Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE
[Technical Field]
[0001] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an
aerosol
generating device, and more particularly, to an aerosol generating device
configured to
automatically adjust relative positions of a first cartridge and a second
cartridge.
[Background Art]
[0002j Recently, there is an increasing demand for an aerosol
generating device that
generates aerosol based on a non-combustion method without combustion of
tobacco. For
example, an aerosol generating device may deliver aerosol to the distal airway
of a user by
generating aerosol with a non-combustion method or by generating aerosol from
aerosol
generating material and having the aerosol pass through a flavor medium before
outputting from
the aerosol generating device.
[Disclosure]
[Technical Problem]
[0003] The embodiments provide an aerosol generating device that is
easy to user and
carry. In addition, the embodiments provide an aerosol generating device for
generating an
aerosol of high quality that may satisfy various needs of consumers.
(Technical Solution]
[00041 One or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide an aerosol
generating device that may solve various problems of the related art,
[0005] Technical goals to be achieved by embodiments of the present
disclosure are not
limited to the above-described goals, and goals that are not mentioned will be
clearly
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art from the present specification
and the
accompanying drawings,
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Date Regue/Date Received 2023-05-16
[0006] An aerosol generating device according to an embodiment
includes a first
cartridge configured to accommodate a first material therein and including a
delivery hole
configured to deliver an aerosol generated from the first material, a second
cartridge including a
plurality of chambers for accommodating a second material through which the
aerosol delivered
from the first cartridge passes and is discharged to the outside, wherein a
relative position of the
first cartridge with regard to the second cartridge is changeable so that at
least one of the
plurality of chambers corresponds to the delivery hole, a drive device
configured to change the
relative position of the first cartridge with regard to the second cartridge
by moving at least one
of the first cartridge and the second cartridge, and a controller configured
to change the relative
position of the first cartridge with regard to the second cartridge to cause
the aerosol to pass
through the at least one of the plurality of chambers by operating the drive
device when a
previously determined condition is achieved.
(Advantageous Effects]
[0007] An aerosol generating device according to the above-described
embodiment may
be easily carried and used because a first cartridge accommodating a first
material and a
second cartridge accommodating a second material may be handled as one
integrated device.
[0008] In addition, even when a first cartridge of an aerosol
generating device is
designed to include a large amount of a first material, the relative positions
of a first cartridge
and a second cartridge may be automatically changed by a drive device to
select chambers
used for supplying an aerosol, and the effect of replacing the second
cartridge including the
second material with a new second material may be obtained without replacing
the second
cartridge including the second material.
[0009] In addition, because the relative positions of a first
cartridge and a second
cartridge may be adjusted to select chambers used for supplying an aerosol,
the effect of
replacing a cartridge for a medium with a new medium may be obtained without
replacing the
cartridge for the medium.
[0010] In addition, chambers of the second cartridge may include
different types of the
second materials so that a user may select one of the chambers to select a
desired second
material, and thus, the user may freely enjoy aerosols with various flavors.
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Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
(Description of Drawings)
[0011] HG. 1 is a perspective view of an aerosol generating device
according to an
embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a separate state of some
components of
the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the aerosol
generating device
according to the embodiment shown in HG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a
connection relationship
between some components of the aerosol generating device according to the
embodiment
shown in FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing some
components of an
aerosol generating device according to another embodiment;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing one operation state of
the aerosol
generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing another
operation state of
the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing some
components of an
aerosol generating device according to another embodiment; and
[00191 FIG. 9 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a method of
generating an aerosol
performed by an aerosol generating device according to the embodiments
illustrated in FIGS. 1
to 8.
(Best Mode)
[0020] An aerosol generating device according to an embodiment
includes: a first
cartridge configured to accommodate a first material therein and including a
delivery hole
configured to deliver an aerosol generated from the first material; a second
cartridge including a
plurality of chambers for accommodating a second material through which the
aerosol delivered
from the first cartridge passes and is discharged to the outside, wherein a
relative position of the
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Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
first cartridge with regard to the second cartridge is changeable so that at
least one of the
plurality of chambers corresponds to the delivery hole; a drive device
configured to change the
relative position of the first cartridge with regard to the second cartridge
by moving at least one
of the first cartridge and the second cartridge; and a controller configured
to change the relative
position of the first cartridge with regard to the second cartridge to cause
the aerosol to pass
through the at least one of the plurality of chambers by operating the drive
device when a
previously determined condition is satisfied.
[0021] The first cartridge may further include a heater configured to
perform a heating
operation to heat the first material, and the previously determined condition
for the controller to
operate the drive device includes a cumulative time of the heating operation
of the heater for
generating the aerosol, or a combination of the cumulative time of the heating
operation of the
heater and a heating temperature of the heater.
[0022] The aerosol generating device may further include: a puff
sensor configured to
detect a change in fluid pressure or flow amount due to a flow of a fluid
flowing inside the
aerosol generating device, wherein the previously determined condition for the
controller to
operate the drive device includes any one or any combination of a number of
puff operations
determined based on a signal detected by the puff sensor and a cumulative time
of the puff
operations.
[0023] The aerosol generating device may further include: a heater
configured to
perform a heating operation to heat the first material of the first cartridge;
and an input device
configured to generate an input signal by receiving an input operation of a
user for starting the
heating operation of the heater, wherein the previously determined condition
for the controller to
operate the drive device includes a usage time determined based on the input
signal of the input
device.
[0024] The first cartridge may include a plurality of reservoirs
partitioned to each include
the first material, and a plurality of delivery holes that are arranged to
correspond to the plurality
of reservoirs, respectively. The relative position of the first cartridge with
respect to the second
cartridge is changed so that a position of the at least one of the plurality
of chambers
corresponds to a position of any one of the plurality of delivery holes.
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[0025] Any one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is
rotatably coupled to
another one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge, and the drive
device is further
configured to rotate any one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge.
[0026] Any one of the first cartridge and the second cartridge is
coupled to another one
of the first cartridge and the second cartridge to be movable linearly, and
the drive device is
further configured to linearly move any one of the first cartridge and the
second cartridge.
[0027] The aerosol generating device may further include an
information generator
configured to notify a notification for a change in position of the plurality
of chambers.
[0028] The controller may be further configured to change the relative
position of the
first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge so that a position of one
of the plurality of
chambers is aligned with a position of the delivery hole.
[0029] The controller may be further configured to change the relative
position of the
first cartridge with respect to the second cartridge so that adjacent chambers
of the plurality of
chambers overlap the delivery hole at a same time.
