JP7508751B2 - Multi-cartridge and aerosol generating device including the same - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a multi-cartridge and an aerosol generating device including the same. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a multi-cartridge capable of storing and supplying multiple liquid compositions having different compositions and an aerosol generating device including the same.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for alternative products that overcome the shortcomings of traditional cigarettes. For example, there is an increasing demand for devices that generate aerosols by electrically heating cigarettes (e.g. cigarette-type electronic cigarettes), and as a result, research into electrically heated aerosol generators is being actively conducted.

In recent years, a hybrid aerosol generating device has been proposed that uses both a cigarette and a cartridge containing a liquid composition that includes an aerosol-forming agent. In the proposed aerosol generating device, an aerosol is formed as the liquid composition in the cartridge evaporates, and the formed aerosol passes through the cigarette and is inhaled into the user's mouth.

However, in the proposed aerosol generating device, the amount of atomization that is actually produced is much smaller than that of the aerosol formed by the cartridge due to the cigarette removal ability. Furthermore, when a flavoring agent is added to the liquid composition, the specific gravity of the aerosol forming agent decreases, further reducing the amount of atomization. This also creates a problem in that the amount of flavoring agent that can be added to the liquid composition is limited, making it difficult to improve the aroma expression.

The technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-cartridge capable of storing and supplying multiple liquid compositions having different compositions, and an aerosol generating device including the same.

Another technical problem that some embodiments of the present disclosure aim to solve is to provide a method for adjusting the degree of vaporization for multiple liquid compositions stored in a multi-cartridge.

Yet another technical problem that some embodiments of the present disclosure aim to solve is to provide an aerosol generating device that can provide a user-customized smoking experience using multiple cartridges.

The technical problems of this disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field of this disclosure from the description below.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the aerosol generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include a first liquid storage tank in which a first liquid composition is stored, a second liquid storage tank in which a second liquid composition different from the first liquid composition is stored, and a vaporization element that generates an aerosol by vaporizing at least one of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition.

In some embodiments, the device further includes a housing that forms a storage space for storing an aerosol-generating article, an airflow path is formed so that the generated aerosol passes through the aerosol-generating article stored in the storage space, the first liquid composition includes an aerosol-forming agent, and the second liquid composition may include a flavoring agent.

In some embodiments, the vaporization element can vaporize both the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition in the vaporization space.

In some embodiments, the vaporization element includes a first vaporization element that vaporizes a first liquid composition to generate a first aerosol, and a second vaporization element that vaporizes a second liquid composition to generate a second aerosol, and can form an airflow path so that the first aerosol and the second aerosol are mixed.

In some embodiments, the first liquid storage tank is included in a first cartridge, the second liquid storage tank is included in a second cartridge, and the device may further include a cartridge holder into which the first cartridge and the second cartridge are attached.

In some embodiments, the degree of vaporization of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition can be adjusted based on user input.

In some embodiments, the vaporization element includes a first vaporization element that vaporizes a first liquid composition to generate a first aerosol, and a second vaporization element that vaporizes a second liquid composition to generate a second aerosol, and may further include a control unit that adjusts the degree of vaporization of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition by controlling the power supplied to the first vaporization element and the second vaporization element.

In some embodiments, the first liquid composition is delivered to the vaporization element through a first delivery path, and the degree of vaporization of the first liquid composition can be adjusted by the degree of opening of the first delivery path.

In order to solve the above technical problem, a multi-cartridge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include a first liquid storage tank in which a first liquid composition is stored, a second liquid storage tank in which a second liquid composition different from the first liquid composition is stored, and a vaporization element for vaporizing at least one of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure described above, a multi-cartridge can be provided that stores and supplies multiple liquid compositions having different compositions. For example, a multi-cartridge can be provided that supplies a first liquid composition containing an aerosol forming agent and a second liquid composition containing a flavoring agent. Such a multi-cartridge can simultaneously increase the specific gravities of the aerosol forming agent and the flavoring agent, thereby increasing both the amount of atomization and the fragrance expression.

In addition, the degree of vaporization of each liquid composition can be precisely adjusted by adjusting the degree of opening of the pathway through which the liquid composition is transmitted or by adjusting the power supplied to the vaporization element.

In addition, the degree of vaporization of the liquid composition can be adjusted by the user, thereby providing the user with a customized smoking experience. For example, the user can freely adjust the degree of vaporization of each flavoring agent in a multi-cartridge in which different flavoring agents are stored, thereby providing the user with a customized smoking experience.

