WO2022239408A1

WO2022239408A1 - Power supply unit for aerosol generation device

Info

Publication number: WO2022239408A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/009467
Authority: WO
Inventors: 達也青山; 拓嗣川中子; 徹長浜; 貴司藤木; 亮吉田
Original assignee: 日本たばこ産業株式会社
Priority date: 2021-05-10
Filing date: 2022-03-04
Publication date: 2022-11-17

Abstract

Provided is an aerosol generation device achieving reductions in size and cost.　An inhaler (100) comprises: a power supply (BAT); a receptacle (RCP) electrically connectable to an external power supply; an MCU (1); a charge IC (2) including an input terminal (VBUS) connected to the receptacle (RCP), a charge terminal (bat) connected to the power supply (BAT), and an output terminal (SYS) connected to the MCU (1); and a discharge path which is capable of supplying from the power supply (BAT) a current greater than a maximum current that the output terminal (SYS) can output, and which is connected to a heater (HTR). The charge IC (2) is configured to be able to supply power input to the charge terminal (bat) from the power supply (BAT) to the MCU (1) via the output terminal (SYS).

Description

Power supply unit for aerosol generator

The present invention relates to a power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

Patent Document 1 describes an evaporator device that can receive voltage from a USB power source or a battery and has a converter that can supply the received voltage to a heating element. This converter is configured to charge the battery with the voltage from the USB power supply.

Patent Document 2 discloses a primary device including a primary power source and a charging device that charges the primary power source, and a secondary device including a secondary power source that is charged by the primary power source and a load that generates heat when fed from the secondary power source. A smoking system comprising: The smoking system allows direct powering of the load from the primary power source.

Patent Document 3 describes an electronic cigarette capable of supplying power from a charger to a heating element of a cigarette cartridge.

U.S. Patent Publication No. 2020/0120991 WO2018/167817 Japanese special table 2015-500647

When a charging IC is provided in an aerosol generating device equipped with a power supply, it is conceivable to use the Power Path function of the charging IC to supply power from an external power supply or a built-in power supply to a load such as a heater or controller. However, when the load connected to the output terminal of the charging IC increases, the current output from the output terminal increases, and it is necessary to use a large-scale and high-cost charging IC.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an aerosol generator that can achieve miniaturization and cost reduction.

A power supply unit for an aerosol generation device according to one aspect of the present invention is a power supply unit for an aerosol generation device that heats an aerosol source to generate an aerosol, comprising: a power source; a connector electrically connectable to an external power source; 1 load, an input terminal connected to the connector, a charging terminal connected to the power supply, and an output terminal connected to the first load; a charging IC configured to output from a terminal; a current larger than a maximum current that the output terminal can output from the power supply; and connected to a second load different from the first load. and a discharge path, wherein the charging IC is configured to be capable of supplying power input from the power supply to the charging terminal to the first load via the output terminal.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an aerosol generating device that can achieve miniaturization and cost reduction.

1 is a perspective view of a non-combustion inhaler; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a non-combustion inhaler showing a state in which a rod is attached; FIG. Fig. 10 is another perspective view of a non-combustion type inhaler; 1 is an exploded perspective view of a non-combustion inhaler; FIG. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the internal unit of the non-combustion inhaler; FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the internal unit of FIG. 5; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the internal unit with the power supply and chassis removed; FIG. 11 is another perspective view of the internal unit with the power supply and chassis removed; It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation mode of an aspirator. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the electric circuit of an internal unit. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the electric circuit of an internal unit. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the electric circuit of an internal unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of an electric circuit in sleep mode; It is a figure for demonstrating the operation|movement of the electric circuit in active mode. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in the heating initial setting mode; It is a figure for demonstrating the operation|movement of the electric circuit at the time of the heating of the heater in heating mode. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit when detecting the temperature of the heater in the heating mode; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in charging mode; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of an electric circuit when an MCU is reset (restarted); It is a figure which shows schematic structure inside charging IC.

A suction system, which is one embodiment of the aerosol generator of the present invention, will be described below with reference to the drawings. This suction system includes a non-combustion type suction device 100 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "suction device 100"), which is an embodiment of the power supply unit of the present invention, and a rod 500 heated by the suction device 100. . In the following description, a configuration in which the suction device 100 accommodates the heating unit in a non-detachable manner will be described as an example. However, the heating unit may be detachably attached to the aspirator 100 . For example, the rod 500 and the heating unit may be integrated and detachably attached to the aspirator 100 . In other words, the power supply unit of the aerosol generator may have a configuration that does not include the heating section as a component. It should be noted that "non-detachable" refers to a mode in which detachment is not possible as far as the intended use is concerned. Alternatively, an induction heating coil provided in the aspirator 100 and a susceptor built in the rod 500 may cooperate to form a heating unit.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the aspirator 100. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the suction device 100 showing a state in which the rod 500 is attached. FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the suction device 100. FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the aspirator 100. FIG. Also, in the following description, for the sake of convenience, the orthogonal coordinate system of a three-dimensional space is used, in which the three mutually orthogonal directions are the front-back direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction. In the figure, the front is indicated by Fr, the rear by Rr, the right by R, the left by L, the upper by U, and the lower by D.

The inhaler 100 generates flavor-containing aerosol by heating an elongated, substantially cylindrical rod 500 (see FIG. 2) as an example of a flavor component-generating base having a filling containing an aerosol source and a flavor source. configured to

<Flavor component-generating base material (rod)>
Rod 500 includes a fill containing an aerosol source that is heated at a predetermined temperature to produce an aerosol.

The type of aerosol source is not particularly limited, and extracts from various natural products and/or their constituent components can be selected according to the application. The aerosol source may be solid or liquid, for example polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin, propylene glycol, or water. The aerosol source may include a flavor source such as a tobacco material or an extract derived from the tobacco material that releases flavor components upon heating. The gas to which the flavor component is added is not limited to an aerosol, and for example an invisible vapor may be generated.

The filling of rod 500 may contain tobacco shreds as a flavor source. Materials for shredded tobacco are not particularly limited, and known materials such as lamina and backbone can be used. The filling may contain one or more perfumes. The type of flavoring agent is not particularly limited, but menthol is preferable from the viewpoint of imparting a good smoking taste. Flavor sources may contain plants other than tobacco, such as mints, herbal medicines, or herbs. Depending on the application, rod 500 may not contain a flavor source.

<Overall configuration of non-combustion type aspirator>
Next, the overall configuration of the suction device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.
The suction device 100 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case 110 having a front surface, a rear surface, a left surface, a right surface, an upper surface, and a lower surface. The case 110 comprises a bottomed cylindrical case body 112 in which front, rear, top, bottom, and right surfaces are integrally formed, and a left surface that seals an opening 114 (see FIG. 4) of the case body 112. It has an outer panel 115 , an inner panel 118 , and a slider 119 .

The inner panel 118 is fixed to the case body 112 with bolts 120 . The outer panel 115 is fixed to the case body 112 so as to cover the outer surface of the inner panel 118 by a magnet 124 held by a chassis 150 (see FIG. 5) housed in the case body 112 and described later. Since the outer panel 115 is fixed by the magnet 124, the user can replace the outer panel 115 according to his or her preference.

The inner panel 118 is provided with two through holes 126 through which the magnets 124 pass. The inner panel 118 is further provided with a longitudinally elongated hole 127 and a circular round hole 128 between the two vertically arranged through holes 126 . This long hole 127 is for transmitting light emitted from eight LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) L1 to L8 built in the case body 112 . A button-type operation switch OPS built in the case body 112 passes through the round hole 128 . Thereby, the user can detect the light emitted from the eight LEDs L1 to L8 through the LED window 116 of the outer panel 115. FIG. Also, the user can press down the operation switch OPS via the pressing portion 117 of the outer panel 115 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper surface of the case body 112 is provided with an opening 132 into which the rod 500 can be inserted. The slider 119 is coupled to the case body 112 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction between a position for closing the opening 132 (see FIG. 1) and a position for opening the opening 132 (see FIG. 2).

The operation switch OPS is used to perform various operations of the aspirator 100. For example, the user operates the operation switch OPS via the pressing portion 117 while inserting the rod 500 into the opening 132 as shown in FIG. Thus, the heating unit 170 (see FIG. 5) heats the rod 500 without burning it. When the rod 500 is heated, an aerosol is generated from the aerosol source contained in the rod 500 and the flavor of the flavor source contained in the rod 500 is added to the aerosol. The user can inhale the flavor-containing aerosol by holding the mouthpiece 502 of the rod 500 projecting from the opening 132 and inhaling.

　On the bottom surface of the case main body 112, as shown in Fig. 3, a charging terminal 134 is provided for receiving power supply by being electrically connected to an external power source such as an outlet or a mobile battery. In this embodiment, the charging terminal 134 is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) Type-C receptacle, but is not limited to this. Charging terminal 134 is hereinafter also referred to as receptacle RCP.

It should be noted that the charging terminal 134 may include, for example, a power receiving coil and be configured to be capable of contactlessly receiving power transmitted from an external power supply. The wireless power transfer method in this case may be an electromagnetic induction type, a magnetic resonance type, or a combination of the electromagnetic induction type and the magnetic resonance type. As another example, the charging terminal 134 can be connected to various USB terminals or the like, and may have the power receiving coil described above.

The configuration of the aspirator 100 shown in FIGS. 1-4 is merely an example. The inhaler 100 holds the rod 500 and applies an action such as heating to generate gas to which a flavor component is added from the rod 500, and the user can inhale the generated gas. It can be configured in various forms.

<Internal configuration of non-combustion type aspirator>
The internal unit 140 of the suction device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the internal unit 140 of the suction device 100. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the internal unit 140 of FIG. 5. FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of internal unit 140 with power supply BAT and chassis 150 removed. FIG. 8 is another perspective view of the internal unit 140 with the power supply BAT and chassis 150 removed.

The internal unit 140 housed in the internal space of the case 110 includes a chassis 150, a power supply BAT, a circuit section 160, a heating section 170, a notification section 180, and various sensors.

The chassis 150 includes a plate-shaped chassis body 151 arranged substantially in the center of the interior space of the case 110 in the front-rear direction and extending in the vertical and front-rear directions, and a chassis body 151 disposed substantially in the center of the interior space of the case 110 in the front-rear direction. A plate-shaped front and rear dividing wall 152 extending in the vertical and horizontal directions, a plate-shaped upper and lower dividing wall 153 extending forward from substantially the center of the front and rear dividing wall 152 in the vertical direction, the front and rear dividing wall 152 and the upper edges of the chassis body 151 and a plate-shaped chassis lower wall 155 extending rearward from the front-rear dividing wall 152 and the lower edge of the chassis body 151 . The left surface of the chassis body 151 is covered with the inner panel 118 and the outer panel 115 of the case 110 described above.

The internal space of the case 110 is defined by a chassis 150 such that a heating unit housing area 142 is defined in the upper front, a board housing area 144 is defined in the lower front, and a power supply housing space 146 is defined in the rear to extend vertically. ing.

