Suction device

Abstract

To provide a power supply unit of an aerosol generation device and a method thereof capable of appropriately determining occurrence of an abnormality by which use of the device should be substantially prohibited.SOLUTION: A power supply unit includes control means for controlling a temperature of a load for heating an aerosol source, and first holding means for holding first information indicating whether an abnormality related to the load is detected by means different from the control means. The control means determines that an abnormality by which use of the power supply unit should be prohibited has occurred when it is detected that the first information has changed to a state in which it indicates that an abnormality is detected in a period from the start to the end of temperature control for the load.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply unit of an aerosol generating device and to a method performed by the power supply unit of an aerosol generating device. [Background technology]

[0002] Aerosol generating devices such as electronic cigarettes have a configuration for heating a liquid for forming an aerosol. Patent Document 1 discloses an aerosol generating device in which a controller limits or turns off the power supply from a battery to the heater when the controller detects that the heater is overheating. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2020-505002 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, even if the controller detects overheating of the heater, it is not possible to prohibit the subsequent use of the aerosol generating device, which may lead to repeated overheating of the heater.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a power supply unit and method for an aerosol generating device that can appropriately determine the occurrence of an abnormality that should essentially prohibit the use of the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In view of the above problems, according to the first aspect, a control means for controlling the temperature of a load for heating the aerosol source; A power supply unit of an aerosol generating device having a first holding means for holding first information indicating whether or not an abnormality related to the load has been detected by a means other than the control means, The control means determines that an abnormality has occurred that requires use of the power supply unit to be prohibited when it detects that the first information has changed from a state indicating that no abnormality has been detected to a state indicating that an abnormality has been detected during the period from the start to the end of temperature control of the load. According to the second aspect, The control means In addition to detecting that the first information has changed from a state indicating that no abnormality has been detected to a state indicating that an abnormality has been detected during the period, The power supply unit according to claim 1 is provided, wherein, when it is determined that the temperature of the load is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred that requires prohibition of use of the power supply unit. According to a third aspect, The device further includes a second storage means for storing second information indicating whether or not an abnormality other than the abnormality related to the load has been detected, The control means In addition to detecting that the first information has changed from a state indicating that no abnormality has been detected to a state indicating that an abnormality has been detected during the period, The power supply unit of claim 1 is provided, which determines that an abnormality has occurred that requires use of the power supply unit to be prohibited when the temperature of the load is determined to be equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold and the second information indicates that an abnormality has been detected. According to a fourth aspect, There is provided a power supply unit according to claim 3, wherein the second information indicates whether or not an abnormality has been detected regarding the power supply of the power supply unit or an abnormality regarding the temperature of a case constituting a surface of the power supply unit. According to the fifth aspect, There is provided a power supply unit according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the control means controls the temperature of the load based on a temperature of the load detected based on a resistance value of the load. According to a sixth aspect, The power supply unit of claim 5 is provided, wherein the control means, when detecting that the first information has changed during the period from a state indicating that no abnormality has been detected to a state indicating that an abnormality has been detected, acquires the temperature of the load from a detection means for detecting the temperature of the load. According to the seventh aspect, There is provided a power supply unit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control means also performs the determination at start-up. According to an eighth aspect, There is provided a power supply unit as described in claim 7, wherein the control means writes specified information to a non-volatile memory means when starting temperature control of the load, and erases the specified information from the memory means when ending temperature control of the load. According to a ninth aspect, There is provided a power supply unit according to claim 8, wherein the first holding means holds the first information held before the control means is reset even after the control means is reset. According to a tenth aspect, The power supply unit according to claim 9 is provided, wherein, at the time of start-up after a reset, if the specified information exists in the memory means and the information stored in the first storage means indicates that an abnormality has been detected, the control means determines that an abnormality has occurred that requires use of the power supply unit to be prohibited. According to an eleventh aspect, The power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that when the control means determines that an abnormality has occurred that requires use of the power supply unit to be prohibited, the control means writes information indicating that an abnormality has occurred that requires use of the power supply unit to be prohibited into non-volatile storage means. According to a twelfth aspect, The power supply unit according to claim 11 is provided, wherein the control means disables startup of the power supply unit if, at startup, the non-volatile storage means contains information indicating that an abnormality has occurred that should prohibit use of the power supply unit. According to a thirteenth aspect, There is provided a power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the control means prohibits heating of the load when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred that requires prohibiting use of the power supply unit. According to a fourteenth aspect, a control means for controlling the temperature of a load for heating the aerosol source; A method implemented by a control means in a power supply unit of an aerosol generating device having a first holding means for holding first information indicating whether or not an abnormality related to the load has been detected by a means other than the control means, comprising: When it is detected that the first information has changed from a state indicating that no abnormality has been detected to a state indicating that an abnormality has been detected during a period from when control of the temperature of the load is started to when it is ended, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred that requires use of the power supply unit to be prohibited. Effect of the Invention

[0007] With this configuration, the present invention can provide a power supply unit and method for an aerosol generating device that can appropriately determine the occurrence of an abnormality that should essentially prohibit the use of the device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a power supply unit of the aerosol generation device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the internal configuration of a power supply unit according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the overall circuit configuration of a power supply unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a temperature control pattern. [Diagram 5] An excerpt from Figure 3. [Figure 6] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing examples of battery abnormality conditions in a power supply unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a temperature control operation of the power supply unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a startup process of a power supply unit according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more features among the multiple features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. In addition, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0010] Fig. 1 is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration example of a power supply unit 1 of an aerosol generating device according to one embodiment of the present invention. The power supply unit 1 has a case 2 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with rounded corners. The case 2 constitutes the surface of the power supply unit 1. For convenience, the surface shown in Fig. 1a is the front surface, and the surface shown in Fig. 1b is the back surface. The surface shown in Fig. 1c is the bottom surface, and the surface shown in Fig. 1d is the top surface.

[0011] The power supply unit 1 has a housing (case) 2 and a front panel 11 that can be attached to and detached from the case 2. Fig. 1f shows the state in which the front panel 11 has been removed from the state in Fig. 1a. Fig. 1g shows the front panel 11 as viewed from the inside. The front panel 11 functions as a front cover for the case 2, and allows the user to freely replace it to customize the appearance.

[0012] Two pairs of magnets, 14A and 14B and 15A and 15B, are provided in opposing positions on the inner surface of front panel 11 and on the front surface of case 2. Magnets 14A and 15A attract each other, and magnets 14B and 15B attract each other, so that front panel 11 is held to the front surface of case 2 by magnetic force.

[0013] In addition, a pressable switch SW and a light-emitting unit NU are provided on the front of the case 2. A convex portion 16 is provided on the inner surface of the front panel 11 at a position facing the switch SW. The switch SW can be indirectly pressed through the convex portion 16 by pressing the center vicinity 12 of the front panel 11 with the front panel 11 attached. It is also possible to press the switch SW directly with the front panel 11 removed. A number of light-emitting elements (e.g., LEDs) are arranged in a row in the light-emitting unit NU. The state of the light-emitting unit NU can be observed through a window 19 provided in the front panel 11.

[0014] An openable slider 13 is provided on the top surface of the case 2. When the slider 13 is moved in the direction of the arrow, the heater chamber 17 appears as shown in FIG. 1e. For convenience, the slider 13 is not shown in FIG. 1e. The heater chamber 17 is a cylindrical space having an elliptical (long rounded rectangle) horizontal cross section, and heats the stick or cartridge inserted into the heater chamber 17. The stick is cylindrical, and the diameter of the horizontal cross section is made larger than the minor axis of the horizontal cross section of the heater chamber 17. As a result, the stick is compressed in the radial direction when inserted into the heater chamber 17, so that the contact between the outer surface of the stick and the heater chamber 17 is increased and the contact area is increased. Therefore, the stick can be efficiently heated. This can improve the amount and flavor of aerosol generated from the stick.

[0015] When the slider 13 is moved to a position (open position) where the heater chamber 17 is exposed with the front panel 11 attached, and the power supply unit 1 detects that the switch SW has been pressed continuously for a predetermined period of time (e.g., several seconds), it regards this as an instruction to start heating and begins the heating operation.

[0016] The stick heated by the heater chamber 17 may include only the aerosol source, or may include the aerosol source and a flavoring substance. The aerosol source may include a liquid such as a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerin or propylene glycol. As a specific example, the aerosol source may include a mixed solution of glycerin and propylene glycol. Alternatively, the aerosol source may include a medicine or a Chinese herbal medicine. Alternatively, the aerosol source may include a flavoring such as menthol. Alternatively, the aerosol source may include nicotine in a liquid phase. The aerosol source may be a liquid, a solid, or a mixture of a liquid and a solid. Instead of or in addition to the aerosol source, a vapor source such as water may be used. The stick may include a carrier for supporting the aerosol source. The carrier itself may be a solid aerosol source. The carrier may include a sheet formed from a raw material derived from tobacco leaves.

