WO2024100903A1

WO2024100903A1 - Non-combustion-type flavor inhaler

Info

Publication number: WO2024100903A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/042133
Authority: WO
Inventors: 竜児酒井; 淳平井上
Original assignee: 日本たばこ産業株式会社
Priority date: 2022-11-11
Filing date: 2022-11-11
Publication date: 2024-05-16

Abstract

This non-combustion-type flavor inhaler comprises: a liquid storage part that stores an aerosol generation liquid; an atomizing part that atomizes the aerosol generation liquid; a flavor capsule that contains a flavor source; a housing that has an accommodation part accommodating the flavor capsule such that the aerosol resulting from the atomization by the atomizing part passes through the interior of the flavor capsule; a capacitive sensor that detects a capacitance which varies according to a condition of the flavor capsule accommodated in the accommodation part; and a control part that, when the capacitance of the flavor capsule as detected by the capacitive sensor has surpassed a prescribed threshold value, determines that the flavor capsule is in a usage completion condition, and performs control that accompanies usage completion. Thus, a technology that appropriately determines a usage completion condition can be provided.

Description

Non-burning flavor inhaler

The present invention relates to a non-combustion type flavor inhaler.

A non-combustion flavor inhalation system has been proposed as an alternative to conventional combustion cigarettes, which are smoked by burning tobacco leaves. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a smoking system that includes an aerosol generating device, a cartridge that holds a liquid aerosol-forming substrate that includes tobacco, and a vaporizer that receives the liquid aerosol-forming substrate drawn from a liquid storage portion via a capillary medium.

JP 2019-520793 A

　With conventional combustible cigarettes, the cigarette becomes shorter as it is burned, making it virtually impossible to smoke and ending smoking. In contrast, with non-combustible inhalers that inhale aerosol via a tobacco capsule, the appearance of the tobacco capsule does not change even when inhaling, making it difficult for users to recognize when they have stopped smoking.

In addition, if it is difficult for users to recognize when they have finished smoking, it is possible for the non-combustion inhaler to count the number of puffs taken and notify the user that they have finished using the device when a set number of puffs has been reached. However, the set number of puffs counted by the non-combustion inhaler does not necessarily correspond exactly to the state of the tobacco capsule, making it difficult to accurately determine the end of use from the number of puffs.

The purpose of this disclosure is to provide technology that can appropriately determine the end-of-use state.

(Aspect 1)
In order to achieve the above object, a non-combustion type flavor inhaler according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises:
A liquid storage unit for storing an aerosol generating liquid;
An atomization unit that atomizes the aerosol generating liquid;
A flavor capsule containing a flavor source (e.g., flavor granules);
A housing having a storage section that stores the flavor capsule so that the aerosol atomized by the atomization section passes through the flavor capsule;
a capacitance sensor that detects a capacitance that changes depending on a state of the flavor capsule contained in the container;
A control unit that determines that the flavor capsule is in an end-of-use state when the capacitance of the flavor capsule detected by the capacitance sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold value and performs control associated with the end of use;
Equipped with.

(Aspect 2)
In the above-mentioned aspect 1, the control unit may perform control in response to the end of use by notifying a user or stopping aerosol generation by the atomization unit.

(Aspect 3)
In the

above aspect

1 or 2, the control unit:
When the non-combustion type flavor inhaler is in an operating state, detection is performed by the capacitance sensor;
When the flavor capsule is in an end-of-use state, a user is notified that the flavor capsule is in an end-of-use state;
When the flavor capsule is not in a finished state, aerosol generation by the atomization unit may be started.

(Aspect 4)
In any one of the above aspects 1 to 3, a suction sensor is provided to detect the inhalation state of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler by a user,
The control unit may make the determination based on the capacitance of the flavor capsule detected by the capacitance sensor after a certain time has elapsed since the end of suction was detected by the suction sensor.

(Aspect 5)
In any one of the above aspects 1 to 3, a suction sensor is provided to detect a state of inhalation of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler by a user,
The control unit may determine the detection timing based on the interval time between each suction detected by the suction sensor, and make the judgment based on the capacitance of the flavor capsule detected by the capacitance sensor at the detection timing.