The heating part 170 housed in the heating part housing area 142 is composed of a plurality of tubular members, which are concentrically arranged to form a tubular body as a whole. The heating section 170 has a rod housing section 172 capable of housing a portion of the rod 500 therein, and a heater HTR (see FIGS. 10 to 19) that heats the rod 500 from its outer circumference or center. Preferably, the surface of the rod housing portion 172 and the heater HTR are insulated by forming the rod housing portion 172 from a heat insulating material or providing a heat insulating material inside the rod housing portion 172 . The heater HTR may be any element that can heat the rod 500 . The heater HTR is, for example, a heating element. Heating elements include heating resistors, ceramic heaters, induction heaters, and the like. As the heater HTR, for example, one having a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) characteristic in which the resistance value increases as the temperature increases is preferably used. Alternatively, a heater HTR having NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient) characteristics in which the resistance value decreases as the temperature increases may be used. The heating part 170 has a function of defining a flow path of air to be supplied to the rod 500 and a function of heating the rod 500 . The case 110 is formed with a vent (not shown) for introducing air, and is configured to allow air to enter the heating unit 170 .

The power supply BAT housed in the power supply housing space 146 is a rechargeable secondary battery, an electric double layer capacitor, or the like, preferably a lithium ion secondary battery. The electrolyte of the power supply BAT may be composed of one or a combination of a gel electrolyte, an electrolytic solution, a solid electrolyte, and an ionic liquid.

The notification unit 180 notifies various information such as the SOC (State Of Charge) indicating the state of charge of the power supply BAT, the preheating time during suction, and the suction possible period. The notification unit 180 of this embodiment includes eight LEDs L1 to L8 and a vibration motor M. The notification unit 180 may be composed of light emitting elements such as LEDs L1 to L8, may be composed of vibrating elements such as the vibration motor M, or may be composed of sound output elements. The notification unit 180 may be a combination of two or more elements selected from the light emitting element, the vibration element, and the sound output element.

Various sensors include an intake air sensor that detects the user's puff action (sucking action), a power supply temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the power supply BAT, a heater temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the heater HTR, and a case temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the case 110. , a cover position sensor that detects the position of the slider 119, a panel detection sensor that detects attachment/detachment of the outer panel 115, and the like.

The intake sensor is mainly composed of a thermistor T2 arranged near the opening 132, for example. The power supply temperature sensor is mainly composed of, for example, a thermistor T1 arranged near the power supply BAT. The heater temperature sensor is mainly composed of, for example, a thermistor T3 arranged near the heater HTR. As described above, the rod housing portion 172 is preferably insulated from the heater HTR. In this case, the thermistor T3 is preferably in contact with or close to the heater HTR inside the rod housing portion 172 . If the heater HTR has PTC characteristics or NTC characteristics, the heater HTR itself may be used as the heater temperature sensor. The case temperature sensor is mainly composed of, for example, a thermistor T4 arranged near the left surface of the case 110 . The cover position sensor is mainly composed of a Hall IC 14 including a Hall element arranged near the slider 119 . The panel detection sensor is mainly composed of a Hall IC 13 including a Hall element arranged near the inner surface of the inner panel 118 .

The circuit section 160 includes four circuit boards, multiple ICs (Integrate Circuits), and multiple elements. The four circuit boards are an MCU-mounted board 161 on which an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) 1 and a charging IC 2, which will be described later, are mainly arranged, a receptacle-mounted board 162 mainly on which charging terminals 134 are arranged, an operation switch OPS, and an LED An LED mounting substrate 163 on which L1 to L8 and a communication IC 15 described later are arranged, and a Hall IC mounting substrate 164 on which a Hall IC 14 including a Hall element constituting a cover position sensor is arranged.

The MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are arranged parallel to each other in the board accommodation area 144 . More specifically, the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are arranged such that their element mounting surfaces are arranged along the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and the MCU mounting board 161 is arranged in front of the receptacle mounting board 162. . The MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are each provided with openings. The MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are fastened with bolts 136 to the board fixing portion 156 of the front/rear dividing wall 152 with a cylindrical spacer 173 interposed between the peripheral edges of these openings. That is, the spacer 173 fixes the positions of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 inside the case 110 and mechanically connects the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 . As a result, it is possible to prevent the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 from coming into contact with each other and causing a short-circuit current between them.

For the sake of convenience, the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 have

main surfaces

161a and 162a that face forward, and

secondary surfaces

161b and 162b that are opposite to the main surfaces 161a and 162a. and the main surface 162a of the receptacle mounting substrate 162 face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween. A main surface 161 a of the MCU mounting board 161 faces the front surface of the case 110 , and a secondary surface 162 b of the receptacle mounting board 162 faces the front and rear dividing walls 152 of the chassis 150 . Elements and ICs mounted on the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 will be described later.

The LED mounting board 163 is arranged on the left side of the chassis body 151 and between the two magnets 124 arranged vertically. The element mounting surface of the LED mounting substrate 163 is arranged along the vertical direction and the front-rear direction. In other words, the element mounting surfaces of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are orthogonal to the element mounting surface of the LED mounting board 163 . In this way, the element mounting surfaces of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 and the element mounting surface of the LED mounting board 163 are not limited to being orthogonal, but preferably intersect (non-parallel). The vibration motor M, which forms the notification unit 180 together with the LEDs L1 to L8, is fixed to the bottom surface of the chassis bottom wall 155 and electrically connected to the MCU mounting board 161. FIG.

The Hall IC mounting board 164 is arranged on the upper surface of the chassis upper wall 154 .

<Operation mode of the aspirator>
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation modes of the aspirator 100. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the operating modes of the suction device 100 include charging mode, sleep mode, active mode, heating initialization mode, heating mode, and heating termination mode.

The sleep mode is a mode for saving power by stopping the power supply to the electronic parts required for heating control of the heater HTR.

The active mode is a mode in which most functions except heating control of the heater HTR are enabled. When the slider 119 is opened while the suction device 100 is operating in the sleep mode, the operation mode is switched to the active mode. When the slider 119 is closed or the non-operating time of the operation switch OPS reaches a predetermined time while the aspirator 100 is operating in the active mode, the operating mode is switched to the sleep mode.

The heating initial setting mode is a mode for initializing control parameters and the like for starting heating control of the heater HTR. When the aspirator 100 detects the operation of the operation switch OPS while operating in the active mode, it switches the operation mode to the heating initial setting mode, and when the initial setting is completed, switches the operation mode to the heating mode.

The heating mode is a mode that executes heating control of the heater HTR (heating control for aerosol generation and heating control for temperature detection). The aspirator 100 starts heating control of the heater HTR when the operation mode is switched to the heating mode.

The heating end mode is a mode for executing heating control end processing (heating history storage processing, etc.) of the heater HTR. In a state in which the suction device 100 is operating in the heating mode, when the energization time of the heater HTR or the number of times of suction by the user reaches the upper limit, or when the slider 119 is closed, the operation mode is switched to the heating end mode. , when the termination process is completed, the operation mode is switched to the active mode. When the USB connection is established while the aspirator 100 is operating in the heating mode, the operating mode is switched to the heating end mode, and when the end processing is completed, the operating mode is switched to the charging mode. As shown in FIG. 9, in this case, the operating mode may be switched to the active mode before switching the operating mode to the charging mode. In other words, the aspirator 100 may switch the operation mode in order of the heating end mode, the active mode, and the charging mode when the USB connection is made while operating in the heating mode.

The charging mode is a mode in which the power supply BAT is charged with power supplied from an external power supply connected to the receptacle RCP. The aspirator 100 switches the operation mode to the charge mode when an external power source is connected (USB connection) to the receptacle RCP while operating in sleep mode or active mode. The aspirator 100 switches the operation mode to the sleep mode when the charging of the power supply BAT is completed or the connection between the receptacle RCP and the external power supply is released while operating in the charging mode.

<Outline of internal unit circuit>
10, 11, and 12 are diagrams showing the schematic configuration of the electric circuit of the internal unit 140. FIG. 11 shows a range 161A mounted on the MCU mounting board 161 (range surrounded by thick dashed lines) and a range 163A mounted on the LED mounting board 163 (range surrounded by thick solid lines) in the electric circuit shown in FIG. It is the same as FIG. 12 is the same as FIG. 10 except that a range 162A mounted on the receptacle mounting board 162 and a range 164A mounted on the Hall IC mounting board 164 are added to the electric circuit shown in FIG. is.

The wiring indicated by the thick solid line in FIG. 10 is the wiring (the wiring connected to the ground provided in the internal unit 140) that has the same potential as the reference potential (ground potential) of the internal unit 140. It is described as a ground line below. In FIG. 10, an electronic component in which a plurality of circuit elements are chipped is indicated by a rectangle, and the symbols of various terminals are indicated inside the rectangle. A power supply terminal VCC and a power supply terminal VDD mounted on the chip indicate power supply terminals on the high potential side, respectively. A power supply terminal VSS and a ground terminal GND mounted on the chip indicate power supply terminals on the low potential side (reference potential side). In a chipped electronic component, the power supply voltage is the difference between the potential of the power supply terminal on the high potential side and the potential of the power supply terminal on the low potential side. Chipped electronic components use this power supply voltage to perform various functions.

As shown in FIG. 11, the MCU-mounted board 161 (range 161A) includes, as main electronic components, an MCU1 that controls the entire sucker 100, a charging IC2 that controls charging of the power source BAT, a capacitor, a resistor load switches (hereinafter referred to as LSW) 3, 4, 5, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 6, a switch driver 7, and a step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 (in the figure, buck-boost DC/DC 8), operational amplifier OP2, operational amplifier OP3, flip-flops (FF) 16, 17, connector Cn (t2) (which is electrically connected to thermistor T2 constituting an intake sensor) ( The figure shows the thermistor T2 connected to this connector), and a connector Cn(t3) electrically connected to the thermistor T3 constituting the heater temperature sensor (the figure shows the thermistor T3 connected to this connector). ), a connector Cn (t4) electrically connected to the thermistor T4 constituting the case temperature sensor (in the drawing, the thermistor T4 connected to this connector is shown), and a voltage dividing circuit Pc for detecting USB connection. , is provided.

A ground terminal GND of each of the charging IC 2, LSW3, LSW4, LSW5, switch driver 7, step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8, FF16, and FF17 is connected to a ground line. A power terminal VSS of the ROM 6 is connected to the ground line. A negative power supply terminal of each of the operational amplifiers OP2 and OP3 is connected to the ground line.

As shown in FIG. 11, the LED mounting board 163 (area 163A) has, as main electronic components, a Hall IC 13 including a Hall element constituting a panel detection sensor, LEDs L1 to L8, an operation switch OPS, a communication IC 15 and are provided. The communication IC 15 is a communication module for communicating with electronic devices such as smartphones. A power supply terminal VSS of the Hall IC 13 and a ground terminal GND of the communication IC 15 are each connected to a ground line. Communication IC 15 and MCU 1 are configured to be communicable via communication line LN. One end of the operation switch OPS is connected to the ground line, and the other end of the operation switch OPS is connected to the terminal P4 of the MCU1.

As shown in FIG. 12, the receptacle mounting board 162 (range 162A) includes a power connector electrically connected to the power supply BAT as a main electronic component (in the figure, the power supply BAT connected to this power connector is shown). ), a connector electrically connected to a thermistor T1 constituting a power supply temperature sensor (in the figure, the thermistor T1 connected to this connector is shown), and a boost DC/DC converter 9 (in the figure, a boost DC/DC 9 ), the protection IC 10, the overvoltage protection IC 11, the fuel gauge IC 12, the receptacle RCP, the switches S3 to S6 configured by MOSFETs, the operational amplifier OP1, and the heater HTR. (positive electrode side and negative electrode side) heater connectors Cn are provided.

