JP7244663B2 - Battery unit, aerosol generator, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a battery unit, an aerosol generator, an information processing method, and a program.

US Pat. No. 5,200,000 discloses a control body for an aerosol delivery device, the control body comprising processing circuitry, and a cartridge carrying control information readable by the processing circuitry, the control body comprising a cartridge An aerosol delivery system is disclosed that is configured to removably engage with an aerosol delivery system.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-513465

In the aerosol delivery system described in U.S. Patent No. 5,300,000, when the control body and cartridge are engaged, the control information carried by the cartridge is read and communication between the control body and the cartridge is initiated based on the control information. implement.

In such a conventional electronic cigarette system, there is a demand for miniaturization of the main body. Therefore, since the size of the battery provided in the electronic cigarette is also limited, the battery capacity is also limited.

Conventional electronic cigarettes sometimes perform short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication with other devices. The implementation of such short-range wireless communication increases the power consumption of electronic cigarettes and also increases battery consumption. Therefore, there is a possibility that the user may not be able to maintain a sufficient remaining battery level for performing the puffing action of inhaling the aerosol using the electronic cigarette.

Accordingly, some aspects of the present invention have been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of reducing battery consumption of an aerosol generating device that generates aerosol.

A battery unit according to an aspect of the present invention is a battery unit for an aerosol generating device that generates an aerosol, comprising: a communication unit that performs wireless communication between the aerosol generating device and a user terminal; a battery unit; a control unit that determines a connection state with a cartridge that includes an atomization unit that atomizes the aerosol source, the control unit controlling wireless communication based on the connection state.
An aerosol generating device according to an aspect of the present invention is an aerosol generating device that generates aerosol, and includes a communication unit that performs wireless communication between the aerosol generating device and a user terminal, and a battery unit for the aerosol generating device. and a control unit that determines a connection state with a cartridge having an atomizing unit that atomizes the aerosol source, and the control unit controls wireless communication based on the connection state.

An information processing method according to an aspect of the present invention is an information processing method executed by an aerosol generating device that generates an aerosol, comprising: performing wireless communication between the aerosol generating device and a user terminal; , a cartridge having an atomizing portion for atomizing the aerosol source, determining a connection state of the device, and controlling wireless communication based on the connection state.

A program according to an aspect of the present invention provides a computer with a communication function that performs wireless communication between an aerosol generating device and a user terminal, a battery unit, and a cartridge that includes an atomizing unit that atomizes an aerosol source. and a control function for determining a connection state, wherein the control function controls wireless communication based on the connection state.

According to these aspects, wireless communication is controlled based on the connection state between the battery unit and the cartridge. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in power consumption of the aerosol generating device, thereby reducing consumption of a battery provided in the aerosol generating device.

In the present invention, "unit" and "apparatus" do not simply mean physical means, but also include cases where the functions of the "unit" and "apparatus " are implemented by software. In addition, even if the function of one "part" or "device" is realized by two or more physical means or devices, the functions of the two or more "parts" or "devices" may be realized by one physical means or device. It may be realized by an apparatus.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the consumption of the battery with which an aerosol generator is provided can be reduced.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a schematic configuration of a flavor inhaler according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the schematic external appearance of the flavor inhaler which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a flavor inhaler according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing another schematic configuration of the flavor inhaler according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the schematic appearance of the flavor inhaler according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is another example of a schematic appearance of a flavored inhaler with an aerosol-generating substrate in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a schematic configuration of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control unit according to the embodiment of the invention; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of communication control processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention; It is a flow chart which shows an example of communication control processing concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a flow chart which shows an example of communication control processing concerning a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. It is a flow chart which shows an example of communication control processing concerning a 4th embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing an example of communication control processing according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a figure showing an example of hardware constitutions of a computer concerning an embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention only to the embodiments. Also, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. Furthermore, in each drawing, the same reference numerals are given to the same constituent elements as much as possible, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[Configuration of information processing system]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram (system configuration diagram) of an information processing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an information processing system 100 illustratively includes n flavor inhalers 1 (where n is an arbitrary integer value equal to or greater than 1) and user terminals 2 configured to be communicable. configured with.

Each flavor inhaler 1 comprises a battery unit and a cartridge having an atomizing part for atomizing an aerosol source, and the battery unit and cartridge can be electrically or mechanically (including physically) connected to each other. . Also, the battery unit has a communication unit and can communicate with the user terminal 2 . In the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment of the present invention, communication between the communication unit of the battery unit and the user terminal 2 is controlled based on the connection state between the battery unit and the cartridge in the flavor inhaler 1. .

A "flavor inhaler 1" is a device for inhaling flavor, and is intended for, but not limited to, electronic cigarettes, heat-not-burn cigarettes, and conventional cigarettes, for example. Also, the flavor inhaler 1 may be an aerosol generator for generating an aerosol and inhaling the generated aerosol. The action of sucking the aerosol is called "puff action", and the number of puff actions is called "puff count". Aerosol-generating devices are intended, for example, for e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn cigarettes, and medical nebulizers. More specifically, the aerosol generator is, for example, a device that uses electric power to atomize a liquid (aerosol source) to generate an aerosol. Aerosols are atomized aerosol sources and are particles so small that they are suspended in a gas. The aerosol generated by the aerosol generator may be flavored. Examples of aerosol generating devices include heat-not-burn cigarettes and electronic cigarettes. The aerosol generator includes a type that directly heats tobacco (direct heating), a type that indirectly heats tobacco (indirect heating), and a type that heats liquid. Further, the aerosol generator may atomize the liquid by generating SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave) using a piezoelectric element substrate having a comb-shaped electrode pair. In addition, the figure shows a flavor suction tool 1a and a flavor suction tool 1n as the n flavor suction tools. However, in the following description, when these n flavor inhalers are to be explained without distinguishing between them, some of the reference numerals will be omitted and they will simply be referred to as "flavor inhalers 1".

The user terminal 2 is realized by, for example, a smart phone, a game machine, or a personal computer. Although one user terminal 2 is illustrated in the figure, the information processing system 100 may include a plurality of user terminals 2 without being limited thereto.

The flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 are associated with each other and communicate with each other (including wireless communication). For example, the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 can exchange information with each other by executing short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth or BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication. Note that the transmission and reception of information between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 is not limited to BLE communication. For example, Wi-Fi [registered trademark], LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network), and NFC (Near Field Communication) , may be performed in any communication. Further, the transmission and reception of information between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 is not necessarily limited to wireless communication, and may be wired communication such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), Mini USB, Micro USB, and Lightning.

The flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 provided in the information processing system 100 will be described in detail below.

[Configuration of Flavor Inhaler]
FIG. 2A is a block diagram of a schematic configuration of the flavor inhaler according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A schematically and conceptually shows each component included in the flavor inhaler 1, and does not show the exact arrangement, shape, size, positional relationship, etc. of each component and the flavor inhaler 1. Please note. It should also be noted that the flavor inhaler 1 may include components not shown in FIG. 2A, such as tobacco capsules, liquid cartridges, and the like.

A sensor 11 indicates, for example, a sensor that detects information about the user's suction. Sensor 11 may be any type of sensor for detecting a user's puffing action, such as a flow sensor, flow rate sensor, pressure sensor, or the like. Sensor 11 may be a button that the user presses to perform a puff action. The sensor 11 may be, for example, a suction sensor, and may detect the user's suction to the flavor suction tool 1 . The sensor 11 may be an airflow sensor and may detect airflow caused by the user's inhalation. Sensor 11 may be a GPS sensor that measures the position of flavor inhaler 1 . The sensor 11 may be a motion sensor that detects movement of the flavor inhaler 1 . The motion sensor may be, for example, a gyro sensor or the like for detecting the angle, posture, etc. of the flavor suction tool 1, or may be an acceleration sensor for detecting the movement of the flavor suction tool 1 in each axial direction. . The motion sensor may be a combination of a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor or the like.

