Power source unit of aerosol generation device

Abstract

To provide a high-performance aerosol generation device.SOLUTION: A suction device 100 includes: a heater connector Cn to which a heater HTR for consuming power supplied from a power source BAT and heating a rod 500 is connected; a first positive side circuit including a switch S4 connected to the heater connector Cn on a positive electrode side and a resistor Rs; a second positive side circuit including a switch S3 connected to the heater connector Cn on the positive electrode side, and connected to the first positive side circuit in parallel; a switch S6 connected to a heater connector Cn on a negative electrode side; and an MCU 1 configured so as to execute predetermined control on the basis of a voltage applied to the heater connector Cn when the switch S4 and the switch S6 are turned ON. The switch S3, the switch S4, and the switch S6 are different from each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 20

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply unit for an aerosol generating device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a control device for an aerosol inhaler, which includes an operational amplifier that heats an aerosol source and outputs a voltage corresponding to a voltage applied to a load whose temperature and electrical resistance are correlated, a control unit configured to perform processing based on the voltage corresponding to the output, and a first circuit and a second circuit electrically connected in parallel between a power source and the load, the first circuit and the second circuit including a first switch and a second switch, respectively. The control device is configured to obtain a voltage corresponding to the output of the operational amplifier while the second switch is on.

[0003] Patent Document 2 describes a non-combustion inhaler that includes a heating element having a predetermined resistance value, a power source that supplies power to the heating element, a plurality of resistors connected in parallel with the heating element, a control unit, a first switch that controls the on / off of the heating element, a second switch connected between the power source and the plurality of resistors, and a third switch connected between wiring between the plurality of resistors and the control unit, and that is configured such that when measuring the resistance value of the heating element, the control unit executes switch control to turn on the second switch and the third switch and turn off the first switch. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 6613008 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2020 / 217949 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There was room for further consideration in terms of providing a high-performance aerosol generating device.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a high-performance aerosol generating device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A power supply unit of an aerosol generating device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a power supply, a heater connector having a positive terminal and a negative terminal to which a heater that consumes power supplied from the power supply to heat an aerosol source is connected, a first fixed resistor having one end connected to the positive terminal of the heater connector, a positive power supply terminal connected to the positive terminal of the heater connector, a negative power supply terminal, a non-inverting input terminal connected between one end of the first fixed resistor and the positive terminal of the heater connector, an inverting input terminal connected to the negative terminal of the heater connector, and an output terminal, an input terminal connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier, a power supply terminal, and a ground terminal connected to ground. and a clamp circuit connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier and configured to prevent the value of the voltage output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier and input to the input terminal of the controller from exceeding a predetermined value, wherein in a discharging state in which current is supplied from the power supply to the first fixed resistor and then to the heater, the voltage applied between the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the operational amplifier is higher than the voltage applied between the power supply terminal and the ground terminal of the controller, and the controller is configured to control the supply of power from the power supply to the heater based on the input to the input terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, a high-performance aerosol generating device can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a non-combustion type inhaler. [Figure 2]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a non-combustion type inhaler showing a state in which a rod is attached. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the non-combustion type inhaler. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the non-combustion type inhaler. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the internal unit of the non-combustion type inhaler. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the internal unit of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the internal unit with the power supply and chassis removed. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is another perspective view of the internal unit with the power supply and chassis removed. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation mode of the inhaler. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric circuit of an internal unit. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric circuit of an internal unit. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric circuit of an internal unit. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of an electric circuit in a sleep mode. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of an electric circuit in an active mode. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in the heating initial setting mode. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit when the heater is heating in the heating mode. [Figure 17] 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit when detecting the temperature of the heater in the heating mode. FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of an electric circuit in a charging mode. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of an electric circuit when the MCU is reset (restarted). [Figure 20]FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram of the main parts of the electric circuit shown in FIG. 10, showing the main electronic components used for heating the heater and detecting the temperature. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of changes in voltage input to the gate terminals of switches S3 and S4 in a heating mode. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a current flow during heating control in a heating mode. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a current flow during temperature detection control in a heating mode. [Figure 24] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the current flow when the switch S3 and the switch S4 are both on in the driving example EX2 of FIG. 21. [Figure 25] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the receptacle mounting board as viewed from the main surface side. [Figure 26] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the receptacle mounting board as viewed from the minor surface side. [Figure 27] FIG. 26 is an enlarged view of a range H shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A suction system, which is one embodiment of the aerosol generating device of the present invention, will be described below with reference to the drawings. This suction system includes a non-combustion inhalator 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as "inhalator 100"), which is one embodiment of the power supply unit of the present invention, and a rod 500 heated by the inhalator 100. In the following description, an example will be described in which the inhalator 100 houses a heating unit in an undetachable manner. However, the heating unit may be detachably attached to the inhalator 100. For example, the rod 500 and the heating unit may be integrated and detachably attached to the inhalator 100. In other words, the power supply unit of the aerosol generating device may not include a heating unit as a component. Note that "undetachable" refers to a configuration in which the heating unit cannot be removed within the scope of the intended use. Alternatively, an induction heating coil provided in the inhalator 100 and a susceptor built into the rod 500 may cooperate to form the heating unit.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of aspirator 100. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of aspirator 100 showing a state in which rod 500 is attached. Fig. 3 is another perspective view of aspirator 100. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of aspirator 100. In the following description, for convenience, an orthogonal coordinate system of three-dimensional space is used, in which three mutually orthogonal directions are defined as the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction. In the drawings, the front is indicated as Fr, the rear as Rr, the right side as R, the left side as L, the upside as U, and the downside as D.

