CN221996879U - Aerosol generating device - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model discloses an aerosol generating device, comprising: a chamber for containing an aerosol-generating article; a heater for heating a smoke generating segment of an aerosol-generating article within the chamber; the capacitive detection unit is configured to correspond to a non-smoking segment of the aerosol-generating article after the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the chamber. By adopting the technical scheme, the capacitor in the non-fuming section area of the aerosol-generating product can be detected, the influence of instability of the fuming section filler on the capacitor detection in the heating process is reduced, the influence of temperature on the capacitor detection is also reduced, and the accuracy of the capacitor detection is improved.

Description

Aerosol generating device

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the field of heating smoking sets, in particular to an aerosol generating device.

Background

In recent years, new tobacco products have been rapidly developed, and the new tobacco products mainly comprise smokeless tobacco products, heating non-combustible aerosol-generating products and electronic cigarettes. Wherein the heated non-combustible aerosol-generating article is a specially designed cigarette that is heated by a heating smoking article to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a consumer.

The heated, non-combustible aerosol-generating articles differ significantly from conventional cigarette cigarettes in the manner of smoking, the medium of smoking, the composition of the aerosol produced by smoking, and the like. Compared with the traditional combustion type cigarette, the heating non-combustion aerosol-generating product gradually reduces the effective chemical components and the release amount of the effective substances along with the increase of the heating time in the heating process. When the heated non-combustible aerosol-generating article is heated to about 300 ℃, the content of glycerin and moisture in the aerosol generated therefrom is relatively high. In the present utility model, the aerosol concentration is defined to represent the ratio of the content of glycerol and moisture in the whole aerosol. In general, the higher the heating temperature of an aerosol-generating article, the higher the aerosol concentration, i.e. the aerosol concentration exhibits a tendency to increase with increasing heating temperature, and it is necessary to know the aerosol condition during the pumping process and to adjust the heating pattern in time, providing a more satisfactory experience for the consumer.

In the prior art, when a capacitive sensor is used, the capacitive sensor is generally used to directly detect the capacitance of the filler at the smoke end of the aerosol-generating article, so as to determine the condition of the tobacco component, and adjust the heating mode accordingly. However, in the heating process, the filling material of the smoke generating section gradually volatilizes and decreases, the temperature also increases, the state of the filling material is unstable, various parameters (such as dielectric constant) related to capacitance detection may be changed, the capacitance detection may be inaccurate, accurate judgment of the heating condition is not facilitated, and subsequent application is limited.

Disclosure of Invention

The present utility model provides an aerosol generating device for solving the above technical problems.

An embodiment of the present utility model discloses an aerosol generating device, comprising:

a chamber for containing an aerosol-generating article;

A heater that heats a smoke generating segment of the aerosol-generating article within the chamber;

the capacitive detection unit is configured to correspond to a non-smoking segment of the aerosol-generating article after the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the chamber.

By adopting the technical scheme, the aerosol generating device can detect the capacitance of the non-fuming section of the aerosol generating product through the capacitance detection unit, or the capacitance of the aerosol flowing through the non-fuming section, so that the influence of temperature on the capacitance detection can be reduced, the influence of the unstable condition of the fuming end on the capacitance detection in the heating process is avoided, the accuracy of the capacitance detection is improved, the follow-up accurate judgment of the condition of the aerosol generating product according to the capacitance detection value is facilitated, and corresponding adjustment is made, so that better experience is provided for consumers.

Optionally, the aerosol generating device further comprises a controller, the controller being capable of acquiring the aerosol capacitance through the capacitance detection unit.

Optionally, the capacitance detecting unit includes electrode plates, the number of the electrode plates is two or more, the electrode plates are arranged at intervals relatively, and when the aerosol-generating product is inserted into the cavity, the aerosol-generating product is accommodated at the intervals relatively to the electrode plates.

Optionally, the electrode plate of the capacitance detection unit is a flexible electrode plate or an electroplating electrode plate.

Optionally, the electrode plate of the capacitance detection unit is a spiral electrode plate and is sleeved on the periphery of the aerosol generating product inserted into the aerosol generating device.

Optionally, the capacitance detection unit further comprises a first shielding ring and a second shielding ring, the first shielding ring and the second shielding ring are oppositely arranged along the axial direction of the chamber, the electrode plate of the capacitance detection unit is located between the first shielding ring and the second shielding ring, and after the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the chamber, the position of the shielding ring corresponds to a non-fuming section of the aerosol-generating article.

Optionally, an induction piece is arranged between two ends of the aerosol generating product along the axial direction, a detection piece matched with the induction piece is arranged in the aerosol generating device, and the detection piece is used for identifying the aerosol generating product or detecting whether the aerosol generating product is inserted in place or not.

Optionally, the sensing element is a capacitive sensing element, and the detecting element is a capacitive sensor.

Optionally, the number of the capacitance sensors is one or more, and the capacitance sensors are used for detecting the capacitance of the smoke and/or detecting the capacitance of the position of the capacitance sensing element.