(Aspect 6)
In any one of the above aspects 1 to 3, an angle sensor is provided for detecting an angle of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler,
The control unit may make the determination by correcting the capacitance of the flavor capsule detected by the capacitance sensor based on the angle of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler detected by the angle sensor.

The contents described in the means for solving the problem may be combined as much as possible without departing from the problem and technical idea of this disclosure.

This disclosure provides technology that can appropriately determine the end of use state.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a non-combustion type flavor inhaler. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a non-combustion type flavor inhaler. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control unit. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the change in capacitance of tobacco granules for each number of puffs. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a control method executed by the control unit.

An embodiment of a non-combustion type flavor inhaler according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in this embodiment are examples. The order of processing is also an example, and can be interchanged or performed in parallel as much as possible without departing from the objectives and technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, the technical scope of the invention is not limited to the examples below.

<Non-combustion flavor inhaler>
Fig. 1 is an external perspective view of a non-burning type flavor inhaler, Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the non-burning type flavor inhaler, and Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the non-burning type flavor inhaler.

The non-combustion flavor inhaler 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a so-called non-combustion type inhaler, which generates an aerosol by atomizing an aerosol generating liquid with an atomizing section, and the user holds the mouthpiece in their mouth and inhales (also called puffs) to inhale the aerosol through a flavor capsule filled with a flavor source (e.g., flavor granules), thereby tasting the flavor added to the aerosol from the flavor source. In this embodiment, the flavor source is mainly described as using tobacco granules, but the flavor source is not limited to tobacco granules. The tobacco capsule is an example of a flavor capsule filled with tobacco granules as a flavor source. Inhaling the aerosol with added tobacco flavor through the tobacco capsule is also called smoking.

The non-combustion flavor inhaler 1 comprises a main unit 3, a cartridge (also called an atomization unit) 2 that is removably attached to the main unit 3, and a tobacco capsule 4.

<Main unit>
As shown in FIG. 2, the main unit 3 includes a control unit 31, a holding unit (atomization unit) 32, and a mouthpiece unit 33. The control unit 31 and the holding unit 32 are detachably attached to each other, and the holding unit 32 and the mouthpiece unit 33 are detachably attached to each other. The control unit 31, the holding unit 32, and the mouthpiece unit 33 are each formed in a cylindrical shape with the axis O as the central axis, and are arranged side by side on the axis O. In the following description, the direction along the axis O is referred to as the axial direction. In the axial direction of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler 1, the end on the side where the mouthpiece unit 33 is provided is also referred to as the mouth end or first end, and the end on the side where the control unit 31 is provided is also referred to as the counter-mouth end or second end. In addition, the direction intersecting the axis O along a plane perpendicular to the axis O is referred to as the radial direction. In the example of Figure 2, the main unit 3 is generally cylindrical, but it may also be elliptical or rectangular. Furthermore, the external shape of the main unit 3 is not particularly limited, and may be any shape that can accommodate the various elements described below, such as a rectangular prism.

The control unit 31 is equipped with a user interface such as operation buttons, and also has a built-in power source and control unit, and controls the power supplied to the holding unit 32 in response to, for example, user operation. The holding unit 32 houses the cartridge 2 that stores the aerosol generating liquid, and generates an aerosol by heating and atomizing the aerosol generating liquid using power supplied from the control unit 31. The holding unit 32 is one form of an atomization unit. The holding unit 32 of this embodiment atomizes the aerosol generating liquid by heating it, but the method of atomization is not limited to heating.

The holding unit 32 comprises an outer shell 320 and a heater 321. The outer shell 320 is a bottomed cylinder with an open first end, and the heater 321 is provided at the bottom of the second end. The outer shell 320 has an inner space 322 capable of housing the cartridge 2, and the cartridge 2 is inserted from an opening 323 on the first end side and is attached so as to be removable.

The heater 321 has a heating section 324 that generates heat by power supplied from the control unit 31, and a support section 325 that supports the heating section 324. The heating section 324 is a so-called heating wire that generates heat by Joule heat when an electric current flows. However, the heating section 324 may be of an IH type that heats a heating element by electromagnetic induction, or a microwave type that heats the aerosol generating liquid by microwaves.