[0012] The inhaler 100 is configured to generate a flavor-containing aerosol by heating an elongated, generally cylindrical rod 500 (see FIG. 2), which is an example of a flavor ingredient generating substrate having a filling containing an aerosol source and a flavor source.

[0013] <Flavor component generating base material (rod)> The rod 500 includes a fill containing an aerosol source that is heated to a predetermined temperature to produce an aerosol.

[0014] The type of aerosol source is not particularly limited, and extracts from various natural products and / or their constituent components can be selected depending on the application. The aerosol source may be a solid or a liquid, such as a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerin or propylene glycol, or water. The aerosol source may include a flavor source such as a tobacco raw material or an extract derived from a tobacco raw material that releases a flavor component when heated. The gas to which the flavor component is added is not limited to an aerosol; for example, an invisible vapor may be generated.

[0015] The filler of the rod 500 may contain tobacco shreds as a flavor source. The material of the tobacco shreds is not particularly limited, and known materials such as lamina or rib can be used. The filler may contain one or more flavorings. The type of flavoring is not particularly limited, but menthol is preferred from the viewpoint of imparting a good smoking taste. The flavoring source may contain plants other than tobacco (e.g., mint, Chinese medicine, herbs, etc.). Depending on the application, the rod 500 may not contain a flavoring source.

[0016] <Overall configuration of non-combustion type aspirator> Next, the overall configuration of the inhalator 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. Inhaler 100 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case 110 having a front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom surfaces. Case 110 includes a cylindrical case body 112 with a bottom, whose front, rear, top, bottom, and right surfaces are integrally formed, an outer panel 115 and an inner panel 118 that seal an opening 114 (see FIG. 4 ) of case body 112 and form the left surface, and a slider 119.

[0017] The inner panel 118 is fixed to the case body 112 with bolts 120. The outer panel 115 is fixed to the case body 112 so as to cover the outer surface of the inner panel 118 by magnets 124 held by a chassis 150 (see FIG. 5 ), which will be described later and is housed in the case body 112. Since the outer panel 115 is fixed by the magnets 124, the user can replace the outer panel 115 according to their preference.

[0018] The inner panel 118 is provided with two through holes 126 through which the magnets 124 pass. The inner panel 118 is further provided with a vertically long slot 127 and a circular hole 128 between the two upper and lower through holes 126. The slot 127 is for transmitting light emitted from eight LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) L1 to L8 housed in the case body 112. A button-type operation switch OPS housed in the case body 112 passes through the circular hole 128. This allows the user to sense the light emitted from the eight LEDs L1 to L8 through the LED window 116 of the outer panel 115. The user can also press the operation switch OPS via a pressing portion 117 of the outer panel 115.

[0019] 2, an opening 132 into which a rod 500 can be inserted is provided on the top surface of the case body 112. The slider 119 is coupled to the case body 112 so as to be movable in the front-to-rear direction between a position where the opening 132 is closed (see FIG. 1) and a position where the opening 132 is opened (see FIG. 2).

[0020] The operation switch OPS is used to perform various operations of the inhaler 100. For example, a user operates the operation switch OPS via the pressing unit 117 while the rod 500 is inserted into the opening 132 as shown in FIG. 2. This causes the heating unit 170 (see FIG. 5) to heat the rod 500 without burning it. When the rod 500 is heated, an aerosol is generated from the aerosol source contained in the rod 500, and the flavor of the flavor source contained in the rod 500 is added to the aerosol. The user can inhale the aerosol containing the flavor by holding the mouthpiece 502 of the rod 500 protruding from the opening 132 in their mouth and inhaling.

[0021] 3, a charging terminal 134 is provided on the underside of the case body 112 for electrically connecting to an external power source such as an outlet or a mobile battery to receive power. In this embodiment, the charging terminal 134 is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) Type-C receptacle, but is not limited to this. Hereinafter, the charging terminal 134 will also be referred to as a receptacle RCP.

[0022] The charging terminal 134 may include, for example, a power receiving coil and be configured to be able to contactlessly receive power transmitted from an external power source. In this case, the power transmission (Wireless Power Transfer) method may be an electromagnetic induction type, a magnetic resonance type, or a combination of the electromagnetic induction type and the magnetic resonance type. As another example, the charging terminal 134 may be connectable to various USB terminals or the like and may include the above-mentioned power receiving coil.

