Aerosol generation device and determination method

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a system capable of further improving the quality of a user experience using an aerosol generation device. [Solution] The aerosol generation device comprises: an accommodation unit that accommodates an aerosol generation article; a first sensor and a second sensor that are disposed in the vicinity of the accommodation unit; and a control unit that determines a change in the position of the aerosol generation article accommodated in the accommodation unit on the basis of a first measurement value measured by the first sensor and a second measurement value measured by the second sensor, the first sensor being a temperature sensor, and the second sensor being a sensor other than a temperature sensor.

Description

Aerosol generating device and determination method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an aerosol generating device and a determination method.

[0002] Aerosol generating devices that generate aerosol to be inhaled by a user are widely widespread. For example, an aerosol generating device generates aerosol imparted with a flavor component by using an aerosol generating article including an aerosol base material for generating aerosol and a flavor source for imparting a flavor component to the generated aerosol. A user can enjoy the flavor by inhaling the aerosol imparted with the flavor component generated by the aerosol generating device. Hereinafter, the action of a user inhaling aerosol is also referred to as a puff or a puff action. Examples of devices classified as aerosol generating devices include those used as substitutes for so-called combustible cigarettes, such as heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes, as well as nebulizers used for medical purposes. Note that a heated tobacco product is a type of aerosol generating device that generates aerosol by heating an aerosol generating article containing an aerosol base material. An electronic cigarette is a type of aerosol generating device that generates aerosol by atomizing an aerosol base material in liquid form.

[0003] Various technologies have been developed to improve the usability of aerosol generating devices. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a technology for determining whether an aerosol generating article is inserted to a predetermined depth using a capacitance sensor for a heated tobacco product.

[0004] International Publication No. 2023 / 127827

[0005] The technology disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 has only been developed for a short time, and there remains room for improvement from various perspectives.

[0006] Accordingly, the present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems. An object of the present disclosure is to provide a mechanism capable of further improving the quality of a user experience using an aerosol generating device.

[0007] To solve the above problems, according to one aspect of this disclosure, an aerosol generating apparatus is provided, comprising: a storage section for storing aerosol products; a first sensor and a second sensor disposed near the storage section; and a control unit that determines a change in the position of the aerosol products stored in the storage section based on a first measurement value measured by the first sensor and a second measurement value measured by the second sensor, wherein the first sensor is a temperature sensor and the second sensor is a sensor other than a temperature sensor.

[0008] The control unit may determine whether at least one of the following has occurred: a first position change in a direction parallel to the axis of the housing, a second position change in a direction intersecting the axis of the housing, or a third position change in a rotational direction about the axis of the housing.

[0009] The control unit may determine that the first position change has occurred when the change in the first measured value exceeds a first threshold and the change in the second measured value exceeds a second threshold.

[0010] The control unit may determine that a first position change has occurred when the amount of change in the first measured value exceeds the first threshold, the amount of change in the second measured value exceeds the second threshold, and the direction of change of the first and second measured values ​​satisfies predetermined conditions.

[0011] The control unit may determine that a second position change or a third position change has occurred if the amount of change in the first measured value is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the amount of change in the second measured value exceeds the third threshold but is less than or equal to the second threshold.

[0012] The aerosol generating apparatus further comprises a heating unit that heats the aerosol product contained in the containment unit to generate an aerosol, and the first sensor may measure the temperature of the heating unit.

[0013] The control unit may control the heating temperature of the heating unit based on the first measurement value obtained by the first sensor.

[0014] The second sensor may be a capacitive sensor.

[0015] The aerosol product comprises an aerosol generating segment containing an aerosol substrate and a hollow intermediate segment located downstream of the aerosol generating segment, and the measurement range of the second sensor may include the intermediate segment when the housing contains the aerosol product in its normal position.

[0016] The second sensor may measure the second measurement value corresponding to the amount of aerosol-derived deposits attached to the intermediate segment.

[0017] The measurement range of the second sensor may include at least one of the regions in the intermediate segment where the amount of aerosol-derived deposits is greatest or least greatest, when the housing contains the aerosol product in the normal position.

[0018] The capacitance sensor has a pair of electrodes, and the width of each of the pair of electrodes in the direction in which they are separated may be less than or equal to half the inner diameter of the housing.

[0019] The pair of electrodes may be a pair of annular electrodes spaced apart in the axial direction of the housing, a pair of comb-shaped electrodes spaced apart in the axial direction of the housing, or a pair of curved electrodes spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the housing.

[0020] The control unit may determine whether or not a puff is present based on the second measurement value obtained by the second sensor if it determines that no change in the position of the aerosol product contained in the containment section has occurred.

[0021] Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, according to another aspect of this disclosure, a determination method is provided which is performed by a computer controlling an aerosol generating apparatus, wherein the aerosol generating apparatus comprises a storage section for storing aerosol products, and a first sensor and a second sensor disposed near the storage section, the first sensor being a temperature sensor, and the second sensor being a sensor other than a temperature sensor, and the determination method includes determining a change in the position of the aerosol products stored in the storage section based on a first measurement value measured by the first sensor and a second measurement value measured by the second sensor.

[0022] As explained above, this disclosure provides a mechanism that can further improve the quality of the user experience using an aerosol generation device.

[0023] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an aerosol generating apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of this disclosure. This is a schematic graph illustrating an example of a heating profile according to one embodiment of this disclosure. This is a schematic cross-sectional view of an aerosol product 200 according to one embodiment of this disclosure. This is a diagram for explaining a detailed example of the configuration of an aerosol generating apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of this disclosure. This is a graph showing an example of the time-series changes of temperature and capacitance during a heating session. This is a graph extracted from the graph shown in Figure 5 showing the period during which puffing was performed. This is a graph extracted from the graph shown in Figure 5 showing the period during which vertical shift in the upward direction occurred. This is a graph extracted from the graph shown in Figure 5 showing the period during which vertical shift in the downward direction occurred. This is a graph extracted from the graph shown in Figure 5 showing the period during which horizontal shift occurred. This is a graph extracted from the graph shown in Figure 5 showing the period during which rotational shift occurred. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing flow performed by the aerosol generating apparatus 100 according to this embodiment.

[0024] Preferred embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0025] <1. Example of Aerosol Generating Device Configuration> An aerosol generating device is a device that generates aerosols that are aspirated by the user.

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an aerosol generating device 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the aerosol generating device 100 according to this embodiment includes a power supply unit 111, a sensor unit 112, a notification unit 113, a storage unit 114, a communication unit 115, a control unit 116, a heating unit 121, a storage unit 140, and a heat insulating unit 144.

[0027] The power supply unit 111 stores power. Based on the control by the control unit 116, the power supply unit 111 supplies power to each component of the aerosol generator 100. The power supply unit 111 may be composed of a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium-ion secondary battery.

[0028] The sensor unit 112 acquires various information related to the aerosol generator 100. For example, the sensor unit 112 is composed of a pressure sensor such as a condenser microphone, a flow sensor, or a temperature sensor, and acquires values ​​associated with the user's inhalation. As another example, the sensor unit 112 is composed of an input device that accepts information input from the user, such as a button or switch. The sensor unit 112 includes a capacitance sensor 20 and a temperature sensor 30, which will be described later.

[0029] The notification unit 113 notifies the user of information. The notification unit 113 is composed of, for example, a light-emitting device that emits light, a display device that displays an image, a sound output device that emits sound, or a vibration device that vibrates.

[0030] The memory unit 114 stores various information for the operation of the aerosol generator 100. The memory unit 114 is composed of a non-volatile storage medium such as flash memory.

[0031] The communication unit 115 is a communication interface capable of performing communication in accordance with any wired or wireless communication standard. Examples of such communication standards include those using Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy®), NFC (Near Field Communication), or LPWA (Low Power Wide Area).

[0032] The control unit 116 functions as both an arithmetic processing unit and a control device, controlling the overall operation of the aerosol generator 100 according to various programs. The control unit 116 is implemented by electronic circuits such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a microprocessor.