The holding unit 32 is provided with a temperature sensor 326 near the area heated by the heater 321. The temperature sensor 326 is connected to the control unit 37, detects the temperature of the heated area, and inputs the detection result to the control unit 37. The holding unit 32 is further provided with a suction sensor 327. The suction sensor 327 is a sensor for detecting the puffing status, such as whether or not a puff has been performed, and is, for example, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure inside the holding unit 32. The suction sensor 327 is connected to the control unit 37, and inputs the detection result to the control unit 37. Note that if the control unit 37 does not use temperature information for control, the temperature sensor 326 may be omitted. Similarly, if suction information is not used for control, the suction sensor 327 may be omitted.

<Cartridge>
The cartridge 2 has a reservoir 221 and a liquid holding member 222. The reservoir 221 is a tank that stores an aerosol-generating liquid. The aerosol-generating liquid (aerosol source) is a liquid such as glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, or a polyhydric alcohol such as 1,3-butanediol. The aerosol-generating liquid may be a mixed liquid further containing nicotine liquid, water, flavoring, etc.

The reservoir 221 is generally cylindrical, but the shape is not particularly limited, and it may be configured to store the aerosol generating liquid, have a space communicating with the liquid holding member 222, and supply the aerosol source to the liquid holding member 222.

The liquid holding member 222 is formed of a fiber material such as glass fiber or rock wool, or a porous material such as porous ceramic, and has fine voids that hold the aerosol source. The liquid holding member 222 is connected (hereinafter also referred to as liquid connected) to allow the aerosol source to flow from the reservoir 221, for example, through the pores of the porous material or the capillary gaps in the twisted fiber material as a flow path. For example, the liquid holding member may be configured such that at least a part or the whole is located in the reservoir, and the lower surface that contacts the heater 321 is exposed. Therefore, the liquid holding member 222 is supplied with the aerosol source from the reservoir 221 by capillary action, and the aerosol source penetrates and is held in the fine voids in the fiber material or porous material. In addition, the liquid holding member 222 is arranged so that the surface on the second end side abuts against the heater 321 when the cartridge 2 is attached to the holding unit 32.

A flow path (aerosol flow path) 223 is formed in the center of the cartridge 2 along the axial direction, through which gas can flow from the liquid holding member 222 side to the mouthpiece portion 33 side. The aerosol generated in the liquid holding member 222 is inhaled by the user's puff, passes through the aerosol flow path 223, and moves to the mouthpiece portion 33.

<Mouthpiece section>
The mouthpiece portion 33 includes a capsule holding portion 331 that holds the tobacco capsule 4, and a capacitance sensor 332. The mouthpiece portion 33 is generally cylindrical, and a second end side is connected to the holding unit 32. The capsule holding portion 331 has an inner space that serves as a storage portion 333 for the tobacco capsule 4, and the tobacco capsule 4 is inserted from an opening 334 on the first end side.

The capacitance sensor 332 detects the capacitance of the tobacco capsule 4 when the tobacco capsule 4 is contained in the storage section 333. The capacitance sensor 332 has a first electrode 301 and a second electrode 302, and detects the capacitance between the first electrode 301 and the second electrode 302. The first electrode 301 and the second electrode 302 are arranged in opposing positions across the tobacco capsule 4 in a direction (radial direction) perpendicular to the axial direction of the storage section 333. In other words, the first electrode 301 and the second electrode 302 are arranged such that at least a part of the tobacco capsule 4 is inserted between the first electrode 301 and the second electrode 302 when the tobacco capsule 4 is contained in the storage section 333.

<Tobacco capsules>
At least a portion of the second end side of the tobacco capsule 4 is accommodated in the accommodation portion 333. The tobacco capsule 4 is accommodated removably, and for example, when it has been used, it is pulled out from the accommodation portion 333 and replaced with a new one. The tobacco capsule 4 includes a capsule portion 41 and a filter portion 42.

The capsule part 41 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape with the axis O as the central axis. The bottom wall part 411 of the capsule part 41 on the side of the holding unit 32 in the axial direction is a mesh with multiple openings that penetrate in the axial direction. The filter part 42 is fitted into the first end side of the capsule part 41. Tobacco granules 43 are enclosed in the space defined by the capsule part 41 and the filter part 42.