The effects of the technical ideas of this disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the description below.

1A and 1B are illustrative diagrams illustrating a multi-cartridge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. 13A to 13C are illustrative diagrams illustrating multi-cartridges according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. 13A to 13C are illustrative diagrams illustrating multi-cartridges according to still other embodiments of the present disclosure. 1 is an illustrative diagram for explaining a method for adjusting the vaporization degree of a multi-cartridge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. 1 is an illustrative diagram for explaining a method for adjusting the vaporization degree of a multi-cartridge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Illustrative diagrams for explaining a method of providing a user-customized smoking experience using a multi-cartridge according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. 1 illustrates various types of aerosol generating devices to which the multi-cartridge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied. 1 illustrates various types of aerosol generating devices to which the multi-cartridge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied. 1 illustrates various types of aerosol generating devices to which the multi-cartridge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the present disclosure, as well as the methods for achieving them, will become apparent from the following detailed embodiments along with the accompanying drawings. However, the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and may be embodied in various different forms. The following embodiments are merely provided to complete the technical idea of the present disclosure and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the present disclosure of the scope of the present disclosure, and the technical idea of the present disclosure is only defined by the scope of the claims.

When assigning reference symbols to components in each drawing, care should be taken to assign the same symbols to the same components as much as possible, even if they appear in different drawings. In addition, in describing this disclosure, if it is determined that a specific description of related publicly known configurations or functions may obscure the gist of this disclosure, the detailed description will be omitted.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used in a manner commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. In addition, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not idealized or overly interpreted unless expressly defined otherwise. The terms used herein are intended to describe the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In this specification, the singular form includes the plural form unless otherwise specified in the text.

In addition, when describing components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. Such terms are merely used to distinguish the component from other components, and do not limit the essence, procedure, or order of the components. When a component is described as being "coupled," "bonded," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly coupled or connected to the other component, but that other components may also be "coupled," "bonded," or "connected" between each component.

As used in this disclosure, "comprises" and/or "comprising" means that a referenced component, step, operation and/or element does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, operations and/or elements.

Before describing the various embodiments of the present disclosure, we will clarify some terms used in the following embodiments.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol forming agent" may refer to a substance that can facilitate the formation of an aerosol. Examples of aerosol forming agents include, but are not limited to, glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. In the art, aerosol forming agents may be used interchangeably with terms such as moisturizers, humectants, and the like.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-forming substrate" may mean a substance capable of forming an aerosol. The aerosol may include a volatile compound. The aerosol-forming substrate may be solid or liquid.

For example, the solid aerosol-forming substrate may include a solid material based on tobacco raw materials, such as flat tobacco, shredded tobacco, or reconstituted tobacco, and the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may include a liquid composition based on nicotine, tobacco extract, and/or various flavoring agents. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. The aerosol-forming substrate may further include an aerosol-forming agent to stably form an aerosol.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol generating device" may refer to a device that generates an aerosol using an aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol that can be directly inhaled into a user's lungs through the user's mouth. For some examples of aerosol generating devices, see Figures 7 to 9.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-generating article" may refer to an article capable of generating an aerosol. The aerosol-generating article may include an aerosol-forming substrate. A representative example of an aerosol-generating article is a cigarette, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In the following embodiments, "puff" refers to the user's inhalation, which can refer to drawing air through the user's mouth or nose into the user's oral cavity, nasal cavity, or lungs.

In the following embodiments, "longitudinal direction" may mean the direction corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol-generating article.

In the following embodiments, "multi cartridge" may be a term that conceptually refers to a cartridge and/or a cartridge system that can store and supply multiple liquid compositions. For example, a multi cartridge may include a cartridge in the form of a single structure in which multiple liquid compositions are stored, or a cartridge system that includes multiple cartridges in which at least one liquid composition is stored. For various examples of multi cartridges, see Figures 1 to 3.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a multi-cartridge can be provided that has the function of storing and supplying a number of liquid compositions (or aerosols formed therefrom) having different compositions. Here, different compositions of liquid compositions may include different compositional components as well as different composition ratios. Such a multi-cartridge can be applied to a liquid type or hybrid type aerosol generator (e.g. 100-1 to 100-3 in Figures 7 to 9) to increase aroma expression, atomization amount, etc., and provide a customized smoking experience to the user, which will be described later.