[0023] 1 to 4 are merely examples of the configuration of the inhaler 100. The inhaler 100 can be configured in various forms such that, by holding the rod 500 and applying an action such as heating, the rod 500 generates gas to which flavor components have been added, and the user can inhale the generated gas.

[0024] <Internal structure of non-combustion type aspirator> The internal unit 140 of the inhalator 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the internal unit 140 of the inhalator 100. Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the internal unit 140 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the internal unit 140 from which the power supply BAT and the chassis 150 have been removed. Fig. 8 is another perspective view of the internal unit 140 from which the power supply BAT and the chassis 150 have been removed.

[0025] The internal unit 140 housed in the internal space of the case 110 includes a chassis 150, a power supply BAT, a circuit section 160, a heating section 170, a notification section 180, and various sensors.

[0026] The chassis 150 includes a plate-shaped chassis main body 151 that is disposed approximately at the center of the internal space of the case 110 in the front-to-rear direction and extends in the up-down and front-to-rear directions, a plate-shaped front-to-rear dividing wall 152 that is disposed approximately at the center of the internal space of the case 110 in the front-to-rear direction and extends in the up-down and left-to-right directions, a plate-shaped upper-lower dividing wall 153 that extends forward from approximately the center of the front-to-rear dividing wall 152 in the up-down direction, a plate-shaped chassis upper wall 154 that extends rearward from upper edges of the front-to-rear dividing wall 152 and the chassis main body 151, and a plate-shaped chassis lower wall 155 that extends rearward from lower edges of the front-to-rear dividing wall 152 and the chassis main body 151. The left surface of the chassis main body 151 is covered by the inner panel 118 and outer panel 115 of the case 110 described above.

[0027] The internal space of the case 110 is partitioned by the chassis 150 into a heating unit accommodating area 142 at the front upper part, a board accommodating area 144 at the front lower part, and a power supply accommodating space 146 extending vertically at the rear.

[0028] The heating unit 170 accommodated in the heating unit accommodation region 142 is composed of multiple cylindrical members arranged concentrically to form a cylindrical body as a whole. The heating unit 170 has a rod accommodation section 172 capable of accommodating a portion of the rod 500 therein, and a heater HTR (see FIGS. 10 to 19) that heats the rod 500 from the periphery or center. It is preferable that the rod accommodation section 172 be made of a heat insulating material or that a heat insulating material be provided inside the rod accommodation section 172 to insulate the surface of the rod accommodation section 172 from the heater HTR. The heater HTR may be any element capable of heating the rod 500. The heater HTR is, for example, a heating element. Examples of heating elements include a heating resistor, a ceramic heater, and an induction heater. As the heater HTR, for example, one having a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) characteristic, in which the resistance value increases with increasing temperature, is preferably used. Alternatively, a heater HTR having NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient) characteristics, in which the resistance value decreases as the temperature increases, may be used. The heating unit 170 has a function of defining a flow path for air to be supplied to the rod 500 and a function of heating the rod 500. A vent (not shown) for allowing air to flow in is formed in the case 110, and is configured to allow air to flow into the heating unit 170.

[0029] The power supply BAT housed in the power supply housing space 146 is a rechargeable secondary battery, an electric double layer capacitor, or the like, and is preferably a lithium ion secondary battery. The electrolyte of the power supply BAT may be one or a combination of a gel electrolyte, an electrolytic solution, a solid electrolyte, and an ionic liquid.

[0030] The notification unit 180 notifies various information such as the SOC (State Of Charge) indicating the charge state of the power supply BAT, the preheating time before suction, and the period during which suction is possible. The notification unit 180 of this embodiment includes eight LEDs L1 to L8 and a vibration motor M. The notification unit 180 may be composed of light-emitting elements such as the LEDs L1 to L8, a vibration element such as the vibration motor M, or a sound output element. The notification unit 180 may be a combination of two or more elements selected from the group consisting of light-emitting elements, vibration elements, and sound output elements.

[0031] The various sensors include an inhalation sensor that detects the user's puffing action (inhalation action), a power supply temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the power supply BAT, a heater temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the heater HTR, a case temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the case 110, a cover position sensor that detects the position of the slider 119, and a panel detection sensor that detects the attachment / detachment of the outer panel 115.

[0032] The intake sensor is mainly composed of, for example, a thermistor T2 disposed near the opening 132. The power supply temperature sensor is mainly composed of, for example, a thermistor T1 disposed near the power supply BAT. The heater temperature sensor is mainly composed of, for example, a thermistor T3 disposed near the heater HTR. As described above, the rod housing 172 is preferably insulated from the heater HTR. In this case, the thermistor T3 is preferably in contact with or close to the heater HTR inside the rod housing 172. If the heater HTR has a PTC characteristic or an NTC characteristic, the heater HTR itself may be used as the heater temperature sensor. The case temperature sensor is mainly composed of, for example, a thermistor T4 disposed near the left surface of the case 110. The cover position sensor is mainly composed of a Hall IC 14 including a Hall element disposed near the slider 119. The panel detection sensor is mainly composed of a Hall IC 13 including a Hall element disposed near the inner surface of the inner panel 118.

