WO2024109694A1 - Aerosol generating apparatus and control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol generating apparatus and a control method therefor. The control method comprises: after a heating initiation instruction is received, entering a plurality of time phases, and correspondingly controlling a power source to supply energy to a heater multiple times; and if the supplied energy reaches a set energy corresponding to the current time phase, controlling the power source to stop supplying energy in the current time phase. Starting from the heat required by an aerosol forming substrate in different phases, control is performed, so that the amount of an aerosol during vaping can be met, thus improving the vaping experience of a user.

Description

Aerosol generating device and control method thereof

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to a Chinese application filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on November 25, 2022, with application number 202211488324.5 and entitled “Aerosol Generating Device and Control Method Thereof,” the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application.

Technical Field

The present application relates to the technical field of aerosol generation, and in particular to an aerosol generating device and a control method thereof.

Background technique

Articles such as cigarettes, cigars, etc. burn tobacco during use to produce tobacco smoke. Attempts have been made to provide alternatives to these articles that burn tobacco by producing products that release compounds without burning. Examples of such products are so-called heat-not-burn products, also known as tobacco heating products or tobacco heating devices, which release compounds by heating a material without burning it. The material may, for example, be tobacco or other non-tobacco products or combinations, such as a blended mixture that may or may not contain nicotine.

Existing aerosol generating devices require pre-setting of a temperature curve, and during the heating process, the temperature of the heater is monitored in real time by a temperature sensor of the heater, and the power output of the heater is controlled according to the real-time temperature so that the temperature of the heater meets the preset temperature curve.

Application Contents

In one aspect, the present application provides a method for controlling an aerosol generating device, wherein the aerosol generating device comprises a heater for heating an aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol and a power source for providing energy to the heater; the method comprises:

In a plurality of time stages after receiving the instruction to start heating, correspondingly controlling the power source to supply energy to the heater a plurality of times;

In one of the time stages, controlling the power source to supply energy to the heater in the current time stage comprises:

Control the power source to start the energy supply of the heater during the current time period;

Determining the supplied energy for the current time period;

If the supplied energy reaches the set energy corresponding to the current time stage, the power source is controlled to stop supplying energy in the current time stage.

Another aspect of the present application provides an aerosol generating device, comprising:

A heater, for heating the aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol;

a power source for providing energy to the heater;

The controller is configured to control the power source to supply energy to the heater multiple times in multiple time stages after receiving a command to start heating; in one of the time stages, control the power source to supply energy to the heater in the current time stage, including: controlling the power source to start the energy supply to the heater in the current time stage; determining the supplied energy in the current time stage; if the supplied energy reaches the set energy corresponding to the current time stage, controlling the power source to stop the energy supply in the current time stage.

Another aspect of the present application provides an aerosol generating device, comprising:

A heater, for heating the aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol;

a power source for providing energy to the heater;

The controller is configured to enter multiple time stages after receiving a command to start heating, and correspondingly control the power source to supply energy to the heater multiple times. In one of the time stages, the power source is controlled to start the energy supply to the heater in the current time stage, and the energy supplied in the current time stage is determined. If the energy supplied by the power source reaches the set energy corresponding to the current time stage, the power source is controlled to stop the energy supply in the current time stage.

Another aspect of the present application provides an aerosol generating device, comprising:

A heater, for heating the aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol;

a power source for providing energy to the heater;

The controller is configured to control the power source to supply energy to the heater in multiple time stages according to the set energy and natural cooling time in each time stage after receiving the heating start instruction.

In another aspect, the present application provides an aerosol generating device, comprising:

A heater, for heating the aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol;

a power source for providing energy to the heater;

The controller is configured to control the power source to supply energy to the heater according to the set energy and natural cooling time in each time stage in a plurality of time stages of the suction operation stage;

The set energy and natural cooling time of at least two of the time stages are the same.

The aerosol generating device and control method provided by the present application, after receiving the start heating instruction, are divided into multiple time stages to respectively provide multiple times of energy to the heater. Taking the control of one of the time stages as an example, the power source is controlled to start the energy supply to the heater, and the supplied energy is monitored to see whether it reaches the set energy of the current time stage. If it reaches it, the power source is controlled to stop the energy supply. The power output to the heater is achieved through this control mode, which reduces or even does not rely on the real-time temperature of the heater, but is truly based on the required energy of the heater and/or the aerosol forming matrix. Compared with the conventional method of relying on the real-time temperature of the heater for control, this control mode, firstly, truly controls the energy supply of the heater based on the underlying demand of the energy actually required by the aerosol forming matrix in each time stage, improves the taste of the aerosol forming matrix for inhalation, and improves the user's inhalation experience; secondly, it avoids the problem of insufficient heat absorption of the aerosol forming matrix due to the inaccurate real-time temperature of the heater.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments are exemplarily described by pictures in the corresponding drawings, and these exemplified descriptions do not constitute limitations on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings represent similar elements, and unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings do not constitute proportional limitations.

