US-20260123688-A1 - AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE HAVING PREHEATING PROFILE

US20260123688A1US 20260123688 A1US20260123688 A1US 20260123688A1US-20260123688-A1

Abstract

An aerosol-generating device may include a heater configured to heat an aerosol-generating article, a power source for supplying power to the heater, and a controller configured to control power supplied from the power source to the heater so that the temperature of the heater is controlled based on a temperature profile. The temperature profile may include a preheating profile and a smoking profile. The preheating profile may include a first period in which the temperature of the heater rises to a first temperature, a second period in which the temperature of the heater drops to a second temperature lower than the first temperature, and a third period in which the temperature of the heater rises again to a third temperature higher than the second temperature.

Inventors

Yong Hwan Kim
Wang Seop LIM
Seok Su JANG
Young Bum KWON
Dong Sung Kim
Hwi Kyeong AN

Assignees

KT&G CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20240708
Priority Date: 20230714

Claims (15)

1 . An aerosol-generating device comprising: a heater configured to heat an aerosol-generating article; a power source for supplying power to the heater; and a controller configured to control power supplied from the power source to the heater so that a temperature of the heater is controlled based on a temperature profile, wherein the temperature profile comprises a preheating profile and a smoking profile, and the preheating profile comprises a first period in which the temperature of the heater rises to a first temperature, a second period in which the temperature of the heater drops to a second temperature lower than the first temperature, and a third period in which the temperature of the heater rises again to a third temperature higher than the second temperature.
2 . The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the first temperature corresponds to a range value in which a certain margin is applied to a target temperature, and the controller is configured to variably determine the second temperature and the third temperature based on a temperature that the heater actually reaches in the first period.
3 . The aerosol-generating device of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to, determine the second temperature as a temperature obtained by subtracting a first value from the temperature that the heater actually reaches in the first period, and determine the third temperature as a temperature obtained by adding a second value to the second temperature.
4 . The aerosol-generating device of claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to increase the first value and the second value when the temperature of the heater does not reach the first temperature within a first preset time in the first period.
5 . The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the second temperature corresponds to a temperature at which no aerosol is generated from the aerosol-generating article.
6 . The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the second temperature is a temperature lower than all target temperatures set by the smoking profile which starts when the preheating profile ends.
7 . The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to rise the temperature of the heater by using a proportional integral derivative (PID) control in the first period and the third period, and drop the temperature of the heater by cutting off the power supplied from the power source to the heater in the second period.
8 . The aerosol-generating device of claim 7 , further comprising: a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the heater, wherein the controller is configured to determine a control parameter according to the PID control based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor, and the control parameter includes a duty ratio of a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal for driving the heater.
9 . The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the third period further includes a temperature drop period in which the temperature of the heater drops back to a fourth temperature after reaching the third temperature, and a temperature maintenance period in which the temperature of the heater is maintained at the fourth temperature.
10 . The aerosol-generating device of claim 9 , wherein a target temperature of the temperature maintenance period is fixed regardless of the temperature that the heater actually reaches in the first period.
11 . The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to cut off the power supplied from the power source to the heater when the temperature of the heater does not reach a temperature lower limit by a first preset time in the first period or when the temperature of the heater reaches the first temperature within a second preset time in the first period.
12 . The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , further comprising: an output unit configured to output information about a state of the aerosol-generating device, wherein the controller is configured to control the output unit to notify an occurrence of an error state when the temperature of the heater does not drop to the second temperature by a third preset time in the second period.
13 . The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , further comprising: a button for receiving a user input or a sensor for identifying a type of the aerosol-generating article, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the first temperature based on a signal received from the button or the sensor.
14 . The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , further comprising: an insertion detection sensor for detecting insertion and/or removal of the aerosol-generating article, wherein the controller is configured to start a heating operation of the heater according to the temperature profile when the insertion of the aerosol-generating article is detected by the insertion detection sensor.
15 . The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , further comprising: an induction coil surrounding the heater, wherein the heater includes a susceptor generating heat by a magnetic field generated by the induction coil.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosure relates to an aerosol-generating device having a preheating profile. BACKGROUND ART There is an increasing demand for aerosol generating devices that generate aerosols via non-combustion methods instead of methods of generating aerosols by burning cigarettes. Aerosol generating devices refer to, for example, devices that perform functions of generating aerosols from aerosol generating materials in a non-combustion method and providing the aerosols to users or generating aerosols having flavors by passing a vapor generated from aerosol generating materials through flavor media. Generating aerosols by heating solid aerosol-generating materials such as cigarettes may require more heat energy than generating aerosols by heating liquid aerosol-generating materials. Therefore, in aerosol-generating devices generating aerosols by heating solid aerosol-generating materials, it is common to preheat aerosol-generating articles at a high temperature prior to smoking in order to transfer a sufficient amount of aerosols from the beginning of smoking. However, when a larger amount of aerosols than necessary is transferred at the beginning of smoking due to excessive preheating, the continuity of aerosol transfer may not be maintained at the end of smoking. Therefore, a preheating technique capable of maintaining the aerosol transfer amount as uniform as possible throughout the entire smoking process may be required. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an aerosol-generating device having a preheating profile. When a preheating profile includes only a temperature rising period, as a larger amount of aerosols than necessary is transferred at the beginning of smoking, the continuity of aerosol transfer may not be maintained at the end of smoking. Various embodiments provide an aerosol-generating device having a preheating profile capable of maintaining the aerosol transfer amount as uniform as possible throughout the entire smoking process. Problems to be solved through embodiments of the disclosure are not limited to the above-described problems, and problems not mentioned may be clearly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments belong from the description and accompanying drawings. Solution to Problem According to an embodiment, an aerosol-generating device may include a heater configured to heat an aerosol-generating article, a power source for supplying power to the heater, and a controller configured to control power supplied from the power source to the heater so that the temperature of the heater is controlled based on a temperature profile, the temperature profile may include a preheating profile and a smoking profile, and the preheating profile may include a first period in which the temperature of the heater rises to a first temperature, a second period in which the temperature of the heater drops to a second temperature lower than the first temperature, and a third period in which the temperature of the heater rises again to a third temperature higher than the second temperature. Advantageous Effects of Invention An aerosol-generating device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may have a preheating profile including three or more periods. For example, the preheating profile according to the present disclosure may include a first period in which the temperature of the heater rises to a first temperature, a second period in which the temperature of the heater drops to a second temperature lower than the first temperature, and a third period in which the temperature of the heater rises again to a third temperature higher than the second temperature. After an aerosol is generated in the first period, the aerosol generated in the first period may be condensed in the second period, and an aerosol may be generated again in the third period. In the third period, as the condensed aerosol is transferred again with the generation of a new aerosol, an appropriate amount of aerosols may be generated at the beginning of smoking even though the third temperature is not higher than the first temperature. In addition, the volume of heat transmitted to the aerosol-generating article is reduced due to the second period, and thus the aerosol transfer amount may be maintained uniformly until the end of smoking. In addition, the aerosol-generating device according to the present disclosure may achieve a uniform aerosol transfer throughout the smoking period while adjusting only the preheating profile corresponding to a preheating period much shorter than a smoking period. Therefore, the uniform aerosol transfer throughout the smoking period may be achieved while minimizing power consumption compared to adjusting the smoking profile corresponding to the smoking period (e.g., increasing the temperature of the heater at the latter half of the smoking period). Problems to be solved through embodi