Two ground terminals GND of receptacle RCP, ground terminal GND of step-up DC/DC converter 9, power supply terminal VSS of protection IC 10, power supply terminal VSS of fuel gauge IC 12, ground terminal GND of overvoltage protection IC 11, and operational amplifier The negative power supply terminals of OP1 are each connected to the ground line.

As shown in FIG. 12, the Hall IC mounting substrate 164 (area 164A) is provided with a Hall IC 14 including a Hall element that constitutes a cover position sensor. A power terminal VSS of the Hall IC 14 is connected to the ground line. The output terminal OUT of the Hall IC 14 is connected to the terminal P8 of the MCU1. The MCU1 detects opening/closing of the slider 119 from a signal input to the terminal P8.

As shown in FIG. 11, a connector electrically connected to the vibration motor M is provided on the MCU mounting board 161 .

<Details of internal unit circuit>
The connection relationship and the like of each electronic component will be described below with reference to FIG. 10 .

The two power supply input terminals V _BUS of the receptacle RCP are each connected to the input terminal IN of the overvoltage protection IC11 via a fuse Fs. When a USB plug is connected to the receptacle RCP and a USB cable including this USB plug is connected to an external power supply, the USB voltage V _USB is supplied to the two power input terminals V _BUS of the receptacle RCP.

An input terminal IN of the overvoltage protection IC 11 is connected to one end of a voltage dividing circuit Pa consisting of a series circuit of two resistors. The other end of the voltage dividing circuit Pa is connected to the ground line. A connection point between the two resistors forming the voltage dividing circuit Pa is connected to the voltage detection terminal OVLo of the overvoltage protection IC11. The overvoltage protection IC 11 outputs the voltage input to the input terminal IN from the output terminal OUT when the voltage input to the voltage detection terminal OVLo is less than the threshold. The overvoltage protection IC 11 stops voltage output from the output terminal OUT (cuts off the electrical connection between the LSW3 and the receptacle RCP) when the voltage input to the voltage detection terminal OVLo exceeds the threshold (overvoltage). By doing so, the electronic components downstream of the overvoltage protection IC 11 are protected. The output terminal OUT of the overvoltage protection IC11 is connected to the input terminal VIN of the LSW3 and one end of the voltage dividing circuit Pc (series circuit of two resistors) connected to the MCU1. The other end of the voltage dividing circuit Pc is connected to the ground line. A connection point of the two resistors forming the voltage dividing circuit Pc is connected to the terminal P17 of the MCU1.

An input terminal VIN of LSW3 is connected to one end of a voltage dividing circuit Pf consisting of a series circuit of two resistors. The other end of the voltage dividing circuit Pf is connected to the ground line. A connection point between the two resistors forming the voltage dividing circuit Pf is connected to the control terminal ON of the LSW3. The collector terminal of the bipolar transistor S2 is connected to the control terminal ON of LSW3. The emitter terminal of the bipolar transistor S2 is connected to the ground line. The base terminal of bipolar transistor S2 is connected to terminal P19 of MCU1. When the signal input to the control terminal ON becomes high level, the LSW3 outputs the voltage input to the input terminal VIN from the output terminal VOUT. The output terminal VOUT of LSW3 is connected to the input terminal VBUS of charging IC2. The MCU1 turns on the bipolar transistor S2 while the USB connection is not made. As a result, the control terminal ON of LSW3 is connected to the ground line via the bipolar transistor S2, so that a low level signal is input to the control terminal ON of LSW3.
The bipolar transistor S2 connected to LSW3 is turned off by MCU1 when the USB connection is made. By turning off the bipolar transistor S2, the _USB voltage VUSB divided by the voltage dividing circuit Pf is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW3. Therefore, when the USB connection is made and the bipolar transistor S2 is turned off, a high level signal is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW3. As a result, the LSW 3 outputs the USB voltage VUSB supplied from the _USB cable from the output terminal VOUT. Even if the USB connection is made while the bipolar transistor S2 is not turned off, the control terminal ON of the LSW3 is connected to the ground line via the bipolar transistor S2. Therefore, it should be noted that a low level signal continues to be input to the control terminal ON of LSW3 unless MCU1 turns off bipolar transistor S2.

The positive terminal of the power supply BAT is connected to the power supply terminal VDD of the protection IC 10, the input terminal VIN of the step-up DC/DC converter 9, and the charging terminal bat of the charging IC2. Therefore, the power supply voltage V _BAT of the power supply BAT is supplied to the protection IC 10 , the charging IC 2 and the step-up DC/DC converter 9 . A resistor Ra, a switch Sa composed of a MOSFET, a switch Sb composed of a MOSFET, and a resistor Rb are connected in series in this order to the negative terminal of the power supply BAT. A current detection terminal CS of the protection IC 10 is connected to a connection point between the resistor Ra and the switch Sa. Control terminals of the switches Sa and Sb are connected to the protection IC 10 . Both ends of the resistor Rb are connected to the fuel gauge IC12.

The protection IC 10 acquires the value of the current flowing through the resistor Ra during charging and discharging of the power supply BAT from the voltage input to the current detection terminal CS, and when this current value becomes excessive (overcurrent), the switch Sa , the switch Sb is controlled to open and close to stop the charging or discharging of the power source BAT, thereby protecting the power source BAT. More specifically, when the protection IC 10 acquires an excessive current value while charging the power supply BAT, it stops charging the power supply BAT by turning off the switch Sb. When the protection IC 10 acquires an excessive current value during discharging of the power supply BAT, the protection IC 10 stops discharging the power supply BAT by turning off the switch Sa. In addition, when the voltage value of the power supply BAT becomes abnormal from the voltage input to the power supply terminal VDD (in the case of overcharge or overvoltage), the protection IC 10 performs opening/closing control of the switch Sa and the switch Sb to The power supply BAT is protected by stopping the charging or discharging of BAT. More specifically, when the protection IC 10 detects that the power supply BAT is overcharged, the protection IC 10 stops charging the power supply BAT by turning off the switch Sb. When detecting overdischarge of the power supply BAT, the protection IC 10 turns off the switch Sa to stop the discharge of the power supply BAT.

A resistor Rt1 is connected to a connector connected to the thermistor T1 arranged near the power supply BAT. A series circuit of the resistor Rt1 and the thermistor T1 is connected to the ground line and the regulator terminal TREG of the fuel gauge IC12. A connection point between the thermistor T1 and the resistor Rt1 is connected to a thermistor terminal THM of the fuel gauge IC12. The thermistor T1 may be a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) thermistor whose resistance value increases as the temperature increases, or an NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient) thermistor whose resistance value decreases as the temperature increases.

The fuel gauge IC 12 detects the current flowing through the resistor Rb, and based on the detected current value, indicates the remaining capacity of the power supply BAT, SOC (State Of Charge) indicating the state of charge, and SOH (State Of Charge) indicating the state of health. Health) and other battery information. The fuel gauge IC12 supplies a voltage to the voltage dividing circuit of the thermistor T1 and the resistor Rt1 from the built-in regulator connected to the regulator terminal TREG. The fuel gauge IC 12 acquires the voltage divided by this voltage dividing circuit from the thermistor terminal THM, and acquires temperature information regarding the temperature of the power supply BAT based on this voltage. The fuel gauge IC12 is connected to the MCU1 via a communication line LN for serial communication, and is configured to be able to communicate with the MCU1. The fuel gauge IC12 transmits the derived battery information and the acquired temperature information of the power supply BAT to the MCU1 in response to a request from the MCU1. Note that serial communication requires a plurality of signal lines such as a data line for data transmission and a clock line for synchronization. Note that only one signal line is shown in FIGS. 10-19 for simplicity.

The fuel gauge IC 12 has a notification terminal 12a. The notification terminal 12a is connected to the terminal P6 of the MCU1 and the cathode of a diode D2, which will be described later. When the fuel gauge IC 12 detects an abnormality such as an excessive temperature of the power supply BAT, it notifies the MCU 1 of the occurrence of the abnormality by outputting a low-level signal from the notification terminal 12a. This low level signal is also input to the CLR (~) terminal of the FF 17 via the diode D2.

One end of the reactor Lc is connected to the switching terminal SW of the step-up DC/DC converter 9 . The other end of this reactor Lc is connected to the input terminal VIN of the step-up DC/DC converter 9 . The step-up DC/DC converter 9 performs on/off control of the built-in transistor connected to the switching terminal SW to step up the input voltage and output it from the output terminal VOUT. The input terminal VIN of the step-up DC/DC converter 9 constitutes a power supply terminal of the step-up DC/DC converter 9 on the high potential side. The boost DC/DC converter 9 performs a boost operation when the signal input to the enable terminal EN is at high level. In the USB-connected state, the signal input to the enable terminal EN of the boost DC/DC converter 9 may be controlled to be low level by the MCU1. Alternatively, in the USB-connected state, the MCU 1 does not control the signal input to the enable terminal EN of the boost DC/DC converter 9, so that the potential of the enable terminal EN may be made indefinite.

The output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC/DC converter 9 is connected to the source terminal of the switch S4 composed of a P-channel MOSFET. The gate terminal of switch S4 is connected to terminal P15 of MCU1. One end of the resistor Rs is connected to the drain terminal of the switch S4. The other end of the resistor Rs is connected to a positive heater connector Cn connected to one end of the heater HTR. A voltage dividing circuit Pb consisting of two resistors is connected to the connection point between the switch S4 and the resistor Rs. A connection point of the two resistors forming the voltage dividing circuit Pb is connected to the terminal P18 of the MCU1. A connection point between the switch S4 and the resistor Rs is further connected to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1.

A connection line between the output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC/DC converter 9 and the source terminal of the switch S4 is connected to the source terminal of the switch S3 composed of a P-channel MOSFET. The gate terminal of switch S3 is connected to terminal P16 of MCU1. A drain terminal of the switch S3 is connected to a connection line between the resistor Rs and the heater connector Cn on the positive electrode side. Thus, a circuit including the switch S3 and a circuit including the switch S4 and the resistor Rs are connected in parallel between the output terminal VOUT of the boost DC/DC converter 9 and the positive electrode side of the heater connector Cn. . Since the circuit including the switch S3 does not have a resistor, it has a lower resistance than the circuit including the switch S4 and the resistor Rs.

The non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the connection line between the resistor Rs and the heater connector Cn on the positive electrode side. The inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the negative heater connector Cn connected to the other end of the heater HTR and to the drain terminal of the switch S6 composed of an N-channel MOSFET. The source terminal of switch S6 is connected to the ground line. A gate terminal of the switch S6 is connected to the terminal P14 of the MCU1, the anode of the diode D4, and the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC/DC converter 9. The cathode of diode D4 is connected to the Q terminal of FF17. One end of a resistor R4 is connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP1. The other end of the resistor R4 is connected to the terminal P9 of the MCU1 and the drain terminal of the switch S5 composed of an N-channel MOSFET. A source terminal of the switch S5 is connected to the ground line. A gate terminal of the switch S5 is connected to a connection line between the resistor Rs and the heater connector Cn on the positive electrode side.

The input terminal VBUS of charging IC2 is connected to the anode of each of LEDs L1-L8. The cathodes of the LEDs L1-L8 are connected to the control terminals PD1-PD8 of the MCU1 via current limiting resistors. That is, LEDs L1 to L8 are connected in parallel to the input terminal VBUS. The LEDs L1 to L8 are operable by the USB voltage V _USB supplied from the USB cable connected to the receptacle RCP and the voltage supplied from the power supply BAT via the charging IC2. The MCU 1 incorporates transistors (switching elements) connected to each of the control terminals PD1 to PD8 and the ground terminal GND. The MCU1 turns on the transistor connected to the control terminal PD1 to energize the LED L1 to light it, and turns off the transistor connected to the control terminal PD1 to turn off the LED L1. By switching on and off the transistor connected to the control terminal PD1 at high speed, the brightness and light emission pattern of the LED L1 can be dynamically controlled. LEDs L2 to L8 are similarly controlled by the MCU1.

