KR-20260066446-A - METHOD OF CONTROLLING HEATER AND AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE PERFORMING THE METHOD

KR20260066446AKR 20260066446 AKR20260066446 AKR 20260066446AKR-20260066446-A

Abstract

A heater control method performed by an aerosol generating device may include: determining an average usage time value for an aerosol generating substance based on a puff record of the aerosol generating device; obtaining a first start command indicating the start of a first puff; determining a remaining usage time value for an aerosol generating substance based on a first cumulative usage time value for the aerosol generating substance; determining whether the remaining usage time value exceeds the average usage time value; nullifying the first start command if the remaining usage time value does not exceed the average usage time value; and controlling a heater based on the first cumulative usage time value if the remaining usage time value exceeds the average usage time value.

Inventors

조병성
김상준
박상규
이재민
정세환

Assignees

주식회사 케이티앤지

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20241104

Claims (15)

In a heater control method performed by an aerosol generating device, The operation of determining an average usage time value for an aerosol generating substance based on the puff record of the aerosol generating device; An action of obtaining a first initiation command indicating the start of the first puff; The operation of determining a remaining usage time value for the aerosol generating substance based on a first cumulative usage time value for the aerosol generating substance; An operation to determine whether the above remaining usage time value exceeds the above average usage time value; If the above remaining usage time value does not exceed the above average usage time value, an operation to invalidate the above first start command; and When the above remaining usage time value exceeds the above average usage time value, the operation of controlling the heater based on the above first accumulated usage time value including, Heater control method.
In paragraph 1, When the above remaining usage time value exceeds the above average usage time value, the operation of controlling the heater based on the above first accumulated usage time value is, An operation to control the power supplied to the heater to heat the aerosol generating material based on a first power profile set to correspond to a first atomization mode; An operation to determine the first puff time during which the first puff is performed; The operation of calculating a first weighted usage time value for the aerosol generating substance based on the first atomization mode and the first puff time; The operation of calculating a second cumulative usage time value for the aerosol generating substance based on a first cumulative usage time value and the first weighted usage time value; and Operation of controlling the heater based on the second accumulated usage time value above including, Heater control method.
In paragraph 2, The operation of calculating the first weighted usage time value for the aerosol generating substance is, When the first puff time corresponds to a first section among a plurality of preset sections, the operation of determining a value obtained by multiplying a first time corresponding to the first section among the first puff times by a first weighting factor as a first partial weighted usage time value corresponding to the first section - the first weighting factor is set corresponding to the first section and the first atomization mode -; When the first puff time corresponds to the second section among the plurality of preset sections, the operation of determining the value obtained by multiplying the second time corresponding to the second section among the first puff times by a second weighting factor as the second partial weighted usage time value corresponding to the second section - the second weighting factor is set corresponding to the second section and the first atomization mode -; and The operation of calculating the first weighted usage time value based on the first partial weighted usage time value and the second partial weighted usage time value. including, Heater control method.
In paragraph 1, If the above remaining usage time value does not exceed the above average usage time value, the operation of outputting a notification indicating that the above aerosol generating material has been depleted. including more, Heater control method.
In paragraph 1, Operation of determining a first atomization mode among a plurality of atomization modes based on the user's mode selection input. including more, Heater control method.
In paragraph 5, Operation of determining a puff pattern corresponding to the first puff based on the puff record of the aerosol generating device. Includes more, The operation of determining the first atomization mode among the plurality of atomization modes is, Operation of determining the first atomization mode among the plurality of atomization modes based on the user's mode selection input and at least one of the puff patterns. including, Heater control method.
In paragraph 5, The operation of determining the average usage time value for the aerosol generating substance is, Operation of determining a plurality of average usage time values corresponding to each of the above plurality of atomization modes Includes, The operation of determining whether the above remaining usage time value exceeds the above average usage time value is, Operation of determining whether the above remaining usage time value exceeds the first average usage time value corresponding to the first atomization mode among the plurality of average usage time values. including, Heater control method.
In paragraph 2, The operation of controlling the heater based on the second accumulated usage time value is, The operation of updating the average usage time value for the aerosol generating substance based on the first weighted usage time value; An action of obtaining a second initiation command indicating the start of the second puff; An operation to update the remaining usage time value based on the second accumulated usage time value; and If the above remaining usage time value does not exceed the above average usage time value, an operation to invalidate the above second start command including, Heater control method.
In paragraph 2, The operation of determining the first puff time during which the first puff is performed is, The operation of obtaining a first termination command indicating the termination of the first puff; and An operation to determine the difference between the first time point at which the first start command is obtained and the second time point at which the first end command is obtained as the first puff time. including, Heater control method.
In paragraph 1, The operation of obtaining the first initiation command indicating the start of the first puff is, The operation of measuring the pressure of the airflow path through which gas flows in the aerosol generating device using a pressure sensor; and Operation of obtaining the first initiation command based on the value of the pressure of the measured airflow path. including, Heater control method.
In paragraph 2, Operation to determine the resistance of the above heater Includes more, The operation of controlling the power supplied to the heater to heat the aerosol generating material is, Operation of adjusting the duty cycle of a signal provided to the heater based on the first power profile and the resistance of the heater. including, Heater control method.
In Paragraph 10, Operation of determining the magnitude of the voltage supplied from the power source of the above aerosol generating device Includes more, The operation of adjusting the duty ratio of the signal provided to the heater based on the first power profile and the resistance of the heater is, Operation of adjusting the duty ratio of the signal provided to the heater based on the first power profile, the resistance of the heater, and the magnitude of the voltage supplied from the power source. including, Heater control method.
In paragraph 1, The above aerosol generating material comprises a liquid composition, Heater control method.
A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing the method according to paragraph 1.
In an aerosol generating device, A control unit that controls the operation of the above-mentioned aerosol generating device; A sensor unit that generates measurement data corresponding to the puff record of the aerosol generating device; A power source that supplies power to the above control unit; and Heater that heats aerosol-generating materials Includes, The above control unit is, Based on the above puff record, determine the average usage time value for the aerosol generating substance, and Based on the above measurement data, a first initiation command indicating the start of the first puff is obtained, and Determining a remaining usage time value for the aerosol generating substance based on a first cumulative usage time value for the aerosol generating substance, and Determining whether the above remaining usage time value exceeds the above average usage time value, and If the above remaining usage time value does not exceed the above average usage time value, the above first initiation command is invalidated, and If the above remaining usage time value exceeds the above average usage time value, the heater is controlled based on the above first accumulated usage time value. Aerosol generating device.

