JP7684348B2 - Aerosol Generator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an aerosol generating device, and more specifically, to an aerosol generating device that is easy to carry and use by automatically adjusting the relative positions of a first cartridge and a second cartridge.

Demand is increasing for aerosol generating devices that generate aerosol in a non-combustion manner, replacing the method of generating aerosol by burning cigarettes. The aerosol generating device is, for example, a device that performs the function of generating aerosol in a non-combustion manner from an aerosol generating material and supplying it to a user, or supplying a flavored aerosol by passing the vapor generated from the aerosol generating material through a flavor medium.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide an aerosol generating device that is easy to use and carry.

The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide an aerosol generating device that generates high-quality aerosol that can satisfy the diverse needs of consumers.

The present invention provides an aerosol generating device and an aerosol generating system that can solve the problems of the conventional aerosol generating devices described above.

The problems to be solved through the embodiments are not limited to those described above, and problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments pertain from this specification and the accompanying drawings.

The aerosol generating device according to one embodiment includes a first cartridge that contains a first substance and includes a transmission hole that transmits the aerosol generated from the first substance; a second cartridge that includes a plurality of chambers that contain a second substance through which the aerosol transmitted from the first cartridge passes and is discharged to the outside, and the position of the second cartridge can be changed relative to the first cartridge so that at least one of the chambers corresponds to the transmission hole; a drive device that changes the relative position of the first cartridge and the second cartridge by moving at least one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge; and a controller that operates the drive device to change the relative position of the first cartridge and the second cartridge so that at least one of the chambers passes the aerosol when a preset condition is achieved.

The aerosol generating device according to the embodiment described above can be handled as a single device in which the first cartridge containing the first substance and the second cartridge containing the second substance are integrated, making it easy to carry and use.

In addition, even if the first cartridge of the aerosol generating device is designed to contain a large amount of the first substance, the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge can be automatically changed by the driving device to select the chamber to be used for supplying the aerosol, so that it is possible to obtain the effect of replacing the second cartridge containing the second substance with a new one.

In addition, the chamber to be used for aerosol supply can be selected by adjusting the relative positions of the first and second cartridges, providing the effect of replacing the medium with a new one without having to replace the medium cartridge.

The chambers of the second cartridge can contain different types of second substances, allowing the user to select one of the chambers and choose the desired second substance, allowing the user to freely enjoy aerosols with a variety of flavors.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which some components of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are separated. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the connection relationship of some components of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of some components of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing one operating state of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5. 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing another operating state of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5. 13 is a perspective view showing a schematic view of some components of an aerosol generating device according to yet another embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an aerosol generating method using the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 8 .

The aerosol generating device according to one embodiment includes a first cartridge that contains a first substance and includes a transmission hole that transmits the aerosol generated from the first substance; a second cartridge that includes a plurality of chambers that contain a second substance through which the aerosol transmitted from the first cartridge passes and is discharged to the outside, and whose position relative to the first cartridge can be changed so that at least one of the chambers corresponds to the transmission hole; a drive device that changes the relative position of the first cartridge and the second cartridge by moving at least one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge; and a controller that, when a preset condition is achieved, operates the drive device to change the relative position of the first cartridge and the second cartridge so that at least one of the chambers passes the aerosol.

The first cartridge may further include a heater that performs a heating operation to heat the first substance, and the preset conditions under which the controller operates the drive device may include a cumulative time of the heater's heating operation to generate the aerosol or a combination of the cumulative time of the heater's heating operation and the heater's heating temperature.

The aerosol generating device further includes a puff sensor that detects fluctuations in fluid pressure and flow rate due to the flow of fluid inside the aerosol generating device, and the preset conditions under which the controller operates the drive device may include either one or a combination of the number of puffing operations and the cumulative time of the puffing operations, which are determined based on the signal detected by the puff sensor.

The aerosol generating device further includes a heater that performs a heating operation to heat the first substance in the first cartridge, and an input device that receives a user's input operation to start the heating operation of the heater and generates an input signal, and the preset conditions under which the controller operates the drive device may include a usage time determined based on the input signal from the input device.

The first cartridge includes a plurality of storage tanks each partitioned to contain a first substance, and a plurality of transfer holes are provided to correspond to the respective storage tanks, and the position of the second cartridge relative to the first cartridge can be changed so that the position of at least one of the chambers corresponds to the position of any one of the transfer holes of the storage tanks.

One of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is rotatably coupled to the other of the first cartridge and the second cartridge, and the drive device can rotate one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge.

Either one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is connected to the other one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge so as to be linearly movable, and the drive device can linearly move either one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge.

The aerosol generating device may further include an information generator that provides notification for changing the position of the chamber.

The controller can change the relative position of the second cartridge with respect to the first cartridge so that the position of one of the chambers is aligned with the position of the transfer hole.

The controller can change the relative position of the second cartridge with respect to the first cartridge so that adjacent ones of the chambers simultaneously overlap the transmission hole.

The first cartridge and the second cartridge may be joined together to form an aerosol generating assembly, and may further include a case including a receiving passage for receiving the aerosol generating assembly.

The aerosol generating assembly may further include a heater disposed in the first cartridge for heating the first substance, and the case may further include electrical terminals connected to the heater for supplying electricity.

The case may further include a heater that heats the first substance supplied from a second cartridge of the aerosol generating assembly housed in the housing passage.