[0017] A connector USBC for connecting an external device is provided on the bottom surface of the case 2. Here, it is assumed that the connector USBC is a receptacle that complies with the USB Type-C standard. When charging the power supply unit 1, an external device (such as a USB charger, a mobile battery, or a personal computer) that can supply power according to, for example, the USB PD standard is connected to the connector USBC. Note that the connector USBC may be compliant with a standard other than the USB Type-C standard. Note that instead of or in addition to the connector USBC, a power receiving coil for contactless charging may be provided in the power supply unit 1.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the case is removed from the power supply unit 1. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals. The heater unit HT (hereinafter, simply referred to as heater HT) is a load provided on the outer periphery of the heater chamber 17, consuming power supplied from a power supply to heat the heater chamber 17 and heat the aerosol source. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the heater HT is covered with a heat insulating material. The heater thermistor TH attached to the heat insulating material of the heater HT is a temperature sensor that indirectly measures the temperature of the heater HT. The heater HT may be of an induction heating type. In this case, the heater HT includes at least a coil for electromagnetic induction. The susceptor (metal piece) that receives the magnetic field sent from the coil for electromagnetic induction may be included in the heater HT or may be built into the stick.

[0019] The puff thermistor TP is an inhalation sensor disposed at the upper end of the heater chamber 17. When an aerosol is inhaled, the temperature detected by the puff thermistor TP changes, and this can be utilized to detect inhalation. The case thermistor TC is provided near the inner front surface of the case 2 and detects the case temperature.

[0020] The battery BT is rechargeable and is, for example, a lithium-ion secondary battery. The battery BT is a power source that supplies basic power to the power supply unit 1. The battery BT is attached at the time of manufacture, and the power supply unit 1 is shipped in a state in which power is supplied to most of the components except for the heater HT and thermistors TH, TC, TP, etc. (sleep state). The detector 170 is an open / close sensor that detects the open / close state of the slider 13, and may be an integrated circuit using a Hall element (Hall IC). The circuits of the power supply unit 1 are distributed and arranged on four circuit boards PCB1 to PCB4.

[0021] The operation of each component constituting the power supply unit 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The positive electrode of the battery BT is electrically connected to the first power supply connector BC+, and the negative electrode of the battery BT is electrically connected to the second power supply connector BC-. The potential of the positive electrode of the battery BT can be supplied to the VBAT terminal of the protection circuit 90, the VBAT terminal of the battery monitoring circuit 100, the VIN terminal of the transformer circuit 120, the BAT terminal of the charging circuit 20, and the potential input terminal of the switch circuit 80.

[0022] The protection circuit 90 measures the current flowing through the path of the current output from the battery BT using a resistor R2 arranged in the path, and protects the battery BT according to the current. The protection circuit 90 measures the output voltage of the battery BT using the input to the VBAT terminal, and protects the battery BT according to the measured output voltage. The battery monitoring circuit 100 can measure the state of the battery BT using a resistor R1 arranged in the path of the current output from the battery BT.

[0023] The overvoltage protection circuit 110 is a power supply connector that supplies a voltage V BUS In response to V USB Voltage V on the line USB The overvoltage protection circuit 110 outputs the voltage V BUS Even if the voltage exceeds a specified voltage value, the circuit can function as a protection circuit that reduces the voltage to a specified voltage value and supplies it to the output side of the overvoltage protection circuit 110. This specified voltage value may be set based on the voltage value input to the OVLo terminal.

[0024] The transformer circuit 120 converts the power supply voltage V BAT Heater voltage V to drive the heater HT by transforming BOOST The transformer circuit 120 may be a boost circuit, a step-up / step-down circuit, or a step-down circuit. The heater HT is disposed to heat the aerosol source. A positive terminal of the heater HT may be electrically connected to the first heater connector HC+, and a negative terminal of the heater HT may be electrically connected to the second heater connector HC-.

[0025] The heater HT may be attached to the power supply unit 1 in a form that cannot be removed without destruction (for example, soldered), or in a form that can be removed without destruction. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the electrical connection by a "connector" is described as being either in a form that cannot be separated from each other without destruction, or in a form that can be separated from each other without destruction.

[0026] The MCU (Micro Controller Unit) 130 is a processor-based control circuit equipped with a processor capable of executing a program, a memory (ROM and RAM), an interface, etc. The MCU 130 controls the operation of the power supply unit 1 by loading a program into the RAM of the MCU 130 and executing the program. The program executed by the MCU 130 may exist in the built-in memory (ROM), the non-volatile memory 70, or both.

[0027] The MCU 130 controls the supply of power to the heater HT for heating the aerosol source using the power supplied from the battery BT. In another aspect, the MCU 130 controls the heat generation of the heater HT for heating the aerosol source using the power supplied from the battery BT. In yet another aspect, the MCU 130 controls the supply of power to the heater HT and the charging operation of the battery BT.

[0028] When the heater HT is to be heated, the MCU 130 turns on the switch SH and the switch SS and turns off the switch SM. This causes the heater voltage V BOOST can be supplied to the heater HT from the transformer circuit 120 through the switch SH. When measuring the temperature or resistance of the heater HT, the MCU 130 turns off the switch SH and turns on the switches SM and SS. This causes the heater voltage V BOOST can be supplied to the heater HT from the transformer circuit 120 through the switch SM.

[0029] When measuring the temperature or resistance value of the heater HT, the operational amplifier A1 supplies an output corresponding to the voltage between the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the heater HT, in other words, the voltage between the first heater connector HC+ and the second heater connector HC-, to the PA7 terminal of the MCU 130. The operational amplifier A1 may be understood as a measurement circuit that measures the resistance value or temperature of the heater HT.

[0030] A shunt resistor RS may be disposed in a path electrically connecting the switch SM and the first heater connector HC+. The resistance value of the shunt resistor RS may be determined so that the switch SR is on during a period in which the heater HT is heated and the switch SR is off during a period in which the temperature or resistance value of the heater HT is measured.

[0031] When a heating start instruction is detected, the MCU 130 controls the temperature of the heater HT according to a predetermined temperature control pattern. The temperature control pattern is also called a heating profile, and specifies how to control the temperature of the heater HT during a period from the start to the end of heating. For example, the temperature control pattern may specify a length (time) and a target temperature for each section. The temperature control pattern is also called a heating profile. The MCU 130 realizes a temperature change specified in the temperature control pattern by repeatedly detecting the temperature of the heater HT and controlling the time of power supply to the heater HT based on the detected temperature of the heater HT.

[0032] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of temperature control of the heater HT according to a temperature control pattern. Here, the temperature is controlled so that the target temperature is reached at the end of each section. The horizontal axis is time (seconds), and the vertical axis is the temperature of the heater HT. The numbers shown in each section indicate the length of the section.

[0033] The initial heating section that starts with the start of heating includes a first heating section and a subsequent second heating section. The length of the first heating section is 17 seconds, and the target temperature is 290°C. The length of the second heating section is 18 seconds, and the target temperature is 295°C. The MCU 130 controls the power supply to the heater HT so that the temperature reaches 290°C within the first heating section, and controls the operation of the heater HT so that the temperature reaches 295°C within the subsequent second heating section. By dividing the initial heating section into multiple sections and making the target temperature of the initial heating section (here, 295°C) reach the target temperature of the initial heating section (here, 295°C) via one or more intermediate target temperatures (here, 290°C), the probability of reaching the final target temperature (295°C) within the initial heating section can be increased.

[0034] Moreover, by making the temperature gradient (temperature rise width per unit time) in the final heating section among the multiple heating sections constituting the initial heating section gentler than in the other heating sections, overshooting of the final target temperature is less likely to occur. The initial heating section may include a temperature maintenance section.

[0035] The section following the initial temperature rise section is a section for lowering the temperature of the heater HT (a temperature drop or slow cooling section). The length of the temperature drop section is 10 seconds, and the target temperature is 230°C. During the temperature drop section, the MCU 130 does not supply power to the heater HT, and waits for the heater HT to be cooled by the surrounding air, but may have a configuration for active cooling, such as a cooling fan.

[0036] After the temperature drop section ends, the temperature re-rise section begins, which has a length of 310 seconds and a target temperature of 260° C. When the MCU 130 detects that the temperature re-rise section ends or that the slider 13 has been moved to a position that hides the heater chamber 17 (closed position), the MCU 130 stops the power supply to the heater HT and ends the temperature control of the heater HT.

[0037] If power is not supplied to the heater during the temperature drop section, the resistance value of the heater HT cannot be measured during the temperature drop section. Therefore, during the temperature drop section, instead of supplying power to the heater HT and measuring the resistance value, the MCU 130 acquires the temperature of the heater HT using the heater thermistor TH connected to the PA6 terminal.

[0038] In this way, the MCU 130 periodically measures the temperature of the heater HT during the period in which the temperature of the heater HT is controlled in accordance with the temperature control pattern, and is therefore able to detect any abnormality in the temperature of the heater HT (overheating) if any.

[0039] Returning to Figure 3, if the switch SR is configured as an N-channel MOSFET, the drain terminal of the switch SR is connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier A1, the gate terminal of the switch SR is connected between the shunt resistor RS and the first heater connector HC+, and the source terminal of the switch SR is connected to ground (GND). The heater voltage V BOOST The voltage obtained by dividing the voltage SH1 by the shunt resistor RS and the heater HT is input. The resistance value of the shunt resistor RS can be determined so that this divided value is equal to or greater than the threshold voltage of the switch SR. In addition, due to the shunt resistor RS, the current flowing through the heater HT when the switch SH is off and the switches SM and SS are on is smaller than the current flowing through the heater HT when the switches SH and SS are on and the switch SM is off. This makes it possible to prevent the temperature of the heater HT from changing due to the current flowing through the heater HT when measuring the temperature or resistance of the heater HT.