[0033] The circuit section 160 includes four circuit boards, a plurality of ICs (Integrated Circuits), and a plurality of elements. The four circuit boards include an MCU mounting board 161 on which an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) 1 and a charging IC 2 (described later) are mainly arranged, a receptacle mounting board 162 on which a charging terminal 134 is mainly arranged, an LED mounting board 163 on which an operation switch OPS, LEDs L1 to L8, and a communication IC 15 (described later) are arranged, and a Hall IC mounting board 164 on which a Hall IC 14 (described later) including a Hall element constituting a cover position sensor is arranged.

[0034] The MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are arranged parallel to each other in the board accommodating area 144. Specifically, the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are arranged with their respective element mounting surfaces aligned in the left-right and up-down directions, with the MCU mounting board 161 being arranged in front of the receptacle mounting board 162. An opening is provided in each of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162. The MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are fastened to the board fixing portion 156 of the front and rear dividing wall 152 with bolts 136, with a cylindrical spacer 173 interposed between the peripheral edges of the openings. In other words, the spacer 173 fixes the positions of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 inside the case 110, and also mechanically connects the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162. This prevents the MCU mounted board 161 and the receptacle mounted board 162 from coming into contact with each other and causing a short circuit current between them.

[0035] For convenience, the forward-facing surfaces of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are referred to as main surfaces 161a and 162a, respectively, and the surfaces opposite the main surfaces 161a and 162a are referred to as sub-surfaces 161b and 162b, respectively. The sub-surface 161b of the MCU mounting board 161 and the main surface 162a of the receptacle mounting board 162 face each other with a predetermined gap between them. The main surface 161a of the MCU mounting board 161 faces the front surface of the case 110, and the sub-surface 162b of the receptacle mounting board 162 faces the front-rear dividing wall 152 of the chassis 150. The elements and ICs mounted on the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 will be described later.

[0036] The LED mounting board 163 is disposed on the left side surface of the chassis main body 151, between two magnets 124 disposed above and below. The element mounting surface of the LED mounting board 163 is disposed along the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. In other words, the element mounting surfaces of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are orthogonal to the element mounting surface of the LED mounting board 163. As described above, the element mounting surfaces of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 and the element mounting surface of the LED mounting board 163 are not necessarily orthogonal, but preferably intersect (are non-parallel). The vibration motor M, which constitutes the notification unit 180 together with the LEDs L1 to L8, is fixed to the lower surface of the chassis lower wall 155 and is electrically connected to the MCU mounting board 161.

[0037] The Hall IC mounting board 164 is disposed on the upper surface of the chassis upper wall 154 .

[0038] <Suction device operation mode> 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation modes of the inhalator 100. As shown in FIG. 9, the operation modes of the inhalator 100 include a charging mode, a sleep mode, an active mode, a heating initial setting mode, a heating mode, and a heating end mode.

[0039] The sleep mode is a power saving mode that cuts off the power supply to electronic components required for heating control of the heater HTR.

[0040] In the active mode, most functions are enabled except for the heating control of the heater HTR. When the slider 119 is opened while the inhaler 100 is operating in the sleep mode, the inhaler 100 switches its operation mode to the active mode. When the slider 119 is closed while the inhaler 100 is operating in the active mode, or when the non-operation time of the operation switch OPS reaches a predetermined time, the inhaler 100 switches its operation mode to the sleep mode.

[0041] The heating initial setting mode is a mode for initializing control parameters, etc., for starting heating control of the heater HTR. When the inhaler 100 detects operation of the operation switch OPS while operating in the active mode, the inhaler 100 switches the operation mode to the heating initial setting mode, and when the initial setting is completed, the operation mode is switched to the heating mode.

[0042] The heating mode is a mode in which heating control of the heater HTR (heating control for aerosol generation and heating control for temperature detection) is performed. When the operation mode of the inhalator 100 is switched to the heating mode, the inhalator 100 starts heating control of the heater HTR.

[0043] The heating termination mode is a mode in which termination processing of the heating control of the heater HTR (such as storage processing of the heating history) is executed. When the power-on time of the heater HTR or the number of suctions by the user reaches an upper limit or the slider 119 is closed while the inhaler 100 is operating in the heating mode, the inhaler 100 switches the operation mode to the heating termination mode, and when the termination processing is completed, the inhaler 100 switches the operation mode to the active mode. When a USB connection is established while the inhaler 100 is operating in the heating mode, the inhaler 100 switches the operation mode to the heating termination mode, and when the termination processing is completed, the inhaler 100 switches the operation mode to the charging mode. As shown in FIG. 9 , in this case, the operation mode may be switched to the active mode before switching the operation mode to the charging mode. In other words, when a USB connection is established while the inhaler 100 is operating in the heating mode, the operation mode may be switched in the order of the heating termination mode, the active mode, and the charging mode.