There are various ways to embody the above-mentioned multi-cartridge. For example, the multi-cartridge may be embodied in a form in which multiple liquid compositions are stored in a cartridge in the form of a single structure, or in a form in which multiple cartridges are attached to a cartridge holder (e.g., 33 in FIG. 3). Various examples of implementations of the multi-cartridge will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, and for convenience of explanation, the liquid composition will be abbreviated to "liquid".

Figure 1 is an illustrative diagram illustrating a multi-cartridge 10 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-cartridge 10 according to this embodiment may have a structure in which multiple liquids L1 and L2 are vaporized together in the vaporization space.

Specifically, as shown, the multi-cartridge 10 may include multiple liquid storage tanks 11, 12, a wicking element 14, a vaporizing element 15, and an airflow tube 13. However, FIG. 1 shows only components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will understand that the multi-cartridge 10 may further include other general-purpose components in addition to the components shown in FIG. 1.

In addition, all components shown in FIG. 1 may not be essential components of the multi-cartridge 10. For example, the multi-cartridge 10 may be embodied in a form in which some of the components shown in FIG. 1 are omitted. As a more specific example, the multi-cartridge 10 may be embodied in a form in which the wick element 14, the vaporization element 15, the airflow tube 13, etc. are omitted.

While FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which the multi-cartridge 10 has two liquid storage tanks 11, 12 (or the number of liquids), the number of liquid storage tanks (or liquids) may of course be three or more. However, in the following, in order to facilitate understanding, unless otherwise specified, the explanation will be continued assuming that the number of liquid storage tanks (or liquids) is two. Each component of the multi-cartridge 10 will be explained below.

Of the multiple liquid storage tanks 11, 12, the first liquid storage tank 11 can store a first liquid L1, and the second liquid storage tank 12 can store a second liquid L2. In other words, the first liquid storage tank 11 and the second liquid storage tank 12 have liquid storage spaces separated from each other and can store different types of liquid L1, L2. For example, a first liquid storage tank 21 and a second liquid storage tank 22 can be formed by separating predetermined liquid storage spaces with a partition. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to this.

As described above, the first liquid L1 may have a different composition than the second liquid L2. However, the detailed composition of each liquid L1, L2 may vary depending on the embodiment.

In some embodiments, the first liquid L1 may include an aerosol forming agent, and the second liquid L2 may include a flavoring agent. In this case, the amount of atomization increases as the first liquid L1 evaporates, and at the same time, the fragrance expression can also increase as the second liquid L2 evaporates. In other words, the specific gravity of the aerosol forming agent can be increased through the first liquid L1, and separately, the specific gravity of the flavoring agent can be increased through the second liquid L2, so that the amount of atomization and the fragrance expression can be increased simultaneously.

In some embodiments, the first liquid L1 may contain a first flavoring agent, and the second liquid L2 may contain a second flavoring agent different from the first flavoring agent. In this case, the expression of the first flavoring agent increases as the first liquid L1 evaporates, and at the same time, the expression of the second flavoring agent can also increase as the second liquid L2 evaporates. In other words, the specific gravity of the first flavoring agent can be increased through the first liquid L1, and separately, the specific gravity of the second flavoring agent can be increased through the second liquid L2, so that the expression of the first flavoring agent and the second flavoring agent can be increased simultaneously.

In some embodiments, the first liquid L1 may contain a flavoring agent and an aerosol forming agent, and the second liquid L2 may also contain a flavoring agent and an aerosol forming agent. Here, the flavoring agent contained in the first liquid L1 and the flavoring agent contained in the second liquid L2 may be the same or different. In this case, the amount of atomization and the fragrance expression can be increased at the same time.

Next, the wick element 14 can absorb the liquids L1 and L2 stored in each liquid storage tank 11 and 12 and transfer them to the vaporization element 15. The wick element 14 can be embodied with a material that can absorb liquid substances well, such as cotton, silica, a bead aggregate, a porous body (e.g., porous ceramic), etc., but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The wick element 14 can be embodied with any material (or shape) as long as it can absorb the liquids L1 and L2. The wick element 14 can also be replaced with other types of liquid transfer means known in the art.

