JP7136913B2 - ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD AND PROGRAM FOR OPERATING ELECTRONIC DEVICE - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and a method and program for operating the electronic device. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to electronic devices for generating aerosols by heating an aerosol-generating substrate, methods of operating the electronic devices, and programs for causing processors to perform the methods.

US Pat. No. 6,201,201 discloses an electrically heated smoking system comprising a primary power source and a secondary unit for receiving and heating a smoking article to generate an aerosol, wherein when the secondary unit is connected to the primary power source, 1 Techniques are disclosed for charging the secondary unit's power source from the primary power source such that the secondary unit's power source has sufficient capacity to smoke one smoking article.

However, Patent Literature 1 does not disclose the problem of deterioration in user experience that can occur during smoking using a secondary unit that is not sufficiently charged, nor any technology that can solve the problem.

EP 2640205

An object of the present disclosure is to provide techniques for improving the degradation of user experience that can occur when the power source of an electronic device such as an aerosol generating device is not sufficiently charged.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a control unit and a heating unit that heats an aerosol-generating substrate by power supply from a power supply are provided, and the control unit controls that the voltage of the power supply is set to one unused aerosol-generating substrate. An electronic device is provided which is configured to not power the heating element from the power supply when the power supply is less than a threshold voltage indicative of sufficient capacity remaining in the power supply to deplete the material.

In one embodiment, the control unit is configured to measure the voltage of the power supply during the duration of one voltage pulse generated separately from the voltage pulses for powering the heating unit from the power supply. be done.

In one embodiment, the control unit is configured to measure the voltage of the power supply during the duration of a first one of voltage pulses for powering the heating unit from the power supply. be.

In one embodiment, the width of said one voltage pulse is 100 ms or less.

In one embodiment, the one voltage pulse traverses the same path used to power the heating element from the power supply.

In one embodiment, the heating portion has a shape that heats the aerosol-generating substrate from its surroundings.

In one embodiment, the electronic device further comprises a recess capable of receiving the aerosol-generating substrate.

In one embodiment, the electronic device further comprises a switching element provided between the power supply and the heating section. The control unit is configured to switch the switching element to an OFF state when stopping power supply from the power supply to the heating unit.

In one embodiment, the controller is configured to generate a signal to notify a user if the voltage of the power supply is less than the threshold voltage.

In one embodiment, the threshold voltage is set differently according to the remaining capacity of the power supply.

In one embodiment, the threshold voltage is a first value when the remaining capacity of the power supply is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and the threshold voltage is the first value when the remaining capacity of the power supply is less than the predetermined value. A second value greater than the first value.

In one embodiment, the first value is the stable operating voltage of the boost DC/DC converter.

In one embodiment, the electronic device further comprises the power supply.

Also in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating an electronic device includes heating an aerosol-generating substrate with electrical power from a power source, wherein the voltage of the power source is an unused aerosol-generating A method is provided wherein power is not supplied from the power supply for the heating if the power supply is less than a threshold voltage indicating that sufficient capacity remains in the power supply to deplete the substrate.

Also according to embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a program which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the method.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, techniques can be provided for improving the poor user experience that can occur when the power source of an electronic device, such as an aerosol generating device, is not fully charged.

1 is an overall perspective view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an electronic device holding an aerosol-generating substrate in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a smoking article; FIG. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 shown in FIG. 1A; 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 4B is a block diagram showing how the voltage of the power supply is measured in the electronic device according to the embodiment of FIG. 4A; FIG. 4B is a block diagram showing how the voltage of the power supply is measured in the electronic device according to the embodiment of FIG. 4A; FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of operating an electronic device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; 4 is a flowchart of a method of operating an electronic device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a state transition diagram that schematically illustrates transitions between states that an electronic device may take, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a state transition diagram schematically showing details of a normal state, an abnormal state, a charging state, and a heating state, and an example of transitions between each state; FIG. 4 is a state transition diagram schematically showing details of a normal state, an abnormal state, a charging state, and a non-smoking state, and examples of transitions between each state.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1A is an overall perspective view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 1B is an overall perspective view of an electronic device holding an aerosol-generating substrate in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; In this embodiment, the electronic device 10 generates a flavored aerosol by heating an aerosol-generating substrate, such as a smoking article, having a flavor-generating substrate, e.g., a fill comprising an aerosol source and a flavor source. configured to Hereinafter, in the embodiments related to FIGS. 1A-3, the smoking article 110 is used as the aerosol-generating substrate.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, smoking article 110 is but one example of an aerosol-generating substrate. The aerosol source contained in the aerosol-generating substrate can be solid or liquid. The aerosol source can be, for example, polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin, propylene glycol, or liquids such as water. The aerosol source may comprise a tobacco material or an extract derived from the tobacco material that releases flavor and taste components upon heating. If the electronic device 10 is a medical inhaler, such as a nebulizer, the aerosol source may contain a medicament for inhalation by the patient. For some applications, the aerosol-generating substrate may be free of flavor sources.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the electronic device 10 has a top housing 11A, a bottom housing 11B, a cover 12, a switch 13, and a lid portion . The top housing 11A and the bottom housing 11B constitute the outermost housing 11 of the electronic device 10 by being connected to each other. Housing 11 may be sized to fit in the hand of a user. In this case, when the user uses the electronic device 10, the user can hold the electronic device 10 in his hand and inhale the aerosol.