[0044] The charging mode is a mode in which the power supply BAT is charged by power supplied from an external power supply connected to the receptacle RCP. When the inhaler 100 is operating in the sleep mode or active mode and an external power supply is connected to the receptacle RCP (USB connection), the operating mode is switched to the charging mode. When the inhaler 100 is operating in the charging mode and charging of the power supply BAT is completed or the connection between the receptacle RCP and the external power supply is released, the operating mode is switched to the sleep mode.

[0045] <Outline of the internal unit circuit> 10, 11, and 12 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of the electric circuit of the internal unit 140. Fig. 11 is the same as Fig. 10 except that, of the electric circuit shown in Fig. 10, a range 161A (the range surrounded by a thick dashed line) mounted on the MCU mounting board 161 and a range 163A (the range surrounded by a thick solid line) mounted on the LED mounting board 163 are added. Fig. 12 is the same as Fig. 10 except that, of the electric circuit shown in Fig. 10, a range 162A mounted on the receptacle mounting board 162 and a range 164A mounted on the Hall IC mounting board 164 are added.

[0046] In FIG. 10, the wiring indicated by a thick solid line is wiring (wiring connected to a ground provided in the internal unit 140) that has the same potential as the reference potential (ground potential) of the internal unit 140, and this wiring will be referred to as a ground line below. In FIG. 10, an electronic component in which multiple circuit elements are integrated into a chip is shown as a rectangle, with the symbols of various terminals written inside this rectangle. The power supply terminals VCC and VDD mounted on the chip each indicate a power supply terminal on the high potential side. The power supply terminal VSS and ground terminal GND mounted on the chip each indicate a power supply terminal on the low potential side (reference potential side). For a chip-integrated electronic component, the difference between the potential of the high potential side power supply terminal and the potential of the low potential side power supply terminal is the power supply voltage. The chip-integrated electronic component uses this power supply voltage to perform various functions.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 11, the MCU mounting board 161 (area 161A) includes, as main electronic components, an MCU 1 that controls the entire inhaler 100, a charging IC 2 that controls charging of the power supply BAT, load switches (hereinafter referred to as LSW) 3, 4, and 5 that are configured by combining capacitors, resistors, transistors, etc., and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The power supply is provided with a power supply (power supply voltage: 10 V, power supply voltage: 10 V), ...

[0048] The ground terminals GND of the charging IC2, LSW3, LSW4, LSW5, switch driver 7, step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8, FF16, and FF17 are connected to the ground line. The power supply terminal VSS of ROM6 is connected to the ground line. The negative power supply terminals of the operational amplifiers OP2 and OP3 are connected to the ground line.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 11, the LED mounting substrate 163 (area 163A) is provided with, as main electronic components, a Hall IC 13 including a Hall element constituting a panel detection sensor, LEDs L1 to L8, an operation switch OPS, and a communication IC 15. The communication IC 15 is a communication module for communicating with electronic devices such as smartphones. A power supply terminal VSS of the Hall IC 13 and a ground terminal GND of the communication IC 15 are each connected to a ground line. The communication IC 15 and the MCU 1 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a communication line LN. One end of the operation switch OPS is connected to the ground line, and the other end of the operation switch OPS is connected to a terminal P4 of the MCU 1.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 12, the receptacle mounting board 162 (area 162A) is provided with, as main electronic components, a power connector electrically connected to the power supply BAT (the figure shows the power supply BAT connected to this power connector), a connector electrically connected to the thermistor T1 constituting the power supply temperature sensor (the figure shows the thermistor T1 connected to this connector), a step-up DC / DC converter 9 (the figure shows step-up DC / DC9), a protection IC10, an overvoltage protection IC11, a fuel gauge IC12, a receptacle RCP, switches S3 to S6 composed of MOSFETs, an operational amplifier OP1, and a pair of heater connectors Cn (positive and negative sides) electrically connected to the heater HTR.

[0051] The two ground terminals GND of the receptacle RCP, the ground terminal GND of the step-up DC / DC converter 9, the power supply terminal VSS of the protection IC 10, the power supply terminal VSS of the fuel gauge IC 12, the ground terminal GND of the overvoltage protection IC 11, and the negative power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 are each connected to the ground line.

[0052] 12, a Hall IC 14 including a Hall element constituting a cover position sensor is provided on the Hall IC mounting substrate 164 (area 164A). A power supply terminal VSS of the Hall IC 14 is connected to the ground line. An output terminal OUT of the Hall IC 14 is connected to a terminal P8 of the MCU1. The MCU1 detects the opening and closing of the slider 119 based on a signal input to the terminal P8.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 11, a connector electrically connected to the vibration motor M is provided on the MCU mounting board 161.

