Aerosol generating device using plurality of heaters

Abstract

An aerosol generating device includes a battery, a DC/DC converter configured to boost a voltage of the battery to supply a boosted voltage to a first heater and a second heater, a first resistor circuit connected in series with the second heater and configured to detect a current flowing through the second heater, a second resistor circuit connected in series with the first resistor circuit and configured to reduce a peak value of the current flowing through the second heater, an operation switch configured to determine whether or not the current flows through the second heater, and a processor configured to control the battery, the DC/DC converter, and the operation switch.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An aerosol generating device comprising:
 a battery;   a DC/DC converter configured to boost a voltage of the battery to supply a boosted voltage to a first heater and a second heater;   a first resistor circuit connected in series with the second heater and configured to detect a current flowing through the second heater;   a second resistor circuit connected in series with the first resistor circuit and configured to reduce a peak value of the current flowing through the second heater;   an operation switch configured to determine whether or not the current flows through the second heater; and   a processor configured to control the battery, the DC/DC converter, and the operation switch.   
     
     
         2 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 1 , wherein the first heater comprises a heater arranged within the aerosol generating device and configured to heat a stick accommodated in an insertion space of the aerosol generating device, and the second heater comprises a cartridge heater arranged within a cartridge detachably coupled to the aerosol generating device and configured to heat a liquid composition accommodated in the cartridge. 
     
     
         3 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 2 , further comprising an insertion detection sensor configured to detect insertion and/or removal of the stick, wherein the processor is further configured to initiate a heating operation of the first heater according to a preset temperature profile when the insertion of the stick is detected by the insertion detection sensor. 
     
     
         4 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 1 , wherein further comprising a low-dropout (LDO) regulator configured to regulate the voltage of the battery to supply an appropriate voltage to the processor. 
     
     
         5 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 1 , wherein the first resistor circuit comprises:
 a sensing resistor connected in series with the second heater; and   a current-sense amplifier configured to detect an intensity of a current flowing through the sensing resistor.   
     
     
         6 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to: measure an electrical characteristic of the second heater on the basis of the intensity of the current detected by the current sense amplifier; convert the measured electrical characteristic into a temperature value; and control an operation of the second heater on the basis of the converted temperature value. 
     
     
         7 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 1 , wherein the second resistor circuit has a resistance value in a range of about 0.08Ω to about 0.2 Ω. 
     
     
         8 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 1 , wherein the second resistor circuit comprises a variable resistor circuit having a resistance value adjustable in real time. 
     
     
         9 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 8 , wherein the variable resistor circuit comprises at least two resistors and at least one switch element. 
     
     
         10 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to increase the resistance value of the variable resistor circuit when determining that the battery is in a low voltage or low temperature state. 
     
     
         11 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first resistor connected between an output terminal of the DC/DC converter and a feedback terminal of the DC/DC converter; and   a variable resistor circuit connected between the feedback terminal and ground.   
     
     
         12 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to: when only one of the first heater and the second heater performs a heating operation, adjust a resistance value of the variable resistor circuit so that the DC/DC converter outputs a first boosted voltage; and when both the first heater and the second heater perform heating operations, adjust the resistance value of the variable resistor circuit so that the DC/DC converter outputs a second boosted voltage lower than the first boosted voltage. 
     
     
         13 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 11 , wherein the variable resistor circuit comprises:
 a second resistor and a third resistor connected in series between the feedback terminal and ground; and   a transistor connected between a node connecting the second resistor and the third resistor and the ground.   
     
     
         14 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 13 , further comprising a puff sensor configured to detect a puff by a user, wherein the processor is further configured to, when the puff is detected by the puff sensor, initiate the heating operation of the second heater by driving the operation switch and reduce an output voltage of the DC/DC converter by applying an off signal to the transistor. 
     
     
         15 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to, when termination of the puff is detected by the puff sensor or a preset time elapses after initiating the heating operation of the second heater, terminate the heating operation of the second heater, and increase the output voltage of the DC/DC converter again by applying an on signal to the transistor.