[0033] The containment section 140 has an internal space 141 and holds the aerosol product 200 while containing a portion of the aerosol product 200 in the internal space 141. The containment section 140 has an opening 142 that communicates the internal space 141 with the outside and contains the aerosol product 200 inserted into the internal space 141 from the opening 142. For example, the containment section 140 is a cylindrical body with the opening 142 and bottom 143 as its base, defining a columnar internal space 141. An air passage is connected to the containment section 140 to supply air to the internal space 141. An air inlet, which is the air entrance to the air passage, is located, for example, on the side of the aerosol generating device 100. An air outlet, which is the air exit from the air passage to the internal space 141, is located, for example, on the bottom 143.

[0034] The aerosol product 200 is a stick-shaped base material including a base material portion 221 and a mouthpiece portion 222. The base material portion 221 contains an aerosol base material (also referred to as an aerosol source). The aerosol base material contains flavor components derived from tobacco or non-tobacco. If the aerosol generating device 100 is a medical inhaler such as a nebulizer, the aerosol base material may also contain a drug. The aerosol base material may be a liquid such as water, containing, for example, glycerin and polyhydric alcohols such as propylene glycol, and flavor components derived from tobacco or non-tobacco, or it may be a solid containing flavor components derived from tobacco or non-tobacco. When the aerosol product 200 is held in the housing portion 140, at least a part of the base material portion 221 is housed in the internal space 141, and at least a part of the mouthpiece portion 222 protrudes from the opening 142. Then, when the user puts the suction nozzle 222 protruding from the opening 142 into their mouth and sucks, air flows into the internal space 141 and reaches the user's mouth along with the aerosol generated from the base material 221.

[0035] The heating unit 121 generates an aerosol by heating the aerosol substrate, thereby atomizing it. In the example shown in Figure 1, the heating unit 121 is configured as a film and is positioned to cover the outer circumference of the containment unit 140. When the heating unit 121 generates heat, the substrate portion 221 of the aerosol product 200 is heated from the outer circumference, and an aerosol is generated. The heating unit 121 generates heat when power is supplied from the power supply unit 111. For example, power may be supplied when the sensor unit 112 detects that the user has started inhaling and / or that predetermined information has been input. Power may be stopped when the sensor unit 112 detects that the user has finished inhaling and / or that predetermined information has been input.

[0036] The heat insulating section 144 prevents heat transfer from the heating section 121 to other components. For example, the heat insulating section 144 is made of a vacuum insulating material or an aerogel insulating material.

[0037] The above describes an example configuration of the aerosol generator 100. Of course, the configuration of the aerosol generator 100 is not limited to the above, and it can take various configurations as exemplified below.

[0038] As one example, the heating unit 121 may be configured in a blade shape and disposed so as to protrude from the bottom 143 of the housing unit 140 into the internal space 141. In this case, the blade-shaped heating unit 121 is inserted into the base material portion 221 of the aerosol-generating article 200, and heats the base material portion 221 of the aerosol-generating article 200 from the inside. As another example, the heating unit 121 may be disposed so as to cover the bottom 143 of the housing unit 140. Further, the heating unit 121 may be configured as a combination of two or more of a first heating unit that covers an outer periphery of the housing unit 140, a blade-shaped second heating unit, and a third heating unit that covers the bottom 143 of the housing unit 140.

[0039] As another example, the housing unit 140 may include an opening / closing mechanism such as a hinge that opens and closes a part of an outer shell forming the internal space 141. Then, the housing unit 140 may house the aerosol-generating article 200 inserted into the internal space 141 while sandwiching the article by opening and closing the outer shell. In this case, the heating unit 121 may be provided at the sandwiching position in the housing unit 140, and may heat the aerosol-generating article 200 while pressing the article.

[0040] Further, the means for atomizing the aerosol base material is not limited to heating by the heating unit 121. For example, the means for atomizing the aerosol base material may be induction heating. In this case, the aerosol-generating device 100 has at least an electromagnetic induction source such as a coil that generates a magnetic field instead of the heating unit 121. A susceptor that generates heat by induction heating may be provided in the aerosol-generating device 100, or may be included in the aerosol-generating article 200.

[0041] The heating unit 121 is an example of a generation unit that heats the aerosol-generating article 200 housed in the housing unit 140 to generate aerosol. The combination of the aerosol-generating device 100 and the aerosol-generating article 200 may be regarded as an aerosol-generating system.

[0042] <2. Heating Profile> The control unit 116 controls the operation of the heating unit 121 based on a heating profile. A heating profile is control information for controlling the temperature at which an aerosol base material is heated. The heating profile defines a target value of a parameter corresponding to the temperature for heating the aerosol base material. For example, the heating profile may define a time-series transition of the target value of the temperature of the heating unit 121. The control unit 116 controls the temperature of the heating unit 121 by controlling the operation of the heating unit 121 such that the temperature of the heating unit 121 changes as defined in the heating profile.

[0043] The temperature control of the heating unit 121 can be realized, for example, by known feedback control. The feedback control may be, for example, PID control (Proportional-Integral-Differential Control). The control unit 116 can cause power from the power supply unit 111 to be supplied to the heating unit 121 in the form of pulses by pulse width modulation (PWM), pulse frequency modulation (PFM), or pulse amplitude modulation (PAM). In this case, in feedback control, the control unit 116 can perform temperature control of the heating unit 121 by adjusting the duty ratio of the power pulse in the case of PWM control, by adjusting the frequency of the power pulse in the case of PFM control, and by adjusting the amplitude of the power pulse in the case of PAM control.

[0044] Hereinafter, a period during which power supply to the heating unit 121 is controlled based on a heating profile, in other words, a period during which heating by the heating unit 121 is performed based on a heating profile, is also referred to as a heating session. Further, heating from the start of the heating session until puffing becomes possible is also referred to as preheating, and a period during which preheating is performed is also referred to as a preheating period. Further, a period subsequent to the preheating period in the heating session is also referred to as a puffable period. During the puffable period, a user can perform one or more puffs.

[0045] An example of the heating profile will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0046] Figure 2 is a schematic graph showing an example of a heating profile according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. This graph shows the time series change of the target temperature of the heating unit 121 set in the heating profile. The horizontal axis of this graph is the elapsed time from the start of heating. The vertical axis of this graph is the target temperature of the heating unit 121. As shown in Figure 2, the heating session includes a preheating period and a puffing period. During the preheating period, the target temperature of the heating unit 121 rises rapidly and is maintained. During the puffing period, the target temperature of the heating unit 121 is maintained, then rapidly decreases, then rises slowly and is maintained, and finally decreases.

[0047] The preheating period can be terminated by triggers such as the elapsed time from the start of heating or the elapsed time from the time the heating unit 121 reaches a predetermined temperature. The end of preheating, i.e., the start of the puffing period, is notified to the user by the notification unit 113. Therefore, the user can perform puffing during the puffing period.

[0048] A heating session may be terminated by triggers such as the elapsed time since the start of heating or the end of preheating, or the number of puffs reaching a predetermined number.

[0049] Furthermore, the heating profile may define a target value that changes continuously over time, as shown in Figure 2. For example, the heating profile may define a target temperature for each control cycle of the duty cycle.

[0050] Alternatively, the heating profile may specify target values ​​that change discretely over time. For example, the heating profile may specify target temperatures every 15 seconds.

[0051] For each aerosol product 200, heating is performed once based on the heating profile. That is, the aerosol product 200 is consumed by heating based on a single heating profile.

[0052] <3. Aerosol Products> Below, one embodiment of the aerosol products will be described with reference to the drawings, but the embodiments of the aerosol products of this disclosure are not limited to the following configurations.

[0053] Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an aerosol product 200 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the aerosol product 200 comprises an upstream segment 201 including at least an aerosol generating segment 205, which will be described later, and a downstream segment 202 including at least a mouthpiece segment 203, which will be described later. The upstream segment 201 comprises an aerosol generating segment 205 that generates an aerosol by heating, and a tip segment 204 positioned upstream of the aerosol generating segment 205. The downstream segment 202 comprises an intermediate segment 206 and a mouthpiece segment 203. Furthermore, the mouthpiece segment 203 comprises a hollow segment 212 and a filter segment 213.

