Aerosol generating device

Abstract

Disclosed is an aerosol generating apparatus including a liquid storage configured to accommodate an aerosol generating material; a vibrator configured to generate ultrasonic vibration to atomize the aerosol generating material into an aerosol; and a processor configured to, based on a correlation between frequencies within a predetermined range including a resonant frequency of the vibrator and impedances of the vibrator changed by application of the frequencies within the predetermined range, determine an operating frequency for controlling the vibrator to a second temperature higher than a first temperature reached by application of a voltage of the resonant frequency and control the vibrator to the second temperature by applying a voltage of the operating frequency to the vibrator.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An aerosol generating device comprising:
 a liquid storage configured to accommodate an aerosol generating material;   a vibrator configured to generate ultrasonic vibration to atomize the aerosol generating material into an aerosol; and   a processor configured to apply a voltage of a first magnitude to the vibrator in a smoke mode in which visible smoke is produced from the aerosol generating device and apply a voltage of a second magnitude smaller than the first magnitude to the vibrator in a smokeless mode in which no visible smoke is produced, thereby controlling a temperature of the vibrator to a temperature corresponding to the second magnitude, which is lower than a temperature corresponding to the first magnitude.   
     
     
         2 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 1 ,
 wherein a viscosity of an aerosol generating material moved from the liquid storage and absorbed by a liquid delivery element increases as the temperature of the vibrator decreases, and   as the voltage of the second magnitude is applied in the smokeless mode, the vibrator is configured to atomize an aerosol generating material having an increased viscosity than in the smoke mode to which the voltage of the first magnitude is applied.   
     
     
         3 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the second magnitude, such that consumption of the aerosol generating material per unit time in the smokeless mode is equal to or less than a predetermined value. 
     
     
         4 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 control a vibration frequency of the vibrator to a first vibration frequency in the smoke mode, and   control the vibration frequency of the vibrator to a second vibration frequency lower than the first vibration frequency in the smokeless mode by applying a voltage of a sub resonant frequency, which is lower than a main resonant frequency that causes a largest resonance from among a plurality of resonant frequencies of the vibrator.   
     
     
         5 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 4 , wherein
 a particle size of an atomized aerosol increases as the vibration frequency decreases, and   the vibrator is configured to vibrate at the second vibration frequency in the smokeless mode to generate an aerosol having a larger particle size than in the smokeless mode in which the vibrator vibrates at the first vibration frequency.   
     
     
         6 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 5 , wherein the particle size of the aerosol is larger than 2 μm and smaller than or equal to 10 μm in the smokeless mode and is larger than or equal to 0.2 μm and smaller than or equal to 2 μm in the smoke mode. 
     
     
         7 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 4 , wherein the processor is configured to apply a voltage of the main resonant frequency or a voltage of a frequency between the main resonant frequency and the sub resonant frequency to the vibrator in the smoke mode.