Tobacco granules 43 are, for example, made by first powdering dried tobacco leaves, mixing them with binders such as polysaccharides and calcium carbonate, and then forming them into granules. There are no particular limitations on the method for producing tobacco granules 43, and granules produced by other methods can also be used.

<Control unit>
The control unit 31 includes an outer shell 34, a power source 35, an angle sensor 36, a control unit 37, and an operation button 38. The outer shell 34 is cylindrical with a bottom and has the power source 35, the angle sensor 36, and the control unit 37 provided therein. A connection mechanism for connecting to the holding unit 32 is provided on a first end side of the outer shell 34. In addition, an operation button 38 is provided on the outer periphery of the outer shell 34. The operation button 38 functions as an input unit that inputs information on operations by a user to the control unit 37.

The power source 35 is, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery, and supplies power to the circuitry of the main unit 3. The angle sensor 36 is a sensor that detects the angle of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler. For example, the angle sensor 36 is an acceleration sensor that determines the inclination (angle) with respect to the direction of gravity based on the gravitational acceleration. The angle sensor 36 is connected to the control unit 37, and the detection result is input to the control unit 37.

[Control unit]
4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 37. The control unit 37 controls the operating state of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler 30, such as controlling heating by the heater 321. The control unit 37 is a computer including a processor 71, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a memory 72, such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an input/output unit 73. The control unit 37 of this embodiment also includes a drive circuit 74 for the heater 321.

The memory 72 may include a memory that functions as a main memory unit 721 and a memory that functions as an auxiliary memory unit 722. The memory 72 may be formed integrally with the processor 71 (as one chip). Examples of the memory 72 include storage media such as volatile memory such as RAM, non-volatile memory such as ROM, EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), SSD, or removable media.

The memory 72 can store an operating system (OS), various programs (firmware), various data tables, various databases, setting data, user data, and the like, for executing the operation of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler 30.

The input/output unit 73 is a means for inputting information such as power on/off by the user (smoker) to the processor 71, or outputting information to the user. The input/output unit 73 is, for example, an interface that operates the capacitance sensor, the temperature sensor 326, the suction sensor 327, and the angle sensor 36 at a predetermined timing, and acquires the detection values of the

sensors

326, 327, and 36. The input/output unit 73 of this embodiment may also include input means such as the operation button 38 and a touch panel, as well as output means (notification mechanisms) such as a display unit, a vibrator, and a speaker. The input/output unit 73 may also include a communication unit for communicating with an external device via a communication line. For example, the communication unit can connect to another computer via a communication cable, receive programs and data for controlling the non-combustion type flavor inhaler 30, and store them in the memory 72 to update the firmware, heating profile, and the like. The display unit is a means for displaying information, and may be, for example, an indicator such as an LED, a liquid crystal display device, or an organic EL display device.

The drive circuit 74 supplies power from the power source 35 to the heater 321 in accordance with instructions from the processor 71, and operates the heater 321. The drive circuit 74 is, for example, a converter that adjusts the amount of current flowing to the heater 321.

The control unit 37 functions as predetermined functional units, such as a determination unit 711, a heating control unit 712, and an output control unit 713, when the processor 71 reads out a program stored in the memory 72 into the working area of the main storage unit and executes it. Note that these functional units are not limited to those realized based on a program (software), and some or all of them may be configured by hardware circuits such as a processor, an integrated circuit, and a logic circuit.

The determination unit 711 determines information such as the operation by the user, the state of the tobacco capsule 4, and the heating state by the heater 321 based on the detection results of the

sensors

36, 332, 326, and 327 and the input information from the input means. For example, when the capacitance of the tobacco capsule 4 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 711 determines that the flavor capsule 4 has finished using the flavor capsule 4.

The heating control unit 712 controls the drive circuit 74 based on the determination result of the determination unit 711, thereby controlling the power supplied from the power source 35 to the heater 321 via the drive circuit 74. For example, the heating control unit 712 controls the power supplied to the heater 321 so that the temperature near the liquid holding member 222 detected by the temperature sensor 326 becomes a predetermined temperature.