[0054] <Details of the internal unit circuit> The connection relationships of the electronic components will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0055] Two power input terminals V of the receptacle RCP BUS are connected to the input terminal IN of the overvoltage protection IC11 via a fuse Fs. When a USB plug is connected to the receptacle RCP and the USB cable including this USB plug is connected to an external power supply, the two power input terminals V BUS to USB voltage V USB is supplied.

[0056] The input terminal IN of the overvoltage protection IC11 is connected to one end of a voltage divider circuit Pa, which consists of two resistors connected in series. The other end of the voltage divider circuit Pa is connected to the ground line. The junction of the two resistors that make up the voltage divider circuit Pa is connected to the voltage detection terminal OVLo of the overvoltage protection IC11. When the voltage input to the voltage detection terminal OVLo is below a threshold, the overvoltage protection IC11 outputs the voltage input to the input terminal IN from the output terminal OUT. When the voltage input to the voltage detection terminal OVLo exceeds the threshold (overvoltage), the overvoltage protection IC11 stops outputting voltage from the output terminal OUT (cutting off the electrical connection between the LSW3 and the receptacle RCP), thereby protecting electronic components downstream of the overvoltage protection IC11. The output terminal OUT of the overvoltage protection IC11 is connected to the input terminal VIN of the LSW3 and one end of a voltage divider circuit Pc (a series circuit of two resistors) connected to the MCU1. The other end of the voltage divider circuit Pc is connected to the ground line. The connection point of the two resistors that make up the voltage dividing circuit Pc is connected to a terminal P17 of the MCU1.

[0057] One end of a voltage divider circuit Pf, consisting of two series resistors, is connected to the input terminal VIN of LSW3. The other end of the voltage divider circuit Pf is connected to the ground line. The junction of the two resistors that make up the voltage divider circuit Pf is connected to the control terminal ON of LSW3. The control terminal ON of LSW3 is connected to the collector terminal of bipolar transistor S2. The emitter terminal of bipolar transistor S2 is connected to the ground line. The base terminal of bipolar transistor S2 is connected to terminal P19 of MCU1. When the signal input to the control terminal ON of LSW3 becomes high level, LSW3 outputs the voltage input to the input terminal VIN from the output terminal VOUT. The output terminal VOUT of LSW3 is connected to the input terminal VBUS of charging IC2. MCU1 turns on the bipolar transistor S2 when USB is not connected. As a result, the control terminal ON of LSW3 is connected to the ground line via bipolar transistor S2, and a low-level signal is input to the control terminal ON of LSW3. When the USB connection is established, the bipolar transistor S2 connected to the LSW3 is turned off by the MCU 1. When the bipolar transistor S2 is turned off, the USB voltage V divided by the voltage divider circuit Pf is USB is input to the control terminal ON of LSW3. Therefore, when the USB connection is made and the bipolar transistor S2 is turned off, a high-level signal is input to the control terminal ON of LSW3. As a result, LSW3 receives the USB voltage V supplied from the USB cable. USB is output from the output terminal VOUT. Note that even if the USB connection is made with the bipolar transistor S2 turned off, the control terminal ON of LSW3 is connected to the ground line via the bipolar transistor S2. Therefore, it should be noted that a low-level signal continues to be input to the control terminal ON of LSW3 unless the MCU1 turns off the bipolar transistor S2.

[0058] The positive terminal of the power supply BAT is connected to the power supply terminal VDD of the protection IC 10, the input terminal VIN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9, and the charging terminal bat of the charging IC 2. Therefore, the power supply voltage V of the power supply BAT BAT is supplied to the protection IC10, the charging IC2, and the step-up DC / DC converter 9. A resistor Ra, a switch Sa configured with a MOSFET, a switch Sb configured with a MOSFET, and a resistor Rb are connected in series to the negative terminal of the power supply BAT in this order. The current detection terminal CS of the protection IC10 is connected to the junction of the resistor Ra and the switch Sa. The control terminals of the switches Sa and Sb are connected to the protection IC10. Both ends of the resistor Rb are connected to the fuel gauge IC12.

[0059] The protection IC 10 obtains the current value flowing through the resistor Ra during charging or discharging of the power supply BAT from the voltage input to the current detection terminal CS. If this current value becomes excessive (overcurrent), the protection IC 10 controls the opening and closing of the switches Sa and Sb to stop charging or discharging of the power supply BAT, thereby protecting the power supply BAT. More specifically, if the protection IC 10 obtains an excessive current value during charging of the power supply BAT, it turns off the switch Sb to stop charging of the power supply BAT. If the protection IC 10 obtains an excessive current value during discharging of the power supply BAT, it turns off the switch Sa to stop discharging of the power supply BAT. Furthermore, if the protection IC 10 obtains an abnormal voltage value of the power supply BAT from the voltage input to the power supply terminal VDD (in the case of overcharge or overvoltage), it controls the opening and closing of the switches Sa and Sb to stop charging or discharging of the power supply BAT, thereby protecting the power supply BAT. More specifically, when the protection IC 10 detects overcharging of the power supply BAT, it turns off the switch Sb to stop charging of the power supply BAT.When the protection IC 10 detects overdischarging of the power supply BAT, it turns off the switch Sa to stop discharging of the power supply BAT.