The charging IC2 has a charging function of charging the power supply BAT based on the _USB voltage VUSB input to the input terminal VBUS. The charging IC 2 acquires the charging current and charging voltage of the power supply BAT from terminals and wiring (not shown), and based on these, performs charging control of the power supply BAT (power supply control from the charging terminal bat to the power supply BAT). Also, the charging IC 2 may acquire the temperature information of the power supply BAT transmitted from the fuel gauge IC 12 to the MCU 1 from the MCU 1 through serial communication using the communication line LN, and use it for charging control.

The charging IC2 further comprises a V _BAT power pass function and an OTG function. The V _BAT power pass function is a function of outputting from the output terminal SYS a system power supply voltage Vcc0 substantially matching the power supply voltage V _BAT input to the charging terminal bat. The OTG function is a function for outputting from the input terminal VBUS a system power supply voltage _Vcc4 obtained by boosting the power supply voltage VBAT input to the charging terminal bat. ON/OFF of the OTG function of the charging IC 2 is controlled by the MCU 1 through serial communication using the communication line LN. In addition, in the OTG function, the power supply voltage V _BAT input to the charging terminal bat may be directly output from the input terminal VBUS. In this case, power supply voltage VBAT and system power supply voltage _Vcc4 are substantially the same.

The output terminal SYS of the charging IC 2 is connected to the input terminal VIN of the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 . One end of a reactor La is connected to the switching terminal SW of the charging IC2. The other end of the reactor La is connected to the output terminal SYS of the charging IC2. A charge enable terminal CE (~) of the charge IC2 is connected to a terminal P22 of the MCU1 via a resistor. Furthermore, the collector terminal of the bipolar transistor S1 is connected to the charge enable terminal CE (~) of the charge IC2. The emitter terminal of the bipolar transistor S1 is connected to the output terminal VOUT of the LSW4 which will be described later. The base terminal of bipolar transistor S1 is connected to the Q terminal of FF17. Furthermore, one end of a resistor Rc is connected to the charge enable terminal CE (~) of the charge IC2. The other end of the resistor Rc is connected to the output terminal VOUT of LSW4.

A resistor is connected to the input terminal VIN and enable terminal EN of the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 . By inputting the system power supply voltage Vcc0 from the output terminal SYS of the charging IC 2 to the input terminal VIN of the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8, the signal input to the enable terminal EN of the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 is at a high level. Then, the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 starts step-up operation or step-down operation. The step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 steps up or steps down the system power supply voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN by switching control of the built-in transistor connected to the reactor Lb to generate the system power supply voltage Vcc1, and the output terminal VOUT. Output from The output terminal VOUT of the buck-boost DC/DC converter 8 includes the feedback terminal FB of the buck-boost DC/DC converter 8, the input terminal VIN of the LSW 4, the input terminal VIN of the switch driver 7, the power supply terminal VCC and the D terminal of the FF 16. and connected to A wiring to which system power supply voltage Vcc1 output from output terminal VOUT of step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 is supplied is referred to as power supply line PL1.

When the signal input to the control terminal ON becomes high level, the LSW4 outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc1 input to the input terminal VIN from the output terminal VOUT. The control terminal ON of LSW4 and the power supply line PL1 are connected via a resistor. Therefore, by supplying the system power supply voltage Vcc1 to the power supply line PL1, a high level signal is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW4. The voltage output from LSW4 is the same as the system power supply voltage Vcc1 if wiring resistance and the like are ignored. Described as voltage Vcc2.

The output terminal VOUT of the LSW4 is connected to the power supply terminal VDD of the MCU1, the input terminal VIN of the LSW5, the power supply terminal VDD of the fuel gauge IC12, the power supply terminal VCC of the ROM6, the emitter terminal of the bipolar transistor S1, and the resistor Rc. , and the power supply terminal VCC of the FF 17 . A wiring to which system power supply voltage Vcc2 output from output terminal VOUT of LSW4 is supplied is referred to as power supply line PL2.

When the signal input to the control terminal ON becomes high level, the LSW5 outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc2 input to the input terminal VIN from the output terminal VOUT. A control terminal ON of LSW5 is connected to terminal P23 of MCU1. The voltage output from LSW5 is the same as the system power supply voltage Vcc2 if wiring resistance and the like are ignored. Described as voltage Vcc3. A wiring to which system power supply voltage Vcc3 output from output terminal VOUT of LSW5 is supplied is referred to as power supply line PL3.

A series circuit of a thermistor T2 and a resistor Rt2 is connected to the power supply line PL3, and the resistor Rt2 is connected to the ground line. The thermistor T2 and the resistor Rt2 form a voltage dividing circuit, and their connection point is connected to the terminal P21 of the MCU1. The MCU1 detects the temperature variation (resistance value variation) of the thermistor T2 based on the voltage input to the terminal P21, and determines the presence or absence of the puff operation based on the amount of temperature variation.

A series circuit of a thermistor T3 and a resistor Rt3 is connected to the power supply line PL3, and the resistor Rt3 is connected to the ground line. The thermistor T3 and the resistor Rt3 form a voltage dividing circuit, and their connection point is connected to the terminal P13 of the MCU1 and the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. The MCU1 detects the temperature of the thermistor T3 (corresponding to the temperature of the heater HTR) based on the voltage input to the terminal P13.

A series circuit of a thermistor T4 and a resistor Rt4 is connected to the power supply line PL3, and the resistor Rt4 is connected to the ground line. The thermistor T4 and the resistor Rt4 form a voltage dividing circuit, and the connection point between them is connected to the terminal P12 of the MCU1 and the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3. The MCU1 detects the temperature of the thermistor T4 (corresponding to the temperature of the case 110) based on the voltage input to the terminal P12.

A source terminal of a switch S7 composed of a MOSFET is connected to the power supply line PL2. The gate terminal of switch S7 is connected to terminal P20 of MCU1. A drain terminal of the switch S7 is connected to one of a pair of connectors to which the vibration motor M is connected. The other of the pair of connectors is connected to the ground line. The MCU1 can control the opening/closing of the switch S7 by manipulating the potential of the terminal P20, and vibrate the vibration motor M in a specific pattern. A dedicated driver IC may be used instead of the switch S7.

A positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 and a voltage dividing circuit Pd (a series circuit of two resistors) connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 are connected to the power supply line PL2. A connection point between the two resistors forming the voltage dividing circuit Pd is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. The operational amplifier OP2 outputs a signal corresponding to the temperature of the heater HTR (signal corresponding to the resistance value of the thermistor T3). In this embodiment, since the thermistor T3 has the NTC characteristic, the higher the temperature of the heater HTR (the temperature of the thermistor T3), the lower the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP2. This is because the negative power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP2 is connected to the ground line, and the voltage value input to the inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP2 (divided voltage value by thermistor T3 and resistor Rt3) is the non-inverting input of operational amplifier OP2. This is because the value of the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes substantially equal to the value of the ground potential when it becomes higher than the voltage value input to the terminal (divided voltage value by the voltage dividing circuit Pd). That is, when the temperature of the heater HTR (the temperature of the thermistor T3) becomes high, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes low level.
When a thermistor T3 having a PTC characteristic is used, the output of the voltage dividing circuit of the thermistor T3 and the resistor Rt3 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2, and the dividing circuit is connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. The output of the pressure circuit Pd may be connected.

A positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 and a voltage dividing circuit Pe (a series circuit of two resistors) connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 are connected to the power supply line PL2. A connection point between the two resistors forming the voltage dividing circuit Pe is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3. The operational amplifier OP3 outputs a signal corresponding to the temperature of the case 110 (a signal corresponding to the resistance value of the thermistor T4). In this embodiment, the thermistor T4 having the NTC characteristic is used, so the higher the temperature of the case 110, the lower the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP3. This is because the negative power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP3 is connected to the ground line, and the voltage value input to the inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP3 (divided voltage value by thermistor T4 and resistor Rt4) is the non-inverting input of operational amplifier OP3. This is because the value of the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP3 becomes substantially equal to the value of the ground potential when it becomes higher than the voltage value input to the terminal (divided voltage value by the voltage dividing circuit Pe). That is, when the temperature of the thermistor T4 becomes high, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP3 becomes low level.
When a thermistor T4 having a PTC characteristic is used, the output of the voltage dividing circuit of the thermistor T4 and the resistor Rt4 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3, and the dividing circuit is connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3. The output of the pressure circuit Pe may be connected.

A resistor R1 is connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. A cathode of a diode D1 is connected to the resistor R1. The anode of the diode D1 is connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP3, the D terminal of the FF17, and the CLR (~) terminal of the FF17. A connection line between the resistor R1 and the diode D1 is connected to a resistor R2 connected to the power supply line PL1. Also, the CLR (~) terminal of the FF 16 is connected to this connection line.

One end of a resistor R3 is connected to the connection line between the anode of the diode D1 and the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 and the D terminal of the FF17. The other end of resistor R3 is connected to power supply line PL2. Furthermore, the anode of the diode D2 connected to the notification terminal 12a of the fuel gauge IC12, the anode of the diode D3, and the CLR (~) terminal of the FF 17 are connected to this connection line. The cathode of diode D3 is connected to terminal P5 of MCU1.

When the temperature of the heater HTR becomes excessive and the signal output from the operational amplifier OP2 becomes low and the signal input to the CLR (~) terminal becomes low level, the FF16 outputs a high level signal from the Q (~) terminal. Input to terminal P11 of MCU1. A high-level system power supply voltage Vcc1 is supplied from the power supply line PL1 to the D terminal of the FF16. Therefore, in the FF 16, a low level signal continues to be output from the Q (~) terminal unless the signal input to the CLR (~) terminal operating in negative logic becomes low level.

The signal input to the CLR (~) terminal of the FF 17 is when the temperature of the heater HTR becomes excessive, when the temperature of the case 110 becomes excessive, and when an abnormality is detected from the notification terminal 12a of the fuel gauge IC 12. When the low-level signal shown is output, it becomes low-level. The FF 17 outputs a low level signal from the Q terminal when the signal input to the CLR (~) terminal becomes low level. This low-level signal is input to terminal P10 of MCU1, the gate terminal of switch S6, the enable terminal EN of boost DC/DC converter 9, and the base terminal of bipolar transistor S1 connected to charging IC2. be. When a low level signal is input to the gate terminal of the switch S6, the gate-source voltage of the N-channel MOSFET constituting the switch S6 becomes less than the threshold voltage, so the switch S6 is turned off. When a low level signal is input to the enable terminal EN of the boost DC/DC converter 9, the boost operation stops because the enable terminal EN of the boost DC/DC converter 9 is positive logic. When a low level signal is input to the base terminal of the bipolar transistor S1, the bipolar transistor S1 is turned on (amplified current is output from the collector terminal). When the bipolar transistor S1 is turned on, the high level system power supply voltage Vcc2 is input to the CE (~) terminal of the charging IC2 through the bipolar transistor S1. Since the CE (~) terminal of the charging IC2 is of negative logic, the charging of the power source BAT is stopped. As a result, the heating of the heater HTR and the charging of the power supply BAT are stopped. Even if the MCU1 attempts to output a low-level enable signal from the terminal P22 to the charge enable terminal CE (~) of the charging IC2, when the bipolar transistor S1 is turned on, the amplified current is transferred from the collector terminal to the MCU1 and the charge enable terminal CE (~) of the charge IC2. Note that a high level signal is input to the charge enable terminal CE (~) of the charge IC2.