Top housing 11A has an opening (not shown), and cover 12 is coupled to top housing 11A to close the opening. As shown in FIG. 1B, cover 12 has openings 12a into which smoking articles 110 can be inserted. The lid portion 14 is configured to open and close the opening 12 a of the cover 12 . Specifically, the lid portion 14 is attached to the cover 12 and configured to be movable along the surface of the cover 12 between a first position that closes the opening 12a and a second position that opens the opening 12a. .

A switch 13 is used to switch the operation of the electronic device 10 on and off. For example, the user operates the switch 13 with the smoking article 110 inserted into the opening 12a as shown in FIG. 1B to supply power from the battery (not shown) to the heater (not shown). , the smoking article 110 can be heated without burning. When the smoking article 110 is heated, an aerosol is generated from an aerosol source contained in the smoking article 110 and the flavor of the flavor source is incorporated into the aerosol. A user can inhale the flavor-laden aerosol by inhaling the portion of smoking article 110 that protrudes from electronic device 10 (the portion illustrated in FIG. 1B). Note that the direction in which the aerosol-generating substrate such as the smoking article 110 is inserted into the opening 12a is referred to herein as the longitudinal direction of the electronic device 10 .

The configuration of the electronic device 10 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is merely an example of the configuration of the electronic device according to the present disclosure. Electronic devices according to the present disclosure can generate an aerosol by heating an aerosol-generating substrate that includes an aerosol source, and in various forms such that the generated aerosol source can be inhaled by a user. Can be configured.

Next, the configuration of the smoking article 110 will be described as an example of the aerosol-generating substrate used in the electronic device 10 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of smoking article 110 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the smoking article 110 includes a base material portion 110A including a filler 111 (corresponding to an example of a flavor-generating base material) and a first wrapping paper 112 around which the filler 111 is wrapped, It has a mouthpiece portion 110B forming an end opposite to the base portion 110A. The base material portion 110A and the mouthpiece portion 110B are connected by a second wrapping paper 113 different from the first wrapping paper 112 . However, it is also possible to omit the second wrapping paper 113 and use the first wrapping paper 112 to connect the base portion 110A and the mouthpiece portion 110B.

The mouthpiece portion 110B in FIG. 2 has a paper tube portion 114, a filter portion 115, and a hollow segment portion 116 arranged between the paper tube portion 114 and the filter portion 115. As shown in FIG. Hollow segment portion 116 includes, for example, a packing layer having one or more hollow channels and a plug wrapper covering the packing layer. Since the packing density of the fibers in the packed bed is high, air and aerosol flow only through the hollow channels during suction, and hardly flow inside the packed bed. In the smoking article 110, when it is desired to reduce the decrease in the delivery amount of the aerosol due to the filtering of the aerosol components in the filter portion 115, shortening the length of the filter portion 115 and replacing it with the hollow segment portion 116 reduces the delivery amount of the aerosol. is effective for increasing

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, mouthpiece 110B is made up of three segments. However, in other embodiments, mouthpiece 110B may consist of one or two segments, or may consist of four or more segments. For example, the hollow segment portion 116 may be omitted, and the paper tube portion 114 and the filter portion 115 may be arranged adjacent to each other to form the mouthpiece portion 110B.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the longitudinal length of the smoking article 110 is preferably between 40mm and 90mm, more preferably between 50mm and 75mm, and even more preferably between 50mm and 60mm. The circumference of smoking article 110 is preferably between 15 mm and 25 mm, more preferably between 17 mm and 24 mm or less, and even more preferably between 20 mm and 22 mm. Further, the length of the base portion 110A of the smoking article 110 may be 20 mm, the length of the first wrapping paper 112 may be 20 mm, the length of the hollow segment portion 116 may be 8 mm, and the length of the filter portion 115 may be 7 mm. . The length of each of these segments can be changed as appropriate according to manufacturability, required quality, and the like.

In this embodiment, the fill 111 of the smoking article 110 may contain an aerosol source that is heated at a predetermined temperature to generate an aerosol. The type of aerosol source is not particularly limited, and extracts from various natural products and/or constituents thereof can be selected depending on the application. Aerosol sources can include, for example, glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and mixtures thereof. The content of the aerosol source in the filling 111 is not particularly limited, and is usually 5% by weight or more, preferably 10% by weight or more, from the viewpoint of sufficiently generating an aerosol and imparting a good flavor and taste. It is usually 50% by weight or less, preferably 20% by weight or less.

The filling 111 of the smoking article 110 in this embodiment may contain tobacco cuts as a flavor source. Materials for shredded tobacco are not particularly limited, and known materials such as lamina and backbone can be used. The content range of the filler 111 in the smoking article 110 is, for example, 200 mg to 400 mg, preferably 250 mg to 320 mg, when the circumference is 22 mm and the length is 20 mm. The water content of the filler 111 is, for example, 8-18% by weight, preferably 10-16% by weight. Such a water content suppresses the occurrence of winding stains and improves the winding suitability during manufacturing of the base material portion 110A. There are no particular restrictions on the size of the shredded tobacco used as the filling 111 and the preparation method thereof. For example, dried tobacco leaves cut into pieces having a width of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm may be used. Alternatively, dried tobacco leaves may be pulverized to have an average particle diameter of about 20 μm to 200 μm, homogenized, processed into sheets, and cut into pieces having a width of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm. . Furthermore, the above-described sheet-processed material may be gathered without being chopped, and used as the filling material 111 . Also, the filling 111 may contain one or more perfumes. The type of flavoring agent is not particularly limited, but menthol is preferable from the viewpoint of imparting a good smoking taste.