[0040] When a low level is input to the ON terminal, the load switch 10 electrically disconnects the VIN terminal and the VOUT terminal, and when a high level is input to the ON terminal, it electrically connects the VIN terminal and the VOUT terminal and transfers current from the VOUT terminal to the V CC5 Voltage V on the line CC5 It outputs the voltage V CC5 The voltage value of V is, for example, 5.0 V. CC5The line is connected to a VBUS terminal and a VAC terminal of the charging circuit 20, which will be described later, and to the light-emitting unit NU. The ON terminal of the load switch 10 is connected to the collector terminal of an npn-type bipolar transistor. The emitter terminal of this bipolar transistor is connected to ground, and the base terminal is connected to the PC9 terminal of the MCU 130. In other words, the MCU 130 can control the opening and closing of the load switch via the bipolar transistor by adjusting the potential of the PC9 terminal.

[0041] The charging circuit 20 has a charging mode. In the charging mode, the charging circuit 20 electrically connects the SYS terminal and the BAT terminal internally. This allows V CC5 The voltage V supplied to the VBUS terminal via the line CC5 The charging circuit 20 can supply a charging voltage to the battery BT from the BAT terminal through the first conductive path PT1 using the voltage V CC5 It is preferable to generate the appropriate charging voltage by stepping down the V. The charging mode can be enabled or initiated by applying a low level to the / CE pin. V CC The lines are connected to the VIN and EN terminals of a transformer circuit 30, which will be described later.

[0042] The charging circuit 20 may have a power path function. When the power path function is enabled, the charging circuit 20 CC5 The voltage V supplied to the VBUS terminal via the line CC5 or the power supply voltage V supplied from the battery BT to the BAT terminal via the first conductive path PT1. BAT Using V CC Voltage V on the line CC Specifically, the charging circuit 20 supplies a voltage V USB When the power path function is enabled and the VBUS pin is available, the VBUS pin and the SW pin are electrically connected internally, and the V CC5 The voltage V supplied through the line CC5 Using V CC Voltage V on the line CC The charging circuit 20 also supplies a voltage V USBWhen the power path function is enabled and the VBUS terminal and SW terminal are not available, the power supply voltage V BAT Using V CC Voltage V on the line CC supplies.

[0043] The charging circuit 20 has an OTG (On-The-GO) function. When the OTG function is enabled, the charging circuit 20 receives a power supply voltage V BAT Use this to connect the VBUS terminal to V CC5 Voltage V on the line CC5 Supply voltage V BAT to voltage V CC5 When generating the light, the voltage supplied to the light-emitting unit NU is V USB to voltage V CC5 The charging circuit 20 generates a power supply voltage V BAT is boosted to voltage V CC5 It is preferable to supply a high level to the / CE terminal. Such a configuration stabilizes the operation of the light-emitting unit NU. When a high level is supplied to the / CE terminal, the charging circuit 20 can operate using one of the power path function and the OTG function that is set as a default, or one of the functions that is enabled by the MCU 130.

[0044] The transformer circuit 30 is a DC / DC converter that can be a boost circuit, a step-up / step-down circuit, or a step-down circuit, and V CC Voltage V on the line CC Specifically, the transformer circuit 30 is enabled by inputting a high-level signal to the EN terminal. CC Since the transformer circuit 30 is connected to the V CC Voltage V on the line CC The transformer circuit 30 is enabled by providing V CC33_0 Voltage V on the line CC33_0Supply voltage V CC33_0 The voltage value of V is, for example, 3.3 V. CC33_0 The line is connected to a VIN terminal of a load switch 40, which will be described later, a VIN terminal and an RSTB terminal of a reboot controller 50, which will be described later, and a VCC terminal and a D terminal of an FF2, which will be described later.

[0045] The load switch 40 electrically disconnects the VIN terminal and the VOUT terminal when a low level is input to the ON terminal, and electrically connects the VIN terminal and the VOUT terminal and outputs a current from the VOUT terminal to the V CC33 Voltage V on the line CC33 It outputs the voltage V CC33 The voltage value of V is, for example, 3.3 V. CC33 The lines are connected to the VIN terminal of the load switch 60, the VCC terminal of the non-volatile memory 70, the VDD terminal and CE terminal of the battery monitoring circuit 100, the VDD terminal of the MCU 130, the VDD terminal of the detector 140, the VCC terminal of the Schmitt trigger circuit 150, the VCC_NRF terminal of the communication interface circuit 160, the VDD terminal of the detector 170, the VCC terminal and D terminal of the FF1, the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier A1, and the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier A2. The VIN terminal of the load switch 40 is electrically connected to the VOUT terminal of the transformer circuit 30, and receives the voltage V CC33_0 In order to simplify the circuit board of the power supply unit 1, the voltage V CC33_0 Voltage value and voltage V CC33 It is preferable that the voltage values ​​of are approximately equal.

[0046] The reboot controller 50 outputs a low level from the RSTB terminal in response to a low level being supplied to the SW1 terminal and the SW2 terminal for a predetermined time. The RSTB terminal is electrically connected to the ON terminal of the load switch 40. Therefore, in response to a low level being supplied to the SW1 terminal and the SW2 terminal of the reboot controller 50 for a predetermined time, the load switch 40 outputs the voltage V CC33The output of the voltage V from the VOUT terminal of the load switch 40 is stopped. CC33 When the output of the MCU130 stops, the voltage V CC33 Since the supply of power is cut off, the MCU 130 stops operating.

[0047] Here, when the front panel 11 is removed from the power supply unit 1, a low level is supplied from the detector 140 to the SW2 terminal of the reboot controller 50 via the Schmitt trigger circuit 150. Also, when the switch SW is pressed, a low level is supplied to the SW1 terminal of the reboot controller 50. Therefore, when the switch SW is pressed in a state in which the front panel 11 is removed from the power supply unit 1 (the state shown in FIG. 1f), a low level is supplied to the SW1 terminal and the SW2 terminal of the reboot controller 50. When a low level is continuously supplied to the SW1 terminal and the SW2 terminal for a predetermined time (for example, several seconds), the reboot controller 50 recognizes that a reset or restart command for the power supply unit 1 has been input. It is preferable that the reboot controller 50 does not output a low level from the RSTB terminal after outputting a low level from the RSTB terminal.

[0048] When the reboot controller 50 outputs a low level from the RSTB terminal, a low level is input to the ON terminal of the load switch 40, and the load switch 40 electrically disconnects the VIN terminal and the VOUT terminal, and CC33 Voltage V on the line CC33 As a result, the MCU 130 stops operating. After that, when the reboot controller 50 stops outputting a low level from the RSTB terminal, the high-level voltage V CC33_0 is input to the ON terminal of the load switch 40, the load switch 40 electrically connects the VIN terminal and the VOUT terminal, and outputs V CC33 Voltage V on the line CC33 This allows the MCU 130, which has stopped operating, to restart.

[0049] The load switch 60 electrically disconnects the VIN terminal and the VOUT terminal when a low level is input to the ON terminal, and electrically connects the VIN terminal and the VOUT terminal and transfers current from the VOUT terminal to the V CC33_SLP Voltage V on the line CC33_SLP It outputs the voltage V CC33_SLP The voltage value of V is, for example, 3.3 V. CC33_SLP The lines are connected to a puff thermistor TP, a heater thermistor TH, and a case thermistor TC, which will be described later. The ON terminal of the load switch 60 is electrically connected to a PC11 terminal of the MCU 130. The MCU 130 transitions the logic level of the PC11 terminal from high to low when transitioning to a sleep mode, and transitions the logic level of the PC11 terminal from low to high when transitioning from a sleep state to an active state. In other words, the voltage V CC33_SLP is not available in sleep mode and becomes available when transitioning from sleep mode to active mode.

[0050] The power supply unit 1 may include a puff thermistor TP (for example, an NTC thermistor or a PTC thermistor) constituting a puff sensor for detecting a puff (inhalation) action by a user. The puff thermistor TP may be arranged to detect, for example, a temperature change in the air flow path accompanying a puff. Note that the puff thermistor TP is merely one specific example of a puff sensor. Instead of the puff thermistor TP, a microphone capacitor, a pressure sensor, a flow rate sensor, a flow velocity sensor, or the like may be used as the puff sensor. The power supply unit 1 may include a vibrator M. The vibrator M may be activated, for example, by turning on a switch SN. The switch SN may be formed of a transistor, and a control signal may be supplied to the base or gate of the transistor from the PH0 terminal of the MCU 130. The power supply unit 1 may include a driver for controlling the vibrator M.

[0051] The power supply unit 1 may include a heater thermistor TH (e.g., an NTC thermistor or a PTC thermistor) for detecting the temperature of the heater HT. The temperature of the heater HT may be indirectly detected by detecting the temperature in the vicinity of the heater HT. The operational amplifier A2 may output a voltage corresponding to the resistance value of the thermistor TH, in other words, a voltage corresponding to the temperature of the heater HT.

