US20250194674A1 - Cover, and aerosol generation device - Google Patents

Cover, and aerosol generation device Download PDF

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Publication number
US20250194674A1
US20250194674A1 US19/073,070 US202519073070A US2025194674A1 US 20250194674 A1 US20250194674 A1 US 20250194674A1 US 202519073070 A US202519073070 A US 202519073070A US 2025194674 A1 US2025194674 A1 US 2025194674A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
sensor
cover
notification
controller
information
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
US19/073,070
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English (en)
Inventor
Takashi Fujiki
Ryo Yoshida
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Japan Tobacco Inc
Original Assignee
Japan Tobacco Inc
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Japan Tobacco Inc filed Critical Japan Tobacco Inc
Assigned to JAPAN TOBACCO INC. reassignment JAPAN TOBACCO INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: FUJIKI, TAKASHI, YOSHIDA, RYO
Publication of US20250194674A1 publication Critical patent/US20250194674A1/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
    • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
    • A24F40/50—Control or monitoring
    • A24F40/51—Arrangement of sensors
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
    • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
    • A24F40/20—Devices using solid inhalable precursors
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
    • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
    • A24F40/40—Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
    • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
    • A24F40/40—Constructional details, e.g. connection of cartridges and battery parts
    • A24F40/46—Shape or structure of electric heating means
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
    • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
    • A24F40/50—Control or monitoring
    • A24F40/53—Monitoring, e.g. fault detection
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
    • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
    • A24F40/60—Devices with integrated user interfaces
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24F—SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES
    • A24F40/00—Electrically operated smoking devices; Component parts thereof; Manufacture thereof; Maintenance or testing thereof; Charging means specially adapted therefor
    • A24F40/65—Devices with integrated communication means, e.g. wireless communication means

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to a cover and an aerosol generation device.
  • Inhaler devices capable of detecting biological information of a user have been proposed.
  • PTL 1 describes an inhaler device including an operation unit operated by a user and a biological-information detector that detects biological information of the user.
  • the biological-information detector is disposed on or near the operation unit.
  • the present disclosure provides a cover or the like on which external information can be checked.
  • a cover is attachable to a body including a heater that heats a substrate containing an aerosol source and includes a sensor that detects external information other than internal information related to a state of the body and internal information related to a state of the cover; a communicator that performs communication; and an output unit that outputs the external information detected by the sensor to an external device other than the cover through the communicator.
  • FIG. 1 is an example of a front view of an aerosol generation device from an upper position.
  • FIG. 2 is an example of a front view of the aerosol generation device from a lower position.
  • FIG. 3 is an example of a front view of a body from which a cover is removed.
  • FIG. 4 is an example of a rear view of the cover.
  • FIG. 5 is an example of a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the body.
  • FIG. 6 is an example of a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the cover.
  • FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the generation device held in the right hand.
  • FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the generation device held in the left hand.
  • FIG. 9 illustrates an example of information stored in a memory.
  • FIG. 10 illustrates an example of information output to a portable terminal by an output unit.
  • FIG. 11 illustrates an example of information output to the portable terminal by the output unit.
  • FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an example of a heat control process performed by a controller.
  • FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example of an on-off control process performed by the controller.
  • FIG. 14 illustrates an example of information output to the portable terminal by the output unit.
  • FIG. 15 illustrates examples of sensors and whether or not a notification is required to be output to the portable terminal for each sensor.
  • FIG. 2 is an example of a front view of the aerosol generation device 1 from a lower position.
  • FIG. 3 is an example of a front view of a body 100 from which a cover 10 is removed.
  • FIG. 4 is an example of a rear view of the cover 10 .
  • FIG. 5 is an example of a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the body 100 .
  • FIG. 6 is an example of a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the cover 10 .
  • the aerosol generation device 1 (hereinafter sometimes referred to simply as “generation device 1 ”) includes a body 100 and a cover 10 removably attachable to the body 100 .
  • the body 100 includes a heater 170 that heats a substrate 500 containing an aerosol source (hereinafter sometimes referred to simply as “substrate 500 ”).
  • the body 100 includes a substantially rectangular-parallelepiped-shaped housing 101 accommodating the heater 170 and other components.
  • the cover 10 covers one face of the housing 101 .
  • a face to which the cover 10 is attached is hereinafter referred to as a front face 102 , a side face on the left side when viewed from the front face 102 as a left side face 103 , a side surface on the right side as a right side face 104 , a face on the top as a top face 105 , and a face on the bottom as a bottom face 106 .
  • a face connected to the left side face 103 , the right side face 104 , the top face 105 , and the bottom face 106 and that differs from the front face 102 is referred to as a rear face 107 .
  • the cover 10 covers the front face 102 of the housing 101 .
  • the left side face 103 , the right side face 104 , the top face 105 , the bottom face 106 , and the rear face 107 are exposed to the outside when the cover 10 is attached.
  • the body 100 includes a power supply 110 , a sensor unit 120 , a notifier 130 , a memory 140 , a communicator 150 , a controller 160 , a heater 170 , a heat insulator 180 , and a holder 190 .
  • the power supply 110 , the sensor unit 120 , the notifier 130 , the memory 140 , the communicator 150 , the controller 160 , the heater 170 , and the heat insulator 180 are accommodated in the housing 101 .
  • the body 100 also includes a shutter 194 (see FIG. 1 ) disposed on the top face 105 and slidable along the top face 105 .
  • the power supply 110 includes a battery 111 that stores electric power and a power feeder 112 that supplies electric power.
  • the battery 111 may be, for example, a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium ion secondary battery.
  • the battery 111 may be charged by connection to an external power supply with a cable or the like connected to a universal serial bus (USB) terminal 113 .
  • USB universal serial bus
  • the battery 111 may be charged by wireless power transmission technology without connection to a power transmission device.
  • the battery 111 may be independently removable from the body 100 or be replaceable with a new battery 111 .
  • the power feeder 112 supplies electric power to the structural elements of the body 100 under the control of the controller 160 .
  • the power feeder 112 also supplies electric power to the cover 10 .
  • the power feeder 112 supplies electric power to the cover 10 by, for example, contactless power transmission.