Next, the vaporization element 15 can generate an aerosol by vaporizing the liquids L1 and L2 transferred by the wick element 14. As shown, the vaporization element 15 can be embodied as a heating element (e.g., a heating coil) that vaporizes the liquids L1 and L2 through heating, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the vaporization element 15 can be embodied as a vibration element that vaporizes the liquid through vibration. However, in the following, for ease of understanding, the description will continue assuming that the vaporization element 15 is embodied as a heating element.

1 illustrates an example in which multiple liquids L1 and L2 are vaporized together through one vaporization element 15, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The vaporization element 15 may be composed of a first vaporization element that vaporizes the first liquid L1 and a second vaporization element that vaporizes the second liquid L2. For example, the vaporization element 15 may be composed of a first heating element that heats the portion of the wick element 14 that mainly absorbs and transfers the first liquid L1 (e.g., the left side portion) and a second heating element that heats the portion of the wick element 14 that mainly absorbs and transfers the second liquid L2 (e.g., the right side portion). In this case, the degree of vaporization (or supply degree) of the liquids L1 and L2 can be independently adjusted through the power supplied to each vaporization element.

Next, the airflow tube 13 may refer to a structure through which the aerosol (A) formed (generated) by the vaporization element 15, air, or other gas is transmitted. Although FIG. 1 illustrates that the airflow tube 13 is located in the center of the multi-cartridge 10, this can be modified as much as needed depending on the design of the airflow path.

Above, the multi-cartridge 10 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 1. Below, the multi-cartridge 20 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 2. However, for the sake of clarity of the present disclosure, descriptions of contents that overlap with the above-mentioned embodiments will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the multi-cartridge 20 according to this embodiment may have a structure in which multiple liquids L1 and L2 are vaporized independently to form aerosols, and the formed aerosols are mixed.

Specifically, as shown, the multi-cartridge 20 may include multiple liquid storage tanks 21, 22, multiple wick elements 24, 26, multiple vaporization elements 25, 27, and an airflow tube 23.

Liquid storage tanks 21 and 22 correspond to liquid storage tanks 11 and 12 in the previously described embodiment. Therefore, a description thereof will be omitted.

Next, among the multiple wick elements, the first wick element 24 can absorb the first liquid L1 from the first liquid storage tank 21 and transfer it to the first vaporization element 25. Also, the second wick element 26 can absorb the second liquid L2 from the second liquid storage tank 22 and transfer it to the second vaporization element 27.

Next, among the multiple vaporization elements 25, 27, the first vaporization element 25 can vaporize the first liquid L1 to generate a first aerosol, and the second vaporization element 27 can vaporize the second liquid L2 to generate a second aerosol. The generated first aerosol and second aerosol can meet and mix in a predetermined mixing space and move through the airflow tube 23. Alternatively, the first aerosol and second aerosol can be mixed within the airflow tube 23.

Next, the airflow tube 23 corresponds to the airflow tube 13 in the embodiment described above. Therefore, a description of this will be omitted.

Above, the multi-cartridge 20 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 2. Below, the multi-cartridge 30 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the multi-cartridge 30 according to this embodiment may have a structure in which multiple cartridges 31, 32 can be attached. For this reason, the multi-cartridge 30 may be configured to include multiple cartridges 31, 32 and a cartridge holder 33.

Each cartridge 31, 32 corresponds to a single cartridge or the above-mentioned multi-cartridge (e.g. 10, 20). Each cartridge 31, 32 may have only a storage function for liquid L1, L2, or may also have a vaporization function for liquid L1, L2. Each cartridge 31, 32 can be attached to and detached from a cartridge holder 33. To avoid repetition, further description of the cartridges 31, 32 will be omitted.

Next, the cartridge holder 33 may refer to a structure in which a number of cartridges 31, 32 are mounted. The cartridge holder 33 may only have a mounting function for a number of cartridges 31, 32, or may further have a function of adjusting the supply level or vaporization level of the liquids L1, L2 stored in the cartridges 31, 32. The method of adjusting the vaporization level of the liquids L1, L2 will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

Above, the multi-cartridge 30 according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIG. 3. Hereinafter, various methods for adjusting the degree of vaporization (or supply) of the liquid (e.g. L1) stored in the above-mentioned multi-cartridges 10 to 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and subsequent drawings.