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an aerosol generating product provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of an aerosol generating device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG3 is a flow chart of a control method for an aerosol generating device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

FIG4 is a flow chart of a control method for an aerosol generating device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a voltage regulating circuit of an aerosol generating device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG6 is a flow chart of a control method for an aerosol generating device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

FIG7 is a flow chart of a control method for an aerosol generating device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

FIG8A is a schematic diagram of a power supply voltage in a preheating working stage provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG8B is a schematic diagram of a power supply voltage in a preheating working stage provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG8C is a schematic diagram of a power supply voltage in a preheating working stage provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG8D is a schematic diagram of a power supply voltage in a preheating working stage provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG9A is a schematic diagram of a power supply voltage during a suction operation phase provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG9B is a schematic diagram of the power supply voltage during the suction operation phase provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG9C is a schematic diagram of the power supply voltage during the suction operation phase provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG10A is a schematic diagram of a real-time temperature curve of a heater provided in one embodiment of the present application;

FIG10B is a schematic diagram of a real-time temperature curve of a heater provided in one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a real-time temperature curve and output power of a heater provided in one embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

In order to facilitate the understanding of the present application, the present application is described in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that when an element is described as "fixed to" another element, it can be directly on the other element, or there can be one or more centered elements therebetween. When an element is described as "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element, or there can be one or more centered elements therebetween. The terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inside", "outside" and similar expressions used in this specification are for illustrative purposes only.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used in this specification and in the specification of this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. The term "and/or" used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

The drawings may only show elements related to the present embodiment. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the drawings may also include other general elements in addition to the elements shown in the drawings.

FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an aerosol generating product provided in an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the aerosol-generating article 20 comprises a filter segment 21 and a substrate segment 22 .

The substrate segment 22 comprises an aerosol-forming substrate. An aerosol-forming substrate is a substrate capable of releasing volatile compounds that can form an aerosol, and the volatile compounds can be released by heating the aerosol-forming substrate.

Aerosol formation substrate can be a solid aerosol formation substrate.Alternatively, aerosol formation substrate can include solid and liquid components.Aerosol formation substrate can include tobacco-containing material, which is included in the volatile tobacco flavor compounds released from the aerosol formation substrate when heated.Alternatively, aerosol formation substrate can include non-tobacco material.Aerosol formation substrate can further include aerosol formation thing.The example of suitable aerosol formation thing is glycerine and propylene glycol.

The aerosol generated by heating the substrate segment 22 is delivered to the user through the filter segment 21, which may be a cellulose acetate filter. The filter segment 21 may be sprayed with a flavoring liquid to provide a flavor, or a separate fiber coated with a flavoring liquid may be inserted into the filter segment 21 to improve the persistence of the flavor delivered to the user. The filter segment 21 may also have a capsule in a spherical or cylindrical shape, which may contain a content of a flavoring substance.

The aerosol generating article 20 may further include a cooling section 23 disposed between the substrate section 22 and the filter section 21 for cooling the aerosol generated by the heating of the substrate section 22 so that the user can inhale the aerosol cooled to an appropriate temperature.

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an aerosol generating device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

1 and 2 , the aerosol generating device 10 includes a battery cell 101, a controller 102, and a heater 103. In addition, the aerosol generating device 10 has an inner space defined by a housing, and the aerosol generating article 20 can be inserted into the inner space of the aerosol generating device 10.

The battery cell 101, i.e., the power source, is used to provide power for operating the aerosol generating device 10. For example, the battery cell 101 can provide power to heat the heater 103, and can provide power required to operate the controller 102. In addition, the battery cell 101 can provide power required to operate the display device, sensor, motor, etc. provided in the aerosol generating device 10.

The battery cell 101 may be, but is not limited to, a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery. For example, the battery cell 101 may also be a lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) battery or a lithium titanate battery. The battery cell 101 may also be a rechargeable battery or a disposable battery.

When the aerosol generating article 20 is inserted into the aerosol generating device 10, the aerosol generating device 10 can heat the heater 103 through the power provided by the battery 101. The heater 103 increases the temperature of the aerosol-forming substrate in the aerosol generating article 20 to generate an aerosol. The generated aerosol is transferred to the user through the filter segment 21 of the aerosol generating article 20 for inhalation.

The heater 103 and the aerosol forming substrate can adopt various heating matching forms. For example, the heater 103 adopts a central heating method, and the heater 103 is in the form of a needle, a sheet, a pin, etc., inserted into the aerosol The heater 103 is arranged inside the hollow cylinder of the aerosol-forming substrate, so that the outer periphery of the heater 103 is in contact with or in close contact with (as close as possible) the aerosol-forming substrate, thereby achieving heat transfer. In the case of a heater 103 using a peripheral heating method, the heater 103 is usually hollow cylindrical, and the aerosol-forming substrate is arranged inside the hollow cylinder of the heater 103, so that the inner wall of the heater 103 is in contact with or in close contact with (as close as possible) the outer periphery of the aerosol-forming substrate, thereby achieving heat transfer.

The heater 103 may adopt a variety of heating methods, for example, heating the aerosol-forming substrate by one or more of the following methods: resistive heat conduction, electromagnetic induction, chemical reaction, infrared action, resonance, photoelectric conversion, photothermal conversion, and air heating.

The controller 102 can control the operation of the main components of the aerosol generating device 10. In detail, the controller 102 can control the operation of the battery cell 101 and the heater 103, and can also control the operation of other components of the aerosol generating device 10.

The controller 102 is further configured to execute a control method of the aerosol-generating device 10 .

The controller 102 includes at least one processor. The controller 102 may include a logic gate array, or may include a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory storing a program executable in the microprocessor.