Drawings

FIG. 1 shows a graph of the moisture content of a breath-by-breath aerosol of the present utility model and its capacitance correlation experiment;

fig. 2 shows a block diagram of one specific embodiment of the aerosol-generating article heating method of the present utility model;

Fig. 3 shows a block diagram of another specific embodiment of the aerosol-generating article heating method of the present utility model;

fig. 4 shows a block diagram of another specific embodiment of the aerosol-generating article heating method of the present utility model;

fig. 5 shows a block diagram of another specific embodiment of the aerosol-generating article heating method of the present utility model;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of an aerosol-generating device of the present utility model;

FIG. 7a is a schematic view showing the structure of an electrode plate of a plate capacitive sensor in an embodiment of a detecting member of an aerosol generating device according to the present utility model;

FIG. 7b is a schematic view showing the structure of an arc-shaped capacitive sensor electrode plate in an embodiment of the detecting member of the aerosol-generating device according to the present utility model;

FIG. 7c is a schematic view showing the structure of a spiral capacitive sensor electrode plate in an embodiment of the detecting member of the aerosol generating device according to the present utility model;

FIG. 7d is a schematic view of the structure of an electrode plate of the circular capacitive sensor according to an embodiment of the detecting member of the aerosol generating device of the present utility model;

FIG. 8a is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an arc-shaped capacitive sensor in an embodiment of a sensing member of an aerosol generating device according to the present utility model;

FIG. 8b is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a circular capacitive sensor in an embodiment of the aerosol-generating device test piece according to the present utility model;

FIG. 8c is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a spiral capacitive sensor in an embodiment of the aerosol-generating device test piece of the present utility model;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of electric field lines of a plate capacitive sensor in an embodiment of a detecting member of an aerosol generating device according to the present utility model;

FIG. 10a is a schematic view showing a part of a spiral capacitive sensor in an embodiment of a sensing member of an aerosol-generating device according to the present utility model;

FIG. 10b shows a schematic diagram of a cross-sectional electric field distribution of a spiral capacitive sensor;

Fig. 10c is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of electric potential in the spiral capacitance sensor in the embodiment of the detecting member of the aerosol generating device according to the present utility model.

(Symbol description)

1. An aerosol generating device; 2. an aerosol-generating article; 3. a controller; 4. a battery; 5. a heater; 6. a smoke generating section; 7. sensing the sticker; 8. a capacitive sensor; 801. a plate capacitive sensor; 801a, a first flat electrode plate; 801b, a second flat electrode plate; 802. an arc-shaped capacitive sensor; 802a, a first arc electrode plate; 802b, a second arc electrode plate; 803. a spiral capacitance sensor; 803a, a first spiral electrode plate; 803b, a second spiral electrode plate; 804. a circular ring capacitive sensor; 804a, a first circular electrode plate; 804b, a second circular electrode plate; 9. a lead wire; 10. a shielding ring; 10a, a first shielding ring; 10b, a second shielding ring; 11. chamber chamber

Detailed Description

Further advantages and effects of the present utility model will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the present specification, by describing the embodiments of the present utility model with specific examples. While the description of the utility model will be described in connection with the preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the inventive features to the implementation. Rather, the purpose of the utility model described in connection with the embodiments is to cover other alternatives or modifications, which may be extended by the claims based on the utility model. The following description contains many specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the present utility model. The utility model may be practiced without these specific details. Furthermore, some specific details are omitted from the description in order to avoid obscuring the utility model. It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments of the present utility model and features of the embodiments may be combined with each other.

It should be noted that in this specification, like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following figures, and thus once an item is defined in one figure, no further definition or explanation thereof is necessary in the following figures.

The terms "first," "second," and the like are used merely to distinguish between descriptions and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

The term "aerosol-generating article" includes materials that provide a volatile component upon heating, and may include any tobacco-containing material, for example, may include one or more of tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, or tobacco substitutes. "aerosol-generating article" may also include other non-tobacco products, which may or may not contain nicotine.

For the purpose of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present utility model more apparent, embodiments of the present utility model will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In combination with the background art, the inventors have conceived that the improvement of the aerosol release uniformity can be more accurate by detecting the concentration of the aerosol generated at present, and determining the heating power from the aerosol concentration. Further, the inventors have found that detecting the capacitance of an aerosol generated by an aerosol-generating article can reflect the concentration of the aerosol, thereby providing a basis for the determination of the concentration of the aerosol at the moment.

The theoretical calculation formula of the capacitance of the capacitor under ideal conditions (normal temperature, in the parallel electrode plates) is: c=εs/d;

wherein C represents a capacitance value, ε represents a dielectric constant between electrode plates of the capacitor, S represents an area of the electrode plates, and d represents a distance between the two electrode plates. When measuring the capacitance of a substance by using a capacitance sensor, it is necessary to design the electrode plate area of the capacitance sensor and the interval between the electrode plates to be fixed, and the capacitance sensor measures the capacitance of a medium by sensing the change of the dielectric constant of the medium between the electrode plates.

