HEATING APPARATUS FOR AEROSOL-FORMING ARTICLES THAT MANAGES TEMPERATURE USING FREQUENCY INFORMATION
A heating apparatus for an aerosol-forming article includes: a housing that accommodates at least a portion of the aerosol-forming article; a power circuit that delivers power to a heat-generating body for heating the aerosol-forming article; a controller that controls the power circuit to adjust the heating temperature of the aerosol-forming article; a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the housing and outputs an analog signal corresponding to the detected temperature; and an oscillator that outputs the signal of the frequency corresponding to the magnitude of the analog signal output by the temperature sensor; wherein the controller detects a user's puff or adjusts the heating temperature of the aerosol-forming article based on the frequency of the signal output by the oscillator.
1 . A heating apparatus for an aerosol-forming article, comprising:
a housing that accommodates at least a portion of the aerosol-forming article;
a power circuit that delivers power to a heat-generating body for heating the aerosol-forming article;
a controller that controls the power circuit to adjust a heating temperature of the aerosol-forming article;
a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the housing and outputs an analog signal corresponding to the detected temperature; and
an oscillator that outputs a frequency signal corresponding to a magnitude of the analog signal output by the temperature sensor;
wherein the controller detects a user's puff or adjusts the heating temperature of the aerosol-forming article based on the frequency signal output by the oscillator.
2 . The heating apparatus for the aerosol-forming article of claim 1 ,
wherein the heating apparatus is a contact type where the heat-generating body is installed in the housing,
a maximum heating temperature of the aerosol-forming article is 200° C. or higher, and
the temperature sensor is a thermistor and is installed in the housing to detect the temperature of the housing.
3 . The heating apparatus for the aerosol-forming article of claim 1 , wherein
the heat-generating body is inserted into the aerosol-forming article,
the heating apparatus is a non-contact type that heats the heat-generating body in an inductively coupled manner, and
the temperature sensor is a thermistor and is installed in the housing to detect the temperature of the housing.
4 . The heating apparatus for the aerosol-forming article of claim 2 , wherein
even if a change in the analog signal output by the temperature sensor due to a user's puff falls between as small as 10 mV and 20 mV, the controller can detect a puff.
5 . The heating apparatus for the aerosol-forming article of claim 2 , wherein
the thermistor has a maximum detection temperature of 130° C. or less.
6 . The heating apparatus for the aerosol-forming article of claim 2 , wherein
the controller uses a clock counter to detect the frequency of the signal output by the oscillator.
7 . The heating apparatus for the aerosol-forming article of claim 2 , wherein
the oscillator is a voltage-controlled oscillator that outputs a signal with a frequency corresponding to a voltage magnitude of the analog signal output by the temperature sensor.
8 . The heating apparatus for the aerosol-forming article of claim 3 , wherein
even if a change in the analog signal output by the temperature sensor due to a user's puff falls between as small as 10 mV and 20 mV, the controller can detect a puff.
9 . The heating apparatus for the aerosol-forming article of claim 3 , wherein
the thermistor has a maximum detection temperature of 130° C. or less.
10 . The heating apparatus for the aerosol-forming article of claim 3 , wherein
the controller uses a clock counter to detect the frequency of the signal output by the oscillator.
11 . The heating apparatus for the aerosol-forming article of claim 3 , wherein
the oscillator is a voltage-controlled oscillator that outputs a signal with a frequency corresponding to a voltage magnitude of the analog signal output by the temperature sensor.