[0060] A resistor Rt1 is connected to a connector that is connected to the thermistor T1, which is placed near the power supply BAT. The series circuit of the resistor Rt1 and thermistor T1 is connected to the ground line and the regulator terminal TREG of the fuel gauge IC12. The junction point of the thermistor T1 and resistor Rt1 is connected to the thermistor terminal THM of the fuel gauge IC12. The thermistor T1 may be a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) thermistor, whose resistance value increases as the temperature increases, or an NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient) thermistor, whose resistance value decreases as the temperature increases.

[0061] The fuel gauge IC12 detects the current flowing through resistor Rb and, based on the detected current value, derives battery information such as the remaining capacity of the power supply BAT, the SOC (State of Charge) indicating the state of charge, and the SOH (State of Health) indicating the state of health. The fuel gauge IC12 supplies voltage from an internal regulator connected to regulator terminal TREG to a voltage divider circuit consisting of thermistor T1 and resistor Rt1. The fuel gauge IC12 obtains the voltage divided by this voltage divider circuit from thermistor terminal THM and acquires temperature information about the power supply BAT based on this voltage. The fuel gauge IC12 is connected to the MCU1 via a communication line LN for serial communication and is configured to communicate with the MCU1. The fuel gauge IC12 transmits the derived battery information and the acquired temperature information about the power supply BAT to the MCU1 in response to a request from the MCU1. Note that serial communication requires multiple signal lines, such as a data line for data transmission and a clock line for synchronization. Please note that in Figures 10-19, for simplicity, only one signal line is shown.

[0062] The fuel gauge IC12 has a notification terminal 12a. The notification terminal 12a is connected to terminal P6 of the MCU1 and the cathode of diode D2, which will be described later. When the fuel gauge IC12 detects an abnormality, such as an excessive temperature of the power supply BAT, it notifies the MCU1 of the occurrence of the abnormality by outputting a low-level signal from the notification terminal 12a. This low-level signal is also input to the CLR(￣) terminal of FF17 via diode D2.

[0063] One end of a reactor Lc is connected to the switching terminal SW of the step-up DC / DC converter 9. The other end of this reactor Lc is connected to the input terminal VIN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9. The step-up DC / DC converter 9 boosts the input voltage by controlling the on / off of an internal transistor connected to the switching terminal SW, and outputs the boosted voltage from the output terminal VOUT. The input terminal VIN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 constitutes the high-potential power supply terminal of the step-up DC / DC converter 9. The step-up DC / DC converter 9 performs a boost operation when a signal input to an enable terminal EN is at a high level. When connected to the USB, the signal input to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 may be controlled to a low level by the MCU 1. Alternatively, when connected to the USB, the MCU 1 may not control the signal input to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9, thereby making the potential of the enable terminal EN undefined.

[0064] The output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 is connected to the source terminal of a switch S4 configured by a P-channel MOSFET. The gate terminal of the switch S4 is connected to terminal P15 of the MCU1. The drain terminal of the switch S4 is connected to one end of a resistor Rs. The other end of the resistor Rs is connected to a positive heater connector Cn connected to one end of the heater HTR. A voltage divider circuit Pb consisting of two resistors is connected to the connection point between the switch S4 and resistor Rs. The connection point between the two resistors that make up the voltage divider circuit Pb is connected to terminal P18 of the MCU1. The connection point between the switch S4 and resistor Rs is further connected to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1.

[0065] The source terminal of switch S3, which is configured as a P-channel MOSFET, is connected to the connection line between the output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 and the source terminal of switch S4. The gate terminal of switch S3 is connected to terminal P16 of the MCU1. The drain terminal of switch S3 is connected to the connection line between resistor Rs and the positive electrode side heater connector Cn. In this way, a circuit including switch S3 and a circuit including switch S4 and resistor Rs are connected in parallel between the output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 and the positive electrode side of heater connector Cn. Because the circuit including switch S3 does not have a resistor, it has lower resistance than the circuit including switch S4 and resistor Rs.

[0066] The non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the connection line between the resistor Rs and the positive heater connector Cn. The inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the negative heater connector Cn, which is connected to the other end of the heater HTR, and to the drain terminal of a switch S6 consisting of an N-channel MOSFET. The source terminal of the switch S6 is connected to the ground line. The gate terminal of the switch S6 is connected to terminal P14 of the MCU1, the anode of a diode D4, and the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9. The cathode of the diode D4 is connected to the Q terminal of the FF17. One end of a resistor R4 is connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP1. The other end of the resistor R4 is connected to terminal P9 of the MCU1 and the drain terminal of a switch S5 consisting of an N-channel MOSFET. The source terminal of the switch S5 is connected to the ground line. The gate terminal of the switch S5 is connected to the connection line between the resistor Rs and the positive heater connector Cn.