For example, the controller 102 controls the operation of the heater 103. The controller 102 may control the amount of power supplied to the heater 103, the time for which power is continuously supplied to the heater 103, and stop supplying power to the heater 103. In addition, the controller 102 may also monitor the state of the battery cell 101 (e.g., the remaining power of the battery cell 101), and/or may monitor the operating state of the heater 103 (e.g., the resistance change of the heater 103), and may generate a notification signal to prompt the user when necessary.

In addition to the battery cell 101, the controller 102 and the heater 103, the aerosol generating device 10 may also include other general components. For example, the aerosol generating device 10 may include a display device for outputting visual information, and the display device may be a visual display component such as a display screen, a touch screen, a lighting component, etc. The controller 102 may send information about the state of the aerosol generating device 10 (e.g., whether the aerosol generating device 10 can be used), information about the heater 103 (e.g., preheating starts, preheating is being performed, or preheating is completed), information about the battery cell 101 (e.g., the remaining power of the battery cell 101, whether the battery cell 101 can be used), information related to resetting the aerosol generating device 10 (e.g., reset time, resetting is being performed, or resetting is completed), information related to cleaning of the aerosol generating device 10 (e.g., cleaning time, cleaning is required, cleaning is being performed, or cleaning is completed), information related to charging of the aerosol generating device 10 (e.g., charging is required, charging is being performed, or charging is completed), information related to puffing (e.g., the number of puffs, puffing end notification), or information related to safety. Information (such as usage time). For example, the aerosol generating device 10 may also include a vibration motor for outputting tactile feedback information, and the controller 102 may generate a vibration feedback signal by using the vibration motor, and may send the above information to the user. For example, the aerosol generating device 10 also includes an airflow sensor for detecting whether the user is inhaling and/or the intensity of the inhalation. For example, the aerosol generating device 10 may include at least one input device to control the function of the aerosol generating device 10. Specifically, the input device may include a button, a touch screen, etc.; the user may perform various functions by using the input device. For example, the desired function among the multiple functions of the aerosol generating device 10 may be performed by adjusting the number of times the user presses the input device (for example, once or twice), or the time the user continues to press the input device (for example, 0.1s or 0.2s); the user may also perform the function of heating the heater 103, the function of adjusting the temperature of the heater 103, the function of cleaning the space into which the aerosol generating article 20 is inserted, the function of checking whether the aerosol generating device 10 can be operated, the function of displaying the remaining power (usable power) of the battery cell 101, and the function of resetting the aerosol generating device 10 through the input device. However, the function of the aerosol-generating device 10 is not limited thereto.

FIG3 is a flow chart of a control method of an aerosol generating device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG3 , the controller 102 is configured to execute a control method of the aerosol generating device 10 , the method comprising:

Step S11 : in multiple time stages after receiving the heating start instruction, correspondingly controlling the power source to supply energy to the heater 103 multiple times.

After receiving the instruction to start heating, the controller 102 can control the heater 103 to start heating. The heating process of the heater 103 includes multiple time stages, which can be distributed in the entire working stage of the preheating working stage and the suction working stage of the aerosol generating device 10, and can be distributed only in the preheating working stage or only in the suction working stage.

The preheating working stage refers to a working stage in which the temperature of the aerosol-forming substrate is increased to a temperature sufficient to generate a satisfactory amount of aerosol. Aerosol may be generated during this stage, but it is generally unlikely to be inhaled by the user out of the aerosol generating device 10. For example, at the end of the preheating working stage, the aerosol-forming substrate may have reached a temperature that releases volatile components contained in the tobacco.

The inhalation working phase refers to a working phase in which aerosol can be generated by the aerosol generating device 10 at a satisfactory rate and inhaled by the user.

The end time of the preheating stage is equivalent to the start time of the suction stage. The aerosol generating device 10 can remind the user through components such as a vibration motor or a visual display component, reminding the user that the aerosol generating device 10 has entered the suction working stage and can perform the suction action.

Among them, the start heating instruction can be a signal generated by the user operating the input element, or it can be obtained by relying on the detection signal of the sensor, such as a trigger signal of the aerosol generating product 20 being inserted into the aerosol generating device 10 through a pressure sensor or an electrical parameter sensor, or a signal detected by the airflow sensor to start by the user's inhalation.

Among them, the controller 102 controls the power source 101 to supply energy to the heater 103 multiple times, all of which are strictly in accordance with the supply energy (also known as: set energy) corresponding to each pre-set time stage. The supply energy corresponding to these multiple time stages can be pre-stored in the memory inside the aerosol generating device 10 for the controller 102 to retrieve. The supply energy corresponding to these multiple time stages can also be stored in an external device connected to the aerosol generating device 10, such as a cloud server, a charging box memory, or a memory inside the aerosol generating device 10 connected thereto, etc. The controller 102 can retrieve and reference it from the external memory or server during operation.

The set energy may be an experimental value obtained based on a large number of test experiments conducted by the applicant after the installation design of the aerosol generating device 10 is completed, in combination with the material of the specific aerosol-forming substrate, or may be an empirical value. It is understandable that the set energy may be adjusted based on the heat preservation performance of the heating module, or may be adjusted based on the heat transfer rate between the aerosol-forming substrate and the heater 103, etc.