In this embodiment, the first wrapping paper 112 and the second wrapping paper 113 of the smoking article 110 can be made from base paper having a basis weight of, for example, 20 gsm to 65 gsm, preferably 25 gsm to 45 gsm. The thickness of the first wrapping paper 112 and the second wrapping paper 113 is not particularly limited, but is 10 μm to 100 μm, preferably 20 μm to 75 μm, from the viewpoint of rigidity, air permeability, and ease of adjustment during paper manufacturing. , more preferably 30 μm to 50 μm.

In this embodiment, first wrapper 112 and second wrapper 113 of smoking article 110 may include filler. The content of the filler can be 10 wt % or more and less than 60 wt %, preferably 15 wt % to 45 wt %, based on the total weight of the first wrapping paper 112 and the second wrapping paper 113 . In this embodiment, it is preferred that the filler be 15% to 45% by weight for the preferred basis weight range (25 gsm to 45 gsm). Examples of fillers that can be used include calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, and kaolin. The paper containing such a filler exhibits a bright white color that is preferable from the viewpoint of appearance when used as wrapping paper for the smoking article 110, and can permanently maintain its whiteness. By including a large amount of such fillers, for example, the ISO whiteness of the wrapping paper can be increased to 83% or higher. From the practical viewpoint of using them as wrapping papers for smoking articles 110, first wrapping paper 112 and second wrapping paper 113 preferably have a tensile strength of 8 N/15 mm or more. This tensile strength can be increased by lowering the filler content. Specifically, it can be increased by making the content of the filler less than the upper limit of the content of the filler shown in each basis weight range exemplified above.

Next, the internal structure of the electronic device 10 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B will be described. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 shown in FIG. 1A. As shown in FIG. 3 , the electronic device 10 has a power supply section 20 , a circuit section 30 and a heating section 40 in the internal space of the housing 11 . The circuit section 30 may have a first circuit board 31 and a second circuit board 32 electrically connected to the first circuit board 31 . The first circuit board 31 may be arranged, for example, extending in the longitudinal direction as shown. Thus, the power source section 20 and the heating section 40 are partitioned by the first circuit board 31 . As a result, transmission of heat generated in the heating unit 40 to the power supply unit 20 is suppressed.

The second circuit board 32 may be arranged between the top housing 11</b>A and the power supply section 20 and may extend in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the first circuit board 31 . The switch 13 may be arranged adjacent to the second circuit board 32 . A portion of the switch 13 may come into contact with the second circuit board 32 when the user presses the switch 13 .

The first circuit board 31 and the second circuit board 32 include, for example, a microprocessor or the like, and can control power supply from the power supply unit 20 to the heating unit 40 . Thereby, the first circuit board 31 and the second circuit board 32 can control the heating of the smoking article 110 by the heating section 40 .

The power supply unit 20 has a power supply 21 electrically connected to the first circuit board 31 and the second circuit board 32 . Power source 21 may be, for example, a rechargeable battery or a non-rechargeable battery. The power supply 21 is electrically connected to the heating section 40 via at least one of the first circuit board 31 and the second circuit board 32 . This allows the power source 21 to power the heating portion 40 so as to properly heat the smoking article 110 . Also, as shown in the drawing, the power source 21 may be arranged adjacent to the heating section 40 in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. Thereby, even if the size of the power supply 21 is increased, it is possible to suppress the length of the electronic device 10 from increasing in the longitudinal direction.

The electronic device 10 may also have a terminal 22 that can be connected to an external power source. The terminal 22 can be connected to a cable such as micro USB. If the power source 21 is a rechargeable battery, by connecting an external power source to the terminal 22 , a current can flow from the external power source to the power source 21 to charge the power source 21 . Also, by connecting a data transmission cable such as a micro USB to the terminal 22, data related to the operation of the electronic device 10 may be transmitted to an external device.

The heating section 40 has a longitudinally extending heating assembly 41 as shown. The heating assembly 41 is composed of a plurality of tubular members and forms a tubular body as a whole. The heating assembly 41 is configured to accommodate a portion of the smoking article 110 therein, has the function of defining a flow path for air supplied to the smoking article 110, and the function of heating the smoking article 110 from its outer periphery.

A vent hole 15 is formed in the bottom housing 11B to allow air to flow into the heating assembly 41 . Specifically, vent 15 is in fluid communication with one end of heating assembly 41 (the left end in FIG. 2). The electronic device 10 also has a detachable cap 16 on the vent 15 . The cap 16 is configured to allow air to flow into the heating assembly 41 through the vent 15 even when attached to the vent 15, and may have, for example, a through hole or notch (not shown). By attaching the cap 16 to the vent 15 , substances generated from the smoking article 11 inserted into the heating assembly 41 can be prevented from falling out of the housing 11 through the vent 15 . Also, the inside of the heating assembly 41 or the inside of the cap 16 can be cleaned by removing the cap 16 .

The other end of heating assembly 41 (the right end in FIG. 2) is in fluid communication with opening 12a shown in FIG. 1B. A substantially tubular outer fin 17 is provided between the lid portion 14 having the opening 12 a and the other end portion of the heating assembly 41 . When the smoking article 110 is inserted into the electronic device 10 through the opening 12a of the lid 14 as shown in FIG. be done. For this reason, the outer fins 17 are preferably formed so that the opening on the lid portion 14 side is larger than the opening on the other end portion side of the heating assembly 41 . This makes it easier to insert the smoking article 110 into the outer fin 17 through the opening 12a.

With the smoking article 110 inserted into the electronic device 10 through the opening 12a as shown in FIG. The suction causes air to flow into the interior of the heating assembly 41 through the vent 15 . The incoming air passes through the interior of the heating assembly 41 and reaches the user's mouth along with the aerosol generated from the smoking article 110 . Therefore, the side of the heating assembly 41 closer to the vent 15 is the upstream side, and the side of the heating assembly 41 closer to the opening 12a (the side closer to the outer fins 17) is the downstream side.