4 and 5 are exemplary diagrams for explaining a vaporization degree adjustment method of a multi-cartridge 40 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, for ease of understanding, components such as wick elements (e.g. 14), vaporization elements (e.g. 15), air flow tubes (e.g. 13), etc. are omitted. Also, the multi-cartridge 40 illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 corresponds to the multi-cartridges 10 to 30 described above with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, and the direction and thickness of the arrows shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 respectively indicate the liquid transfer direction and amount. Also, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrate a case where the transfer amount of the second liquid L2 is adjusted to be greater than the first liquid L1.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the first liquid L1 stored in the first liquid storage tank 41 can be transferred through the first transfer path 43, and the second liquid L2 stored in the second liquid storage tank 42 can be transferred through the second transfer path 44. For example, the first liquid L1 can be transferred to the wick element (e.g. 14) or the vaporization element (e.g. 15) through the first transfer path 43.

In this case, the multi-cartridge 40 can adjust the degree of vaporization of the liquids L1 and L2 through the adjustment members 45-48 that adjust the degree of opening of the liquid transmission paths 43 and 44. Specifically, the multi-cartridge 40 may include first adjustment members 45 and 47 that adjust the degree of opening of the first transmission path 43 and second adjustment members 46 and 48 that adjust the degree of opening of the second transmission path 44. The degree of supply (e.g., supply speed, supply amount) of the liquids L1 and L2 can be adjusted by adjusting the degree of opening of each transmission path 43 and 44 using each adjustment member 45-48. As a result, the degree of vaporization of each liquid L1 and L2 can be adjusted. For example, the vaporization of the first liquid L1 can be stopped as the first adjustment member 45 closes the first transmission path 43, and the vaporization of the first liquid L1 can be accelerated as the first adjustment member 45 completely opens the first transmission path 43.

Meanwhile, there are various ways to realize the adjustment members 45 to 48.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 4, the adjustment members 45, 46 may be embodied as structures arranged perpendicular to the liquid transmission paths 43, 44 and opening and closing the liquid transmission paths 43, 44.

5, the adjustment members 47, 48 may be implemented as a rotating plate having a plurality of holes 481, 482 of different sizes. The rotating plate 48 can adjust the supply of the liquids L1, L2 through the plurality of holes 481, 482. For example, as the first hole 481, which is relatively small in size, is positioned on the second liquid transmission path 44 by rotation, the supply amount of the second liquid L2 can be relatively decreased, and as the second hole 482, which is relatively large in size, is positioned on the second liquid transmission path 44 by rotation, the supply amount of the second liquid L2 can be relatively increased. Of course, as the portion where no holes (e.g. 481, 482) are formed is positioned on the second liquid transmission path 44 by rotation, the supply of the second liquid L2 can be interrupted.

However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above examples, and the adjustment members 45-48 may be embodied based on various types of valve structures known in the art.

Meanwhile, according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the degree of evaporation of the liquids L1 and L2 can be adjusted through the power supplied to the evaporation elements (e.g. 25, 27). For example, the degree of evaporation of the first liquid L1 can be adjusted by adjusting the power supplied to the first evaporation element (e.g. 25) that evaporates the first liquid L1. This is because the amount of evaporation (or evaporation rate) of the first liquid L1 increases as the power supplied to the first evaporation element (e.g. 25) increases. The power supplied to the evaporation elements (e.g. 25, 27) can be controlled by a control unit (e.g. 120 in FIG. 7).

Aforegoing, a method for adjusting the degree of vaporization of liquids L1 and L2 in the multi-cartridge 40 has been described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. As described above, the degree of vaporization of liquids L1 and L2 can be accurately and easily adjusted by adjusting the degree of opening of the liquid transmission paths 43 and 44 through the adjustment members 45-48, or by adjusting the output supplied to the vaporization elements (e.g. 25 and 27).

The following describes a method for providing a user-customized smoking experience using the above-described multi-cartridge 40 with reference to FIG. 6. In particular, FIG. 6 illustrates a case where the multi-cartridge is composed of three cartridges 51-53 (or liquid storage tanks), and each cartridge 51-53 stores different liquids L1-L3. The following description will be given with reference to FIG. 6.

As described above, when the vaporization degree of each liquid L1 to L3 is adjusted, a customized smoking experience can be provided to the user. Specifically, when the vaporization degree of each liquid L1 to L3 is embodied to be adjusted based on user input, the type and amount of ingredients contained in the aerosol (e.g. A1, A2) can be changed according to the user input, thereby providing a customized smoking experience. In other words, a customized smoking experience can be provided by a user adjusting the vaporization degree of each liquid L1 to L3 according to his/her preference. For example, a control unit (e.g. 120 in FIG. 7) can generate a customized aerosol (e.g. A1, A2) by adjusting the vaporization degree of each liquid L1 to L3 based on the received user input.

However, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to this.

As a specific example, as shown in the figure, the user can generate a customized aerosol A1 in which the components of the first liquid L1 and the second liquid L2 are uniformly combined by adjusting the vaporization ratio of the first liquid L1 and the second liquid L2. For example, the user can generate an aerosol in which the components of the first flavoring agent and the components of the second flavoring agent are uniformly combined.

Alternatively, the user can generate a customized aerosol A2 in which the components of the first to third liquids L1 to L3 are combined in different ratios by adjusting the first liquid L1, the second liquid L2, and the third liquid L3 to vaporize in different ratios. For example, the user can generate an aerosol in which the components of the first to third flavoring agents are combined in different ratios.

In some embodiments, the multi-cartridge may be configured as illustrated in FIG. 3. In this case, the user can receive a customized smoking experience by mounting a cartridge containing a preferred liquid in the cartridge holder (e.g. 33) and changing the degree of vaporization of the liquid. The user can also receive a variety of smoking experiences by changing the cartridge mounted in the cartridge holder (e.g. 33).

Furthermore, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a control unit (e.g., 120 in FIG. 7) of an aerosol generating device (e.g., 100-1 in FIG. 7) to which a multi-cartridge is applied can provide a variety of convenient functions for a customized smoking experience.

For example, the control unit (e.g. 120 in FIG. 7) can provide a function of storing and loading liquid combination information. Here, the combination information may include information regarding the type of liquid and the degree of vaporization. In this example, when an aerosol with preferred characteristics is formed, the user can store the combination including the type of liquid and the degree of vaporization, and later load the stored information to further receive the preferred aerosol.

As another example, the control unit (e.g. 120 in FIG. 7) can provide a history storage function for liquid combination information. In addition, the control unit can separately store liquid combinations that the user has used repeatedly or continuously, or recommend them to the user.

As yet another example, the control unit (e.g. 120 in FIG. 7) can provide an automatic liquid combination function. As a more specific example, the control unit can randomly combine a number of liquids (e.g. randomly determine and combine the type of liquid and the degree of vaporization) and provide them to the user (e.g. randomly combine the type of liquid and the degree of vaporization for each puff and provide them to the user). Alternatively, when the user specifies a base liquid, the control unit can randomly combine other liquids with the base liquid and provide them to the user. Alternatively, the control unit can determine a base liquid based on the history of liquid combinations (e.g. determine a liquid that is frequently used, a liquid that is used frequently, a liquid that has been used recently, etc. as the base liquid), and randomly combine other liquids with the determined base liquid and provide them to the user. Alternatively, the control unit can combine liquids with a recipe that the user has not experienced based on the history of liquid combinations and provide them to the user (e.g. combine liquids at a ratio that does not exist in the existing history). Alternatively, the control unit can provide different combinations of liquids based on the degree of depletion of the liquids (e.g., decreasing the degree of vaporization of liquids that are more or faster depleted, or increasing the degree of vaporization of liquids that are less or slower depleted).

A method for providing a user-customized smoking experience using a multi-cartridge (e.g. 40) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to FIG. 6. Below, various types of aerosol generating devices 100-1 to 100-3 to which the above-mentioned multi-cartridges (e.g. 10 to 40) can be applied (or which include the above-mentioned multi-cartridges) will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an aerosol generating device 100-1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 7, the aerosol generating device 100-1 may include a housing, a mouthpiece 110, a vaporizer 1, a battery 130, and a control unit 120. However, FIG. 7 shows only components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs will understand that the device may further include other general-purpose components in addition to the components shown in FIG. 7. For example, the aerosol generating device 100-1 may further include an input module (e.g., button, touchable display, etc.) for receiving input such as commands from a user, and an output module (e.g., LED, display, vibration motor, etc.) for outputting information such as the device status, smoking information, etc. Each component of the aerosol generating device 100-1 will be described below.

The housing may form the overall appearance of the aerosol generating device 100-1. The housing is preferably made of a material that can protect the internal components.

Next, the mouthpiece 110 is located at one end of the aerosol generating device 100-1 and can come into contact with the user's mouth. The user can inhale the aerosol generated from the vaporizer 1 by biting the mouthpiece 110 in their mouth and puffing.