[0030] The aerosol generating device may further include: an aerosol
generating
assembly that includes the first cartridge and the second cartridge that are
integrally coupled,
and a case that may include an accommodation passage that accommodates the
aerosol
generating assembly.
[0031] The aerosol generating assembly may further include a heater
installed in the
first cartridge to heat the first material, and the case further includes an
electric terminal
connected to the heater to supply power.
[0032] The case may further include a heater for heating the first
material supplied from
the second cartridge of the aerosol generating assembly accommodated in the
accommodation
passage.
[Mode for Invention]
[0033] With respect to the terms used to describe the various
embodiments of the
present disclosure, general terms which are currently and widely used are
selected in
consideration of functions of structural elements in the various embodiments
of the present
disclosure. However, the meaning of the terms can be provided according to
intention, a judicial
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Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
precedence, the appearance of a new technology, and the like. In addition, in
certain cases, a
term which is not commonly used can be selected. In such a case, the meaning
of the term will
be described in detail at the corresponding portion in the description of the
present disclosure.
Therefore, the terms used to describe the various embodiments of the present
disclosure should
be defined based on the meaning of the terms and the descriptions provided
herein.
[0034] In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the
word "comprise" and
variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" will be understood to imply the
inclusion of
stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements. In addition, the
terms "-er", "-or",
and "module" described in the specification mean units for processing at least
one function and
operation and can be implemented by hardware components or software components
and
combinations thereof.
[0035] As used herein, expressions such as "at least one of," when
preceding a list of
elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual
elements of the list.
For example, the expression, "at least one of a, b, and c," should be
understood as including
only a, only b, only c, both a and b, both a and c, both b and c, or all of a,
b, and c.
[0036] If one component or layer is mentioned to be "over," "above,"
"connected to," or
"combined with" another component or layer, the one component or layer is
arranged to be over,
above, connected to, or combined with the other component or layer with or
without an
intervening component(s) or layer(s). In contrast, if one component or layer
is mentioned to be
"directly over," "directly above,'' "directly connected to," or "directly
combined with" another
component or layer, there is no additional components or layers between the
components or
layers. In the disclosure, the same reference numbers may indicate the same
components.
[0037] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be
described more fully
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which non-limiting example
embodiments of
the present disclosure are shown such that one of ordinary skill in the art
may easily work the
present disclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure may, however, be
embodied in
many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the
example embodiments
set forth herein.
[0038] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an aerosol generating device
according to an
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Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a separate state of some
components of the
aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and
FIG. 3 is a
longitudinal cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating device according
to the embodiment
shown in FIG. 1.
[0039] The aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in
FIGS. 1 to
3 may supply an aerosol to a user by heating an aerosol generating material
with a heater that
operates by using electricity, an inductive magnetic field, or ultrasonic
waves, and thereby
generating the aerosol.
[0040] Referring to FIG. 3, the aerosol generating device includes a
first cartridge 10
accommodating a first material 12 and including a delivery hole 11 for
delivering an aerosol
generated from the first material 12, and a second cartridge 20 including a
plurality of chambers
21 for accommodating a second material 22 through which the aerosol delivered
from the first
cartridge 10 passes and is discharged to the outside of the aerosol generating
device.
[0041] The first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are
integrated with each other
to form an aerosol generating assembly 5 to be handled as a single component.
[0042] The aerosol generating device may include a case 7 including an
accommodation passage 7a capable of accommodating the aerosol generating
assembly 5.
The case 7 may include a display device 7f for transmitting information to a
user and a display
lamp 7d for transmitting a notification related to an operating state of the
aerosol generating
device to the user, wherein the display device 7f and the display lamp 7d are
arranged on an
outer surface of the case 7. The display device 7f and the display lamp 7d may
be examples of
information generators that may notify various types of notifications to the
user, and an
information generator may be in the form of, for example, a speaker or a
vibration generator.
[0043] In addition, the case 7 may include an input device 95 that may
be manipulated
by the user and generates a user input signal by detecting the user's
manipulation.
[0044] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. I through 3, the case 7 may
have an
approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the aerosol generating
assembly 5 may
have a cylindrical shape that extends long in an axial direction. However,
embodiments of the
present disclosure are not limited to the shapes of the case 7 and the aerosol
generating
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assembly 5 as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3. For example, the case 7 may have
other shapes
such as a cylindrical shape that extends long in the axial direction, a
cylindrical shape having an
elliptical cross-section, a flat cylindrical shape, a regular cube, and a
rectangular parallelepiped.
In addition, the aerosol generating assembly 5 may have other shapes such as a
rectangular
parallelepiped shape a regular cube, and the like.
[0045] The first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may be
coupled to each other
so that the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second
cartridge 20 may be
changed. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, the second cartridge 20
rotates
relative to the first cartridge 10 so that the relative positions of the first
cartridge 10 and the
second cartridge 20 may be changed. The first cartridge 10 may have a
cylindrical shape as a
whole and include a position fixing surface lOs which is at least partially
formed differently from
the extension direction of the cylindrical surface.
[0046] The accommodation passage 7a of the case 7 may be formed as a
hollow
cylindrical path that extends long to accommodate the aerosol generating
assembly 5. A
position maintenance surface 7s may be formed on at least a portion of the
accommodation
passage 7a to be different from the extension direction of the cylindrical
surface of an inner wall
surface of the accommodation passage 7a so as to have a shape corresponding to
the position
fixing surface lOs of the first cartridge 10.
[0047] When the aerosol generating assembly 5 is inserted into the
accommodation
passage 7a of the case 7, the position maintenance surface 7s comes into
contact with the
position fixing surface 10s, and accordingly, the position of the first
cartridge 10 may be stably
maintained with respect to the case 7. That is, when the second cartridge 20
rotates with
respect to the first cartridge 10, the positing fixing surface 10s of the
first cartridge 10 is
supported by the position maintenance surface 7s so that a state in which the
first cartridge 10
does not rotate but is fixed to the case 7, may be stably maintained,
[0048] In addition, when the aerosol generating assembly 5 is inserted
into the
accommodation passage 7a of the case 7, the position maintenance surface 7s
and the position
fixing surface 10s may align the relative position of an axial center of the
aerosol generating
assembly 5 with respect to an axial center of the accommodation passage 7a.