The terms used in the embodiments are currently widely used and common terms that have been selected while taking into consideration the functions of various embodiments of the present invention, but they may vary depending on the intentions or precedents of engineers in the field, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, in certain cases, terms that are not commonly used may be selected, in which case their meanings will be described in detail in the description of the invention. Therefore, the terms used in various embodiments of the present invention must be defined based on the meanings and explanations of the terms provided herein.

In addition, when a part in the entire specification "includes" a certain component, this will be understood to mean that it does not exclude other components, but further includes other components, unless specifically stated to the contrary. Furthermore, terms such as "... unit" and "... module" in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be realized by hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

As used herein, phrases such as "at least one" preceding a list of elements modify the entire list of elements and not the individual elements of the list. For example, "at least one of a, b, and c" should be understood to include simply "a," simply "b," simply "c," "a and b," "a and c," "b and c," or "a, b, and c."

When an element or layer is referred to as "on," "above," "on top," "connected," or "bonded" to another element or layer, it means that the element or layer can be directly on, above, or on top of the other element or layer. Conversely, when an element is referred to as "directly on," "directly on," "directly on," "directly connected," or "directly bonded" to another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. Like numbers throughout refer to the same elements.

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily implement the embodiments. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the separated state of some components of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in Figure 1.

The aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3 is a device that performs the function of supplying an aerosol to a user, and generates an aerosol by heating an aerosol generating material with a heater that operates using electricity, an induced magnetic field, ultrasound, or the like.

Referring to FIG. 3, the aerosol generating device includes a first cartridge 10 that contains a first substance 12 therein and includes a transmission hole 11 that transmits the aerosol generated from the first substance 12, and a second cartridge 20 that includes a plurality of chambers 21 that contain a second substance 22 through which the aerosol transmitted from the first cartridge 10 passes and is discharged to the outside.

The first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are integrally joined to each other so that they can be handled as a single component to form the aerosol generation assembly 5.

The aerosol generating device includes a case 7 including a storage passage 7a capable of storing the aerosol generating assembly 5. The case 7 includes, on its outer surface, a display device 7f for transmitting information to a user, and an indicator lamp 7d for transmitting notifications related to the operating status of the aerosol generating device to the user. The display device 7f and the indicator lamp 7d are examples of information generators that perform the function of notifying the user of various types of notifications, and the information generator may also be transformed into a form such as a speaker or a vibration generator.

Case 7 also includes an input device 95 that is operated by a user, senses the user's operation, and generates a user input signal.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3, the case 7 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the aerosol generation assembly 5 has a generally cylindrical shape that extends long in the axial direction, but the embodiment is not limited by such shapes of the case 7 and the aerosol generation assembly 5. For example, the case 7 may be modified into various shapes such as a cylindrical shape that extends long in the axial direction, a cylindrical shape with an elliptical cross section, a flattened cylindrical shape, a regular hexahedron, a rectangular parallelepiped, etc. The aerosol generation assembly 5 may also be modified into various shapes such as a rectangular parallelepiped, a regular hexahedron, etc.

The first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are coupled to each other so that their relative positions can be changed. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the second cartridge 20 can be rotated relative to the first cartridge 10 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20. The first cartridge 10 has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and includes a position fixing surface 10s, at least a portion of which is formed in a direction different from the extension direction of the cylindrical surface.

The storage passage 7a of the case 7 is formed as a hollow cylindrical passage that extends long enough to store the aerosol generating assembly 5. At least a portion of the storage passage 7a is formed with a position-retaining surface 7s that is formed in a direction different from the extension direction of the cylindrical surface of the inner wall of the storage passage 7a so as to have a shape corresponding to the position-fixing surface 10s of the first cartridge 10.

When the aerosol generating assembly 5 is housed in the housing passage 7a of the case 7, the position maintaining surface 7s and the position fixing surface 10s come into contact with each other, so that the position of the first cartridge 10 relative to the case 7 can be stably maintained. In other words, while the second cartridge 20 rotates relative to the first cartridge 10, the position fixing surface 10s of the first cartridge 10 is supported by the position maintaining surface 7s, so that the first cartridge 10 does not rotate and is stably maintained fixed relative to the case 7.

In addition, the position-maintaining surface 7s and the position-fixing surface 10s can perform an alignment function for aligning the relative position of the axial center of the aerosol generating assembly 5 with respect to the axial center of the storage passage 7a when the aerosol generating assembly 5 is inserted into the storage passage 7a of the case 7. That is, the aerosol generating assembly 5 can be inserted into the storage passage 7a of the case 7 only when the position-fixing surface 10s of the first cartridge 10 of the aerosol generating assembly 5 corresponds to the position-maintaining surface 7s of the storage passage 7a.

The case 7 includes an electrical terminal 50d provided at the end of the storage passage 7a to supply electricity to the first cartridge 10. If the aerosol generation assembly 5 is aligned with the storage passage 7a so that the position fixing surface 10s of the first cartridge 10 of the aerosol generation assembly 5 corresponds to the position holding surface 7s of the storage passage 7a, the electrical terminal 50d can be accurately connected to the first cartridge 10.

The embodiment is not limited by the connection structure between the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20, and the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 can be connected to each other rotatably by various connection structures. For example, the structure of the aerosol generation assembly 5 shown in Figures 1 to 3 can be modified so that the first cartridge 10 can rotate with respect to the second cartridge 20 while the position of the second cartridge 20 is fixedly held with respect to the case 7. Alternatively, the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 can be changed by rotating each of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20.