[0054] In a more specific example, the aerosol product 200 comprises, in order from the tip side (i.e., the side opposite the mouthpiece), a tip segment 204, an aerosol generating segment 205, an intermediate segment 206, a hollow segment 212, and a filter segment 213. These five segments are covered by wrappers, and in particular, the segments are connected to each other by tip paper, at least a portion of which is located in the outermost layer. In addition, each segment except the intermediate segment 206 has at least a portion of its surface covered by a segment wrapper. Specifically, the mouthpiece segment 203 may be covered by a first segment wrapper 210 that covers multiple segments such as the filter segment 213 and the hollow segment 212, or the filter segment 213 may be covered by a second segment wrapper 211. The aerosol generating segment 205 may be covered by a third segment wrapper 214, and the tip segment 204 may be covered by a fourth segment wrapper 207. Details of these segment wrappers will be described later. The segment wrapper covering the aerosol-generating segment 205 may also be called the wrapping paper, the segment wrapper covering the mouthpiece segment 203 may be called the mouthpiece wrapper, and the segment wrapper covering the tip segment 204 may be called the tip segment wrapper.

[0055] The above configuration is merely an example, and the upstream segment 201 does not necessarily have to include the tip segment 204. The upstream segment 201 may consist only of the aerosol generation segment 205, or the aerosol generation segment 205 may consist of multiple segments. In other words, the aerosol product 200 may consist only of one or more aerosol generation segments 205 and a hollow segment 212 or a filter segment 213.

[0056] Next, the connection configuration of each element constituting the aerosol product 200 will be described. In the aerosol product 200, the five components are connected using a first tip paper 209 and a second tip paper 208. Specifically, the second tip paper 208 connects the tip segment 204, the aerosol generation segment 205, and the intermediate segment 206, forming a connected body. Here, the second tip paper 208 is wound so as to cover the upstream segment 201 and a part of the downstream segment 202 (intermediate segment 206). In other words, the second tip paper 208 does not cover the intermediate segment 206 all the way to its downstream end, leaving the intermediate segment 206 exposed at its downstream end. Furthermore, the first tip paper 209 connects the connected body and the mouthpiece segment 203. Here, the first tip paper 209 covers the entire mouthpiece segment 203 and a part of the connected body, leaving the connected body exposed at its upstream end. In this case, it is preferable that the ventilation V is provided so as to penetrate the first chip paper 209 and the intermediate segment 206 or hollow segment 212.

[0057] The above configuration is merely an example, and the second chip paper 208 may extend to cover the downstream end of the intermediate segment 206. Alternatively, the second chip paper 208 may connect only the segments included in the upstream segment 201 to form a connected body, and the first chip paper 209 may connect this connected body to the remaining segments. Furthermore, the second chip paper 208 may be omitted, and all segments may be connected using only the first chip paper 209.

[0058] The length h in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol product 200 is not particularly limited, for example, it is usually 40 mm or more, and more preferably 100 mm or less. The diameter d of the aerosol product 200 is not particularly limited, for example, it is usually 5 mm or more, and more preferably 8 mm or less.

[0059] The mouthpiece portion 222 shown in Figure 1 corresponds to the mouthpiece segment 203 shown in Figure 3. Furthermore, the base material portion 221 shown in Figure 1 corresponds to the portion of the aerosol product 200 shown in Figure 3 other than the mouthpiece segment 203. Specifically, the base material portion 221 shown in Figure 1 corresponds to the upstream segment 201, as well as the intermediate segment 206 and the wrapper covering the intermediate segment 206 (the second tip paper 208 and the first tip paper 209) shown in Figure 3.

[0060] <3.1. Tip Segment> As shown in Figure 3, the upstream segment 201 of the aerosol product 200 may have a tip segment 204 positioned upstream of the aerosol generating segment 205. This prevents the aerosol generating segment 205 from falling from the aerosol product 200 because the end of the aerosol generating segment 205 is covered by the tip segment 204. It also prevents vapor or aerosol generated in the aerosol generating segment 205 from leaking upstream of the aerosol generating segment 205. The tip segment 204 is located at the tip of the aerosol product 200 and is configured to cover the end of the aerosol generating segment 205. Specifically, the tip segment 204 comprises a tip segment filler and a fourth segment wrapper 207 (tip segment wrapper) for winding the tip segment filler.

[0061] <3.2. Aerosol-generating segment> The aerosol-generating segment 205 is located adjacent to the downstream of the aerosol product 200 if the aerosol product 200 has a tip segment 204. The aerosol-generating segment 205 includes an aerosol-generating segment packing and a wrapper (third segment wrapper 214) for winding the aerosol-generating segment packing.

[0062] The length of the aerosol generation segment 205 in the longitudinal direction can be appropriately changed according to the size of the product, but is generally preferably 10 mm or more, and generally 70 mm or less.

[0063] The content of the aerosol-generating segment filler in the aerosol-generating segment is not particularly limited, but for example, it can be between 150 mg and 800 mg.

[0064] The aerosol-generating segment filler (also simply referred to as "tobacco filler") will be described first. The tobacco material included in the aerosol-generating segment filler is not particularly limited, and known materials such as laminae and backbone can be used. Alternatively, it may be made by grinding dried tobacco leaves to an average particle size of 20 μm or more and 200 μm or less to obtain tobacco powder, homogenizing this powder, processing it into a sheet (hereinafter simply referred to as a homogenized sheet), and then cutting it. Furthermore, it may be a so-called strand type in which a homogenized sheet having a length approximately the same as the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating segment 205 is cut approximately horizontally to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating segment 205 and filled into the aerosol-generating segment 205. The aerosol-generating segment filler may contain an aerosol base material.

[0065] In this example, the aerosol-generating segment filler is described as a tobacco filler, but it is not limited to this. For example, the aerosol-generating segment filler may be a non-tobacco plant filler containing non-tobacco plants.

[0066] <3.3. Filter Segment> In one embodiment, the filter segment 213 is located at the mouthpiece end of the aerosol product 200. The filter segment 213 comprises a filter segment filler and a second segment wrapper 211 for winding the filter segment filler. The filter material used in the filter segment filler is not particularly limited as long as it has the function of a general filter. General functions of a filter include, for example, adjusting the amount of air mixed when inhaling aerosols, reducing flavor, and reducing nicotine and tar, but the filter material used in the filter segment filler does not need to have all of these functions. In addition, in electroaerosol product products, which tend to have fewer components produced and a lower filling rate of tobacco filler compared to cigarette products, preventing the tobacco filler from falling out while suppressing the filtration function is also an important function.

[0067] The length of the filter segment 213 in the longitudinal direction can be changed as appropriate to the size of the product, but is usually between 5 mm and 30 mm.

[0068] The form of the filter segment packing constituting the filter segment 213 is not particularly limited, and known forms may be adopted. For example, cellulose acetate tow processed into a cylindrical shape can be used as the filter segment packing.

[0069] The filter segment 213 may be provided with a second segment wrapper 211 (mouthpiece wrapper) for winding the filter segment filler, from the viewpoint of improving strength and structural rigidity. The form of the second segment wrapper 211 is not particularly limited and may include one or more seams containing adhesive. The adhesive is not particularly limited but may include vinyl acetate adhesive or hot melt adhesive, and the hot melt adhesive may further contain polyvinyl alcohol.

[0070] As shown in the figure, the hollow segment 212 and the filter segment 213 may be connected by, for example, a first segment wrapper 210 (mouthpiece wrapper). The first segment wrapper 210 may be, for example, a cylindrical piece of paper.

[0071] The filter material constituting the filter segment packing of the filter segment 213 may be manufactured by a known method, for example, or a commercially available product may be used. Furthermore, the form of the filter segment is not particularly limited and can be a filter containing a single filter segment, or a multi-segment filter containing multiple filter segments such as a dual filter or a triple filter.

[0072] <3.4. Hollow Segments> The hollow segment 212 may comprise a hollow segment filler having one or more hollow sections. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of improving strength and structural rigidity, it may also comprise a segment wrapper (not shown) for winding the hollow segment filler. The hollow segment filler can be, for example, a rod with an inner diameter of φ1.0 mm to φ5.0 mm, which is densely filled with cellulose acetate fibers and has been cured by adding a plasticizer containing triacetin in an amount of 6% to 20% by mass relative to the mass of cellulose acetate. The hollow segment 212 may also be a paper tube without hollow segment filler. The hollow segment 212 may be formed by either a hollow segment filler having one or more hollow sections, or a paper tube without hollow segment filler, or by selectively combining a plurality of these. If the hollow segment 212 consists of two or more segments, the two or more segments may be wound together with a segment wrapper (not shown).

