JP7035247B1 - Induction heating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an induction heating device capable of heating an aerosol-forming substrate more appropriately. SOLUTION: An induction heating device 100 for heating an aerosol forming substrate 108 including a susceptor 110 and an aerosol source 112 includes a circuit including a coil 106 for heating the susceptor 110 by induction heating, and the susceptor 110 is a plurality of. The frequency of the alternating current supplied to the coil 106 is different in at least a part of the plurality of phases. [Selection diagram] Fig. 2

Description

The present disclosure relates to an induction heating device for heating an aerosol-forming substrate to produce an aerosol.

Conventionally, there are known devices that generate aerosols from an aerosol-forming substrate by heating the susceptor by induction heating using an inductor arranged in close proximity to the aerosol-forming substrate having a susceptor (Patent Documents 1 to 1). 3).

Japanese Patent No. 6623175 Japanese Patent No. 6077145 Japanese Patent No. 6653260

A first problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide an improved induction heating device for heating an aerosol-forming substrate to produce an aerosol.

A second object to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide an induction heating device capable of automatically starting heating of an aerosol-forming substrate.

A third object to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide an induction heating device capable of coping with the removal of an aerosol-forming substrate.

A fourth problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide an induction heating device capable of more appropriately heating an aerosol-forming substrate.

In order to solve the first problem described above, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the induction heating device for heating the aerosol-forming substrate including the susceptor and the aerosol source, the susceptor by the power source and the induction heating. A parallel circuit including a coil for heating the power supply and a first circuit and a second circuit arranged in parallel between the power supply and the coil, the first circuit being used for heating the susceptor. , The second circuit is arranged between the parallel circuit and the parallel circuit and the coil or between the parallel circuit and the power supply, which is used to acquire the electric resistance or temperature-related value of the susceptor. An inductive heating device including an AC generation circuit is provided.

In one embodiment, the AC generation circuit is arranged between the parallel circuit and the coil, and the AC generation circuit includes a third switch.

In one embodiment, the third switch comprises a MOSFET.

In one embodiment, the first circuit includes a first switch, the AC generation circuit includes a third switch, and when the third switch is switched at a predetermined cycle, the first switch is in the ON state. There is up to.

In one embodiment, the first switch and the third switch include MOSFETs.

In one embodiment, the second circuit includes a second switch, the AC generation circuit includes a third switch, and when the third switch is switched at a predetermined cycle, the second switch is in the on state. There is up to.

In one embodiment, the second switch comprises a bipolar transistor and the third switch comprises a MOSFET.

In one embodiment, the first circuit comprises a first switch comprising a MOSFET and the second circuit comprises a second switch comprising a bipolar transistor.

In one embodiment, the first circuit comprises a first switch, the second circuit comprises a second switch, the AC generation circuit comprises a third switch, and between the first switch and the second switch. When the switching is performed with, the switching according to the predetermined cycle of the third switch is continued.

In one embodiment, the induction heating device further comprises a current detection circuit and a voltage detection circuit used for measuring the impedance of the circuit including the susceptor.

In one embodiment, the induction heating device further comprises a residual quantity measuring IC configured to measure the residual quantity of the power source. The remaining amount measuring IC is not used as the current detection circuit and / or the voltage detection circuit.

In one embodiment, the induction heating device further comprises a voltage regulating circuit configured to regulate the voltage of the power source to generate a voltage supplied to a component in the induction heating device. The current detection circuit is arranged at a position closer to the coil than the branch point from the path to the voltage adjustment circuit in the path between the power supply and the coil.

In one embodiment, the current sensing circuit is not located in the path between the charging circuit for charging the power source and the power source.

In order to solve the second problem described above, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is an induction heating device for inducing heating the susceptor of the aerosol forming substrate including the susceptor and the aerosol source, wherein the power source and the said. The impedance of an alternating current generation circuit that generates alternating current from the power supplied from the power supply, an induction heating circuit for inductively heating the susceptor, and a control unit that supplies alternating current generated by the alternating current generation circuit. Based on the above, an induction heating device including the control unit configured to detect the susceptor and to start the induction heating in response to the detection of the susceptor is provided.

In one embodiment, the control unit acquires the temperature of the susceptor based on the impedance of the circuit to which the alternating current generated by the alternating current generation circuit is supplied, and further controls the induction heating based on the acquired temperature. It may be configured.

In one embodiment, the control unit has at least a first mode in which the impedance of the circuit to which the alternating current generated by the alternating current generation circuit is supplied is measured, and a circuit to which the alternating current generated by the alternating current generation circuit is supplied. It can have a second mode in which impedance is not measured.

In one embodiment, the control unit further includes a connection unit configured to be connectable to the charging power supply, and the control unit detects the removal of the charging power supply from the connection unit until a predetermined time elapses. It may be further configured to perform processing in the first mode.

In one embodiment, the induction heating device may further include a button, and the control unit may be further configured to transition to the first mode in response to a predetermined operation being performed on the button.

In one embodiment, the induction heating device further comprises a button, and the control unit activates a timer so that the value increases or decreases with the lapse of time from the initial value in response to the transition to the first mode. Then, in response to the value of the timer reaching a predetermined value, the process shifts to the second mode, and in response to the predetermined operation being performed on the button, the value of the timer is returned to the initial value. , The value of the timer may be further configured to approach the initial value or the predetermined value may be further configured to move away from the value of the timer.

In one embodiment, the induction heating device further comprises a connection that is configured to be connectable to a charging power source, while the control unit detects the connection of the charging power source to the connection. It may be further configured so that the impedance of the circuit to which the alternating current generated by the alternating current generation circuit is supplied is not measured.

In one embodiment, the control unit is further configured to measure the impedance of the circuit to which the AC generated by the AC generation circuit is supplied at the resonance frequency of the circuit to which the AC generated by the AC generation circuit is supplied. It may have been done.

In one embodiment, the induction heating device is a first circuit and a second circuit configured to be selectively effective for giving energy to the susceptor, from the first circuit and the first circuit. The second circuit having high resistance may be further provided.

In one embodiment, the control unit may be configured to perform the induction heating and measure the impedance of the circuit using the first circuit while the induction heating is being performed.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned second problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, there is an operation method of an induction heating device for inducing heating the susceptor of the aerosol forming substrate including the susceptor and the aerosol source. The induction heating device includes a power source, an alternating current generation circuit for generating alternating current from the electric power supplied from the power source, and an induction heating circuit for inductively heating the susceptor. A method is provided comprising a step of detecting the susceptor based on the impedance of the circuit to which the generated alternating current is supplied and a step of initiating the induction heating in response to the detection of the susceptor.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned second problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is an induction heating device for inducing heating the susceptor of the aerosol forming substrate including the susceptor and the aerosol source. The forming substrate, the power source, the AC generation circuit that generates AC from the power supplied from the power source, the induction heating circuit for inductively heating the susceptor, and the control unit, the AC generation circuit generated. Provided is an induction heating apparatus comprising the control unit configured to detect the susceptor and initiate the induction heating in response to the detection of the susceptor based on the impedance of the circuit to which alternating current is supplied. To.

In order to solve the third problem described above, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a control unit for an induction heating device configured to induce and heat the susceptor of the aerosol forming substrate including the susceptor and the aerosol source. Therefore, if the susceptor cannot be detected while the induction heating is being performed, a control unit configured to stop the induction heating or notify an error is provided.

In one embodiment, the control unit may be configured to stop the induction heating if the susceptor cannot be detected while the induction heating is being performed.

In one embodiment, the control unit may be further configured to notify an error at the same time as or after the stop of the induction heating.

In one embodiment, the control unit may be further configured to restart the induction heating when the susceptor is detected again before a predetermined time elapses after the induction heating is stopped.

In one embodiment, the induction heating follows a heating profile in which the heating target temperature with respect to the passage of time is at least defined, while the control unit also operates from the stop of the induction heating to the restart of the induction heating. It may be configured to control the induction heating as time has passed.

In one embodiment, the induction heating follows a heating profile in which the heating target temperature with respect to the passage of time is at least defined, while the control unit is in the period from the stop of the induction heating to the restart of the induction heating. It may be configured to control the induction heating as if time had not passed.

In one embodiment, the control unit may be configured to notify an error if the susceptor becomes undetectable while performing the induction heating.

In one embodiment, the control unit may be further configured to stop the induction heating after notification of the error.

In one embodiment, the control unit may be configured not to stop the induction heating when the susceptor is detected again after the notification of the error and before the stop of the induction heating.

In one embodiment, the induction heating follows a heating profile in which the heating target temperature according to the passage of time is at least determined, from the time when the control unit cannot detect the susceptor to the time when the susceptor is detected again. The period of may be configured so as not to affect the overall length of the heating profile.

In one embodiment, the induction heating follows a heating profile in which the heating target temperature according to the passage of time is at least determined, from the time when the control unit cannot detect the susceptor to the time when the susceptor is detected again. It may be configured to extend the length of the heating profile based on the period of.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned third problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, an alternating current generation circuit that generates an alternating current from the electric power supply, an alternating current generated from the electric power supplied from the electric power source, and a susceptor included in the aerosol forming substrate are provided. An induction heating device including an induction heating circuit for inductive heating and the control unit, wherein the control unit detects the susceptor based on the impedance of the circuit to which the alternating current generated by the alternating current generation circuit is supplied. An induction heating device is provided that is further configured to do so.

In one embodiment, the control unit acquires the temperature of the susceptor based on the impedance of the circuit to which the alternating current generated by the alternating current generation circuit is supplied, and controls the induction heating based on the acquired temperature. It may be further configured in.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned third problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, an induction heating device including a power source for supplying electric power for inducing heating the susceptor included in the aerosol forming substrate and the control unit. The control unit sets the number of usable aerosol-forming substrates that can be induced and heated by the time the power source is charged, based on the remaining amount of the power source, and executes the induction heating. If at least a part of the aerosol-forming substrate cannot be detected during the period, an induction heating device configured to stop the induction heating and reduce the usable number is provided.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned third problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, induction heating including a power source for supplying power for inductive heating of at least a part of the aerosol-forming substrate and the control unit is included. In the device, the control unit sets the usable number, which is the number of aerosol-forming substrates that can be induced and heated before the power source is charged, based on the remaining amount of the power source, and executes the induction heating. Provided is an induction heating device configured to continue the induction heating and not to reduce the usable number when the susceptor is detected again after the susceptor cannot be detected during the process. To.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned third problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, there is an operation method of an induction heating device configured to induce and heat the susceptor of the aerosol forming substrate including the susceptor and the aerosol source. There is provided a method comprising a step of stopping the induction heating or notifying an error if the susceptor cannot be detected while the induction heating is being performed.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned third problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is an induction heating device for inducing heating the susceptor of the aerosol forming substrate including the susceptor and the aerosol source. An AC generation circuit that generates alternating current from the forming substrate, a power source, and the power supplied from the power source, an induction heating circuit for inductively heating the susceptor, and a control unit that executes the induction heating. If the susceptor becomes undetectable during the period, the induction heating device including the control unit configured to stop the induction heating or notify an error is provided.