The first cartridge 10 can perform the function of transmitting the aerosol generated by the atomizer 50a built into the case 7 to the second cartridge 20.

The first cartridge 10 contains a first substance 12 therein. The first substance 12 may be, for example, a liquid or gel-like substance. The first substance 12 may be held in a state of being impregnated by a porous material such as a liquid sponge or cotton inside the first cartridge 10.

The first substance 12 is a liquid substance and may include, for example, a tobacco-containing substance that includes volatile tobacco flavor components or a non-tobacco substance.

The first substance 12 may include, for example, water, a solvent, ethanol, a botanical extract, a fragrance, a flavoring, or a vitamin mixture.

Flavors of the first substance 12 include, but are not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, various fruit scented components, and the like. Flavoring agents may include components that provide a variety of flavors or tastes to the user.

The vitamin mixture of the first substance 12 may be a mixture of at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E, but is not limited thereto.

The first substance 12 may also include aerosol forming agents such as glycerin and propylene glycol.

Inside the case 7, below the storage passage 7a, there are provided an atomizer 50a that heats the first substance 12 in the first cartridge 10 to generate an aerosol, and a controller 70. The controller 70 may include a battery that supplies power to the atomizer 50a, and a control chip or control circuit board that controls the operation of the atomizer 50a.

The atomizer 50a includes a wick 52 that absorbs and holds the first substance 12 from the first cartridge 10, a heater 51 that is wound around the wick 52, in contact with the wick 52, or disposed adjacent to the wick 52 to heat the first substance 12 to generate an aerosol, and an aerosol generation chamber 50c that surrounds the heater 51 and creates an atmosphere for generating the aerosol.

The atomizer 50a performs the function of converting the phase of the aerosol generating material into a gas phase to generate an aerosol. An aerosol refers to a gas in which vaporized particles generated from the aerosol generating material are mixed with air.

The heater 51 is also an electrically resistive heating element that generates heat by electricity supplied from the controller 70. The atomizer 50a includes an electrically resistive heating element, but the embodiment is not limited by the configuration of the atomizer 50a. The atomizer 50a generates aerosol, for example, by an ultrasonic method or an induction heating method.

The first cartridge 10 includes a transmission hole 11 that extends along the extension direction of the first cartridge 10 and transmits the aerosol. The aerosol generation chamber 50c transmits the aerosol generated by the heater 51 to the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10. Therefore, the aerosol supplied from the aerosol generation chamber 50c is transmitted to the second cartridge 20 through the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10.

The second cartridge 20 is rotatably arranged relative to the first cartridge 10 and includes a plurality of chambers 21 positioned sequentially along the direction of rotation, and a second substance 22 contained in each of the chambers 21 and allowing the passage of the aerosol.

The second material 22 is in a solid state and may include, for example, a powder or granules, which are a collection of small particles.

The second substance 22 may include, for example, a tobacco-containing substance including a volatile tobacco flavor component, or may include additive substances such as flavorants, humectants and/or organic acids, flavoring substances such as menthol or humectants, botanical extracts, flavors, flavorings, and vitamin mixtures, or any one or mixture of such components.

Fragrances of the second substance 22 include, but are not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, various fruit scent components, etc.

The flavoring agent of the second substance 22 may include ingredients that provide a variety of flavors or tastes to the user. The vitamin mixture of the second substance 22 may be a mixture of at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E, but is not limited thereto.

The second cartridge 20 includes a plurality of chambers 21 that are spaced apart from one another in sequence along the rotational direction of the second cartridge 20. The chambers 21 are separated from one another by partitions.

In FIG. 2, three chambers 21 are provided, but the embodiment is not limited by the number of chambers 21, and two or four or more chambers 21 are provided.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first cartridge 10 includes a rotating shaft 40 that protrudes upward. The rotating shaft 40 protrudes upward from the first cartridge 10, and the second cartridge 20 is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft 40.

A mouthpiece 26 including an outlet 26e for discharging to the outside the aerosol that has passed through the second substance 22 in one of the chambers 21 is attached to the top of the second cartridge 20. An upper plate 27 that covers the upper end of the chamber 21 is disposed on the top of the chamber 21. The upper plate 27 includes an upper through hole 27p that allows the aerosol to pass through.

A flow guide 29 is coupled to the upper end of the rotating shaft 40 protruding from the upper surface of the upper plate 27. The flow guide 29 is disposed inside the mouthpiece 26 and serves to guide the flow of the aerosol that has passed through the second material 22 of the chamber 21 to the outlet 26e of the mouthpiece 26. The flow guide 29 may include a number of blades corresponding to each of the chambers 21.

When the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are combined, the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are changed, so that at least one of the multiple chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10. Therefore, the aerosol discharged to the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 passes through the second material 22 contained in the chamber corresponding to the transmission hole 11 among the multiple chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20. While the aerosol passes through the second material 22, the characteristics of the aerosol may be changed.

The aerosol generating device further includes a driving device 60 that generates a driving force to move at least one of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20. Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, the driving device 60 is disposed inside the case 7 and includes a motor 61 that is operated by an electric signal, and a gear 62 that transmits the driving force of the motor 61 to the second cartridge 20. A gear surface 20g is provided on the outside of the second cartridge 20 so as to extend along the rotation direction of the second cartridge 20.