[0073] <3.5. Intermediate Segment> The intermediate segment 206 is sandwiched adjacent to the aerosol generation segment 205 and the hollow segment 212 or filter segment 213 (if the hollow segment 212 is not present), and is a rod-shaped member that is usually provided with a cavity in which the circumferential cross-section, such as a cylinder, is hollow (empty). The length of the intermediate segment 206 in the longitudinal direction can be appropriately changed according to the size of the product, but is usually 15 mm or more and usually 40 mm or less. The intermediate segment 206 may be a cylindrical paper tube.

[0074] As shown in the figure, the intermediate segment 206 may be provided with ventilation V in its circumferential direction and concentrically.

[0075] Furthermore, if the ventilation V arranged in concentric circles is considered as a single group of openings, there may be one such group or two or more.

[0076] <3.6. Chip Paper> The aerosol product 200 may include chip paper as a wrapper connecting multiple segments, with at least a portion of it located in the outermost layer. The first chip paper 209 is a wrapper that covers at least a portion of the downstream segment 202 and connects multiple segments, and basically extends from the mouth end of the aerosol product 200.

[0077] The composition of the first chip paper 209 is not particularly limited and can be in a general form. Specifically, for example, the first chip paper 209 can have pulp as its main component.

[0078] The aerosol product 200 may include a second chip paper 208 as a wrapper that covers at least a portion of the upstream segment 201 and connects multiple segments. The second chip paper 208 basically extends from the upstream end of the aerosol product 200. All segments may be connected by the first chip paper 109 alone, in which case the second chip paper 208 may be omitted. If the second chip paper 208 is included, the second chip paper 208 may have the same configuration as the first chip paper 209 or it may be different.

[0079] <4. Technical Features> Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration example of an aerosol generating apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 schematically shows a cross-section of the aerosol generating apparatus 100, in which the aerosol product 200 is housed in the housing section 140, cut along the vertical direction. The vertical direction corresponds to the axial direction of the housing section 140 and the insertion and removal direction of the aerosol product 200. Of the directions perpendicular to the vertical direction, the direction toward the central axis of the housing section 140 is referred to as the "inside," and the direction away from the central axis is referred to as the "outside."

[0080] As shown in Figure 4, when the aerosol product 200 is housed in the housing 140, a portion of the internal space 141 of the housing 140 may remain as a gap. In particular, gaps are formed between the aerosol product 200 and the housing 140 at the sides and tip of the aerosol product 200. When a user takes the mouthpiece segment 203 protruding from the opening 142 into their mouth and performs a puff, the air flowing in from the opening 142 passes sequentially through the gap and the inside of the aerosol product 200, reaching the user's mouth together with the aerosol generated in the aerosol generating segment 205. In this way, a so-called counterflow can be formed when a user performs a puff.

[0081] As shown in Figure 4, the housing section 140 has a heating tube 140A and a stick guide 140B.

[0082] The heating tube 140A forms a lower portion of the housing portion 140. The heating tube 140A houses at least the upstream segment 201 when the aerosol product 200 is housed in the housing portion 140. Furthermore, the heating tube 140A may house a portion of the upstream side of the intermediate segment 206. A heating section 121 is positioned outside the heating tube 140A. In particular, the heating section 121 is positioned corresponding to the aerosol generation segment 205 when the aerosol product 200 is housed in the housing portion 140. The heating tube 140A then transfers heat from the heating section 121 to the aerosol generation segment 205 of the aerosol product 200 housed inside the heating tube 140A, thereby generating an aerosol. The heating tube 140A is made of a material having predetermined thermal conductivity and heat resistance, such as SUS (Steel Use Stainless).

[0083] The stick guide 140B forms an upper portion of the housing section 140. The stick guide 140B guides the insertion of the aerosol product 200 into the heating tube 140A. The stick guide 140B accommodates at least the intermediate segment 206 when the aerosol product 200 is housed in the housing section 140. Furthermore, the stick guide 140B may accommodate a portion of the mouthpiece segment 203 (for example, the hollow segment 212).

[0084] As shown in Figure 4, the aerosol generator 100 has a temperature sensor 30. The temperature sensor 30 may be positioned adjacent to the outside of the heating unit 121. The temperature sensor 30 may be positioned directly adjacent to the heating unit 121, or it may be positioned indirectly adjacent via a thin film such as a coating or film. The temperature sensor 30 may be, for example, a thermistor or a thermocouple. The temperature sensor 30 measures the temperature of the heating unit 121 and outputs the measured value to the control unit 116.

[0085] Here, if the position of the aerosol product 200 changes during heating, the relative positional relationship between the aerosol product 200 and the heating unit 121 changes, and consequently, the temperature of the heating unit 121 measured by the temperature sensor 30 changes. Therefore, the control unit 116 determines the change in the position of the aerosol product 200 based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 30. This point will be explained in detail later. In the following, unless otherwise specified, temperature refers to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 30.

[0086] Furthermore, the control unit 116 may control the heating temperature of the heating unit 121 based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 30. For example, the control unit 116 controls the operation of the heating unit 121 so that the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 30 changes in accordance with the time-series progression of the target temperature defined in the heating profile. With this configuration, the temperature sensor 30 can serve as both a sensor for detecting changes in position and a sensor for controlling the heating temperature.

[0087] As shown in Figure 4, the aerosol generator 100 has a capacitance sensor 20. The capacitance sensor 20 includes a pair of electrodes 21 (21A and 21B) and a capacitance measurement circuit 22. A voltage is applied to the pair of electrodes 21 from the capacitance measurement circuit 22, forming an electric field E. The capacitance measurement circuit 22 measures the capacitance between the pair of electrodes 21 and outputs the measured value to the control unit 116. Hereafter, unless otherwise specified, capacitance refers to the capacitance measured by the capacitance sensor 20.

[0088] As shown in Figure 4, the pair of electrodes 21 may be arranged separated in the vertical direction (i.e., in the axial direction of the housing 140). Of course, the pair of electrodes 21 may also be arranged separated in other directions, such as in the circumferential direction of the stick guide 140B. Each of the pair of electrodes 21 can be made up of various shapes, such as annular, plate-shaped, curved plate-shaped, or comb-shaped.

[0089] As shown in Figure 4, the pair of electrodes 21 are arranged outside the housing 140. In particular, the pair of electrodes 21 are arranged adjacent to the stick guide 140B. The pair of electrodes 21 may be arranged directly adjacent to the stick guide 140B, or they may be arranged indirectly adjacent via a thin film such as a coating or film. Each of the pair of electrodes 21 may be configured as, for example, a curved plate depending on the shape of the outer surface of the stick guide 140B. For example, the pair of electrodes 21 may be configured as an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) and wrapped around the outside of the stick guide 140B.

[0090] The measurement range of the capacitance sensor 20 includes the intermediate segment 206 when the housing 140 houses the aerosol product 200 in its normal position. Specifically, the pair of electrodes 21 are configured such that the electric field E formed by the pair of electrodes 21 is superimposed on the intermediate segment 206. As a result, the capacitance sensor 20 can measure the change in capacitance that reflects the change in relative permittivity caused by the change in the state of the intermediate segment 206.

[0091] The normal position refers to the most desirable position and orientation of the aerosol product 200. The normal position may also include the condition that the tip of the aerosol product 200 is in contact with the bottom 143 of the housing 140 with no load, i.e., the aerosol product 200 is neither detached nor excessively inserted and compressed. The normal position may also include the condition that the axis of the housing 140 and the axis of the aerosol product 200 coincide, i.e., the aerosol product 200 is not tilted within the housing 140.

[0092] When the user performs a puff, the aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating segment 205 passes through the intermediate segment 206 and reaches the user's mouth via the mouthpiece segment 203. During this process, aerosol-derived substances cooled by the intermediate segment 206 may adhere to the tubular portion of the intermediate segment 206 (for example, the paper tube forming the intermediate segment 206 or the wrapper covering the intermediate segment 206). Furthermore, the aerosol-derived deposits adhering to the tubular portion of the intermediate segment 206 may be heated and volatilized by the high-temperature air flowing in from the aerosol-generating segment 205. In the following explanation, for simplicity, the aerosol-derived deposits adhering to the tubular portion of the intermediate segment 206 will simply be referred to as aerosols.