Next, the vaporizer 1 can generate an aerosol by vaporizing the liquid composition. The vaporizer 1 may be a component corresponding to the multi-cartridge (e.g. 10-40) described above, or may be a component including the multi-cartridge (e.g. 10-40) described above. In order to avoid repetition, further description of the vaporizer 1 will be omitted.

Next, the battery 130 can supply the power used to operate the aerosol generating device 100-1. For example, the battery 130 can supply power so that the vaporizer 1 can generate aerosol, and can supply the power required for the control unit 120 to operate.

The battery 130 can also supply the power necessary to operate electrical components installed in the aerosol generating device 100-1, such as a display (not shown), a sensor (not shown), and a motor (not shown).

Next, the control unit 120 can generally control the operation of the aerosol generating device 100-1. For example, the control unit 120 can control the operation of the vaporizer 1 and the battery 130, and can also control the operation of other components included in the aerosol generating device 100-1. The control unit 120 can control the power supplied by the battery 130, the evaporation rate of the vaporizer 1, etc. The control unit 120 can also check the state of each component of the aerosol generating device 100-1 to determine whether the aerosol generating device 100-1 is in an operable state.

The control unit 120 may be implemented by at least one control unit (processor). The control unit may be implemented by an array of a number of logic gates, or may be implemented by a combination of a general-purpose microcontroller and a memory in which a program that can be executed by the microcontroller is stored. In addition, a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can obviously understand that the control unit 120 may be implemented by other types of hardware.

Below, other types of aerosol generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. However, for the sake of clarity of this disclosure, descriptions of content that overlaps with the above-mentioned embodiment will be omitted.

Figures 8 and 9 are diagrams for explaining aerosol generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, the figures from Figure 8 onwards illustrate a state in which an aerosol generating article 150 is contained (inserted) in the device 100-2 or 100-3.

As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the aerosol generating device 100-2, 100-3 according to the present embodiment may further include a heater unit 140 for heating the aerosol generating article 150. The aerosol generating device 100-2, 100-3 may also have an airflow path formed so that the aerosol generated in the vaporizer 1 passes through the aerosol generating article 150 and is delivered to the user.

Figure 8 illustrates an example in which the heater section 140 (or aerosol generating article 150) and the vaporizer 1 are arranged in parallel, and Figure 9 illustrates an example in which the heater section 140 (or aerosol generating article 150) and the vaporizer 1 are arranged in a line. However, the internal structure of the aerosol generating devices 100-2, 100-3 is not limited to the examples shown in Figures 8 and 9, and the arrangement of the components can be changed as many times as desired.

The heater section 140 can heat the aerosol-generating article 150 contained in the storage space. The storage space can be formed by the housing of the aerosol generating device 100-2, 100-3. Specifically, when the aerosol-generating article 150 is contained in the storage space of the aerosol generating device 100-2, 100-3, the heater section 140 can heat the aerosol-generating article 150 using power supplied from the battery 130.

The heater section 140 may have a variety of operating modes and/or implementations.

For example, the heater section 140 may operate in a resistive heating mode. For example, the heater section 140 may include an electrically insulating substrate (e.g., a substrate formed of polyimide) and an electrically conductive track, and may include an electrically resistive heating element that generates heat as an electric current flows through the electrically conductive track.

As another example, the heater section 140 may operate in an induction heating manner. For example, the heater section 140 may include an induction coil and a heating element (i.e., a susceptor) that is inductively heated by the induction coil. The susceptor may be located either externally or internally of the aerosol-generating article 150.

However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above examples, and as long as the aerosol generating article 150 can be heated to a desired temperature, the heater unit 140 may operate in any manner. Here, the desired temperature may be preset in the aerosol generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 (e.g., if a temperature profile has been previously stored), or may be set to a desired temperature by the user.

The aerosol-generating article 150 may have a structure similar to that of a typical combustion-type cigarette. For example, the aerosol-generating article 150 is divided into an aerosol-forming substrate part including an aerosol-forming substrate (e.g., an aerosol-forming agent, a nicotine-generating substrate, etc.) and a filter part including a filter material. At least a part of the aerosol-forming substrate part is inserted inside the aerosol generating devices 100-2 and 100-3, and the filter part may be exposed to the outside, but is not limited to this. A user can smoke while biting the filter part in the mouth.