A high-level system power supply voltage Vcc2 is supplied from the power supply line PL2 to the D terminal of the FF17. Therefore, the FF 17 continues to output a high level signal from the Q terminal unless the signal input to the CLR (~) terminal operating in negative logic becomes low level. When a low level signal is output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP3, a low level signal is input to the CLR (~) terminal of the FF17 regardless of the level of the signal output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. . Note that when a high level signal is output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2, the low level signal output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 is not affected by the high level signal due to the diode D1. sea bream. Further, when a low level signal is output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2, even if a high level signal is output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP3, the high level signal is passed through the diode D1. signal.

The power line PL2 is further branched from the MCU mounting board 161 toward the LED mounting board 163 and the Hall IC mounting board 164 side. The power terminal VDD of the hall IC 13, the power terminal VCC of the communication IC 15, and the power terminal VDD of the hall IC 14 are connected to the branched power line PL2.

The output terminal OUT of the Hall IC 13 is connected to the terminal P3 of the MCU1 and the terminal SW2 of the switch driver 7. When the outer panel 115 is removed, a low level signal is output from the output terminal OUT of the Hall IC 13 . The MCU 1 determines whether or not the outer panel 115 is attached based on the signal input to the terminal P3.

A series circuit (a series circuit of a resistor and a capacitor) connected to the operation switch OPS is provided on the LED mounting board 163 . This series circuit is connected to power supply line PL2. A connection point between the resistor and the capacitor in this series circuit is connected to the terminal P4 of the MCU 1, the operation switch OPS, and the terminal SW1 of the switch driver 7. FIG. When the operation switch OPS is not pressed, the operation switch OPS is not conductive, and the signals input to the terminal P4 of the MCU1 and the terminal SW1 of the switch driver 7 are at a high level due to the system power supply voltage Vcc2. When the operation switch OPS is pressed and turned on, the signals input to the terminal P4 of the MCU 1 and the terminal SW1 of the switch driver 7 are connected to the ground line, and thus become low level. The MCU1 detects the operation of the operation switch OPS from the signal input to the terminal P4.

The switch driver 7 is provided with a reset input terminal RSTB. The reset input terminal RSTB is connected to the control terminal ON of LSW4. When the levels of the signals input to the terminals SW1 and SW2 are both low (the outer panel 115 is removed and the operation switch OPS is pressed), the switch driver 7 By outputting a low level signal from the reset input terminal RSTB, the output operation of LSW4 is stopped. In other words, when the operation switch OPS, which is originally pushed down via the pressing portion 117 of the outer panel 115, is directly pushed down by the user with the outer panel 115 removed, the signal is input to the terminals SW1 and SW2 of the switch driver 7. become low level.

<Operation for each operating mode of the aspirator>
The operation of the electric circuit shown in FIG. 10 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 13 to 19. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in sleep mode. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in active mode. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in the heating initial setting mode. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit during heating of the heater HTR in the heating mode. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit when the temperature of the heater HTR is detected in the heating mode. FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in charging mode. FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit when the MCU 1 is reset (restarted). In each of FIGS. 13 to 19, among the terminals of the chipped electronic component, the terminals surrounded by dashed ellipses have inputs or outputs such as the power supply voltage V _BAT , the USB voltage V _USB , and the system power supply voltage. It shows the terminals that have been made.

In any operation mode, the power supply voltage V _BAT is input to the power supply terminal VDD of the protection IC 10, the input terminal VIN of the step-up DC/DC converter 9, and the charging terminal bat of the charging IC 2. FIG.

<Sleep mode: Fig. 13>
MCU1 enables the V _BAT power pass function of charging IC2 and disables the OTG function and charging function. Since the _USB voltage VUSB is not input to the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC2, the _VBAT power pass function of the charging IC2 is enabled. Since the signal for enabling the OTG function is not output from the MCU1 to the charging IC2 from the communication line LN, the OTG function is disabled. Therefore, the charging IC2 generates the system power supply voltage _Vcc0 from the power supply voltage VBAT input to the charging terminal bat, and outputs it from the output terminal SYS. The system power supply voltage Vcc0 output from the output terminal SYS is input to the input terminal VIN and enable terminal EN of the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 . The buck-boost DC/DC converter 8 is enabled by inputting a high-level system power supply voltage Vcc0 to an enable terminal EN of positive logic, generates a system power supply voltage Vcc1 from the system power supply voltage Vcc0, and outputs it to an output terminal VOUT. Output from The system power supply voltage Vcc1 output from the output terminal VOUT of the buck-boost DC/DC converter 8 is applied to the input terminal VIN of the LSW4, the control terminal ON of the LSW4, the input terminal VIN of the switch driver 7, the power supply terminal VCC of the FF16, and the D terminal and , respectively.

When the system power supply voltage Vcc1 is input to the control terminal ON, the LSW4 outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc1 input to the input terminal VIN as the system power supply voltage Vcc2 from the output terminal VOUT. The system power supply voltage Vcc2 output from the LSW4 is applied to the power supply terminal VDD of the MCU1, the input terminal VIN of the LSW5, the power supply terminal VDD of the Hall IC 13, the power supply terminal VCC of the communication IC 15, and the power supply terminal VDD of the Hall IC 14. is entered. Furthermore, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is the power supply terminal VDD of the fuel gauge IC12, the power supply terminal VCC of the ROM 6, the resistor Rc and the bipolar transistor S1 connected to the charge enable terminal CE (~) of the charging IC2, and the FF17. They are supplied to the power supply terminal VCC, the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP3, the voltage dividing circuit Pe, the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP2, and the voltage dividing circuit Pd. The bipolar transistor S1 connected to the charging IC2 is off unless a low level signal is output from the Q terminal of the FF17. Therefore, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 generated by the LSW4 is also input to the charging enable terminal CE (~) of the charging IC2. Since the charge enable terminal CE (~) of the charge IC2 is of negative logic, the charge function of the charge IC2 is turned off in this state.

Thus, in the sleep mode, LSW 5 stops outputting system power supply voltage Vcc3, so power supply to electronic components connected to power supply line PL3 is stopped. Also, in the sleep mode, the OTG function of the charging IC 2 is stopped, so power supply to the LEDs L1 to L8 is stopped.

<Active mode: Fig. 14>
When the MCU 1 detects that the signal input to the terminal P8 becomes high level from the sleep mode state of FIG. 13 and the slider 119 is opened, it inputs a high level signal from the terminal P23 to the control terminal ON of the LSW5. . As a result, the LSW 5 outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc2 input to the input terminal VIN from the output terminal VOUT as the system power supply voltage Vcc3. The system power supply voltage Vcc3 output from the output terminal VOUT of the LSW5 is supplied to the thermistor T2, the thermistor T3, and the thermistor T4.

Further, when the MCU1 detects that the slider 119 is opened, the MCU1 enables the OTG function of the charging IC2 via the communication line LN. As a result, the charging IC2 outputs from the input terminal VBUS a system power supply voltage _Vcc4 obtained by boosting the power supply voltage VBAT input from the charging terminal bat. The system power supply voltage Vcc4 output from the input terminal VBUS is
It is fed to the LEDs L1-L8.

<Heating initial setting mode: Fig. 15>
From the state of FIG. 14, when the signal input to the terminal P4 becomes low level (the operation switch OPS is pressed), the MCU1 performs various settings necessary for heating, and then boosts the voltage from the terminal P14. A high-level enable signal is input to the enable terminal EN of the DC/DC converter 9 . As a result, the step-up DC/DC converter 9 outputs the driving voltage V _bst obtained by stepping up the power supply voltage V _BAT from the output terminal VOUT. The drive voltage _Vbst is supplied to switch S3 and switch S4. In this state, the switches S3 and S4 are off. Also, the switch S6 is turned on by the high-level enable signal output from the terminal P14. As a result, the negative terminal of the heater HTR is connected to the ground line, and the heater HTR can be heated by turning on the switch S3. After a high-level enable signal is output from the terminal P14 of the MCU1, the mode shifts to the heating mode.

<Heater heating in heating mode: Fig. 16>
In the state of FIG. 15, the MCU1 starts switching control of the switch S3 connected to the terminal P16 and switching control of the switch S4 connected to the terminal P15. These switching controls may be automatically started when the heating initial setting mode described above is completed, or may be started by further pressing the operation switch OPS. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, the MCU 1 turns on the switch S3 and turns off the switch S4 to supply the driving voltage _Vbst to the heater HTR to heat the heater HTR for generating aerosol. and temperature detection control for detecting the temperature of the heater HTR by turning off the switch S3 and turning on the switch S4 as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 16, during heating control, the driving voltage _Vbst is also supplied to the gate of the switch S5 to turn on the switch S5. Further, during heating control, the drive voltage _Vbst that has passed through the switch S3 is also input to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 via the resistor Rs. The resistance value of the resistor Rs is negligibly small compared to the internal resistance value of the operational amplifier OP1. Therefore, during heating control, the voltage input to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is approximately equal to the drive voltage _Vbst .

It should be noted that the resistance value of the resistor R4 is greater than the ON resistance value of the switch S5. Although the operational amplifier OP1 operates during heating control, the switch S5 is turned on during heating control. When the switch S5 is on, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP1 is divided by the voltage dividing circuit of the resistor R4 and the switch S5 and input to the terminal P9 of the MCU1. Since the resistance value of the resistor R4 is higher than the ON resistance value of the switch S5, the voltage input to the terminal P9 of the MCU1 is sufficiently reduced. This can prevent a large voltage from being input from the operational amplifier OP1 to the MCU1.

<Heater temperature detection in heating mode: Fig. 17>
As shown in FIG. 17, during temperature detection control, the driving voltage _Vbst is input to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 and also to the voltage dividing circuit Pb. The voltage divided by the voltage dividing circuit Pb is input to the terminal P18 of the MCU1. Based on the voltage input to the terminal P18, the MCU1 acquires the reference voltage V _temp applied to the series circuit of the resistor Rs and the heater HTR during temperature detection control.

Further, during temperature detection control, the driving voltage V _bst (reference voltage V _temp ) is supplied to the series circuit of the resistor Rs and the heater HTR. A voltage V _heat obtained by dividing the driving voltage V _bst (reference voltage V _temp ) by the resistor Rs and the heater HTR is input to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1. Since the resistance value of the resistor Rs is sufficiently higher than the resistance value of the heater HTR, the voltage V _heat is sufficiently lower than the driving voltage V _bst . During temperature detection control, the switch S5 is turned off by supplying the low voltage V _heat to the gate terminal of the switch S5. The operational amplifier OP1 amplifies and outputs the difference between the voltage input to the inverting input terminal and the voltage V _heat input to the non-inverting input terminal.

The output signal of operational amplifier OP1 is input to terminal P9 of MCU1. The MCU1 obtains the temperature of the heater HTR based on the signal input to the terminal P9, the reference voltage V _temp obtained based on the input voltage of the terminal P18, and the known electrical resistance value of the resistor Rs. . Based on the acquired temperature of the heater HTR, the MCU 1 performs heating control of the heater HTR (for example, control so that the temperature of the heater HTR becomes a target temperature).