[0093] The capacitance sensor 20 measures the capacitance corresponding to the amount of aerosol-derived deposits adhering to the intermediate segment 206. Here, if the position of the aerosol product 200 changes during heating, the capacitance measured by the capacitance sensor 20 changes because the portion included in the measurement range of the capacitance sensor 20 changes within the intermediate segment 206 or to another segment. In other words, with this configuration, it is possible to measure the change in capacitance corresponding to the change in position of the aerosol product 200.

[0094] The control unit 116 determines the positional change of the aerosol product 200 contained in the containment section 140 based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 30 and the capacitance measured by the capacitance sensor 20. In particular, the control unit 116 determines the positional change of the aerosol product 200 contained in the containment section 140 during heating of the aerosol product 200 based on the heating profile. The control unit 116 may also determine whether or not there is a positional change of the aerosol product 200 within the containment section 140, or the degree of the positional change. With this configuration, it becomes possible to provide various services based on the positional change of the aerosol product 200 within the containment section 140, and it becomes possible to improve the quality of the user experience using the aerosol generator 100.

[0095] Note that a change in position refers to a change from the most recent past, such as whether or not the position has changed from one second ago. The control unit 116 may periodically determine the change in position of the aerosol product 200, and may determine whether or not the position has changed since the previous period, and the degree of the position change since the previous period.

[0096] The control unit 116 may determine a first position change in a direction parallel to the axis of the housing unit 140. For example, the control unit 116 may determine that the aerosol product 200 has moved within the housing unit 140 in the axial direction of the housing unit 140 (i.e., vertical direction) as the first position change. Such a position change will also be referred to as vertical displacement below.

[0097] The control unit 116 may determine a second position change in a direction intersecting the axis of the housing unit 140. For example, the control unit 116 may determine that the aerosol product 200 has moved within the housing unit 140 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the housing unit 140 (i.e., in the radial direction of the housing unit 140) as a second position change. As another example, the control unit 116 may determine that the aerosol product 200 has tilted within the housing unit 140 (i.e., the angle between the axis of the housing unit 140 and the axis of the aerosol product 200 has changed) as a second position change. Such a position change will also be referred to as lateral displacement below.

[0098] The control unit 116 may determine a third position change in the rotational direction about the axis of the housing unit 140. For example, the control unit 116 may determine that the aerosol product 200 has rotated about its axis within the housing unit 140 as a third position change. Such a position change will also be referred to as rotational displacement below.

[0099] The control unit 116 can determine whether at least one of vertical displacement, lateral displacement, or rotational displacement has occurred. Furthermore, the control unit 116 can determine if two or more of the vertical displacement, lateral displacement, or rotational displacement have occurred simultaneously. This configuration makes it possible to identify the positional changes of the aerosol product 200 in detail.

[0100] The control unit 116 may control the operation of the heating unit 121 based on the determination result of the position change. For example, the control unit 116 may stop / restart heating by the heating unit 121, or increase / decrease the heating temperature. If the position of the aerosol product 200 changes during heating, the quality of the user experience may decrease, such as a decrease in the heating efficiency of the aerosol product 200 or a decrease in the amount of aerosol generated. In this respect, with this configuration, it is possible to improve the quality of the user experience by changing the heating mode of the aerosol product 200 in response to the change in the position of the aerosol product 200 during heating.

[0101] The control unit 116 may correct the measurement value obtained by the sensor unit 112 based on the result of determining the change in position, because the measurement accuracy may decrease due to changes in the position of the aerosol product 200.

[0102] The results of the position change detection can be used for various other processes. For example, the notification unit 113 may notify the user of the position change detection results and prompt them to return the aerosol product 200 to its normal position. As another example, the position change detection results may be recorded as a log by the storage unit 114 or transmitted externally by the communication unit 115.

[0103] Furthermore, the control unit 116 may determine whether or not the user has puffed based on the capacitance measured by the capacitance sensor 20. This is because when the user puffs, aerosols adhere to / volatilize in the tubular portion of the intermediate segment 206 that is included in the measurement range of the capacitance sensor 20, causing a change in capacitance. For example, the control unit 116 may determine that the user has puffed if the change in capacitance exceeds a threshold, and determine that the user has not puffed if the change in capacitance does not exceed a threshold. The puff detection result can be notified to the user by the notification unit 113, recorded as a log by the storage unit 114, or transmitted externally by the communication unit 115. With this configuration, it becomes possible to provide various services based on puff detection, and it becomes possible to improve the quality of the user experience using the aerosol generator 100.

[0104] In particular, the control unit 116 may determine whether or not puffing has occurred based on the capacitance measured by the capacitance sensor 20 if it determines that no positional change has occurred in the aerosol product 200 contained in the storage unit 140. Even if a positional change occurs in the aerosol product 200, a change in capacitance similar to that that occurs when puffing is performed may occur. In this respect, this configuration makes it possible to prevent false detection of puffing caused by a positional change in the aerosol product 200.

[0105] Here, the measurement range of the capacitance sensor 20 may include the region of the intermediate segment 206 in which the amount of aerosol-derived deposits is greatest, when the housing 140 houses the aerosol product 200 in its normal position. With this configuration, the decrease in capacitance when a change in position (especially vertical displacement) of the aerosol product 200 occurs can be greatly increased. As a result, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of changes in position (especially vertical displacement) of the aerosol product 200.

[0106] Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the measurement range of the capacitance sensor 20 may include at least a portion of the region PT0 of the intermediate segment 206 that is downstream of the heating tube 140A and upstream of the ventilation V, with the housing 140 housing the aerosol product 200 in its normal position. In the region PT1 of the intermediate segment 206 that overlaps with the heating tube 140A, the temperature rises easily, and the attached aerosols volatilize easily. Also, in the region PT2 of the intermediate segment 206 that is downstream of the ventilation V, the outside air taken in from the ventilation V circulates, making it difficult for aerosols to adhere. In this respect, region PT0 will have more aerosols adhering to it compared to regions PT1 and PT2.

[0107] Furthermore, the measurement range of the capacitance sensor 20 may include the region of the intermediate segment 206 in which the amount of aerosol-derived deposits is smallest, when the housing 140 is housing the aerosol product 200 in its normal position. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the measurement range of the capacitance sensor 20 may include at least one of region PT1 or region PT2 of the intermediate segment 206, when the housing 140 is housing the aerosol product 200 in its normal position. With this configuration, the increase in capacitance when a change in the position of the aerosol product 200 (especially vertical displacement) occurs can be greatly increased. As a result, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of changes in the position of the aerosol product 200 (especially vertical displacement).

[0108] The details of the position change and puff detection process by the aerosol generating device 100 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 5 to 10.

[0109] Figure 5 is a graph showing an example of the time-series changes of temperature and capacitance during a heating session. The horizontal axis of this graph represents the elapsed time from the start of heating based on the heating profile. Data series DS1 shows the time-series change of temperature measured by the temperature sensor 30. The vertical axis of this graph for data series DS1 is temperature. Data series DS2 shows the time-series change of binary data (i.e., raw data) corresponding to capacitance output by the capacitance sensor 20. The vertical axis of this graph for data series DS2 is binary.

[0110] The binary data output from the capacitance sensor 20 is uniquely converted to capacitance. However, the capacitance converted from the binary data output by the capacitance sensor 20 has an inverse relationship with the binary data. That is, a larger binary data value indicates a smaller capacitance, and a smaller binary data value indicates a larger capacitance.

[0111] This graph plots data measured while the user performs puffing, vertical displacement, horizontal displacement, or rotational displacement during the heating session. It is assumed that the aerosol product 200 is in its normal position at the start of heating and returns to its normal position after each vertical displacement (removal and insertion), horizontal displacement, and rotational displacement are completed.

