Aerosol generating system and operating method thereof

Abstract

An aerosol generating system according to one embodiment includes a cigarette having a first color band of which color changes in response to humidity, and an aerosol generating device including a main body including an accommodation passage for accommodating the cigarette, a heater for heating the cigarette, a color sensor arranged on one side of the accommodation passage and detecting a color of the first color band, and a controller for determining a humidity state of the cigarette, based on a detected color of the first color band.

1 . An aerosol generating system comprising:
 a cigarette having a first color band of which color changes in response to humidity; and   an aerosol generating device including:   a main body including an accommodation passage for accommodating the cigarette;   a heater configured to heat the cigarette;   a color sensor arranged on one side of the accommodation passage and configured to detect a color of the first color band; and   a controller configured to determine a humidity state of the cigarette, based on the detected color of the first color band.   
     
     
         2 . The aerosol generating system of  claim 1 , wherein the first color band includes litmus that changes from a first color to a second color when exposed to moisture. 
     
     
         3 . The aerosol generating system of  claim 2 , wherein the controller determines the cigarette as a normal cigarette when the color of the first color band is the first color, and determines the cigarette as an excessively moist cigarette when the color of the first color band is the second color. 
     
     
         4 . The aerosol generating system of  claim 3 , wherein the controller operates the heater with a first temperature profile when the cigarette is determined as the normal cigarette, and operates the heater with a second temperature profile when the cigarette is determined as the excessively moist cigarette. 
     
     
         5 . The aerosol generating system of  claim 4 , wherein a preheating period of the second temperature profile is longer than a preheating period of the first temperature profile. 
     
     
         6 . The aerosol generating system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the cigarette includes an aerosol generating unit, a tobacco filling unit, a cooling unit, and a mouthpiece,   the aerosol generating unit, the tobacco filling unit, the cooling unit, and the mouthpiece are wrapped by a packaging material, and   the first color band is formed on a region of the packaging material corresponding to the tobacco filling unit.   
     
     
         7 . The aerosol generating system of  claim 6 , wherein the cigarette further includes a second color band having different colors according to types of the cigarette. 
     
     
         8 . The aerosol generating system of  claim 7 , wherein types of the cigarette include a first cigarette including the tobacco filling unit filled with cut tobacco, a second cigarette including the tobacco filling unit filled with tobacco granules, and a third cigarette including the tobacco filling unit filled with nicotine liquid. 
     
     
         9 . The aerosol generating system of  claim 8 , wherein the second color band of the first cigarette has a third color, the second color band of the second cigarette has a fourth color, and the second color band of the third cigarette has a fifth color. 
     
     
         10 . The aerosol generating system of  claim 7 , wherein the controller operates the heater with a temperature profile corresponding to the colors of the first color band and the second color band. 
     
     
         11 . The aerosol generating system of  claim 7 , wherein the second color band is formed on another region of the packaging material corresponding to the tobacco filling unit and is arranged between the first color band and a boundary line between the tobacco filling unit and the cooling unit. 
     
     
         12 . The aerosol generating system of  claim 7 , wherein the first color band is formed to overlap the second color band in a thickness direction and has a mesh shape. 
     
     
         13 . The aerosol generating system of  claim 12 , wherein the color sensor detects a mixed color in which the color of the first color band and a color of the second color band are mixed. 
     
     
         14 . An operating method of an aerosol generating system, the operating method comprising:
 detecting insertion of a cigarette on which a color band is formed, into an accommodation passage of a main body;   detecting a color of the color band by using a color sensor; and   determining a humidity state of the cigarette, based on the detected color of the color band.   
     
     
         15 . The operating method of  claim 14 , wherein
 the color band includes litmus that changes from a first color to a second color when exposed to moisture, and   in the determining of the humidity state of the cigarette, the cigarette is determined as a normal cigarette when the color of the color band is the first color, and the cigarette is determined as an excessively moist cigarette when the color of the color band is the second color.