The changing section 12 is a block in which a predetermined externally observable change occurs. The change unit 12 may be an LED (Light Emitting Diode) that emits light in a predetermined color, such as a blue LED, and the predetermined change may be light emission in a predetermined color, such as blue. Note that the predetermined color is not limited to blue, and may be any color. Further, the predetermined change may be a change in color of emitted light or a change in intensity of emitted light according to the strength of suction (pressure) sensed by sensor 11 . Moreover, the changing part 12 is not limited to an LED, and may be a light source having a different configuration that emits light in a predetermined color.

FIG. 2B is a diagram showing an example of a schematic appearance of the flavor inhaler according to the embodiment of the present invention. The arrangement of the changing portion 12 will be described with reference to FIG. 2B. As depicted in FIG. 2B, the flavor inhaler 1 may be, but is not limited to, stick-shaped including two ends 161 and 162 . Here, the user will hold one end 161 of it to suck it. In addition, the user may hold the end 161 to suck the end 161 through a cigarette mouthpiece or the like that can be attached to the end 161 . When the flavor inhaler 1 has the shape shown in FIG. 2B, the changing portion 12 is preferably provided at the other end 162 of the two ends. The changing portion 12 is at least part of the outer surface of the flavor inhaler 1, and may be, for example, a substantially rectangular shape as shown in FIG. Any shape may be used.

Returning to FIG. 2A, the control unit 13 is a block that causes the change unit 12 to make a predetermined change based on at least the signal from the sensor 11 . For example, when the magnitude of the signal from the sensor 11 or the intensity of suction determined based on the signal is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the control unit 13 causes the changing unit 12 to emit light of a predetermined color. good. Further, the control unit 13 may change the color and intensity of light emitted from the changing unit 12 according to, for example, the magnitude of the signal from the sensor 11 or the intensity of suction determined based on the signal. For example, the control unit 13 may increase the intensity of light emission when the suction is strong, and may decrease the intensity of light emission when the suction is weak. Further, the control unit 13 may, for example, divide the strength of suction into a plurality of stages, set a predetermined color for each of the plurality of stages, and emit light in a predetermined color corresponding to the strength of suction. Note that the control unit 13 may be an electronic circuit module configured as a microprocessor or microcomputer.

The communication unit 14 performs wireless communication with an external device including the user terminal 2 shown in FIG. 1 or another computer. For example, the communication unit 14 executes authentication connection (for example, short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth or BLE communication) with an external device, for example, authentication connection, which is a communication connection setting process between the flavor inhaler 1 and the external device. corresponding to the pairing process when connecting). Authentication connection is, for example, a process necessary when starting communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and an external device. Encrypted communication can be executed between the flavor inhaler 1 and the external device by properly establishing an authenticated connection. Note that the communication unit 14 may receive a request for authentication connection from the external device, or may transmit a request for authentication connection to the external device. The communication unit 14 may be implemented using at least a network interface or the like as a hardware resource. The control unit 13 can transmit various types of information detected by the sensor 11 to the user terminal 2 or another computer via the communication unit 14 . Various types of information that the control unit 13 transmits to the user terminal 2 and other computers via the communication unit 14 include, for example, output information for outputting the state of the flavor inhaler 1 at the user terminal 2 . Also, the communication unit 14 can receive various types of information transmitted from the user terminal 2 or other computers. The output information may be information indicating the remaining amount of the battery 110 .

Note that the flavor inhaler 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes conventional tobacco. A conventional cigarette does not include the sensor 11 , the control section 13 and the communication section 14 , but its combustion section corresponds to the change section 12 . This is because the burning portion of a conventional cigarette undergoes a predetermined change in color and temperature based on the user's puffing action.

Further, when the flavor inhaler 1 is a conventional cigarette (for example, a cigarette), the mouthpiece attached to one end of the cigarette (for example, a mouthpiece for cigarette) is the sensor 11 and the control unit 13 shown in FIG. 2A. and all or part of the functions of the communication unit 14 . According to this configuration, the mouthpiece can transmit various kinds of information such as suction information detected by the sensor 11 to the user terminal 2 or another computer.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the flavor inhaler according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the flavor inhaler 1A comprises a first member 102 (battery unit) and a second member 104 (cartridge). As shown, by way of example, the first member 102 may include a control portion 106, a communication portion 108, a battery 110, a sensor 112 and a memory 114. FIG. 2A corresponds to the control unit 106 in FIG. 3, the sensor 11 in FIG. 2A corresponds to the sensor 112 in FIG. 3, and the communication unit 14 in FIG. 2A corresponds to the communication unit 108 in FIG. . In addition, in FIG. 3 , the first member 102 (battery unit) is described as a configuration included in the flavor inhaler 1A, but it is not limited to this. For example, the configuration of the first member 102, that is, at least one configuration of the control section 106, the communication section 108, the battery 110, the sensor 112, or the memory 114 may be an external configuration of the flavor inhaler 1A.

As an example, second member 104 may include reservoir 116 , atomizing portion 118 , air intake channel 120 , aerosol channel 121 and mouthpiece 122 . Some of the components contained within first member 102 may be contained within second member 104 . Some of the components contained within second member 104 may be contained within first member 102 . The second member 104 may be configured to be detachable from the first member 102 . Alternatively, all components contained within first member 102 and second member 104 may be contained within the same housing instead of first member 102 and second member 104 .

Reservoir 116 holds an aerosol source. For example, the reservoir 116 is made of a fibrous or porous material, and holds the aerosol source as a liquid in the interstices between the fibers or the pores of the porous material. For the fibrous or porous material described above, for example, cotton, glass fiber, tobacco raw material, or the like can be used. Reservoir 116 may be configured as a tank that contains liquid. Aerosol sources are, for example, polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin and propylene glycol, liquids such as water. If the flavored inhaler 1A is a medical inhaler such as a nebulizer, the aerosol source may also contain a drug for inhalation by the patient. As another example, the aerosol source may include tobacco materials or extracts derived from tobacco materials that release flavor and taste components upon heating. Reservoir 116 may have a configuration that allows it to be replenished with a spent aerosol source. Alternatively, reservoir 116 may be configured such that reservoir 116 itself can be replaced when the aerosol source is exhausted. Also, the aerosol source is not limited to liquid, and may be solid. If the aerosol source is solid, the reservoir 116 may be, for example, a hollow container without fibrous or porous materials.

Atomization section 118 is configured to atomize the aerosol source to produce an aerosol. When a puff action is detected by sensor 112, atomizer 118 generates an aerosol. For example, a wick (not shown) may be provided to connect reservoir 116 and atomization section 118 . In this case, a portion of the wick leads into the interior of reservoir 116 and contacts the aerosol source. Another part of the wick extends to the atomization section 118 . The aerosol source is transported from reservoir 116 to atomization section 118 by the capillary effect of the wick. As an example, atomization unit 118 includes a heater electrically connected to battery 110 . A heater is placed in contact with or in close proximity to the wick. When a puffing action is detected, controller 106 controls the heater of atomizer 118 to heat the aerosol source carried through the wick, thereby atomizing the aerosol source. Another example of the atomizer 118 may be an ultrasonic atomizer that atomizes the aerosol source through ultrasonic vibrations. An air intake channel 120 is connected to the atomizing section 118, and the air intake channel 120 leads to the outside of the flavor inhaler 1A. The aerosol generated in atomizing section 118 is mixed with air taken in through air intake channel 120 . The aerosol/air mixture is delivered to aerosol channel 121 as indicated by arrow 124 . The aerosol flow path 121 has a tubular structure for transporting the mixed fluid of the aerosol and air generated in the atomizing section 118 to the mouthpiece section 122 .