[0052] The power supply unit 1 may include a case thermistor TC (e.g., an NTC thermistor or a PTC thermistor) for detecting the temperature of a housing (case) 2 of the power supply unit. The temperature of the case 2 may be detected indirectly by detecting the temperature in the vicinity of the case 2. The operational amplifier A3 outputs a voltage corresponding to the resistance value of the thermistor TC, in other words, a voltage corresponding to the temperature of the case 2.

[0053] The detector 140 may be configured to detect that the front panel 11 has been removed from the power supply unit 1. An output of the detector 140 may be supplied to the SW2 terminal of the reboot controller 50 and the PD2 terminal of the MCU 130 via a Schmitt trigger circuit 150. One end of the switch SW is connected to a V CC33 The line, the SW1 terminal of the reboot controller 50, and the PC10 terminal of the MCU 130. The other end of the switch SW may be connected to ground. As a result, when the switch SW is pressed, a low level may be supplied to the SW1 terminal of the reboot controller 50 and the PC10 terminal of the MCU 130, and when the switch SW is not pressed, a high level may be supplied to the SW1 terminal of the reboot controller 50 and the PC10 terminal of the MCU 130.

[0054] The detector 170 may be configured to detect the opening and closing of the slider 13. The output of the detector 170 may be supplied to a PC13 terminal of the MCU 130. The detectors 140 and 170 may be configured, for example, by an integrated circuit using a Hall element (Hall IC).

[0055] The communication interface circuit 160 provides the MCU 130 with a function of wirelessly communicating with external devices such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a personal computer, etc. The communication interface circuit 160 may be a communication interface circuit that complies with one or more of any wireless communication standards, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0056] 5 is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration related to the operation using FFs (Flip-Flops) 1 and FF2, extracted from the components described with reference to FIG. 3. FF1 and FF2 are holding circuits that hold 1-bit information (0 or 1) indicating whether an abnormality in the power supply unit 1 has been detected by a means other than the MCU 130, at a low level or high level. Specifically, FF1 holds information (second information) indicating whether an abnormality has been detected by the battery monitoring circuit 100, the operational amplifier A2, and the operational amplifier A3. FF2 holds information (first information) indicating whether an abnormality has been detected by the operational amplifier A2.

[0057] FF2 outputs the inverted value of the information it holds as the HEATER_Latched signal from the / Q terminal. FF1 also outputs the value of the information it holds as the nALARM_Latched signal from the Q terminal. The HEATER_Latched signal and the nALARM_Latched signal are input to the PB14 terminal and the PA10 terminal of the MCU 130, respectively. Therefore, the MCU 130 can refer to the information held in FF1 and the information held in FF2 by referring to the levels of these terminals.

[0058] FF1 and FF2 have a / CLR terminal, and when the input level of the / CLR terminal changes from high to low, the value of the information held is initialized to 0 (low). Note that a change in the input level of the / CLR terminal from low to high does not affect the value of the information held.

[0059] In this embodiment, power is supplied to FF1 and FF2 through different power supply lines. That is, the VCC terminal (power supply terminal) of FF1 is supplied with a voltage V CC33_0 However, the VCC pin (power supply pin) of FF2 has a voltage of V CC33 are input respectively. Voltage V CC33_0 is the voltage V that drives the MCU130 CC33 is continuously supplied even during the period when it is temporarily not supplied during the reset operation. Therefore, the information held by FF2 (output of the Q and / Q terminals) is retained and not erased even when the reset operation of the power supply unit 1 is executed. On the other hand, since power is supplied to FF1 through the power line that supplies power to the MCU 130, the information held by FF1 is erased during the reset operation.

[0060] In FF1 and FF2, the input to the VCC terminal is also input to the D terminal. Therefore, while FF1 and FF2 are operating, a high level is always input to the D terminal. FF1 and FF2 have a synchronization terminal (not shown), and when the input to the synchronization terminal changes from low level to high level, the input level of the D terminal is maintained. When the power supply unit 1 is operating normally, FF1 and FF2 maintain a high level, the nALARM_Latched signal is at a high level, and the HEATER_Latched signal is at a low level.

[0061] First, an operation when the battery monitoring circuit 100 detects an abnormality in the battery BT will be described. The battery monitoring circuit 100 monitors information on the battery BT (such as the amount of current, temperature, and voltage). The MCU 130, which is a control circuit, periodically 2 The MCU 130 requests the battery BT information from the battery monitoring circuit 100 through C communication, and the battery monitoring circuit 100 notifies the MCU 130 of the battery BT information in response to the request. The MCU 130 determines whether or not there is an abnormality based on the acquired battery BT information and a number of predetermined abnormality conditions. If a corresponding abnormality condition is found, the MCU 130 executes an operation associated with that abnormality condition.

[0062] (Abnormal condition) 6 is a diagram showing an example of an abnormal condition related to the battery BT. 2 These are abnormal conditions applied to the information of the battery BT acquired from the battery monitoring circuit 100 through I / O communication. The output condition of the nGAUGE_INT1 signal and the output condition of the nGAUGE_INT2 signal are abnormal conditions applied by the battery monitoring circuit 100 itself to the information of the battery BT. When any of the output conditions of the nGAUGE_INT1 signal is satisfied, the battery monitoring circuit 100 outputs a low-level nGAUGE_INT1 signal from the ALERT terminal. When any of the output conditions of the nGAUGE_INT2 signal is satisfied, the battery monitoring circuit 100 outputs a low-level nGAUGE_INT2 signal from the IO5 terminal. In this way, the MCU 130 and the battery monitoring circuit 100 monitor the state of the battery BT independently. This allows, for example, I / O communication between the MCU 130 and the battery monitoring circuit 100 to be performed. 2 Even if the C communication cannot be performed normally for some reason, or the MCU 130 does not operate normally for some reason, the battery monitoring circuit 100 can reliably detect an abnormality in the battery BT and take appropriate measures.

[0063] In FIG. 6, the "Timing" column indicates the timing for determining whether each abnormal condition occurs. For the abnormal condition marked "Charge" in the "Timing" column, the occurrence of the abnormal condition is determined only while the battery BT is being charged by the charging circuit 20. For the abnormal condition marked "Discharge" in the "Timing" column, the occurrence of the abnormal condition is determined only while the battery BT is not being charged by the charging circuit 20 (more preferably, when the heater voltage V BOOST It is determined whether or not an abnormal condition that is described as "always" in the "Timing" column is met, regardless of whether or not the battery BT is being charged by the charging circuit 20.

[0064] 6, the presence or absence and type of a frame for an abnormality condition indicates the degree of abnormality represented by that abnormality condition. Specifically, an abnormality condition without a frame indicates the mildest abnormality, an abnormality condition with a solid frame indicates a medium abnormality that requires a reset, and an abnormality condition with a double-lined frame indicates a serious abnormality (permanent failure). A permanent failure is an abnormality that should essentially prohibit the use of the power supply unit 1. The MCU 130 and the battery monitoring circuit 100 perform an operation according to the degree of the corresponding abnormality.

[0065] Here, when both the output condition of the nGAUGE_INT1 signal and the output condition of the nGAUGE_INT2 signal are set for the same monitoring parameter, such as the amount of current when charging or discharging the battery BT, the output condition of the nGAUGE_INT1 signal is set to a stricter condition. In other words, for the same monitoring parameter, the abnormality condition is set so that the nGAUGE_INT2 signal is output before the nGAUGE_INT1 signal. This is because the nGAUGE_INT2 signal is output to the MCU 130 and abnormalities are dealt with by the control of the MCU 130, whereas the nGAUGE_INT1 signal deals with abnormalities by hardware without going through the MCU 130. Basically, the software control by the MCU 130, which operates stably, is given priority, and the hardware control by the nGAUGE_INT1 signal is implemented as a means when the software control does not work. An example of a case where the software control does not work is when the MCU 130 is frozen.

[0066] (Battery abnormality detection by MCU130) Next, the detection of an abnormality in the battery BT and the operation according to the degree of the detected abnormality will be described. 2 The operation of the MCU 130 based on the information of the battery BT acquired by the I / C communication will be described. The MCU 130 periodically (for example, at one second intervals) communicates with the battery monitoring circuit 100. 2 C communication is performed to obtain information about the battery BT, and a determination is made as to whether or not any of the abnormal conditions shown in FIG. 6 is met.

[0067] (Minor abnormality) When it is determined that the battery BT is in the mildest abnormal state (when the temperature of the battery BT is equal to or higher than 51° C. and lower than 55° C. during discharging in the example of FIG. 5), the MCU 130 stops the supply of power from the battery BT to the heater HT (heater voltage V BOOST The MCU 130 also prohibits the charging of the battery BT by the charging circuit 20. In the sleep state, the MCU 130 prohibits the application of the voltage V BAT , V CC33 , V CC33_0 is supplied, but the voltage V CC33_SLP is not supplied.