Conventionally, the dielectric constant of air is 1, the relative dielectric constant of water is 80, the relative dielectric constant of glycerol is 47, and the relative dielectric constant of paper is 2.5. Thus, the relative dielectric constants of water and glycerol are high, and the main components of the aerosol generated after heating the aerosol-generating article include water and glycerol, so the aerosol concentration is set to be the concentration of water and glycerol. The inventors have desired that the uniformity of the consumer drawn, mouth-by-mouth aerosol can be improved by adjusting the concentration of the aerosol. Further, in the aerosol generated at one inhalation, the larger the aerosol concentration, which means that the higher the ratio of water to glycerin, the larger the equivalent dielectric constant of the aerosol, and thus the larger the measured capacitance value, the inventors thought that the aerosol concentration of the inhalation can be reflected by detecting the capacitance of the aerosol.

The inventors have devised experiments in combination with the above theory to investigate the relationship between the mouth-by-mouth aerosol generated when the aerosol-generating article is drawn and the capacitance value. The inventor performs related experiments, and randomly extracts two cigarettes from a batch of cigarettes with the same specification under the condition of adopting the same process, and respectively detects the water content of the produced mouth-by-mouth aerosol and the corresponding detected capacitance value in the process of sucking the cigarettes. Fig. 1 shows relevant experimental data, namely a graph of the moisture content of the mouth-by-mouth aerosol versus the detected capacitance value. In fig. 1, the abscissa indicates the number of mouths for sucking the aerosol-generating article, the ordinate indicates the capacitance value (pF) and the moisture content value (mg), respectively, the capacitance detection curve indicates the change in capacitance value detected by the mouth-by-mouth aerosol, the laboratory detection moisture content curve indicates the change in moisture content detected by the mouth-by-mouth aerosol, it can be observed that the detected capacitance value of the mouth-by-mouth aerosol substantially coincides with the trend of the change in moisture content value during the sucking process, and the capacitance value is also high at high moisture content, and it can be verified the inventor's idea that the capacitance of the detected aerosol can reflect the magnitude of the aerosol concentration.

Based on the above theory and related experimental data, the inventors believe that the detected aerosol capacitance can reflect the magnitude of the aerosol concentration, so that the power to heat the aerosol-generating article can be adjusted according to the measurement of the aerosol capacitance to produce a more uniform aerosol. The aerosol generating device and the aerosol generating product heating method for judging the condition of the aerosol through the detection capacitance provided by the utility model have feasibility.

Accordingly, the utility model provides an aerosol generating device and a corresponding aerosol generating product heating method, and the aerosol concentration can be judged by accurately detecting the capacitance of the aerosol, so that the heating power is adjusted, and the uniformity of the generated aerosol is improved.

As shown in fig. 2, the aerosol-generating article heating method of the aerosol-generating device of the present utility model comprises the steps of:

After inserting the aerosol-generating article, performing step S11, namely initial heating, of the aerosol-generating article with a preset power P ₀ as heating power P; wherein the preset power P ₀ represents the heating power when heating the aerosol-generating article under normal storage conditions to generate a normal concentration of aerosol suitable for consumer suction, for example, the heating power may be the heating power preset in the smoking set for a specific smoking set and a cigarette;

Then, step S30 is performed, namely, the aerosol capacitor is detected, and an aerosol capacitor C is obtained;

Next, step S03 is performed, namely determining whether the aerosol capacitance C is within the standard capacitance range C _S: if the aerosol-capacitor C is within the standard capacitor range C _S, continuing to heat the aerosol-generating article at the preset power P ₀ (step S31); the standard capacitance range C _S indicates a capacitance value range of the aerosol measured when the aerosol of normal concentration is generated by sucking during a period of time when the aerosol-generating article just begins to heat, for example, the capacitance value range may be a rated range preset by a producer in a normal heating state of the cigarette, or may be an aerosol capacitance value range corresponding to the aerosol concentration which is accepted by a normal consumer and generated by the aerosol-generating article.

If the aerosol capacitance C is not within the standard capacitance range C _S, performing step S04, namely judging whether the aerosol capacitance C is lower than the standard capacitance range C _S, if the aerosol capacitance C is lower than the standard capacitance range C _S, providing heating power for the aerosol-generating article, and heating with the first heating power P ₁ (step S32); if the aerosol-capacitor C is higher than the standard capacitor range C _S, the heating power is reduced for the aerosol-generating article and heating is performed at the second heating power P ₂ (step S33). Wherein the first heating power P ₁ is greater than the second heating power P ₂.

Preferably, during the process of sucking the aerosol-generating article by the consumer, the above steps are repeated until the aerosol-generating article has been used up, i.e. during the sucking process, the capacitance of each aerosol is detected, the detected value is the aerosol capacitance C, and for each aerosol capacitance, it is required to determine whether it is within the standard capacitance range C _S, and according to the determined difference, the aerosol-generating article is heated by using the preset power P ₀, the first heating power P ₁ or the second heating power P ₂ (steps S31, S32 or S33). When the heating power is increased in the sucking process, and the aerosol capacitance C generated by the sucking of the consumer is detected to be always lower than the standard capacitance range C _S, the aerosol generating product is used up, and the heating is stopped. Further, by increasing the frequency of detecting the aerosol concentration C, the heating power can be correspondingly adjusted according to the detection result of each time, so that real-time detection is realized, and the heating power is adjusted in real time.