The mouthpiece 122 is positioned at the end of the aerosol channel 121 and configured to open the aerosol channel 121 to the outside of the flavor inhaler 1A. The user takes in the air containing the aerosol into the oral cavity by holding the mouthpiece 122 and sucking.

The communication unit 108 communicates with the user terminal 2 and other computers. The communication unit 108 may be implemented using at least a network interface or the like as a hardware resource.

The battery 110 supplies electric power to each component of the flavor inhaler 1A such as the communication section 108, the sensor 112, the memory 114 and the atomization section 118. The battery 110 may be charged by connecting to an external power source through a predetermined port (not shown) of the flavor inhaler 1A. Only the battery 110 may be removable from the first member 102 or the flavor inhaler 1A, and may be replaced with a new battery 110. It may also be possible to replace the battery 110 with a new battery 110 by replacing the entire first member 102 with a new first member 102 .

Sensor 112 may include a pressure sensor that detects pressure variations in air intake channel 120 and/or aerosol channel 121 or a flow sensor that detects flow rate. Sensors 112 may also include weight sensors that detect the weight of components such as reservoir 116 . The sensor 112 may also be configured to detect a puffing action by the user with the flavor inhaler 1A. The sensor 112 may also be configured to integrate the energization time of the atomization section 118 . Sensor 112 may also be configured to detect the height of the liquid level within reservoir 116 . The sensor 112 may also be configured to detect the SOC (State of Charge) of the battery 110, current integration, voltage, and the like. The integrated current value may be obtained by a current integration method, an SOC-OCV (Open Circuit Voltage) method, or the like. The sensor 112 may also be a user-operable operation button or the like.

The controller 106 may be an electronic circuit module configured as a microprocessor or microcomputer. The controller 106 may be configured to control the operation of the flavor inhaler 1A according to computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 114 . The memory 114 is a storage medium such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. In addition to the computer-executable instructions as described above, the memory 114 may store setting information and the like necessary for controlling the flavor inhaler 1A. The memory 114 stores, for example, action information regarding predetermined actions in the flavor inhaler 1A.

Predetermined actions in the flavor inhaler 1A include, for example, actions (1) to (5) below.
(1) Connection or reconnection of the first member 102 shown in FIGS. The first member 102 and the second member 104 are electrically or mechanically (including physically) connected, or the first member 102 and the second member 104 are electrically Or, if authentication processing is executed when connecting mechanically (including physically), the fact that this authentication processing was successful, etc.)
(2) A puffing operation has been performed in the flavor inhaler 1A (for example, the atomization unit 118 heats a heater to atomize the aerosol source, etc.)
(3) A predetermined button (not shown) provided on the flavor suction tool 1A has been pressed (for example, the flavor suction tool 1A is provided with a predetermined button for restarting wireless communication, and the user presses the button, wireless communication is resumed, etc.)
(4) Detecting that the flavor suction tool 1A is in a predetermined posture (for example, the movement of the flavor suction tool 1A in each axial direction is detected by the sensor 112 so that the flavor suction tool 1A is positioned at a predetermined angle. or the sensor 112 detects the vibration of the flavor suction tool 1A, etc.)
(5) The battery 110 included in the flavor inhaler 1A is charged (for example, the battery 110 is charged by connecting the flavor inhaler 1A to a charging device (not shown). ), or detecting that the remaining amount of the battery 110 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value or less than a predetermined value.

In the case of (5), the predetermined value may be expressed as a percentage, such as 70%, or as a capacity, such as 1000mAh. Note that the predetermined value may be any value. In this case, the controller 106 measures the remaining amount of the battery 110 that supplies power to the flavor inhaler 1A shown in FIG . The control unit 106 measures the remaining amount of the battery based on information such as the SOC, integrated current value, or voltage of the battery 110 detected by the sensor 112 shown in FIG. 3 , for example. The remaining amount of the battery may be indicated as a percentage (%) of the total amount remaining, or another display method may be used.

For example, the memory 114 stores various information such as the control method of the communication unit 108 (modes such as light emission, vocalization, vibration, etc.), values detected by the sensor 112, heating history of the heater by the atomization unit 118, and the like. good too. The control unit 106 reads out information from the memory 114 as necessary, uses it for controlling the flavor inhaler 1A, and stores the information in the memory 114 as necessary.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing another schematic configuration of the flavor inhaler according to the embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, the flavor inhaler 1B includes a third member 126 in addition to the configuration of the flavor inhaler 1A of FIG . Third member 126 may include flavor source 128 . As an example, when the flavor inhaler 1B is an electronic cigarette, the flavor source 128 may contain flavor components contained in tobacco. As shown, aerosol channel 121 extends through second member 104 and third member 126 . The mouthpiece 122 is provided on a third member 126 .

Flavor source 128 is a component for imparting flavor to the aerosol. Flavor source 128 is arranged in the middle of aerosol channel 121 . A mixed fluid of aerosol and air generated by the atomizing section 118 (note that the mixed fluid may be simply referred to as an aerosol hereinafter) flows through the aerosol flow path 121 to the mouthpiece section 122. Thus, the flavor source 128 is located downstream of the atomizer 118 with respect to the aerosol flow. In other words, the flavor source 128 is positioned closer to the mouthpiece 122 in the aerosol flow path 121 than the atomization section 118 is. Therefore, the aerosol generated by atomization section 118 passes through flavor source 128 before reaching mouthpiece section 122 . As the aerosol passes through the flavor source 128, the flavor and taste components contained in the flavor source 128 are imparted to the aerosol. As an example, when the flavor inhaler 1B is a heated tobacco, the flavor source 128 may be tobacco-derived, such as shredded tobacco, or a processed product obtained by molding tobacco raw materials into granules, sheets, or powder. . Flavor sources 128 may also be of non-tobacco origin, made from plants other than tobacco (eg, mints, herbs, etc.). By way of example, flavor source 128 includes tobacco components. Flavor source 128 may contain a flavoring ingredient such as menthol. In addition to the flavor source 128, the reservoir 116 may also contain substances containing flavoring components. For example, the flavor inhaler 1B may be configured such that the flavor source 128 holds a tobacco-derived flavoring substance and the reservoir 116 contains a non-tobacco-derived flavoring substance.

The user can take in the air containing the flavored aerosol into the oral cavity by sucking while holding the mouthpiece 122 in the mouth.

The control unit 106 is configured to control the flavor inhalers 1A and 1B (hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as "flavor inhalers 1") according to embodiments of the present disclosure in various ways.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of the schematic appearance of the flavor inhaler according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is another example of a schematic appearance of a flavor inhaler holding an aerosol-generating substrate, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the flavor inhaler 1 produces a flavor-containing aerosol by heating an aerosol-generating substrate, such as an inhalation article, which has a flavor-generating substrate, such as a filling containing an aerosol source and a flavor source. configured to generate It should be noted that suction article 140 may also be used as an aerosol-generating substrate.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, suction article 140 is but one example of an aerosol-generating substrate. The aerosol source contained in the aerosol-generating substrate can be solid or liquid. Aerosol sources can be, for example, polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin, propylene glycol, liquids such as water, and mixtures thereof. 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 flavored inhaler 1 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. 5 and 6, the flavor inhaler 1 has a top housing 131A, a bottom housing 131B, a cover 132, a switch 133, and a lid portion . The top housing 131A and the bottom housing 131B constitute the outermost housing 131 of the flavor inhaler 1 by being connected to each other. Housing 131 may be sized to fit in the hand of a user. In this case, when the user uses the flavor inhaler 1, the user can hold the flavor inhaler 1 by hand and inhale the aerosol.