FIG. 4A is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; The electronic device 10 in this example comprises a control portion 402 and a heating portion 40 including elements such as a heating assembly 41 . Electronic device 10 may further include a power source 21 . Alternatively, electronic device 10 may not include power source 21 and may be configured to be connected to another device that includes power source 21 . Electronic device 10 may further include other components such as switching element 406, storage unit 408, notification unit 410, voltage sensor 412, remaining capacity sensor 414, and the like. A switching element 406 is provided between the power supply 21 and the heating unit 40 . The remaining capacity sensor 414 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC) located within the electronic device 10 . Alternatively, if electronic device 10 does not include power source 21 and is connected to another device that includes power source 21, remaining capacity sensor 414 may be implemented as an IC located within the other device. The electronic device 10 may further include a voltage conversion circuit 418 provided between the power supply 21 and the heating section 40 . A voltage conversion circuit 418 may be placed between the power supply and the switching element 406 . Alternatively, voltage conversion circuit 418 may be arranged between switching element 406 and heating unit 40 . As indicated by dotted arrows in FIG. 4A, the control unit 402 is configured to control the power supply 21, the switching element 406, the notification unit 410, the voltage conversion circuit 418, and the like. Control unit 402 is also configured to control and communicate information with storage unit 408, voltage sensor 412, remaining capacity sensor 414, and the like.

The electronic device 10 may also include a recess 416 capable of receiving an aerosol-generating substrate 110, such as a smoking article. The heating unit 40 may have a shape that heats the aerosol-generating substrate 110 from its surroundings. The heating unit 40 heats the portion of the aerosol-generating substrate 110 received in the recess 416 by power supply from the power source 21 .

The control unit 402 may be configured to turn on/off power supply from the power supply 21 to the heating unit 40 by turning on/off the switching element 406 . In one example, the control unit 402 may be configured to switch the switching element 406 to an OFF state when stopping power supply from the power supply 21 to the heating unit 40 .

Voltage sensor 412 is used to measure the voltage of power supply 21 . For example, voltage sensor 412 may include a resistor connected between the output terminals of power supply 21 and a sensor that detects the voltage applied across the resistor. The control unit 402 can obtain information about the voltage of the power supply 21 from the voltage sensor 412 . This is just one example of voltage sensor 412 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that voltage sensor 412 can take on a variety of configurations.

A remaining capacity sensor 414 is used to measure the remaining capacity of the power supply 21 . For example, the remaining capacity sensor 414 stores the integrated value of the current flowing from the power supply 21, and based on the integrated value, calculates the ratio of the current capacity to the fully charged capacity of the power supply 21. A circuit or the like may be included. The control unit 402 can obtain information about the remaining capacity of the power supply 21 from the remaining capacity sensor 414 . This is just one example of the remaining capacity sensor 414 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the remaining capacity sensor 414 can take on a variety of configurations.

Voltage conversion circuit 418 is configured to convert the voltage of power supply 21 . The converted voltage is used to supply power to the heating unit 40 . Voltage conversion circuit 418 may be a step-up DC/DC converter. Alternatively, electronic device 10 may be configured without voltage conversion circuit 418 .

If the electronic device 10 includes the voltage conversion circuit 418 , the switching element 406 may be included in the voltage conversion circuit 418 instead of being provided separately from the voltage conversion circuit 418 .

The notification unit 410 operates to notify the user. In one example, notification portion 410 may include one or more LEDs and may be configured to emit light in one or more colors. The notification unit 410 may also include a speaker and may be configured to provide audible notification. The notification unit 410 may also include a display and may use the display on the display to provide notification.

The storage unit 408 can store various data related to the operation of the electronic device 10 . For example, storage unit 408 may store information obtained from voltage sensor 412 and remaining capacity sensor 414 . The storage unit 408 may also store information regarding the heating procedure of the heating unit 40 suitable for the electronic device 10 .

In one example, each of the control unit 402, the switching element 406, the storage unit 408, the notification unit 410, the voltage sensor 412, and the remaining capacity sensor 414 is connected to any one of the first circuit board 31 and the second circuit board 32 shown in FIG. may be included in

FIG. 4B is a block diagram showing how the voltage of the power supply 21 is measured in the electronic device according to the embodiment of FIG. 4A. The control unit 402 generates a voltage pulse (or current pulse) different from the voltage pulse (or current pulse) used to supply power to the heating unit 40 to heat the aerosol-generating substrate 110, and controls the voltage The voltage of power supply 21 may be measured during the duration of the pulse. In one example, the control unit 402 turns on the switching element 406 for a predetermined time Δt ₁ (eg, 60 ms), and turns off the switching element 406 after Δt ₁ has elapsed. The value of Δt ₁ may be stored in storage unit 408 in advance. This produces a voltage pulse of duration Δt ₁ , which is routed from the power supply 21 to the heating element 40 as shown. Control unit 402 measures the voltage of power supply 21 using voltage sensor 412 during the duration Δt ₁ of the voltage pulse. In this example, the number and duration of the generated voltage pulses are set such that little temperature rise occurs in the heating section 40 . For example, the number of voltage pulses is preferably one and the duration of the voltage pulses is preferably 100 ms or less. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in embodiments of the present disclosure, the number and duration of the voltage pulses generated above can be set accordingly.