  • An example of contactless power transmission is power transmission by near-field communication. This enables supply of electric power to the cover 10 by a simple configuration.
  • the sensor unit 120 detects various information related to the body 100 .
  • the sensor unit 120 outputs the detected information to the controller 160 .
  • the sensor unit 120 includes a pressure sensor such as a condenser microphone, a flow sensor, or a temperature sensor.
  • the sensor unit 120 detects a value associated with user's inhalation, the sensor unit 120 outputs information indicating that the user has performed inhalation to the controller 160 .
  • the sensor unit 120 includes an input device, such as a button or a switch, that receives information input by the user.
  • the sensor unit 120 may include a button for issuing a command to start/stop the aerosol generation.
  • the sensor unit 120 outputs the information input by the user to the controller 160 .
  • the sensor unit 120 includes, as the button, an operation button 121 for issuing a command to start the generation of an aerosol. As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the operation button 121 is exposed on the front face 102 of the housing 101 .
  • the notifier 130 presents information to the user.
  • the notifier 130 includes a light-emitting device, such as a light emitting diode (LED).
  • the notifier 130 emits light in different light emission patterns for different situations, such as when the battery 111 of the power supply 110 needs charging, when the battery 111 is being charged, and when an abnormality has occurred in the body 100 .
  • the term light emission pattern as used herein conceptually includes, for example, color and light-on/light-off timing.
  • the notifier 130 may include, in addition to or instead of the light-emitting device, a display device that displays an image, a sound output device that outputs sound, a vibration device that vibrates, and the like.
  • the front face 102 of the housing 101 has a display window 108 that transmits light emitted from the light-emitting device, such as the LED, as an example of the notifier 130 .
  • the light-emitting device is disposed behind the display window 108 .
  • the memory 140 stores various information for the operation of the generation device 1 .
  • the memory 140 includes, for example, a non-volatile storage medium, such as a flash memory.
  • An example of the information stored in the memory 140 is information related to the operating system (OS) of the generation device 1 , such as control details of the structural elements controlled by the controller 160 .
  • Another example of the information stored in the memory 140 is information related to the user's inhalation, such as the number of inhalations, the time of inhalation, and the cumulative duration of inhalation.
  • the communicator 150 is a communication interface for transmission and reception of information between the generation device 1 and another device.
  • the communicator 150 performs communication in conformity with any wired or wireless communication standard.
  • the communication standard may be, for example, wireless local area network (LAN), wired LAN, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark).
  • the communicator 150 transmits information related to the user's inhalation to another device (e.g., a portable terminal 600 described below) to cause the other device to display the information related to the user's inhalation.
  • the communicator 150 receives new OS information from a server to update the OS information stored in the memory 140 .
  • the controller 160 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a control unit, and controls the overall internal operation of the generation device 1 in accordance with various programs.
  • the controller 160 is implemented by, for example, an electronic circuit, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor.
  • the controller 160 may also include a read only memory (ROM) that stores programs, arithmetic parameters, and the like to be used and a random access memory (RAM) for temporarily storing parameters and the like that change as appropriate.
  • ROM read only memory
  • RAM random access memory
  • Examples of processes controlled by the controller 160 include supplying power from the power supply 110 to other structural elements; charging the power supply 110 ; detection by the sensor unit 120 ; notification of information by the notifier 130 ; storing and reading of information by the memory 140 ; and transmission and reception of information by the communicator 150 .
  • the controller 160 also controls other processes performed by the generation device 1 , such as inputting information to the structural elements and processes based on information output from the structural elements.
  • the heater 170 heats the aerosol source to atomize the aerosol source and generate an aerosol.
  • the heater 170 may be made of any material, such as metal or polyimide.
  • the heater 170 is film-shaped and disposed to cover the outer circumference of the holder 190 .
  • the heater 170 produces heat, the aerosol source contained in the substrate 500 is heated from the outer circumference of the substrate 500 and atomized to generate the aerosol.
  • the heater 170 produces heat to heat the substrate 500 in response to the supply of electric power from the power supply 110 .
  • the user's inhalation is enabled when the temperature of the substrate 500 heated by the heater 170 reaches a predetermined temperature. After that, the supply of electric power may be stopped when the sensor unit 120 detects a predetermined user input.
  • the heat insulator 180 prevents heat transmission from the heater 170 to another structural element of the generation device 1 .
  • the heat insulator 180 is disposed to cover at least the outer circumference of the heater 170 .
  • the heat insulator 180 is composed of, for example, a vacuum heat insulator or an aerogel heat insulator.
  • the vacuum heat insulator is a heat insulator obtained by wrapping glass wool, silica (silicon powder), or the like with a resin film and establishing a high-vacuum state to substantially eliminate gaseous thermal conduction.
  • the holder 190 has a column-shaped internal space 191 provided in the housing 101 and an opening 192 formed in the top face 105 of the housing 101 to provide communication between the internal space 191 and the outside.
  • the internal space 191 is defined by a tubular body with a bottom 193 serving as a bottom face.
  • the holder 190 is formed so that at least a portion of the tubular body in the height direction has an inside diameter smaller than the outside diameter of the substrate 500 . This allows the holder 190 to hold the substrate 500 inserted into the internal space 191 through the opening 192 by pressing against the outer circumference of the substrate 500 .
  • the holder 190 also defines a flow path for air passing through the substrate 500 .
  • An air inlet hole through which air flows into the flow path is disposed at, for example, the bottom 193 .
  • An air outlet hole through which air flows out of the flow path is the opening 192 .
  • the opening 192 is exposed when the shutter 194 is slid to an open position and covered when the shutter 194 is slid to a closed position.
  • the shutter 194 has a magnet on a back surface thereof.
  • a magnetic sensor (not illustrated) included in the sensor unit 120 is attached to the top face 105 of the housing 101 within a range of movement of the shutter 194 .
  • the magnetic sensor is a Hall IC including a Hall element, an operational amplifier and the like, and outputs a voltage corresponding to the intensity of the magnetic field that passes the Hall element.
  • the controller 160 detects opening and closing of the shutter 194 based on a change in the voltage output from the magnetic sensor when the shutter 194 is slid.
