthermore, in an optional embodiment, controlling the first heating element to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming matrix according to a preset first temperature curve includes: using a PID algorithm to control the first heating element to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming matrix according to the preset first temperature curve. And / or controlling the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming matrix according to a preset second temperature curve includes: using a PID algorithm to control the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming matrix according to the preset second temperature curve. In this embodiment, when the first heating element / the second heating element is heated, based on the PID algorithm, the temperature at the corresponding moment in the first temperature curve / the second temperature curve is used as the target value, and the detected temperature of the first heating element / the second heating element is used as the feedback value, a PID operation is performed, and the power of the first heating element / the second heating element is controlled according to the operation result so that its detected temperature follows the target temperature.

[0046] Further, in an optional embodiment, the heating method used by the first heating element to heat the first part of the aerosol-forming matrix includes a resistance heating method, an electromagnetic heating method, or an infrared heating method; and / or, the heating method used by the second heating element to heat the second part of the aerosol-forming matrix includes a resistance heating method, an electromagnetic heating method, or an infrared heating method.

[0047] The present invention also constructs a heat-without-combustion device, which includes a power supply, a processor, a memory, a first heating element, and a second heating element, wherein the memory stores a computer program, the first heating element is used to heat the first part of the aerosol-forming matrix, and the second heating element is used to heat the second part of the aerosol-forming matrix. When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the steps of the heating control method of the heat-without-combustion device described above.

[0048] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a first embodiment of a heat-without-burn device according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the heating method is electromagnetic circumferential heating. Specifically, the heat-without-burn device includes a power module 110, a control module, and a tubular heating element. The control module includes an MCU 123, a first capacitor 131, a second capacitor 141, a first coil 132, and a second coil 142. The first capacitor 131 is connected in parallel with the first coil 132. One end of the first capacitor 131 is connected to the positive terminal of the power module 110, and the other end is connected to ground via a first switch 121. The enable terminal of the first switch 121 is connected to the first output terminal of the MCU 123. The second capacitor 141 is connected in parallel with the second coil 142. One end of the second capacitor 141 is connected to the positive terminal of the power module 110, and the other end is connected to ground via a second switch 122. The enable terminal of the second switch 122 is connected to the second output terminal of the MCU 123. The first portion of the tubular heating element (the first heating element) is located within the first coil 132, and the second portion of the tubular heating element (the second heating element) is located within the second coil 142. The MCU 123 controls the first switch 121 / the second switch 122 to be periodically turned on or off through its first output terminal / the second output terminal, so that the first coil 132 / the second coil 142 generates an alternating magnetic field, thereby controlling the heating of the first heating element / the second heating element.

[0049] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a second embodiment of the heat-without-burning device of the present invention. In this embodiment, the heating method is infrared heating. Specifically, the heat-without-burning device includes an infrared heating component 10 and a power supply component (not shown). The infrared heating component 10 is used to accommodate and atomize an aerosol-forming matrix to generate an aerosol when powered on, and the infrared heating component 10 includes a receiving structure 11, two heating films 12 (a first heating element and a second heating element) and a power supply component 13. The receiving structure 11 has a receiving cavity and a proximal opening and a distal opening connected to the receiving cavity. The proximal opening and the distal opening are arranged relative to each other along the length direction C of the substrate. The proximal opening is defined as being located at the first end a of the receiving structure 11, and the distal opening is defined as being located at the second end b of the receiving structure 11. The receiving cavity accommodates the aerosol-forming matrix through the proximal opening and radiates infrared rays when heated to heat the aerosol-forming matrix. Two heating films 12 are spaced apart on the receiving structure 11 along the longitudinal direction C of the receiving structure 11 and are used to generate heat when energized to heat the receiving structure 11, causing the radiation layer within the receiving structure 11 to be heated and radiate infrared rays. The power supply assembly 13 includes four electrodes 131, 132, 133, and 134, with each pair of electrodes forming a group. The electrodes are electrically connected to one of the heating films 12 to supply power to the heating film 12, thereby allowing the two heating films 12 to independently receive electrical power from the power supply assembly through the corresponding electrode groups, thereby forming two heating areas along the longitudinal direction C of the receiving structure 11, thereby achieving segmented heating of the infrared heating assembly 10.

[0050] Finally, it should be noted that although the terms "first," "second," etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, times, and temperatures, these elements, components, times, and temperatures should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, time, or temperature from another.

[0051] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0052] The aerosol generating substrate can be a solid aerosol generating substrate. Alternatively, the aerosol generating substrate can include solid and liquid components. The aerosol generating substrate can include a tobacco-containing material that is included in volatile tobacco flavor compounds released from the substrate when heated. Alternatively, the aerosol generating substrate can include a non-tobacco material. The aerosol generating substrate can further include an aerosol generator. The example of a suitable aerosol generator is glycerol and propylene glycol.