When the aerosol generating assembly 5 is attached to the case 7, the gear surface 20g of the second cartridge 20 is coupled to the gear 62. When an electric signal is applied from the controller 70 to the motor 61 of the driving device 60, the shaft of the motor 61 is rotated and the driving force of the motor 61 is transmitted to the gear surface 20g of the second cartridge 20 through the gear 62. Therefore, the driving device 60 can perform the function of rotating the second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10.

The embodiment is not limited by the configuration of the driving device 60 illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, and for example, the driving device 60 may be connected to the first cartridge 10 to rotate the first cartridge 10. In addition, the gear 62 of the driving device 60 may be replaced with various power transmission elements such as a belt or a sprocket.

Here, at least one of the multiple chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10, which includes both a case where any one of the multiple chambers 21 corresponds to the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10, and a case where two adjacent chambers 21 of the multiple chambers 21 correspond to the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the second cartridge 20 includes a mark 91 provided on the outer surface. The second cartridge 20 includes a plurality of chambers 21 therein, and the mark 91 of the second cartridge 20 is formed at a position corresponding to each of the chambers 21.

The first cartridge 10 includes a mark 92 on its outer surface that is used as a reference position relative to the mark 91 of the second cartridge 20. Thus, by matching the mark 91 of the second cartridge 20 with the mark 92 of the first cartridge 10, the position of at least one of the chambers can be aligned with the position of the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 that ejects the aerosol.

The user can also check the positions of the mark 91 on the second cartridge 20 and the mark 92 on the first cartridge 10 to identify information relating to which of the chambers in the second cartridge 20 is currently passing aerosol.

A signal generator 97 is provided between the second cartridge 20 and the first cartridge 10 to indicate the type of second substance 22 contained in the chamber 21 through which the aerosol is currently passing, depending on the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20.

The signal generator 97 includes a transmitter 97a disposed in the second cartridge 20 and a receiver 97b disposed in the first cartridge 10 to sense the transmitter 97a. The embodiment is not limited by the position or number of the transmitter 97a and the receiver 97b, and for example, the transmitter 97a may be disposed in the first cartridge 10 and the receiver 97b may be disposed in the second cartridge 20.

The transmitter 97a and receiver 97b of the signal generator 97 may be realized by one or a combination of optical sensors such as a photocoupler, a magnetic sensor that uses the Hall effect to sense magnetic force, or an electrical resistance sensor that senses changes in electrical resistance.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, a puff sensor 79p is disposed on the path through which the aerosol flows inside the case 7. The puff sensor 79p may perform the function of sensing the aerosol flow phenomenon that occurs in association with the user's aerosol inhalation action. The puff sensor 79p may be connected, for example, to the transmission hole 11 to sense the fluctuation in fluid pressure or flow rate due to the aerosol-containing fluid, i.e., air flow, flowing through the transmission hole 11, and generate a signal. The puff sensor 79p may be disposed in a pressure sensing hole 79s connected to the transmission hole 11.

When the aerosol generating device as described above is used, the aerosol transmitted from the first cartridge 10 and entering the chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 passes through the second material 22 contained in the chamber 21. The second material 22 imparts a flavor to the aerosol. The aerosol containing a rich flavor while passing through the second material 22 passes through the upper through hole 27p of the upper plate 27 disposed on the upper part of the chamber 21, and is then discharged to the outside of the aerosol generating device via the mouthpiece 26.

When the preset condition is met, the controller 70 can operate the driving device 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 so that at least one of the chambers 21 passes the aerosol transferred from the first cartridge 10. That is, the second material 22 contained in the chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 has a preset usage time determined in relation to the operation of passing the aerosol, and when the actual usage time used by the second material 22 to perform the operation of passing the aerosol reaches the preset usage time, the position of the chamber 21 that passes the aerosol must be changed.

The controller 70 can perform the function of selecting another one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 or an adjacent chamber 21 for passing the aerosol by changing the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10.

Figure 4 is a block diagram that shows the schematic connection of some of the components of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in Figure 1.

The controller 70 shown in FIG. 4 may be realized by a circuit board disposed inside the case 7 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a semiconductor chip attached to the circuit board, or software mounted on the semiconductor chip or circuit board, or a combination of these.

The controller 70 includes an atomization controller 71 that controls the atomizer 50a to control the amount or temperature of aerosol generated, a temperature sensor 79t that detects the temperature of the atomizer, a puff sensor 79p that detects changes in the pressure or speed of air generated when the user inhales the aerosol, a sensor controller 74 that receives a signal from a sensor that detects changes in the rotational position of the second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10, such as the signal generator 97 shown in FIG. 2, an information controller 75 that controls an information generator 96 that provides information or notifies the user, and a sensor controller 76 that detects input operations by the user. The device includes a user input receiver 76 that receives a user input signal from an input device 95, which is a user input device such as a button, a touch screen, or an input button; an input/output controller 73 that transmits and receives data to and from a storage 78 that includes information related to the type of the first substance in the first cartridge 10 and the second substance in the second cartridge 20, a temperature profile for controlling the operating temperature of the atomizer, and information related to the user; a medium determiner 72 that determines the type of medium currently being used based on a signal received from a signal generator 97; and a drive controller 77 that controls the operation of the drive device 60.

The controller 70 as described above detects the user's inhalation action and starts or stops the operation of the atomizer. In addition, the controller 70 can determine the type of medium currently being used based on the signal applied from the signal generator 97, and control the operating temperature and operating time of the atomizer appropriately for the type of medium.