  • the substrate 500 is a stick-shaped member.
  • the substrate 500 includes a substrate portion 501 and an inhalation port 502 .
  • the substrate portion 501 contains the aerosol source.
  • the aerosol source is atomized by heating to generate an aerosol.
  • the aerosol source may be, for example, a tobacco-derived material, such as a processed material obtained by forming shredded tobacco or a tobacco raw material into granular, sheet, or powder form.
  • the aerosol source may include a non-tobacco-derived material made from a plant other than tobacco (e.g., mint or herb).
  • the aerosol source may contain a flavor component such as menthol.
  • the generation device 1 is a medical inhaler, the aerosol source may include a medicine for inhalation by a patient.
  • the aerosol source is not necessarily a solid.
  • the aerosol source may be a liquid such as polyhydric alcohol or water.
  • the polyhydric alcohol include glycerol and propylene glycol.
  • At least a portion of the substrate portion 501 is accommodated in the internal space 191 of the holder 190 when the substrate 500 is held by the holder 190 .
  • the inhalation port 502 is a member on which the user sucks during inhalation. At least a portion of the inhalation port 502 protrudes from the opening 192 when the substrate 500 is held by the holder 190 . As the user sucks and inhales on the inhalation port 502 protruding from the opening 192 , air flows into the holder 190 through the air inlet hole (not illustrated). After entering the holder 190 , the air passes through the internal space 191 of the holder 190 , that is, through the substrate portion 501 , and reaches the inside of the user's mouth together with the aerosol generated from the substrate portion 501 .
  • the body 100 includes two magnets, an upper magnet 195 and a lower magnet 196 , that are exposed on the front face 102 of the housing 101 and used to connect the body 100 to the cover 10 .
  • the upper magnet 195 and the lower magnet 196 have a cylindrical shape that is circular when viewed from the front.
  • the upper magnet 195 and the lower magnet 196 are arranged so that the centers of the circles are aligned in a centerline direction of the substrate 500 held by the holder 190 (hereinafter sometimes referred to simply as a “centerline direction”).
  • the upper magnet 195 is disposed in an upper section of the body 100
  • the lower magnet 196 in a lower section of the body 100 .
  • the body 100 includes an operation button 121 exposed on the front face 102 of the housing 101 in a central region of the body 100 in the centerline direction.
  • the operation button 121 is disposed between the upper magnet 195 and the lower magnet 196 .
  • the body 100 includes the display window 108 disposed above the operation button 121 and between the upper magnet 195 and the operation button 121 .
  • the display window 108 transmits light from the light-emitting device, such as an LED, to a display window 74 of the cover 10 described below.
  • the display window 108 is a window provided at a position corresponding to the position of the light-emitting device disposed in the housing 101 of the body 100 , and transmits light from the light-emitting device to the display window 74 of the cover 10 .
  • the user can see the light on the outer surface of the cover 10 .
  • the body 100 includes a magnetic sensor 122 .
  • the magnetic sensor 122 detects magnetic force based on a magnetic field applied by a magnet 75 on the cover 10 described below.
  • the magnetic sensor 122 may be a Hall sensor including a Hall element.
  • the attachment of the cover 10 to the body 100 can be detected.
  • the cover 10 includes a cover body 11 , a power supply 20 , a sensor unit 30 , a memory 40 , a communicator 50 , and a controller 60 .
  • the cover body 11 which is a plate-shaped member that transmits light, covers the front face 102 of the housing 101 of the body 100 and is shaped to form no step between the cover body 11 and any of the left side face 103 , the right side face 104 , the top face 105 , and the bottom face 106 of the housing 101 . Accordingly, the cover 10 forms an integrated appearance together with the left side face 103 , the right side face 104 , the top face 105 , and the bottom face 106 of the housing 101 and has an ornamental function. The cover 10 also has a function of suppressing the propagation of heat emitted from the body 100 .
  • the power supply 20 , the sensor unit 30 , the memory 40 , the communicator 50 , and the controller 60 are attached to the cover body 11 .
  • the power supply 20 includes a battery 21 that stores electric power, a power feeder 22 that supplies electric power to the structural elements of the cover 10 , and a power receiver 23 that receives electric power from the power feeder 112 of the power supply 110 included in the body 100 .
  • the battery 21 may be, for example, a rechargeable battery, such as a film-shaped lithium ion secondary battery.
  • the battery 21 is charged with electric power supplied to the cover 10 from the power feeder 112 of the power supply 110 included in the body 100 .
  • the power feeder 22 supplies electric power of the battery 21 to the structural elements of the cover 10 .
  • the power feeder 22 also supplies electric power received by the power receiver 23 to the structural elements of the cover 10 .
  • the structural elements of the cover 10 including the sensor unit 30 can be operated by the electric power supplied to the cover 10 from the body 100 .
  • the power receiver 23 includes a near-field communication (NFC) reader/writer module and an NFC antenna.
  • NFC near-field communication
  • the sensor unit 30 includes an ambient air sensor that detects information of the air around the generation device 1 .
  • the information of the air may include, for example, a temperature and a humidity.
  • the sensor unit 30 may include, as examples of the ambient air sensor, a temperature sensor capable of detecting the temperature around the generation device 1 (e.g., room temperature) and a humidity sensor capable of detecting the humidity around the generation device 1 .
  • the information of the air may be an atmospheric pressure.
  • the sensor unit 30 may include, as an example of the ambient air sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor capable of detecting the atmospheric pressure around the generation device 1 .
  • the optical sensor includes a light-emitting element for emitting light toward the human body and a light-receiving element that receives the light emitted by the light-emitting element and returning from the user's body.
  • the optical sensor outputs the information related to the light received by the light-receiving element.
  • the light-emitting element is a light source and is composed of, for example, an LED.
  • the light-receiving element is composed of, for example, a photodiode.
  • the light received by the light-receiving element is, for example, light reflected by the human body.
  • the reflected light includes light scattered and reflected in the human body (that is, scattered light).
  • the vital sensor may be a sensor capable of detecting the alcohol concentration in breath exhaled by the user. Additionally, the sensor unit 30 may include a distance sensor capable of detecting the distance from the generation device 1 to an object or a color sensor capable of detecting the color of an object.
