Tobacco heating device and method for detecting presence of tobacco unit by using optical sensing operation

Abstract

A tobacco heating device for heating a tobacco unit includes a housing, a chamber, a light source, an optical sensor, and a controller. The housing has an outer surface, an inner side surface, a closed base surface, and an opening lip. The chamber is used for accommodating a tobacco unit, which is to be inserted through the opening lip into the chamber. The light source, disposed at a first position located on the inner side surface, is used for illuminating a light ray into the tobacco unit when the tobacco unit is inserted. The optical sensor, disposed at a second position located on the closed base surface, is used for detecting a light change. The controller, coupled to the optical sensor, is used for enabling and controlling a heating operation to heat the tobacco unit in response to the detected light change.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.