The controller 70 may operate the drive device 60 when a preset condition is met. The preset condition for the controller 70 to operate the drive device 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may include a cumulative time of a heating operation in which the heater generates heat to generate an aerosol, or a combination of a cumulative time of the heater's heating operation and the heater's heating temperature.

When a preset condition is met, the controller 70 may first generate a notification through the information generator 96 to notify the user that it is necessary to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20. When the user checks the notification and operates the input device 95, the controller 70 may operate the driving device 60 based on an input signal applied from the input device 95 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20.

When the preset conditions include the cumulative time of the heating operation of the heater, the controller 70 can calculate the cumulative time of the heating operation of the heater by calculating the amount of current or the amount of power supplied to the heater by the atomization controller 71, or by adding up the time during which the current is supplied to the heater. For example, if the time during which the second substance 22 contained in one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 can pass the aerosol and impart a flavor to the aerosol is preset to n minutes, the controller 70 can determine that the use of the current chamber through which the aerosol passes must be terminated when the cumulative time of the heating operation of the heater reaches n minutes, and can select a new chamber from the chambers 21 through which the aerosol passes by changing the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10.

The heating operation of the heater may include a main heating operation that generates heat at a temperature sufficient to vaporize the first substance in the first cartridge 10, and a pre-heating operation that generates heat in a temperature range lower than the temperature range corresponding to the main heating operation. The heating operation of the heater included in the preset conditions for the controller 70 to operate the drive unit 60 is also the main heating operation.

When the preset conditions include a combination of the cumulative time of the heater heating operation and the heater heating temperature, it is even more useful when the heater heating operation includes a main heating operation and a pre-heating operation. For example, if the time during which the second substance 22 contained in one of the chambers 21 can pass through the aerosol and impart flavor to the aerosol is preset to n minutes, the controller 70 can count the cumulative time of the heater heating operation only when the heater heating temperature reaches a temperature corresponding to the main heating operation.

The preset conditions for the controller 70 to operate the driving device 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may include any one or a combination of the number of puffing operations determined based on the signal sensed by the puff sensor 79p and the accumulated time of the puffing operations. When the strength of the signal sensed by the puff sensor 79p exceeds a preset critical value, the controller 70 determines that a valid inhalation operation has been performed by the user and counts the number of puffing operations.

If the preset conditions include the number of puffing operations, the controller 70 can count the number of puffing operations performed on the chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 through which the aerosol is currently passing, based on the signal generated by the puff sensor 79p. In such a case, the controller 70 ignores the accumulated time of puffing operations during which the user continuously performs an inhalation operation to inhale the aerosol, and simply counts only the number of times that a puffing operation has occurred based on the signal of the puff sensor 79p.

For example, if the number of puffing operations through which the second substance 22 contained in one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 passes the aerosol and can impart flavor to the aerosol is preset to m, the controller 70 determines that the use of the chamber through which the aerosol currently passes must be terminated when the number of puffing operations reaches m, and can select a new chamber from among the chambers 21 through which the aerosol will pass by changing the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10.

The controller 70 can determine the time to change the position of the second cartridge 20 to select a new chamber, taking into account the environment in which the aerosol generating device is used and the inhalation habits of the user.
For this purpose, the preset conditions may include the accumulated time of puffing operations, or a combination of the number of puffing operations and the accumulated time of puffing operations.

When the preset condition includes a combination of the number of puffing operations and the cumulative time of the puffing operations, the operation is as follows. For example, if the number of puffing operations through which the second substance 22 contained in one of the chambers 21 can pass the aerosol and impart a flavor to the aerosol is m times and the cumulative time of the puffing operations is preset to p minutes, the controller 70 determines that the use of the chamber through which the current aerosol passes must be terminated only when both the condition that the number of puffing operations reaches m times and the condition that the cumulative time of the puffing operations reaches p minutes are satisfied. Therefore, if the number of puffing operations reaches m times based on the signal of the puff sensor 79p but the cumulative time of the puffing operations does not reach p minutes, the controller 70 can reach the number of puffing operations up to m+x times by maintaining the position of the chamber through which the current aerosol passes. Even if the operating conditions are modified so that only one of the conditions that the number of puffing operations reaches m times and the cumulative time of puffing operations reaches p minutes is met, the controller 70 determines that the use of the chamber through which the aerosol is currently passing must be terminated.

The preset conditions for the controller 70 to operate the drive device 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may include a usage time determined based on an input signal generated by the input device 95 upon receiving a user input.

When the preset condition includes a usage time determined based on an input signal of the input device 95, it is more useful when the user can execute a function of directly starting the operation of the heater. For example, the aerosol generating device can provide a function in which the heater immediately responds to the user's operation of the input device 95 and performs a main heating operation at high speed without the heater of the atomizer performing a separate pre-heating operation, in order to satisfy the user's preferences or to improve convenience. In such a case, since the preset condition includes a usage time determined based on an input signal of the input device 95, when the usage time during which the atomizer is operated by the user's operation reaches the preset reference usage time, the controller 70 can determine that the use of the chamber through which the aerosol currently passes must be terminated, and can select a new chamber from the chambers 21 through which the aerosol passes by changing the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10.

The preset conditions for the controller 70 to operate the driving device 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may include any one or a combination of the number of puffing operations determined based on the signal sensed by the puff sensor 79p and the accumulated time of the puffing operations. When the strength of the signal sensed by the puff sensor 79p exceeds a preset critical value, the controller 70 determines that a valid inhalation operation has been performed by the user and counts the number of puffing operations.