Note that the MCU 1 can obtain the temperature of the heater HTR even during periods when the switches S3 and S4 are turned off (periods when the heater HTR is not energized). Specifically, the MCU1 obtains the temperature of the heater HTR based on the voltage input to the terminal P13 (the output voltage of the voltage dividing circuit composed of the thermistor T3 and the resistor Rt3).

Also, the MCU 1 can acquire the temperature of the case 110 at any timing. Specifically, the MCU1 obtains the temperature of the case 110 based on the voltage input to the terminal P12 (the output voltage of the voltage dividing circuit composed of the thermistor T4 and the resistor Rt4).

<Charging mode: Fig. 18>
FIG. 18 exemplifies a case where a USB connection is made in sleep mode. When the USB connection is made, the _USB voltage VUSB is input to the input terminal VIN of LSW3 via the overvoltage protection IC11. The USB voltage V _USB is also supplied to a voltage dividing circuit Pf connected to the input terminal VIN of LSW3. Since the bipolar transistor S2 is ON immediately after the USB connection is made, the signal input to the control terminal ON of the LSW3 remains at a low level. The USB voltage V _USB is also supplied to the voltage dividing circuit Pc connected to the terminal P17 of the MCU1, and the voltage divided by this voltage dividing circuit Pc is input to the terminal P17. The MCU1 detects that the USB connection has been made based on the voltage input to the terminal P17.

When the MCU1 detects that the USB connection has been made, the MCU1 turns off the bipolar transistor S2 connected to the terminal P19. When a low level signal is input to the gate terminal of the bipolar transistor S2, the _USB voltage VUSB divided by the voltage dividing circuit Pf is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW3. As a result, a high-level signal is input to the control terminal ON of LSW3, and LSW3 outputs the _USB voltage VUSB from the output terminal VOUT. The _USB voltage VUSB output from LSW3 is input to the input terminal VBUS of charging IC2. In addition, the _USB voltage V_USB output from LSW3 is directly supplied to LEDs L1 to L8 as system power supply voltage Vcc4.

When the MCU1 detects that the USB connection has been established, the MCU1 further outputs a low-level enable signal from the terminal P22 to the charge enable terminal CE(~) of the charge IC2. As a result, the charging IC 2 enables the charging function of the power supply BAT, and starts charging the power supply BAT with the _USB voltage VUSB input to the input terminal VBUS.

When the USB connection is made in the active mode, when the MCU1 detects that the USB connection is made, it turns off the bipolar transistor S2 connected to the terminal P19. A low-level enable signal is output to the charge enable terminal CE (~) of , and the OTG function of the charge IC 2 is turned off by serial communication using the communication line LN. As a result, the system power supply voltage _Vcc4 supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8 is switched from the voltage generated by the OTG function of the charging IC 2 (voltage based on the power supply voltage VBAT) to the _USB voltage VUSB output from the LSW3. . The LEDs L1 to L8 do not operate unless the MCU1 turns on the built-in transistors. This prevents an unstable voltage from being supplied to the LEDs L1-L8 during the on-to-off transition of the OTG function.

<Reset MCU: Fig. 19>
When the outer panel 115 is removed, the output of the hall IC 13 becomes low level, and the signal input to the terminal P4 of the MCU 1 becomes low level by turning on the operation switch OPS, the terminals SW1 and SW2 of the switch driver 7 are turned on. Both become low level. As a result, the switch driver 7 outputs a low level signal from the reset input terminal RSTB. A low-level signal output from the reset input terminal RSTB is input to the control terminal ON of LSW4. As a result, LSW4 stops outputting system power supply voltage Vcc2 from output terminal VOUT. Since the output of the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is stopped, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is no longer input to the power supply terminal VDD of the MCU1, so the MCU1 is stopped.

The switch driver 7 outputs a low-level signal from the reset input terminal RSTB when it reaches a predetermined time, or when the signal input to either the terminal SW1 or the terminal SW2 becomes high level, the reset input terminal RSTB is output. return the signal output from to high level. As a result, the control terminal ON of LSW4 becomes high level, and the state in which the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is supplied to each part is restored.

<Details of charging IC functions)
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration inside the charging IC 2. As shown in FIG. The charging IC 2 includes a processor 21, a gate driver 22, and switches Q1 to Q4 configured by N-channel MOSFETs.

A source terminal of the switch Q1 is connected to the input terminal VBUS. The drain terminal of switch Q1 is connected to the drain terminal of switch Q2. A source terminal of the switch Q2 is connected to the switching terminal SW. A drain terminal of the switch Q3 is connected to a connection node between the switch Q2 and the switching terminal SW. A source terminal of the switch Q3 is connected to the ground terminal GND. A drain terminal of the switch Q4 is connected to the output terminal SYS. A source terminal of the switch Q4 is connected to the charging terminal bat.

The gate driver 22 is connected to the gate terminal of the switch Q2 and the gate terminal of the switch Q3, and performs on/off control of the switches Q2 and Q3 based on commands from the processor 21.

The processor 21 is connected to the gate driver 22, the gate terminal of the switch Q1, the gate terminal of the switch Q4, and the charge enable terminal CE(~). The processor 21 performs on/off control of the switches Q2 and Q3 and on/off control of the switches Q1 and Q4 via the gate driver 22 .

The charging IC 2 has a V _USB power pass function and a V _USB & V _BAT power pass function in addition to the above-described charging function, V _BAT power pass function, and OTG function. The contents of control inside the charging IC 2 when these functions are enabled will be described below. The specific numerical values of the various voltages described above are preferably the values shown below.

Power supply voltage V _BAT (full charge voltage) = 4.2V
Power supply voltage V _BAT (nominal voltage) = 3.7V
System power supply voltage Vcc1=3.3V
System power supply voltage Vcc2=3.3V
System power supply voltage Vcc3=3.3V
System power supply voltage Vcc4=5.0V
USB voltage V _USB =5.0V
Drive voltage V _bst =4.9V

(charging function)
The processor 21 performs on/off control of the switches Q2 and Q4 while controlling the switch Q1 to be on and the switch Q3 to be off. ON/OFF control of the switch Q4 is performed to adjust the charging current of the power supply BAT. The processor 21 performs on/off control of the switch Q2 so that the voltage of the output terminal SYS is the same as the voltage suitable for charging the power supply BAT. As a result, the _USB voltage VUSB input to the input terminal VBUS is stepped down and output from the output terminal SYS. The voltage output from the output terminal SYS is input to the input terminal VIN of the buck-boost DC/DC converter 8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc0, and is output from the charging terminal bat of the charging IC2. As a result, the power supply BAT is charged by the voltage obtained by stepping down the _USB voltage VUSB. Incidentally, when the charging function is enabled, the system power supply voltage Vcc0 finally becomes the same value as the full charge voltage of the power supply BAT. Therefore, the buck-boost DC/DC converter 8 steps down the 4.2V system power supply voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN to generate and output the 3.3V system power supply voltage Vcc1. When the charging function is enabled, the potential of the input terminal VBUS is higher than the potential of the output terminal SYS in the charging IC2, so that the power from the power supply BAT is not output from the input terminal VBUS.

(V _USB power pass function)
The V _USB power path function is effective, for example, when the power supply BAT cannot be used due to overdischarge or the like. The processor 21 turns on the switch Q1, turns on the switch Q2, turns off the switch Q3, and turns off the switch Q4. As a result, the _USB voltage VUSB input to the input terminal VBUS is directly output from the switching terminal SW without being stepped down. The voltage output from the switching terminal SW is input to the input terminal VIN of the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc0. In this case as well, the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 steps down the 5V system power supply voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN to generate and output the 3.3V system power supply voltage Vcc1. Note that even when the V _USB power path function is enabled, the processor 21 may perform on/off control of the switch Q2 in a state in which the switch Q1 is turned on, the switch Q3 is turned off, and the switch Q4 is turned on. good. In this way, the charging IC 2 and the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 can share the step-down from the _USB voltage VUSB of 5.0V to the system power supply voltage Vcc1 of 3.3V. Therefore, concentration of load and heat on the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 can be suppressed.

(V _USB & V _BAT power pass function)
The V _USB & V _BAT power pass function is valid, for example, when the charging of the power supply BAT is completed and the USB connection is continued. The processor 21 performs on/off control of the switch Q2 while controlling the switch Q1 to be on, the switch Q3 to be off, and the switch Q4 to be on. The processor 21 controls the switch Q2 so that the voltage of the output terminal SYS becomes the same as the voltage of the power supply BAT (power supply voltage V _BAT ). As a result, the _USB voltage VUSB input to the input terminal VBUS is stepped down and output from the output terminal SYS. The voltage output from the output terminal SYS after stepping down the _USB voltage VUSB input to the input terminal VBUS and the voltage output from the output terminal SYS from the power supply BAT via the charging terminal bat have the same value. Therefore, the power including the voltage obtained by stepping down the USB voltage V _USB and the power including the power supply voltage V _BAT output from the output terminal SYS are synthesized, and the input terminal VIN of the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 is supplied to the input terminal VIN. supplied. When the V _USB & V _BAT power pass function is enabled, the potential of the input terminal VBUS is higher than the potential of the output terminal SYS in the charging IC2, so the power from the power supply BAT is not output from the input terminal VBUS. .

When the V _USB & V _BAT power path function is enabled, the buck-boost DC/DC converter 8 determines whether to step up or down depending on the magnitude of the power supply voltage V _BAT . When the power supply voltage V _BAT is 3.3 V or more, the step-up/down DC/DC converter 8 steps down the system power supply voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN to generate a 3.3 V system power supply voltage Vcc1. output. When the power supply voltage V _BAT is less than 3.3 V, the buck-boost DC/DC converter 8 boosts the system power supply voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN to generate a system power supply voltage Vcc1 of 3.3 V. output.

(V _BAT power pass function)
The V _BAT power path function is enabled in modes other than charge mode (eg, sleep mode). The processor 21 turns off the switches Q1 and Q3. As a result, the power supply voltage V _BAT input to the charging terminal bat is directly output from the output terminal SYS and input to the input terminal VIN of the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc0. By this control, the power transmission path between the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC2 and the switching terminal SW is blocked by the parasitic diode of the switch Q1. Therefore, the power supply voltage _VBAT output from the output terminal SYS is not output from the input terminal VBUS.

When the V _BAT power path function is enabled, the buck-boost DC/DC converter 8 determines whether to step up or down depending on the magnitude of the power supply voltage V _BAT . When the power supply voltage V _BAT input to the input terminal VIN is 3.3 V or higher, the step-up/down DC/DC converter 8 steps down the power supply voltage V _BAT to generate a 3.3 V system power supply voltage Vcc1. output. When the power supply voltage V _BAT input to the input terminal VIN is less than 3.3 V, the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 boosts the power supply voltage V _BAT to generate a system power supply voltage Vcc1 of 3.3 V. output.

(OTG function)
The OTG feature is enabled at the same time as the V _BAT power path feature, eg, enabled in active mode. When both the OTG function and the V _BAT power path function are valid, the processor 21 turns on/off the switch Q3 while turning on the switch Q1. As a result, the power supply voltage V _BAT input to the charging terminal bat is directly output from the output terminal SYS and input to the input terminal VIN of the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc0. Also, the power supply voltage V _BAT output from the output terminal SYS is input to the switching terminal SW of the charging IC2. Processor 21 controls switch Q3 so that power supply voltage VBAT input to switching terminal SW becomes equal to system power supply voltage _Vcc4 . As a result, the power supply voltage _VBAT input to the switching terminal SW is stepped up and output from the input terminal VBUS. The voltage output from the input terminal VBUS is input to the LEDs L1 to L8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc4.

