Aerosol generating device

Abstract

An aerosol generating device includes a power supply configured to provide direct current (DC) power, a power converter configured to convert the DC power to alternating current (AC) power, a coil configured to generate a magnetic field induced by the AC power, a susceptor heated by the induced magnetic field, a magnetic field sensor configured to detect intensity of the induced magnetic field, and a controller configured to estimate a temperature of the susceptor based on the intensity of the induced magnetic field.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An aerosol generating device comprising: 
 a power supply configured to provide direct current (DC) power;   a power converter configured to convert the DC power to alternating current (AC) power;   a coil configured to generate an induction magnetic field by the AC power;   a susceptor configured to be heated by the induction magnetic field;   a magnetic field sensor configured to detect intensity of the induction magnetic field; and   a controller configured to estimate a temperature of the susceptor based on the intensity of the induction magnetic field.   
     
     
         2 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 1 , further comprising a current sensor configured to detect a current flowing through the coil, 
       wherein the controller is further configured to obtain information about the intensity of the induction magnetic field from the magnetic field sensor according to a detection result of the current sensor. 
     
     
         3 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to estimate the temperature of the susceptor based on the intensity of the induction magnetic field when a magnitude of the current flowing through the coil is maintained within a preset range. 
     
     
         4 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 3 , further comprising a memory storing a correspondence between the intensity of the induction magnetic field and the temperature of the susceptor in a form of a lookup table, 
       wherein the controller is further configured to determine the temperature of the susceptor based on the lookup table. 
     
     
         5 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 4 , wherein the memory further stores information about target temperatures of each of a preheating section and a smoking section following the preheating section. 
     
     
         6 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the AC power supplied to the coil based on target temperatures of each of a preheating section and a smoking section following the preheating section. 
     
     
         7 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 6 , wherein the preheating section comprises a first section in which the temperature of the susceptor is increased to a target preheating temperature and a second section following the first section in which the target preheating temperature is maintained, and 
       the controller is further configured to estimate the temperature of the susceptor based on the intensity of the induction magnetic field detected in the second section. 
     
     
         8 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 7 , wherein the smoking section comprises a plurality of sub-smoking sections in which the temperature of the susceptor decreases step by step from the target preheating temperature, and 
       the controller is further configured to control the AC power supplied to the coil according to target smoking temperatures that are lower than the target preheating temperature and different from one another, in each of the plurality of sub-smoking sections. 
     
     
         9 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of sub-smoking sections comprises a third section in which the temperature of the susceptor decreases to the target smoking temperature and a fourth section following the third section in which the target smoking temperature is maintained, and 
       the controller is further configured to estimate the temperature of the susceptor based on the intensity of the induction magnetic field detected in the fourth section. 
     
     
         10 . The aerosol generating device of  claim 1 , further comprising a blocking member preventing the induction magnetic field generated by the coil from being discharged to outside, 
       wherein the blocking member surrounds at least part of an outer circumferential surface of the coil.