Above, various types of aerosol generating devices 100-1 to 100-3 to which multi-cartridges (e.g. 10 to 40) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied have been described with reference to Figures 7 to 9.

Although it has been described above that all of the components constituting the embodiments of the present disclosure are combined as one unit or operate in combination, the technical ideas of the present disclosure are not necessarily limited to such embodiments. In other words, within the scope of the purpose of the present disclosure, all of the components can be selectively combined as one or more units and operate.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can understand that the present disclosure can be implemented in other specific forms without changing its technical ideas or essential features. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted according to the claims below, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of the technical ideas defined by the present disclosure.

Claims (10)

a first liquid storage tank in which a first liquid composition is stored;
a second liquid storage tank in which a second liquid composition different from the first liquid composition is stored;
a vaporization element that generates an aerosol by vaporizing at least one of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition;
an adjusting member configured to adjust the degree of supply of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition to the vaporization element;
A first rotating plate having a plurality of holes of different sizes formed thereon, configured to adjust the degree of opening of a first transfer path, which is a path of the first liquid composition to the vaporization element;
A second rotating plate having a plurality of holes of different sizes formed thereon, configured to adjust the degree of opening of a second transmission path, which is a path of the second liquid composition to the vaporization element;
and an adjustment member including:
the first rotating plate is configured to adjust an opening degree of the first transmitting path by rotating such that at least one of the plurality of holes formed in the first rotating plate is positioned on the first transmitting path,
the second rotating plate is configured to adjust an opening degree of the second transmitting path by rotating such that at least one of the plurality of holes formed in the second rotating plate is positioned on the second transmitting path,
a first rotation axis of the first rotating plate and a second rotation axis of the second rotating plate do not coincide with each other ;
Aerosol generator. further comprising a housing forming a storage space for storing the aerosol-generating article;
an airflow path is formed so that the generated aerosol passes through the aerosol-generating article contained in the containing space;
the first liquid composition comprises an aerosol forming agent;
The aerosol generating device of claim 1 , wherein the second liquid composition comprises a flavoring agent. the first liquid composition comprises a flavoring agent and an aerosol forming agent;
3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the second liquid composition comprises a flavoring agent and an aerosol forming agent. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vaporizing element vaporizes both the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition in a vaporizing space. the vaporization element includes a first vaporization element that vaporizes a first liquid composition to generate a first aerosol, and a second vaporization element that vaporizes a second liquid composition to generate a second aerosol;
The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 , wherein an airflow path is formed so that the first aerosol and the second aerosol are mixed. the first liquid reservoir is contained in a first cartridge;
the second liquid reservoir is contained in a second cartridge;
6. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, further comprising a cartridge holder into which the first cartridge and the second cartridge are attached. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the degree of vaporization of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition is adjusted based on user input. the vaporization element includes a first vaporization element that vaporizes a first liquid composition to generate a first aerosol, and a second vaporization element that vaporizes a second liquid composition to generate a second aerosol;
The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a control unit that adjusts the degree of vaporization of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition by controlling the power supplied to the first vaporization element and the second vaporization element. a degree of vaporization of the first liquid composition is controlled by a degree of opening of the first transport path ;
The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the degree of evaporation of the second liquid composition is adjusted by the degree of opening of the second transport path . a first liquid storage tank in which a first liquid composition is stored;
a second liquid storage tank in which a second liquid composition different from the first liquid composition is stored;
a vaporization element for vaporizing at least one of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition;
an adjusting member configured to adjust the degree of supply of the first liquid composition and the second liquid composition to the vaporization element;
A first rotating plate having a plurality of holes of different sizes formed thereon, configured to adjust the degree of opening of a first transfer path, which is a path of the first liquid composition to the vaporization element;
A second rotating plate having a plurality of holes of different sizes formed thereon, configured to adjust the degree of opening of a second transmission path, which is a path of the second liquid composition to the vaporization element;
and an adjustment member including:
the first rotating plate is configured to adjust an opening degree of the first transmitting path by rotating such that at least one of the plurality of holes formed in the first rotating plate is positioned on the first transmitting path,
the second rotating plate is configured to adjust an opening degree of the second transmitting path by rotating such that at least one of the plurality of holes formed in the second rotating plate is positioned on the second transmitting path,
a first rotation axis of the first rotating plate and a second rotation axis of the second rotating plate do not coincide with each other ;
Multi cartridge.

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