That is, (the
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Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
angular position of) the position fixing surface lOs of the first cartridge 10
and (the angular
position of) the position maintenance surface 7s of the accommodation passage
7a of the
aerosol generating assembly 5 need to correspond to each other so that the
aerosol generating
assembly 5 may be inserted into the accommodation passage 7a of the case 7.
[0049] The case 7 may include an electrical terminal 50d that is arranged
at an end of
the accommodation passage 7a and supplies electricity to the first cartridge
10. When the
aerosol generating assembly 5 is aligned with respect to the accommodation
passage 7a so
that the position fixing surface 10s of the first cartridge 10 and the
position maintenance surface
7s of the accommodation passage 7a of the aerosol generating assembly 5
correspond to each
other, the electrical terminal 50d may be accurately and electrically
connected to the first
cartridge 10.
[0050] Embodiments are not limited by the coupling structure of the
first cartridge 10
and the second cartridge 20, and the first cartridge 10 and the second
cartridge 20 may be
rotatably coupled to each other by using various coupling structures. For
example, the first
cartridge 10 may rotate with respect to the second cartridge 20 in a state in
which the position of
the second cartridge 20 is fixedly maintained at the case 7 by modifying the
structure of the
aerosol generating assembly 5 shown in FIGS. 1 through 3. Alternatively, each
of the first
cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may rotate so that the relative
positions of the first
cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 may be changed,
[0051] The case 7 may include an atomizer 50a that generates the aerosol,
and the first
cartridge 10 may deliver the aerosol that is generated from the atomizer 50a,
to the second
cartridge 20.
[0052] The first cartridge 10 may accommodate the first material 12
therein. The first
material 12 may be, for example, a liquid or gel material. The first material
12 may be
maintained in a liquid state by being impregnated with a porous material such
as a sponge or
cotton inside the first cartridge 10.
[0053] The first material 12 may be a liquid material and may include,
for example, a
tobacco-containing material or a non-tobacco material including a volatile
tobacco flavor
component
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Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
[0054] The first material 12 may include, for example, water, a
solvent, ethanol, plant
extract, spices, flavorings, or a vitamin mixture.
[0055] The spices of the first material 12 may include menthol,
peppermint, spearmint,
and various fruit-flavored ingredients, but are not limited thereto. The
flavorings may include
ingredients capable of providing various flavors or tastes to a user.
[0056] Vitamin mixtures of the first material 12 may be a mixture of
at least one of
vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E, but are not limited thereto.
[0057] Also, the first material 12 may include an aerosol forming
substance, such as
glycerin and propylene glycol.
[0058] The atomizer 50a for generating an aerosol by heating the first
material 12 of the
first cartridge 10 and a controller 70 may be mounted under the accommodation
passage 7a in
the case 7. The controller 70 may include a battery for supplying power to the
atomizer 50a, a
control chip or a control circuit board for controlling an operation of the
atomizer 50a, and so on.
[0059] The atomizer 50a may include a wick 52 that absorbs the first
material 12 from
the first cartridge 10 and holds the first material 12, a heater 51 that is
wound around the wick
52 or is in contact with the wick 52 or is arranged adjacent to the wick 52 to
generate an aerosol
by heating the first material 12, and an aerosol generating chamber 50c that
surrounds the
heater 51 to generate an atmosphere for generating an aerosol.
[0060] The atomizer 50a may generate an aerosol by converting a phase
of an aerosol
generating material into a gaseous phase. The aerosol may refer to a gas in
which vaporized
particles generated from an aerosol generating material are mixed with air.
[0061] The heater 51 may be an electrically resistive heating element
that generates
heat with power supplied from the controller 70. The atomizer 50a includes an
electrically
resistive heating element, but the embodiments are not limited by a
configuration of the
atomizer 50a. The atomizer 50a may also generate an aerosol by, for example,
an ultrasonic
method or an induction heating method.
[0062] The first cartridge 10 may include the delivery hole 11 that
extends in an
extension direction of the first cartridge 10 and delivers an aerosol. The
aerosol generating
chamber 50c may deliver the aerosol generated by the heater 51 to the delivery
hole 11 of the
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Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
first cartridge 10. Accordingly, the aerosol supplied from the aerosol
generating chamber 50c
may be delivered to the second cartridge 20 through the delivery hole 11 of
the first cartridge
10.
[0063] The second cartridge 20 may be disposed to rotate with respect
to the first
cartridge 10 and include a plurality of chambers 21 which are sequentially
positioned along the
rotation direction of the second cartridge 20, and a second material 22, which
is accommodated
in each of the plurality of chambers 21 and through which the aerosol passes.
[0064] The second material 22 may be in a solid state, and may
include, for example, a
powder or a granule which is a collection of small-sized particles.
[0065] The second material 22 may include, for example, a tobacco-
containing material
including a volatile tobacco flavor component, or may include any one
component of additives
such as flavors, a wetting agent, and/or organic acid, a flavored material
such as menthol or a
moisturizer, plant extract, spices, flavorings, and a vitamin mixture, or a
mixture of these
ingredients.
[0066] The spices of the second material 22 may include menthol,
peppermint,
spearmint, and various fruit-flavored ingredients, but are not limited
thereto.
[0067] The spices of the second material 22 may include menthol,
peppermint,
spearmint, and various fruit-flavored ingredients, but are not limited
thereto. The flavorings of
the second material 22 may include ingredients capable of providing various
flavors or tastes to
the user.
[0068] The second cartridge 20 may include a plurality of chambers 21
sequentially
arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a rotation direction of the
second cartridge 20.
The plurality of chambers 21 may be partitioned independently from each other
by a partition
wall.
[0069] FIG, 2 shows three chambers 21, but the embodiments are not limited
in the
number of chambers 21, and the number of chambers 21 may be 2, 4, or more.
[0070] Referring to FIG. 3, the first cartridge 10 may include a
rotation shaft 40
protruding upward. The rotation shaft 40 may protrude from the first cartridge
10 and extend
upward, and the second cartridge 20 may be rotatably coupled to the rotation
shaft 40.
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Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
[0071] A mouthpiece 26 including an outlet 26e for discharging an
aerosol passing
through the second material 22 of at least one of the chambers 21 to the
outside may be
coupled to an upper portion of the second cartridge 20. A top plate 27 that
covers upper end
portions of the chambers 21 may be arranged on the chambers 21. The upper
plate 27 may
include upper through-holes 27p through which an aerosol passes.