FIG. 4C is a block diagram showing how the voltage of the power supply 21 is measured in the electronic device according to the embodiment of FIG. 4A. Control unit 402 controls power supply 21 during the duration of the first one of the voltage pulses (or current pulses) used to power heating unit 40 to heat aerosol-generating substrate 110 . Voltage may be measured. In one example, control unit 402 can turn switching element 406 on and off to generate a series of voltage pulses used to heat heating unit 40 . The control unit 402 may repeat the control of turning on the switching element 406 for a predetermined time Δt ₂ (for example, 60 ms) and turning off the switching element 406 after Δt ₂ has passed. The value of Δt ₂ may be stored in storage unit 408 in advance. Alternatively, the control unit 402 may adjust the value of Δt ₂ so that the temperature of the heating unit 40 becomes a desired value. Such control causes a series of voltage pulses of duration Δt ₂ to be routed from the power supply 21 to the heating element 40 as shown. Control unit 402 measures the voltage of power supply 21 using voltage sensor 412 during the duration Δt ₂ of the first voltage pulse in the series of voltage pulses (the pulse indicated by the thick line in FIG. 4C). good too. The duration of the voltage pulse is preferably 100 ms or less. In another example, controller 402 may measure the voltage of power supply 21 during the duration of the first plurality (eg, two, three, etc.) of the voltage pulses in the series.

Details of the operation of the electronic device 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be further described below.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method of operating electronic device 10, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The processing of FIG. 5 corresponds to the example of FIG. 4B. Here, description will be given assuming that the control unit 402 of the electronic device 10 executes all the steps. However, it should be noted that at least some of the steps may be performed by other components of electronic device 10 . Also, it will be understood that the present embodiments can be implemented as a program, or a computer-readable storage medium storing the program, which when executed by a processor such as the control unit 402 causes the processor to perform the method. The same is true for the example described with respect to FIG. 6 below.

Processing begins at step 502 . Control unit 402 determines whether or not an aerosol generation request has been detected. In one example, the control unit 402 may determine that an aerosol generation request has been detected when the switch 13 is pressed. In another example, electronic device 10 may be configured to determine that an aerosol generation request has been detected based on detecting inhalation by the user. For example, the electronic device 10 may have a pressure sensor, and the control unit 402 may detect suction by the user based on changes in pressure detected by the pressure sensor.

If no aerosol generation request is detected (“N” in step 502 ), processing returns to before step 502 . If an aerosol generation request is detected (“Y” in step 502 ), processing proceeds to step 504 .

At step 504 , the control unit 402 generates a voltage pulse different from the voltage pulse for supplying power to the heating unit 40 . In one example, the controller 402 may turn on the switching element 406 for a predetermined period of time. This produces a voltage pulse having a duration equal to the predetermined period. The predetermined period is preferably 100 ms or less, for example 60 ms. Information regarding the predetermined period may be stored in the storage unit 408 . The control unit 402 may acquire information about the predetermined period from the storage unit 408 and generate the above voltage pulse based on the information. As can be seen from the example of FIG. 4B, the generated voltage pulse traverses the same path used to power the heating unit 40 from the power supply 21 .

Processing proceeds to step 506 where controller 402 measures the voltage of power supply 21 during the duration of the voltage pulse. In one example, voltage sensor 412 may include a resistor connected across the output terminals of power supply 21 . The control unit 402 acquires the voltage across the resistor as the voltage of the power supply 21 . The controller 402 may measure the voltage of the power supply 21 once or multiple times during the duration. By measuring during the duration of the voltage pulse, it is possible to determine the voltage of power supply 21 when power supply 21 and heating unit 40 are actually energized. Therefore, compared to the case where the voltage of the power source 21 is simply measured without generating a voltage pulse, power is supplied from the power source 21 to the heating unit 40 and the aerosol-generating substrate 110 is heated by the heating unit 40. It is possible to more accurately measure the voltage of the power supply 21 in the same situation as when the

Processing proceeds to step 508 , where controller 402 determines that the voltage of power supply 21 measured in step 506 indicates that sufficient capacity remains in power supply 21 to use up one unused aerosol-generating substrate 110 . It is determined whether it is smaller than the indicated threshold voltage.

In one example, the threshold voltage may be a fixed value stored in storage unit 408 . Heating of the aerosol-generating substrate 110 by the electronic device 10 and inhalation by the user have been previously tested in various environments with ambient temperatures ranging from low (e.g., 0° C.) to high (e.g., 40° C.). good too. As a result of the test, the voltage of the power supply 21 when sufficient capacity remains in the power supply 21 to use up one unused aerosol-generating substrate 110 under any environment is set as the fixed value. good too.

The threshold voltage may be set to have different values according to the remaining capacity of the power supply 21 . As already mentioned, the remaining capacity of power supply 21 may be measured using remaining capacity sensor 414 . The threshold voltage may be the first value when the remaining capacity of the power supply 21 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. The threshold voltage may be a second value greater than the first value when the remaining capacity of the power supply 21 is less than the predetermined value.

In one example, the controller 402 may set the threshold voltage to a first value (eg, 2282 mV) when the remaining capacity of the power supply 21 is 25% or more. If the electronic device 10 includes a voltage conversion circuit 418 and the voltage conversion circuit 418 is a step-up DC/DC converter, the first value may be the stable operating voltage of the step-up DC/DC converter. This prevents unstable operation of the electronic device 10 with a step-up DC/DC converter when the remaining capacity of the power supply 21 is sufficient to use up one unused aerosol-generating substrate 110. can be done.

The controller 402 may also set the threshold voltage to a second value (eg, 2408 mV) when the remaining capacity of the power supply 21 is less than 25%. The second value may be such that one unused aerosol-generating substrate 110 can be used up even in a high temperature environment.