In some embodiments, the set energy of at least two time stages is different. For example, in the early stage of the preheating working stage (also known as the first time stage, the heating stage), the heating demand is for the heater 103 to quickly reach the highest temperature to increase the heat transfer rate between the heater 103 and the aerosol forming substrate; and in the middle and late stages of the preheating working stage (also known as the second time stage, the insulation stage), the heating demand is to maintain the heat transfer between the aerosol forming substrate and the heater 103, so that the aerosol forming substrate can continue to absorb heat from the heater 103. Therefore, the energy set in the first time stage is much greater than the energy set in the second time stage, even as high as 8:2 or 9:1. For example, in the puffing working stage, in order to increase the output of smoke in the early stage of puffing, the set energy of at least one time stage in the early stage of the puffing working stage can be greater than the set energy of at least one time stage in the late stage of the puffing working stage.

In some embodiments, the set energy corresponding to at least two time stages is the same. For example, in the suction working stage (also known as the constant temperature stage), the heating demand is to replenish the heat loss of the aerosol forming matrix. To ensure that the aerosol is generated at a certain rate. Since the heat loss of the aerosol-forming matrix caused by the suction action is very small, the same set energy can be provided in multiple time stages of the suction working stage to supplement the other fixed heat energy losses of the aerosol-forming matrix. For example, in the later stage of the preheating working stage (the second time stage, the insulation stage), the heating demand is to maintain the heat transfer between the aerosol-forming matrix and the heater 103, so that the aerosol-forming matrix can continue to absorb heat from the heater 103. Therefore, in the insulation stage, the same set energy can also be provided, and the fixed heat energy loss of the heater 103 caused by other reasons can be supplemented at intervals, so that the temperature of the heater 103 does not drop significantly, and the heat transfer between the aerosol-forming matrix and the heater 103 can be maintained.

Taking one of the time stages as an example, the process of controlling the power source 101 to supply energy to the heater 103 in the current time stage (step S12) is described in detail below in conjunction with FIG. 4 , which specifically includes:

Step S121 , controlling the power source to start supplying energy to the heater 103 during the current time period.

The controller 102 retrieves the set energy of the current time period. According to the set energy, the controller 102 controls the battery cell 101 to provide power so as to supply the set energy to the heater 103 .

The power provided by the controller 102 may be the maximum real-time power that the battery cell 101 can provide; in this case, as the battery cell capacity decays, the duration of the energy supplied from the battery cell 101 to the heater 103 will also be extended.

Among them, the power provided by the controller 102 can also be the stable power output by the battery cell 101 after passing through the voltage regulating circuit. The specific aerosol generating device 10 also includes a voltage regulating circuit coupled between the heater 103 and the battery cell 101; the voltage regulating circuit includes a boost circuit and/or a buck circuit. For example: the BUCK-BOOST conversion circuit shown in Figure 5. It can be understood that the voltage regulating circuit is not limited to the BUCK-BOOST conversion circuit, and can also be at least one of the BOOST conversion circuit, BUCK conversion circuit, CUK conversion circuit, ZETA conversion circuit, and SEPIC conversion circuit.

Among them, the process of the controller 102 providing power can be uninterrupted continuous output, so that the heat loss of the heater 103 and the aerosol forming matrix can be better supplemented. Taking a time stage as an example, the time when the controller 102 continuously outputs power only occupies a part of the current time stage, and this part is referred to as the energy supply time in this article. In some embodiments, the energy supply time is variable, and the controller 102 controls the energy supply according to the set energy of the current time stage and the real-time output power without limiting the energy supply time. In some embodiments, when the output power of the power source 102 is stable, the energy supply time can be pre-set. Therefore, the controller 102 can determine the output power based on the set energy of the current time stage and the preset energy supply time. In some embodiments, In the embodiment, for example, during the energy supply time, the heater 103 is supplied with energy, and generally, its temperature begins to rise, and the rate of temperature rise is determined by the set energy, the actual power output, and the like.

In the puffing working stage, when the current time stage occurs synchronously with the user's puffing action, due to the frequency setting of multiple time stages in the puffing working stage, there is at least one time stage of energy supply within the time of one puffing action (about 5s), and the heat taken away by the puffing action is extremely small, which only causes some jitters in the process of temperature change of the heater 103. The heat of the heater 103 and the aerosol forming matrix can still be replenished in time, so the temperature of the heater 103 can still be maintained within a temperature range without causing a large temperature drop.

It should be emphasized that the energy supply in multiple time stages provided in this solution is to meet the heat demand of the aerosol formation matrix in each stage, and only low-frequency energy supply is required. Therefore, the energy supply time of each time stage is ≥500ms (milliseconds), preferably more than 1s or the frequency is ≤2Hz; while conventional PWM control usually outputs precise power at an output frequency of about 100Hz, which is a high-frequency output, which is different from the intention of this solution.

Step S122: Determine the supplied energy in the current time period.

When the controller 102 outputs power, it synchronously counts the supplied energy that has been output.

In some embodiments, the detection circuit can be used to detect electrical parameters such as voltage, current and/or resistance of the heater 103, as well as the duration of supply (energy supply time), and then based on the formula of energy Q=P*t=U^2/R*t=I^2*R*t=U*I*t, the energy supplied to the heater 103 can be calculated.