The aerosol capacitor C is obtained in the following way:

Detecting a capacitance at a non-fuming section of the aerosol-generating article, denoted as capacitance c2, after insertion of the aerosol-generating article and while the consumer is not smoking the aerosol-generating article; when a consumer sucks the aerosol-generating article in a single mouth, detecting the capacitance at the non-fuming section of the aerosol-generating article at the moment, recording as a capacitance C1, calculating the difference between the capacitance C1 and the capacitance C2, wherein the obtained difference is the aerosol capacitance C, namely the capacitance of the aerosol flowing through the capacitance sensor at the moment when the consumer sucks one mouth.

Preferably, the capacitance C1 can be detected in real time during the process of sucking by the consumer, wherein the first sucking capacitance change interval C _x is detected, and the first sucking capacitance change interval C _x represents the change interval of the capacitance of the aerosol flowing through the capacitive sensor during the period of sucking by the consumer, and the maximum capacitance value is taken as the capacitance C1 in the interval. Further, during the consumer sucking, the detected capacitance value of the aerosol changes with time, and when the capacitance value changes to meet the one-time sucking capacitance change interval C _x, one-time sucking is indicated, so that the number of mouths sucked by the consumer can be counted. The primary pumping capacitance change interval C _x is determined according to the capacitance change condition in the set period.

Preferably, the capacitance c2 may be a value detected before the consumer sucks the aerosol-generating article, or may be a fixed value set by the factory of the aerosol-generating device, and stored in the controller of the aerosol-generating device. Specifically, when the capacitance C2 is a value detected before the consumer sucks the aerosol-generating article, the aerosol-generating device can more specifically adjust the parameters used for calculation according to the actual suction conditions of different aerosol-generating articles, and the calculated aerosol capacitance C is more accurate.

By adopting the embodiment, the aerosol generating product heating method of the aerosol generating device can detect the capacitance of each sucked aerosol in real time in the sucking process of a consumer, and adjust the heating power in real time according to the detected capacitance value so as to improve the uniformity of the aerosol sucked by mouth, improve the release consistency of the aerosol, improve the sucking taste and improve the experience of the consumer.

Further, due to different habits of consumers for inserting cigarettes, too deep insertion or too shallow insertion may occur during insertion. If the cigarette is inserted too deeply, the preceding tobacco segment may be compressed and may be heated to a non-smoking segment of the cigarette, creating harmful substances that affect consumer health. If the cigarettes are inserted too shallow, a part of tobacco may still not be heated sufficiently, and the amount of aerosol generated is small, which may cause waste.

Thus, in another embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, the related aerosol-generating article heating method of the present application further comprises determining whether the insertion position of the aerosol-generating article is in place prior to initial heating of the aerosol-generating article. The aerosol-generating article may be provided with a sensing element, for example a sensing sticker, which is attached to a non-smoking section of the aerosol-generating article.

The aerosol generating device is correspondingly provided with a detection member matched with the induction member on the aerosol generating product. For example, when the sensing element is a capacitive sensing element, i.e. a sensing sticker is attached with a solid having a large dielectric constant, the sensing element is correspondingly a capacitive sensing unit, such as a capacitive sensor. In other embodiments, the sensing element is a resistive sensing element, i.e. a sensing patch having a solid attached thereto that has a substantially different resistance than other areas of the aerosol-generating article, the sensing element is a resistive sensor.

When the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the aerosol-generating device to a correct position, the sensing element and the detecting element can be kept in a state of being arranged opposite to each other in the radial direction, the value detected by the detecting element can be changed obviously, and the detected value falls into a range R for indicating that the aerosol-generating article is inserted into place. On the contrary, if the aerosol-generating article is not inserted into the aerosol-generating device in place, the sensing element and the detecting element are arranged in a radial deviation manner, and at the moment, the value detected by the detecting element is not in the in-place range R, which indicates that the position of the aerosol-generating article is not proper, and the aerosol-generating article needs to be adjusted.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the aerosol-generating article heating method includes the steps of:

After the aerosol-generating article is inserted, step S0 is performed, namely, insertion in-place detection is performed, and induction detection is performed on an induction piece on the aerosol-generating article through a detection piece in the aerosol-generating device;

Then step S01 is performed, namely, whether the detected value is within the in-place range R is judged;

specifically, in step S01, taking the detecting member as a capacitive sensor as an example, the sensing member is an induction sticker attached with a solid with a large dielectric constant, the in-place range R refers to the in-place capacitance range C _R, during the process of inserting the aerosol-generating article, the capacitance value is detected in real time, if the capacitance value is detected to fall within the in-place capacitance range C _R after the insertion is completed, it is indicated that the aerosol-generating article is inserted in place, at this time, heating is started, and the initial heating step S11 and the subsequent steps are started;

if the capacitance value is detected to be not in the in-place capacitance range C _R after the insertion is finished, heating is not started, and the step S12 is performed, namely the consumer is reminded to adjust the position of the aerosol-generating product until the aerosol-generating product is in place, and heating is started again. Specifically, in the whole insertion process, the capacitance sensor detects capacitance in real time, and if the capacitance value detected by the capacitance sensor is always smaller than the in-place capacitance range C _R, the insertion position of the aerosol-generating product is prompted to be too shallow, and the consumer is prompted to insert the aerosol-generating product inwards; if the capacitance value detected by the capacitance sensor is increased to be within the in-place capacitance range C _R and then reduced to be smaller than the in-place capacitance range C _R, the insertion position of the aerosol-generating article is prompted to be too deep, and the consumer is prompted to pull out the aerosol-generating article.