In order to solve the above-mentioned fourth problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is an induction heating device for heating an aerosol-forming substrate including a susceptor and an aerosol source, and the susceptor is heated by induction heating. The induction heating device comprises a circuit including a coil for heating the susceptor by a heating mode consisting of a plurality of phases, and the frequency of the alternating current supplied to the coil is different in at least a part of the plurality of phases. Provided.

In one embodiment, in the preheating mode for preheating the susceptor, which is executed before the heating mode, the frequency of the alternating current is the resonance frequency of the circuit.

In one embodiment, in the preheating mode for preheating the susceptor, which is executed before the heating mode, the frequency of the alternating current is closest to the resonance frequency of the circuit as compared with the plurality of phases of the heating mode. It is composed of.

In one embodiment, in the heating mode, the frequency of the alternating current is a frequency other than the resonance frequency of the circuit.

In one embodiment, the frequency of the alternating current increases as the plurality of phases constituting the heating mode progresses, and suction by the user is detected by a change in the alternating current or a change in the impedance of the circuit.

In one embodiment, the frequency of the alternating current increases in a frequency domain higher than the resonant frequency as the plurality of phases constituting the heating mode progress.

In one embodiment, the frequency of the alternating current increases in a frequency domain lower than the resonant frequency as the plurality of phases constituting the heating mode progress.

In one embodiment, the frequency of the alternating current decreases as the plurality of phases constituting the heating mode progress.

In one embodiment, in the interval mode for cooling the susceptor executed between the preheating mode and the heating mode, the frequency of the alternating current is the resonance frequency of the circuit.

In one embodiment, the inductive heating device further includes a power source, and the circuit is a parallel circuit including a first circuit and a second circuit arranged in parallel between the power source and the coil, and the first circuit is described. One circuit is used for heating the susceptor, the second circuit is further provided with a parallel circuit used for acquiring a value related to the electric resistance or temperature of the susceptor, and the second circuit is used in the interval mode. Be done.

In order to solve the above-mentioned fourth problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is an induction heating device for heating an aerosol-forming substrate including a susceptor and an aerosol source, and the susceptor is heated by induction heating. An induction heating device comprising a circuit including a coil for heating, wherein the aerosol is heated by a heating mode consisting of a plurality of phases, and the frequency of alternating current supplied to the coil is constant over the plurality of phases. Is provided.

In one embodiment, the frequency of the alternating current is the resonant frequency of the circuit.

In one embodiment, the frequency of the alternating current is the resonant frequency of the circuit in an interval mode that is performed prior to the heating mode and cools the susceptor after preheating the susceptor.

In one embodiment, the inductive heating device further includes a power source, and the circuit is a parallel circuit including a first circuit and a second circuit arranged in parallel between the power source and the coil, and the first circuit is described. One circuit is used for heating the susceptor, the second circuit is further provided with a parallel circuit used for acquiring a value related to the electric resistance or temperature of the susceptor, and the second circuit is used in the interval mode. Be done.

In one embodiment, when it is determined that the temperature of the susceptor becomes higher than a predetermined temperature in the heating mode, the heating of the susceptor is interrupted.

In one embodiment, the inductive heating device further includes a power source, and the circuit is a parallel circuit including a first circuit and a second circuit arranged in parallel between the power source and the coil, and the first circuit is described. One circuit is used to heat the susceptor, and the second circuit further includes a parallel circuit used to obtain a value related to the electric resistance or temperature of the susceptor, while the heating of the susceptor is interrupted. , The temperature of the susceptor is monitored using the second circuit.

In one embodiment, when it is determined that the temperature of the susceptor is lower than the predetermined temperature in the heating mode, the heating of the susceptor is restarted by using the first circuit.

In one embodiment, when it is determined that the temperature of the susceptor is lower than the predetermined temperature by a predetermined temperature in the heating mode, the heating of the susceptor is restarted by using the first circuit. do.

In one embodiment, the circuit further comprises an AC generation circuit arranged between the parallel circuit and the coil or between the parallel circuit and the power supply, and the AC generation circuit includes a third switch. The third switch is switched at a predetermined cycle even while the heating of the susceptor is interrupted.

It is a schematic block diagram of the structure of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the circuit structure of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. The relationship between the voltage applied to the gate terminal of switch _Q1 or the base terminal of switch _Q2 , the voltage applied to the gate terminal of switch _Q3 , the current I _DC and the current I _AC , with the horizontal axis as time t. It is a diagram conceptually represented. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the example process of SLEEP mode executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the exemplary process of the CHARGE mode executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a pseudo graph for explaining the usable number. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the main exemplary processing of ACTIVE mode executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the example process of the sub of the ACTIVE mode executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the exemplary process of another sub of the ACTIVE mode executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the main example process of PRE-HEAT mode executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the main example process of the INTERVAL mode executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the main example process of the HEAT mode executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process corresponding to the detection of the exemplary susceptor executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process corresponding to the detection of another exemplary susceptor executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process which corresponds to the detection of the susceptor of another example which is executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process corresponding to the detection of still another exemplary susceptor executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process corresponding to the detection of yet another exemplary susceptor executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the graph which shows an example of the change of the susceptor temperature of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the example process of the sub of PRE-HEAT mode, INTERVAL mode or HEAT mode executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the example process of another sub of PRE-HEAT mode, INTERVAL mode or HEAT mode executed by the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the equivalent circuit of the RLC series circuit. It is a figure which shows the equivalent circuit of the RLC series circuit at a resonance frequency. It is a figure which shows the graph which shows an example of the change of the temperature of the susceptor of the induction heating apparatus, the switching frequency of an AC generation circuit, and the impedance of a circuit by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the graph which shows an example of the change of the temperature of the susceptor of the induction heating apparatus, the switching frequency of an AC generation circuit, and the impedance of a circuit by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the exemplary process which mainly performs when the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure is in a HEAT mode. It is a figure which shows the graph which shows an example of the change of the temperature of the susceptor of the induction heating apparatus, the switching frequency of an AC generation circuit, and the impedance of a circuit by one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the exemplary process which mainly performs when the control part of the induction heating apparatus by one Embodiment of this disclosure is in a HEAT mode. It is a figure which shows the flowchart which shows the detailed example of the heat treatment of Tep S2310.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiment of the induction heating device according to the present disclosure includes, but is not limited to, an induction heating device for electronic cigarettes and an induction heating device for heat-not-burn tobacco.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the configuration of the induction heating device 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that FIG. 1 does not show the exact arrangement, shape, dimensions, positional relationship, etc. of the components.

The induction heating device 100 includes a housing 101, a power supply 102, a circuit 104, and a coil 106. The power supply 102 may be a rechargeable battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery. The circuit 104 is electrically connected to the power supply 102. The circuit 104 is configured to use a power source 102 to power the components of the induction heating device 100. The specific configuration of the circuit 104 will be described later. The induction heating device 100 includes a charging power supply connection unit 116 for connecting the induction heating device 100 to a charging power source (not shown) for charging the power source 102. The charging power supply connection unit 116 may be a receptacle for wired charging, a power receiving coil for wireless charging, or a combination thereof.

The induction heating device 100 is configured to accommodate at least a portion of the aerosol forming substrate 108 including the susceptor 110, the aerosol source 112 and the filter 114. The aerosol-forming substrate 108 may be, for example, a smoking article.

Aerosol source 112 may contain volatile compounds that can produce aerosols when heated. The aerosol source 112 may be solid, liquid, or may contain both solid and liquid. The aerosol source 112 may contain, for example, a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerin or propylene glycol, a liquid such as water, or a mixed liquid thereof. Aerosol source 112 may contain nicotine. The aerosol source 112 may also contain a tobacco material formed by aggregating particulate tobacco. Alternatively, the aerosol source 112 may include a non-tobacco-containing material.

The coil 106 is embedded in the housing 101 at the proximal end of the housing 101. The coil 106 is configured to surround a portion of the aerosol-forming substrate 108 housed in the induction heating device 100 when the aerosol-forming substrate 108 is inserted into the induction heating device 100. The coil 106 may have a spirally wound shape. The coil 106 is electrically connected to the circuit 104 and is used to heat the susceptor 110 by induction heating as described below. By heating the susceptor 110, aerosol is generated from the aerosol source 112. The user can aspirate the aerosol through the filter 114.

FIG. 2 shows in detail the configuration of the circuit 104. The circuit 104 includes a control unit 118 configured to control the components in the induction heating device 100. The control unit 118 may be configured by a microcontroller unit (MCU, Micro Controller Unit). The circuit 104 is also electrically connected to the power supply 102 via the power supply connection and electrically connected to the coil 106 via the coil connection. The circuit 104 includes a path including the switch _Q1 arranged between the power supply 102 and the coil 106 (hereinafter, also referred to as a “first circuit”) and a path including the switch _Q2 arranged in parallel with the switch _Q1 . A parallel circuit 130 including (hereinafter, also referred to as a “second circuit”) is provided.

The first circuit is used to heat the susceptor 110. As an example, the switch Q ₁ may be a metal oxide-film semiconductor field effect transistor (METal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor, MOSFET). The control unit 118 controls the on / off of the switch _Q1 by applying _a heating switch signal (high or low) to the gate terminal of the switch Q1. For example, when the switch Q ₁ is a P-channel MOSFET, the switch Q ₁ is turned on when the heating switch signal is low.

The second circuit is used to obtain a value related to the electrical resistance or temperature of the susceptor 110. Values related to electrical resistance or temperature may be, for example, impedance, temperature and the like. The current flowing through the switch Q _{2 when the switch Q 2 is} in the ON state is compared with the current flowing through the switch Q ₁ when the switch Q ₁ is in the ON state due to the resistance R _shunt 1 and the resistance R _shunt 2 described later. small. Therefore, a bipolar transistor which is lower in cost and smaller than the MOSFET but is not suitable for a large current may be used as the switch _Q2 . As shown, the second circuit may include resistance R _{shunt 1} and resistance R _shunt 2. The control unit 118 controls the on / off of the switch Q ₂ by applying a monitor switch signal (high or low) to the base terminal of the switch Q ₂ . For example, when the switch Q ₂ is an npn type bipolar transistor, the switch Q ₂ is turned on when the monitor switch signal is low.

The control unit 118 sets a mode in which the susceptor 110 is induced and heated to generate an aerosol by switching between the on state of the switch _Q1 and the on state of the switch _Q2 , and a value related to the electric resistance or temperature of the susceptor 110. You can switch between the mode to acquire and the mode to acquire. Switching between the on state of the switch Q ₁ and the on state of the switch Q ₂ can be performed at any timing. For example, while the user is puffing, the control unit 118 may put the switch _Q1 in the on state and the switch _Q2 in the off state. In this case, after the puff is finished, the control unit 118 may turn off the switch _Q1 and turn on the switch _Q2 . Alternatively, the control unit 118 may switch between the ON state of the switch _Q1 and the ON state of the switch _Q2 at an arbitrary timing while the puffing is performed by the user.