In some embodiments, during the heating process of the heater 103, when some electrical parameters remain constant, for example, when the heater 103 is supplied with a constant voltage, or a constant current, or the resistance of the heater 103 remains constant, the supplied energy can be indirectly characterized by only monitoring some of the electrical parameters or the duration of the continuous supply.

Step S123, determining whether the supplied energy in the current time period reaches the set energy corresponding to the current time period.

The controller 102 compares whether the supplied energy has reached the set energy. If not, the controller continues to supply energy. If so, the controller enters step S124.

Step S124: If the supplied energy reaches the set energy corresponding to the current time stage, control the power source to stop supplying energy in the current time stage.

The controller 102 stops supplying energy to the heater 103 for a period of time, which will be referred to as the natural cooling time herein. In some embodiments, the natural cooling time is pre-set, and is related to factors such as the heat preservation performance of the heating module, or the heat transfer requirements between the heater 103 and the aerosol forming matrix. Therefore, after completing the energy supply of the current time stage, the controller 102 stops supplying energy to the heater 103 within the preset natural cooling time, and determines by timing whether the natural cooling time reaches the cut-off time. In some embodiments, the natural cooling time may not be set directly, for example, by detecting the real-time temperature of the heater 103, to determine whether to end the natural cooling time, and the natural cooling time at this time can be changed between multiple time stages.

During the natural cooling time, since the heater 103 has no energy supply, the temperature of the heater 103 naturally begins to drop. This part of the temperature loss is due to the heat loss of the matrix formed by the heater 103 and the outside world/aerosol. During the puffing stage, the heat loss caused by the puffing action may also be superimposed.

With the end of the natural cooling time, the current time stage also officially ends. At this time, the total working time of the aerosol generating device 10 (or the preset number of puffs) has reached the preset threshold, or the controller 102 receives an instruction to end heating, then the aerosol generating device 10 ends its operation and does not enter the next time stage. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4 , after the current time stage ends, it is necessary to jump to the next time stage (step S12'), and repeat the above steps S121-S124.

FIG6 and FIG7 specifically illustrate the jump process between the current time stage and the next time stage.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6 , after the energy supply of the current time stage is ended, the controller 102 enters the natural cooling time of the current time stage and performs timing. When the natural cooling time reaches the preset deadline, the current time stage is ended and the next time stage is entered. At this time, the controller 102 can directly perform energy supply and jump in multiple time stages according to the set energy and natural cooling time of each time stage. In this way, whether starting or stopping energy supply in the current time stage, there is no need to pay attention to the real-time temperature of the heater 103. It only needs to be strictly executed according to the setting of parameters such as the set energy and natural cooling time of each time stage. The adverse interference of the temperature of the heater 103 can be eliminated, and the control is truly based on the heat required to be absorbed by the aerosol-forming matrix to generate aerosol.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 , the aerosol generating device 10 further includes a temperature sensor for detecting the real-time temperature of the heater 103. After the controller 102 ends the energy supply of the current time period, it enters the natural cooling time of the current time period, and synchronously detects the temperature of the heater 103 during the natural cooling time. The real-time temperature of the heater 103 is measured. When the real-time temperature meets the preset low temperature threshold (e.g., FIG. 10A-10B, T3), the current time stage is ended, and the energy supply of the next time stage is entered and started. In this way, it is only necessary to refer to the real-time temperature of the heater 103 when to start a time stage to provide energy supply to the heater 103, and the energy supply within a time stage, such as when to stop the energy supply within a time stage, is still strictly executed according to the set energy of each time stage. It is also possible to exclude the influence of the difference in the real-time temperature of the heater 103 on the temperature control, and control it from the heat required to be absorbed by the aerosol-forming matrix to generate aerosol.

8A-8D are schematic diagrams showing various forms of power supply voltages in the preheating working stage. The preheating working stage t0-t2 includes multiple time stages (t0-t12), (t12-t14), (t14-t16), ...

After the controller 102 receives the instruction to start heating, it officially enters the preheating working stage and starts the energy supply of the first time stage (t0-t12). At this time, the controller 102 provides the maximum output voltage U0 to the heater 103 and continues for a certain time (energy supply time, t0-t11). The controller 102 synchronously calculates the supplied energy. When the supplied energy reaches the set value Q1 of the first time stage, the controller 102 controls the power source 101 to stop outputting power and continues for a certain time (natural cooling time, t11-t12). When the natural cooling time t11-t12 reaches the set duration of the first time stage, the first time stage ends, enters the second time stage (t12-t14) and starts power output.

In some embodiments, the input voltage of the heater 103 in the first time period may remain unchanged. Preferably, the natural cooling time in the first time period at this time does not exceed 3 seconds.

In some embodiments, the power (output voltage) provided by the controller 102 to the heater 103 is reduced at least once in the latter part of the first time period, so that while providing the heater 103 with a high-power continuous energy supply in the first time period, the heat transfer between the aerosol-forming substrate 20 and the heater 103 is further maintained by a low-power output, and the temperature of the heater 103 will not be overshot, thereby improving the user's puffing experience. At this time, as shown in Figures 10A-10B, the temperature of the heater 103 rises rapidly from the initial temperature to the maximum temperature, and falls slightly in the form of a parabola.