Wherein the in-place capacitance range C _R represents the range of capacitance values that can be detected by the capacitive sensor when the aerosol-generating article is inserted in place. Further, the capacitance values at locations on the aerosol-generating article other than the location of the sensing element are all less than the in-place capacitance range C _R so as not to affect detection of the sensing element on the aerosol-generating article.

Further, in other embodiments, the sensing element may be a resistive sensor, and accordingly, the sensing element on the aerosol-generating article is a solid with a resistance that is substantially different from the resistance of other areas of the aerosol-generating article, and is set to the in-place resistance range R _R. Taking the example that the solid attached to the sensing piece has a resistance larger than that of other areas of the aerosol-generating product except the area where the sensing piece is located, in the whole inserting process, the resistance sensor detects the resistance in real time, if the resistance value detected by the resistance sensor is always smaller than the in-place resistance range R _R, a consumer is prompted that the inserting position of the aerosol-generating product is too shallow, and the consumer is prompted to insert the aerosol-generating product inwards; if the resistance value detected by the resistance sensor is increased to be in the in-place resistance range R _R and then reduced to be smaller than the in-place resistance range R _R, prompting the consumer that the insertion position of the aerosol-generating product is too deep and prompting the consumer to pull out the aerosol-generating product.

Further, the aerosol-generating article may absorb water and become wet during storage, and may be heated by being misplaced in the aerosol-generating device again in the event that it has been used, and neither the wet aerosol-generating article nor the used aerosol-generating article is suitable for consumer inhalation. Among the main components of the aerosol, the boiling point of water is 100 ℃ and the boiling point of glycerol is 290 ℃, so that the main component of the first aerosol after the preheating of the aerosol-generating article is water vapor, the inventor finds that whether the aerosol-generating article is wet or used can be judged according to the detected capacitance value of the first aerosol, so that whether the aerosol-generating article is suitable for sucking is judged, and whether the heating is continued or stopped is further determined, and a consumer is reminded to replace the article. In another embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, the method specifically includes the following steps:

After the initial heating in step S11 and the preheating of the aerosol-generating article is completed, step S2 is performed, namely, the aerosol capacitance of the first smoke generated after the consumer starts to suck is detected, and the measured value is recorded as the first aerosol capacitance C ₀₁;

Judging whether the measured first aerosol capacitor C ₀₁ falls within the usable range C _U (step S02), if the first aerosol capacitor C ₀₁ falls within the usable range C _U, continuing to heat the aerosol-generating article with the preset power P ₀ (step S21), detecting the aerosol capacitor during the sucking process (step S3), and adjusting the heating power accordingly; conversely, if the first mouthpiece aerosol-capacitor C ₀₁ is not within the usable range C _U, the heating is stopped and the consumer is alerted to replace the aerosol-generating article (step S22).

Wherein, usable range C _U represents a range of capacitance values obtained by detecting aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating article under normal storage conditions when the aerosol-generating article is heated at preset power P ₀. In practice, the aerosol-generating article may have been wetted or the used aerosol-generating article may have been misheated again by the consumer, and may have a bad taste, affecting the smoking experience, and none of the aerosol-generating articles in the above cases are suitable for smoking, and it is therefore necessary to set the usable range C _U to determine whether the aerosol-generating article is suitable for smoking, in order to provide a good experience to the consumer. in particular, usable range C _U has an upper use limit C _U1 and a lower use limit C _U2, a greater amount of water vapor is present in the first aerosol generated by heating the wetted aerosol-generating article, the equivalent dielectric constant of the aerosol at this time being greater, Thus, the capacitance value is larger, so that the upper limit value C _U1 is set to represent the aerosol capacitance generated when the wetted aerosol-generating article is heated at the preset power P ₀; Heating the aerosol-generating article that has been used, which produces a first aerosol with a lower water content, the equivalent dielectric constant of the aerosol at that time being smaller, the lower limit of use C _U2 is set to represent the aerosol-capacitance that is generated when the aerosol-generating article that has been used is heated at the preset power P ₀. Further, the upper limit value C _U1 and the lower limit value C _U2 may be values obtained by detecting the capacitance of the first aerosol, or may be average aerosol capacitances obtained by detecting and calculating the aerosol-generating article which has been wetted or used after heating at the preset power P ₀, The use upper limit value C _U1 and the use lower limit value C _U2 may be factory-set.