If the voltage of power supply 21 is less than the threshold voltage (“Y” in step 508 ), processing proceeds to step 510 . At step 510 , the control unit 402 operates so as not to supply power from the power supply 21 to the heating unit 40 . For example, the control unit 402 may perform control so that the switching element 406 is not turned on (to keep the switching element 406 off). At this time, the control unit 402 may generate a signal for notifying the user. In one example, the control unit 402 may control the notification unit 410 to notify the user that there is not enough capacity left in the power source 21 to use up one aerosol-generating substrate 110 . The notification may be made in various ways using light emitted from an LED or the like, sound output from a speaker or the like, vibration from a vibrator, display on a display, or the like.

If the voltage of power supply 21 is greater than or equal to the threshold voltage (“N” in step 508 ), processing proceeds to step 512 . In step 512, the control unit 402 operates to supply power from the power source 21 to the heating unit 40 to heat the aerosol-generating substrate 110 and generate aerosol.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 5, the user can preemptively use power supply 21 when there is not enough capacity left in power source 21 to use up one unused aerosol-generating substrate 110 (eg, one smoking article). can know Thus, the user does not have the unpleasant experience of not having aerosols generated before the aerosol-generating substrate 110 is exhausted. Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent or improve the deterioration of user experience that may occur when the power supply 21 of the electronic device 10 such as an aerosol generator is not sufficiently charged.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method of operating electronic device 10, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The processing of FIG. 6 corresponds to the example of FIG. 4C. The processing of step 602 is the same as the processing of step 502 in FIG.

At step 604 , the control unit 402 generates voltage pulses for powering the heating unit 40 . The control unit 402 may repeat turning on the switching element 406 for a certain period and turning it off for a certain period. This produces a series of voltage pulses, as shown in FIG. 4C, which are applied to the heater 40 for aerosol generation. In this case, the duration of one voltage pulse will be equal to the above period. The duration of the voltage pulse may vary depending on the operating conditions of electronic device 10 . For example, the control unit 402 may adjust the duty ratio of the voltage pulse so that the temperature of the heating unit 40 reaches a desired temperature. When the duty ratio of the voltage pulse is adjusted, the duration of the voltage pulse also changes. Information about the duration may be stored in the storage unit 408 . Each time the duration changes, the information about the duration stored in storage 408 may be updated. In another example, the duration of the voltage pulse initially generated in step 604 may be a fixed value. The fixed value is preferably 100 ms or less, for example 60 ms. Information about the fixed value may be stored in the storage unit 408 . In this case, the control unit 402 may acquire information about the fixed value from the storage unit 408 and generate the first voltage pulse based on this information.

At step 606 , control unit 402 measures the voltage of power supply 21 during the duration of the first voltage pulse of the series of voltage pulses generated to power heating unit 40 . The method of measuring the voltage of power supply 21 is as described above. In another example, controller 402 may measure the voltage of power supply 21 during the duration of the first plurality (eg, two, three, etc.) of the voltage pulses in the series.

The processing of steps 608 to 612 is the same as the processing of steps 508 to 512 in FIG.

Similar to the embodiment of FIG. 5, the embodiment of FIG. 6 prevents or ameliorate the poor user experience that can occur when the power source 21 of an electronic device 10, such as an aerosol generating device, is not fully charged. can be done.

FIG. 7A is a state transition diagram that schematically illustrates transitions between states that the electronic device 10 (or the control unit 402 of the electronic device 10) can take, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown, the states of electronic device 10 may include normal state 702 , abnormal state 704 , charging state 706 , heating state 708 and no smoking state 710 . Normal state 702 is a normal standby state. An abnormal state 704 is a state in which an error or the like has occurred and the electronic device 10 cannot operate normally. A charging state 706 is a state in which the power source 21 of the electronic device 10 is being charged. A heating state 708 is a state in which the heating unit 40 is heated by power supply from the power supply 21 to the heating unit 40 . The no smoking state 710 is a state in which one aerosol-generating substrate (eg, one smoking article) cannot be used up.

The various arrows shown show examples of triggers for transitioning from one state to another. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these are merely examples and that various other triggers for state transitions can be used.

When the electronic device 10 is in the normal state 702, if a temperature abnormality is detected such as the temperature of the heating unit 40 becoming too high, the electronic device 10 transitions to an abnormal state 704 (arrow A1). When the normalization of the temperature is confirmed, the electronic device 10 transitions from the abnormal state 704 to the normal state 702 (arrow A2). As another trigger, when some system error is detected, electronic device 10 transitions from normal state 702 to abnormal state 704 (arrow A3). When the system state is reset, the electronic device 10 transitions from the abnormal state 704 to the normal state 702 (arrow A4). In one example, resetting the state may be done by pressing an action button, such as switch 13, for a longer period of time than the normal long press.

When the electronic device 10 is in the normal state 702, the electronic device 10 transitions to the charging state 706 (arrow A5). When the removal of the micro USB cable or the like is detected, or the reset is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions from the charging state 706 to the normal state 702 (arrow A6).

When the electronic device 10 is in the normal state 702, when a slide cover such as the cover 12 is opened and the action button is long pressed, the electronic device 10 transitions to the heating state 708 (arrow A7). When completion of smoking (aerosol inhalation), cancellation operation, long press of the action button, state reset, connection of the micro USB cable, or the like is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions from the heating state 708 to the normal state 702 (arrow A8). In one example, the cancel operation may be performed by opening and closing a slide cover, connecting a micro USB cable, and the like.