The circuit 104 includes an AC generation circuit 132 including a switch Q ₃ and a capacitor C ₁ . As an example, the switch Q ₃ may be a MOSFET. The control unit 118 controls the on / off of the switch Q ₃ by applying an alternating current (AC) switch signal (high or low) to the gate terminal of the switch Q ₃ . For example, when the switch Q ₃ is a P-channel MOSFET, the switch Q ₃ is turned on when the AC switch signal is low. In FIG. 2, the AC generation circuit 132 is arranged between the parallel circuit 130 and the coil 106. As another example, the AC generation circuit 132 may be arranged between the parallel circuit 130 and the power supply 102. The alternating current generated by the alternating current generation circuit 132 is supplied to the induction heating circuit including the capacitor C ₂ , the coil connection portion, and the coil 106.

FIG. ₃ shows the gates of the voltage V1 and the switch _Q3 applied to the gate terminal of the switch _Q1 or the base terminal of the switch _Q2 when the alternating current supplied to the coil 106 is generated by the alternating current generation circuit 132. It is a figure which conceptually represented the relationship between the voltage V ₂ applied to a terminal, the current I _DC generated by the switching of the switch Q ₃ , and the current I _AC flowing through a coil 106, with the horizontal axis as time t. Note that for the sake of brevity, the voltage applied to the gate terminal of switch _Q1 and the voltage applied to the base terminal of switch _Q2 are represented in _one graph as V1.

When V ₁ goes low at time t ₁ , the switch Q ₁ or Q ₂ is turned on. When V ₂ is high, the switch Q ₃ is turned off, the current I _DC flows to the capacitor C ₁ , and the charge is stored in the capacitor C ₁ . When V ₂ is switched low at time t ₂ , switch Q ₃ is turned on. In this case, the flow of the current I _DC is stopped, while the charge accumulated in C ₁ is discharged. After time t3 _, the same operation is repeated. As a result of the above operation, as shown in FIG. 3, an alternating current I _AC is generated and flows into the coil 106.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the switch Q ₃ is switched at a predetermined period T, the switch Q ₁ may remain on. Further, when the switch Q ₃ is switched at a predetermined cycle T, the switch Q ₂ may remain on. Further, when the switch Q ₁ and the switch Q ₂ are switched, the switch Q ₃ may be continuously switched according to a predetermined period T.

The above configuration of the AC generation circuit 132 is only an example. It should be understood that various elements for generating AC current I _AC , integrated circuits such as DC / AC inverters, etc. can be used as the AC generation circuit 132.

As can be understood from FIG. 3, the frequency f of the alternating current I _AC is controlled by the switching cycle T of the switch Q ₃ (that is, the switching cycle of the AC switch signal) T. When the switch _Q1 is in the ON state, the frequency f approaches the resonance frequency _f0 of the RLC series circuit including the susceptor 110 (or the circuit including the susceptor 110), the coil 106, and the capacitor _C2 . The efficiency of energy supply to the susceptor 110 is increased. Although the details will be described later, this RLC series circuit includes the susceptor 110 when the aerosol forming base 108 is inserted in the housing 101, and this RLC when the aerosol forming base 108 is not inserted in the housing 101. Note that the series circuit does not include the susceptor 110.

When the alternating current generated as described above flows through the coil 106, an alternating magnetic field is generated around the coil 106. The generated alternating magnetic field induces eddy currents in the susceptor 110. Joule heat is generated by the eddy current and the electric resistance of the susceptor 110, and the susceptor 110 is heated. As a result, the aerosol source around the susceptor 110 is heated to produce an aerosol.

Returning to FIG. 2, the circuit 104 includes a voltage sensing circuit 134 including a voltage divider circuit having R _div1 and R _div2 . The voltage value of the power supply 102 can be measured by the voltage detection circuit 134. The circuit 104 also includes a current detection circuit ₁₃₆ including R sense 2. As shown, the current sensing circuit 136 may include an operational amplifier. Alternatively, the operational amplifier may be included in the control unit 118. The current detection circuit 136 can measure the value of the current flowing in the direction of the coil 106. The voltage detection circuit 134 and the current detection circuit 136 are used to measure the impedance of the circuit. This circuit includes the susceptor 110 when the aerosol-forming substrate 108 is inserted in the housing 101, and does not include the susceptor 110 when the aerosol-forming substrate 108 is not inserted in the housing 101. In other words, the impedance measured when the aerosol-forming substrate 108 is inserted in the housing 101 contains the resistance component of the susceptor 110, and is measured when the aerosol-forming substrate 108 is not inserted in the housing 101. The impedance to be measured does not include the resistance component of the susceptor 110. For example, as shown in the figure, the control unit 118 acquires the voltage value from the voltage detection circuit 134 and the current value from the current detection circuit 136. The control unit 118 calculates the impedance based on these voltage values and current values. More specifically, the control unit 118 divides the average value or the effective value of the voltage value by the average value or the effective value of the current value to calculate the impedance.

When the switch Q ₁ is turned off and the switch Q ₂ is turned on, an RLC series circuit is formed by the circuit including the resistor R _{shunt 1} and the resistor R _shunt 2, the susceptor 110, the coil 106, and the capacitor C ₂ . The impedance of the RLC series circuit can be obtained as described above. The impedance of the susceptor 110 can be calculated by subtracting the resistance value of the circuit including the resistance values of the resistors R _shunt 1 and the resistance R _shunt 2 from the obtained impedance. When the impedance of the susceptor 110 has a temperature dependence, the temperature of the susceptor 110 can be estimated based on the calculated impedance.

The circuit 104 may include a fuel gauge integrated circuit (IC) 124. The circuit 104 may include a resistor R _sense 1 used by the remaining amount measuring IC 124 to measure the value of the current charged and discharged to the power supply 102. The resistance R _sense 1 may be connected between the SRN terminal and the SRP terminal of the remaining amount measuring IC 124. The remaining amount measuring IC 124 may acquire a value related to the voltage of the power supply 102 via the BAT terminal. The remaining amount measuring IC 124 is an IC configured to be able to measure the remaining amount of the power supply 102. In addition, the remaining amount measuring IC 124 may be configured to record information and the like regarding the deterioration state of the power supply 102. For example, the control unit 118 transmits an I ^2C data signal from the SDA terminal of the control unit 118 to the SDA terminal of the remaining amount measurement IC 124, so that the SCL terminal of the control unit 118 is connected to the SCL terminal of the remaining amount measurement IC 124. ² It is possible to acquire a value related to the remaining amount of the power supply 102, a value related to the deterioration state of the power supply 102, etc. stored in the remaining amount measuring IC 124 according to the timing of transmitting the C clock signal.

Normally, the remaining amount measuring IC 124 is configured to update the data at a cycle of 1 second. Therefore, when trying to calculate the impedance of the RLC series circuit using the voltage value and the current value measured by the remaining amount measuring IC 124, the impedance is calculated at the fastest cycle of 1 second. Therefore, the temperature of the susceptor 110 is estimated at the fastest cycle of 1 second. Such a cycle may not be short enough to adequately control the heating of the susceptor 110. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is desirable that the voltage value and the current value measured by the remaining amount measuring IC 124 are not used for measuring the impedance of the RLC series circuit. That is, preferably, the remaining amount measuring IC 124 is not used as the voltage detection circuit 134 and the current detection circuit 136 as described above. Therefore, in the induction heating device 100 according to the present embodiment, the remaining amount measuring IC 124 is not indispensable. However, by using the remaining amount measuring IC 124, the state of the power supply 102 can be accurately grasped.

The induction heating device 100 may include a light emitting element 138 such as an LED. The circuit 104 may include a light emitting element drive circuit 126 for driving the light emitting element 138. The light emitting element 138 can be used to provide the user with various information such as the state of the induction heating device 100. The light emitting element drive circuit 126 may store information about various light emitting modes of the light emitting element 138. The control unit 118 transmits an I _2C data signal from the SDA terminal of the control unit 118 to the SDA terminal of the light emitting element drive circuit 126 to specify a desired light emitting mode, thereby causing the light emitting element 138 to emit light in a desired mode. The light emitting element drive circuit 126 can be controlled as described above.

The circuit 104 may include a charging circuit 122. The charging circuit 122 responds to a charge enable signal from the control unit 118 received at the CE terminal, and receives a voltage (VBUS terminal) supplied from a charging power source (not shown) connected via the charging power supply connecting unit 116. The IC may be configured to adjust the potential difference between the power supply 102 and the GND terminal to a voltage suitable for charging the power supply 102. The adjusted voltage is supplied from the BAT terminal of the charging circuit 122. The adjusted current may be supplied from the BAT terminal of the charging circuit 122. The circuit 104 may also include a voltage divider circuit 140. When the charging power supply is connected, the VBUS detection signal is transmitted from the VBUS terminal of the charging circuit 122 to the control unit 118 via the voltage dividing circuit 140. When the charging power supply is connected, the VBUS detection signal becomes a value obtained by dividing the voltage supplied from the charging power supply by the voltage dividing circuit 140, so that the VBUS detection signal becomes a high level. If the charging power supply is not connected, the VBUS detection signal becomes low level because it is connected to the ground via the voltage dividing circuit 140. Therefore, the control unit 118 can determine that charging has started. The CE terminal may have positive logic or negative logic.

The circuit 104 may include a button 128. When the user presses the button 128, the low-level button detection signal is transmitted to the control unit 118 by being connected to the ground via the button 128. As a result, the control unit 118 can determine that the button has been pressed, and can control the circuit 104 to start aerosol generation.

The circuit 104 may include a voltage adjusting circuit 120. The voltage adjusting circuit 120 adjusts the voltage _VBAT (eg, 3.2 to 4.2 volts) of the power supply 102 and supplies the voltage _Vsys (eg,) to the components in the circuit 104 or the induction heating device 100. It is configured to generate 3 volts). As an example, the voltage adjustment circuit 120 may be a linear regulator such as an LDO (low dropout regulator). As shown, the voltage _Vsys generated by the voltage adjustment circuit 120 is used in the VDD terminal of the control unit 118, the VDD terminal of the remaining amount measurement IC 124, the VDD terminal of the light emitting element drive circuit 126, the circuit including the button 128, and the like. It may be supplied.

As shown, the current detection circuit 136 is located closer to the coil 106 in the path between the power supply 102 and the coil 106 than the branch point (point A in FIG. 2) from the path to the voltage adjustment circuit 120. It may be arranged. According to this configuration, the current detection circuit 136 can accurately measure the value of the current supplied to the coil 106, not including the current supplied to the voltage adjusting circuit 120. Therefore, the impedance and temperature of the susceptor 110 can be accurately measured or estimated.