Further, in step S22, if the measured first aerosol-capacitor C ₀₁ is less than or equal to the usage lower limit value C _U2, indicating that the aerosol-generating article is used and no longer suitable for inhalation, and prompting the consumer to replace the aerosol-generating article for inhalation; if the first aerosol-capacitor C ₀₁ is measured to be greater than or equal to the upper usage limit value C _U1, it is indicated that the aerosol-generating article is already wet due to water absorption and is no longer suitable for pumping, and the consumer is alerted to replace the aerosol-generating article.

Still further, in another embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, the aerosol-generating article heating method can detect whether the aerosol-generating article is inserted correctly before starting heating, detect the first aerosol-capacitor of the puff after preheating to determine whether the aerosol-generating article is suitable for use, and correspondingly adjust the heating power of the aerosol-generating article according to the detected capacitance value of each puff during the puff to generate a more uniform aerosol, thereby providing a more satisfactory puff experience to the consumer.

Specifically, the aerosol-generating article heating method in the present embodiment includes all the steps of the above examples, that is, after the aerosol-generating article is inserted, first insertion-in-place detection (step S0) and determination as to whether the aerosol-generating article is inserted in place (step S01). When it is confirmed that the aerosol-generating article has been inserted in place, the initial heating is resumed (step S11), the first aerosol-capacitor C ₀₁ during the puff is detected (step S2), it is determined from the measured value of the first aerosol-capacitor C ₀₁ whether the aerosol-generating article is suitable for puff (step S02), and the heating is continued at the preset power P ₀ (step S21) or the heating is stopped and the consumer is prompted to replace the article (step S22) accordingly. When it is determined that the aerosol-generating article is not used and not subjected to moisture, step S21 is performed, then the aerosol capacitance during the pumping process is detected (step S3), and the heating power is adjusted to heat according to the aerosol capacitance detection (step S31 or S32 or S33), so as to improve the uniformity of the pumped aerosol.

As shown in fig. 6, the present utility model proposes an aerosol-generating device 1 for heating an aerosol-generating article 2 by the above-described aerosol-generating article heating method, comprising a chamber 11, a heater 5, a detecting member and a controller 3. The aerosol-generating article 2 may be heated by being inserted into a chamber 11, the chamber 11 being adapted to contain the aerosol-generating article 2.

The heater 5 is used to heat a smoking section of the aerosol-generating article 2 within the chamber 11 to produce an aerosol. The heater 5 of the aerosol-generating device 1 may heat the aerosol-generating article 2 by resistance external heating using a heating element, electromagnetic heating using a structure such as a coil, air heating using conduction, infrared or laser heating, or internal heating using a structure such as a heating needle, or the like.

The number of detection members of the aerosol-generating device 1 may be one or two. Specifically, when the number of detecting pieces is one, the detecting piece is the capacitance sensor 8. When the aerosol-generating device 1 has two detection members, both detection members may be capacitive sensors, one for detecting whether an aerosol-generating article is in place and/or identifying the type of aerosol-generating article, and the other for detecting the aerosol capacitance to adjust the heating pattern. The two detecting members may also be one capacitive sensor and the other resistive sensor, the resistive sensor being used for detecting whether the aerosol-generating article is in place and/or identifying the kind of aerosol-generating article, the capacitive sensor being used for detecting the aerosol capacitance for adjusting the heating pattern.

Taking the number of detecting elements as one and the detecting elements as the capacitive sensor 8 as an example, the position of the capacitive sensor 8 of the aerosol-generating device 1 corresponds to a non-smoking section of the aerosol-generating article 2 when the aerosol-generating article 2 is inserted into place in the chamber 11. Since the smoke generating segment of the aerosol-generating article 2 needs to be heated to generate aerosol, the temperature of the filler material of the smoke generating segment may rise, the dielectric constant may change, and the detection of the capacitance may deviate, so the position of the capacitive sensor 8 is set to correspond to the non-smoke generating segment of the aerosol-generating article 2, the non-smoke generating segment is not heated and does not generate smoke, the temperature is far lower than that of the smoke generating segment, the overall dielectric constant is relatively stable, and the influence on the accuracy of the detection of the capacitance can be avoided. Wherein the non-smoking segment is located downstream of the smoking segment of the aerosol-generating article 2, may be a cooling segment of the aerosol-generating article 2. The capacitance sensor 8 is used to measure the capacitance and send the relevant data to the controller 3 for judgment. The capacitance sensor 8 can measure the capacitance of the aerosol as well as the capacitance of the aerosol-generating article 2 located therein.

Further, the non-smoking section of the aerosol-generating article 2 has a sensing member 7, which sensing member 7 is diametrically opposed to the capacitive sensor 8 when the sensing member is the capacitive sensor 8 and when the aerosol-generating article 2 is inserted in place within the chamber 11, facilitating the capacitive sensor 8 to sense capacitance. The sensing member 7 may be a sensing sticker attached with a solid having a large dielectric constant, for example, a sensing sticker attached with a solid such as carbon, graphite, or ferrous oxide, and the like, and the sensing sticker can greatly change the capacitance value sensed by the capacitance sensor 8, so that it can be determined whether the aerosol-generating article 2 is inserted in place. In other embodiments, it is also possible to add an internal filling in the region of the aerosol-generating article 2 corresponding to the location of the sensing element 7, to further pull the capacitance value of this segment away from the capacitance value of other regions of the aerosol-generating article 2 for detection by the capacitive sensor 8.