When the electronic device 10 is in the normal state 702 and it is detected that the remaining amount of the power source 21 is insufficient, the electronic device 10 transitions to the non-smoking state 710 (arrow A9). The transition indicated by arrow A9 relates to the processing of step 510 in the embodiment of FIG. When a reset is detected, electronic device 10 transitions from smoking prohibited state 710 to normal state 702 (arrow A10).

When the electronic device 10 is in the heating state 708 and it is detected that the remaining amount of the power source 21 is insufficient, the electronic device 10 transitions to the non-smoking state 710 (arrow A11). The transition indicated by arrow A11 relates to the processing of step 610 in the embodiment of FIG. When a system error is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions from the heating state 708 to the abnormal state 704 (arrow A12).

When the electronic device 10 is in the no-smoking state 710 and the connection of the micro USB cable is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions to the charging state 706 (arrow A13). When a system error, temperature abnormality, or the like is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions from the non-smoking state 710 to the abnormal state 704 (arrow A14).

If a system error, temperature abnormality, or the like is detected while the electronic device 10 is in the charging state 706, the electronic device 10 transitions to an abnormal state 704 (arrow A15).

FIG. 7B is a state transition diagram that schematically illustrates details of the normal state 702, the abnormal state 704, the charging state 706 and the heating state 708 and examples of transitions between each state.

The normal state 702 can take states such as sleep 702A, standby (IDLE) 702B, set state display mode 702C, and preheat standby state 702D. Abnormal state 704 can take states such as temporarily unavailable state 704A and unrecoverable state 704B. State of charge 706 may be a state such as battery (source) charge state 706A. In battery state of charge 706A, electronic device 10 may provide an indication regarding the state of charge. The heating state 708 can be preheating 708A, smoking mode 708B, and the like. In preheating 708A, electronic device 10 may provide an indication regarding the preheating time. In smoking mode 708B, electronic device 10 may display a smoking time.

If a temperature abnormality or the like is detected while the electronic device 10 is in the normal state 702, the electronic device 10 transitions to a temporary unavailable state 704A (arrow B1). When the normalization of the temperature is confirmed, the electronic device 10 transitions from the temporary unavailable state 704A to the normal state 702 (arrow B2). If a system error is detected while the electronic device 10 is in the normal state 702, the electronic device 10 transitions to a state 704B in which automatic recovery is not possible (arrow B3). When the reset is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions to the normal state 702 (arrow B4).

When the electronic device 10 is in the normal state 702 and the connection of the micro USB cable is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions to the charging state 706 (arrow B5). When removal of the micro USB cable is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions to the normal state 702 (arrow B6).

When the electronic device 10 is in the charging state 706 and a reset is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions to the normal state (arrow B7).

When the electronic device 10 is in the preheating standby state 702D, if the start of preheating is instructed by long-pressing the action button or the like, the electronic device 10 transitions to the preheating 708A (arrow B8). When the action button is pressed long in the preheating state 708A, the electronic device 10 transitions to the preheating standby state 702D (arrow B9).

When the electronic device 10 is in the sleep state 702A, the electronic device 10 transitions to the standby state 702B when opening/closing of the slide cover, depression of the action button, connection of the micro USB cable, or the like is detected (arrow B10). After a predetermined time (for example, 15 seconds) has passed, the electronic device 10 transitions from standby 702B to sleep 702A (arrow B11).

When the electronic device 10 is in sleep 702A or standby 702B and the slide cover is opened, the electronic device 10 transitions to preheating standby state 702D (arrow B12). When the cancel operation is performed, the electronic device 10 transitions from the preheating standby state 702D to sleep 702A or standby 702B (arrow B13). Alternatively, after a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) has passed, the electronic device 10 transitions from the preheating standby state 702D to the sleep state 702A (arrow B14).

When the electronic device 10 is in the sleep mode 702A or the standby mode 702B, when a short press of the action button is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions to the set state display mode 702C (arrow B15). When the cancel operation is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions from the set state display mode 702C to sleep 702A or standby 702B (arrow B16). Alternatively, when the display of the set state is completed, or a short press or long press of the action button is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions from the set state display mode 702C to sleep 702A or standby 702B (arrow B17).

When electronic device 10 is in preheating 708A, when preheating ends, electronic device 10 transitions to smoking mode 708B (arrow B18). When a predetermined number of puffs (eg, 14 times), elapse of a predetermined time period (eg, 210 seconds), or a long press of the action button is detected, electronic device 10 transitions from smoking mode 708B to preheating standby state 702D. (arrow B19).

If a cancel operation is detected while the electronic device 10 is in the preheating 708A, the electronic device 10 transitions to sleep 702A or standby 702B (arrow B20). When the electronic device 10 is in the heating state 708 and a reset is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions to the normal state 702 (arrow B21). When the electronic device 10 is in the smoking mode 708B and a cancel operation is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions to sleep 702A or standby 702B (arrow B22).

FIG. 7C is a state transition diagram that schematically illustrates details of the normal state 702, the abnormal state 704, the charging state 706 and the no smoking state 710 and examples of transitions between each state.

The no-smoking state 710 can take states such as sleep 710A, standby (IDLE) 710B, and set state display mode 710C.

If a temperature abnormality or the like is detected while the electronic device 10 is in the non-smoking state 710, the electronic device 10 transitions to the temporary non-use state 704A (arrow C1). When normalization of the temperature is detected, electronic device 10 transitions from temporary unavailable state 704A to smoking prohibited state 710 (arrow C2). If a system error is detected while the electronic device 10 is in the non-smoking state 710, the electronic device 10 transitions to the non-auto-recoverable state 704B (arrow C3). When the connection of the micro USB cable is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions from the no smoking state 710 to the charging state 706 (arrow C4).