The circuit 104 may be configured such that the current detection circuit 136 is not located in the path between the charging circuit 122 and the power supply 102. Specifically, as shown in the figure, the current detection circuit 136 is the coil 106 in the path between the power supply 102 and the coil 106 rather than the branch point from the path to the charging circuit 122 (point B in FIG. 2). It may be arranged at a position close to. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the current supplied from the charging circuit 122 from flowing through the resistor R _sense 2 in the current detection circuit 136 while the power supply 102 is being charged (switches _Q1 and _Q2 are in the off state). Therefore, the possibility that the resistance R _sense 2 fails can be reduced. Further, since it is possible to prevent the current from flowing to the operational amplifier of the current detection circuit 136 while the power supply 102 is being charged, it is possible to suppress the power consumption.

The circuit 104 may also include a switch _Q4 that is switched between an on state and an off state by a ground switch signal transmitted from the control unit 118.

Next, an exemplary process executed by the control unit 118 of the induction heating device 100 will be described. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the control unit 118 has at least seven modes, that is, SLEEP, CHARGE, ACTIVE, PRE-HEAT, INTERVAL, HEAT, and ERROR, and the control unit 118 executes each mode. Explains the process to be performed. Induction heating of the susceptor 100 by the induction heating device 100 is configured by the PRE-HEAT mode, the INTERVAL mode, and the HEAT mode.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the exemplary process 400 executed by the control unit 118 in the SLEEP mode. The SLEEP mode may be a mode for reducing power consumption when the induction heating device 100 is not in use.

S410 shows a step of determining whether or not the connection of the charging power source to the charging power supply connecting unit 116 is detected. The control unit 118 can determine that the connection of the charging power supply has been detected based on the above-mentioned VBUS detection signal. If it is determined that the connection of the charging power supply is detected (“Yes” in S410), the control unit 118 shifts to the CHARGE mode, and if not (“No” in S410), the process proceeds to step S420. As a specific example, in S410, when the VBUS detection signal is high level, it is determined as "Yes", and when the VBUS detection signal is low level, it is determined as "No".

S420 shows a step of determining whether or not a predetermined operation with respect to the button 128 of the induction heating device 100 is detected. Based on the button detection signal described above, the control unit 118 can determine that a predetermined operation on the button 128 has been detected. An example of a predetermined operation in step S420 is a long press or repeated hitting of the button 128. If it is determined that a predetermined operation for the button 128 has been detected (“Yes” in S420), the control unit 118 shifts to the ACTIVE mode, and if not (“No” in S420), the process returns to step S410.

According to the exemplary process 400, the control unit 118 shifts to the CHARGE mode in response to detecting the connection of the charging power supply, and shifts to the ACTIVE mode in response to detecting the operation of the button. Become. In other words, if the control unit 118 does not detect either the connection of the charging power supply or the operation of the button, the control unit 118 continues to stay in the SLEEP mode.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the exemplary process 500 executed by the control unit 118 in the CHARGE mode. The exemplary process 500 can be started in response to the control unit 118 shifting to the CHAEGE mode.

S510 shows a step of executing a process for starting charging of the power supply 102. The process for initiating charging of the power supply 102 may include a process for turning on the above-mentioned charge enable signal or initiating transmission of the signal. Turning on the charge enable signal means making the level of the charge enable signal according to the logic of the CE terminal. That is, when the CE terminal is positive logic, the charge enable signal is set to high level, and when the CE terminal is negative logic, the charge enable signal is set to low level.

S520 shows a step of determining whether or not the removal of the charging power supply from the charging power supply connection unit 116 is detected. The control unit 118 can detect the disconnection of the charging power supply from the charging power supply connection unit 116 based on the above-mentioned VBUS detection signal. If it is determined that the removal of the charging power supply is detected (“Yes” in S520), the process proceeds to step S530, and if not (“No” in S520), the process returns to step S520.

S530 shows a step of executing a process for terminating the charging of the power supply 102. The process for terminating the charging of the power supply 102 may include the process of turning off the charge enable signal described above or stopping the transmission of the signal. Turning off the charge enable signal means making the level of the charge enable signal incompatible with the logic of the CE terminal. That is, when the CE terminal is positive logic, the charge enable signal is set to low level, and when the CE terminal is negative logic, the charge enable signal is set to high level.

In S540, the number of usable aerosol forming substrates 108 (the aerosol forming substrate 108 is assumed to be stick-shaped) based on the charge level of the power source 102 (the amount of electric power remaining in the power source 102), but the aerosol forming substrate 108 is assumed. The shape of is not limited to this. Therefore, it should be noted that the "usable number" can be generalized to the "usable number"). Hereinafter, the usable number will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a pseudo graph for explaining the number of usable lines.

Reference numeral 610 corresponds to the power supply 102 when it has not been used yet (hereinafter referred to as “unused”), and its area indicates the full charge capacity when not used. The fact that the power supply 102 has not been used yet may mean that the number of discharges since the power supply 102 is manufactured is zero or is equal to or less than the first predetermined number of discharges. An example of the full charge capacity of the power supply 102 when not in use is about 220 mAh. The 620 is used in the induction heating device 100, and more accurately, corresponds to the power supply 102 when the deterioration progresses to some extent by repeating discharging and charging (hereinafter, referred to as “deterioration”), and the area thereof is large. It shows the full charge capacity at the time of deterioration. As is clear from FIG. 6, the full charge capacity of the power supply 102 when not in use is larger than the full charge capacity of the power supply 102 when it is deteriorated.

630 corresponds to the amount of electric power (energy) required to consume one aerosol-forming substrate 108, and the area thereof indicates the corresponding amount of electric power. The four 630s in FIG. 6 all have the same area, and the corresponding electric energy is also substantially the same. An example of the amount of electric power 630 required to consume one aerosol-forming substrate 108 is about 70 mAh. It may be considered that one aerosol-forming substrate 108 is consumed when the suction is performed a predetermined number of times or the heating is performed for a predetermined time.

640 and 650 correspond to the charge level of the power supply 102 (hereinafter referred to as “surplus electric energy amount”) after consuming the two aerosol forming substrates 108, and the area thereof indicates the corresponding electric energy amount. As is clear from FIG. 6, the amount of surplus power 640 when not in use is larger than the amount of surplus power 650 when deteriorated.

660 indicates the output voltage when the power supply 102 is fully charged, and an example thereof is about 3.64V. Just as the power supply 102 (610) when not in use and the power supply 102 (620) when deteriorated have the same 660, the voltage when the power supply 102 is fully charged is basically regardless of the deterioration of the power supply 102. That is, it is constant regardless of SOH (State Of Health).

670 indicates the discharge end voltage of the power supply 102, an example of which is about 2.40 V. Just as the power supply 102 (610) when not in use and the power supply 102 (620) when deteriorated have the same 670, the discharge end voltage of the power supply 102 is basically regardless of the deterioration of the power supply 102, that is, SOH. It is constant regardless.

It is preferable that the power supply 102 is not used until the voltage reaches the discharge end voltage 670, in other words, the charge level of the power supply 102 becomes zero. This is because when the voltage of the power supply 102 becomes the discharge end voltage 670 or less or the charge level of the power supply 102 becomes zero, the deterioration of the power supply 102 rapidly progresses. Further, as the voltage of the power supply 102 approaches the discharge end voltage 670, the deterioration of the power supply 102 progresses.

Further, as described above, when the power supply 102 is used, the full charge capacity of the power supply 102 decreases when the discharge / charge is repeated, and a predetermined number (2 in FIG. 6) of the aerosol forming substrates 108 The amount of surplus power after consuming is smaller in the deteriorated state (650) than in the unused state (640).

Therefore, the control unit 118 is not used until the voltage reaches the discharge end voltage 670 or its vicinity, in other words, the charge level of the power supply 102 becomes zero or its vicinity, in anticipation of deterioration of the power supply 102. It is preferable to set the number of usable lines. That is, the number of usable lines can be set as follows, for example.
n = int ((e-S) / C)
Here, n is the number of usable power units, e is the charge level of the power supply 102 (unit is, for example, mAh), and S is a parameter (unit is) for allowing a margin in the surplus electric energy amount 650 at the time of deterioration of the power supply 102. For example, mAh), C is the amount of electric power required to consume one aerosol forming substrate 108 (unit is, for example, mAh), and int () is a function that truncates the decimal point in (). Note that e is a variable and can be acquired by the control unit 118 communicating with the remaining amount measuring IC 124. Further, S and C are constants, which can be obtained experimentally in advance and stored in the memory (not shown) of the control unit 118 in advance. In particular, S is an amount of surplus power 650 acquired when the power supply 102 is experimentally discharged by the second predetermined number of discharges (>> the first predetermined number of discharges), that is, when the expected deterioration occurs. Alternatively, it may be a value obtained by adding + α to the surplus electric power amount. When the SOH acquired by communicating with the remaining amount measuring IC 124 reaches a predetermined value, the control unit 118 determines that the deterioration of the power supply 102 has progressed sufficiently, and charges and discharges the power supply 102. It may be prohibited. That is, the time of deterioration when calculating S means a state in which the SOH has not reached a predetermined value, but the deterioration has progressed more than when it has not been used.

Returning to FIG. 5, after step S540, the control unit 118 shifts to the ACTIVE mode. In the above-described embodiment, in step S520, it is determined whether or not the control unit 118 has detected the removal of the charging power supply from the charging power supply connecting unit 116. Instead of this, the charging circuit 122 may determine that the charging of the power supply 102 is completed, and may determine whether or not the control unit 118 has received the determination by I2C communication or the like.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an exemplary process (hereinafter referred to as “main process”) 700 mainly executed by the control unit 118 in the ACTIVE mode. The main process 700 can be started in response to the shift of the control unit 118 to the ACTIVE mode.

S705 shows a step of starting the first timer. By activating the first timer, the value of the first timer increases or decreases with the passage of time from the initial value. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the value of the first timer increases with the passage of time. Further, the first timer may be stopped when the control unit 118 shifts to another mode. The same applies to the second timer and the third timer, which will be described later.

S710 shows a step of notifying the user of the charge level of the power supply 102. The notification of the charge level is realized by the control unit 118 communicating with the light emitting element drive circuit 126 and causing the light emitting element 138 to emit light in a predetermined mode based on the information of the power supply 102 acquired by the communication with the remaining amount measuring IC 124. be able to. The same applies to other notifications described later. The charge level notification is preferably given temporarily.

S715 shows a step of invoking another process (hereinafter, referred to as "sub process") so as to be executed in parallel with the main process 700. The sub-process started in this step will be described later. The execution of the sub-process may be stopped when the control unit 118 shifts to another mode. The same applies to other sub-processes described later.

S720 shows a step of determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed based on the value of the first timer. If it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed (“Yes” in S720), the control unit 118 shifts to the SLEEP mode, and if not (“No” in S720), the process proceeds to step S725.

S725 controls the above-mentioned RLC series circuit, that is, the circuit for inductively heating the susceptor 110 which is at least a part of the aerosol forming substrate 108, to supply the AC power for non-heating, and measures the impedance of the RLC series circuit. Shows the steps to be taken. The non-heating AC power may be generated by turning off the switch _Q1 , turning on the switch _Q2 , and then switching the switch _Q3 . The average value or effective value of the energy given to the RLC series circuit by the supply of the non-heating AC power is smaller than the average value or the effective value of the energy given to the RLC series circuit by the supply of the heating AC power described later. The non-heating AC power preferably has a resonance frequency f ₀ of the RLC series circuit.