[0072] A flow guide 29 may be coupled to an upper end portion of the
rotation shaft 40
protruding from an upper surface of the upper plate 27. The flow guide 29 may
be arranged
inside the mouthpiece 26 to guide a flow of an aerosol passing through the
second material 22
of the plurality of chambers 21 to the outlet 26e of the mouthpiece 26. The
flow guide 29 may
include a plurality of wings corresponding to the plurality of chambers 21,
respectively.
[0073] At least one of the plurality of chambers 21 of the second
cartridge 20 may
correspond to the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 by changing
relative positions of the
first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 in a state in which the first
cartridge 10 and the
second cartridge 20 are coupled to each other. Accordingly, an aerosol
discharged from the
delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10 may pass through the second
material 22
accommodated in the chamber, among the plurality of chambers 21 of the second
cartridge 20,
which corresponds to the delivery hole 11. While the aerosol passes through
the second
material 22, a property of the aerosol may change.
[0074] The aerosol generating device may further include a drive
device 60 for
generating a drive force to move at least one of the first cartridge 10 and
the second cartridge
20. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the drive device 60 includes a motor 61 that is
arranged inside the
case 7 and is operated by an electrical signal and a gear 62 that transfers
the drive force of the
motor 61 to the second cartridge 20. A gear surface 20g may be provided
outside the second
cartridge 20 to extend in a rotation direction of the second cartridge 20.
[0075] When the aerosol generating assembly 5 is mounted on the case 7, the
gear
surface 20g of the second cartridge 20 may be coupled to the gear 62. When an
electrical signal
from the controller 70 is applied to the motor 61 of the drive device 60, a
shaft of the motor 61
rotates, and thereby, a drive force of the motor 61 may be transferred to the
gear surface 20g of
the second cartridge 20. Accordingly, the drive device 60 may rotate the
second cartridge 20
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with respect to the first cartridge 10.
[0076] The embodiments are not limited to the configuration of the
drive device 60
shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and for example, the drive device 60 may be connected
to the first
cartridge 10 to rotate the first cartridge 10. In addition, the gear 62 of the
drive device 60 may be
replaced with various power transmission elements such as a belt, a sprocket,
and the like.
[0077] Here, an operation state that the position of at least one of
the plurality of
chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds to the position of the
delivery hole 11 of
the first cartridge 10, may include all of the state where the position of any
one of the plurality of
chambers 21 corresponds to the position of the delivery hole 11 of the first
cartridge 10 and the
state where the positions of two adjacent chambers 21 of the plurality of
chambers 21
correspond to the position of the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10.
[0078] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the second cartridge 20 includes a
first mark 91
provided on an outer surface thereof. The second cartridge 20 may include the
plurality of
chambers 21 therein, and the first mark 91 of the second cartridge 20 are
formed at positions
corresponding to the respective chambers 21.
[0079] The first cartridge 10 may include a second mark 92 that is
arranged on an outer
surface of the first cartridge 10 and may be used as a reference position for
the first mark 91 of
the second cartridge 20. Accordingly, by matching the first mark 91 of the
second cartridge 20
and the second mark 92 of the first cartridge 10 each other, a position of at
least one of the
plurality of chambers 21 may be aligned with the delivery hole 11 of the first
cartridge 10 for
discharging an aerosol.
[0080] Also, the user may check the positions of the first mark 91 of
the second
cartridge 20 and the second mark 92 of the first cartridge 10 to identify
information of a chamber
(also referred to as "a current usage chamber") through which the aerosol
currently passes,
.. among the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20.
[0081] A signal generator 97 may be disposed between the first
cartridge 10 and the
second cartridge 20, and may indicate a type of the second material 22
included in the chamber
through which the aerosol currently passes, among the plurality of chambers
21, according to
the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20.
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[0082] The signal generator 97 may include a transmitter 97a arranged
in the second
cartridge 20 and a receiver 97b arranged in tho first cartridge 10 to detect
the transmitter 97a.
The embodiments are not limited to arrangements or the number of the
transmitter 97a and the
receiver 97b, and for example, the transmitter 97a may also be arranged in the
first cartridge 10,
and the receiver 97b may also be arranged in the second cartridge 20.
[0083] The transmitter 97a and the receiver 97b of the signal
generator 97 may include,
for example, any one or any combination of an optical sensor such as a photo
coupler, a
magnetic sensor for detecting a magnetic force by using a Hall effect, an
electrical resistance
sensor for detecting a change in electrical resistance.
[0084] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a puff sensor 79p is arranged on a path
along which
an aerosol flows in the case 7. The puff sensor 79p may detect a flow
phenomenon of an
aerosol generated according to the user's aerosol inhalation operation. The
puff sensor 79p
may be connected to the delivery hole 11, for example, to detect fluctuations
in pressure of fluid,
i.e., a fluid including the aerosol flowing through the delivery hole 11 or
flow rate according to
the flow of air, and generate a signal. The puff sensor 79p may be arranged in
a pressure
sensing hole 79s connected to the delivery hole 11.
[0085] When using the aerosol generating device described above, an
aerosol may flow
from the first cartridge 10 to the plurality of chambers 21 of the second
cartridge 20, and then
may pass through the second material 22 accommodated in the plurality of
chambers 21. The
second material 22 may impart flavors to an aerosol. The aerosol that passes
through the
second material 22 and includes sufficient flavors may pass through the upper
through hole 27p
of the upper plate 27 disposed at an upper portion of the chambers 21 and then
may be
discharged to the outside of the aerosol generating device through the
mouthpiece 26.
[0086] When a previously determined condition is achieved, the
controller 70 may
operate the drive device 60, thereby changing the relative positions of the
first cartridge 10 and
the second cartridge 20 so that at least one of the chambers 21 may pass
through the aerosol
delivered from the first cartridge 10. That is, the second material 22
included in the chambers 21
of the second chamber 20 has a pre-set usage time in relation to an operation
of passing the
aerosol, and when an actual usage time used to perform the operation of
passing the aerosol
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Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
through the second material 22 reaches the pre-set usage time, the positions
of the chambers
through which the aerosol passes, need to be changed.
[0087] The controller 70 may change a relative position of the second
cartridge 20 with
respect to the first cartridge 10, thereby selecting another chamber 21 or an
adjacent chamber
21 among the plurality of chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 to allow an
aerosol to pass
therethrough.
[0088] FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a
connection relationship
between some components of the aerosol generating device according to the
embodiment
shown in FIG. 1.