  • the sensor unit 30 includes a touch sensor 35 that detects when the cover 10 is being touched by the user. Since the user touches the touch sensor 35 to enable inhalation, in the example illustrated in FIG. 1 and other figures, the touch sensor 35 is disposed in the central region of the generation device 1 in the centerline direction. However, the position of the touch sensor 35 is not limited to the position illustrated in FIG. 1 and other figures.
  • the term “external sensor 31 ” may be hereinafter used to refer to a sensor that detects external information other than the information related to the state of the body 100 and external information other than the information related to the state of the cover 10 , that is, external information other than the information related to the state of the generation device 1 .
  • the external sensor 31 is a generic term that collectively refers to the sensors for detecting information of the external environment around the generation device 1 , such as the temperature sensor, the humidity sensor, and the atmospheric pressure sensor, the vital sensor for detecting the biological information of the user, the distance sensor, and the color sensor.
  • the external information includes the biological information, such as body temperature, heart rate, pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation level, blood flow rate, COHb, and alcohol concentration, and the information of the external environment, such as temperature and humidity.
  • the memory 40 stores various information for the operation of the cover 10 .
  • the memory 40 includes, for example, a non-volatile storage medium, such as a flash memory.
  • An example of the information stored in the memory 40 is information related to the operating system (OS) of the cover 10 , such as control details of the structural elements controlled by the controller 60 .
  • the memory 40 also stores information acquired from the sensor unit 30 .
  • the memory 40 also stores a predetermined temperature range and a predetermined humidity range described below.
  • the communicator 50 is a communication interface for transmission and reception of information between the cover 10 and an external device other than the cover 10 .
  • the communicator 50 performs communication in conformity with any wired or wireless communication standard.
  • the communication standard may be, for example, wireless local area network (LAN), wired LAN, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark).
  • the external device is the body 100 or a device other than the generation device 1 .
  • the device other than the generation device 1 may be, for example, a portable terminal 600 , such as a multifunction mobile phone (so-called “smartphone”, hereinafter sometimes referred to as “mobile phone”) of the user or a server (not illustrated).
  • the portable terminal 600 may be a tablet terminal, a tablet PC, a portable digital assistant (PDA), or a notebook PC.
  • the communicator 50 transmits the information detected by the sensor unit 30 to a mobile phone. Additionally, the communicator 50 receives new OS information from a server to update the OS information stored in the memory 40 .
  • the communicator 50 may communicate with the body 100 by, for example, near-field communication.
  • near-field communication When electric power is supplied from the body 100 to the cover 10 by near-field communication as described above, and when the communicator 50 communicates with the body 100 by near-field communication, the efficiency of communication and electric power transmission between the body 100 and the cover 10 can be increased, and the structures of the body 100 and the cover 10 can be simplified.
  • the communicator 50 When electric power is supplied from the body 100 to the cover 10 by near-field communication and when the communicator 50 communicates with the body 100 by near-field communication, the communicator 50 may be composed of the same NFC reader/writer module, NFC antenna, etc., as those of the power receiver 23 .
  • the communicator 50 may communicate with the body 100 through this power supply interface.
  • the controller 60 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a control unit, and controls the overall internal operation of the cover 10 in accordance with various programs.
  • the controller 60 is implemented by, for example, an electronic circuit, such as a CPU or a microprocessor.
  • the controller 60 may also include a ROM that stores programs, arithmetic parameters, and the like to be used and a RAM for temporarily storing parameters and the like that change as appropriate.
  • the cover 10 executes various processes under the control of the controller 60 . Examples of processes controlled by the controller 60 include supplying power from the power supply 20 to other structural elements; charging the power supply 20 ; detection by the sensor unit 30 ; storing and reading of information by the memory 40 ; and transmission and reception of information by the communicator 50 .
  • the controller 60 also controls other processes performed by the cover 10 , such as inputting information to the structural elements and processes based on information output from the structural elements.
  • the controller 60 also transmits and receives data to and from the controller 160 of the body 100 through the communicator 50 .
  • the controller 60 transmits, for example, the detections values obtained by the sensor unit 30 to the controller 160 of the body 100 .
  • the controller 60 receives, for example, notification that heating of the heater 170 has been started or stopped from the controller 160 of the body 100 .
  • the cover 10 includes an upper magnet 71 and a lower magnet 72 on a rear face 13 of the cover body 11 facing the body 100 .
  • the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72 have a cylindrical shape that is circular when viewed from the rear, and are disposed at positions corresponding to the positions of the upper magnet 195 and the lower magnet 196 provided on the body 100 .
  • the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72 are arranged in the centerline direction, and the upper magnet 71 is disposed in an upper section of the cover 10 and the lower magnet 72 in a lower section of the cover 10 .
  • the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72 of the cover 10 are N poles
  • the upper magnet 195 and the lower magnet 196 of the body 100 are S poles.
  • the cover 10 is attached to the body 100 by the attraction force between the magnets.
  • Either the magnets on the cover 10 (upper magnet 71 and lower magnet 72 ) or the magnets on the body 100 (upper magnet 195 and lower magnet 196 ) may be pieces of iron or another magnetic metal.
  • the cover 10 is not necessarily attached to the body 100 by the attraction force between the magnets.
  • the cover 10 and the body 100 may be physically fitted together.
  • one of the cover 10 and the body 100 e.g., the cover 10
  • the above-described touch sensor 35 is disposed between the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72 , in other words, in a central region of the cover 10 in the centerline direction.
  • the position of the touch sensor 35 is not limited to this.
  • the touch sensor 35 may be provided at each of a plurality positions.
  • the cover body 11 has the display window 74 formed between the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72 and above the touch sensor 35 .
  • the display window 74 is disposed at a position corresponding to the position of the display window 108 provided on the body 100 .
  • the cover body 11 is made of a material that transmits light.
  • the cover 10 transmits the light emitted by the light emitting element provided in the body 100 to the front face 12 of the cover body 11 .
  • the cover 10 includes the magnet 75 on the left side of the line connecting the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72 in FIG. 4 .
  • the magnet 75 is provided at a position corresponding to the position of the magnetic sensor 122 on the body 100 .
