Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
  • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
  • A24F40/50—Control or monitoring
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
  • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
  • A24F40/65—Devices with integrated communication means, e.g. wireless communication means
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
  • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
  • A24F40/50—Control or monitoring
  • A24F40/53—Monitoring, e.g. fault detection
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
  • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
  • A24F40/50—Control or monitoring
  • A24F40/57—Temperature control
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q50/00—Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism
  • G06Q50/10—Services
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
  • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
  • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
  • A24F40/20—Devices using solid inhalable precursors

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a terminal device and a control method.
• the inhalation device 100 is a device for generating a substance to be inhaled by a user.
• the substance generated by the inhalation device 100 will be described as being an aerosol.
• the substance generated by the inhalation device 100 may be a gas.
• the inhalation device 100 generates the aerosol by using a stick-type substrate 150.
• the stick-type substrate 150 is an example of a substrate that contains an aerosol source.
• the inhalation device 100 is an example of an aerosol-generating device for generating an aerosol by heating the aerosol source contained in the substrate.
• the power source unit 111 stores electrical power. The power source unit 111 then supplies the electrical power to each component of the inhalation device 100 in accordance with control performed by the control unit 116.
• the power source unit 111 may be configured, for example, by a rechargeable battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery.
• the sensor unit 112 acquires various types of information relating to the inhalation device 100.
• the sensor unit 112 is configured by a pressure sensor such as a condenser microphone, a flow rate sensor or a temperature sensor, etc., and acquires values associated with inhalation by a user.
• the sensor unit 112 is configured by an input device, such as a button or switch, for accepting input of information from the user.
• the memory unit 114 stores various types of information for the operation of the inhalation device 100.
• the memory unit 114 is configured by a non-volatile storage medium such as a flash memory, for example.
• the accommodating portion 140 has an internal space 141, and holds a stick-type substrate 150 while accommodating a portion of the stick-type substrate 150 in the internal space 141.
• the accommodating portion 140 has an opening 142 allowing the internal space 141 to communicate with the outside, and accommodates the stick-type substrate 150 that has been inserted into the internal space 141 from the opening 142.
• the accommodating portion 140 is a cylindrical body comprising the opening 142 and a bottom portion 143 serving as a bottom surface, and defines a columnar internal space 141.
• An air flow path for supplying air to the internal space 141 is connected to the accommodating portion 140.
• An air inflow hole which is an inlet for air into the air flow path, is disposed in a side surface of the inhalation device 100, for example.
• An air outflow hole serving as an outlet for air from the air flow path to the internal space 141 is disposed in the bottom portion 143, for example.
• the inhalation device 100 is, of course, not limited to the configuration described above, and may adopt various configurations, such as those illustrated below by way of example.
• the heating unit 121 may have a blade-like form and may be arranged so as to protrude into the internal space 141 from the bottom portion 143 of the accommodating portion 140. In that case, the blade-like heating unit 121 is inserted into the substrate portion 151 of the stick-type substrate 150 and heats the substrate portion 151 of the stick-type substrate 150 from the inside. As another example, the heating unit 121 may be arranged so as to cover the bottom portion 143 of the accommodating portion 140. Furthermore, the heating unit 121 may be configured by a combination of two or more from among a first heating unit covering the outer circumference of the accommodating portion 140, a blade-like second heating unit, and a third heating unit covering the bottom portion 143 of the accommodating portion 140.
• the accommodating portion 140 may comprise an opening/closing mechanism such as a hinge for opening/closing part of a casing that forms the internal space 141. By opening/closing the casing, the accommodating portion 140 may then receive and grip the stick-type substrate 150 which has been inserted into the internal space 141.
• the heating unit 121 may be provided on the part of the accommodating portion 140 gripping the stick-type substrate 150, and may heat the stick-type substrate 150 while pressing same.
• the input unit 210 has the function of receiving input of various types of information.
• the input unit 210 may include an input device that receives input of information from the user. Examples of input devices that may be cited include a button, a keyboard, a touch panel, and a microphone, etc. Alternatively, the input unit 210 may include various types of sensors such as an image sensor.
• the detection unit 230 has the function of detecting information relating to the terminal device 200.
• the detection unit 230 may detect location information of the terminal device 200.
• the detection unit 230 receives a GNSS (global navigation satellite system) signal from a GNSS satellite (e.g., a GPS signal from a GPS (global positioning system) satellite), and detects location information comprising the longitude and latitude of the device.
• the detection unit 230 may detect movement of the terminal device 200.
• the detection unit 230 includes a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor, and detects an angular velocity and an acceleration.
• the communication unit 240 is a communication interface for sending and receiving information between the terminal device 200 and another device.