Further, materials with different dielectric constants can be added to the sensing piece 7 of the aerosol-generating article 2 of different types, so that after the aerosol-generating article 2 of different types is inserted in place, the capacitance ranges C _R of the aerosol-generating article 2 of different types are different and have no overlapping ranges, the types of the aerosol-generating articles 2 inserted into the aerosol-generating device 1 can be identified, and the aerosol-generating articles 2 of different types can be heated in a targeted manner according to the types by adopting the heating modes correspondingly arranged in the aerosol-generating device 1, so that the aerosol-generating articles 2 of different types can be heated according to the most suitable heating curve, and the smoking experience of consumers is improved. During heating, the capacitance sensor 8 may also measure the capacitance of the aerosol generated by the puff, in order to subsequently determine whether the aerosol-generating article 2 is suitable for puff or whether the heating power needs to be adjusted.

In other embodiments, the sensing element 7 may be a sensing patch attached with a substance that is clearly different in resistance from the other area of the aerosol-generating article 2 except for the location of the sensing element 7, for example, a sensing patch attached with a substance such as metal or graphite, and attached to the outer peripheral wall of the aerosol-generating article 2. Accordingly, the detecting member is a resistance sensor, and it is judged whether the aerosol-generating article 2 is inserted in place or not by detecting the resistance, and/or the kind of the inserted aerosol-generating article 2 is identified to select an appropriate heating manner.

The controller 3 is configured to detect an aerosol capacitance, and determine whether the heating power of the heater 5 needs to be adjusted according to the detected value of the aerosol capacitance. Specifically, when the aerosol-capacitor C detected by the controller 3 is within the standard capacitor range C _S, then continuing to heat the aerosol-generating article 2 at the preset power P ₀; when the aerosol capacitance C detected by the controller 3 is lower than the standard capacitance range C _S, controlling the heater 5 to reduce the heating power, and heating the aerosol-generating article 2 at the first heating power P ₁; when the aerosol-capacitor C detected by the controller 3 is higher than the standard capacitor range C _S, the heater 5 is controlled to increase the heating power, and the aerosol-generating article 2 is heated at the second heating power P ₂.

Further, the aerosol-generating device 1 further comprises a battery 4, the battery 4 being arranged to power the entire aerosol-generating device 1.

The capacitive sensor 8 is described in detail below in connection with a partial schematic.

As shown in fig. 7, the capacitance sensor 8 includes two electrode plates that are disposed opposite to each other with a space therebetween. When the consumer inserts the aerosol-generating article 2 into the chamber 11, the two electrode plates are located outside the aerosol-generating article 2 and are capable of forming a complete detection field, the region between the two electrode plates being the detection field. Further, the number of the electrode plates may be more than two, for example, four, six, etc., which are disposed two by two. The electrode plate can be a flexible electrode plate or an electroplating electrode plate. The electrode plates of the capacitive sensor 8 may take a variety of different shapes, for example, a plate capacitive sensor 801, where the electrode plates are a first plate electrode plate 801a and a second plate electrode plate 801b that are arranged at opposite intervals; the arc capacitive sensor 802 may also include a first arc electrode plate 802a and a second arc electrode plate 802b that are disposed at opposite intervals; or a spiral capacitive sensor 803, the electrode plates being respectively a first spiral electrode plate 803a and a second spiral electrode plate 803b arranged at opposite intervals in a radial cross section of the aerosol-generating article 2; it may also be a circular capacitive sensor 804, the electrode plates being respectively a first circular electrode plate 804a and a second circular electrode plate 804b arranged opposite in the axial direction of the aerosol-generating article 2.

Fig. 8a, 8b, 8c show specific configurations of differently shaped capacitive sensors 8, respectively, the capacitive sensors 8 further comprising leads 9 and being connected to the controller 3 by means of the leads 9. Fig. 8a shows a structural arrangement of an arc-shaped capacitive sensor 802, a structural arrangement of a flat capacitive sensor 801 is similar to the arc-shaped capacitive sensor 802, fig. 8b shows a structural arrangement of a circular capacitive sensor 804, fig. 8c shows a structural arrangement of a spiral capacitive sensor 803, and both electrode plates of the capacitive sensor 8 of different shapes are not in contact with the outer peripheral wall of the aerosol-generating article 2 so as to prevent damage to the aerosol-generating article 2 or to the electrode plates.