Top housing 131A has an opening (not shown), and cover 132 is coupled to top housing 131A to close the opening. As shown in FIG. 6, cover 132 has an opening 132B into which suction article 140 can be inserted. Lid portion 134 is configured to open and close opening 132B of cover 132 . Specifically, the lid portion 134 is attached to the cover 132 and configured to be movable along the surface of the cover 132 between a first position that closes the opening 132B and a second position that opens the opening 132B. .

A switch 133 is used to switch the operation of the flavor inhaler 1 on and off. For example, the user operates the switch 133 with the suction article 140 inserted into the opening 132B as shown in FIG. 6 to supply power from the battery (not shown) to the heating unit (not shown). , the suction article 140 can be heated without burning it. When the suction article 140 is heated, an aerosol is generated from the aerosol source contained in the suction article 140 and the flavor of the flavor source is incorporated into the aerosol. The user can inhale the flavor-containing aerosol by inhaling the portion of the inhalation article 140 protruding from the flavor inhaler 1 (the portion illustrated in FIG. 6). In this specification, the direction in which the aerosol-generating substrate such as the inhalation article 140 is inserted into the opening 132B is referred to as the longitudinal direction of the flavor inhaler 1.

The configuration of the flavor inhaler 1 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is merely an example of the configuration of the flavor inhaler according to the present disclosure. Flavored inhalers according to the present disclosure can generate an aerosol by heating an aerosol-generating substrate that includes an aerosol source, and can be in various forms such that the generated aerosol can be inhaled by a user. Can be configured.

[Configuration of user terminal]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a schematic configuration of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. Note that FIG. 7 schematically and conceptually shows each component included in the user terminal 2, and does not show the exact arrangement, shape, size, positional relationship, etc. of each component and the user terminal 2. sea bream. Also note that the user terminal 2 may include components not shown. An example of the user terminal 2 is a single computer such as a smart phone, a tablet, or a personal computer, but it is not limited to this. For example, the detection unit 21, which will be described later, may be realized by a digital camera externally connected to the computer.

The detection unit 21 detects a predetermined externally observable change that occurs in at least a part of the flavor inhaler 1 , for example, the change unit 12 . The detection unit 21 may be realized using at least a digital camera, a temperature sensor, or the like as hardware resources.

The output unit 22 executes message output processing based on the output information notified from the flavor inhaler 1 shown in FIG. The output unit 22 may perform voice output processing based on output information notified from the flavor inhaler 1 . The output unit 22 displays information indicating that the predetermined change is detected. The output unit 22 may be implemented using at least a display (including, for example, a touch panel display) as a hardware resource.

The input unit 23 receives input from the user. The input unit 23 may be implemented using at least a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel display, etc. as hardware resources.

The recording unit 24 stores programs, information, and the like. The recording unit 24 may be realized by using at least an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), memory, etc. as hardware resources.

The communication unit 25 communicates with other computers. The communication unit 25 may be implemented using at least a network interface or the like as a hardware resource.

The control unit 26 performs various controls. The control section 26 may be configured to transmit and receive information via the communication section 25 . The output unit 22 can output information based on the received output information. The control unit 26 may be configured, for example, to determine how the user sucks. The output unit 22 can further display the determination result. The control unit 26 may also be configured to allow the user to select one of a plurality of ways of sucking via the input unit 23 . Note that the output unit 22 can further display information based on the selected sucking style. The control unit 26 may be implemented using at least a processor as a hardware resource.

Various functions of the user terminal 2 may be implemented using applications running on the user terminal. The user terminal 2 may download an application and realize various functions by the downloaded application. Further, the user terminal 2 may download a program for realizing various functions of the user terminal 2 and execute the downloaded program to realize various functions. Note that the user terminal 2 may realize these functions by PWA (Progressive Web Apps).

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control unit according to the embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 8 , the controller 106 functionally includes a system controller 200 , a battery controller 202 , a cartridge controller 204 , a communication controller 206 and an interface detector 208 .

Note that the control unit 106 can be realized, for example, by executing a program stored in the memory 114 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 by the CPU or the like. Alternatively, the control unit 106 may be realized by downloading a program used for processing in the control unit 106 and executing the downloaded program. The controller 13 shown in FIG. 2A may functionally include a system controller 200 , a battery controller 202 , a cartridge controller 204 , a communication controller 206 and an interface detector 208 . Each of the above functions provided by the control unit 106 or the control unit 13 may be provided by another configuration. For example, at least one configuration of the communication control unit 206 or the cartridge control unit 204 may be provided by the communication unit 108 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, for example. Interface sensing portion 208 may be provided, for example, by sensor 112 shown in FIGS.

The communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 may be any communication such as short-range wireless communication, but the case of BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication will be described below as an example. .

The system control unit 200 controls, for example, each function included in the control unit 106 (in the example of FIG. 8, the battery control unit 202, the cartridge control unit 204, the communication control unit 206, and the interface detection unit 208). The system control unit 200 also controls execution of various control programs, embedded operating system (OS) programs, and the like, for example. For example, when the system control unit 200 detects various request signals such as a start-up instruction, the system control unit 200 reads programs, OS codes, etc., and allocates the processing time and resources required for their execution, thereby executing the programs in units of execution. handle a process. Note that the system control unit 200 is not limited to these examples, and can control various functions and various processes required for the operation of the flavor inhaler 1 .

The battery control unit 202 supplies power from, for example, the battery 110 in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the battery (referred to as a battery or the like) provided in the flavor inhaler 1 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and charges the battery or the like. to control. The battery control unit 202 controls power supply from a battery or the like to each element such as a heater provided in the flavor inhaler 1 illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6, for example. For example, in the case of controlling power supply to the heater, the battery control unit 202 detects suction to the mouthpiece 122 illustrated in FIGS. If so, power is supplied to the heater from a battery or the like. Also, for example, the battery control unit 202 controls charging of a battery or the like from an external power source (not shown). Also, the battery control unit 202 may execute, for example, a function of detecting the remaining amount of the battery and a function of protecting the battery. Also, the battery control unit 202 may perform heating control of a heater provided in the flavor inhaler 1 , for example. Note that the battery control unit 202 is not limited to these examples, and can execute various types of control on the battery.

Cartridge control unit 204 determines the state of connection between, for example, first member 102 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and second member 104 having atomization unit 118 for atomizing the aerosol source. For example, the cartridge controller 204 determines whether the first member 102 and the second member 104 are electrically or mechanically (including physically) connected.

The electrical connection between the first member 102 and the second member 104 includes, for example, the conduction between the first member 102 and the second member 104 .

In addition, the first member 102 and the second member 104 are mechanically (including physically) connected, for example, by fitting the first member 102 and the second member 104 together. connected to each other by Further, the mechanical (including physical) connection between the first member 102 and the second member 104 means, for example, that the first member 102 and the second member 104 are screwed together. may include being connected to each other by. Specifically, the first member 102 has a female connector adjacent to the second member 104, the female connector having a spiral groove, while the second member 104 has a , has a male connector adjacent to the first member 102, and the male connector has a helical protrusion. The first member 102 and the second member 104 are connected by screwing the female connector of the first member 102 and the male connector of the second member 104 together. Note that the first member 102 may have a male connector and the second member 104 may have a female connector.