Among them, the power adjustment in the later period of the first time stage can be implemented in various forms. For example, as shown in Figure 8A, the input voltage of the heater 103 decreases in multiple steps over time, and the duration/reduction amplitude of each step voltage can be adjusted according to actual needs. As shown in Figure 8B, the input voltage of the heater 103 decreases in a single step over time. As shown in Figure 8C, the input voltage of the heater 103 decreases linearly over time, and it can decrease linearly with a constant slope, or it can decrease linearly with a variable slope. As shown in Figure 8D, the input voltage of the heater 103 changes in a wave-like manner over time, In other words, the input voltage of the heater 103 rises and falls.

The duration of the power reduction in the latter part of the first time stage (t1-t11) is between 2 and 3 seconds.

In the second time period (t12-t14), the controller 102 outputs a voltage U1 (U1 < U0) to the heater 103 and continues for a certain period of time (energy supply time, t12-t13), at which time the temperature of the heater 103 rises slightly; when the output supplied energy reaches the set value Q2 (Q2 < Q1) of the second time period, the controller 102 stops outputting power and continues for a certain period of time (natural cooling time, t13-t14), at which time the temperature of the heater 103 drops slightly. As shown in Figures 10A-10B, in the second time period (t12-t2), the temperature of the heater 103 fluctuates.

The operation steps of the second time stage may be repeated multiple times, for example, 3-5 times. The set energy or natural cooling time settings between multiple second time stages may be the same or different. At this time, if the set energy and natural cooling time settings of multiple second time stages are the same, the temperature of the heater 103 fluctuates within a certain temperature range.

Among them, the total duration of multiple second time stages is between 5 and 8 seconds. The aerosol-forming matrix can use this time to fully absorb heat without causing excessive aerosol generation.

In the preheating working stage, the set energy of the first time stage accounts for more than 80% of the total set energy of the entire preheating working stage, which is conducive to the aerosol-forming substrate to quickly and sufficiently produce the desired aerosol.

When the second time period ends, the preheating working stage (t0-t2) also ends. At this time, the suction working stage (t2-t3) begins, and the controller 102 sends a reminder message to the user that the suction working stage has begun.

9A-9B are schematic diagrams showing various forms of power supply voltages during the suction operation phase.

In the suction working stage, there are also multiple time stages (herein referred to as the third time stage) t21, ..., t2n, ..., t2k, where k is between 6 and 20. The control steps of the third time stage are the same as those of the second time stage, but the setting of the energy and the natural cooling time may be different. Among them, the total duration of the third time stage is at least 2s (seconds), or between 2.5-5s (seconds), or between 3-4s (seconds), which is specifically determined according to the heating characteristics and insulation characteristics of different heating modules.

As shown in Fig. 9A-9C, the suction working stage (t2-t3) starts, and the first third time stage (t21) is started. The controller 102 outputs the voltage U21 to the heater 103, and continues to supply within the energy supply time (t21-1). The controller 102 synchronously calculates the supplied energy. When the supplied energy meets the set energy Q21, the controller 102 stops outputting power and continues the natural cooling time (t21-2). When the output is stopped, When the duration of the power output meets the predetermined natural cooling time, or when the real-time temperature of the heater 103 reaches the temperature threshold T3, the third time period (t21) ends and the energy supply of the second third time period (t22) is entered and started.

In the first third time period, the temperature of the heater 103 starts to rise slightly until it reaches the temperature threshold T2. During the natural cooling time, the temperature of the heater 103 drops slightly until it reaches the temperature threshold T3.

In some embodiments, when the energy supply is started by using the real-time temperature of the heater 103, if there is a puffing action, during the energy supply time of the third time stage, the temperature of the heater 103 still rises, but may be affected by the puffing action, resulting in a slower temperature rise rate; during the natural cooling time of the third time stage, the temperature of the heater 103 still drops, but may be affected by the puffing action, resulting in an increased temperature drop rate. However, at this time, once it is recognized that the real-time temperature of the heater 103 reaches the temperature threshold T3, the energy supply of the next third time stage is immediately started, and the temperature of the heater 103 will immediately rise. In this case, the natural cooling time ends early, and the energy supply between multiple third time stages is more compact. By increasing the number of third time stages, the influence of the puffing action can be resolved, and the temperature of the heater 103 still fluctuates between the temperature range (T2-T3).

In some embodiments, when the control is completely independent of the real-time temperature of the heater 103, if there is a puffing action, during the energy supply time of the third time stage, the temperature of the heater 103 still rises, but may be affected by the puffing action and cause the temperature rise rate to be slightly slower; during the natural cooling time of the third time stage, the temperature of the heater 103 still drops, but may be affected by the puffing action and cause the temperature drop rate to increase. Since there is at least one third time stage of energy supply during the duration of a puff action, the energy loss taken away by the puffing action is less than the total energy supply of at least one third time stage, and therefore it will not cause a significant drop in the temperature of the heater 103, and the temperature of the heater 103 can still fluctuate within a small temperature range (T2-T3). Among them, the fluctuation amplitude of the heater 103 may be inconsistent.

The operation steps of the third time phase may be repeatedly executed multiple times in the suction working phase, and the jumps between multiple third time phases may refer to the jumps between t21 and t22.

9A-9C show various situations of energy supply and natural cooling time between multiple third time stages.

As shown in FIG9A , by setting the set energy between multiple third time periods to be the same, the energy supply When the time is set to be different and the natural cooling time is the same, the temperature fluctuation of the heater 103 in the temperature range (T2-T3) is in the form of variable frequency. The natural cooling time is related to the heat preservation performance of the heating module.