The supply of non-heating AC power is only for measuring the impedance of the RLC series circuit. Therefore, after the data for measuring the impedance of the RLC series circuit (for example, the effective value V _RMS of the voltage and the effective value I _RMS of the current measured by the voltage detection circuit 134 and the current detection circuit 136, which will be described later) are acquired. , The supply of this non-heating AC power may be stopped promptly. On the other hand, the supply of this non-heating AC power may be continued until a predetermined time point, for example, until the control unit 118 shifts to another mode. The stoppage of the supply of non-heating AC power can be realized by turning off the switch _Q2 and stopping the switching of the switch _Q3 to turn it off, or both. It should be noted that at the time of step S725, the switch Q1 may be in the off state in the _first place.

S730 shows a step of determining whether the measured impedance is abnormal. The control unit 118 has an impedance range in which the impedance measured in step 725 includes a measurement error determined based on the impedance measured when the normal aerosol generation substrate 108 is properly inserted into the induction heating device 100. When it is not included in, it can be determined that the measured impedance is abnormal. If it is determined that the impedance is abnormal (“Yes” in S730), the process proceeds to step S735, and if not (“No” in S730), the process proceeds to step S745.

S735 shows a step of performing a predetermined fail-safe action. A given fail-safe action may include turning off all switches _Q1 , _Q2 and _Q3 .

S740 shows a step of notifying the user of a predetermined error. After step S740, the control unit 118 shifts to the ERROR mode for performing a predetermined error processing. The specific processing of the ERROR mode will be omitted.

S745 shows a step of determining whether or not the susceptor 110 is detected based on the impedance measured in step S725. The detection of the susceptor 110 can be regarded as the detection of the aerosol-forming substrate 108 containing the susceptor 110. Detection of the susceptor 110 based on impedance will be described later.

S750 indicates a step of determining whether the number of usable lines is 1 or more. If the number of usable lines is 1 or more (“Yes” in S750), the control unit 118 shifts to the PRE-HEAT mode, and if not (“No” in S750), the process proceeds to step S755.

S755 shows a step of performing a predetermined low remaining amount notification indicating to the user that the remaining electric energy of the power source 102 is low. After step S755, the control unit 118 shifts to the SLEEP mode.

As will be described later, according to the treatment of PRE-HEAT that can be transferred from step S750, induction heating of the aerosol-forming substrate 108 is performed. Therefore, according to the main treatment 700, automatic induction heating of the aerosol-forming substrate 108 after inserting the aerosol-forming substrate 108 into the housing 101 is realized.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary first sub-process 800, which is activated in step S715 in the main process 700 of the ACTIVE mode.

S810 shows a step of determining whether or not a predetermined operation for the button 128 is detected. An example of a predetermined operation in step S810 is a short press of the button 128. If it is determined that a predetermined operation for the button 128 has been detected (“Yes” in S810), the process proceeds to step S820, and if not (“No” in S810), the process returns to step S810.

S820 shows a step of resetting the first timer and returning the value to the initial value. Instead of this embodiment, the value of the first timer may be brought closer to the initial value, or the predetermined time in step S720 may be kept away from the value of the first timer.

S830 shows a step of notifying the user of the charge level of the power supply 102. After step S830, processing returns to step S810.

According to the main process 700, the control unit 118 may shift to the SLEEP mode when a predetermined time has elapsed after shifting to the ACTIVE mode. However, according to the sub process 800, a predetermined operation for the button 128 causes the control unit 118 to shift to the SLEEP mode. , The charge level of the power supply 102 can be notified to the user again, and the transition to the SLEEP mode can be postponed.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an exemplary second sub-process 900, which is activated in step S715 in the main process 700 of the ACTIVE mode.

S910 shows a step of determining whether or not the connection of the charging power source to the charging power supply connecting unit 116 is detected. If it is determined that the connection of the charging power supply is detected (“Yes” in S910), the control unit 118 shifts to the CHARGE mode, and if not (“No” in S910), the process returns to step S910. Similar to step S410, the control unit 118 can determine that the connection of the charging power supply has been detected based on the above-mentioned VBUS detection signal. When shifting to the CHARGE mode, it is preferable that the control unit 118 turns off all the switches _Q1 , _Q2 , and _Q3 .

According to the second sub-process 900, the control unit 118 automatically shifts to the CHARGE mode in response to the connection of the charging power supply.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an exemplary process (main process) 1000 mainly executed by the control unit 118 in the PRE-HEAT mode. The main process 1000 can be started in response to the shift of the control unit 118 to the PRE-HEAT mode.

S1010 shows a step of controlling to start the supply of the heating AC power to the RLC series circuit. The AC power for heating is generated by turning on the switch _Q1 , turning off the switch _Q2 , and then switching the switch _Q3 . The average value or effective value of the energy given to the RLC series circuit by the supply of the heating AC power is larger than the average value or the effective value of the energy given to the RLC series circuit by the supply of the non-heating AC power described above.

S1020 shows a step of invoking another process (sub process) so that it is executed in parallel with the main process 1000. The sub-process started in this step will be described later.

S1030 shows a step of executing a process according to the detection of the susceptor 110. This step will be described later. The step includes at least a step of measuring the impedance of the RLC series circuit.

S1040 shows a step of acquiring at least a part of the temperature of the susceptor 110 or the aerosol-forming substrate 108 (hereinafter, referred to as “susceptor temperature” for convenience) from the impedance measured in step S1030. The acquisition of the susceptor temperature based on the impedance will be described later. In step S1050 described later, step S1040 may be omitted by using the preheating target impedance corresponding to the preheating target temperature instead of the preheating target temperature. In this case, in step S1050, the impedance and the preheating target impedance are compared.

S1050 shows a step of determining whether the acquired susceptor temperature has reached a predetermined preheating target temperature. If it is determined that the susceptor temperature has reached the preheating target temperature (“Yes” in S1050), the process proceeds to step S1060, otherwise (“No” in S1050), the process returns to step S1030. Even when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the PRE-HEAT mode, it may be determined as "Yes" in step S1050 assuming that the preheating is completed.

S1060 shows a step of notifying the user that the preheating of the aerosol forming substrate 108 is completed. This notification may be performed by the LED 138, or may be performed by a vibration motor, a display, or the like (not shown). After step S1060, the control unit 118 shifts to the INTERVAL mode.

According to the main treatment 1000, preheating of the aerosol-forming substrate 108 can be realized.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an exemplary process (main process) 1100 mainly executed by the control unit 118 in the INTERVAL mode. The main process 1100 can be started in response to the control unit 118 shifting to the INTERVAL mode.

S1110 shows a step of controlling to stop the supply of the heating AC power to the RLC series circuit. The stoppage of the supply of AC power for heating can be realized by turning off the switch _Q1 and stopping the switching of the switch _Q3 to turn it off, or both. It should be noted that at the time of step S1110, the switch _Q2 may be in the off state in the first place.

S1120 indicates a step of initiating another process (sub process) so that the process is executed in parallel with the main process 1100. The sub-process started in this step will be described later.

S1130 shows a step of controlling to supply the non-heating AC power to the RLC series circuit and measuring the impedance of the RLC series circuit. This step may be the same as step S725 of the main process 700 in the ACTIVE mode.

S1140 shows a step of acquiring the susceptor temperature from the measured impedance. In step S1150 described later, step S1140 may be omitted by using the cooling target impedance corresponding to the cooling target temperature instead of the cooling target temperature. In this case, in step S1150, the impedance and the cooling target impedance are compared.

S1150 shows a step of determining whether the acquired susceptor temperature has reached a predetermined cooling target temperature. If it is determined that the susceptor temperature has reached the cooling target temperature (“Yes” in S1150), the control unit 118 shifts to the HEAT mode, and if not (“No” in S1150), the process returns to step S1130. Even when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the INTERVAL mode, it may be determined as "Yes" in step S1150 on the assumption that cooling is completed.

In PRE-HEAT mode, the susceptor is heated rapidly so that the aerosol can be supplied quickly. On the other hand, such rapid heating may result in an excessive amount of aerosol being produced. Therefore, by executing the INTERVAL mode before the HEAT mode, the amount of aerosol produced can be stabilized from the completion time of the PRE-HEAT mode to the completion time of the HEAT mode. In other words, according to the main treatment 1100, the preheated aerosol-forming substrate 108 can be cooled before the HEAT mode for stabilization of aerosol production.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an exemplary process (main process) 1200 mainly executed by the control unit 118 in the HEAT mode. The main process 1200 can be started in response to the control unit 118 shifting to the HEAT mode.

S1205 shows a step of activating the second timer.

S1210 indicates a step of initiating another process (sub process) so that it is executed in parallel with the main process 1200. The sub-process started in this step will be described later.

S1215 shows a step of controlling to start supplying the AC power for heating to the RLC series circuit.

S1220 shows a step of executing a process according to the detection of the susceptor 110. This step will be described later, but the step includes at least a step of measuring the impedance of the RLC series circuit.

S1225 shows a step of acquiring the susceptor temperature from the impedance measured in step S1220. In step S1230 described later, step S1225 may be omitted by using the heating target impedance corresponding to the heating target temperature instead of the heating target temperature. In this case, in step S1230, the impedance and the heating target impedance are compared.

S1230 shows a step of determining whether the acquired susceptor temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined heating target temperature. If the susceptor temperature is greater than or equal to the heating target temperature (“Yes” in S1230), the process proceeds to step S1235, otherwise (“No” in S1230), the process proceeds to step S1240.

S1235 shows a step of waiting for a predetermined time after controlling to stop the supply of the AC power for heating to the RLC series circuit. This step is intended to temporarily stop the supply of heating AC power to the RLC series circuit to lower the susceptor temperature above the heating target temperature.

S1240 shows a step of determining whether a predetermined heating end condition is satisfied. Examples of the predetermined heating end condition are the condition that a predetermined time has elapsed based on the value of the second timer, the condition that the aerosol forming substrate 108 currently used has been used, and the suction has been performed a predetermined number of times. It may be an OR condition of these conditions. The suction detection method will be described later. If it is determined that the heating end condition is satisfied (“Yes” in S1240), the process proceeds to step S1245, and if not (“No” in S1240), the process returns to step S1220.

S1245 shows a step of reducing the number of usable lines by one. After step S1245, the control unit 118 shifts to the SLEEP mode.

According to the main treatment 1200, the susceptor temperature can be kept at a predetermined temperature for aerosol production in the desired embodiment.

Hereinafter, the processes according to the detection of the susceptor 110 described above in relation to the main process 1000 in the PRE-HEAT mode and the main process 1200 in the HEAT mode will be described.

FIG. 13A is a flowchart of the process 1300A according to the detection of the exemplary susceptor 110.

S1305 shows a step of measuring the impedance of the RLC series circuit. It should be noted that before step S1305, the supply of heating AC power to the RLC series circuit is started.