The output control unit 713 outputs notifications, warnings, etc. to the user based on the judgment result of the judgment unit 711. For example, when the output control unit 713 judges that the tobacco capsule 4 has reached the end of its use, it notifies the user by outputting a voice message such as "Use of the tobacco capsule has been completed. Please replace the tobacco capsule" from the speaker. In addition, as output to the user, the output control unit 713 may display on the display unit, output a warning sound, vibrate using a vibrator, etc.

[Tobacco capsule detection using a capacitance sensor]
As described above, when a user holds the first end of tobacco capsule 4 in his/her mouth and puffs, as the aerosol passes through tobacco capsule 4, it adheres to and accumulates on tobacco granules, the filter, and the inner wall of the container, thereby increasing the capacitance of tobacco capsule 4.

5 is a graph showing the change in capacitance of the tobacco granules 43 for each puff number. In FIG. 5, the vertical axis shows the capacitance value detected by the capacitance sensor, and the horizontal axis shows the number of puffs. As shown in FIG. 5, the capacitance of the tobacco granules 43 increases in proportion to the number of puffs. The filter section 42 and the inner wall of the capsule section 41 also show a similar tendency. Therefore, by measuring the capacitance of the tobacco capsule 4, the number of puffs can be estimated, and it can be detected that the tobacco capsule 4 has reached the end of use state. In this embodiment, the capacitance value detected when a specified number of puffs are performed is obtained by experiment, etc., and this value is stored in the memory 72 as a threshold value for determining the end of use state of the tobacco capsule 4. This allows the control unit 37 to determine whether the tobacco capsule 4 is in the end of use state based on the capacitance of the tobacco capsule 4.

When the capacitance is measured during inhalation, the tobacco granules 43 in the tobacco capsule 4 may fly about, causing the detection value to be unstable. Therefore, the determination unit 711 measures the capacitance of the tobacco capsule 4 when the tobacco granules 43 are stable (detection timing) during non-inhalation. The detection timing for determining whether or not the detection timing is reached may be, for example, a certain time after the end of inhalation is detected by the inhalation sensor 327. In other words, the capacitance is measured when the state of not inhaling continues for a certain time after the end of inhalation is detected by the inhalation sensor 327. In addition, the non-inhalation may be a timing determined based on the interval between each inhalation detected by the inhalation sensor 327. For example, the interval between the previous inhalation (puff) and the next inhalation may be determined by experiment, and the timing at which the detection value of the capacitance becomes stable (detection timing) may be determined for each interval. A data table correlating the interval and the detection timing is stored in the memory 72. The detection timing corresponding to the interval when the user puffs may then be determined from the data table, and the capacitance may be detected at this detection timing. The detection timing may be determined not only based on the detection value of the suction sensor 327, but also based on the detection value of the capacitance sensor 332. For example, when the user holds the suction end in his/her mouth, the detection value of the capacitance sensor 332 is high, and when the user does not hold the suction end in his/her mouth, the detection value of the capacitance sensor 332 is low. Therefore, the detection timing may be determined to be the timing when the detection value is low, based on the change in the detection value over time.

Furthermore, when the tobacco capsule 4 is tilted, the arrangement of the tobacco granules relative to the

electrodes

301 and 302 of the capacitance sensor 332 may change, causing a change in the detected capacitance. For this reason, the determination unit 711 may correct the detected capacitance of the tobacco capsule 4 based on the angle of the non-combustion flavor inhaler 1 to determine the end-of-use state. Note that the correction value for correcting the capacitance according to the angle of the non-combustion flavor inhaler 1 is determined in advance by experiment and stored in the memory 72.

[Control method]
Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a control method executed by the control unit 37. The control unit 37 starts the process of Fig. 6 when the power supply of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler 30 is turned on.

In step S10, the control unit 37 acquires the detection value of the capacitance of the tobacco capsule 4 detected by the capacitance sensor 332 and the detection value of the angle of the non-combustion flavor inhaler 1 detected by the angle sensor 36. The control unit 37 also stores the acquired detection values in the memory 72.

In step S20, the control unit 37 corrects the capacitance detection value detected in step S10 based on the angle detection value, and determines whether the tobacco capsule 4 has finished using the corrected capacitance value based on whether the corrected capacitance value exceeds a threshold value.