[0089] The controller 70 shown in FIG. 4 may be implemented by any one or
any
combination of a circuit board arranged inside the case 7 shown in FIGS. 1 and
3, a
semiconductor chip attached to the circuit board, software installed on the
semiconductor chip
or the circuit board, a processor, a microprocessor, and a control processing
unit (CPU).
[0090] The controller 70 includes an atomization controller 71 for
controlling the
atomizer 50a to control the amount, a temperature, or so on of aerosols to be
generated; a
sensor controller (including a sensing data receiver) 74 for receiving a
signal from a sensor,
which detects a change in a rotational position of the second cartridge 20 for
the first cartridge
10, such as, a temperature sensor 79/ that detects a temperature associated
with the atomizer,
a puff sensor 79p that detects a change in pressure or speed of air generated
when a user
inhales an aerosol, or a signal generator 97 shown in FIG. 2 detecting the
rotation position of
the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10; an information
controller 75 for
controlling an information generator 96 that provides information a
notification to a user; a user
input receiver 76 for receiving a user input signal from the input device 95,
which is a user input
device, such as, a button, a touch screen, an input button that detects an
input operation of a
user; an input/output controller 73 for exchanging data with a storage (e.g.,
a memory) 78 that
includes or stores information on a type of a first material in the first
cartridge 10 or a second
material in the second cartridge 20, a temperature profile for controlling an
operation
temperature of the atomizer, information on a user, and so on; a medium
determiner 72 for
determining a type of a medium currently being used based on a signal received
from the signal
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Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
generator 97; and a drive controller 77 for controlling an operation of the
drive device 60.
[0091] The controller 70 described above may start or stop an
operation of the atomizer
by detecting an inhalation of a user. In addition, the controller 70 may
determine the type of the
medium currently being used based on the signal received from the signal
generator 97 and
control an operation temperature or an operation time of the atomizer to be
suitable for the type
of medium.
[0092] The controller 70 may operate the drive device 60 when a
previously determined
condition is achieved. The previously determined condition for changing the
relative positions of
the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 as the controller 70
operates the drive device
60 may include a cumulative time of a heating operation in which a heater
generates heat to
generate an aerosol, or a combination of the cumulative time of the heating
operation of the
heater and a heating temperature of the heater.
[0093] When the previously determined condition is achieved, the
controller 70 may first
generate a notification for notifying that relative positions of the first
cartridge 10 and the second
cartridge 20 need to be changed through the information generator 96. When a
user identifies
the notification and operates the input device 95, the controller 70 may
operate the drive device
60 based on an input signal received from the input device 95 to change the
relative positions of
the first cartridge 10 and the second the cartridge 20.
[0094] When the previously determined condition includes a cumulative
time of a
heating operation of a heater, the controller 70 may calculate the amount of
electrical currents
or the amount of power supplied to the heater by the atomization controller 71
or may calculate
the cumulative time of the heating operation of the heater by summing the
amount of times that
the electrical current is supplied to the heater. For example, in a case in
which a time at which
flavors may be imparted to an aerosol while the aerosol passes through the
second material 22
included in one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 is previously
determined as n
minutes, when the cumulative time of the heating operation of the heater
reaches the n minutes,
the controller 70 may determine that use of the chamber through which an
aerosol passes has
to be terminated and change the relative position of the second cartridge 20
with respect to the
first cartridge 10, and thus, it is possible to select a new chamber for
passing the aerosol
-16-
Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
therethrough from among the chambers 21.
[0095] The heating operation of the heater may include a main heating
operation of
generating heat at a temperature sufficient to vaporize the first material of
the first cartridge 10,
and a preliminary heating operation of generating heat in a temperature range
lower than a
temperature range corresponding to the main heating operation. The heating
operation of the
heater included in the previously determined condition for the controller 70
to operate the drive
device 60 may be the main heating operation.
[0096] When the previously determined condition includes a combination
of the
cumulative time of the heating operation of the heater and the heating
temperature of the heater,
.. the previously determined conditions may be more useful when the heating
operation of the
heater includes the main heating operation and the preliminary heating
operation. For example,
in a case in which a time during which the second material 22 included in one
of the chambers
21 can pass an aerosol therethrough and impart flavors to the aerosol is
previously determined
as n minutes, the controller 70 may calculate a cumulative time of the heating
operation of the
heater only when the heating temperature of the heater reaches a temperature
corresponding to
the main heating operation.
[0097] The previously determined condition for the controller 70 to
operate the drive
device 60 to change relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the
second cartridge 20 may
include any one or any combination of the number of puff operations determined
based on a
signal detected by the puff sensor 79p and the cumulative times of the puff
operations. When an
intensity of the signal detected by the puff sensor 79p exceeds a previously
determined
threshold, the controller 70 may determine that an effective inhalation
operation has been
performed by a user, thereby calculating the number of puff operations.
[0098] When the previously determined condition includes the number of
puff operations,
the controller 70 may calculate the number of puff operations performed for
the chamber
through which an aerosol currently passes, among the chambers 21 of the second
cartridge 20,
based on the signal generated from the puff sensor 79p. In this case, the
controller 70 may
simply calculate the number of puff operations based on the signal of the puff
sensor 79p by
ignoring the cumulative time of the puff operations in which a user
continuously performs an
-17-
Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
inhalation operation of inhaling an aerosol.
[0099] For example, in a case in which the number of puff operations
in which flavor is
imparted to an aerosol while the aerosol passes through the second material 22
included in one
of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 is previously determined as m,
when the number
of puff operations reaches m, the controller 70 may determine that use of the
chamber for
passing the aerosol therethrough has to be terminated and change the relative
position of the
second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10, and thus, it is
possible to select a new
chamber through which the aerosol passes from among the chambers 21.
[0100] The controller 70 may determine a position changing time of the
second cartridge
20 for selecting a new chamber based on the use environment of the aerosol
generating device
or an inhalation habit of a user. To this end, a previously determined
condition may include a
cumulative time of the puff operations or a combination of the number of puff
operations and the
cumulative time of the puff operations.