S1310 shows a step of determining whether or not the susceptor 110 has been detected based on the measured impedance. If the susceptor 110 is detected based on the impedance (“Yes” in S1310), the exemplary process 1300A ends and returns to the main process 1000 or 1200, otherwise (“No” in S1310), the process is step S1315. Proceed to.

S1315 shows a step of stopping the supply of the heating AC power to the RLC series circuit.

S1320 shows a step of reducing the number of usable lines by one. After step S1320, the control unit 118 shifts to the ACTIVE mode.

According to the exemplary treatment 1300A, the induction heating can be stopped when the aerosol forming substrate 108 is removed during the induction heating. As a result, the safety of the induction heating device 100 can be improved, and the waste of electric power stored in the power source 102 can be reduced. Further, according to the exemplary process 1300A, the control unit 118 reduces the number of usable aerosol-forming substrates 108 by one when the aerosol-forming substrate 108 is removed. As a result, the voltage of the power supply 102 after the usable number is completely consumed is less likely to reach the vicinity of the discharge end voltage or the discharge end voltage as compared with the case where the usable number is not reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the acceleration of deterioration of the power supply 102.

FIG. 13B is a flowchart of the process 1300B according to the detection of another exemplary susceptor 110. Since some steps included in the exemplary process 1300B are common to the exemplary process 1300A, the differences will be described below.

In the exemplary process 1300B, the process proceeds to step 1325 after step S1315.

S1325 shows a step of notifying the user of a predetermined error. This predetermined error notification corresponds to the failure to detect the susceptor 110 during induction heating due to the aerosol forming substrate 108 being accidentally removed or the like. This predetermined error notification may be performed by an LED 138 or the like.

S1330 shows a step of activating the third timer.

S1335 shows a step of controlling to supply the non-heating AC power to the RLC series circuit and measuring the impedance of the RLC series circuit. This step may be the same as step S725 of the main process 700 in the ACTIVE mode.

S1340 shows a step of determining whether or not the susceptor 110 is detected based on the measured impedance. If it is determined that the susceptor 110 has been detected based on the impedance (“Yes” in S1340), the process proceeds to step S1350, and if not (“No” in S1340), the process proceeds to step S1345.

S1350 indicates a step of restarting the supply of the heating AC power to the RLC series circuit, which was stopped in step S1315.

S1345 shows a step of determining whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed based on the value of the third timer. If it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed (“Yes” in S1345), the process proceeds to step S1320, and if not (“No” in S1345), the process returns to step S1335.

The exemplary process 1300B will be further described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a graph showing changes in susceptor temperature. The vertical axis of this graph corresponds to temperature, and the horizontal axis corresponds to time.

1410 indicates the predetermined preheating target temperature described above in relation to the main process 700 in the PRE-HEAT mode.

1415 indicates the predetermined cooling target temperature described above in relation to the main process 1100 in the INTERVAL mode.

1420 indicates the predetermined heating target temperature described above in relation to the main process 1200 in HEAT mode. As will be described later, the HEAT mode has a heating profile including a plurality of phases to which different heating target temperatures are applied. More specifically, 1420 indicates the heating target temperature of the first phase in the heating profile of HEAT mode.

1430 indicates the period of the PRE-HEAT mode. That is, the period of the PRE-HEAT mode is roughly terminated when the susceptor temperature reaches a predetermined preheating target temperature 1410.

1435 indicates the period of INTERVAL mode. That is, the period of the INTERVAL mode generally starts when the susceptor temperature reaches the preheating target temperature 1410 and ends when the cooling target temperature 1415 is reached.

1440 indicates the period of HEAT mode. That is, the period of the HEAT mode generally starts when the susceptor temperature reaches the cooling target temperature 1415 and ends at the time point 1445. 1445 indicates when the heating end condition is satisfied (step S1240 of the main process 1200).

1450 indicates when the susceptor 110 cannot be detected, that is, when it cannot be determined that the susceptor 110 has been detected based on the impedance in step S1310 of the exemplary process 1300B (“No” in step S1310). 1455 indicates when the susceptor 110 can be detected again, that is, when it is determined in step S1340 of the exemplary process 1300B that the susceptor 110 has been detected based on the impedance (“Yes” in step S1340). S1460 indicates a period during which the susceptor 110 could not be detected.

According to the exemplary process 1300B, the heating target temperature with the passage of time follows at least a defined heating profile, while the process for induction heating is restarted from step S1315, which is the termination of the process for induction heating. Induction heating can be controlled assuming that time has passed until step S1350. Therefore, it is possible to substantially skip the heating profile corresponding to the period S1460 in which the susceptor 110 could not be detected.

FIG. 13C is a flowchart of the process 1300C according to the detection of another exemplary susceptor 110. Since some steps included in the exemplary process 1300C are common to the exemplary process 1300A or 1300B, the differences will be described below.

S1355 shows a step of detecting the susceptor 110 based on the measured impedance. This step is similar to step S1310, except that if it cannot be determined that the susceptor 110 has been detected (“No” in S1355), the process proceeds to step S1325.

In the exemplary process 1300C, after step S1330, the process proceeds to step S1360.

S1360 shows a step of measuring the impedance of the RLC series circuit. Step S1360 is similar to step S1335, but in step S1360, it is not necessary to control the RLC series circuit to supply non-heating AC power. This is because, at the time of step S1360, the supply of the heating AC power to the RLC series circuit has not been stopped.

S1365 shows a step of determining whether or not the susceptor 110 is detected based on the measured impedance. This step is similar to step S1340, but if it is determined that the susceptor 110 has been detected based on the impedance (“Yes” in S1365), the process returns to step S1305, otherwise (“No” in S1365). The difference is that the process proceeds to step S1370.

S1370 shows a step of determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed based on the value of the third timer. This step is similar to step S1345, but if it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed (“Yes” in S1370), the process proceeds to step S1315, and if not (“No” in S1370), the process is performed. The difference is that the process returns to step S1360.

The exemplary process 1300C will be further described with reference to FIG. Hereinafter, the differences between the exemplary process 1300B and the above description will be described.

1450 indicates when the susceptor 110 cannot be detected, that is, when it cannot be determined that the susceptor 110 has been detected based on the impedance in step S1355 of the exemplary process 1300C (“No” in step S1355). 1455 indicates when the susceptor 110 can be detected again, that is, when it is determined in step S1365 of the exemplary process 1300C that the susceptor 110 has been detected based on the impedance (“Yes” in step S1365).

As mentioned above, the HEAT mode has a heating profile that includes multiple phases to which different heating target temperatures are applied. Further, the processing in the HEAT mode can include a processing for changing the heating target temperature at one or more timings (for example, step S2115 in FIG. 21 described later). Then, according to the exemplary process 1300C, the period S1460 in which the susceptor 110 could not be detected does not affect the timing of the one or more. This is because the exemplary process 1300C does not have step S1315 and step S1350 in the exemplary process 1300B. That is, according to the exemplary process 1300C, the period S1460 in which the susceptor 110 could not be detected can be prevented from affecting the overall length of the heating profile.

FIG. 13D is a flowchart of the process 1300D according to the detection of still another exemplary susceptor 110.

Since some steps included in the exemplary process 1300D are common to the exemplary process 1300A, 1300B or 1300C, the differences will be described below.

S1375 is the same step as step S1310, except that the process proceeds to step S1385 when it is determined that the susceptor 110 is detected based on the impedance.

In the exemplary process 1300D, the process proceeds to step S1380 after step S1325.

S1380 shows a step of stopping the running second timer and starting the third timer. By stopping the second timer, the value of the second timer does not increase with the passage of time. In other words, the progress of the heating profile is interrupted.

S1385 shows a step of determining whether or not the second timer has been stopped. This step may be a step of determining whether or not step S1380 has been executed. If it is determined that the second timer has been stopped (“Yes” in S1385), the process proceeds to step S1390, and if not (“No” in S1385), the exemplary process 1300D ends and the main process 1000 or the main process 1200 Return to.

S1390 indicates a step of restarting the stopped second timer. By restarting the second timer, the value of the second timer increases again with the passage of time from the value when the second timer was stopped. In other words, the progress of the heating profile is resumed.

The exemplary process 1300D will be further described with reference to FIG. Hereinafter, the differences between the exemplary process 1300B and the above description will be described.

1450 indicates when the susceptor 110 cannot be detected, that is, when it cannot be determined that the susceptor 110 has been detected based on the impedance in step S1375 of the exemplary process 1300D (“No” in step S1375).

That is, according to the exemplary process 1300D, the heating target temperature according to the passage of time follows at least a predetermined heating profile, while the process for induction heating is restarted from step S1315, which is the stop of the process for induction heating. It is possible to control the induction heating as if no time had passed until step S1350. Therefore, the progress of the heating profile can be substantially interrupted.

FIG. 13E is a flowchart of the process exemplary process 1300E according to the detection of yet another exemplary susceptor 110. Since some steps included in the exemplary process 1300E are common to the exemplary process 1300A, 1300B, 1300C or 1300D, the differences will be described below.

S1392 is the same step as step S1310, except that the process proceeds to step S1394 when it is determined that the susceptor 110 is detected based on the impedance.

S1394 shows a step of determining whether or not the third timer has been started. This step may be a step of determining whether or not step S1330 has been executed. If it is determined that the third timer has been started (“Yes” in S1394), the process proceeds to step S1396, and if not (“No” in S1394), the exemplary process 1300E ends and the main process 1000 or the main process 1200 Return to.

S1396 shows a step of executing a predetermined process based on the value of the third timer. This predetermined process may be a process of extending one of the plurality of phases included in the HEAT mode by the value of the third timer, that is, the length of the period during which the susceptor 110 could not be detected. In other words, this predetermined process may be a process of delaying at least one of the one or more timings for changing the heating target temperature by the length of the period during which the susceptor 110 could not detect it. This can be realized, for example, by delaying the timing of determining the change in step S2105 of FIG. 21, which will be described later. It should be noted that the extension of the phase and / or the delay of the timing for changing the heating target temperature does not necessarily have to be performed for the length of the period during which the susceptor 110 could not be detected. The phase can be extended by a value obtained by adding or subtracting a predetermined value to the length of the period in which the susceptor 110 could not be detected, or a value irrelevant to the length of the period in which the susceptor 110 could not be detected. The timing for changing the heating target temperature may be delayed.

The exemplary process 1300E will be further described with reference to FIG. Hereinafter, the differences between the exemplary process 1300C and the above description will be described.

1450 indicates when the susceptor 110 cannot be detected, that is, when it cannot be determined that the susceptor 110 has been detected based on the impedance in step S1392 of the exemplary process 1300E (“No” in step S1392).

According to the exemplary process 1300E, the timing of changing the heating target temperature is delayed based on the period 1460 from step S1392 when the aerosol-forming substrate cannot be detected to step S1365 when the aerosol-forming substrate is detected again. Therefore, the phase of the heating profile can be supplemented or extended. That is, according to the exemplary process 1300E, the length of the heating profile can be extended based on the period 1460 during which the susceptor 110 could not be detected.