• the communication unit 240 performs communication conforming to any wired or wireless communication standard. Examples of communication standards which may be used include standards employing USB (universal serial bus), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC (near field communication), or LPWA (low-power wide area), etc.
• the control unit 260 functions as an arithmetic processing device or a control device, controlling overall operation within the terminal device 200 in accordance with various programs.
• the control unit 260 is realized by a CPU (central processing unit) or an electronic circuit such as a microprocessor, for example.
• the control unit 260 may also include a ROM (read-only memory) for storing programs and computation parameters, etc. which are used, and a RAM (random access memory) for temporarily storing suitably changing parameters, etc.
• the terminal device 200 implements various types of processing based on control performed by the control unit 260.
• Examples of processing controlled by the control unit 260 include: processing of information input by means of the input unit 210, output of information by the output unit 220, detection of information by the detection unit 230, sending and receiving of information by the communication unit 240, and storage/reading of information by the memory unit 250.
• Other processing implemented by the terminal device 200 such as processing based on input of information to each component and information output from each component, are also controlled by means of the control unit 260.
• the control unit 116 controls the operation of the heating unit 121 based on the heating profile. Control of the operation of the heating unit 121 is achieved by controlling the supply of power from the power source unit 111 to the heating unit 121. The heating unit 121 heats the stick-type substrate 150 using power supplied from the power source unit 111.
• the heating profile is control information for controlling the temperature at which the aerosol source is heated.
• the heating profile defines a parameter relating to a temperature at which the aerosol source is heated.
• the temperature of the heating unit 121 is an example of the temperature at which the aerosol source is heated.
• a target value of the temperature of the heating unit 121 (also referred to below as the "target temperature") is an example of a parameter relating to the temperature at which the aerosol source is heated.
• the temperature of the heating unit 121 may be controlled to change in accordance with the time elapsed from the start of heating.
• the heating profile includes information defining a time-series transition of the target temperature.
• the heating profile may comprise a parameter (hereinafter also referred to as a power supply parameter) defining how power is supplied to the heating unit 121.
• Power supply parameters include, for example, a voltage applied to the heating unit 121, ON/OFF of the power supply to the heating unit 121, or a method of feedback control to be employed. ON/OFF of the power supply to the heating unit 121 may be considered as ON/OFF of the heating unit 121.
• the temperature control of the heating unit 121 can be achieved by known feedback control, for example.
• the feedback control may be a Proportional-Integral-Differential Controller (PID) control, for example.
• PID Proportional-Integral-Differential Controller
• the control unit 116 may cause power from the power supply unit 111 to be supplied to the heating unit 121 in the form of pulses by pulse width modulation (PWM) or pulse frequency modulation (PFM). In that case, the control unit 116 can perform temperature control of the heating unit 121 by adjusting the frequency or the duty ratio of the power pulse in feedback control. Alternatively, the control unit 116 may perform simple ON/OFF control in feedback control.
• a heating session is a period of time during which electrical supply to the heating unit 121 is controlled on the basis of the heating profile.
• the beginning of the heating session is the timing at which heating based on the heating profile is started.
• the end of the heating session is the timing at which a sufficient amount of aerosol is no longer generated.
• the heating session comprises a first-half preheating period and a second-half puffing-enabled period.
• the puffing-enabled period is the period of time during which a sufficient amount of aerosol is expected to be generated.
• the preheating period is the period from when heating is started until the puffing-enabled period is started. Heating performed in the preheating period is also referred to as preheating.
• the notification unit 113 may notify the user of information indicative of the timing at which the preheating ends. For example, the notification unit 113 notifies the user of information announcing the end of the preheating period before the preheating period ends, or notifies the user of information indicating that the preheating has ended at the timing at which the preheating has ended.
• the notification to the user can be by lighting an LED or vibrating, or the like, for example. By referring to such notification, the user is able to take a puff immediately after the end of the preheating.
• Fig. 4 is a graph schematically showing an example of a heating profile.
• the horizontal axis of the graph 20 denotes time.
• the vertical axis of the graph 20 denotes temperature.
• the line 21 denotes a time-series transition of the target temperature.
• the heating session may include an initial temperature-increase period, an intermediate temperature-reduction period, and a temperature re-increase period in succession.
• the initial temperature-increase period is a period in which the temperature of the heating unit 121 rapidly rises after the start of heating and is kept at a high temperature.
• the intermediate temperature-reduction period is a period in which the temperature of the heating unit 121 drops after the initial temperature-increase period.
• the temperature re-increase period is a period in which the temperature of the heating unit 121 is once again increased after the intermediate temperature-reduction period.