[0101] The operation when the previously determined condition includes the
combination of the
number of puff operations and the cumulative time of the puff operations may
be as follows. For
example, in a case in which the number of puff operations that impart flavors
to an aerosol thal
passes through the second material 22 of a current usage chamber (among the
plurality of the
chambers 21), is set to m, and the cumulative time of the puff operations is
set to p minutes, as
the previously determined condition for selecting a new chamber, the
controller 70 may
determine to stop using the current usage chamber, when both a first condition
that the number
of puff operations reaches m times and a second condition that the cumulative
time of puff
operations reaches p minutes are satisfied. Accordingly, even when the number
of puff
operations reaches m times based on a signal from the puff sensor 79p, when
the cumulative
time of the puff operations does not reach the p minutes, the controller 70
may maintain the
position of the chamber through which an aerosol currently passes until the
cumulative time of
the puff operations reaches the p minutes, and thereby, the number of puff
operations may
reach (m-1.x) times. As a new way of changing the operation conditions, even
when only one of
the condition for the number of puff operations to reach m and the condition
for the cumulative
time of puff operation to reach the P minutes are satisfied, it may be
determined that the
-18-
Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
controller 70 should terminate the use of the chamber through which an aerosol
currently
passes.
[0102] A previously determined condition for the controller 70 to
operate the drive device
60 to change relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second
cartridge 20 may include
a usage time determined based on an input signal generated when the input
device 95 receives
an input of a user.
[0103] If the previously determined condition includes the usage time
determined based
on the input signal of the input device 95, the previously determined
condition may be more
useful when the user may directly start an operation of a heater. For example,
according to the
aerosol generating device, when a user operates the input device 95 for the
purpose of
satisfying a user's taste or improving convenience, a heater of the atomizer
may not perform a
separate preheating operation but the heater may be immediately activated, and
thus, a function
of performing the main heating operation at high speed may be provided. In
this case, the
previously determined condition includes a usage time determined based on an
input signal of
.. the input device 95, and when the usage time when the atomizer operates
according to a user's
operation reaches the previously determined reference usage time, the
controller 70 may
determine to terminate the use of the current usage chamber and change
relative position of the
second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10, and thereby, a new
chamber through
which an aerosol passes may be selected from among the chambers 21.
[0104] The previously determined 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 any one or any combination of the number of puff operations
determined based on
a signal detected by the puff sensor 79p and the cumulative time of the puff
operations. When
an intensity of the signal detected by the puff sensor 79p exceeds a
previously determined
threshold, the controller 70 may determine that an effective inhalation
operation is performed by
a user, thereby calculating the number of puff operations.
[0105] In the above description, characters such as m, n, p, and x
which indicate a time
or number of times may refer to integers, real numbers, or a length of time.
[0106] The previously determined condition for the controller 70 to
operate the drive
-19-
Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
device 60 to change the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the
second cartridge 20
may include a selection condition that at least one of the chambers 21 is
selected to be used,
based on an input signal generated when the input device 95 receives an input
of a user.
[0107] The chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 may contain the
second material 22
having different types of media or different particle sizes, and the
controller 70 causes the
display lamp 7d to emit light, change a luminous color, or display information
on the display
device 7f, thereby providing information on the second material 22 included in
the chamber
currently aligned in the delivery hole 11 of the first cartridge 10, among the
plurality of chambers
21 of the second cartridge 20.
[0108] When a user operates the input device 95 and selects a desired
chamber from
among the chambers 21, the controller 70 may determine that the selection
condition for a user
to select at least one of the chambers 21 is satisfied based on an input
signal from the input
device 95, thereby changing the relative positions of the first cartridge 10
and the second
cartridge 20.
[0109] When using the aerosol generating device described above, a user
rotates the
second cartridge 20 relative to the first cartridge 10 before mounting the
aerosol generating
assembly 5 on the case 7 so that at least one of the chambers 21 of the second
cartridge 20 is
placed at a position corresponding to the delivery hole 11 of the first
cartridge 10, and thus, a
rotational position of the second cartridge 20 may be adjusted. After
adjusting the relative
positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20, the user may
be able to mount
the aerosol generating assembly 5 on the case 7.
[0110] It is possible to modify this operating method. In another
embodiment, the user
may be allowed to mount the aerosol generating assembly 5 on the case 7
without needing to
adjust the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the second
cartridge 20. For example,
the drive device 60 built in the case 7 automatically rotates the second
cartridge 20 to
automatically adjust the relative positions of the first cartridge 10 and the
second cartridge 20 to
an initial position for generating an aerosol. The 'initial position' may be a
position at which a
position of any one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 corresponds
to a position of
the delivery hole 11.
-20-
Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
[0111] in a state in which a position of at least one of the chambers
21 of the second
cartridge 20 corresponds to the position of the delivery hole 11 of the first
cartridge 10, a user
may inhale an aerosol through the mouthpiece 26.
[0112] The aerosol generating assembly 5 of the aerosol generating
device may be
handled as a single device in which the first cartridge 10 for accommodating
the first material 12
and the second cartridge 20 for accommodating the second material 22 are
integrated with each
other, thereby being easily carried and used.
[0113] In addition, even if the first cartridge 10 of the aerosol
generating device is
designed to include a large amount of the first material 12, the second
cartridge 20 may be
automatically rotated by the drive device 60 to select the chambers 21 to be
used for supplying
an aerosol, and thus, it is possible to obtain an effect of replacing the
second material 22 with a
new material without replacing the second cartridge including the second
material 22.
[0114] In addition, the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 may
include different
types of second materials 22. For example, even when the chambers 21 includes
the second
material 22 having different particle sizes or different flavor properties,
the controller 70 may
identify an usage chamber, among the chambers 21, currently in use to pass the
aerosol by
being aligned to correspond to the delivery hole 11 based on a signal
generated by the signal
generator 97. Because information on the usage chamber identified by the
controller 70 and
information on the second material 22 included in the usage chamber may be
provided to a user,
the user may select a desired second material 22 by selecting one of the
chambers 21, thereby
freely enjoying aerosols with various flavors.
[0115] FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing some
components of an
aerosol generating device according to another embodiment.
[0116] In the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment
shown in FIG. 5,
an aerosol generating assembly 5 may include a first cartridge 10 and a second
cartridge 20
rotatably coupled to the first cartridge 10. A drive device 60 may be
installed in the first cartridge
10, and as the drive device 60 rotates the second cartridge 20, a relative
position of the second
cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 may be changed.
[0117] The first cartridge 10 may include a plurality of reservoirs
partitioned to
-21-
Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
accommodate the first materials 12, respectively, and a plurality of delivery
holes 11 arranged to
correspond to the plurality of reservoirs. In the aerosol generating device
according to the
embodiment shown in FIG. 5, although the first cartridge 10 includes two
reservoirs and two
delivery holes 11, embodiments are not limited to the configuration of the
first cartridge 10, and
the number of reservoirs and the number of delivery holes 11 may be variously
changed.