Preferably, the inventor finds that the capacitance value detected by the spiral capacitance sensor 803 is more accurate, which is more beneficial for the controller 3 to make corresponding judgment, and the following description will refer to the analysis of the electric field distribution situation of the capacitance sensors 8 with different shapes with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to fig. 9, when the flat capacitive sensor 801 is selected, the electrode plates are all flat, and due to the limitation of the shape of the electrode plates, an electric field formed between two parallel electrode plates has a fringe effect on a radial section of the aerosol-generating article 2, and electric field lines on two sides are bent to form a curve shape, so that the electric field lines at the edges in the detection field range are unevenly distributed, at this time, the sensitivity of capacitance detection is reduced, the nonlinearity is increased, the capacitance value is not precisely detected, and in the actual pumping process, the distribution situation of the aerosol in the aerosol-generating article 2 may also be uneven, further affecting the detection of the capacitance value, especially when the capacitance value is close to the end point value of the set range (such as the in-place range R, the usable range C _U, etc.), there may be a situation of misjudgment, which is unfavorable for the normal use of the aerosol-generating device 1. Therefore, it is necessary to improve and ensure the detection accuracy of the capacitive sensor 8 to ensure that the aerosol-generating article 2 can be heated in an optimal heating manner, to ensure sufficient heating of the tobacco component of the aerosol-generating article 2, and to generate a uniform aerosol.

The electric field lines of the arc-shaped capacitive sensor 802 and the circular-ring capacitive sensor 804 are distributed in a similar way to the flat-plate capacitive sensor 801, the capacitance detection precision is poor, the spiral capacitive sensor 803 can effectively improve the edge effect, the electric field lines are distributed relatively uniformly, the sensitivity in the detection field can be ensured to be uniformly distributed, and the detected capacitance value is more accurate.

Referring to fig. 10a, 10b and 10c, when the spiral capacitance sensor 803 is selected, on the detection field formed by the first spiral electrode plate 803a and the second spiral electrode plate 803b, the low sensitivity region and the high sensitivity region are superimposed on each other, so that a relatively uniform sensitivity distribution can be formed, and the longer the first spiral electrode plate 803a and the second spiral electrode plate 803b in the axial direction of the aerosol-generating article 2, the more uniform the potential distribution within the detection field, and accordingly, on the radial cross section of the aerosol-generating article 2, the uniformly distributed electric field lines can be formed even at the edges, so that a high sensitivity can be maintained throughout the detection field, and a high capacitance measurement accuracy can be achieved.

Further, as shown in fig. 8c, the capacitive sensor 8 may further comprise a shielding ring 10 for shielding interference of external electromagnetic fields (e.g. interference from smoke generating segments, interference from heaters, interference from controllers, etc.) from affecting the detection of the capacitance. The shielding ring 10 comprises a first shielding ring 10a and a second shielding ring 10b, the first shielding ring 10a and the second shielding ring 10b are arranged axially opposite each other in the chamber 11, the two electrode plates of the capacitive sensor 8 are located between the first shielding ring 10a and the second shielding ring 10b, and when the consumer inserts the aerosol-generating article 2 into the chamber 11, the position of the shielding ring 10 corresponds to a non-fuming section of the aerosol-generating article 2 to ensure that the shielding ring 10 is effective in shielding interference from the outside.

While the utility model has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing is a further detailed description of the utility model with reference to specific embodiments, and it is not intended to limit the practice of the utility model to those descriptions. Various changes in form and detail may be made therein by those skilled in the art, including a few simple inferences or alternatives, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present utility model.

Claims (9)

1. An aerosol-generating device, characterized in that, the aerosol-generating device includes:

A chamber for containing an aerosol-generating article;

A heater to heat a smoke generating segment of the aerosol-generating article within the chamber;

A capacitance detection unit configured to correspond to a non-fuming segment of the aerosol-generating article after the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the chamber.

2. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, further comprising a controller capable of acquiring aerosol capacitance through the capacitance detection unit.

3. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein the capacitance detection unit comprises electrode plates, the number of electrode plates being two or more, the electrode plates being disposed in opposed spaced relation, the aerosol-generating article being received at opposed spaced relation of the electrode plates when the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the chamber.

4. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1, wherein the electrode plate of the capacitance detection unit is a flexible electrode plate or a plated electrode plate.

5. The aerosol-generating device according to claim 1, wherein the electrode plate of the capacitance detection unit is a spiral electrode plate, and is fitted around the outer periphery of the aerosol-generating article inserted into the aerosol-generating device.

6. The aerosol-generating device of any of claims 1-5, wherein the capacitive detection unit further comprises a first shielding ring and a second shielding ring, the first shielding ring and the second shielding ring being disposed opposite one another along an axial direction of the chamber, the electrode plate of the capacitive detection unit being positioned between the first shielding ring and the second shielding ring, the shielding ring being positioned to correspond to a non-fuming section of the aerosol-generating article after the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the chamber.

7. An aerosol-generating device according to any of claims 1-5, wherein an inductive element is arranged between two ends of the aerosol-generating article in the axial direction, and a detection element is arranged in the aerosol-generating device, which detection element is matched with the inductive element, and is used for identifying the aerosol-generating article or detecting whether the aerosol-generating article is inserted in place.

8. The aerosol generating device of claim 7, wherein the sensing element is a capacitive sensing element and the sensing element is a capacitive sensor.

9. The aerosol generating device of claim 8, wherein the number of the capacitive sensors is one or more, and the capacitive sensors are used for detecting the capacitance of the smoke and/or detecting the capacitance of the position of the capacitive sensing member.