  • the attachment of the cover 10 to the body 100 is detected by the magnetic sensor 122 on the body 100 .
  • the external sensor 31 included in the sensor unit 30 is preferably provided at one of the ends of the cover 10 in the centerline direction, in other words, in a first region R1 above the upper magnet 71 or a second region R2 below the lower magnet 72 in FIG. 4 .
  • the external sensor 31 When, for example, the external sensor 31 is an optical sensor, the external sensor 31 includes a light-emitting element for emitting light toward a finger or the like placed in front of the front face 12 of the cover body 11 and a light-receiving element for receiving the light emitted by the light-emitting element and returning from the finger or the like. Therefore, the detection cannot be accurately performed if dirt adheres to a portion that transmits light.
  • FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the generation device 1 held in the right hand.
  • FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the generation device 1 held in the left hand.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which the external sensor 31 is disposed in the first region R1. Since the external sensor 31 is disposed in the first region R1, the user is less likely to touch the external sensor 31 . More specifically, even when the generation device 1 is held in the right or left hand as illustrated in FIG. 7 or 8 for inhalation using the generation device 1 , the hand does not easily cover a region closer to the opening 192 of the holder 190 than the upper magnet 71 (region above the upper magnet 71 ), and therefore does not easily touch the external sensor 31 .
  • the external sensor 31 is disposed in a region that is unlikely to be touched by the user, so that dirt does not easily adhere to the front face 12 of the cover 10 . Accordingly, the detection can be accurately performed.
  • the external sensor 31 since the external sensor 31 is disposed in the first region R1, the external sensor 31 does not easily receive the load applied by the user.
  • the external sensor 31 may also be disposed in the second region R2 below the lower magnet 72 . This is because, even when the generation device 1 is held in the right or left hand for inhalation using the generation device 1 , the second region R2 is where the little finger is placed and does not easily receive the load applied by the user.
  • the external sensor 31 is a sensor other than an optical sensor (e.g., a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor)
  • the external sensor 31 may be disposed in the first region R1 or the second region R2, so that the external sensor 31 does not easily receive the load applied by the user and therefore does not easily break.
  • the controller 60 includes an output unit 61 (see FIG. 6 ) that outputs the information detected by the external sensor 31 of the sensor unit 30 to the external device through the communicator 50 .
  • the output unit 61 outputs, for example, the temperature and the humidity detected by the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor, which are examples of the external sensor 31 , to the portable terminal 600 . Accordingly, the user can check the information related to the ambient air on the portable terminal 600 .
  • FIG. 9 illustrates an example of information stored in the memory 40 .
  • FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate examples of information output to the portable terminal 600 by the output unit 61 .
  • the output unit 61 Based on the temperature or the humidity detected by the temperature sensor or the humidity sensor, the output unit 61 outputs a notification that the temperature or the humidity is suitable for storage of the substrate 500 to the portable terminal 600 .
  • the memory 40 stores, as a temperature range suitable for storage of the substrate 500 , a temperature range determined in advance (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a “predetermined temperature range”).
  • a predetermined temperature range a temperature range determined in advance
  • the output unit 61 outputs the temperature detected by the temperature sensor to the portable terminal 600 together with a notification that the temperature is suitable for storage.
  • a display 601 of the portable terminal 600 displays a notification that the temperature is suitable for storage.
  • the predetermined temperature range may be, for example, 10° C. to 28° C., preferably 17° C. to 21° C.
  • the memory 40 stores, as a humidity range suitable for storage of the substrate 500 , a humidity range determined in advance (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a “predetermined humidity range”).
  • a predetermined humidity range a humidity range determined in advance
  • the output unit 61 outputs the humidity detected by the humidity sensor to the portable terminal 600 together with a notification that the humidity is suitable for storage.
  • the display 601 of the portable terminal 600 displays a notification that the humidity is suitable for storage.
  • the predetermined humidity range may be, for example, 66% to 74%, preferably 68% to 72%.
  • the memory 40 may store a predetermined temperature range as a temperature range suitable for storage of the substrate 500 and a predetermined humidity range as a humidity range suitable for storage. Then, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is within the predetermined temperature range and the humidity detected by the humidity sensor is within the predetermined humidity range, the output unit 61 may output the temperature detected by the temperature sensor and the humidity detected by the humidity sensor to the portable terminal 600 together with a notification that the temperature and the humidity are suitable for storage.
  • the output unit 61 may output the information detected by the vital sensor included in the sensor unit 30 to the portable terminal 600 .
  • the vital sensor detects at least one of the user's body temperature, heart rate, pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation level, blood flow rate, COHb, and alcohol concentration
  • the output unit 61 outputs at least one of the user's body temperature, heart rate, pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation level, blood flow rate, COHb, and alcohol concentration detected by the vital sensor to the portable terminal 600 .
  • FIG. 11 illustrates the display 601 of the portable terminal 600 displaying the body temperature and heart rate when the sensor unit 30 includes a vital sensor that detects the user's body temperature and heart rate and when the output unit 61 outputs the body temperature and heart rate detected by the vital sensor to the portable terminal 600 .
  • This display allows the user to check the information related to their own body on the portable terminal 600 .
  • the controller 160 of the body 100 allows the generation of an aerosol when the cover 10 is attached. Namely, the controller 160 allows the heater 170 to be heated when the cover 10 is attached to the body 100 . In other words, the cover 10 is attached to the body 100 to allow the body 100 to heat the heater 170 . As described above, the controller 160 is capable of determining that the cover 10 is attached to the body 100 by using the output value of the Hall sensor.
  • controller 160 of the body 100 may control the heating of the heater 170 based on the output of the sensor unit 30 of the cover 10 .
  • the generation device 1 can be appropriately operated based on the state of the user.
  • the quality of inhalation experience (e.g., smoking experience) experienced by the user by using the generation device 1 is affected by the user's condition. Therefore, even when the aerosol source and the flavor source suit the user's preference, the user may not be able to have a high-quality inhalation experience if the user is not feeling well. If the generation device 1 generates an aerosol even though the user is unable to have a high-quality inhalation experience, the aerosol source and the flavor source may be wasted.