Further, for example, when the authentication process is executed when the first member 102 and the second member 104 are electrically or mechanically connected, the cartridge control unit 204 determines that the authentication process is successful. , that the first member 102 and the second member 104 are connected. On the other hand, if the authentication processing fails, the cartridge control unit 204 determines that the first member 102 and the second member 104 are not connected. Details of the authentication process will be described later.

The cartridge control unit 204 determines whether or not a predetermined period of time (for example, 10 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, etc.) has passed after the first member 102 and the second member 104 are disconnected. . The cartridge control unit 204 counts the elapsed time after detecting the disconnection between the first member 102 and the second member 104 . Information about the predetermined time is stored in the memory 114 shown in FIGS. For example, the cartridge control unit 204 refers to information about the predetermined time stored in the memory 114 and compares the counted elapsed time with the predetermined time.

The cartridge control unit 204 executes authentication processing for the second member 104 (cartridge). For example, the cartridge control unit 204 confirms the legitimacy of the second member 104 as a connection target of the first member 102 . For example, the cartridge control unit 204 refers to the identification information of each of the one or more second members 104 connectable to the first member 102 prerecorded in the memory 114 shown in FIGS. By doing so, it is determined whether the specific second member 104 is valid as a connection target.

Based on the expiration date of the aerosol source contained in the reservoir 116 of the second member 104 to which the first member 102 is connected, the cartridge control unit 204 determines that the second member 104 is valid as a connection target. It may be determined whether For example, the cartridge controller 204 obtains information about the expiration date of the aerosol source from the second member 104 when the first member 102 and the second member 104 are electrically or mechanically connected. . The cartridge control unit 204 refers to the acquired expiration date information, and if the expiration date of the aerosol source contained in the reservoir 116 of the second member 104 to which the first member 102 is connected has not expired, It is determined that the second member 104 is valid as a connection target. Further, when the expiration date of the aerosol source contained in the reservoir 116 of the second member 104 to which the first member 102 is connected, the cartridge control unit 204 selects the second member 104 as the connection target. It is determined that it does not have the legitimacy of Further, the cartridge control unit 204 acquires, for example, remaining amount information regarding the remaining amount of the aerosol source contained in the reservoir 116 of the second member 104, and based on the acquired remaining amount information, the second member to be connected is selected. The legitimacy of member 104 may be determined.

The communication control unit 206 communicates with the flavor inhaler 1 based on the state of connection between the first member 102 shown in FIGS. It controls communication with the user terminal 2 . Note that the communication control unit 206 can control not only wireless communication but also wired communication.

The communication control unit 206 executes “authentication connection”, which is processing for setting communication connection between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 . The communication control unit 206 authenticates and connects the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2, for example. When the communication control unit 206 establishes an authenticated connection, the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 enter an "authenticated connection state". Bluetooth communication is performed in units called piconet, for example. In Bluetooth communication, the user terminal 2 is called "master" and the flavor suction device 1 is called "slave". For example, seven slaves can be connected to one master. For example, the master takes the initiative in communication, and information is transmitted from the master to the slaves at arbitrary timing. On the other hand, information transmission from the slave to the master is executed based on instructions (requests regarding authentication connection) from the master. In addition, in the communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2, the user terminal 2 does not necessarily have the initiative in communication. For example, the flavor inhaler 1 may take the initiative in communication and transmit information from the flavor inhaler 1 to the user terminal 2 at any timing.

When establishing encrypted communication between a master and one or more slaves, for example, shared secret information (link key) generated by random numbers is exchanged between the master and the slaves. Then, communication between the master and each slave is encrypted based on the link key. Such a key exchange and a procedure for establishing a communication connection setting between the master and the slave are "authenticated connection".

An example of communication according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. After the authentication connection is completed, the master and the slave perform communication so as to synchronize their information transmission (TX) timings or information reception (RX) timings.

In the communication according to the embodiment of the present invention, as one of the low power consumption operations, for example, a function of "transmission frequency change" is provided. Changing the transmission frequency is an operation for suppressing power consumption by thinning out response communications that must respond to inquiries from the master when there is no information that the slave wants to transmit to the master.

Specifically, normally, when communicating between a slave and a master, the slave needs to respond to the master at each preset communication interval of the master. For example, when the slave does not respond to an inquiry from the master (when it does not respond for the number of times set in advance as the number of communication interruptions), the slave is disconnected from the master. However, even if there is no information to send (eg, updated information, etc.), having the slave communicate in response to an inquiry from the master results in unnecessary power consumption.

Therefore, if the transmission frequency setting value is set (or changed) to, for example, "4" in the transmission frequency change, the communication connection can be maintained even if the slave does not respond to the inquiry from the master up to four times. It is possible. In this way, the slave can thin out the response communication and suppress power consumption. Note that even when communication is thinned out based on the transmission frequency change, the slave performs communication for maintaining communication connection with the master, for example, with minimum power consumption.

Further, in communication according to the embodiment of the present invention, for example, a function of "forced transmission" is provided. For forced transmission, even if communication is thinned out based on the transmission frequency change, the slave transmits the predetermined information to the master to the master at the next transmission timing in the state before thinning out. It is an action to do. For example, when the slave sets the transmission frequency set value to "4" by changing the transmission frequency, response transmissions are thinned out. However, by setting forced transmission, even during the communication thinning period (that is, when the transmission frequency change is set), at the next transmission timing in the state before thinning, the Information can be sent. As described above, the transmission frequency change and forced transmission in communication according to the embodiment of the present invention are operations that enable efficient information transmission while being low power consumption operations.

The initial setting of the settings related to the communication performed between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 may be performed by the communication control unit 206, or may be performed by the communication unit 108 shown in FIGS. good too. For example, initial communication settings are based on information pre-recorded in the flavor inhaler 1 , information separately input by the user, or information included in a request for authentication connection from the user terminal 2. executed.

Here, "control" of communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 includes, for example, "restriction" of the communication. "Restriction" of communication includes, for example, "restricting transmission of information" between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2. FIG. Further, "restriction" of communication includes, for example, "restriction of authentication connection", which is processing for setting communication connection between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2. FIG.

In addition, "control" of communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 includes, for example, "changing the settings related to communication". In addition, "changing the communication settings" includes, for example, "changing the frequency of communication" between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2. FIG. Also, "changing the frequency of communication" includes, for example, "changing the frequency of responses" of the flavor inhaler 1 to inquiries from the user terminal 2. FIG. Specifically, the communication control unit 206 may perform wireless communication according to the changed response frequency. Also, "changing the communication frequency" includes, for example, "changing the transmission frequency set value" between the user terminal 2 and the flavor inhaler 1. FIG. Specifically, the communication control unit 206 may perform wireless communication according to the changed transmission frequency setting value. Also, "changing the communication frequency" includes, for example, "changing the communication interval" between the user terminal 2 and the flavor inhaler 1. Specifically, the communication control unit 206 may perform wireless communication according to the changed communication interval.

In addition, "restriction of authentication connection" includes "waiting for authentication connection" in the flavor suction device 1, and includes waiting for the response of the flavor suction device 1 to the request for authentication connection from the user terminal 2.

Further, "restriction" of communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 includes, for example, "stop" of communication. "Stopping" communication includes, for example, "stopping transmission of information" from the flavor inhaler 1 to the user terminal 2. FIG. Further, "restriction" of communication includes, for example, "stopping authentication connection", which is a communication connection setting process between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2. FIG. Specifically, the communication control unit 206 may stop communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2, for example. The communication control unit 206 may control communication such that the communication unit 108 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 stops transmitting information to the user terminal 2, for example. The communication control unit 206 may control communication so that the communication unit 108 stops receiving information from the user terminal 2 .