[0118] Aerosols generated when the first materials 12 accommodated in
the plurality of
reservoirs may be delivered to the second cartridge 20 through the plurality
of delivery holes 11
of the first cartridge 10. When an aerosol is generated in the first cartridge
10, the first materials
12 of all the reservoirs of the first cartridge 10 may be vaporized at the
same time, and if
necessary, the first material 12 accommodated in only one of the plurality of
reservoirs may be
vaporized or a part of the plurality of reservoirs may be vaporized.
[0119] The second cartridge 20 may include a plurality of chambers 21
for
accommodating the second material 22 through which the aerosol delivered from
the first
cartridge 10 passes and is discharged to the outside. The first cartridge 10
and the second
cartridge 20 may be integrated with each other and integrally coupled to each
other to be
handled as one part, thereby forming the aerosol generating assembly 5.
[0120] FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing an
operation state of the
aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5.
[0121] The second cartridge 20 may be rotated by a drive device so
that the relative
position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 may
be changed. As
shown in FIG. 6, a rotational position of the second cartridge 20 with respect
to the first cartridge
10 may be aligned so that a position of one of the chambers 21 of the second
cartridge 20 may
correspond to a position of one of the delivery holes 11. In the aligned state
shown in FIG. 6,
one of the chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 may pass an aerosol
delivered from one of
the delivery holes 11 of the first cartridge 10 therethrough, thereby changing
characteristics of
an aerosol.
[0122] FIG. 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing another
operation state of
the aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5.
[0123] When the relative position of the second cartridge 20 with
respect to the first
-22-
Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
cartridge 10 is changed by rotating the second cartridge 20 with the drive
device, the rotational
position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first cartridge 10 may
be aligned so that
positions of the adjacent chambers 21 may correspond to the position of one of
the delivery
holes 11 as shown in FIG. 7,
[0124] In FIG. 7, each of two adjacent chambers 21 of the second cartridge
20 may be
arranged to overlap a region corresponding to half of one of the delivery
holes 11. The
embodiments are not limited to the alignment position of the second cartridge
20, and a
rotational position of the second cartridge 20 with respect to the first
cartridge 10 may be
aligned so that areas in which two adjacent chambers 21 overlap the delivery
holes 11 may be
different from each other.
[0125] For example, when a life span associated with a function of
passing an aerosol
through the second material 22 contained in one of the two adjacent chambers
21 reaches 20 %,
one of the two adjacent chambers 21 may be arranged to overlap an area
corresponding to
approximately 80 % of the delivery hole 11, and the other of the two adjacent
chambers 21 may
be arranged to overlap an area corresponding to approximately 20 % of the
delivery hole 11.
[0126] For example, when a life span associated with a function of
passing an aerosol
through the second material 22 contained in one of the two adjacent chambers
21 reaches 60 %,
one of the two adjacent chambers 21 may be arranged to overlap an area
corresponding to
approximately 40 % of the delivery hole 11, and the other of the two adjacent
chambers 21 may
be arranged to overlap an area corresponding to approximately 60 % of the
delivery hole 11.
[0127] in addition, when a life span associated with a function of
passing an aerosol
through the second material 22 contained in one of the two adjacent chambers
21 reaches 80 %,
one the two adjacent chambers 21 may be arranged to overlap an area
corresponding to
approximately 20 % of the delivery hole 11, and the other of the two adjacent
chambers 21 may
be arranged to overlap an area corresponding to approximately 80 % of the
delivery hole 11.
[0128] As described above, the life span associated with the function
of passing
aerosols through the second materials 22 contained in the chambers 21 may be
considered to
determine a previously determined condition used to change the relative
positions of the first
cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 by using the controller.
-23-
Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
[0129] In addition, as described above, when the second cartridge 20
is rotated based
on the life span of the second material 22 of the chambers 21 to change the
area where the
adjacent chambers 21 overlap the delivery holes 11, the second cartridge 20
may be
intermittently moved according to a change of time or the second cartridge 20
may be
continuously moved according to a change of time.
[0130] As shown in Ha 7, according to a method in which a position is
changed so that
the adjacent chambers 21 of the second cartridge 20 overlap one of the
delivery holes 11, while
the second cartridge 20 rotates about the first cartridge 10, the first
cartridge 10 generates an
aerosol and continuously maintain an operation of allowing the aerosol to flow
without stopping
the operation of delivering the aerosol to the second cartridge 10.
[0131] In addition, by changing the relative positions of the first
cartridge 10 and the
second cartridge 20, a chamber through which an aerosol passes may be
sequentially selected
from among the plurality of chambers 21. When the second cartridge 20 rotates
by selecting a
chamber through which the aerosol passes from among the plurality of chambers
21, the
position of the previous chamber through which the aerosol currently passes
may not
immediately depart from the delivery hole 11, and an operation of passing the
aerosol through
the previous chamber and a subsequent chamber simultaneously, which are
subsequently
aligned with the position of the delivery hole 11 due to the rotational motion
of the second
cartridge 20 may be performed.
[0132] According to this operation method, while the relative positions of
the first
cartridge 10 and the second cartridge 20 are changed, characteristics such as
a temperature,
humidity, and flavor of an aerosol delivered to a user are not rapidly
changed, and thus, the
aerosol may be supplied steadily and stably.
[0133] In addition, when the plurality of chambers 21 of the second
cartridge 20 include
the second materials 22 with different characteristics, the aerosol may pass
through the
adjacent chambers so that the characteristics such as ingredients and flavors
of the aerosol
may be changed so that various types of aerosols may be provided to the user.
[0134] FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing some
components of an
aerosol generating device according to another embodiment.
-24-
Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
[0135] The aerosol generating device according to the embodiment shown
in FIG. 8
includes a first cartridge 10 that includes reservoirs 10a and 10b each being
independently
partitioned to accommodate a first material, a second cartridge 20 coupled to
the first cartridge
to be movable linearly or laterally, and a drive device 60 that linearly or
laterally moves the
5 second cartridge 20.
[0136] The first cartridge 10 may include passages 1 1 p and 11q for
delivering an
aerosol generated by being vaporized from the first material accommodated in
each of the
reservoirs 10a and 10b and delivery holes 11 formed in an end of each of the
passages 11p and
11q.