[0068] (Power supply to heater HT is prohibited) The MCU 130 sets the Heater_Enable signal output from the PC12 terminal to a low level to turn off the switch SS. This causes the MCU 130 to disconnect the negative terminal HC- of the heater HT from the ground. In addition, since the Heater Enable signal is also input to the EN terminal of the transformer circuit 120, the transformer circuit 120 also stops operating, and the supply of power to the heater HT is prohibited.

[0069] (Battery BT charging prohibited) The MCU 130 sets the nCharger_Enable signal output from the PB3 terminal to high level, which causes the / CE terminal of the charging circuit 20 to go to high level, causing the charging circuit 20 to prohibit charging.

[0070] Thereafter, when it is confirmed that the temperature of the battery BT has become equal to or lower than 45° C., the MCU 130 causes the power supply unit 1 to transition to a sleep state.

[0071] (moderate abnormality) If it is determined that a moderate abnormality occurs (such as when the temperature of the battery BT reaches 55° C. or higher during discharging in the example of FIG. 6), it becomes necessary to reset (restart) the power supply unit 1. For this reason, the MCU 130 prompts the user to perform a reset operation by using the light emission pattern and / or light emission color of the light-emitting unit NU. In addition to the light-emitting unit NU, a vibrator M may be used. If it is determined that a moderate abnormality occurs, the MCU 130 prohibits the supply of power from the transformer circuit 120 to the heater HT and the charging of the battery BT by the charging circuit 20.

[0072] (Reset operation) In the power supply unit 1 of this embodiment, The front panel 11 is removed. The switch SW is pressed for a certain period of time longer than the heating start command. If both of the above are detected, it is recognized that a reset operation has been performed.

[0073] Specifically, these conditions are detected by the reboot controller 50. The SW1 terminal of the reboot controller 50 is connected to the switch SW, and the SW2 terminal is connected to a Schmitt trigger circuit 150 that outputs a signal indicating the attachment or detachment of the front panel 11. When the switch SW is pressed with the front panel 11 removed, both the inputs of the SW1 and SW2 terminals become low level. This causes the reboot controller 50 to start a reset operation.

[0074] The reboot controller 50 monitors whether the state in which both the SW1 and SW2 terminals are at a low level continues until a reboot delay time that can be set by the user (for example, 1 to 20 seconds) has elapsed. During the reboot delay time, the MCU 130 uses the light-emitting unit NU and the vibrator M to notify the user of the reset.

[0075] When the state in which both the SW1 and SW2 terminals are at a low level continues for the reboot delay time, the reboot controller 50 sets the output of the RSTB terminal to a low level. This causes the ON terminal of the load switch 40 to go to a low level, and the voltage V CC33 and the voltage V from the VOUT terminal of the load switch 60 CC33_SLP This cuts off the power supply to the MCU 130, causing the MCU 130 to stop operating. That is, the time required to recognize the reset instruction, which is longer than the heating start instruction, is approximately equal to the reboot delay time.

[0076] When a predetermined time (for example, 0.4 seconds) has elapsed since the reboot controller 50 set the RSTB terminal to a low level, the reboot controller 50 will no longer automatically set the RSTB terminal to a low level. CC33_0 But, V CC33_0 The voltage V from the load switch 40 is input to the ON terminal of the load switch 40 via the line. CC33 The supply of power is resumed, and the MCU 130 starts up. In other words, the MCU 130 starts up when the state in which power is not being supplied changes to the state in which power is being supplied. When the MCU 130 starts up, the power supply unit 1 goes into a sleep state or a charging state. At this point, the voltage V CC33_SLP When the MCU 130 is restarted in this manner, problems occurring in the MCU 130, such as freezing, may be resolved.

[0077] Among the moderate abnormal conditions, an overcurrent during charging is determined to occur when a current value that is 1.1 times or more of a preset current value (hereinafter also referred to as a set value) for CC (Constant-Current) charging during CCCV charging performed by the charging circuit 20 is detected.

[0078] (Major anomaly) If it is determined that an important abnormal state exists (in the example of FIG. 6, the voltage of the battery BT is determined to be deep discharge), the MCU 130 determines that an important abnormality (permanent failure) has occurred. Note that deep discharge refers to a state in which the discharge of the battery BT has progressed further than in an over-discharge state. Note that an over-discharge state refers to a state in which the output voltage of the battery BT has fallen below the discharge end voltage. The determination of deep discharge can be made by a predetermined algorithm. There are no limitations on the method of determining deep discharge, but for example, it can be determined that the battery BT is deep discharged when the positive electrode voltage of the battery BT is less than .

[0079] A permanent failure is an abnormality that should essentially prohibit the use of the device. Therefore, when it is determined that a permanent failure has occurred, the MCU 130 executes an operation to prohibit the user from using the power supply unit 1. Details of the processing of the MCU 130 when it is determined that a permanent failure has occurred will be described later.

[0080] (Battery Abnormality Detection by Battery Monitoring Circuit 100) Next, an abnormality detection operation of the battery BT that is performed by the battery monitoring circuit 100 independently of the MCU 130 will be described. The battery monitoring circuit 100 monitors the state of the battery BT, and judges whether or not any of the abnormal conditions shown in Fig. 6 is met. Then, depending on the abnormal condition that is met, it outputs the nGAUGE_INT1 signal or the nGAUGE_INT2 signal. The nGAUGE_INT2 signal is input as an interrupt signal from the IO5 terminal of the battery monitoring circuit 100 to the PB12 terminal of the MCU 130. In other words, the battery monitoring circuit 100 periodically exchanges I / O with the MCU 130. 2 Without waiting for the period of the C communication, the nGAUGE_INT2 signal is output from the IO5 terminal of the battery monitoring circuit 100. On the other hand, the nGAUGE_INT1 signal output from the ALERT terminal of the battery monitoring circuit 100 is not input to the MCU 130, but is input to the / CLR terminal of FF1, which is a holding circuit.

[0081] (nGAUGE_INT2 signal) First, the nGAUGE_INT2 signal will be described. The battery monitoring circuit 100 judges whether the periodically acquired information of the battery BT corresponds to any of the abnormal conditions listed as the output conditions of the nGAUGE_INT2 signal. If it is judged that any of the abnormal conditions is met, the battery monitoring circuit 100 outputs the nGAUGE_INT2 signal by setting the output of the IO5 terminal to a low level, and notifies the MCU 130 of the occurrence of the abnormality through the PB12 terminal.

[0082] When the input of the PB12 terminal changes to a low level, the MCU 130 recognizes that the battery monitoring circuit 100 has detected an abnormality in the battery BT. Then, the MCU 130 detects an abnormality in the battery BT through the SCL and SDA terminals. 2 Through C communication, information on the battery BT is obtained from the battery monitoring circuit 100.

[0083] The MCU 130 applies the same abnormality conditions as the output conditions of the nGAUGE_INT2 signal to the acquired information on the battery BT to determine whether the battery BT is in an abnormal state. If any of the abnormality conditions is met, the MCU 130 executes an operation according to the degree of abnormality indicated by the abnormal state. In other words, the MCU 130 periodically collects information on the battery BT. 2 C communication or in response to a notification (interrupt) by the nGAUGE_INT2 signal 2 The abnormal condition applied to the acquired battery BT information is different depending on whether it was acquired by I / C communication. When a corresponding abnormal condition is found, the action to be taken according to the degree of abnormality represented by that abnormal condition is to periodically check the battery BT information. 2 This is the same as when obtained via C communication.

[0084] Regarding the abnormal battery temperature condition (a temperature of 85° C. or higher continuing for two minutes), the method of determination differs between the battery monitoring circuit 100 and the MCU 130. The battery monitoring circuit 100 monitors the periodically acquired information of the battery BT, and outputs a low-level nGAUGE_INT2 signal when it determines that a temperature of 85° C. or higher has continued for two minutes.

[0085] The MCU 130, which has received the low-level nGAUGE_INT2 signal, acquires information on the battery BT from the battery monitoring circuit 100 at a predetermined cycle (for example, every second). If a temperature of 85° C. or higher is detected a predetermined number of times (for example, five times) in succession, it determines that an abnormal condition exists (a permanent failure has occurred).

[0086] In the above-described embodiment, the MCU 130 applies the same abnormality condition as the output condition of the nGAUGE_INT2 signal to the acquired information about the battery BT to determine whether or not the battery BT is in an abnormal state and the degree of the abnormality.

[0087] (nGAUGE_INT1 signal) Next, the nGAUGE_INT1 signal will be described. The battery monitoring circuit 100 judges whether the periodically acquired information on the battery BT corresponds to any of the abnormal conditions listed as the output conditions of the nGAUGE_INT1 signal. If it is judged that any of the abnormal conditions is met, the battery monitoring circuit 100 outputs the nGAUGE_INT1 signal by setting the output of the ALERT terminal to a low level.

[0088] The nGAUGE_INT1 signal is input to the / CLR terminal of the holding circuit FF1. Because the / CLR terminal is negative logic, when a low-level nGAUGE_INT1 is input, the output of the Q terminal, which is the output of FF1, is forcibly set to low level. FF1 receives the voltage V from the load switch 40. CC33 When the supply of the clock signal starts, a high level is input to the D terminal and a clock signal is input from the MCU 130 to a clock terminal (not shown), so the output of the Q terminal is usually at a high level. Here, the input of the clock signal may be a change in the input level of the clock terminal from a low level to a high level. FF1 holds the input level of the D terminal when the input level of the clock terminal changes from a low level to a high level, and outputs it from the Q terminal.