If the determination in step S20 is positive, the control unit 37 proceeds to step S30 and operates the notification mechanism to notify the user. For example, the control unit 37 notifies the user by outputting a message such as "The tobacco capsule has been used. Please replace the tobacco capsule" from the speaker, displaying this message on the display unit, outputting a warning sound from the speaker, turning on a warning indicator (warning light), vibrating the vibrator in a specific pattern, etc.

If the determination in step S20 is negative, the control unit 37 proceeds to step S40, supplies power to the heater 321 to start heating control, and generates an aerosol that can be inhaled by the user.

In step S50, the control unit 37 acquires the detection value from the suction sensor 327. In step S60, the control unit 37 counts the number of suctions (puffs) based on the detection value from the suction sensor 327 and stores the number in the memory 72.

In step S70, the control unit 37 determines whether or not the detection timing has been reached based on the detection result acquired in step S50. For example, the control unit 37 determines that the detection timing has been reached when a certain amount of time has elapsed since the suction sensor 327 detected the end of suction. Note that the method for determining the detection timing is not limited to this, and any method may be used as long as it determines the timing at which the capacitance is stable based on the detection results of the suction sensor 327 and the capacitance sensor 332.

If the determination in step S70 is negative, the control unit 37 returns to step S50, and if the determination is positive, it proceeds to step S80.

In step S80, the control unit 37 acquires the detection value of the capacitance of the tobacco capsule 4 detected by the capacitance sensor 332 and the detection value of the angle of the non-combustion flavor inhaler 1 detected by the angle sensor 36. The control unit 37 also stores the acquired detection values in the memory 72.

In step S90, the control unit 37 corrects the capacitance detection value detected in step S80 based on the angle detection value, and determines whether the tobacco capsule 4 has finished using depending on whether the corrected capacitance value exceeds a threshold value.

If the determination in step S90 is negative, the control unit 37 returns to step S50, and if the determination is positive, it proceeds to step S100.

In step S100, the control unit 37 operates the notification mechanism to notify the user. For example, the control unit 37 notifies the user by outputting a message such as "The tobacco capsule has reached the end of its use. Heating will end" from the speaker, displaying this message on the display unit, outputting a warning sound from the speaker, turning on a warning indicator (warning light), vibrating the vibrator in a specific pattern, etc.

Then, in step S110, the control unit 37 turns off the power to the non-combustion flavor inhaler 1 and ends the process in FIG. 6.

Effects of the embodiment
When the capacitance of the tobacco capsule 4 detected by the capacitance sensor 332 exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the non-burning flavor inhaler 1 of this embodiment determines that the tobacco capsule 4 is in an end-of-use state and performs control associated with the end-of-use. This allows the non-burning flavor inhaler 1 to accurately determine the end-of-use state of the tobacco capsule 4 and appropriately control the tobacco capsule 4, such as notifying the user. In addition, since the amount of aerosol inhaled with one puff differs from user to user, it may not be possible to accurately determine the end-of-use state of the tobacco capsule 4 simply by the number of puffs. Even in such a case, the non-burning flavor inhaler 1 of this embodiment determines the end-of-use state of the tobacco capsule 4 according to the state of the tobacco capsule 4, and therefore can accurately determine the end-of-use state of the tobacco capsule 4.

In addition, in the non-combustion flavor inhaler 1 of this embodiment, the control unit 37 corrects the capacitance of the tobacco capsule 4 detected by the capacitance sensor 332 based on the angle of the non-combustion flavor inhaler 1 detected by the angle sensor 36 to determine whether or not the non-combustion flavor inhaler 1 is in an end-of-use state. This allows the non-combustion flavor inhaler 1 to accurately determine whether or not the non-combustion flavor inhaler 1 is in an end-of-use state by correcting the detected capacitance value even if the tobacco granules are unevenly distributed within the tobacco capsule 4.

＜Other＞
The above-described embodiments and the following aspects can be combined as much as possible without departing from the objectives and technical ideas of the present disclosure.

