Aerosol-generating device and operating method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12426639-B2
Application number	US-202017278980-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2020
Priority date	Feb 7, 2020
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

An aerosol-generating device and a controlling method thereof are provided. The aerosol-generating device may include a heating chamber configured to receive an aerosol-generating article, a heater configured to heat the aerosol-generating article in the heating chamber, an inductance sensor configured to measure an inductance value of a coil, a capacitance sensor configured to measure a capacitance value of a capacitor, and a controller configured to detect whether the aerosol-generating article is inserted based on the inductance value of the coil and the capacitance value of the capacitor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aerosol-generating device comprising:
a heating chamber configured to receive an aerosol-generating article;
a heater configured to heat the aerosol-generating article in the heating chamber;
an inductance sensor configured to measure an inductance value of a coil;
a capacitance sensor configured to measure a capacitance value of a capacitor; and
a controller configured to detect whether the aerosol-generating article is inserted based on both the inductance value of the coil and the capacitance value of the capacitor being changed by a marker included in the aerosol-generating article,
wherein the controller is further configured to detect that the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the heating chamber based on the inductance value being greater than or equal to a first reference value and the capacitance value being greater than or equal to a second reference value.

2. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein a detection range of the inductance sensor and a detection range of the capacitance sensor are set differently.

3. The aerosol-generating device of claim 2 , wherein the detection range of the inductance sensor is set to be wider than the detection range of the capacitance sensor.

4. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein
one side of the capacitance sensor faces the heating chamber, and
the aerosol-generating device further comprises a shielding member placed on the other side opposite to the one side of the capacitance sensor.

5. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein
the marker is placed on one side of the aerosol-generating article,
the inductance sensor comprises a first inductance sensor and a second inductance sensor that are spaced apart from each other in one direction, and
the second inductance sensor is positioned adjacent to the position of the marker of the aerosol-generating article inserted into the heating chamber.

6. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the marker has a permeability changing the inductance of the coil and a permittivity changing the capacitance value of the capacitor.

7. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the aerosol-generating device includes a sensor assembly including the coil, the capacitor, and a sensor controller configured to receive the inductance value from the coil and the capacitance value from the capacitor.

8. The aerosol-generating device of claim 7 , wherein
the controller comprises a main controller configured to operate in a sleep mode in which an operation of the heater is controlled to be deactivated and in an operation mode in which the operation of the heater is controlled to be activated,
the sensor assembly wakes up the main controller from the sleep mode to the operation mode based on the inductance value, and
the main controller detects whether the aerosol-generating article is inserted based on the capacitance value.

9. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein
the aerosol-generating article is in a form of a cigarette extending in one direction, and
the marker is placed at one end of the aerosol-generating article.

10. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the aerosol-generating article is a cartridge including a liquid aerosol-generating material.

11. An operating method of an aerosol-generating device, the method comprising:
measuring an inductance value of a coil that changes according to a movement of an aerosol-generating article comprising a marker, by an inductance sensor including the coil, the inductance value being changed by the marker;
measuring a capacitance value of a capacitor that changes according to the movement of the aerosol-generating article comprising the marker, by a capacitance sensor including the capacitor, the capacitance value being changed by the marker;
detecting whether the aerosol-generating article is inserted into a heating chamber based on the inductance value being greater than or equal to a first reference value and the capacitance value being greater than or equal to a second reference value; and
heating the aerosol-generating article inserted into the heating chamber using a heater.

12. An aerosol-generating system comprising:
an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-generating material and a marker; and
an aerosol-generating device comprising:
a heating chamber configured to receive the aerosol-generating article;
a heater configured to heat the aerosol-generating article in the heating chamber;
an inductance sensor configured to measure an inductance value of a coil;
a capacitance sensor configured to measure a capacitance value of a capacitor; and
a controller configured to detect whether the aerosol-generating article is inserted based on both the inductance value of the coil and the capacitance value of the capacitor being changed by the marker,
wherein the controller is further configured to detect that the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the heating chamber based on the inductance value being greater than or equal to a first reference value and the capacitance value being greater than or equal to a second reference value.

13. The aerosol-generating device of claim 1 , wherein the inductance sensor is arranged at a first side of the heating chamber,
wherein the capacitance sensor is arranged at a second side of the heating chamber opposite to the first side, and
wherein the inductance sensor and the capacitance sensor are positioned such that a detection range of the inductance sensor and a detection range of the capacitance sensor overlap each other.

Assignees

• Kt & G Corp

Inventors

• Jung Hyung Jin

Classifications

• G01R27/2611

  Measuring inductance · CPC title

• G01R27/2605

  Measuring capacitance (capacitive sensors G01D5/24) · CPC title

• A24D1/20

  Cigarettes specially adapted for simulated smoking devices · CPC title

• A24F40/42

  Cartridges or containers for inhalable precursors · CPC title

• A24F40/57

  Temperature control · CPC title