[0089] The output (nALARM_Latched signal) of the Q terminal of FF1 is input to the switch SS, the transformer circuit 120, the switch SL connected to the / CE terminal of the charging circuit 20, and the MCU 130 (PA10 terminal). When the nALARM_Latched signal output from the Q terminal of FF1 becomes a predetermined level (low level) indicating an abnormality, The switch SS turns off, cutting off the power supply to the heater HT. The EN terminal of the DC / DC120 goes to low level, so the power supply to the heater HT stops. When the switch SL is turned on, the resistor R9 and the resistor R10 are connected to each other via a voltage V CC33 The input of the / CE terminal of the charging circuit 20 is no longer contributing to the voltage division, and the voltage V CC33 At this time, the nCharger_Enable signal has not been generated and the potential of the PB3 terminal is undefined. In this way, by setting the output of FF1 to a low level, it is possible to prohibit the power supply from the transformer circuit 120 to the heater HT and the charging of the battery BT by the charging circuit 20 without going through the MCU 130, thereby protecting the circuits.

[0090] When a low-level nALARM_Latched signal is input to the PA10 terminal, the MCU 130 determines that an abnormality requiring a reset has been detected, and prompts the user to perform a reset operation using the light-emitting unit NU and the vibrator M. The detection of the reset operation and the corresponding reset operation are as described above.

[0091] (Anomaly detection by heater thermistor and case thermistor) Next, an explanation will be given of the abnormality detection by the heater thermistor TH and the case thermistor TC, and the operation in response to the abnormality detection. The heater thermistor TH is disposed in a position close to the heater HT. Alternatively, the heater thermistor TH is disposed in a position in contact with the heater HT. Therefore, by measuring the relationship between the actual temperature of the heater HT and the resistance value of the heater thermistor TH in advance, the resistance value of the heater thermistor TH can be used as the temperature of the heater HT.

[0092] The inverting input of op amp A2 is connected to the voltage V CC33_SLP The voltage divided by the heater thermistor TH and resistor R1 is input to the non-inverting input of the operational amplifier A2. CC33 The voltage obtained by dividing the voltage Vth by resistors R4 and R5 is input as a reference voltage or threshold voltage. Since the heater thermistor TH is preferably configured by an NTC thermistor, the voltage of the non-inverting input is low when the heater HT is not overheated, and the voltage of the non-inverting input is high when the heater HT is overheated. The values ​​of the voltage-dividing resistors R3 to R5 are adjusted so that the voltage of the non-inverting input is higher than the voltage of the inverting input when the heater HT is not overheated, and the voltage of the inverting input is higher than the voltage of the non-inverting input when the heater HT is overheated. Therefore, the operational amplifier A2 functions as a circuit (first detection circuit) that detects temperature abnormalities, specifically overheating, as an example of abnormalities related to the heater HT. The values ​​of the voltage-dividing resistors R3 to R5 can be adjusted based on the resistance value of the heater thermistor TH when the temperature of the heater HT reaches the threshold value for overheating.

[0093] Therefore, the output of the operational amplifier A2 is at a high level when the heater HT is not overheated (normal state), and is at a low level when the heater HT is overheated (abnormal state). The output of operational amplifier A2 is directly connected to the / CLR terminal of FF2. The output of operational amplifier A2 is also connected to the D terminal and / CLR terminal of FF1 via diode D1. The cathode of diode D1 is connected to the output of operational amplifier A2. If the temperature of heater HT is normal, the input to the / CLR terminal of FF2 is high level. If the input to the / CLR terminal is high level, the output of the Q terminal of FF2 maintains the initial state. A voltage V CC33_0 is input, and if there are no abnormalities at startup, FF2 will maintain the input level of the D terminal in the initial state. Therefore, if the temperature of the heater HT is normal, the Q terminal output of FF2 will be high level, and the / Q terminal output (HEATER_Latched signal) will be low level.

[0094] When the heater HT becomes overheated, the output of operational amplifier A2 changes to low level. This changes the input to the / CLR terminal of FF2 to low level. When the / CLR terminal becomes low level, FF2 is forcibly initialized, the output of the Q terminal becomes low level, and the output of the / Q terminal becomes high level. Therefore, the HEATER_Latched signal, which is the output of the / Q terminal of FF2, is held at high level. The HEATER_Latched signal is input to the PB14 terminal of the MCU 130. The operation of the MCU 130 when it detects that the HEATER_Latched signal has become high level will be described later.

[0095] The VCC pin of FF2 has a voltage of V CC33_0 The voltage V CC33_0 is the voltage V that drives the MCU130 CC33 is continuously supplied even during the period when it is temporarily not supplied during the reset operation. Therefore, the information held by FF2 (output of the Q and / Q terminals) is retained even when the MCU 130 is reset.

[0096] The case thermistor TC is disposed in close proximity to the inner surface of the case 2. Alternatively, the case thermistor TC is disposed in a position in contact with the inner surface of the case 2. By measuring the relationship between the actual temperature of the case 2 and the resistance value of the case thermistor TC in advance, the resistance value of the case thermistor TC can be used as the temperature of the case 2.

[0097] The inverting input of op amp A3 is connected to a voltage V CC33_SLP The voltage divided by the case thermistor TC and resistor R6 is input to the non-inverting input of the operational amplifier A3. CC33The voltage obtained by dividing the voltage R2 by resistors R7 and R8 is input as a reference voltage or threshold voltage. Since the case thermistor TC is preferably an NTC thermistor, the voltage of the non-inverting input is low when the case 2 is not hot, and the voltage of the non-inverting input is high when the case 2 is hot. The values ​​of the voltage-dividing resistors R6 to R8 are adjusted so that the voltage of the non-inverting input is higher than the voltage of the inverting input when the case 2 of the power supply unit 1 is not hot, and the voltage of the inverting input is higher than the voltage of the non-inverting input when the case 2 is hot. Therefore, the operational amplifier A3 functions as a circuit (second detection circuit) that detects a high temperature as an abnormality related to the temperature of the case 2. The values ​​of the voltage-dividing resistors R6 to R8 can be adjusted based on the resistance value of the case thermistor TC when the temperature of the case 2 reaches a high temperature.

[0098] Therefore, the output of the operational amplifier A3 is at a high level when case 2 is not at a high temperature (normal state), and is at a low level when case 2 is at a high temperature (abnormal state).

[0099] The output of operational amplifier A3 is directly connected to the / CLR and D terminals of FF1. The output of operational amplifier A3 is also connected to the anode of diode D1. If the temperature in Case 2 is normal, the input to the / CLR terminal of FF1 is high level. If the input to the / CLR terminal is high level, the output of the Q terminal of FF1 maintains the initial state. The D terminal of FF1 has a voltage V CC33 is input, and if there are no abnormalities at startup, FF1 will hold the input level of the D terminal in the initial state. Therefore, if the temperature in Case 2 is normal, the Q terminal output of FF1 (nALARM_Latched signal) will be high level.

[0100] The high-level nALARM_Latched signal is input to the PA10 terminal of the MCU 130 and to the base of the switch SL. The switch SL is turned off.

[0101] When case 2 becomes a high temperature state, the output of operational amplifier A3 changes to low level. As a result, the input of the / CLR terminal of FF1 changes to low level. When the / CLR terminal becomes low level, FF1 is forcibly initialized and the output of the Q terminal (nALARM_Latched signal) becomes low level. As a result, just like when the battery monitoring circuit 100 outputs a low-level nGAUGE_INT1 signal, the power supply from the transformer circuit 120 to the heater HT and the charging of the battery BT by the charging circuit 20 are prohibited without going through the MCU 130, and the power supply unit 1 can be protected.

[0102] When the heater HT is in an overheated state and in the case 2 high temperature state, the outputs of the operational amplifiers A2 and A3 are both high level. Since the outputs of the operational amplifiers A2 and A3 are connected, there is a risk of the two outputs colliding. The output of the operational amplifiers A2 and A3 do not necessarily have the same voltage value, and the collision of high levels with different voltage values ​​may cause unexpected malfunction. In particular, even if the outputs of the operational amplifiers A2 and A3 are both high level, if the output voltage of the operational amplifier A3 is lower than the output voltage of the operational amplifier A2, it may affect the input level of the / CLR terminal of FF2.

[0103] For this reason, a diode D1 is connected as a limiting circuit that limits the direction of current flow in the connection path between the output of the operational amplifier A2 and the output of the operational amplifier A3, with the output of the operational amplifier A3 connected to its anode and the output of the operational amplifier A2 connected to its cathode. In other words, as seen from the / CLR terminal of FF1, the output of the operational amplifier A3, the anode of the diode D1, the cathode of the diode D1, and the output of the operational amplifier A2 are connected in series. Alternatively, the / CLR terminal of FF1 is located between the output of the operational amplifier A3 and the anode of the diode D1, and the operational amplifier A2 is connected to the cathode of the diode D1. As a result, when the output voltage of the operational amplifier A3 is lower than the output voltage of the operational amplifier A2, the current flowing in the direction from the operational amplifier A2 to the operational amplifier A3 is limited by the diode D1, and it is possible to prevent the output voltage of the operational amplifier A1 from affecting the input level of the / CLR terminal of FF2. The direction of diode D1 may be determined according to the output levels of operational amplifiers A2 and A3 when an abnormality is detected so as to suppress the effect of the output level of operational amplifier A3 on the output level of operational amplifier A2 when an abnormality is detected.