  • the generation device 1 generates an aerosol even though the user is unable to have a high-quality inhalation experience
  • the generation device 1 may restrict the heater 170 from being heated if the value detected by the vital sensor included in the sensor unit 30 is outside a predetermined range.
  • the predetermined range of the detection value of the vital sensor in which the heating of the heater 170 is allowed may be referred to as a “predetermined allowable range”.
  • the predetermined allowable range when the vital sensor is a sensor capable of detecting the user's body temperature, the predetermined allowable range may be 38° C. or less.
  • the predetermined allowable range When the vital sensor is a sensor capable of detecting the user's heart rate, the predetermined allowable range may be 65 to 85 bpm (times/min).
  • the vital sensor When the vital sensor is a sensor capable of detecting the user's pulse rate, the predetermined allowable range may be 65 to 100 bpm (times/min).
  • the vital sensor is a sensor capable of detecting the blood oxygen saturation level, the predetermined allowable range may be 96% or more.
  • the predetermined allowable range When the vital sensor is a sensor capable of detecting the blood flow rate, the predetermined allowable range may be 20 to 60 ml/min/100 g.
  • the predetermined allowable range may be less than 2%.
  • the vital sensor is an alcohol sensor capable of detecting the alcohol concentration in the exhaled breath, the predetermined allowable range may be 0.20 mg or less.
  • the memory 140 stores the predetermined allowable range for each type of biological information. Then, the controller 160 of the body 100 may acquire the detection value of the vital sensor from the cover 10 and restrict the heater 170 from being heated when the detection value is outside the predetermined allowable range.
  • FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an example of a heat control process performed by the controller 160 .
  • the controller 160 repeats this process every preset time interval (e.g., 1 millisecond).
  • the controller 160 determines whether or not a heating command is issued (S 1201 ).
  • the heating command may be issued when, for example, the touch sensor 35 is continuously touched for a predetermined time (e.g., 3 seconds).
  • a heating command is issued (YES in S 1201 )
  • the controller 160 determines whether or not the cover 10 is attached (S 1202 ). This process is a process of determining whether or not the magnetic sensor 122 has detected magnetic force.
  • the controller 160 determines whether or not the value detected by the vital sensor is within the predetermined allowable range (S 1203 ). When the value is within the predetermined allowable range (YES in S 1203 ), the controller 160 starts to heat the heater 170 (S 1204 ). Also, the controller 160 transmits a notification that the heating of the heater 170 has been started to the controller 60 of the cover 10 . Then, the controller 160 heats the heater 170 in accordance with the control sequence stored in the memory 140 of the body 100 and specifying the temporal change in the target temperature of the heater 170 during heating of the heater 170 , and then stops heating the heater 170 . After the controller 160 stops heating the heater 170 , the controller 160 transmits a notification that the heating of the heater 170 has been stopped to the controller 60 of the cover 10 .
  • the controller 160 does not start to heat the heater 170 (S 1205 ) when the heating command is not issued (NO in S 1201 ), when the cover 10 is not attached (NO in S 1202 ), or when the value detected by the vital sensor is not within the predetermined allowable range (NO in S 1203 ).
  • the controller 160 of the body 100 allows the heater 170 to be heated when the detection value of the vital sensor is within the predetermined allowable range. This enables the user to have a high-quality inhalation experience and prevents wasting of the aerosol source or the like.
  • the controller 160 may allow the heater 170 to be heated irrespective of the detection value of the vital sensor. As an example of the heat control process performed irrespective of the detection value of the vital sensor, the controller 160 may start to heat the heater 170 without performing the determination in S 1203 in FIG. 12 if the cover 10 is attached (YES in S 1202 ).
  • the controller 160 may allow the heater 170 to be heated even when the cover 10 is not attached.
  • the controller 160 may start to heat the heater 170 without performing the determination in S 1202 in FIG. 12 if the detection value of the vital sensor is within the predetermined allowable range (YES in S 1203 ).
  • the on state of the switch of a sensor may be referred to as the on state of the sensor, and the off state of the switch of a sensor as the off state of the sensor.
  • the switch of the touch sensor 35 is constantly on, and an on signal is output to the controller 60 when the cover 10 is touched by the user.
  • the switch of the external sensor 31 is turned on when the on signal is output from the touch sensor 35 , in other words, when the cover 10 is touched by the user. While the external sensor 31 is in the on state, the external sensor 31 performs detection every predetermined time interval (e.g., 1 second).
  • the switch of the touch sensor 35 may be turned off while the heater 170 of the body 100 is being heated.
  • the external sensor 31 may be turned off.
  • the touch sensor 35 and the external sensor 31 are turned off while the heater 170 of the body 100 is being heated as described above, energy can be saved.
  • FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example of the on-off control process performed by the controller 60 .
  • the controller 60 is activated when, for example, the touch sensor 35 detects that the cover 10 is touched by the user, and repeats the process illustrated in FIG. 13 every preset time interval (e.g., 1 millisecond).
  • the controller 60 transmits a notification that the controller 60 is activated to the controller 160 of the body 100 (S 1301 ). Then, the controller 60 turns on the switch of the external sensor 31 (S 1302 ), and transmits the detection value of the external sensor 31 to the controller 160 of the body 100 (S 1303 ). After that, the controller 60 determines whether or not the heating of the heater 170 of the body 100 is started (S 1304 ). In this process, the controller 60 determines whether or not a notification that the heating of the heater 170 is started is received from the controller 160 of the body 100 .
  • the controller 60 When the heating is started (YES in S 1304 ), the controller 60 turns off the switch of the touch sensor 35 (S 1305 ). When the touch sensor 35 is off, the touch sensor 35 stops outputting the on signal. Accordingly, the controller 60 turns off the external sensor 31 (S 1306 ). After that, the controller 60 determines whether or not the heating of the heater 170 of the body 100 is stopped (S 1307 ). When the heating is not stopped (NO in S 1307 ), the controller 60 waits until the heating is stopped.