Thus, the charging IC 2 has both a function as a step-down converter that steps down the _USB voltage _VUSB and a function as a step-up converter that steps up the power supply voltage VBAT. The voltage input from the charging IC 2 to the step-up/down DC/DC converter 8 fluctuates in various ways according to the functions enabled by the charging IC 2 . However, even with such fluctuations, the system power supply voltage Vcc1 (power including the system power supply voltage Vcc1) can be kept constant by selectively stepping up or stepping down the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8. can. When the voltage of the system power supply voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN of the buck-boost DC/DC converter 8 is equal to the voltage of the system power supply voltage Vcc1 of 3.3 V, the buck-boost DC/DC converter 8 The system power supply voltage Vcc0 is output from the output terminal VOUT as the system power supply voltage Vcc1 without stepping down.

<Electric circuit power consumption>
In an aspiration system including the aspirator 100, the heater HTR is the load that consumes the most power of all the loads included in the system. For example, the power consumption P _HTR of the heater HTR is greater than the power consumption P _LED of each of the LEDs L1 to L8. Further, the power consumption of the heater HTR is larger than the total power consumption of all electronic components connected to the output terminal SYS of the charging IC2. Therefore, it is preferable that the current value that the boost DC/DC converter 9 connected to the heater HTR can receive from the power supply BAT is larger than the maximum current value that the output terminal SYS of the charging IC 2 can output.

<Preferred Form of Buck-Boost DC/DC Converter 8>
From the viewpoint of reducing the cost and size of the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8, at least one of the maximum input current and the maximum output current of the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 should be smaller than the maximum current that the output terminal SYS of the charging IC 2 can output. Smaller is preferred. With such a configuration, when the output terminal SYS of the charging IC 2 outputs the maximum current, there is a possibility that an excessive current will be input to the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 . However, since the heater HTR that consumes the most power is not connected to the output terminal VOUT of the buck-boost DC/DC converter 8, an excessive current is not input to the buck-boost DC/DC converter 8. Therefore, even with such a configuration, the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 does not cause any problems, and the cost and size can be reduced.

<Preferred form of step-up DC/DC converter 9>
Boost DC/DC converter 9 is preferably a switching regulator. In the example of FIG. 20, the step-up DC/DC converter 9 operates in either a PFM mode for performing PFM (Pulse Frequency Modulation) control or a PWM mode for performing PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control. It is supposed to be done. Specifically, the step-up DC/DC converter 9 is equipped with a mode terminal MODE for mode switching, and is configured to be able to switch the operation mode according to the potential of the mode terminal MODE. Note that the maximum current that can be input to the switching terminal SW of the boost DC/DC converter 9 when the boost DC/DC converter 9 operates in the PFM mode is the boost DC when the boost DC/DC converter 9 operates in the PWM mode. It is preferably larger than the maximum current that can be input to the switching terminal SW of the /DC converter 9 .

The voltage applied to the heater HTR differs greatly between heating control and temperature detection control. That is, the load of the step-up DC/DC converter 9 fluctuates between heavy load and light load. In the PWM mode, since the switching frequency is constant regardless of the load, switching loss becomes dominant when the load is light, and efficiency decreases. On the other hand, the PFM mode does not require much additional power when the load is light, so the switching frequency is lowered and the switching loss is reduced. Therefore, high efficiency can be maintained even at light load. As the degree of load increases from light to heavy, this efficiency relationship reverses, with PWM mode being more efficient than PFM mode. The degree of load for which this PWM mode is more efficient is to a limited extent. Therefore, when the load of the step-up DC/DC converter 9 fluctuates between heavy load and light load, the step-up DC/DC converter 9 preferably operates in PFM mode.

In the vicinity of the maximum current that can be input to the step-up DC/DC converter 9 or the maximum current that the step-up DC/DC converter 9 can output, the efficiency of the step-up DC/DC converter 9 is is trending downward. In particular, when operating in the PFM mode, the efficiency of the DC/DC converter decreases when the load is heavy, as described above. Therefore, as described above, the maximum current that can be input to the switching terminal SW of the boost DC/DC converter 9 when operating in the PFM mode is A step-up DC/DC converter 9 having a larger input current than the maximum current is used. Thereby, even if the step-up DC/DC converter 9 is operated in the PFM mode, it is possible to suppress the decrease in efficiency under heavy load.

From the viewpoint of efficiency described above, it is preferable that the potential of the mode terminal MODE is maintained at a potential at which the PFM mode is selected. In the example of FIG. 20, the operation mode of the boost DC/DC converter 9 is fixed to the PFM mode because the mode terminal MODE is not connected to anything. As a result, a larger current can be input to the switching terminal SW of the step-up DC/DC converter 9, and a larger current can be supplied to the heater HTR. It should be noted that such a configuration in which the potential of the mode terminal MODE is made indefinite is merely a specific example. Depending on the specifications of the boost DC/DC converter 9, the PFM mode may be selected by setting the potential of the mode terminal MODE to high level or low level. In such a case, the potential of mode terminal MODE should be maintained at an appropriate potential so that the PFM mode is selected.

<Effect of aspirator>
According to the aspirator 100, voltage is supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8 as the notification unit via the charging IC2 instead of directly from the power source BAT. Although the voltage of the power supply BAT fluctuates, the LEDs L1 to L8 can be stably operated by not directly supplying the fluctuating voltage to the LEDs L1 to L8. Since the brightness of the LEDs depends on the voltage supplied, the brightness of the LEDs L1 to L8 can be stabilized if a stable voltage can be supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8. In addition, since the charging IC2, whose main function is to control charging of the power supply BAT, generates the system power supply voltage Vcc4 and supplies it to the LEDs L1 to L8, a dedicated IC for generating the system power supply voltage Vcc4 is unnecessary. becomes. Therefore, the size and cost of the suction device 100 can be reduced. Moreover, since the charging IC 2 boosts the power supply voltage V _BAT to generate the system power supply voltage Vcc4, it is possible to supply high voltage power to the LEDs L1 to L8. As a result, the LEDs L1 to L8 can be lit with high brightness, and a good user interface can be realized.

Also, according to the aspirator 100, power is supplied to the MCU1 via the charging IC2 instead of directly from the power supply BAT. Since the charging IC2 whose main function is to control charging of the power supply BAT generates the system power supply voltage Vcc0 and supplies it to the MCU1, a dedicated IC for generating the system power supply voltage Vcc0 is not required. Therefore, the size and cost of the suction device 100 can be reduced. Moreover, since the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8 is provided between the charging IC 2 and the MCU 1 , constant power can be supplied to the MCU 1 . Thereby, the operation of the MCU 1 can be stabilized.

Further, according to the aspirator 100, the OTG function cannot be executed when the USB connection is made and the LSW 3 is closed. Therefore, the power consumption of the power supply BAT during USB connection can be suppressed, and the usable power amount of the power supply BAT can be increased. In addition, since the LSW3 is open immediately after the USB connection is made, noise and rush current immediately after the USB connection are not supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8, and the possibility of failure of the LEDs L1 to L8 can be reduced. Also, the OTG function can be executed immediately after the USB connection. Therefore, even in a transitional period when the power from the external power source cannot be supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8 immediately after the USB connection, power can be supplied from the power supply BAT to the LEDs L1 to L8 by the OTG function. therefore,
The opportunity to operate the LEDs L1 to L8 can be increased, and the marketability of the inhaler 100 can be improved.

In addition, according to the sucker 100, the charging IC 2 can supply the power of the power supply BAT to the MCU 1 and other loads as well. can be reduced.

A notification unit other than the LEDs L1 to L8 may be connected to the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC2. For example, the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC2 and the vibration motor M are connected to supply the system power supply voltage Vcc4 and the _USB voltage VUSB to the vibration motor M. may be connected to supply the system power supply voltage Vcc4 and the _USB voltage VUSB to the speaker. Also, the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC 2 may be connected to an IC other than the notification unit (an IC separate from the IC shown in FIG. 10). It is preferable that at least one of the notification unit and the separate IC is connected as a load to the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC2.

The sucker 100 also has a first discharge path for supplying power from the power supply BAT via the charging IC2 to the MCU1, and a second discharge path for supplying power from the power supply BAT to the heater HTR without passing through the charging IC2. , has Therefore, the current value to be passed through the first discharge path (maximum current that can be output from the output terminal SYS of the charging IC2) can be smaller than the current value to be passed through the second discharge path. Therefore, an expensive and large-scale charging IC 2 that can withstand a large current becomes unnecessary, and the size and cost of the sucker 100 can be reduced. MCU1 and heater HTR can operate simultaneously, but even if they operate simultaneously, the presence of the first discharge path and the second discharge path ensures that sufficient power is supplied to them without excessively burdening charging IC2. can supply

Also, according to the suction device 100, the second discharge path through which a large current flows is provided on a substrate different from the first discharge path. Specifically, the first discharge path is provided on the MCU mounting board 161 and the second discharge path is provided on the receptacle mounting board 162 . Therefore, heat concentration on one substrate can be avoided, and the durability of the aspirator 100 can be improved.

Further, according to the aspirator 100, all electronic components that receive power supply from the power source BAT without passing through the charging IC 2 are provided on the same substrate (receptacle mounting substrate 162). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the electric circuit from becoming complicated.

Further, according to the aspirator 100, the step-up DC/DC converter 9 is provided in the discharge path for discharging from the power supply BAT to the heater HTR. Therefore, high power can be supplied to the heater HTR by the boost DC/DC converter 9 without worrying about the maximum current of the output terminal SYS of the charging IC 2 . Therefore, it is possible to efficiently heat the rod 500 by the heater HTR while realizing cost reduction and miniaturization of the aspirator 100 .

In addition, the aspirator 100 has a discharge path (a path from the receptacle RCP to the LEDs L1 to L8) that discharges to the LEDs L1 to L8 without going through the charging IC2 when connected to the USB. This eliminates the need for an expensive and large-scale charging IC 2 capable of withstanding a large current, compared to the case of providing a path for discharging from the external power supply to the LEDs L1 to L8 via the charging IC 2 . Therefore, cost reduction and miniaturization of the suction device 100 can be realized.

Also, in the aspirator 100, the electronic component connected to the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC2 is a notification unit such as LEDs L1 to L8, or an IC separate from the illustrated IC. Therefore, the power from the external power supply, which is susceptible to noise and inrush current, is supplied to precision electronic components such as the MCU 1, the step-up/step-down DC/DC converter 8, the ROM 6, the fuel gauge IC 12, the protection IC 10, and the step-up DC/DC converter 9. You can prevent it from being damaged and increase its durability.

Also, in the aspirator 100, an overvoltage protection IC 11 is provided between the LSW 3 and the receptacle RCP. Due to the presence of the overvoltage protection IC 11, not only the LSW 3 but also the overvoltage protection IC 11 can block noise and rush current that may occur at the moment of USB connection. Thereby, the durability of the aspirator 100 can be improved.

Also, in the aspirator 100, each of the LEDs L1 to L8 does not operate unless the built-in switch of the MCU1 is turned on. Therefore, it is possible to prevent noise and rush current immediately after the USB connection from being supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8, and reduce the possibility of failure of the LEDs L1 to L8. Moreover, since the switch is built in the MCU1, the durability of the switch can be improved as compared with the case where the switch is provided outside the MCU1.