By limiting or stopping at least one of information transmission and information reception, the power consumption of the flavor inhaler 1 is reduced, and the battery consumption is also reduced. For example, transmission of information consumes more power of the battery 110 than reception of information, so by preferentially limiting or stopping the transmission of information, the consumption of the battery 110 can be further reduced.

Note that communication control is not limited to the above example. For example, communication control includes prohibiting transmission of at least part of the information that the communication unit 108 can transmit to the user terminal 2 .

Also, the communication control may allow the communication unit 108 to transmit only a response to the authentication connection request to the user terminal 2 . The communication control unit 206 may allow the communication unit 108 to receive a request for authentication connection from the user terminal 2, for example, when the flavor inhaler 1 is performing a puffing action. The communication control unit 206 may perform authentication connection (for example, respond to the request) after the heater finishes heating.

The interface detection section 208 detects a predetermined action in the flavor inhaler 1 . The interface detection unit 208 detects, for example, at least one of the actions (1) to (5) described above.

The interface sensing portion 208 detects when the first member 102 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the second member 104 comprising the atomizing portion 118 for atomizing the aerosol source are connected or reconnected. to detect. The interface detection unit 208 detects that the first member 102 and the second member 104 are electrically connected when the first member 102 and the second member 104 are energized. In addition, if the authentication process is executed when the first member 102 and the second member 104 are electrically or mechanically connected, the interface detection unit 208 detects the first It may be detected that the first member 102 and the second member 104 are connected. The interface detection unit 208 determines that the flavor inhaler 1 has performed the puff operation based on the heating state of the heater provided in the atomization unit 118 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, for example. The interface detection unit 208 detects that a predetermined button (not shown) provided on the flavor inhaler 1 has been pressed.

Based on the detection result of the sensor 112, the interface detection unit 208 detects, for example, that the flavor inhaler 1 assumes a predetermined posture. Specifically, for example, when the sensor 112, which is a motion sensor, detects the movement of the flavor suction tool 1 in each axial direction, the interface detection unit 208 detects that the flavor suction tool 1 has reached a predetermined angle. detect. Further, the interface detection unit 208 may detect vibration of the flavor inhaler 1 by the sensor 112, which is a motion sensor, for example.

Here, the control unit 106 may use the following method for controlling communication. That is, as an operation in the processing of each function of the control unit 106, each functional element, for example, each unit constituting the control unit 106 in FIG. A method of operating the entire system (for example, a method represented by a real-time system) may be used.

For example, when the battery control unit 202 is treated as one processing group and the communication control unit 206 is treated as one processing group, these two processing groups may be requested to process at the same time. Specifically, when the communication control unit 206 receives a response request from the user terminal 2 via wireless communication while the flavor inhaler 1 is performing a puffing operation, it is determined in advance which process is prioritized. There is a need. As an example of prioritization in processing, handling of an abnormal state in the flavor inhaler 1 can be given as processing with the highest priority. Continuing with an example of prioritization, for example, priority is set in the order of heater heating processing, aerosol generator connection state detection processing, operation detection processing for user operations, and communication response request processing from the user terminal 2. good too. However, regardless of the order in which processing priorities are set, it is required that the entire system can be operated so as to satisfy the aforementioned time constraint conditions. In order to satisfy the time constraint, the execution time of each process may be predicted in advance, and the order of the processes may be adjusted so that the time constraint can be met for all the processes with the time constraint. By setting the priority, a process with a higher priority may be executed with priority over a process with a lower priority. Also, a process with a high priority may interrupt a process with a low priority while a process with a low priority is being executed. A process with a higher priority may be executed exclusively with respect to a process with a lower priority.

By using the system operation method in this way, for example, even when the communication control unit 206 receives a response request from the user terminal 2 by wireless communication while the puffing operation is being performed in the flavor inhaler 1, It is possible to execute each process according to the determined priority and satisfy the time constraint.

The above is merely an example, and since many methods have been disclosed for operating the system, any method applicable to the present embodiment is not particularly limited to the above examples.

Further, the control unit 106 may control communication as follows. For example, the control unit 106 changes the state in which the flavor inhaler 1 is activated (the state in which the heater can be heated and other necessary processing can be performed in response to the user's puff operation) to the sleep state (the operation is temporarily stopped). and waiting in a power-saving state), the settings related to the communication executed between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 may be changed as communication control. Further, for example, the control unit 106 controls communication when a predetermined period of time (for example, 1 minute, 5 minutes, etc.) has elapsed after the connection between the first member 102 and the second member 104 was released. , the communication may be stopped. Note that the predetermined period is not limited to 1 minute or 5 minutes, and may be any period and can be set arbitrarily. It should be noted that the control unit 106 may stop communication as control of communication when, for example, when detecting a predetermined action that can determine that the user does not use the flavor suction tool 1, other than when the predetermined period of time has elapsed. good. A predetermined action that allows the user to decide not to use the flavor inhaler 1 is, for example, removing the third member 126 from the flavor inhaler 1 in the case of FIG. However, the action is not limited to this and may be any action.

[Communication control processing]
<First Embodiment>
An example of communication control processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an example of communication control processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, in step S1, as a premise of the communication control process, first, the user presses a power button (not shown) provided on the outer surface of the flavor inhaler 1, thereby turning on the flavor inhaler 1. As shown in FIG. 1 is activated. The activation process of the flavor inhaler 1 is similarly executed in the communication control process according to each embodiment described later. It should be noted that the activation process of the flavor suction tool 1 is not limited to pressing the power button. may be

In step S3, the flavor inhaler 1 determines the connection state between the first member 102 (battery unit) and the second member 104 (cartridge) shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, for example. For example, the cartridge controller 204 determines whether the first member 102 and the second member 104 are electrically or mechanically (including physically) connected.

In step S<b>5 , the flavor inhaler 1 controls communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 based on the connection state between the first member 102 and the second member 104 . For example, if the first member 102 and the second member 104 are not connected (for example, disconnected), the flavor inhaler 1 will not be connected between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2. communication. For example, the flavor inhaler 1 may stop communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 as a communication restriction, and the flavor inhaler 1 may stop the communication unit 108 shown in FIGS. Transmission of information to the user terminal 2 may be stopped or restricted, or communication may be executed according to the setting changed by the communication control unit 206 . In addition, the flavor inhaler 1 may restrict or stop authentication connection between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 as communication restriction.

As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the flavor inhaler 1 controls communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 based on the connection state between the battery unit and the cartridge. Therefore, an increase in the power consumption of the flavor inhaler 1 can be suppressed, so that the consumption of the battery 110 included in the flavor inhaler 1 can be reduced.

<Second embodiment>
The second embodiment is a communication control process for starting communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 after connecting the first member 102 and the second member 104 that are not connected to each other. indicates FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of communication control processing according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 illustrates a case of restricting authentication connection as communication control. It should be noted that the restrictions on authentication connection include waiting for authentication connection in the flavor inhaler 1 .

Here, in the second embodiment, communication control is not limited to restricting authentication connections. Communication control may be, for example, limiting or stopping communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2, or the communication unit 108 shown in FIGS. transmission may be restricted or stopped, communication may be executed according to the setting content changed by the communication control unit 206, or authentication connection may be stopped.