  • the controller 60 turns on the switch of the touch sensor 35 (S 1308 ). After that, the controller 60 determines whether or not the user's touch on the cover 10 is detected by the touch sensor 35 (S 1309 ). When the user's touch is detected by the touch sensor 35 (YES in S 1309 ), the controller 60 performs the process of S 1302 and the following steps. When the user's touch is not detected by the touch sensor 35 (NO in S 1309 ), the controller 60 transmits a notification that the controller 60 is to be powered off to the controller 160 of the body 100 (S 1310 ), and is powered off (S 1311 ).
  • the controller 60 When the heating is not started (NO in S 1304 ), the controller 60 performs the process of S 1309 and the following steps.
  • FIG. 14 is an example of information output to the portable terminal 600 by the output unit 61 .
  • the output unit 61 of the controller 60 When the external sensor 31 included in the sensor unit 30 fails, the output unit 61 of the controller 60 outputs a notification that the external sensor 31 has failed to the portable terminal 600 .
  • the output unit 61 outputs a notification that the humidity sensor has failed to the portable terminal 600 .
  • the display 601 of the portable terminal 600 displays a notification that the humidity sensor has failed.
  • the external sensor 31 fails due to, for example, disconnection or short-circuiting.
  • the controller 60 determines that the external sensor 31 has failed when no output value can be received from the external sensor 31 .
  • the output unit 61 may output a notification to the portable terminal 600 depending on the type of the external sensor 31 .
  • the output unit 61 may output a notification to the portable terminal 600 when the vital sensor, the temperature sensor, or the humidity sensor fails, but may output no notification to the portable terminal 600 when the atmospheric pressure sensor, the distance sensor, or the color sensor fails.
  • the reason why a notification is output to the portable terminal 600 when the vital sensor fails is because the heating of the heater 170 is not allowed unless the detection value of the vital sensor is within the predetermined allowable range, and the user may not be able to inhale the aerosol when the vital sensor fails.
  • the reason why a notification is output to the portable terminal 600 when the temperature sensor or the humidity sensor fails is because the user cannot be notified that the temperature and the humidity are within the predetermined temperature range and the predetermined humidity range, respectively.
  • the types of the external sensor 31 for which a notification is output to the portable terminal 600 in case of failure and the types of the external sensor 31 for which no notification is output to the portable terminal 600 in case of failure are not particularly limited, and may be set as appropriate.
  • FIG. 15 illustrates examples of sensors and whether or not a notification is required to be output to the portable terminal 600 for each sensor.
  • the memory 40 stores whether or not a notification is to be output to the portable terminal 600 in case of failure of the external sensor 31 for each type of the external sensor 31 included in the sensor unit 30 .
  • the memory 40 stores information that a notification is required to be output to the portable terminal 600 when the vital sensors, the temperature sensor, or the humidity sensor fails but is not required to be output to the portable terminal 600 when the atmospheric pressure sensor, the distance sensor, or the color sensor fails.
  • the output unit 61 may output a notification to the portable terminal 600 if the memory 40 stores information that a notification is required in case of failure of that sensor, and may output no notification to the portable terminal 600 if the memory 40 stores information that no notification is required in case of failure of that sensor.
  • the output unit 61 outputs a notification that the vital sensor has failed to the portable terminal 600 .
  • the output unit 61 does not output a notification that the atmospheric pressure sensor has failed to the portable terminal 600 .
  • the cover 10 is attachable to the body 100 including the heater 170 that heats the substrate 500 containing the aerosol source.
  • the cover 10 includes the external sensor 31 , the communicator 50 , and the output unit 61 .
  • the external sensor 31 is an example of a sensor that detects external information other than the internal information related to the state of the body 100 (e.g., the temperature of the heater 170 ) and the internal information related to the state of the cover 10 .
  • the communicator 50 performs communication.
  • the output unit 61 outputs the external information detected by the external sensor 31 to an external device other than the cover 10 (for example, portable terminal 600 ) through the communicator 50 .
  • the user can check their biological information, such as body temperature, heart rate, pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation level, blood flow rate, COHb, and alcohol concentration, and information of the external environment, such as temperature and humidity, on the portable terminal 600 , for example. Therefore, the user's convenience can be improved.
  • the external sensor 31 may be provided at one of the ends in the centerline direction of the column-shaped holder 190 formed in the body 100 to accommodate a portion of the substrate 500 . Accordingly, the external sensor 31 does not easily receive the load applied by the user, so that the external sensor 31 does not easily break.
  • the cover 10 may further include the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72 , which are examples of connectors to be connected to the body 100 .
  • the external sensor 31 may be closer to the opening 192 in the holder 190 than the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72 in the centerline direction of the column-shaped holder 190 formed in the body 100 to accommodate a portion of the substrate 500 . Since the region closer to the opening 192 than the upper magnet 71 (region above the upper magnet 71 ) is unlikely to be touched by the user when the user holds the generation device 1 in the right or left hand for inhalation, dirt does not easily adhere to the front face 12 of the cover 10 . Accordingly, the detection can be accurately performed.
  • the external sensor 31 may detect the temperature or the humidity, and the output unit 61 may output a notification that the temperature or the humidity is suitable for the storage of the substrate 500 to the external device (for example, portable terminal 600 ) based on the temperature or the humidity detected by the external sensor 31 .
  • the cover 10 is structured as described above, the user can check the location suitable for the storage of the substrate 500 on, for example, the portable terminal 600 , and accordingly the user's convenience can be improved.
  • the substrate 500 can be stored at an appropriate location.
  • the output unit 61 may output a notification that the external sensor 31 has failed to the external device (for example, the portable terminal 600 ). Accordingly, the user can be notified that the external sensor 31 has failed.
  • the cover 10 may include a plurality of sensors (e.g., the temperature sensor and the vital sensors), and may also include the memory 40 that stores whether or not a notification is required in case of failure for each of the sensors.
  • the output unit 61 outputs a notification to the external device (for example, portable terminal 600 ) if the memory 40 stores information that a notification is required in case of failure of that sensor, and outputs no notification to the external device if the memory 40 stores information that no notification is required in case of failure of that sensor.
  • a notification of failure may or may not be presented depending on the type of the sensor, and the user can be informed only of truly necessary information, so that the convenience can be improved.
  • more energy can be saved than when a notification of failure is output to the external device for all of the sensors.