Among the voltages supplied to the load by the sucker 100, the system power supply voltage _Vcc4 and the driving voltage Vbst are the major ones. System power supply voltage Vcc4 is generated from power from an external power supply and power from power supply BAT. On the other hand, the drive voltage _Vbst is generated only by power from the power supply BAT. As described above, the driving voltage _Vbst is not generated from the power of the external power supply, so that the line through which the high voltage power flows can be prevented from becoming complicated. This avoids complication of the circuit, so the cost of the suction device 100 can be reduced. Further, the power supply line to which the power including the system power supply voltage Vcc4 is supplied and the power supply line to which the power including the drive voltage _Vbst is supplied are on different substrates. Specifically, a power supply line to which power including the system power supply voltage Vcc4 is supplied is provided in the MCU mounting board 161 and the LED mounting board 163 . A power supply path to which power including the drive voltage _Vbst is supplied is provided on the receptacle mounting board 162 . In this way, by providing the two feeder lines to which a high voltage is applied on different substrates, it is possible to suppress the noise of these feeder lines from being superimposed and becoming more difficult to deal with. Therefore, the aspirator 100 can be stably operated.

Further, in the aspirator 100, the power connector connected to the power source BAT, the receptacle RCP connected to the external power source, and the heater connector Cn connected to the heater HTR are provided on the same substrate (receptacle mounting substrate 162). be done. As a result, the heat generation at various locations in the suction device 100 is suppressed, so the durability of the suction device 100 is improved.

Various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or modifications within the scope described in the claims, and these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

For example, between the output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC/DC converter 9 and the ground line, a connector for connecting a heater other than the heater HTR (a heating object different from the heater HTR) and other loads is connected. It may be configured to be

10, a parallel circuit of a circuit including a switch S3 and a circuit including a switch S4 and a resistor Rs is connected between the output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC/DC converter 9 and the positive electrode side of the heater connector Cn. However, this parallel circuit is connected between the negative electrode side of the heater connector Cn and the switch S6, and the output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC/DC converter 9 and the positive electrode side of the heater connector Cn are directly connected. good too.

At least the following matters are described in this specification. In addition, although the parenthesis shows the components corresponding to the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this.

(1)
A power supply unit (aspirator 100) of an aerosol generator that heats an aerosol source to generate an aerosol,
a power supply (power supply BAT);
a connector (receptacle RCP) electrically connectable to an external power supply;
a first load (MCU1);
an input terminal (input terminal VBUS) connected to the connector, a charging terminal (charging terminal bat) connected to the power supply, and an output terminal (output terminal SYS) connected to the first load; a charging IC (charging IC2) configured to convert electric power input to and output from the charging terminal;
a discharge path capable of supplying a current larger than the maximum current that the output terminal can output from the power supply and connected to a second load (heater HTR) different from the first load;
The charging IC is configured to be capable of supplying power input from the power supply to the charging terminal to the first load via the output terminal.
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

According to (1), the maximum current of the output terminal can be made lower than the current supplied to the second load, thereby eliminating the need for an expensive and large-scale charging IC that can withstand a large current. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost and size of the aerosol generator.

(2)
(1) The power supply unit of the aerosol generator,
The discharge path includes a boost converter (boost DC/DC converter 9) capable of boosting the output voltage of the power supply and applying it to the second load,
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

According to (2), high power can be supplied to the second load by the boost converter without worrying about the maximum current of the output terminal of the charging IC. Therefore, the effect of the second load can be increased while realizing cost reduction and miniaturization of the aerosol generating device.

(3)
(2) The power supply unit of the aerosol generator,
The boost converter includes a switching regulator including a mode terminal (mode terminal MODE),
The switching regulator is configured to select one of a PFM mode and a PWM mode based on the potential of the mode terminal to boost the output voltage of the power supply,
The potential of the mode terminal is configured to be unchangeable,
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

According to (3), it is not necessary to supply the second load with an unstable current that may occur when switching between the PFM mode and the PWM mode, so the operation of the second load is stabilized.

(4)
(3) The power supply unit of the aerosol generator,
The potential of the mode terminal is maintained at a potential that selects the PFM mode or the PWM mode, whichever mode has a larger maximum current that can be input to the switching regulator.
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

According to (4), the switching regulator is fixed to a mode with a high maximum current. Therefore, not only can a larger current be supplied to the second load, but even if a large current flows, it is difficult for the current to exceed the maximum current. As a result, the effect of the second load can be increased while stabilizing the operation of the second load. In addition, even if a large current flows, it is difficult for the current to be close to the maximum current, so the efficiency of the switching regulator is less likely to decrease.

(5)
(3) The power supply unit of the aerosol generator,
a potential of the mode terminal is maintained at a potential at which the PFM mode is selected;
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

According to (5), the switching regulator is fixed to the PFM mode in which high conversion efficiency can be achieved in many current ranges. As a result, the power loss due to voltage conversion is reduced, and the utilization efficiency of the power stored in the power supply can be improved.

(6)
(5) The power supply unit of the aerosol generator,
the second load is a heater (heater HTR) capable of heating the aerosol source;
The switching regulator includes an input terminal (switching terminal SW),
a heater connector (heater connector Cn) having a positive electrode side and a negative electrode side and to which the heater is connected;
a first circuit connected between the power source and the positive electrode side of the heater connector or between the negative electrode side of the heater connector and ground and including a first switch (switch S3);
a second circuit connected in parallel to the first circuit, having a resistance value higher than that of the first circuit, and including a resistor (resistor Rs) and a second switch (switch S4);
a controller (MCU1) configured to control opening and closing of the first switch and the second switch;
The controller is
a voltage applied to the resistor or the heater can be obtained when only the second switch of the first switch and the second switch is closed;
configured to perform a predetermined control based on the voltage applied to the resistor or the heater;
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

According to (6), the input current of the switching regulator differs greatly between when the high-resistance second circuit switch is on and when the low-resistance first circuit switch is on. Since the switching regulator is fixed to the PFM mode, high conversion efficiency can be achieved when either switch is ON. In addition, it is possible to reduce the noise given to the voltage value acquired by the controller, which is caused by an unstable current that may occur when the mode of the switching regulator is switched. Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the control executed by the controller while improving the utilization efficiency of the power stored in the power supply.

(7)
The power unit of the aerosol generator according to any one of (2) to (6),
a first substrate (MCU mounting substrate 161);
A second substrate (receptacle mounting substrate 162) separate from the first substrate,
The charging IC is provided on the first substrate,
The boost converter is provided on the second substrate,
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

According to (7), the path for discharging from the power supply to the first load via the charging IC and the discharge path are provided on different substrates. In other words, since the charge IC and the boost converter, which tend to generate heat during operation, are provided on different substrates, heat concentration on one substrate can be avoided. As a result, the durability of the aerosol generator can be improved.

(8)
A power supply unit for an aerosol generator according to any one of (1) to (7),
A voltage converter (buck-boost DC/DC converter 8) connected between the output terminal and the first load and configured to output a constant voltage;
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

According to (8), since a constant voltage can be supplied to the first load, the operation of the first load is stabilized.

(9)
(8) The power supply unit of the aerosol generator,
At least one of the maximum input current and the maximum output current of the voltage converter is smaller than the maximum current that the output terminal can output,
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

According to (9), the voltage converter can have a small maximum output current and a small maximum input current, so the cost and size can be reduced. On the other hand, since the charging IC has an important function of charging the power supply, designing it with a little margin greatly reduces the risk of failure. As a result, the cost can be reduced while improving the durability of the aerosol generating device.

(10)
(9) The power supply unit of the aerosol generator,
a first substrate (MCU mounting substrate 161);
A second substrate (receptacle mounting substrate 162) separate from the first substrate,
The charging IC and the voltage converter are provided only on the first substrate out of the first substrate and the second substrate,
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

According to (10), the charging IC and the voltage converter become closer, and the resistance of the conductor connecting them becomes lower. Also, the current and voltage input to the voltage converter do not need to be reduced unnecessarily. As a result, the loss due to wire resistance and the loss due to voltage conversion are reduced, so that not only is the efficiency of utilization of electric power stored in the power supply improved, but also the generation of heat can be suppressed.

Various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or modifications within the scope described in the claims, and these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention. Understood. Moreover, each component in the above embodiments may be combined arbitrarily without departing from the gist of the invention.

This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-079872) filed on May 10, 2021, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

100 aspirator 1 MCU
HTR Heater BAT Power supply Cn Heater connector RCP Receptacle 2 Charging IC
L1~L8 LEDs

Claims

A power unit for an aerosol generator that heats an aerosol source to generate an aerosol,
a power supply;
a connector electrically connectable to an external power supply;
a first load;
An input terminal connected to the connector, a charging terminal connected to the power supply, and an output terminal connected to the first load, converting power input to the input terminal and outputting the power from the charging terminal. a charging IC configured to:
a discharge path capable of supplying a current larger than the maximum current that the output terminal can output from the power supply and connected to a second load different from the first load,
The charging IC is configured to be capable of supplying power input from the power supply to the charging terminal to the first load via the output terminal.
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.
A power supply unit of the aerosol generator according to claim 1,
The discharge path includes a boost converter capable of boosting the output voltage of the power supply and applying it to the second load.
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.
A power supply unit of the aerosol generator according to claim 2,
the boost converter includes a switching regulator including a mode terminal;
The switching regulator is configured to select one of a PFM mode and a PWM mode based on the potential of the mode terminal to boost the output voltage of the power supply,
The potential of the mode terminal is configured to be unchangeable,
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.
A power supply unit of the aerosol generator according to claim 3,
The potential of the mode terminal is maintained at a potential that selects the PFM mode or the PWM mode, whichever mode has a larger maximum current that can be input to the switching regulator.
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.
A power supply unit of the aerosol generator according to claim 3,
a potential of the mode terminal is maintained at a potential at which the PFM mode is selected;
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.
A power supply unit of the aerosol generator according to claim 5,
the second load is a heater capable of heating the aerosol source;
The switching regulator includes an input terminal,
a heater connector having a positive electrode side and a negative electrode side and to which the heater is connected;
a first circuit connected between the power source and the positive electrode side of the heater connector or between the negative electrode side of the heater connector and a ground and including a first switch;
a second circuit connected in parallel to the first circuit and having a higher resistance value than the first circuit and including a resistor and a second switch;
a controller configured to be able to control opening and closing of the first switch and the second switch;
The controller is
a voltage applied to the resistor or the heater can be obtained when only the second switch of the first switch and the second switch is closed;
configured to perform a predetermined control based on the voltage applied to the resistor or the heater;
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.
A power supply unit for an aerosol generator according to any one of claims 2 to 6,
a first substrate;
a second substrate separate from the first substrate,
The charging IC is provided on the first substrate,
The boost converter is provided on the second substrate,
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.
A power supply unit for an aerosol generator according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
a voltage converter connected between the output terminal and the first load and configured to output a constant voltage;
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.
A power supply unit for an aerosol generator according to claim 8,
At least one of the maximum input current and the maximum output current of the voltage converter is smaller than the maximum current that the output terminal can output,
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.
A power supply unit for an aerosol generator according to claim 9,
a first substrate;
a second substrate separate from the first substrate,
The charging IC and the voltage converter are provided only on the first substrate out of the first substrate and the second substrate,
Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.