FIG. 15 is an exemplary first sub-process 1500 activated in step S1020 of the main process 1000 in the PRE-HEAT mode, step S1120 of the main process 1100 in the INTERVAL mode, or step S1210 of the main process 1200 in the HEAT mode. It is a flowchart of.

S1510 shows a step of determining whether or not a predetermined operation for the button 128 is detected. This predetermined operation may be the same as or different from the predetermined operation in steps S420 and S810. An example of a predetermined operation in step S1510 is a long press or repeated hitting of the button 128. If it is determined that a predetermined button operation has been detected (“Yes” in S1510), the process proceeds to step S1520, and if not (“No” in S1510), the process returns to step S1510.

S1520 shows a step of performing control for stopping the supply of AC power. When the first sub-process 1500 is activated in step S1020 or step S1210, this AC power is heating AC power, and when the first sub-process 1500 is activated in step S1120, this AC power is unheated. It will be AC power for.

S1530 shows a step of reducing the number of usable lines by one. According to the sub-processing 1500, the control unit 118 reduces the number of usable AC power by one when the supply of AC power is stopped by the user's operation. As a result, the voltage of the power supply 102 after the usable number of aerosol-forming substrates 108 is completely consumed is less likely to reach the vicinity of the discharge end voltage or the discharge end voltage as compared with the case where the usable number is not reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the acceleration of deterioration of the power supply 102.

FIG. 16 shows an exemplary second sub-process 1600 activated in step S1020 of the main process 1000 in the PRE-HEAT mode, step S1120 of the main process 1100 in the INTERVAL mode, or step S1210 of the main process 1200 in the HEAT mode. It is a flowchart of.

S1610 shows a step of measuring the discharge current. The discharge current can be measured by the current detection circuit 136.

S1620 shows a step of determining whether the measured discharge current is excessive. If it is determined that the discharge current is excessive (“Yes” in S1620), the process proceeds to step S1630, and if not (“No” in S1620), the process returns to step S1610.

S1630 shows a step of performing a predetermined fail-safe action.

S1640 shows a step of notifying the user of a predetermined error. This predetermined error notification corresponds to an excessive discharge current. After step S1640, the control unit 118 shifts to the ERROR mode. This error notification may be made by LED138.

FIG. 17 describes the principle of detecting the susceptor 110 which is at least a part of the aerosol forming substrate 108 based on impedance, and the principle of acquiring the temperature of the susceptor 110 which is at least a part of the aerosol forming substrate 108 based on impedance. It is a diagram for.

Reference numeral 1710 shows an equivalent circuit of the RLC series circuit when the aerosol forming substrate 108 is not inserted in the induction heating device 100.

L indicates the value of the inductance of the RLC series circuit. Strictly speaking, L is a value obtained by synthesizing the inductance components of a plurality of elements included in the RLC series circuit, but may be equal to the value of the inductance of the coil 106.

C ₂ shows the value of the capacitance of the RLC series circuit. Strictly speaking, C ₂ is a value obtained by synthesizing the capacitance components of a plurality of elements included in the RLC series circuit, but it may be equal to the value of the capacitance of the capacitor C ₂ .

The R _Circuit indicates the resistance value of the RLC series circuit. The R _Circuit is a value obtained by synthesizing the resistance components of a plurality of elements included in the RLC series circuit.

The values of L, C ₂ and R _Circuit can be obtained in advance from the spec sheet of the electronic element or measured in advance experimentally and stored in the memory (not shown) of the control unit 118 in advance. ..

The impedance Z ₀ of the RLC series circuit when the aerosol forming substrate 108 is not inserted in the induction heating device 100 can be calculated by the following formula.

ここで、ωはＲＬＣ直列回路に供給される交流電力の角周波数（ω＝２πｆ；ｆは交流電力の周波数）を示している。

Here, ω indicates the angular frequency of the AC power supplied to the RLC series circuit (ω = 2πf; f is the frequency of the AC power).

On the other hand, 1720 shows an equivalent circuit of the RLC series circuit when the aerosol forming substrate 108 is inserted in the induction heating device 100. The difference from 1710 in 1720 is the presence of a resistance component (R _susceptor ) due to the susceptor 110, which is at least a part of the aerosol-forming substrate 108. The impedance Z ₁ of the RLC series circuit when the aerosol forming substrate 108 is inserted in the induction heating device 100 can be calculated by the following equation.

That is, the impedance of the RLC series circuit when the aerosol forming substrate 108 is inserted in the induction heating device 100 is larger than that when it is not inserted. The impedance Z ₀ when the aerosol forming substrate 108 is not inserted into the induction heating device 100 and the impedance Z ₀ when the aerosol forming substrate 108 is inserted are experimentally obtained in advance, and the threshold value set during that period is set by the control unit 118. Store in advance in memory (not shown). Thereby, it is possible to determine whether the aerosol forming substrate 108 is inserted in the induction heating device 100, that is, whether the susceptor 110 is detected, based on whether the measured impedance Z is larger than the threshold value. As described above, the detection of the susceptor 110 can be regarded as the detection of the aerosol-forming substrate 108.

The control unit 118 calculates the impedance Z of the RLC series circuit as follows based on the effective value V _RMS of the voltage and the effective value I _RMS of the current measured by the voltage detection circuit 134 and the current detection circuit 136, respectively. Can be done.

Further, when the above equation of Z ₁ is solved for R _susceptor , the following equation is derived.

Here, if the negative resistance value is excluded and Z ₁ is replaced with Z,

By experimentally obtaining the relationship between the R _suptor and the susceptor temperature in advance and storing it in the memory (not shown) of the control unit 118 in advance, the R _suptor calculated further from the impedance Z of the RLC series circuit can be obtained. It is possible to obtain the susceptor temperature based on this.

FIG. 18 shows an equivalent circuit of the RLC series circuit when AC power is supplied at the resonance frequency _f0 of the RLC series circuit. 1810 and 1820 show the equivalent circuit of the RLC series circuit when the aerosol forming substrate 108 is not inserted into the induction heating device 100 and when it is inserted, respectively. The resonance frequency f ₀ can be derived as follows.

Further, since the following relationship is satisfied at the resonance frequency f ₀ , the inductance component and the capacitance component of the RLC series circuit can be ignored with respect to the impedance of the RLC series circuit.

Therefore, the impedance Z ₀ of the RLC series circuit when the aerosol forming substrate 108 at the resonance frequency f ₀ is not inserted into the induction heating device 100 and the impedance Z ₁ of the RLC series circuit when it is inserted are as follows. ..

Further, the value R _susceptor of the resistance component by the susceptor 110, which is at least a part of the aerosol forming substrate 108 when the aerosol forming substrate 108 at the resonance frequency _f0 is inserted into the induction heating device 100, is calculated by the following formula. be able to

As described above, it is advantageous in terms of ease of calculation to use the resonance frequency f ₀ of the RLC series circuit when detecting the susceptor 110 and when acquiring the susceptor temperature based on the impedance. be. Of course, using the resonance frequency _f0 of the RLC series circuit is also advantageous in that the electric power stored in the power supply 102 is supplied to the susceptor 110 with high efficiency and high speed.

(Specific example 1 of heating profile)
Hereinafter, specific examples of the heating profile will be described.

In this example, the induction heating device 100 heats the aerosol-forming substrate 108 more appropriately by changing the switching frequency of the AC generation circuit 132 in the PRE-HEAT mode, the INTERVAL mode, and the HEAT mode including a plurality of phases. can do.

FIG. 19 shows graphs (a), (b), and (c) showing changes in the temperature of the susceptor 110 in the induction heating device 100 of this example, the switching frequency of the AC generation circuit 132, and the impedance of the circuit 104, respectively. It is a figure. Similarly to FIG. 14, in FIG. 19, arrow 1430 indicates the period of PRE-HEAT mode, arrow 1435 indicates the period of INTERVAL mode, and arrow 1440 indicates the period of HEAT mode. Further, in (a), the solid line graph shows the temperature of the susceptor 110, and the broken line graph shows the target temperature (preheating target temperature, cooling target temperature, heating target temperature) in each period.

It should be noted that, in FIG. 19, the temperature of the susceptor 110 (or the susceptor temperature) reaches the heating target temperature and the phase switching coincides with each other, which illustrates the ideal behavior. Because I did. That is, the behavior shown in FIG. 19 coincides with the timing of changing the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 and the timing of the temperature of the susceptor 110 reaching the heating target temperature for the first time in the exemplary process shown in FIG. 21 described later. Corresponds to the case of In general, the temperature of the susceptor 110 repeats the behavior of reaching the heating target temperature, then decreasing due to a temporary stop of the heating AC power, and then increasing again. Therefore, in general, the temperature of the susceptor 110 reaching the heating target temperature does not coincide with the phase switching. The same applies to FIGS. 20 and 22.

As shown in (b), in this example, the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 of the AC generation circuit 132 is the resonance frequency f ₀ in the period 1430 of the PRE-HEAT mode and the period 1435 of the INTERVAL mode. It is constant during these periods. Then, in the period 1440 of the HEAT mode, the switching frequency of the switch Q ₃ is controlled so as to gradually increase as each phase progresses (the timing for increasing the switching frequency of the switch Q ₃ is Schedule in advance. This also applies to Specific Example 2 described later). Further, when the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 changes, the impedance of the circuit 104 also changes. As the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 gradually increases, the impedance of the circuit 104 also continues to increase as shown in (c). In the case of this example, it is possible to detect a temporary temperature drop when the user sucks the aerosol generated from the aerosol source 112 by the change in the impedance of the circuit 104 (or the change in the alternating current supplied to the coil 106). It is possible. That is, when it is detected that the temperature has dropped, it may be determined that the user has sucked the aerosol.

Further, during the period 1440 of the HEAT mode, the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 is controlled to start from the resonance frequency _f0 and gradually move away from the resonance frequency _f0 as shown by the solid line graph in (b). Alternatively, as shown by the broken line graph in (b), the resonance frequency may be controlled so as to gradually decrease from the resonance frequency f ₀ and then gradually approach the resonance frequency f ₀ . Further, in the former case, the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 increases in a frequency region higher than the resonance frequency as the plurality of phases constituting the HEAT mode 1440 progress, and in the latter case, the plurality of components constituting the HEAT mode 1440. As the phase of the switch _Q3 progresses, the switching frequency of the switch Q3 increases in the frequency region lower than the resonance frequency. Only the PRE-HEAT mode requires rapid temperature rise, and high-efficiency heating by induction heating may be unsuitable for stepwise temperature rise in the HEAT mode. Therefore, in this example, a gradual temperature rise can be realized by removing the switching frequency of the switch Q ₃ from the resonance frequency f ₀ . By changing the frequency for each phase in this way, the susceptor 110 can be appropriately heated.