  • the cover 10 communicates with the external device by using a first antenna 51 for Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and a second antenna 52 for Bluetooth (registered trademark), which are attached at different positions.
  • the purpose of this is to suppress reduction in the communication speed and disconnection caused when Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark) are used simultaneously due to interference between the waves thereof because Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark) use overlapped frequency bands.
  • one of the antennas is provided at one of the ends in the centerline direction, and the other antenna is provided at the other end in the centerline direction.
  • the first antenna 51 for Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is provided in the first region R1 above the upper magnet 71
  • the second antenna 52 for Bluetooth is provided in the second region R2 below the lower magnet 72 .
  • the communicator 50 of the cover 10 is capable of performing communication using a plurality of wireless communication systems (Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark)) with different communication ranges.
  • Wi-Fi registered trademark
  • Bluetooth registered trademark
  • the antennas used for the respective wireless communication systems the first antenna 51 (example of one antenna) is provided at one of ends in the centerline direction of the column-shaped holder 190 formed in the body 100 to accommodate a portion of the substrate 500 holding the aerosol source, and the second antenna 52 (example of another antenna) is disposed at the other end. This arrangement can suppress the reduction in the communication speed and disconnection caused when the wireless communication systems are used simultaneously due to interference between the waves thereof.
  • the cover 10 having the above-described structure includes the battery 21 . Therefore, even when the cover 10 is not attached to the body 100 , the temperature, the humidity, the biological information, etc., can be detected by the external sensor 31 and output to the portable terminal 600 . Therefore, the user can find a location suitable for storage of the substrate 500 without carrying the body 100 .
  • the cover 10 since the cover 10 includes the battery 21 , even when the electric power supply from the body 100 to the cover 10 becomes unstable for some reason, the battery 21 can reliably supply electric power to the structural elements of the cover 10 . Therefore, the structural elements can be reliably operated.
  • the structural elements e.g., external sensor 31
  • the structural elements mountable in the cover 10 are limited if only contactless power transmission is used.
  • the flexibility of the structural elements mountable in the cover 10 can be increased.
  • the cover 10 may have no battery 21 and be operated only by the electric power supplied from the body 100 through contactless power transmission when the cover 10 is attached to the body 100 or when the cover 10 is near the body 100 .
  • each type of cover 10 may include different types of sensors.
  • one cover 10 may include only the temperature sensor, the humidity sensor, and the atmospheric pressure sensor while another cover 10 includes only the vital sensors.
  • the user can replace the cover 10 to change the functions provided by the generation device 1 .
  • the cover 10 when the cover 10 is replaceable, the cover 10 can be replaced to change the appearance of the generation device 1 .
  • the user can customize the appearance and function of the generation device 1 based on, for example, their preference. As a result, the product value of the generation device 1 can be increased.
  • the cover 10 When the cover 10 is removably attachable to the body 100 , for example, in case of failure of the body 100 , only the body 100 may be replaced and the cover 10 may be continuously used. Since the cover 10 includes the memory 40 , when only the body 100 is replaced, the information stored in the memory 140 of the body 100 can be transferred to the memory 40 of the cover 10 .
  • the information stored in the memory 140 of the body 100 may be, for example, the programs of the heat control process described with reference to FIG. 12 and the control sequence specifying the temporal change in the target temperature of the heater 170 during heating of the heater 170 .
  • the information may be transferred by contactless power transmission, such as near-field communication, or by forming a USB terminal on the cover 10 and connecting a cable to this USB terminal and the USB terminal 113 of the body 100 .
  • the cover 10 is not limited to this.
  • a projection that projects from the rear face 13 toward the body 100 may be provided at a position corresponding to the operation button 121 of the body 100 and between the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72 , and the projection may be capable of pressing the operation button 121 when the cover 10 is elastically deformed.
  • Whether or not the heating command is issued may be determined based on whether the operation button 121 is operated in a predetermined manner (e.g., continuously pressed for 3 seconds).
  • the touch sensor 35 may be provided on the cover 10 to detect when the cover 10 is touched by the user, and the switch of the external sensor 31 may be turned on when the cover 10 is touched by the user.
  • the present disclosure includes the following structures.
  • the cover includes a plurality of sensors, wherein the cover further includes a memory that stores whether or not a notification is required in case of failure for each of the sensors, and wherein, when one of the plurality of sensors fails, the output unit outputs a notification to the external device if the memory stores information that a notification is required in case of failure of the one of the plurality of sensors, and outputs no notification to the external device if the memory stores information that no notification is required in case of failure of the one of the plurality of sensors.
  • An aerosol generation device including: a body including a heater that heats a substrate containing an aerosol source; and the cover according to any one of (1) to (7) attached to the body.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Measuring And Recording Apparatus For Diagnosis (AREA)
  • Investigating Or Analyzing Materials By The Use Of Fluid Adsorption Or Reactions (AREA)
  • Arrangements For Transmission Of Measured Signals (AREA)
  • Infusion, Injection, And Reservoir Apparatuses (AREA)
US19/073,070 2022-09-12 2025-03-07 Cover, and aerosol generation device Pending US20250194674A1 (en)

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KR20250112309A (ko) * 2018-03-14 2025-07-23 필립모리스 프로덕츠 에스.에이. 바이오센서를 갖는 에어로졸 발생 시스템
CN112312786B (zh) * 2018-07-10 2024-11-15 菲利普莫里斯生产公司 具有空气质量传感器的气溶胶生成系统
JP6550519B1 (ja) * 2018-10-30 2019-07-24 日本たばこ産業株式会社 エアロゾル生成装置の電源ユニット、エアロゾル生成装置の電源ユニットの制御方法、およびエアロゾル生成装置の電源ユニット用プログラム
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WO2021059377A1 (ja) 2019-09-25 2021-04-01 日本たばこ産業株式会社 バッテリユニット、情報処理方法、及びプログラム
KR102427856B1 (ko) 2020-04-13 2022-08-01 주식회사 케이티앤지 에어로졸 생성 장치 및 이를 제어하는 방법
EP4094604A4 (en) 2020-05-25 2023-10-25 Japan Tobacco Inc. INHALATION DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD AND PROGRAM
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