[0053] If the aerosol-generating substrate is a solid aerosol-generating substrate, the solid aerosol-generating substrate may comprise one or more of a powder, granules, pellets, fragments, strands, strips or sheets, for example containing one or more of vanilla leaves, tobacco leaves, tobacco stem segments, reconstituted tobacco, processed tobacco, homogenized tobacco, extruded tobacco and expanded tobacco. The solid aerosol-generating substrate may be in loose form or may be arranged in a suitable container or box. For example, the aerosol-forming material of the substrate may be contained within a paper or wrapping paper and have the form of a plug. Where the aerosol-generating substrate is in the form of a plug, the entire plug including any wrapping paper is considered to be the aerosol-generating substrate.

[0054] Optionally, but not necessarily, the solid aerosol-generating substrate may contain additional tobacco or non-tobacco volatile flavor compounds to be released when the substrate is heated. The solid aerosol-generating substrate may further contain a capsule, for example comprising additional tobacco or non-tobacco volatile flavor compounds, and such capsule may melt during heating of the solid aerosol-generating substrate.

[0055] The examples of temperature, time and other numerical values ​​in this article and the accompanying drawings are related to the material / size of the heating element, the composition / size of the aerosol-forming matrix, and the selected power supply and components. Therefore, the numerical values ​​of these temperatures and times should not be limited by these examples.

[0056] In practical applications, the temperature measurement component in a heat-not-burn device actually detects the temperature of the heating element, preferably the temperature of the outer wall of the heating element. By controlling the temperature of the heating element, the heating temperature of the aerosol-forming substrate is controlled. Therefore, the temperatures of the heating element and the aerosol-forming substrate are positively correlated, but not necessarily identical. That is, in some instances, the temperature of the heating element can be used to indicate the temperature of the aerosol-forming substrate.

[0057] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations of the present invention are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are intended to be within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for controlling heating of a heat-not-burn device, the heat-not-burn device comprising a first heating element for heating a first portion of an aerosol-forming substrate and a second heating element for heating a second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, wherein: After receiving the heating start signal, perform the following steps: controlling the first heating element to heat a first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate at a first power during a preset first time period; controlling the second heating element not to heat a second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, or controlling the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature profile; After the first period of time, the first heating element is controlled to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset first temperature curve.

2. The heating control method of the heat-not-burn device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: When the end time of the second period after starting the heating arrives, the user is prompted to take a puff, wherein the end time of the second period is less than or equal to the end time of the first period.

3. The heating control method of the heat-not-burn device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Controlling the second heating element not to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, or controlling the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve, comprises: Identify the type of the aerosol-forming substrate, and control the second heating element not to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to the type, or control the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve.

4. The heating control method of the heat-not-burn device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first power is the maximum output power of the power supply; Alternatively, the first power is less than the maximum output power, and a difference between the first power and the maximum output power is less than a first preset value.

5. The heating control method of the heat-not-burn device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first power is less than the maximum output power corresponding to the power supply when outputting the first level voltage, and the difference between the first power and the maximum output power corresponding to the power supply when outputting the first level voltage is less than a second preset value.

6. The heating control method of the heat-not-burn device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: After the first period of time, controlling the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve; Alternatively, the second heating element is first controlled to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate at a second power for a preset third time, and after the third time, the second heating element is controlled to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve.

7. The heating control method of the heat-not-burn device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The second temperature curve includes at least two temperature intervals, and a target temperature value of a latter temperature interval is greater than or equal to a target temperature value of a former temperature interval.

8. The heating control method of the heat-not-burn device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating method of the first heating element for heating the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate includes resistance heating, electromagnetic heating or infrared heating; and / or The heating method used by the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate includes resistance heating, electromagnetic heating or infrared heating.

9. The heating control method of the heat-not-burn device according to claim 5, characterized in that: Controlling the first heating element to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset first temperature curve comprises: using a PID algorithm to control the first heating element to heat the first portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset first temperature curve; and / or, Controlling the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve comprises: The PID algorithm is used to control the second heating element to heat the second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate according to a preset second temperature curve.

10. A heat-not-burn device comprising a power supply, a processor, a memory storing a computer program, a first heating element for heating a first portion of an aerosol-forming substrate, and a second heating element for heating a second portion of the aerosol-forming substrate, wherein: When executing the computer program, the processor implements the steps of the heating control method of the heat-not-burn device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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