[0112] In Figure 5, the data series during the period when puffing was performed three times are enclosed by rectangles P1 to P3. Also, the data series during the period when vertical shift occurred three times are enclosed by rectangles V1 to V3. In particular, the data series during the period when the aerosol product 200 moved upward, i.e., when the aerosol product 200 was removed, is enclosed by rectangle V1. ＯＵＴ ~V3 ＯＵＴ It is enclosed by [a rectangle]. On the other hand, the data series during the period in which the downward movement of the aerosol product 200, i.e., the insertion of the aerosol product 200, occurs is enclosed by rectangle V1. ＩＮ ~V3 ＩＮ It is enclosed by rectangle H1. Additionally, the data series during the period in which lateral displacement occurred is enclosed by rectangle R1. Furthermore, the data series during the period in which rotational displacement occurred is enclosed by rectangle R1.

[0113] Figure 6 is a graph showing an excerpt from the graph in Figure 5, specifically the period during which puffing was performed. More specifically, Figure 6 displays a portion of the graph in Figure 5 enclosed by rectangle P1.

[0114] Figure 7 is a graph extracted from the graph shown in Figure 5, showing the period during which vertical shift in the upward direction occurred. More specifically, in Figure 7, the rectangle V1 of the graph shown in Figure 5... ＯＵＴ A portion of the area enclosed by the brackets is displayed.

[0115] Figure 8 is a graph extracted from the graph shown in Figure 5, showing the period during which a downward vertical shift occurred. More specifically, in Figure 8, the rectangle V1 of the graph shown in Figure 5... ＩＮ A portion of the area enclosed by the brackets is displayed.

[0116] Figure 9 is a graph showing the period during which lateral displacement occurred, extracted from the graph shown in Figure 5. More specifically, Figure 9 displays a portion of the graph shown in Figure 5, enclosed by rectangle H1.

[0117] Figure 10 is a graph showing the period during which rotational displacement occurred, extracted from the graph shown in Figure 5. More specifically, Figure 10 displays a portion of the graph shown in Figure 5, enclosed by rectangle R1.

[0118] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, when vertical misalignment occurs, the temperature and capacitance change significantly. Therefore, the control unit 116 may determine that vertical misalignment has occurred when the amount of change in temperature exceeds a first threshold and the amount of change in capacitance exceeds a second threshold. The amount of change here refers to a scalar quantity indicating the magnitude of the change, and may be, for example, the difference between the value at the start and the value at the end of a predetermined period, the difference between the maximum and minimum values, the absolute value of the derivative, or the absolute value of the derivative of the moving average. With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not vertical misalignment has occurred.

[0119] However, as shown in Figures 6 to 8, when puffing is performed, the temperature and capacitance change significantly, just as when vertical displacement occurs. On the other hand, the direction of change in temperature and capacitance differs between when puffing is performed and when vertical displacement occurs.

[0120] More specifically, when puffing is performed, the binary data for temperature and capacitance change in the same direction, as shown in Figure 6. In other words, when puffing is performed, the temperature and the capacitance calculated from the binary data change in opposite directions.

[0121] In contrast, when a vertical shift occurs, the temperature and capacitance change in opposite directions to the binary data, as shown in Figures 7 and 8. In other words, when a vertical shift occurs, the temperature and the capacitance calculated from the binary data change in the same direction.

[0122] Therefore, the control unit 116 may determine that a vertical shift has occurred when the amount of temperature change exceeds a first threshold, the amount of capacitance change exceeds a second threshold, and the directions of change of temperature and capacitance satisfy predetermined conditions. The predetermined conditions here are that the binary data of temperature and capacitance are changing in the same direction. In other words, the predetermined conditions are that the temperature and the capacitance calculated from the binary data are changing in opposite directions. On the other hand, the control unit 116 may determine that puffing has occurred when the amount of temperature change exceeds a first threshold, the amount of capacitance change exceeds a second threshold, and the directions of change of temperature and capacitance do not satisfy the predetermined conditions. With this configuration, it is possible to distinguish between the presence or absence of puffing and the presence or absence of vertical shifting.

[0123] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the direction of change in temperature and capacitance differs depending on whether the vertical displacement is upward or downward.

[0124] More specifically, when an upward vertical shift occurs, the temperature decreases and the binary data of capacitance increases, as shown in Figure 7. In other words, when an upward vertical shift occurs, the temperature decreases and the capacitance calculated from the binary data decreases.

[0125] In contrast, if a downward vertical shift occurs, the temperature rises and the binary data of capacitance decreases, as shown in Figure 8. In other words, if a downward vertical shift occurs, the temperature rises and the capacitance calculated from the binary data increases.

[0126] Therefore, when the control unit 116 determines that a vertical displacement has occurred, it may determine whether the vertical displacement is upward or downward based on the direction of change in temperature and capacitance. With this configuration, it becomes possible to identify the type of vertical displacement that has occurred. Furthermore, it becomes possible to identify, for example, whether the aerosol product 200 moved upward and then downward, thereby eliminating the vertical displacement, or whether the aerosol product 200 moved upward and then moved upward again, leaving the vertical displacement unresolved. As a result, the aerosol generator 100 can further improve the quality of the user experience by warning the user or temporarily suspending heating until the vertical displacement of the aerosol product 200 is eliminated, and then canceling the warning and resuming heating once the vertical displacement is eliminated.

[0127] As shown in Figures 5, 9, and 10, when lateral or rotational displacement occurs, the temperature changes slightly while the capacitance changes moderately. Therefore, the control unit 116 may determine that lateral or rotational displacement has occurred if the amount of temperature change is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the amount of capacitance change exceeds a third threshold but is less than or equal to a second threshold. The third threshold is smaller than the second threshold. With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not lateral or rotational displacement has occurred.

[0128] The detailed configuration example of the aerosol generating apparatus 100 according to this embodiment has been described above. Next, an example of the processing flow performed by the aerosol generating apparatus 100 will be described with reference to Figure 11.

[0129] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by the aerosol generating apparatus 100 according to this embodiment.

[0130] As shown in Figure 11, first, the aerosol generator 100 starts heating the aerosol product 200 contained in the containment section 140 based on its heating profile (step S102).

[0131] Next, the aerosol generator 100 controls the operation of the heating unit 121 based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 30 (step S104). Specifically, the aerosol generator 100 controls the operation of the heating unit 121 so that the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 30 changes according to the heating profile.

[0132] Next, the aerosol generator 100 determines whether or not a change in the position of the aerosol product 200 within the containment section 140 has occurred, based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 30 and the capacitance measured by the capacitance sensor 20 (step S106).

[0133] If it is determined that a change in position has occurred (step S106: YES), the aerosol generator 100 notifies that a change in position has occurred (step S108). The aerosol generator 100 may further notify information instructing it to return to its normal position.

[0134] On the other hand, if it is determined that no change in position has occurred (step S106: NO), the aerosol generator 100 determines whether or not a puff is present (step S110).

[0135] The aerosol generator 100 repeatedly performs the processes described in steps S104 to S110 until the heating of the aerosol product 200 is complete (step S112: NO). Then, when the heating of the aerosol product 200 is complete, the aerosol generator 100 terminates the process (step S112: YES).

[0136] <5. Supplementary Information> Although preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the attached drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person with ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs may conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and these will naturally be understood to fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0137] (1) Supplementary information regarding the temperature sensor 30 The temperature sensor 30 is an example of a first sensor located near the housing 140. The temperature measured by the temperature sensor 30 is an example of a first measured value. The temperature sensor 30 only needs to be capable of measuring the temperature at which the aerosol product 200 is heated. It is desirable that the temperature sensor 30 be located near the heating unit 121, for example, closer to the heating unit 121 than the pair of electrodes 21. The closer the temperature sensor 30 is to the heating unit 121, the easier it is for the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 30 to return to its original state after changes due to changes in the position of the aerosol product 200, and as a result, it returns to a state where the next change in position can be determined more quickly. When the aerosol generator 100 heats the aerosol product 200 by induction heating, it is desirable that the temperature sensor 30 be located near the susceptor, for example, closer to the susceptor than the pair of electrodes 21.

[0138] The placement of the temperature sensor 30 is arbitrary. For example, the temperature sensor 30 may be placed outside the heating unit 121 as shown in Figure 4. As another example, the temperature sensor 30 may be placed inside the heating unit 121, for example, inside the housing unit 140, exposed to the internal space 141. As yet another example, the temperature sensor 30 may be placed in the same position as the heating unit 121, and for example, the temperature of the heating unit 121 may be measured based on the resistance of the heating unit 121 (more specifically, the resistance heating element constituting the heating unit 121).