[0104] On the other hand, when the heater HT is overheated and case 2 is normal, charging of the battery BT and power supply to the heater HT should be prohibited to protect the circuit immediately. In this case, the output of the operational amplifier A2 is low level and the output of the operational amplifier A3 is high level. If the output voltage of the operational amplifier A3 is higher than the output voltage of the operational amplifier A2, a forward voltage is applied to the diode D1. In addition, since the current flowing from the operational amplifier A3 to the operational amplifier A2 is connected to the ground, the input of the / CLR terminal of FF1 is pulled to the ground and becomes low level even if the output of the operational amplifier A3 is high level. In this way, when the information held by FF2 changes to a value indicating that an abnormality has been detected, the information held by FF1 also changes to a value indicating that an abnormality has been detected.

[0105] As a result, when an overheated state of the heater HT is detected, the supply of power from the transformer circuit 120 to the heater HT and the charging of the battery BT by the charging circuit 20 are immediately prohibited without going through the MCU 130, thereby protecting the circuit. By using a Schottky diode for the diode D1, the forward current rises faster than when a normal diode using a PN junction (PN diode) is used. Therefore, the / CLR terminal of FF1 can be set to low level more quickly than when a PN diode is used for the diode D1, and the circuit can be quickly protected when an overheated state of the heater HT is detected.

[0106] In this example, the HEATER_Latched signal is output from the / Q terminal of FF2, but it may be output from the Q terminal. However, by using the / Q terminal output to make the HEATER_Latched signal high when an abnormality occurs, the signal is less susceptible to the effects of disturbance noise than when the HEATER_Latched signal is low when an abnormality occurs, and the MCU 130 can more reliably determine whether an abnormality occurs.

[0107] (Determining permanent failure during heater temperature control) The power supply unit 1 of this embodiment determines whether or not a permanent failure related to overheating of the heater HT has occurred, among other important abnormalities (permanent failures), at least during the period when the temperature of the heater HT is controlled in accordance with the temperature control pattern and at the time of restart after a reset operation.

[0108] First, the permanent failure determination in the temperature control process of the heater HT will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart related to the operation related to the temperature control of the heater HT performed by the MCU 130. The operation shown in Fig. 7 can be implemented by loading a program stored in the ROM (built-in ROM) of the MCU 130 or the non-volatile memory 70 into the RAM of the MCU 130 and executing it.

[0109] In S710, the MCU 130 determines whether or not a heating start instruction has been detected. If it is determined that a heating start instruction has been detected, the MCU 130 executes S715, and if it is not determined that a heating start instruction has been detected, the MCU 130 executes S710 again.

[0110] In S715, the MCU 130 writes a heating flag to a non-volatile storage means (a ROM or non-volatile memory 70 included in the MCU 130). Writing the flag may be changing the value of a variable or the like assigned as the flag from false (e.g., 0) to true (e.g., 1).

[0111] In S720, the MCU 130 starts the temperature control of the heater HT in accordance with a predetermined temperature control pattern. As described above, the MCU 130 repeatedly acquires the temperature of the heater HT and controls the power supply to the heater HT based on the acquired temperature and the temperature control pattern.

[0112] In S725, the MCU 130 judges whether the HEATER_Latched signal input to the PB14 terminal has changed from low level to high level. The change of the HEATER_Latched signal from low level to high level corresponds to the change of the information held by the FF2 from a state indicating that no abnormality has been detected to a state indicating that an abnormality has been detected.

[0113] The MCU 130 executes S730 if it is determined that the HEATER_Latched signal has changed from low level to high level, and executes S750 if it is not determined that the HEATER_Latched signal has changed from low level to high level.

[0114] In S750, the MCU 130 determines whether or not another abnormality has been detected. Detection of another abnormality includes detection of an abnormality in the heater temperature based on the resistance value of the heater HT, detection of an abnormality based on an abnormal condition related to the battery BT, and detection of an abnormality based on the input of a low-level nALARM_Latched signal. If it is determined that another abnormality has been detected, the MCU 130 executes S770, and if it is not determined that another abnormality has been detected, the MCU 130 executes S755.

[0115] In S755, the MCU 130 determines whether or not to end the control. The MCU 130 can determine to end the control when the last section defined in the temperature control pattern ends or when it is detected that the slider 13 has been moved to the closed position. If it is determined to end the control, the MCU 130 executes S760, and if it is not determined to end the control, the MCU 130 executes S725.

[0116] In S760, the MCU 130 erases the in-control flag written in S715 and ends the temperature control operation of the heater HT. The erasure of the flag may be performed by changing the value of a variable or the like assigned as the flag from true (e.g., 1) to false (e.g., 0).

[0117] From the time when the MCU 130 starts the temperature control of the heater HT according to the temperature control pattern in S720 until it is determined in S755 that the temperature control is to be ended, the MCU 130 executes the processes of S725, S750, and S755, I2C communication with the battery monitoring circuit 100, etc. in parallel with obtaining the temperature of the heater HT and controlling the power supply to the heater HT.

[0118] If it is determined in S725 that the HEATER_Latched signal has changed from low level to high level, the MCU 130 acquires the temperature of the heater HT using the heater thermistor TH in S730. Here, the heater temperature is acquired using the heater thermistor TH because no abnormality has been detected in the heater temperature acquired based on the resistance value of the heater HT in the temperature control of the heater HT. Also, because the HEATER_Latched signal has gone high level, the nALARM_Latched signal has gone low level and power supply to the heater HT is prohibited.

[0119] In S735, the MCU 130 determines whether the heater temperature acquired in S735 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold. The threshold used here does not necessarily have to be a temperature equivalent to overheating (e.g., 300°C), but may be a temperature that can be confirmed to be relatively high. For example, a temperature of about 220 to 250°C can be used as the threshold. If it is determined that the heater temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold, the MCU 130 executes S740, and if it is not determined that the heater temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold, the MCU 130 executes S775.

[0120] In S740, the MCU 130 determines whether the nALARM_Latched signal is at a level indicating an abnormality (here, low level). As described above, when the HEATER_Latched signal becomes high level, the nALARM_Latched signal should become low level. However, it is possible that the HEATER_Latched signal has become high level due to noise or the like. In particular, if the threshold value used in S735 is lower than the temperature corresponding to overheating, there is a risk of erroneously determining that a permanent failure has occurred. For this reason, it is determined that a permanent failure has occurred only when it is confirmed that the nALARM_Latched signal is at low level.

[0121] The MCU 130 executes S745 if it is determined that the nALARM_Latched signal is at a low level, and executes S775 if it is not determined that the nALARM_Latched signal is at a low level. In S775, the MCU 130 uses the light-emitting unit NU and the vibrator M to prompt the user to perform a reset operation.

[0122] In S745, the MCU 130 determines that a permanent failure has occurred. In S765, the MCU 130 writes a permanent failure flag in the ROM or non-volatile memory 70 of the MCU 130.

[0123] In S770, the MCU 130 executes processing according to the detected abnormality. If the heating of the heater HT has not stopped, the MCU 130 sets the Heater_Enable signal to a low level to prohibit the supply of power to the heater HT before executing processing according to the detected abnormality.

[0124] Among the processes according to the detected abnormality, the operation when an abnormality other than a permanent failure is detected has already been described, so here, the process when it is determined that a permanent failure has occurred will be described. 2 Through the C communication, the power path function of the charging circuit 20 (the function of outputting the power input to the BAT terminal from the SYS terminal) is stopped. This causes the power supply voltage V BAT Based on the voltage V CC The supply of voltage V CC The voltage V derived from CC33_0 , V CC33 , V CC33_SLP Therefore, power is not supplied to most of the circuits including the MCU 130, and the power supply unit 1 essentially stops operating. Since power is also not supplied to the reboot controller 50, the reset operation is also not accepted.

[0125] Also, by stopping the power path function of the charging circuit 20, it becomes impossible to supply power from the transformer circuit 120 to the heater HT and to charge the battery BT by the charging circuit 20. Note that, in order to improve the safety of the power supply unit 1 when it is determined that a significant abnormal state exists, when it is determined that a permanent failure has occurred, the MCU 130 may prohibit the supply of power from the transformer circuit 120 to the heater HT and the charging of the battery BT by the charging circuit 20 by the method using the Heater_Enable signal and the nCharger Enable signal described above before stopping the power path function of the charging circuit 20, as part of the operation for prohibiting the user from using the power supply unit 1.

[0126] Alternatively, the MCU 130 may not execute S765, but may instead prompt the user to perform a reset operation in S770 using the light-emitting unit NU or the vibrator M. This is because there is a risk of malfunction of the MCU 130 itself, and therefore the occurrence of a permanent failure is to be determined again in the (re)start process after the reset. If it is determined that a permanent failure has occurred, the power supply unit 1 will essentially become unusable, so the determination must be made carefully.