As shown in FIG9B , by setting the set energy between multiple third time stages to be the same, the energy supply time to be the same, and the natural cooling time to be the same, the temperature fluctuation of the heater 103 in the temperature range (T2-T3) is a constant frequency. The natural cooling time is related to the heat preservation performance of the heating module.

As shown in FIG9C , by setting the set energy between multiple third time stages to be different, for example, the set energy in the front is high and the set energy in the back is relatively low, the energy supply time is set to be the same, and the natural cooling time is also the same, at this time, the temperature fluctuation of the heater 103 in the temperature range (T2-T3) is in the form of a variable frequency, and is small at first and then large, so that sufficient aerosol can be generated in the early stage of the inhalation working stage. Among them, the natural cooling time is related to the heat preservation performance of the heating module.

In some embodiments, taking the circumferential shaped heater 103 of the resistive thick film heating as an example, since the resistive thick film heater has the characteristics of fast heating and weak heat preservation, the controller 102 enters the preheating working stage after receiving the instruction to start heating. First, according to the set energy of the first time stage, the output power can be about 25W in the first time stage, and the energy supply time is about 15s. At this time, the temperature of the heater 103 rises from the initial temperature to 380°C; then the energy is stopped and the natural cooling time (about 3s) of the first time stage is experienced, and 3-5 second time stages are started in sequence, and each second time stage is started. The output power of the time stage is about 6W, the energy supply time is about 1s (can change according to the real-time power), and the natural cooling time is about 3s; after experiencing multiple second time stages of energy supply, the temperature of the heater 103 is about 230°C; then it enters the suction working stage, and repeats the third time stage 6-20 times. The output power of each third time stage is about 5W, the energy supply time is about 1-2s (can change according to the real-time power), and the natural cooling time is about 3s, so that the temperature of the heater 103 fluctuates around 230°C in a wave-like manner until the suction working stage ends.

In some embodiments, taking the circumferential heater 103 of infrared heating as an example, since the infrared heater has the characteristics of slow heating and good heat preservation, the controller 102 enters the preheating working stage after receiving the instruction to start heating. First, according to the set energy of the first time stage, the output power can be about 35W in the first time stage, and the energy supply time is about 20s. At this time, the temperature of the heater 103 rises from the initial temperature to 280°C; then the energy is stopped and the natural cooling time (about 3s) of the first time stage is experienced, and 3-5 second time stages are started in sequence. The output of each second time stage is about 10W. The output power is about 6W, the energy supply time is about 1s (can change according to the real-time power), and the natural cooling time is about 4-8s; after experiencing multiple second time stages of energy supply, the temperature of the heater 103 is about above 240°C; then it enters the suction working stage, and repeats the third time stage 6-20 times. The output power of each third time stage is about 5W, the energy supply time is about 5s (can change according to the real-time power), and the natural cooling time is about 4s, so that the temperature of the heater 103 fluctuates around 240°C in a wave-like manner until the suction working stage ends.

In some embodiments, a controller 102 is provided, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the control method of the aerosol generating device in any of the above method embodiments are implemented.

In some embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, all or part of the processes in the control method of the aerosol generating device in the above-mentioned embodiment are implemented. The computer program can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through the computer program. The computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to memory, storage, database or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application can include at least one of non-volatile and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory or optical memory, etc. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. As an illustration and not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM).

It should be noted that the preferred embodiments of the present application are given in the specification and drawings of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described in the specification. These embodiments are not intended to be additional limitations on the content of the present application. The purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the understanding of the disclosure of the present application more thorough and comprehensive. In addition, the above-mentioned technical features continue to be combined with each other to form various embodiments not listed above, which are all deemed to be within the scope of the specification of the present application; further, for ordinary technicians in this field, they can be improved or transformed according to the above description, and all these improvements and transformations should belong to the scope of protection of the claims attached to the present application.

Claims (26)

1. A method for controlling an aerosol generating device, the aerosol generating device comprising a heater for heating an aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol, and a power source for providing energy to the heater; the method comprising:

   In a plurality of time stages after receiving the instruction to start heating, correspondingly controlling the power source to supply energy to the heater a plurality of times;

   In one of the time stages, controlling the power source to supply energy to the heater in the current time stage comprises:

   Control the power source to start the energy supply of the heater during the current time period;

   Determining the supplied energy for the current time period;

   If the supplied energy reaches the set energy corresponding to the current time stage, the power source is controlled to stop supplying energy in the current time stage.
2. The method according to claim 1 is characterized in that if the supplied energy reaches the set energy corresponding to the current time stage, then after controlling the power source to stop supplying energy in the current time stage, it includes:

   Determining the duration of the power source stopping the energy supply in the current time period;

   If the duration meets the preset natural cooling time of the current time stage, the current time stage is ended and the next time stage is entered.
3. The method according to claim 1 is characterized in that if the supplied energy reaches the set energy corresponding to the current time stage, then after controlling the power source to stop supplying energy in the current time stage, it includes:

   detecting the real-time temperature of the heater;

   If the real-time temperature drops to a preset low temperature threshold, the current time period ends and the next time period begins.
4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the step of entering the next time period comprises:

   Controlling the power source to supply energy to the heater to start the next time period;

   determining the supplied energy for the next time period;

   If the supplied energy reaches the set energy corresponding to the next time stage, the power source is controlled to stop supplying energy for the next time stage.
5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the multiple time stages after receiving the instruction to start heating, correspondingly controlling the power source to supply energy to the heater multiple times comprises:

   After receiving the start heating instruction, it enters the preheating working stage;

   The preheating working stage is provided with a first time stage and a second time stage, and the power source is correspondingly controlled to supply energy to the heater respectively;

   The first time stage is used to enable the heater to quickly reach the temperature for generating aerosol, the second time stage is used to maintain heat transfer between the heater and the aerosol-forming matrix, and the set energy of the first time stage is greater than the set energy of the second time stage.
6. The method according to claim 5 is characterized in that the set energy of the first time stage accounts for more than 80% of the total set energy of the preheating working stage.
7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that a plurality of second time stages are provided in the preheating working stage;

   The set energies of at least two of the second time stages are the same.
8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that at least three second time stages are provided in the preheating working stage; or,

   The total duration of the multiple second time stages is 4-8 seconds.
9. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises:

   In the first time stage, controlling the power source to supply energy to the heater in the current time stage includes:

   Control the power source to output voltage to the heater to start the energy supply in the current time period. Give, wherein the output power in the first time period is reduced at least once;

   Determining the supplied energy for the current time period;

   If the supplied energy reaches the set energy corresponding to the current time stage, the power source is controlled to stop supplying energy in the current time stage.
10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the output power in the first time period is reduced at least once, comprising:

    The voltage provided by the power source to the heater is controlled to be at least one of the following:

    It decreases step by step over time;

    It decreases linearly with time;

    It changes in waves over time.
11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the multiple time stages after receiving the instruction to start heating, correspondingly controlling the power source to supply energy to the heater multiple times comprises:

    After receiving the start-up heating instruction, the suction working stage is entered;

    A plurality of third time stages are provided in the suction working stage, and the power source is correspondingly controlled to supply energy to the heater a plurality of times.
12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the set energies of at least two of the third time periods in the suction working phase are the same.
13. The method according to claim 11 is characterized in that the set energy of at least one of the third time stages in the early stage of the suction working stage is greater than the set energy of at least one of the third time stages in the late stage of the suction working stage.
14. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the natural cooling times of at least two of the third time periods in the suction working phase are the same.
15. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the natural cooling time of all the third time periods in the suction working stage is the same.
16. The method according to claim 11 is characterized in that the natural cooling time of the third time stage accompanied by the suction action is shorter than the natural cooling time of the third time stage not accompanied by the suction action.
17. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the controlling the power source to start the energy supply of the heater during the current time period comprises:

    The power source is controlled to start supplying energy to the heater during the current time period and to continue supplying energy.
18. The method according to claim 17 is characterized in that the duration of the continuous energy supply is the energy supply time, and the energy supply time is ≥500ms.
19. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the multiple time stages after receiving the instruction to start heating, the power source is correspondingly controlled to supply energy to the heater multiple times; comprising:

    After receiving the start-up heating instruction, it enters the preheating working stage and the suction working stage successively;

    In a plurality of time stages in the preheating working stage and the suction working stage, the power source is correspondingly controlled to supply energy to the heater respectively;

    The ratio of the sum of the set energies in the multiple time stages in the preheating working stage to the sum of the set energies in the multiple time stages in the suction working stage is about 1:1; or about 3:5.
20. An aerosol generating device, characterized in that it comprises:

    A heater, for heating the aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol;

    a power source for providing energy to the heater;

    The controller is configured to control the power source to supply energy to the heater multiple times in a plurality of time stages after receiving the instruction to start heating; in one of the time stages, controlling the power source to supply energy to the heater in the current time stage includes: controlling the power source to supply energy to the heater in the current time stage; determining the current time if the supplied energy reaches the set energy corresponding to the current time stage, the power source is controlled to stop the energy supply of the current time stage.
21. The device according to claim 20 is characterized in that the controller is also configured to stop supplying energy to the heater during the current time period without depending on the real-time temperature of the heater.
22. The device according to claim 20 is characterized in that the controller is also configured to start the energy supply to the heater for the next time period by determining the duration of stopping the energy supply of the current time period to reach the natural cooling time of the current time period.
23. The device according to claim 20 is characterized in that the controller is also configured to start the energy supply to the heater for the next time stage in the current time stage without depending on the real-time temperature of the heater.
24. An aerosol generating device, characterized in that it comprises:

    A heater, for heating the aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol;

    a power source for providing energy to the heater;

    The controller is configured to control the power source to supply energy to the heater in multiple time stages according to the set energy and natural cooling time in each time stage after receiving the heating start instruction.
25. An aerosol generating device, characterized in that it comprises:

    A heater, for heating the aerosol-forming substrate to generate an aerosol;

    a power source for providing energy to the heater;

    The controller is configured to control the power source to supply energy to the heater according to the set energy and natural cooling time in each time stage in a plurality of time stages of the suction operation stage;

    The set energy and natural cooling time of at least two of the time stages are the same.
26. The device according to claim 25 is characterized in that it also includes a temperature sensor. To detect the real-time temperature of the heater;

    In the suction working stage, the real-time temperature presents a fluctuating form.