[0139] However, the temperature change during puffing and position changes differs depending on the arrangement of the temperature sensors 30. Table 1 shows the temperature change trends during puffing and position changes for each arrangement of the temperature sensors 30. The control unit 116 should determine the position change based on the temperature change trends according to the arrangement of the temperature sensors 30 shown in Table 1.

[0140]

[0141] Table 2 below shows the trends in capacitance change and temperature change when a puff or position change occurs, i.e., when the temperature sensor 30 is placed at the same position on the heating unit 121, i.e., when the temperature is measured based on the resistance of the heating unit 121.

[0142]

[0143] As shown in Table 2, the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 30 decreases regardless of whether puffing, upward vertical displacement, or downward vertical displacement occurs. However, the magnitude of the temperature change or the direction of the capacitance change differs depending on whether puffing, upward vertical displacement, or downward vertical displacement occurs. Therefore, the control unit 116 can determine whether puffing, upward vertical displacement, or downward vertical displacement has occurred based on the combination of temperature change and capacitance change.

[0144] (2) Supplementary information regarding the capacitance sensor 20 The capacitance sensor 20 is an example of a second sensor, which is a sensor other than the temperature sensor and is located near the housing 140. The capacitance measured by the capacitance sensor 20 is an example of a second measured value. The second sensor only needs to be capable of measuring a value that changes when a change in the position of the aerosol product 200 occurs within the housing 140. For example, the aerosol generator 100 may have a pressure sensor or the like that measures the pressure inside the housing 140, either together with or in place of the capacitance sensor 20, as such a second sensor. The control unit 116 may detect the change in the position of the aerosol product 200 based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 30 and the pressure measured by the pressure sensor.

[0145] The measurement range of the capacitance sensor 20 varies depending on the dimensions of the pair of electrodes 21. In particular, the depth of the measurement range of the pair of electrodes 21 varies depending on the outermost width of the pair of electrodes 21 and the distance between the pair of electrodes 21 in the direction of separation of the pair of electrodes 21. The depth of the measurement range of the capacitance sensor 20 refers to the spread of the measurement range toward the central axis direction of the stick guide 140B or the aerosol product 200.

[0146] The depth of the measurement range of the capacitance sensor 20 should include the range from the pair of electrodes 21 to the tube portion of the intermediate segment 206, and preferably exclude the inner space of the intermediate segment 206 (i.e., the space surrounded by the tube portion) as much as possible. In this case, the capacitance sensor 20 can eliminate the influence of aerosols flowing in the inner space of the intermediate segment 206 and accurately determine the capacitance corresponding to the amount of aerosol attached to the tube portion of the intermediate segment 206. Furthermore, even if the aerosol product 200 is significantly vertically shifted upward so that the aerosol generating segment 205 is positioned at the height of the pair of electrodes 21, only the tube portion of the aerosol generating segment 205 can be included in the measurement range. Therefore, it is possible to prevent situations where the aerosol substrate contained in the aerosol generating segment 205 is included in the measurement range, complicating the determination of the positional change of the aerosol product 200. For these reasons, it is possible to improve the accuracy of determining the positional change of the aerosol product 200.

[0147] The inventors confirmed the following trends through experiments. Specifically, given that the distance between a pair of electrodes 21 is the same, the greater the outermost width of the pair of electrodes 21, in other words, the greater the width of each electrode 21, the deeper the measurement range tends to be. On the other hand, given that the outermost width of a pair of electrodes 21 is the same, the greater the distance between the pair of electrodes 21, in other words, the smaller the width of each electrode 21, the shallower the measurement range tends to be. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the greater the distance between a pair of electrodes 21, the lower the sensitivity near the space between the pair of electrodes 21. However, it was also confirmed that if the distance between a pair of electrodes 21 is excessively large, the sensitivity decreases excessively.

[0148] In light of these trends, it is desirable that the dimensions of the pair of electrodes 21 be set accordingly. Specifically, the width of each electrode 21 and the distance between the pair of electrodes 21 in the direction of separation of the pair of electrodes 21 are preferably half or less of the inner diameter of the stick guide 140B, more preferably one-third or less, and most preferably one-quarter or less. Furthermore, the distance between the pair of electrodes 21 in the direction of separation of the pair of electrodes 21 is preferably greater than or equal to the distance from the pair of electrodes 21 to the intermediate segment 206. Also, the width of each electrode 21 in the direction of separation of the pair of electrodes 21 is preferably about the same as the distance from the pair of electrodes 21 to the intermediate segment 206. With this configuration, the depth of the measurement range of the capacitance sensor 20 can be optimized, and the capacitance corresponding to the amount of aerosol adhering to the tube portion of the intermediate segment 206 can be accurately determined.

[0149] The pair of electrodes 21 can be configured in a variety of shapes.

[0150] As an example, the pair of electrodes 21 may be configured as a pair of annular electrodes spaced apart in the axial direction of the housing portion 140.

[0151] As another example, the pair of electrodes 21 may be configured as a pair of comb-shaped electrodes. A comb-shaped electrode has a shape in which a plurality of finger electrodes corresponding to the teeth of a comb are connected to wiring corresponding to the handle of a comb. The pair of electrodes 21 may be configured as a pair of comb-shaped electrodes spaced apart in the axial direction of the housing 140, or as a pair of comb-shaped electrodes spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the housing 140. However, when the pair of electrodes 21 are configured as comb-shaped electrodes, it is desirable to arrange them spaced apart in the axial direction of the housing 140 so that the load on the finger electrodes is lighter when they are wrapped around the housing 140. Note that the state in which the pair of comb-shaped electrodes are spaced apart in the axial direction refers to a state in which the wiring extends in the axial direction and the finger electrodes extend in the circumferential direction.

[0152] As another example, the pair of electrodes 21 may be configured as a pair of curved electrodes spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the housing portion 140. Alternatively, the pair of electrodes 21 may be configured as a pair of curved electrodes spaced apart in the axial direction of the housing portion 140.

[0153] The capacitance sensor 20 may have multiple pairs of electrodes 21, and these pairs of electrodes 21 may be distributed in the circumferential or axial direction of the stick guide 140B.

[0154] (3) The other supplemental aerosol generating device 100 may further have a third sensor for detecting puffs. The third sensor may be a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure inside the housing 140, or a flow sensor for measuring the airflow inside the housing 140. The aerosol generating device 100 may then determine the position change of the aerosol product 200 based on the measurement results from the third sensor. With this configuration, it becomes possible to distinguish between puffs and position changes more accurately.

[0155] The intermediate segment 206 is a channel through which aerosols generated from the aerosol product 200 pass, and is an example of a channel included in the measurement range of the capacitance sensor 20. Any channel through which aerosols generated from the aerosol product 200 pass and which may have aerosol-derived substances attached may be included in the measurement range of the capacitance sensor 20, either together with or in place of the intermediate segment 206. As an example, the channel may be a segment other than the intermediate segment 206 that constitutes the aerosol product 200, such as a hollow segment 212. As another example, the channel may be a component of the aerosol generating device 100, such as the side wall or bottom wall of the housing section 140.

[0156] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the aerosol generator 100 is configured as a so-called heated tobacco product that generates an aerosol by heating an aerosol product 200 formed in the shape of a stick. However, the disclosure is not limited to this example. The aerosol generator 100 may be configured as a so-called electronic cigarette or nebulizer that generates an aerosol by heating an aerosol substrate as a liquid. In other words, the aerosol product 200 may be formed in the shape of a stick as described above, or it may be a cartridge or capsule having, for example, a tank for storing an aerosol substrate as a liquid. In addition to the tank, the cartridge may have a transport path for transporting the atomized aerosol from the aerosol substrate stored in the tank into the user's mouth, and a mouthpiece for the user to put in their mouth. The capsule is configured without the transport path and mouthpiece found in the cartridge, and these omitted components may be provided in the aerosol generator 100 instead.