In the above explanation, letters such as m, n, p, and x used to indicate time or number of times refer to integers, real numbers, or lengths of time.

The preset conditions for the controller 70 to operate the drive device 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may include a selection condition in which at least one of the chambers 21 is selected based on an input signal generated by the input device 95 upon receiving a user input.

The chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 contain second substances 22 having different medium types or particle sizes, and the controller 70 can provide a user with information regarding the second substance 22 contained in the chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 that is currently aligned with the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 by illuminating the indicator lamp 7d, changing the emission color, or displaying information on the display device 7f.

When the user operates the input device 95 to select the chamber 21 that he or she wishes to use, the controller 70 determines, based on the input signal input from the input device 95, that the selection condition in which the user has selected at least one chamber from the chambers 21 has been met, and the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 can be changed.

When using the aerosol generating device as described above, the user can adjust the rotational position of the second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10 before mounting the aerosol generating assembly 5 in the case 7, so that at least one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 is located in a position corresponding to the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10. After adjusting the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20, the user mounts the aerosol generating assembly 5 in the case 7.

By modifying this operating method, the user does not have to adjust the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20. When the user attaches the aerosol generation assembly 5 to the case 7, the drive unit 60 built into the case 7 automatically rotates the second cartridge 20, thereby automatically adjusting the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 to the initial position for aerosol generation. The "initial position" is also the position where any one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to the position of the transmission hole 11.

When at least one position of the chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to the position of the transmission hole 11 of the first cartridge 10, the user can inhale the aerosol through the mouthpiece 26.

The aerosol generating assembly 5 of the aerosol generating device can be handled as a single device in which the first cartridge 10 containing the first substance 12 and the second cartridge 20 containing the second substance 22 are integrated, making it easy to carry and use.

In addition, even if the first cartridge 10 of the aerosol generating device is designed to accommodate a large amount of the first substance 12, the second cartridge 20 can be automatically rotated by the driving device 60 to select the chamber 21 to be used for supplying the aerosol, so that it is possible to obtain the effect of switching to a new second substance 22 without replacing the second cartridge containing the second substance 22.

The chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 may contain different types of second substances 22. For example, even if the chambers 21 contain second substances 22 having different particle sizes or different flavor compositions, the controller 70 can identify "a chamber in use that is currently being used to pass aerosol by being aligned to correspond to the transmission hole 11 among the chambers 21" based on the signal generated by the signal generator 97. The controller 70 can provide the user with information related to the chamber in use identified by the controller 70 and the second substance 22 contained in the chamber in use, so that the user can select one of the chambers 21 and select the desired second substance 22, thereby freely enjoying aerosols with various flavors.

Figure 5 is a perspective view that shows a schematic of some of the components of an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment.

In the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the aerosol generating assembly 5 includes a first cartridge 10 and a second cartridge 20 rotatably coupled to the first cartridge 10. The first cartridge 10 is provided with a driving device 60, and the driving device 60 rotates the second cartridge 20 to change the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10.

The first cartridge 10 includes a plurality of storage tanks each partitioned to accommodate a first substance 12, and a plurality of transfer holes 11 formed to correspond to the plurality of storage tanks. In the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the first cartridge 10 includes two storage tanks and two transfer holes 11, but the embodiment is not limited to such a configuration of the first cartridge 10, and the number of storage tanks and the number of transfer holes 11 can be variously modified.

The aerosol generated by vaporizing the first substance 12 contained in the multiple storage tanks is transferred to the second cartridge 20 through the multiple transfer holes 11 of the first cartridge 10. When generating aerosol in the first cartridge 10, the first substance 12 in all storage tanks of the first cartridge 10 is vaporized simultaneously, and if necessary, the first substance 12 can be vaporized in only one of the multiple storage tanks, or in multiple of the multiple storage tanks.

The second cartridge 20 includes a plurality of chambers 21 that contain a second substance 22 through which the aerosol transferred from the first cartridge 10 passes and is discharged to the outside. The first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are integrally connected to each other so that they can be handled as a single component to form the aerosol generating assembly 5.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing one operating state of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in Figure 5.

The second cartridge 20 may be rotated by the driving device, thereby changing the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10. As shown in FIG. 6, the rotational position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 may be aligned so that the position of one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to the position of one of the transmission holes 11. In the aligned state as shown in FIG. 6, one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 passes the aerosol transmitted from one of the transmission holes 11 of the first cartridge 10, thereby performing the function of changing the characteristics of the aerosol.

Figure 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing another operating state of the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in Figure 5.

When the second cartridge 20 is rotated by the drive device to change the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10, the rotational position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 can be aligned so that the position of the adjacent chamber 21 corresponds to the position of one transmission hole 11, as shown in FIG. 7.

In FIG. 7, two adjacent chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 are positioned so as to overlap an area corresponding to half of one transmission hole 11. The embodiment is not limited by such an alignment position of the second cartridge 20, and the rotational position of the second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10 may be aligned so that the areas of overlap between the two adjacent chambers 21 and the transmission hole 11 are different from each other.

For example, the second substance 22 contained in one of the two adjacent chambers 21 may be
When the lifespan of the chamber 21 related to its function of passing aerosol reaches 20%, it may overlap with an area corresponding to approximately 80% of the transmission hole 11, and the other of the two adjacent chambers 21 may overlap with an area corresponding to approximately 20% of the transmission hole 11.