Further, in the second embodiment, the flavor inhaler 1 may change the settings related to wireless communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 as communication control. For example, the flavor inhaler 1 may change the response frequency of the flavor inhaler 1 to inquiries from the user terminal 2 in changing the transmission frequency. Further, for example, the flavor inhaler may change the transmission frequency setting value between the user terminal 2 and the flavor inhaler 1 when changing the transmission frequency. Further, for example, the flavor inhaler may change the communication interval between the user terminal 2 and the flavor inhaler 1 when changing the transmission frequency. Therefore, when considering per unit time, transmission and reception of information between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 are thinned out, so power consumption related to communication in the flavor inhaler 1 can be reduced. Therefore, power consumption of the battery 110 of the flavor inhaler 1 is reduced.

In step S<b>11 , first, the first member 102 is activated by the user pressing a power button (not shown) provided on the outer surface of the first member 102 , for example. Note that the means for starting the first member 102 is not limited to pressing the power button, and any means may be used.

If the first member 102 and the second member 104 are connected in step S13 (Yes in step S13), the process proceeds to step S15. On the other hand, in the flavor inhaler 1, when the first member 102 and the second member 104 are not connected (No in step S13), the first member 102 and the second member 104 are connected. wait until

In step S<b>15 , the flavor inhaler 1 executes authentication connection with the user terminal 2 . After that, in step S17, the flavor inhaler 1 determines whether or not the authentication connection is completed.

When the authentication connection is completed (Yes in step S17), the flavor inhaler 1 proceeds to step S19. On the other hand, if the authentication connection with the user terminal 2 is not completed (No in step S17), the flavor inhaler 1 waits until the authentication connection is completed.

In step S<b>19 , the flavor inhaler 1 starts transmitting and receiving predetermined information to and from the user terminal 2 . Note that the predetermined information includes, for example, suction information.

As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, after connecting the first member 102 and the second member 104 that are not connected to each other, the communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 is performed. Start. Therefore, the flavor inhaler 1 starts communication with the user terminal 2 with the connection of the first member 102 and the second member 104 as a trigger. is not connected, communication with the user terminal 2 can be controlled, and power consumption related to communication in the flavor inhaler 1 can be reduced. Therefore, consumption of battery 110 can be reduced.

<Third Embodiment>
The third embodiment performs communication control processing when communication is controlled by disconnecting the first member 102 and the second member 104 after starting communication with the user terminal 2 in the flavor inhaler 1. show. FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of communication control processing according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Note that FIG. 11 illustrates a case of restricting communication as communication control. In addition, in 3rd Embodiment, control of communication is not restricted to this. Further, since step S21 shown in FIG. 11 is the same as step S1 shown in FIG. 9, description thereof is omitted.

In step S23, the flavor inhaler 1 executes authentication connection with the user terminal 2, for example. When the authentication connection is completed, the flavor inhaler 1 starts transmitting/receiving predetermined information to/from the user terminal 2 via Bluetooth.

In step S25, if the connection between the first member 102 and the second member 104 is disconnected (Yes), the process proceeds to step S27. On the other hand, when the connection between the first member 102 and the second member 104 is not released (the connection is maintained) (No), the flavor suction device 1 is operated by the user. Transmission and reception of predetermined information to and from the user terminal 2 by Bluetooth is continued without restricting communication with the terminal 2 .

At step S27, the flavor inhaler 1 restricts communication with the user terminal 2. FIG. For example, the flavor inhaler 1 limits transmission of information from the flavor inhaler 1 to the user terminal 2 . In addition, in the third embodiment, the restriction on communication is not limited to restriction on transmission of information. The communication restriction may be, for example, to stop communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2, or the communication unit 108 shown in FIGS. may be stopped, communication may be executed according to the settings changed by the communication control unit 206, or authentication connection may be restricted or stopped.

Thus, when the first member 102 and the second member 104 are disconnected, communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 is restricted. Power consumption related to communication in the suction tool 1 can be reduced. Therefore, power consumption of the battery 110 of the flavor inhaler 1 is reduced.

In the third embodiment, the flavor inhaler 1 may change the settings related to wireless communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 as communication restrictions. For example, the flavor inhaler 1 may change the response frequency of the flavor inhaler 1 to inquiries from the user terminal 2 in changing the transmission frequency. Further, for example, the flavor inhaler may change the transmission frequency setting value between the user terminal 2 and the flavor inhaler 1 when changing the transmission frequency. Further, for example, the flavor inhaler may change the communication interval between the user terminal 2 and the flavor inhaler 1 when changing the transmission frequency. Therefore, when considering per unit time, transmission and reception of information between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 are thinned out, so power consumption related to communication in the flavor inhaler 1 can be reduced. Therefore, power consumption of the battery 110 of the flavor inhaler 1 is reduced.

As described above, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, when the connection between the first member 102 and the second member 104 is released after the flavor inhaler 1 starts communication with the user terminal 2, the user Restrict communication with terminal 2. Therefore, the flavor inhaler 1 restricts communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 when the first member 102 and the second member 104 are disconnected. Therefore, power consumption related to communication in the flavor inhaler 1 can be reduced, so that consumption of the battery 110 can be reduced.

<Fourth Embodiment>
In the fourth embodiment, after starting communication with the user terminal 2 in the flavor inhaler 1, the connection between the first member 102 and the second member 104 is released, and communication is restricted for a certain period of time. 4 shows communication control processing in the case of continuation. FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing an example of communication control processing according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Note that FIG. 12 exemplifies a case where communication is restricted as communication control, but communication control in the fourth embodiment is not limited to communication restriction. Steps S31 to S35 and S39 shown in FIG. 12 are the same as steps S21 to S27 shown in FIG. 11, so description thereof will be omitted.

In step S37, the flavor inhaler 1 determines that a predetermined period of time (eg, 10 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, etc.) has elapsed after the first member 102 and the second member 104 are disconnected. If so (Yes in step S37), the process proceeds to step S39. On the other hand, the flavor inhaler 1 requires that a predetermined period of time (for example, 10 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, etc.) has not passed after the first member 102 and the second member 104 are disconnected. In the case of determination (No in step S37), the flavor inhaler 1 does not restrict communication with the user terminal 2 and allows Bluetooth communication with the user terminal 2 until the predetermined period elapses. continue. Although not shown in the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 12, for example, abnormal heat generation of the battery 110 shown in FIGS. When an abnormality occurs, the flavor inhaler 1 can notify the user terminal 2 of the abnormality of the battery 110 .

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, after communication with the user terminal 2 is started in the flavor inhaler 1, the connection between the first member 102 and the second member 104 is released, and the communication is restricted. communication for a certain period of time. Therefore, the flavor inhaler 1 prevents the communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 from stopping immediately after the first member 102 and the second member 104 are disconnected. can. For example, when the user removes the cartridge from the battery unit to replace the cartridge of the flavor inhaler 1 and immediately attaches a new cartridge, there is no need to restrict communication. Therefore, after the connection between the first member 102 and the second member 104 is released, communication is continued until a predetermined period of time elapses. When the member 104 is connected, the communication is continued without restriction. Thereby, the flavor inhaler 1 can continue the communication without restricting the communication when the user replaces the cartridge, for example.

<Fifth Embodiment>
In the fifth embodiment, when the connection between the first member 102 and the second member 104 is released, a predetermined action is performed after the communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 is restricted. When detected, indicates communication control processing in the case of canceling communication restrictions. FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing an example of communication control processing according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. Note that FIG. 13 exemplifies a case where communication is restricted as communication control, but communication control in the fifth embodiment is not limited to communication restriction. Since steps S41 to S45 shown in FIG. 13 are the same as steps S31 to S35 shown in FIG. 12 , description thereof is omitted.