[0157] The series of processes performed by each device described herein may be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The programs constituting the software are pre-stored in a recording medium (more specifically, a non-temporary storage medium readable by a computer) provided inside or outside each device. Each program is then loaded into RAM (Random Access Memory) when executed by a computer controlling each device described herein, and executed by a processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The recording medium is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or flash memory. The computer program may also be distributed via a network, for example, without using a recording medium. The computer may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a general-purpose processor that performs functions by loading software programs, or a computer on a server used for cloud computing. The series of processes performed by each device described herein may be centrally processed by a single computer or distributed among multiple computers. A method for executing the series of processes performed by each device described herein, which is performed by a computer, may also be provided. Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, two or more communication means present in a single device may be physically implemented in a single medium.

[0158] Furthermore, the processes described herein using flowcharts or sequence diagrams do not necessarily have to be executed in the order shown. Some processing steps may be executed in parallel. Additional processing steps may be adopted, and some processing steps may be omitted.

[0159] Furthermore, the following configurations also fall within the technical scope of this disclosure: (1) An aerosol generating apparatus comprising: a storage section for storing aerosol products; a first sensor and a second sensor disposed near the storage section; and a control unit that determines a change in the position of the aerosol products stored in the storage section based on a first measurement value measured by the first sensor and a second measurement value measured by the second sensor, wherein the first sensor is a temperature sensor and the second sensor is a sensor other than a temperature sensor. (2) The aerosol generating apparatus according to (1), wherein the control unit determines whether or not at least one of a first change in position in a direction parallel to the axis of the storage section, a second change in position in a direction intersecting the axis of the storage section, or a third change in position in a rotational direction about the axis of the storage section has occurred. (3) The aerosol generating apparatus according to (2), wherein the control unit determines that a first change in position has occurred when the amount of change of the first measurement value exceeds a first threshold and the amount of change of the second measurement value exceeds a second threshold. (4) The aerosol generating apparatus according to (3), wherein the control unit determines that a first position change has occurred when the amount of change of the first measured value exceeds a first threshold, the amount of change of the second measured value exceeds a second threshold, and the direction of change of the first measured value and the second measured value satisfies predetermined conditions. (5) The aerosol generating apparatus according to (3) or (4), wherein the control unit determines that a second position change or a third position change has occurred when the amount of change of the first measured value is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the amount of change of the second measured value exceeds a third threshold but is less than or equal to the second threshold. (6) The aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the aerosol generating apparatus further comprises a heating unit that heats the aerosol product contained in the containment unit to generate an aerosol, and the first sensor measures the temperature of the heating unit. (7) The aerosol generating apparatus according to (6), wherein the control unit controls the heating temperature of the heating unit based on the first measured value obtained by the first sensor.(8) The aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the second sensor is a capacitance sensor. (9) The aerosol generating apparatus according to (8), wherein the aerosol product comprises an aerosol generating segment containing an aerosol substrate and a hollow intermediate segment disposed downstream of the aerosol generating segment, and the measurement range of the second sensor includes the intermediate segment when the housing unit houses the aerosol product in its normal position. (10) The aerosol generating apparatus according to (9), wherein the second sensor measures a second measurement value corresponding to the amount of aerosol-derived deposits attached to the intermediate segment. (11) The aerosol generating apparatus according to (10), wherein the measurement range of the second sensor includes at least one of the region of the intermediate segment with the largest amount of aerosol-derived deposits or the region with the smallest amount of aerosol-derived deposits when the housing unit houses the aerosol product in its normal position. (12) The aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of (8) to (11), wherein the capacitance sensor has a pair of electrodes, and the width of each of the pair of electrodes in the direction in which the pair of electrodes are separated is less than or equal to half the inner diameter of the housing. (13) The aerosol generating apparatus according to (12), wherein the pair of electrodes is one of a pair of annular electrodes separated in the axial direction of the housing, a pair of comb-shaped electrodes separated in the axial direction of the housing, or a pair of curved electrodes separated in the circumferential direction of the housing. (14) The aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of (1) to (13), wherein the control unit determines that no change in the position of the aerosol product housed in the housing has occurred, and determines the presence or absence of a puff based on the second measurement value obtained by the second sensor.(15) A determination method performed by a computer controlling an aerosol generating device, wherein the aerosol generating device comprises: a storage section for storing aerosol products; and a first sensor and a second sensor disposed near the storage section, wherein the first sensor is a temperature sensor and the second sensor is a sensor other than a temperature sensor, and the determination method includes determining a change in the position of the aerosol products stored in the storage section based on a first measurement value measured by the first sensor and a second measurement value measured by the second sensor.

[0160] 100 Aerosol Generator 111 Power Supply Unit 112 Sensor Unit 113 Notification Unit 114 Memory Unit 115 Communication Unit 116 Control Unit 121 Heating Unit 140 Housing Unit (140A: Heating Tube, 140B: Stick Guide) 141 Internal Space 142 Opening 143 Bottom 144 Insulation Unit 200 Aerosol Product 201 Upstream Segment 202 Downstream Segment 203 Mouthpiece Segment 204 Tip Segment 205 Aerosol Generating Segment 206 Intermediate Segment 207 Fourth Segment Wrapper 208 Second Tip Paper 209 First Tip Paper 210 First Segment Wrapper 211 Second Segment Wrapper 212 Hollow Segment 213 Filter Segment 214 Third Segment Wrapper 221 Base Material Unit 222 Inlet Unit 20 Capacitance sensor 21 Pair of electrodes (21A: electrode, 21B: electrode) 22 Capacitance measurement circuit 30 Temperature sensor

Claims

1. An aerosol generating apparatus comprising: a storage section for containing aerosol products; a first sensor and a second sensor disposed near the storage section; and a control unit that determines the positional change of the aerosol products stored in the storage section based on a first measurement value measured by the first sensor and a second measurement value measured by the second sensor, wherein the first sensor is a temperature sensor and the second sensor is a sensor other than a temperature sensor.

2. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether at least one of the following has occurred: a first position change in a direction parallel to the axis of the housing, a second position change in a direction intersecting the axis of the housing, or a third position change in a rotational direction about the axis of the housing.

3. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit determines that a first position change has occurred when the amount of change of the first measured value exceeds a first threshold and the amount of change of the second measured value exceeds a second threshold.

4. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit determines that a first position change has occurred when the amount of change of the first measured value exceeds the first threshold, the amount of change of the second measured value exceeds the second threshold, and the direction of change of the first measured value and the second measured value satisfies predetermined conditions.

5. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the control unit determines that a second position change or a third position change has occurred if the amount of change of the first measured value is less than or equal to the first threshold, and the amount of change of the second measured value exceeds the third threshold but is less than or equal to the second threshold.

6. The aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a heating unit that heats the aerosol product contained in the containment unit to generate an aerosol, and the first sensor measures the temperature of the heating unit.

7. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit controls the heating temperature of the heating unit based on the first measurement value obtained by the first sensor.

8. The aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second sensor is a capacitive sensor.

9. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the aerosol product comprises an aerosol generating segment containing an aerosol substrate and a hollow intermediate segment disposed downstream of the aerosol generating segment, and the measurement range of the second sensor includes the intermediate segment when the housing unit houses the aerosol product in its normal position.

10. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second sensor measures the second measurement value corresponding to the amount of aerosol-derived deposits attached to the intermediate segment.

11. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the measurement range of the second sensor includes at least one of the region in the intermediate segment that has the largest amount of aerosol-derived deposits or the region that has the smallest amount of deposits, with the housing portion housing the aerosol product in the normal position.

12. The aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the capacitance sensor has a pair of electrodes, and the width of each of the pair of electrodes in the direction in which the pair of electrodes are separated is less than or equal to half the inner diameter of the housing.

13. The aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the pair of electrodes is one of a pair of annular electrodes spaced apart in the axial direction of the housing, a pair of comb-shaped electrodes spaced apart in the axial direction of the housing, or a pair of curved electrodes spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the housing.

14. The aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the control unit determines that no change in the position of the aerosol product contained in the containment section has occurred, and determines the presence or absence of a puff based on the second measurement value obtained by the second sensor.

15. A determination method performed by a computer controlling an aerosol generating apparatus, wherein the aerosol generating apparatus comprises: a storage section for storing aerosol products; and a first sensor and a second sensor disposed near the storage section, wherein the first sensor is a temperature sensor and the second sensor is a sensor other than a temperature sensor, and the determination method includes determining a change in the position of the aerosol products stored in the storage section based on a first measurement value measured by the first sensor and a second measurement value measured by the second sensor.

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