Description

Method of controlling a heater and aerosol generating device performing the method The following embodiments relate to a technology for controlling an aerosol generating device, and in particular, to a technology for controlling a heater that heats an aerosol generating material in an aerosol generating device. Recently, the demand for electronic cigarette devices has been gradually increasing. Furthermore, as this demand grows, features related to electronic cigarette devices are being continuously developed. In particular, features tailored to the types and characteristics of electronic cigarette devices are being continuously developed. Generally, an electronic cigarette device utilizing an aerosol generating material comprising a liquid composition can generate an aerosol by heating the aerosol generating material through a heater in response to a user's smoking. If the heater continues to heat up even after the aerosol generating material of the electronic cigarette device has been completely depleted, the electronic cigarette device may provide the user with an unpleasant smoking experience or pose a risk due to damage to the device. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 illustrates an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 illustrates an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a heater according to one embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for obtaining a first initiation command according to one example. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for determining a first atomization mode based on a user's mode selection input, according to one example. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for determining a first atomization mode based on a puff pattern according to one example. Figure 8 is a flowchart of a method for determining multiple average usage time values according to one example. Figure 9 is a flowchart of a method for outputting a notification indicating that an aerosol generating substance has been depleted, according to one example. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a heater based on a first accumulated usage time value according to one example. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method for controlling power supplied to a heater according to one example. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a method for determining a first puff time according to one example. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method for calculating a first weighted time value for an aerosol generating substance according to one example. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a heater based on a second accumulated usage time value after a second start command is obtained, according to one example. Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Identical or similar components are assigned the same reference numeral regardless of the drawing symbols, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. In relation to the description of the drawings, similar drawing symbols may be used for similar or related components. The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are assigned or used interchangeably solely for the sake of ease of drafting the specification, and do not inherently possess distinct meanings or roles. Meanwhile, the suffixes "module" or "unit" may include units implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. "Module" or "unit" may be a component formed as a whole, or the smallest unit of said component or a part thereof that performs one or more functions. For example, "module" or "unit" may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In addition, when describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of related prior art may obscure the essence of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, such detailed description is omitted. Furthermore, the attached drawings are intended only to facilitate understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical concept disclosed in this specification is not limited by the attached drawings; it should be understood that the drawings include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the concept and technical scope of this disclosure. Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components are not limited by said terms. These terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, there may also b