[0127] The above is the operation related to the determination of a permanent failure during the temperature control of the heater HT. Note that the MCU 130 can also perform the above-mentioned processing from S730 onwards when it detects that the HEATER_Latched signal has changed to a level indicating an abnormality while the temperature control processing of the heater HT is not being performed.

[0128] (Determining permanent failures when restarting) Next, the operation of determining whether or not there is a permanent failure at (re)startup will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart relating to the operation at startup performed by the MCU 130. The operation shown in Fig. 8 can be implemented by loading a program stored in the ROM (built-in ROM) of the MCU 130 or the non-volatile memory 70 into the RAM of the MCU 130 and executing it.

[0129] In S805, the MCU 130 determines whether or not a permanent failure flag exists in the non-volatile storage means (built-in ROM or non-volatile memory 70). Here, the existence of a flag corresponds to the flag being a true value (1). If it is determined that a permanent failure flag exists, the MCU 130 executes S830, and if it is not determined that a permanent failure flag exists, the MCU 130 executes S810.

[0130] In S810, the MCU 130 determines whether or not a control flag exists in the built-in ROM or the non-volatile memory 70. If it is determined that a control flag exists, the MCU 130 executes S815, and if it is not determined that a control flag exists, the MCU 130 executes S840.

[0131] In S815, the MCU 130 determines whether the HEATER_Latched signal is at a level (high level here) indicating that an abnormality has been detected. If it is determined that the HEATER_Latched signal is at a high level, the MCU 130 executes S820, and if it is not determined that the HEATER_Latched signal is at a high level, the MCU 130 executes S835.

[0132] As described above, the information held by FF2 is not erased by the reset operation. Therefore, if overheating of the heater HT is detected by the heater thermistor TH before the reset operation is executed, the HEATER_Latched signal remains at a high level even after restart.

[0133] After reset, the voltage V CC33 When the supply of power is resumed, the operational amplifier A2 and the MCU 130 operate. If the overheating state of the heater HT has been resolved at this point, the output of the operational amplifier A2 returns to a high level. However, since no clock signal is input from the MCU 130 to a clock terminal (not shown) of FF2, the information held by FF2 does not change from before the reset. Therefore, by the MCU 130 referring to the HEATER_Latched signal after the reset, it is possible to confirm that overheating of the heater HT had been detected before the reset.

[0134] In S820, the MCU 130 determines that a permanent failure has occurred. In S825, the MCU 130 writes a permanent failure flag in the ROM or non-volatile memory 70 of the MCU 130.

[0135] In S830, the MCU 130 uses the light emitting unit NU and the vibrator M to notify the user that a permanent failure has occurred. The MCU 130 also disables the start-up of the power supply unit 1. Specifically, the power supply unit 1 is maintained in a sleep state, and is not made to transition to an active state even if it is detected that the slider 13 has been moved to the open position. Therefore, heating is not started even if a heating start command is input. Alternatively, the MCU 130 may be configured to interrupt I / O with the charging circuit 20. 2 Through the C communication, the power path function of the charging circuit 20 (a function of outputting the power input to the BAT terminal from the SYS terminal) may be stopped.

[0136] For example, if the determination in S725 is due to the level of the PB14 terminal going low due to noise, rather than the information held by FF2 changing to low, the HEATER_Latched signal referenced by the MCU 130 after resetting is at low level, so that the operation at the time of determining a permanent failure is prevented from being erroneously executed. Also, even if the MCU 130 was malfunctioning before the resetting, resetting the MCU 130 allows it to operate normally and perform a more accurate determination of a permanent failure.

[0137] In S835, the MCU 130 erases the in-control flag from the ROM of the MCU 130 or the non-volatile memory 70. Then, the MCU 130 starts up normally.

[0138] In S840, the MCU 130 determines whether the HEATER_Latched signal is at a level (high level in this case) indicating that an abnormality has been detected. If it is determined that the HEATER_Latched signal is at a high level, the MCU 130 executes S845, and if it is not determined that the HEATER_Latched signal is at a high level, the MCU 130 executes S850.

[0139] In S845, the MCU 130 prompts the user to perform a reset operation using the light-emitting unit NU and the vibrator M. This is because a circuit malfunction is suspected. MCU130 starts up normally with S850. The above is the operation related to determining whether or not there is a permanent failure when (re)starting up.

[0140] The process when it is determined that the failure is permanent may be the same or different depending on whether it is determined at (re)startup or after startup. However, in either case, at least the power supply to the heater TH (heater voltage V BOOST This prohibits the power supply unit 1 from functioning as the power supply unit 1, and thus makes it possible to practically prohibit the use of the power supply unit 1. It is also preferable to write a permanent failure flag so that a permanent failure can be reliably determined when the user performs a reset operation.

[0141] According to this embodiment, in the power supply unit of the aerosol generating device, a heater-related abnormality (permanent failure) that should substantially prohibit the use of the device is determined in response to the detection of the heater-related abnormality by a circuit other than the MCU 130 that controls the heater temperature. Therefore, even if the MCU 130 cannot detect the heater-related abnormality for some reason, the heater-related abnormality that should substantially prohibit the use of the device can be appropriately determined.

[0142] In addition, information indicating that a heater abnormality has been detected by a circuit other than the MCU 130 is retained so that it is not erased by resetting the power supply unit. Therefore, by referring to this information after a reset, it is possible to determine whether or not there is a permanent failure again while the MCU 130 is operating normally. This makes it possible to more accurately determine whether or not there is a permanent failure.

[0143] Furthermore, when a permanent failure is determined, information indicating this is stored in a non-volatile storage means and is referenced at startup. Therefore, once a permanent failure has been determined, it is possible to reliably prohibit the use of the device.

[0144] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0145] 1...power supply unit, 10...case, 11...front panel, 13...slider, 130...MCU, SW...switch, HT...heater, TH...heater thermistor, TC...case thermistor, FF1, FF2...holding circuit

Claims

1. a control means for controlling the temperature of a load for heating the aerosol source; A power supply unit of an aerosol generating device having a first holding means for holding first information indicating whether or not an abnormality related to the load has been detected by a means other than the control means, The control means determines that an abnormality has occurred that requires use of the power supply unit to be prohibited when it detects that the first information has changed from a state indicating that no abnormality has been detected to a state indicating that an abnormality has been detected during the period from the start to the end of temperature control of the load.

2. The control means In addition to detecting that the first information has changed from a state indicating that no abnormality has been detected to a state indicating that an abnormality has been detected during the period, 2. The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the temperature of the load is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred that requires prohibition of use of the power supply unit.

3. The device further includes a second storage means for storing second information indicating whether or not an abnormality other than the abnormality related to the load has been detected, The control means In addition to detecting that the first information has changed from a state indicating that no abnormality has been detected to a state indicating that an abnormality has been detected during the period, 2. The power supply unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a power supply unit configured to supply power to a power source that is connected to the load and that is connected to the power source;

4. 4. The power supply unit according to claim 3, wherein the second information indicates whether or not an abnormality has been detected regarding the power supply of the power supply unit or an abnormality regarding the temperature of a case constituting a surface of the power supply unit.

5. 5. The power supply unit according to claim 2, wherein the control means controls the temperature of the load based on a temperature of the load detected based on a resistance value of the load.

6. 6. The power supply unit according to claim 5, wherein the control means, when detecting that the first information has changed during the period from a state indicating that no abnormality has been detected to a state indicating that an abnormality has been detected, acquires the temperature of the load from a detection means that detects the temperature of the load.

7. 7. The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the control means also performs the determination at start-up.

8. 8. The power supply unit according to claim 7, wherein the control means writes predetermined information into a non-volatile storage means when starting temperature control of the load, and erases the predetermined information from the storage means when terminating temperature control of the load.

9. 9. The power supply unit according to claim 8, wherein the first holding means holds the first information held before the control means is reset even after the control means is reset.

10. 10. The power supply unit according to claim 9, wherein, when the specified information is present in the memory means and the information stored in the first storage means indicates that an abnormality has been detected, the control means determines that an abnormality has occurred that requires use of the power supply unit to be prohibited.

11. 11. The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein when the control means determines that an abnormality has occurred that requires use of the power supply unit to be prohibited, the control means writes information indicating that an abnormality has occurred that requires use of the power supply unit to be prohibited into a non-volatile storage means.

12. 12. The power supply unit according to claim 11, wherein the control means disables startup of the power supply unit if, at startup, the non-volatile storage means contains information indicating that an abnormality has occurred that should prohibit use of the power supply unit.

13. 13. The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the control means prohibits heating of the load when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred that requires prohibiting use of the power supply unit.

14. a control means for controlling the temperature of a load for heating the aerosol source; A method implemented by a control means in a power supply unit of an aerosol generating device having a first holding means for holding first information indicating whether or not an abnormality related to the load has been detected by a means other than the control means, comprising: determining that an abnormality has occurred that requires use of the power supply unit to be prohibited when it is detected that the first information has changed from a state indicating that no abnormality has been detected to a state indicating that an abnormality has been detected during a period from when control of the temperature of the load is started to when it is ended.

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