For example, if the life span of the second material 22 contained in one of two adjacent chambers 21 related to the function of passing aerosol reaches 60%, it may overlap with an area corresponding to about 40% of the transmission hole 11, and the other of the two adjacent chambers 21 may overlap with an area corresponding to about 60% of the transmission hole 11.

In addition, when the lifespan of the second material 22 contained in one of the two adjacent chambers 21 related to the function of passing aerosol reaches 80%, it may overlap with an area corresponding to approximately 20% of the transmission hole 11, and the other of the two adjacent chambers 21 may overlap with an area corresponding to approximately 80% of the transmission hole 11.

The lifetime of the second substance 22 contained in the chamber 21 of the second cartridge 20 in terms of its ability to pass aerosols can be determined by the preset conditions that the controller uses to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20, as described above.

Furthermore, as described above, when the second cartridge 20 is rotated taking into consideration the lifespan of the second substance 22 in the chamber 21 and changing the area where the adjacent chamber 21 overlaps with the transfer hole 11, the second cartridge 20 can be moved intermittently over time or the second cartridge 20 can be moved continuously over time.

As shown in FIG. 7, by aligning the positions of the multiple chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 so that adjacent chambers overlap one transmission hole 11, the aerosol can be generated in the first cartridge 10 while the second cartridge 20 is rotating relative to the first cartridge 10, and the aerosol can be continuously transmitted to the second cartridge 20 without stopping the aerosol generation operation.

In addition, by changing the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20, it is possible to sequentially select a chamber from among the multiple chambers 21 through which the aerosol is to pass. When a chamber from among the multiple chambers 21 through which the aerosol is to pass is selected and the second cartridge 20 is rotated, the position of the previous chamber through which the aerosol is currently passing is not immediately removed from the transmission hole 11, but the subsequent chamber that is aligned with the position of the transmission hole 11 by the rotation of the second cartridge 20 and the previous chamber both pass the aerosol.

This operating method makes it possible to provide a constant and stable supply of aerosol while preventing abrupt changes in the characteristics of the aerosol delivered to the user, such as temperature, humidity, and flavor, while changing the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20.

In addition, if each of the multiple chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 contains a second substance 22 with different properties, adjacent chambers can pass aerosol through both, making it possible to vary the properties of the aerosol, such as its components and flavor, and thus provide the user with a variety of aerosol forms.

Figure 8 is a perspective view that shows a schematic of some of the components of an aerosol generating device according to yet another embodiment.

The aerosol generating device of the embodiment shown in Figure 8 includes a first cartridge 10 including storage tanks 10a and 10b that are independently partitioned and contain a first substance, a second cartridge 20 that is linearly movably connected to the first cartridge 10, and a driving device 60 that linearly moves the second cartridge 20.

The first cartridge 10 also includes passages 11p and 11q for transmitting the aerosol generated by vaporization of the first substance contained in each of the storage tanks 10a and 10b, and transmission holes 11 formed at the ends of each of the passages 11p and 11q.

The first cartridge 10 includes a linear guide 10t that extends linearly around the upper portion of the transmission hole 11, and the second cartridge 20 includes a rail 201 that is slidably coupled to the linear guide 10t. The second cartridge 20 can move linearly along the extension direction of the linear guide 10t of the first cartridge 10. The second cartridge 20 includes a plate-shaped main body 20t that extends long along the extension direction of the linear guide 10t, and a plurality of chambers 20a, 20b, and 20c that are spaced apart from each other and arranged in sequence along the extension direction of the main body 20t.

In FIG. 8, two storage tanks 10a and 10b are provided, and three chambers 20a, 20b, and 20c are provided, but the number of storage tanks and the number of chambers can be modified in various ways.

The aerosol generating device includes a driving device 60 that generates a driving force to move at least one of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20. The driving device 60 includes a motor 61 that is operated by an electric signal, and a gear 62 that transmits the driving force of the motor 61 to the second cartridge 20. A gear surface 20g is provided on one side of the main body 20t of the second cartridge 20.

In FIG. 8, the driving device 60 is illustrated as an electric motor that generates a rotational force to rotate the gear 62, but the embodiment is not limited by the type of the driving device 60. For example, the driving device 60 may include a linear motor including a permanent magnet arranged linearly and an electromagnet having an electric coil positioned to correspond to the permanent magnet, or a cylinder using fluid pressure.

By linearly moving the second cartridge 20, the position of any one of the chambers 20a, 20b, 20c of the second cartridge 20 or an adjacent chamber can be aligned to correspond to the position of one of the transmission holes 11. Also, the position of one group of the chambers 20a, 20b, 20c of the second cartridge 20 can be aligned to correspond to the position of one of the two transmission holes 11, and at the same time, the position of the other group of the chambers 20a, 20b, 20c can be aligned to correspond to the remaining position of the two transmission holes 11.

Figure 9 is a flow chart that shows a schematic diagram of an aerosol generating method using the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 8.