Further, FIG. 20 is a diagram showing another example of changes in the temperature of the susceptor 110 in the induction heating device 100, the switching frequency of the AC generation circuit 132, and the impedance of the circuit 104. Also in this example, the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 of the AC generation circuit 132 is the resonance frequency _f0 in the period 1430 of the PRE-HEAT mode and the period 1435 of the INTERVAL mode, and is constant within these periods. be. However, in the period 1440 of the HEAT mode of this example, the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 is controlled so as to gradually decrease as each phase progresses. Further, by gradually lowering the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 , the impedance of the circuit 104 also continues to decrease. When the user does not detect the suction of the aerosol, the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 may be controlled to be lowered according to the progress of the phase in the HEAT mode as in this example, thereby realizing a gradual temperature rise. can do.

Further, during the period 1440 of the HEAT mode, the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 is controlled to gradually increase from the resonance frequency f ₀ and then gradually approach the resonance frequency f ₀ as shown by the solid line graph in (b). It may be controlled so as to start from the resonance frequency _f0 and gradually move away from the resonance frequency _f0 as shown by the broken line graph in (b). Further, in the former case, as the plurality of phases constituting the HEAT mode progress, the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 decreases in the frequency region higher than the resonance frequency, and in the latter case, the plurality of phases constituting the HEAT mode. As the frequency progresses, the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 decreases in the frequency region lower than the resonance frequency.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a flowchart of an exemplary process mainly executed by the control unit 118 in the HEAT mode. In the flowchart of FIG. 21, the processes of step S2105, step S2110, and step S2115 are further added to the flowchart of FIG. The steps other than these are the same as those in FIG. 12, so the description thereof will be omitted.

Step S2105 shows a step of determining whether or not it is time for the second timer to change the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 . If it is determined that it is time to change the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 (“Yes” in step S2105), the switching frequency of the switch _Q3 is changed (increased or decreased) in step S2110. .. Then, in step S2115, the heating target temperature is raised by a predetermined value. If it is determined in step S2105 that it is not the timing to change the switching frequency of switch _Q3 (“No” in step S2105), the processing of steps S2110 and S2115 is skipped (that is, the switching frequency of switch _Q3 ). Does not change). The processing of step S2110 and the processing of step S2115 may be executed in the reverse order or may be executed in parallel.

(Specific example 2 of heating profile)
Further, another specific example of the heating profile will be described. In this example, the switching frequency of the AC generation circuit 132 is fixed to a specific frequency without changing in the PRE-HEAT mode, the INTERVAL mode, and the HEAT mode consisting of a plurality of phases, and in particular, the resonance frequency is fixed in this example. do.

FIG. 22 shows graphs (a), (b), and (c) showing changes in the temperature of the susceptor 110 in the induction heating device 100 of this example, the switching frequency of the AC generation circuit 132, and the impedance of the circuit 104, respectively. It is a figure. As shown in (b), in this example, the induction heating device 100 fixes the switching frequency of the AC generation circuit 132 to the resonance frequency in the PRE-HEAT mode, the INTERVAL mode, and the HEAT mode consisting of a plurality of phases. ..

23 and 24 are diagrams showing a flowchart of an exemplary process mainly executed by the control unit 118 in the HEAT mode. The flowchart of FIG. 23 is different in that the heating control of step S2310 is executed instead of step S1235 of FIG. 12, and steps S2320 and S2325 are added. The steps other than this are the same as in FIG. 12, so the description thereof will be omitted.

Step S2320 shows a step of determining whether or not it is time for the second timer to change the heating target temperature. If it is determined that it is time to change the heating target temperature (“Yes” in step S2320), the heating target temperature is increased by a predetermined value in step S2325. If it is determined in step S2320 that it is not the timing to change the heating target temperature (“No” in step S2320), the process of step S2325 is skipped (that is, the heating target temperature is not changed).

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a flowchart showing an example of details of the heating control in step S2310. Step S23101 shows a step of controlling to stop the supply of the heating AC power to the RLC series circuit. Step S23102 shows a step of controlling to start supplying non-heating AC power to the RLC series circuit in order to measure the impedance of the RLC series circuit. Step S23103 shows a step of measuring the impedance of the RLC series circuit. Step S23104 shows a step of controlling to stop the supply of the non-heating AC power to the RLC series circuit. Step S23105 shows a step of acquiring the susceptor temperature from the impedance measured in step S23103. The processing of steps S23101 to S23105 may be the same processing as the above-mentioned flowchart. Further, step S23106 shows a step of determining whether the susceptor temperature acquired in step S23105 is (predetermined heating target temperature −Δ) or less. When the susceptor temperature is (predetermined heating target temperature −Δ) or less, the heating control is terminated and the process proceeds to step S1215 in FIG. If the susceptor temperature is higher than (predetermined heating target temperature −Δ), the process returns to step S23102. That is, when the susceptor temperature is higher than (heating target temperature −Δ), the susceptor temperature is continuously monitored by the high resistance _second circuit including the switch Q2. At this time, the switch Q ₃ may be switched at a predetermined cycle even while the heating of the susceptor 110 is interrupted. Then, when the susceptor temperature becomes (heating target temperature −Δ) or less, the switch _Q1 is turned on again and the susceptor 110 is reheated in the first circuit. Further, when Δ is a value larger than “0”, the heating control can be provided with hysteresis. More specifically, the value of Δ is about 5 ° C. at the maximum.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the embodiments can be changed, added, improved, etc. as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the embodiments described above, but should be defined only by the claims and their equivalents.

In the above-described embodiment, the control using the resonance frequency f ₀ of the RLC series circuit has been described, but since there is a product tolerance in the elements constituting the RLC circuit, it is not necessary to strictly use the resonance frequency f ₀ . For example, there may be a deviation of about ± 5% from the resonance frequency communication f ₀ calculated from the actual parameters of the elements constituting the RLC series circuit.

In the above-described embodiment, the user's suction is detected by the change in impedance, but instead, the user's suction may be detected by using a suction sensor (not shown in FIG. 2).

In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 118 detects the aerosol-generating substrate 108 based on the susceptor 110, but instead of detecting the aerosol-generating substrate 108 from a marker or RFID provided on the aerosol-forming substrate 108, the control unit 118 may detect the aerosol-generating substrate 108. good. It will be clear that such markers and RFID also form at least a portion of the aerosol forming substrate 108.

100 ... Inductive heating device, 101 ... Housing, 102 ... Power supply, 104 ... Circuit, 106 ... Coil, 108 ... Aerosol forming substrate, 110 ... Suceptor, 112 ... Aerosol source, 114 ... Filter, 116 ... Charging power supply connection, 118 ... Control unit, 120 ... voltage adjustment circuit, 122 ... charging circuit, 126 ... light emitting element drive circuit, 128 ... button, 130 ... parallel circuit, 132 ... AC generation circuit, 134 ... voltage detection circuit, 136 ... current detection circuit, 138 ... Light emitting element, 140 ... voltage dividing circuit, 610 ... when not in use, 620 ... when deteriorated, 630 ... amount of power required to consume one aerosol forming substrate, 640 ... surplus power amount (when not in use), 650 ... Surplus power amount (at the time of deterioration), 660 ... Discharge voltage at full charge, 770 ... Discharge end voltage, 1410 ... Preheating target temperature, 1415 ... Cooling target temperature, 1420 ... Heating target temperature, 1430 ... PRE-HEAT mode period, 1435 ... INTERVAL mode period, 1440 ... HEAT mode period, 1445 ... when the heating end condition is satisfied, 1450 ... when the susceptor cannot be detected, 1455 ... when the susceptor can be detected again, 1460 ... During the period when the susceptor could not be detected, 1710 ... Equivalent circuit of RLC series circuit when the aerosol forming substrate is not inserted in the induction heating device, 1720 ... RLC series circuit when the aerosol forming substrate is inserted in the induction heating device. Equivalent circuit of 1710 ... Equivalent circuit (resonance frequency) of RLC series circuit when the aerosol forming substrate is not inserted in the induction heating device, 1720 ... RLC series circuit when the aerosol forming substrate is inserted in the induction heating device. Equivalent circuit (resonance frequency)

Claims (7)

An induction heating device for heating an aerosol-forming substrate, including a susceptor and an aerosol source.
An RLC circuit including a coil for heating the susceptor by induction heating is provided.
The susceptor is heated by a heating mode consisting of a plurality of phases, and the frequency of the alternating current supplied to the coil is different in at least a part of the plurality of phases.
In the preheating mode for preheating the susceptor, which is executed before the heating mode, the frequency of the alternating current is the resonance frequency of the RLC circuit.
In the heating mode, the frequency of the alternating current is a frequency other than the resonance frequency of the RLC circuit.
An induction heating device that detects the suction of an aerosol by a user by increasing the frequency of the alternating current as the plurality of phases constituting the heating mode progress, and by changing the alternating current or the impedance of the RLC circuit . An induction heating device for heating an aerosol-forming substrate, including a susceptor and an aerosol source.
An RLC circuit including a coil for heating the susceptor by induction heating is provided.
The susceptor is heated by a heating mode consisting of a plurality of phases, and the frequency of the alternating current supplied to the coil is different in at least a part of the plurality of phases.
In the preheating mode for preheating the susceptor, which is executed before the heating mode, the frequency of the alternating current is closest to the resonance frequency of the RLC circuit as compared with the plurality of phases of the heating mode.
In the heating mode, the frequency of the alternating current is a frequency other than the resonance frequency of the RLC circuit.
An induction heating device that detects the suction of an aerosol by a user by increasing the frequency of the alternating current as the plurality of phases constituting the heating mode progress, and by changing the alternating current or the impedance of the RLC circuit . The induction heating device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the frequency of the alternating current increases in a frequency region higher than the resonance frequency of the RLC circuit as the plurality of phases constituting the heating mode progress. The induction heating device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the frequency of the alternating current increases in a frequency region lower than the resonance frequency of the RLC circuit as the plurality of phases constituting the heating mode progress. In the heating mode, the frequency of the alternating current becomes a value farthest from the resonance frequency of the RLC circuit at the start of the heating mode, and then approaches the resonance frequency of the RLC circuit as the plurality of phases progress. The induction heating device according to any one of claims 1 , 2, and 4, wherein the value changes to. The one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein in the interval mode for cooling the susceptor executed between the preheating mode and the heating mode, the frequency of the alternating current is the resonance frequency of the RLC circuit. Induction heating device. Power supply and
A voltage detection circuit that detects the voltage of the power supply and
The voltage detection circuit and the current detection circuit include a current detection circuit that detects a current value supplied to the RLC circuit, and the current detection circuit measures the impedance of the RLC circuit.
The RLC circuit is a parallel circuit including a first circuit and a second circuit arranged in parallel between the power supply and the coil, and the first circuit is used for heating the susceptor, and the first circuit is used. The two circuits further include a parallel circuit used to obtain a value related to the electric resistance or temperature of the susceptor.
The first circuit includes a first switch.
The second circuit includes a second switch and a resistance, and when the first switch is turned on and the second switch is turned off, the susceptor is heated, the first switch is turned off, and the second switch is turned off. When the switch is turned on, the measured impedance of the RLC circuit and the resistance value of the resistance of the second circuit are used to acquire a value related to the electric resistance or temperature of the susceptor.
The induction heating device according to claim 6 , wherein in the interval mode, the second circuit is used for acquiring a value related to the electric resistance or temperature of the susceptor.

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