When the electronic device 10 is in the charging state 706 and removal of the micro USB cable is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions to the normal state 702 (arrow C5). If a system error is detected while the electronic device 10 is in the charging state 706, the electronic device 10 transitions to the abnormal state 704 (arrow C7).

When the electronic device 10 is in the non-smoking state 710 and a reset is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions to the normal state 702 (arrow C6). When the electronic device 10 is in the sleep state 710A, the electronic device 10 transitions to the standby state 710B when opening/closing of the slide cover, depression of the action button, connection of the micro USB cable, or the like is detected (arrow C8). After a predetermined time (for example, 15 seconds) has passed, the electronic device 10 transitions from standby 710B to sleep 710A (arrow C9).

When the electronic device 10 is in the sleep mode 710A or the standby mode 710B, when a short press of the action button is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions to the set state display mode 710C (arrow C10). When the cancel operation is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions from the set state display mode 710C to sleep 710A or standby 710B (arrow C11). Alternatively, when the display of the set state is completed or a short press or long press of the action button is detected, the electronic device 10 transitions from the set state display mode 710C to the sleep 710A or standby 710B (arrow C12).

When the electronic device 10 is in the sleep state 702A, the electronic device 10 transitions to the standby state 702B when opening/closing of the slide cover, depression of the action button, connection of the micro USB cable, or the like is detected (arrow C13). After a predetermined time (for example, 15 seconds) has passed, the electronic device 10 transitions from standby 702B to sleep 702A (arrow C14).

While the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they are illustrative only and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood that modifications, additions, improvements, etc., may be made to the embodiments from time to time without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments, but should be defined only by the claims and their equivalents.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Electronic device, 11... Housing, 11A... Top housing, 11B... Bottom housing, 12... Cover, 12a... Opening, 13... Switch, 14... Lid part, 15... Vent, 16... Cap, 17... Outer fin, 20 power supply unit 21 power supply 22 terminals 30 circuit unit 31 first circuit board 32 second circuit board 40 heating unit 41 heating assembly 110 aerosol-generating substrate or smoking Article 110A Base material part 110B Mouthpiece part 111 Filling material 112 First wrapping paper 113 Second wrapping paper 114 Paper tube part 115 Filter part 116 Hollow segment part 402 Control unit 406 Switching element 408 Storage unit 410 Notification unit 412 Voltage sensor 414 Remaining capacity sensor 416 Recess 418 Voltage conversion circuit 702 Normal state 704 Abnormal state 706 Charging state 708 Heating state 710 No smoking state 702A Sleep 702B Standby 702C Set state display mode 702D Preheating standby state 704A Temporarily unavailable state 704B Automatic return Impossible state 706A Battery charge state 708A Preheating 708B Smoking mode 710A Sleep 710B Standby 710C Set state display mode

Claims (14)

a control unit;
a heating unit that heats the aerosol-generating substrate by power supply from a power supply;
with
The controller controls the heating unit from the power supply when the voltage of the power supply is less than a threshold voltage indicating that the power supply has sufficient capacity left to use up one unused aerosol-generating substrate. and wherein the threshold voltage is set differently according to the remaining capacity of the power supply . Further comprising a switching element provided between the power supply and the heating unit,
The control unit
turning on/off the switching element to generate a series of voltage pulses for power supply from the power supply to the heating unit;
turning on/off the switching element to generate a voltage pulse separate from the series of voltage pulses;
2. The electronic device of claim 1, configured to measure the voltage of the power supply during the duration of the another voltage pulse. Further comprising a switching element provided between the power supply and the heating unit,
The control unit
turning on/off the switching element to generate a series of voltage pulses for power supply from the power supply to the heating unit;
2. The electronic device of claim 1, configured to measure the voltage of the power supply during the duration of a first voltage pulse of the series of voltage pulses. 4. The electronic device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the width of said one voltage pulse is 100ms or less. 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the one voltage pulse passes through the same path used for power supply from the power supply to the heating unit. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the heating section has a shape that heats the aerosol-generating substrate from the surroundings. 7. The electronic device of any one of claims 1-6, further comprising a recess capable of receiving the aerosol-generating substrate. 6. The control unit according to any one of claims 2 to 5 , wherein the control unit is configured to switch the switching element to an OFF state when stopping power supply from the power source to the heating unit. The electronic device described in . 9. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the controller is arranged to generate a signal for informing a user if the voltage of the power supply is less than the threshold voltage. Electronic device as described. The threshold voltage is a first value when the remaining capacity of the power supply is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and the threshold voltage is higher than the first value when the remaining capacity of the power supply is less than the predetermined value. 10. Electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , wherein the second value is greater. further comprising a step-up DC/DC converter provided between the power supply and the heating unit and configured to convert the voltage of the power supply;
11. The electronic device according to claim 10 , wherein said first value is a stable operating voltage of said step-up DC/DC converter. 12. The electronic device of any one of claims 1-11 , further comprising the power supply. A method of operating an electronic device comprising:
heating the aerosol-generating substrate with power from the power source;
When the voltage of the power source is less than a threshold voltage indicating that the power source has sufficient capacity remaining to use up one unused aerosol-generating substrate, power is supplied from the power source for the heating. wherein the threshold voltage is set differently depending on the remaining capacity of the power supply . 14. A program which, when executed by a processor, causes said processor to perform the method of claim 13 .

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