The aerosol supply method according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 includes a step of detecting an inhalation action of a user (S100), a step of determining that the inhalation action has been detected and starting an aerosol supply operation (S110), a step of detecting a rotational position of a second cartridge relative to a first cartridge (S120), a step of determining whether a signal of the detected rotational position of the second cartridge is good or not (S130), a step of adjusting the rotational position of the second cartridge if the signal of the rotational position of the second cartridge is not good (S131), and a step of adjusting the rotational position of the second cartridge based on the signal of the rotational position of the second cartridge if the signal of the rotational position of the second cartridge is good (S132). The method includes a step of determining a type of medium used, i.e., a type of the second material (S140), a step of determining at least one of a target temperature for the operation of the atomizer and a heating profile for controlling a heating operation of the atomizer based on the determined type of medium (S150), a step of operating the atomizer based on the target temperature or the heating profile (S160), a step of sensing a current temperature and comparing it with the target temperature (S170), a step of comparing whether a preset condition has been achieved (S180), and a step of changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge if the preset condition has been achieved (S190).

The preset conditions for changing the relative positions of the first and second cartridges may include the cumulative time of the heating operation in which the heater generates heat to generate the aerosol, or a combination of the cumulative time of the heating operation of the heater and the heating temperature of the heater.

Alternatively, the preset conditions for changing the relative positions of the first and second cartridges may include any one or a combination of the number of puffing operations determined based on the signal sensed by the puff sensor and the accumulated time of the puffing operations.

Alternatively, the preset conditions for changing the relative positions of the first and second cartridges may include a usage time that is determined based on an input signal generated when the input device receives user input.

By changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge (S190), the currently used chamber through which the aerosol passes can be replaced among the chambers of the second cartridge, and the position of the subsequent chamber can be changed to a position corresponding to the transmission hole of the first cartridge. The step of changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge (S190) is automatically performed by a driving device operated by a controller.

The step of changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge (S190) includes the steps of: notifying the user of the need to change the position of the chamber when the preset condition is met; receiving an input signal generated by the user operating the input device; and operating the drive device based on the received input operation to change the position of at least one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge.

When the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge are changed, the use chamber is immediately removed from the position corresponding to the transmission hole, and the subsequent chamber is aligned with the transmission hole, and then the subsequent chamber is used to pass the aerosol, or the use chamber and the subsequent chamber both temporarily function to pass the aerosol, and over time, only the subsequent chamber can pass the aerosol.

After changing the relative positions of the first and second cartridges (S190), the process returns to the step of detecting the user's inhalation (S100), and the above steps can be repeated again.

Even if the first cartridge of the aerosol generating device is designed to contain a large amount of the first substance, the second cartridge can be automatically rotated by the drive device to select the chamber to be used for aerosol supply, thereby providing the effect of replacing the second cartridge containing the second substance with a new one.

The chambers of the second cartridge may contain different types of second substances, allowing the user to select one of the chambers and choose the desired second substance, allowing the user to freely enjoy aerosols with a variety of flavors.

The above description of the configurations and effects of the embodiments is merely illustrative, and a person skilled in the art would understand that various modifications and equivalent embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true technical scope of the invention should be determined by the claims.

The embodiment relates to an aerosol generating device in which the relative positions of a first cartridge and a second cartridge are automatically adjusted, making it easy to carry and use.

Claims (10)

An aerosol generating device, comprising:
a first cartridge containing a first substance therein and including a transmission hole for transmitting an aerosol generated from the first substance;
a second cartridge including a plurality of chambers for accommodating a second substance through which the aerosol transferred from the first cartridge passes and is discharged to the outside, the second cartridge being capable of changing its position relative to the first cartridge so that at least one of the chambers corresponds to the transfer hole;
a drive device that changes a relative position between the first cartridge and the second cartridge by moving at least one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge;
a controller that, when a preset condition is met, operates the drive device to change the relative positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge so that at least one of the chambers allows the aerosol to pass through;
A puff sensor that detects a change in fluid pressure or flow rate due to a fluid flowing inside the aerosol generating device;
a heater performing a heating operation to heat the first substance in the first cartridge;
an input device that receives a user's input operation for starting a heating operation of the heater and generates an input signal;
An aerosol generating device, wherein the preset conditions under which the controller operates the driving device include any one or a combination of the number of puff operations and the accumulated time of the puff operations determined based on the signal sensed by the puff sensor, or the usage time determined based on the input signal of the input device. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the first cartridge includes a plurality of storage tanks each partitioned to accommodate the first substance, the transfer hole is provided in a plurality of pieces corresponding to the respective storage tanks, and the position of the second cartridge relative to the first cartridge is changed so that the position of at least one of the chambers corresponds to the position of the transfer hole of any one of the storage tanks. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is rotatably coupled to the other of the first cartridge and the second cartridge, and the driving device rotates one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is coupled to the other of the first cartridge and the second cartridge so as to be linearly movable, and the driving device linearly moves one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 , further comprising an information generator that issues a notice for changing the position of the chamber. The aerosol generating device of claim 1, wherein the controller changes the relative position of the second cartridge with respect to the first cartridge so that the position of one of the chambers is aligned with the position of the transfer hole. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the controller changes the relative position of the second cartridge with respect to the first cartridge so that adjacent ones of the chambers simultaneously overlap the transfer hole. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, further comprising a case including a receiving passage for receiving the aerosol generating assembly, the first cartridge and the second cartridge being joined together to form an aerosol generating assembly. the heater is disposed in the aerosol generation assembly;
The aerosol generating device according to claim 8 , wherein the case further includes an electrical terminal connected to the heater to supply electricity thereto. The aerosol generating device according to claim 8 , wherein the heater is disposed in the case.