(Aspect 1)
A non-combustion type flavor inhaler according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes:
A liquid storage unit for storing an aerosol generating liquid;
An atomization unit that atomizes the aerosol generating liquid;
A flavor capsule containing flavor granules;
A housing having a storage section that stores the flavor capsule so that the aerosol atomized by the atomization section passes through the flavor capsule;
a capacitance sensor that detects a capacitance that changes depending on a state of the flavor capsule contained in the container;
A control unit that determines that the flavor capsule is in an end-of-use state when the capacitance of the flavor capsule detected by the capacitance sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold value and performs control associated with the end of use;
Equipped with.

(Aspect 3)
In the

above aspect

1 or 2, the control unit
When the non-combustion type flavor inhaler is in an operating state, detection is performed by the capacitance sensor;
When the flavor capsule is in an end-of-use state, a user is notified that the flavor capsule is in an end-of-use state;
When the flavor capsule is not in a finished state, aerosol generation by the atomization unit may be started.

(Aspect 4)
In any one of the above aspects 1 to 3, a suction sensor is provided to detect a state of inhalation of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler by a user,
The control unit may make the determination based on the capacitance of the flavor capsule detected by the capacitance sensor after a certain time has elapsed since the end of suction was detected by the suction sensor.

(Aspect 5)
In any one of the above aspects 1 to 3, a suction sensor is provided to detect the inhalation state of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler by a user,
The control unit may determine the detection timing based on the interval time between each suction detected by the suction sensor, and make the judgment based on the capacitance of the flavor capsule detected by the capacitance sensor at the detection timing.

1: Non-burning type flavor inhaler 2: Cartridge 3: Main unit 30: Non-burning type flavor inhaler 31: Control unit 32: Holding unit 33: Mouthpiece section 34: Shell section 35: Power source 36: Angle sensor 37: Control section 38: Operation button 41: Capsule section 42: Filter section 43: Tobacco granules 71: Processor 72: Memory 73: Input/output section 74: Drive circuit 221: Reservoir 222: Liquid holding member 223: Aerosol flow path 301: First electrode 302: Second electrode 320: Shell section 321: Heater 322: Inner space 323: Opening 324: Heat generating section 325: Support section 326: Temperature sensor 327: Inhalation sensor 331: Capsule holding section 332: Capacitive sensor 333: Storage section 334: Opening 411 : Bottom wall portion 711 : Determination portion 712 : Heating control portion 713 : Output control portion 721 : Main memory portion 722 : Auxiliary memory portion O : Axis

Claims

A liquid storage unit for storing an aerosol generating liquid;
An atomization unit that atomizes the aerosol generating liquid;
A flavor capsule containing a flavor source;
A housing having a storage section that stores the flavor capsule so that the aerosol atomized by the atomization section passes through the flavor capsule;
a capacitance sensor that detects a capacitance that changes depending on a state of the flavor capsule contained in the container;
A control unit that determines that the flavor capsule is in an end-of-use state when the capacitance of the flavor capsule detected by the capacitance sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold value and performs control associated with the end of use;
A non-combustion type flavor inhaler comprising:
The non-combustion flavor inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs control in response to the end of use by notifying the user or stopping aerosol generation by the atomization unit.
The control unit is
When the non-combustion type flavor inhaler is in an operating state, detection is performed by the capacitance sensor;
When the flavor capsule is in an end-of-use state, a user is notified that the flavor capsule is in an end-of-use state;
3. The non-combustion type flavor inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the atomizing unit starts generating aerosol when the flavor capsule is not in a finished state.
a suction sensor for detecting a state of inhalation of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler by a user;
A non-combustion type flavor inhaler as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit makes the judgment based on the capacitance of the flavor capsule detected by the capacitance sensor after a certain time has elapsed since the end of inhalation was detected by the suction sensor.
a suction sensor for detecting a state of inhalation of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler by a user;
A non-combustion flavor inhaler as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit determines a detection timing based on the interval time between each inhalation detected by the inhalation sensor, and makes the judgment based on the capacitance of the flavor capsule detected by the capacitance sensor at the detection timing.
An angle sensor is provided to detect an angle of the non-combustion type flavor inhaler,
The non-combustion flavor inhaler according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit performs the judgment by correcting the capacitance of the flavor capsule detected by the capacitance sensor based on the angle of the non-combustion flavor inhaler detected by the angle sensor.