In step S47, the flavor inhaler 1 restricts communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 when the first member 102 and the second member 104 are disconnected.

In step S49, when the flavor inhaler 1 detects a predetermined action (Yes in step S49), the process proceeds to step S51. The flavor inhaler 1 detects, for example, at least one of the actions (1) to (5) described above.

For example, the flavor inhaler 1 is configured such that the first member 102 and the second member 104 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are electrically or mechanically (including physically) connected or reconnected. detect that it has been In addition, if the authentication processing is executed when the first member 102 and the second member 104 are electrically or mechanically (including physically) connected to each other, the flavor inhaler 1 can perform this authentication. If the process is successful, it may be detected that the first member 102 and the second member 104 are connected.

Further, the flavor inhaler 1 may detect that a predetermined button (not shown) provided in the flavor inhaler 1 has been pressed. Moreover, based on the detection result of the sensor 112, the flavor suction tool 1 may detect that the flavor suction tool 1 has assumed a predetermined posture. Further, the flavor suction tool 1 may detect, for example, that the battery 110 of the flavor suction tool 1 is charged as one of the predetermined actions.

On the other hand, in step S49, if the flavor inhaler 1 does not detect the predetermined action (No in step S49), the flavor inhaler 1 waits, that is, the flavor inhaler 1 keeps communication restricted.

In step S<b>51 , the flavor inhaler 1 releases the restriction on communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 .

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, when the connection between the first member 102 and the second member 104 is disconnected, the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 are separated from each other. When a predetermined action is detected after the communication between the devices is restricted, the communication restriction is lifted. Therefore, once the communication between the flavor inhaler 1 and the user terminal 2 is restricted, the communication restriction is automatically released when a predetermined action is detected. Therefore, the degree of freedom regarding cancellation of communication restriction after communication is once restricted increases.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer according to an embodiment of the invention. An example of the hardware configuration of a computer that can be used to configure the user terminal 2 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 14, the computer 40 mainly includes a processor 41, a main recording device 42, an auxiliary recording device 43, an input/output interface 44, and a communication interface 45 as hardware resources. These are interconnected via bus lines 46 including an address bus, an information bus, a control bus, and the like. An interface circuit (not shown) may be appropriately interposed between the bus line 46 and each hardware resource.

A processor 41 controls the entire computer. The main recording device 42 provides a work area for the processor 41 and is a volatile memory such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The auxiliary recording device 43 is a non-volatile memory such as an HDD, an SSD, or a flash memory that stores software such as programs and information. The programs, information, etc. are loaded from the auxiliary recording device 43 to the main recording device 42 via the bus line 46 at any time.

The input/output interface 44 performs one or both of presenting information and receiving input of information. be.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the computer 40 can function as desired means, execute desired steps, and realize desired functions through the cooperation of the hardware resources and software illustrated above. be.

Each of the above-described embodiments is for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit and interpret the present invention. The present invention may be modified/improved without departing from its spirit, and the present invention also includes equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1A, 1B... Flavor inhaler, 2... User terminal, 11... Sensor, 12... Change part, 13... Control part, 14... Communication part, 21... Detection part, 22... Output part, 23... Input part, 24 Recording unit 25 Communication unit 26 Control unit 100 Information processing system 102 First member 104 Second member 106 Control unit 108 Communication unit 110 Battery 112 Sensor 114 Memory 116 Reservoir 118 Atomizing part 120 Air intake channel 121 Aerosol channel 122 Mouthpiece 126 Third member 128 Flavor source 131 Housing , 131A top housing 131B bottom housing 132 cover 132B opening 133 switch 134 lid 140 sucking article 161, 162 end 200 system control unit 202 battery control unit , 204... Cartridge control unit , 206... Communication control unit, 208... Interface detection unit

Claims (15)

A battery unit for an aerosol generator that generates an aerosol,
a communication unit that performs wireless communication between the aerosol generating device and the user terminal;
a control unit that determines a connection state between the battery unit and a cartridge that includes an atomization unit that atomizes an aerosol source;
The aerosol generator and the user terminal are connected by a master-slave connection in which an inquiry and a response to the inquiry are made at predetermined communication intervals in order to maintain the connection,
The control unit
restricting the wireless communication and allowing reception of the inquiry and transmission of the response to the inquiry when the battery unit and the cartridge are not connected ;
battery unit. The control unit
limiting transmission of information to the user terminal when the battery unit and the cartridge are not connected;
The battery unit according to claim 1 . The control unit
3. The battery unit according to claim 1, wherein the setting content related to the wireless communication is changed. The control unit
changing the frequency of the wireless communication between the aerosol generating device and the user terminal;
The battery unit according to claim 3 . The control unit
changing the frequency of the response to the inquiry from the user terminal;
The battery unit according to claim 4 . The control unit
changing the communication interval between the aerosol generator and the user terminal;
The battery unit according to claim 4 or 5 . The control unit
restricting authentication connection, which is processing for setting communication connection between the aerosol generating device and the user terminal, when the battery unit and the cartridge are not connected;
A battery unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . The control unit
executing an authentication process for the cartridge, and restricting the authentication connection if the authentication process has not been completed;
The battery unit according to claim 7 . The control unit
restricting the wireless communication between the aerosol generating device and the user terminal when the battery unit and the cartridge are disconnected;
The battery unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8 . The control unit
maintaining the wireless communication for a predetermined period after disconnection between the battery unit and the cartridge;
The battery unit according to claim 9 . The control unit
detecting a predetermined action in the aerosol generating device, and canceling the restriction on the wireless communication when the predetermined action is detected;
The battery unit according to claim 9 or 10 . The predetermined action is
reconnecting the battery unit and the cartridge;
a puff action in which the user inhales the aerosol using the aerosol generating device;
Pressing a predetermined button provided in the aerosol generating device, or
placing the aerosol generating device in a predetermined pose;
The battery unit according to claim 11 . An aerosol generator that generates an aerosol,
a communication unit that performs wireless communication between the aerosol generating device and the user terminal;
a battery unit for the aerosol generator, and a control unit that determines a connection state with a cartridge that includes an atomizing unit that atomizes an aerosol source ,
The aerosol generator and the user terminal are connected by a master-slave connection in which an inquiry and a response to the inquiry are made at predetermined communication intervals in order to maintain the connection,
The control unit
restricting the wireless communication and allowing reception of the inquiry and transmission of the response to the inquiry when the battery unit and the cartridge are not connected ;
Aerosol generator. Information executed by an aerosol generator that generates aerosol by responding to inquiries from user terminals at predetermined communication intervals in order to maintain connection with user terminals connected via a master-slave connection. A processing method comprising:
performing wireless communication between the aerosol generating device and the user terminal;
Determining a connection state between a battery unit for the aerosol generator and a cartridge comprising an atomizing part for atomizing an aerosol source;
limiting the wireless communication and allowing the reception of the inquiry and the transmission of the response to the inquiry when the battery unit and the cartridge are not connected ;
A method of processing information, comprising: to the computer,
a communication function for performing wireless communication between an aerosol generating device that generates an aerosol and a user terminal;
A program for realizing a control function for determining a connection state between a battery unit for the aerosol generator and a cartridge having an atomizing unit for atomizing an aerosol source,
The aerosol generator and the user terminal are connected by a master-slave connection in which an inquiry and a response to the inquiry are made at predetermined communication intervals in order to maintain the connection,
The control function is
restricting the wireless communication and allowing reception of the inquiry and transmission of the response to the inquiry when the battery unit and the cartridge are not connected ;
program.

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