• the target temperature rapidly increases to around 300°C during the initial temperature-increase period, then drops to around 230°C during the intermediate temperature-reduction period, after which the temperature increases stepwise to around 260°C during the temperature re-increase period.
• electrical supply to the heating unit 121 may be interrupted and heating may be turned OFF. In the example shown in fig.
• the terminal device 200 performs various types of processing in order to receive a smoking taste evaluation, which contributes to improving the quality of a user experience. This will be described in detail below.
• the behavior history of the user includes information indicating a second puff timing.
• the second puff timing is the timing at which the user actually took puffs within a past heating session.
• the terminal device 200 may set, as the first puff timing, a timing which is the same as the second puff timing.
• the terminal device 200 may set, as the first puff timing, the same timing as the second puff timing or a timing shifted by around several seconds.
• the user behavior history may include intervals between a plurality of second puff timings in a past heating session. For example, if the user took puffs at an average of 20-second intervals in a plurality of past heating sessions, the terminal device 200 sets the first puff timing at 20-second intervals in the next heating session. By virtue of this feature, the user can take puffs at the same timing as usual.
• the user behavior history may include each of a plurality of second puff timings in past heating sessions.
• the terminal device 200 may set the average value of initial second puff timings (i.e., the time elapsed from the start of heating) in a plurality of past heating sessions as the initial first puff timing in the next heating session.
• the user can take puffs at the same timing as usual.
• the terminal device 200 may also set the first puff timing on the basis of the behavior history of other users. That is, the terminal device 200 may set the first puff timing based on the behavior history of a plurality of users. For example, the terminal device 200 may set, as the first puff timing, the average value of second puff timings of a plurality of users. By virtue of this feature, the user can take puffs at the same timing as many other users. Furthermore, it is easy to aggregate the evaluation results collected from a plurality of users.
• the terminal device 200 sets a plurality of evaluation periods within the heating session.
• the terminal device 200 sets one evaluation period for one first puff timing.
• the terminal device 200 sets, as the evaluation period, a predetermined period including the first puff timing or a predetermined period following the first puff timing.
• the relationship between the first puff timing and the evaluation period may be fixed.
• the beginning of the evaluation period may be the first puff timing and the end of the evaluation period may be 10 seconds after the first puff timing.
• setting the first puff timing may be understood as being synonymous with setting the evaluation period.
• notification of the first puff timing is synonymous with notification of the evaluation period. That is, it may be understood that the terminal device 200 sets an evaluation period on the basis of the behavior history of the user and controls processing to notify the user of information indicating the evaluation period.
• the terminal device 200 terminates acceptance of setting of the smoking taste evaluation in the evaluation period when the smoking taste evaluation has been set or when the evaluation period has expired.
• the progress display column 32 is a column for notifying the user of information indicating the progress in the process of aerosol generation by the inhalation device 100. More specifically, the progress display column 32 is a column for notifying the user of information indicating the first puff timing and information indicating the evaluation period.
• the progress of the heating session is displayed in the top part of the progress display column 32, with the numerator being a number indicating which first puff timing will come next, and the denominator being the total number of first puff timings which have been set.
• the progress of the heating session is displayed in the bottom part of the progress display column 32, with the numerator being the time elapsed from the start of heating, and the denominator being the duration of the heating session. In the example shown in fig.
• the display of the progress display column 32 shows that that the X-th first puff timing will come next out of a total of 15 first puff timings, and that a 5-minute heating session has progressed up to Y minutes and Z seconds.
• the user can ascertain that the first puff timing has been reached and that the evaluation period has been reached, while also being aware of progress of the heating session.
• the evaluation setting columns 33-35 are columns for receiving smoking taste evaluation settings by the user.
• the evaluation setting column 33 is a column for receiving settings for an evaluation in regard to smoking feel.
• the evaluation setting column 34 is a column for receiving settings for an evaluation in regard to the amount of smoke.
• the evaluation setting column 35 is a column for receiving settings for an evaluation in regard to liking for the flavor.
• the evaluation setting column 33 for smoking feel includes buttons 33A-33C constituting UI elements for setting the evaluation in regard to smoking feel.
• the terminal device 200 receives: an evaluation setting that the smoking feel is strong when the button 33A is selected, an evaluation setting that the smoking feel is "just right" when the button 33B is selected, and an evaluation setting that the smoking feel is weak when the button 33C is selected.
• the evaluation setting column 34 for amount of smoke includes buttons 34A-34C constituting UI elements for setting the evaluation in regard to the amount of smoke.