10 [0137] The first cartridge 10 may include a linear guide lot
that surrounds upper
portions of the delivery holes 11 and extends linearly, and the second
cartridge 20 may include
a rail 201 slidably coupled to the linear guide 10t. The second cartridge 20
may move linearly in
an extension direction of the linear guide 10t of the first cartridge 10. The
second cartridge 20
may include a main body 20t that is plate-shaped and that extends long along
the extension
direction of the linear guide 10t, and a plurality of chambers 20a, 20b, and
20c which are
sequentially arranged to be spaced apart along the extension direction of the
main body 20t.
[0138] In FIG. 8, two reservoirs 10a and 10b are arranged, and three
chambers 20a,
20b, and 20c are arranged. However, the number of reservoirs and the number of
chambers
may be variously changed.
[0139] The aerosol generating device may include a drive device 60 that
generates a
drive force to move at least one of the first cartridge 10 and the second
cartridge 20. The drive
device 60 may include a motor 61 operated by an electrical signal and a gear
62 that transmits
the drive force of the motor 61 to the second cartridge 20. A gear surface 20g
may be provided
on one side of the main body 20t of the second cartridge 20.
[0140] In FIG. 8, although the drive device 60 is illustrated as an
electric motor that
generates a rotational force for rotating the gear 62, the embodiments are not
limited by a type
of the drive device 60. For example, the drive device 60 may include a
permanent magnet
linearly arranged, a linear motor positioned to correspond to the permanent
magnet and
including an electromagnet having an electric coil, or a cylinder using the
pressure of a fluid.
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Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
[0141] As the second cartridge 20 moves linearly, a position of any
one of the chambers
20a, 20b, and 20c of the second cartridge 20 may be aligned to correspond to a
position of any
one of the delivery holes 11. In addition, the position of one group among the
chambers 20a,
20b, and 20c of the second cartridge 20 may be aligned to correspond to a
position of one of
the two delivery holes 11, and at the same time, the position of another group
among the
chambers 20a, 20b, and 20c may be aligned to correspond to the position of the
other one of
the two delivery holes 11.
[0142] FIG. 9 is a flowchart schematically showing a method of
generating an aerosol
performed by the aerosol generating device according to the embodiments shown
in FIGS. 1 to
8.
[0143] The method of generating an aerosol according to the embodiment
shown in FIG.
9 includes operation S100 of detecting an inhalation of a user, operation S110
of determining
that the inhalation is detected and starting an aerosol supply operation, and
operation S120 of
detecting a rotational position of a second cartridge with respect to a first
cartridge, operation
S130 of determining whether or not a signal of the detected rotational
position of the second
cartridge is normal (e.g., whether the amplitude of the signal or the signal-
to-noise ratio (SNR)
of the signal of the detected rotation position of the second cartridge is
greater than a preset
threshold value), operation S131 of adjusting the rotational position of the
second cartridge
when the signal of the rotational position is not normal, operation S140 of
determining a type of
a medium currently used for supplying an aerosol based on the signal of the
rotational position
of the second cartridge (e.g. a type of a second material) when the signal of
the rotational
position of the second cartridge is normal, operation 5150 of determining at
least one of a target
temperature for an operation of an atomizer and a heating profile for
controlling a heating
operation of the atomizer, based on the determined type of medium, operation
S160 of
operating the atomizer based on the target temperature or the heating profile,
operation S170 of
detecting a current temperature and comparing the detected temperature with
the target
temperature, operation S180 of determining whether or not a previously
determined condition is
achieved, and when the condition is achieved, operation S190 of changing
relative positions of
the first cartridge and the second cartridge.
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Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
[0144] The previously determined condition for changing the relative
positions of the first
cartridge and the second cartridge may include a cumulative time of a heating
operation that a
heater generates heat to generate an aerosol, or a combination of the
cumulative time of the
heating operation of the heater and a heating temperature of the heater.
[0145] Alternatively, the previously determined condition for changing the
relative
positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge may include any one
or any combination
of the number of puff operations determined based on a signal detected by a
puff sensor and a
cumulative time of a puff operation.
[0146] Alternatively, the previously determined condition for changing
the relative
positions of the first cartridge and the second cartridge may include a usage
time determined
based on an input signal generated when an input device receives an input of a
user.
[0147] in operation S190 of changing the relative positions of the
first cartridge and the
second cartridge, an usage chamber, among the chambers of the second
cartridge, through
which the aerosol currently passes may be replaced so that the position of a
subsequent
.. chamber may be changed into a position corresponding to a delivery hole of
the first cartridge.
Operation S190 of changing the relative positions of the first cartridge and
the second cartridge
may be automatically performed by a drive device operated by a controller.
[0148] Operation S190 of changing the relative positions of the first
cartridge and the
second cartridge may include an operation of notifying a user of needs to
change positions of
chambers when the previously determined condition is achieved, an operation of
receiving an
input signal which is generated when the user operates an input device, and an
operation of
changing a position of at least one of the first cartridge and the second
cartridge by operating
the drive device based on the received input operation.
[0149] When the relative positions of the first cartridge and the
second cartridge are
changed, the usage chamber immediately depart from the position corresponding
to the delivery
hole, and the subsequent chamber may be aligned with the delivery hole, and
then an aerosol
may pass through the subsequent chamber as a new usage chamber, or the usage
chamber
and the subsequent chamber may perform an operation of passing the aerosol
temporarily
together, and as time passes, only the subsequent chamber may perform the
operation of
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Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
passing the aerosol as the new usage chamber.
[0150] After operation S190 of changing the relative positions of the
first cartridge and
the second cartridge, the process may return to operation S100 of detecting an
inhalation of a
user, and the above-described operations may be repeatedly performed.
[0151] Even when a first cartridge of an aerosol generating device is
designed to
accommodate a large amount of a first material, a second cartridge may be
automatically
rotated by a drive device to select chambers used for supplying an aerosol,
and thus, it is
possible to obtain an effect of replacing a second material with a new second
material without
replacing the second cartridge including the second material.
[0152] in addition, chambers of the second cartridge may include different
types of the
second materials so that a user may select one of the chambers to select a
desired second
material, and thus, the user may freely enjoy aerosols with various flavors.
[0153] Those of ordinary skill in the art related to the present
embodiments may
understand that various changes in form and details can be made therein
without departing from
the scope of the characteristics of the present disclosure. The disclosed
methods should be
considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
[Industrial Applicability]
[0154] The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an aerosol
generating
device which may be conveniently carried and used because the relative
positions of a first
cartridge and a second cartridge are automatically adjusted.
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Date Regue/Date Received 2021-11-23