• the terminal device 200 receives: an evaluation setting that the amount of smoke is large when the button 34A is selected, an evaluation setting that the amount of smoke is "just right" when the button 34B is selected, and an evaluation setting that the amount of smoke is small when the button 34C is selected.
• the evaluation setting column 35 for liking for the flavor includes buttons 35A and 35B constituting UI elements for setting the evaluation in regard to liking for the flavor.
• the terminal device 200 receives: an evaluation setting that the user likes the flavor when the button 35A is selected, and an evaluation setting that the user dislikes the flavor when the button 35B is selected.
• the terminal device 200 receives settings for the smoking taste evaluation for a plurality of evaluation items in one evaluation period. For example, the terminal device 200 receives, each time a first puff timing is reached, evaluation settings for smoking feel, amount of smoke and liking for the flavor in the evaluation period set in accordance with the first puff timing which has been reached.
• buttons 33B, 34A and 35A are respectively selected as smoking taste evaluations at the X-th first puff timing. That is, the user sets an evaluation that the smoking feel is "just right", the amount of smoke is large, and the user likes the flavor. By virtue of this feature, the user can set smoking taste evaluations from a number of perspectives.
• the inhalation device 100 first of all starts heating based on the heating profile (step S102).
• steps S108-S114 is repeatedly performed in relation to a plurality of first puff timings and a plurality of evaluation periods set in the heating session.
• the terminal device 200 may set the first puff timing on the basis of the stick-type substrate 150 used in the inhalation device 100.
• the terminal device 200 may set the first puff timing based on the behavior history of the user which was acquired when a stick-type substrate 150 of the same type as the stick-type substrate 150 being used in the inhalation device 100 was used.
• the type of stick-type substrate 150 used in the inhalation device 100 is determined on the basis of identification information such as a two-dimensional code which is attached to the stick-type substrate 150, and the type of stick-type substrate 150 which is being used may be reported to the terminal device 200 along with information indicating the start of heating.
• the terminal device 200 may send, to the inhalation device 100, information indicating first puff timings which were set on the basis of a stick-type substrate 150 that may be used in the inhalation device 100, this information being sent in association with the relevant stick-type substrate 150.
• the terminal device 200 sends, to the inhalation device 100, information indicating each of a plurality of first puff timings (i.e., time elapsed from the start of heating) which were set on the basis of a stick-type substrate 150 that may be used in the inhalation device 100, this information being sent along with information indicating the type of the relevant stick-type substrate 150.
• the inhalation device 100 then identifies the type of stick-type substrate 150 at the start of heating, and determines that a first puff timing has been reached, based on the information indicating each of the plurality of first puff timings, which is associated with the type of stick-type substrate 150 identified, and gives notification to the user.
• the inhalation device 100 alone is capable of determining that a first puff timing has been reached, even if there are multiple types of stick-type substrates 150 that may be used in the inhalation device 100.
• the present disclosure is not limited to such an example.
• the terminal device 200 may set, as the first puff timing, a timing which is different from the second puff timing. That is to say, the terminal device 200 may set, as the first puff timing, a timing shifted from the second puff timing.
• the terminal device 200 may set the first puff timing at 30-second intervals in the next heating session.
• the terminal device 200 may set a time shifted by around 10 seconds before or after the average value of initial second puff timings (i.e., the time elapsed from the start of heating) in a plurality of past heating sessions as the initial first puff timing in the next heating session.
• initial second puff timings i.e., the time elapsed from the start of heating
• smoking taste evaluations obtained from puffs taken at various timings can be collected.
• the heating profile can be updated more efficiently.
• the behavior history of the user may include information indicating a taste evaluation which has been set, in addition to the information indicating the second puff timing.
• the behavior history of the user may include a combination of the second puff timing and information indicating a smoking taste evaluation which was set in relation to the aerosol inhaled at that second puff timing.
• the terminal device 200 may then set, as the first puff timing, a timing which is the same as a second puff timing for which a good evaluation was set. By virtue of this feature, the user can take puffs at the same timing as a second puff timing for which a good evaluation was set in the past.
• the inhalation device 100 may equally be configured as what is known as a liquid atomization aerosol-generating device, which generates an aerosol by heating and atomizing a liquid aerosol source.
• the features of the present disclosure may also be applied to a liquid atomization aerosol-generating device.

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• 2022
  • 2022-12-13 EP EP22968400.6A patent/EP4627949A1/en active Pending
  • 2022-12-13 JP JP2024563805A patent/JPWO2024127488A1/ja active Pending
  • 2022-12-13 WO PCT/JP2022/045794 patent/WO2024127488A1/ja not_active Ceased
  • 2022-12-13 KR KR1020257021127A patent/KR20250114523A/ko active Pending

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