[0067] The input terminal VBUS of the charging IC2 is connected to the anodes of the LEDs L1 to L8. The cathodes of the LEDs L1 to L8 are connected to the control terminals PD1 to PD8 of the MCU1 via resistors for current limiting. In other words, the LEDs L1 to L8 are connected in parallel to the input terminal VBUS. The LEDs L1 to L8 are connected to the USB voltage V supplied from the USB cable connected to the receptacle RCP. USB and the voltage supplied from the power supply BAT via the charging IC2. The MCU1 has built-in transistors (switching elements) connected to each of the control terminals PD1 to PD8 and the ground terminal GND. The MCU1 turns on the transistor connected to the control terminal PD1 to pass current through the LED L1, turning it on, and turns off the LED L1 by turning off the transistor connected to the control terminal PD1. The brightness and light emission pattern of the LED L1 can be dynamically controlled by quickly switching the transistor connected to the control terminal PD1 on and off. The lighting of the LEDs L2 to L8 is similarly controlled by the MCU1.

[0068] The charging IC2 detects the USB voltage V USB The charging IC2 has a charging function of charging the power supply BAT based on the temperature information of the power supply BAT. The charging IC2 acquires the charging current and charging voltage of the power supply BAT from terminals and wiring (not shown), and controls charging of the power supply BAT (controls the power supply supply from the charging terminal bat to the power supply BAT) based on these. The charging IC2 may also acquire temperature information of the power supply BAT sent from the fuel gauge IC12 to the MCU1 via serial communication using the communication line LN from the MCU1, and use this information for charging control.

[0069] Charging IC2 also BAT Equipped with power pass function and OTG function. BAT The power path function prevents the power supply voltage V input to the charging terminal bat from BAT The OTG function outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc0, which is approximately equal to the power supply voltage Vcc1, from the output terminal SYS. BATThe OTG function of the charging IC2 is controlled by the MCU1 through serial communication using the communication line LN. In the OTG function, the power supply voltage Vcc4 input to the charging terminal bat is boosted and output from the input terminal VBUS. BAT may be output directly from the input terminal VBUS. In this case, the power supply voltage V BAT and the system power supply voltage Vcc4 are approximately the same.

[0070] The output terminal SYS of charging IC2 is connected to the input terminal VIN of the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8. One end of reactor La is connected to the switching terminal SW of charging IC2. The other end of reactor La is connected to the output terminal SYS of charging IC2. The charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charging IC2 is connected to terminal P22 of MCU1 via a resistor. The charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charging IC2 is also connected to the collector terminal of bipolar transistor S1. The emitter terminal of bipolar transistor S1 is connected to the output terminal VOUT of LSW4 (described below). The base terminal of bipolar transistor S1 is connected to the Q terminal of FF17. The charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charging IC2 is also connected to one end of resistor Rc. The other end of resistor Rc is connected to the output terminal VOUT of LSW4.

[0071] A resistor is connected between the input terminal VIN and enable terminal EN of the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8. When the system power voltage Vcc0 is input to the input terminal VIN of the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8 from the output terminal SYS of the charging IC2, the signal input to the enable terminal EN of the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8 goes high, causing the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8 to start boosting or bucking. The buck-boost DC / DC converter 8 boosts or bucks the system power voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN through switching control of the internal transistor connected to the reactor Lb to generate the system power voltage Vcc1, which is output from the output terminal VOUT. The output terminal VOUT of the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8 is connected to the feedback terminal FB of the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8, the input terminal VIN of the LSW4, the input terminal VIN of the switch driver 7, and the power terminals VCC and D of the FF16. The wiring through which the system power voltage Vcc1, output from the output terminal VOUT of the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8, is supplied is referred to as the power line PL1.

[0072] When the signal input to the control terminal ON of LSW4 becomes high level, it outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc1 input to the input terminal VIN from the output terminal VOUT. The control terminal ON of LSW4 is connected to the power supply line PL1 via a resistor. Therefore, when the system power supply voltage Vcc1 is supplied to the power supply line PL1, a high-level signal is input to the control terminal ON of LSW4. The voltage output by LSW4 is the same as the system power supply voltage Vcc1 if wiring resistance and the like are ignored, but to distinguish it from the system power supply voltage Vcc1, the voltage output from the output terminal VOUT of LSW4 will be referred to as the system power supply voltage Vcc2 below.

[0073] The output terminal VOUT of LSW4 is connected to the power supply terminal VDD of MCU1, the input terminal VIN of LSW5, the power supply terminal VDD of fuel gauge IC12, the power supply terminal VCC of ROM6, the emitter terminal of bipolar transistor S1, resistor Rc, and the power supply terminal VCC of FF 17. The wiring that supplies the system power supply voltage Vcc2 output from the output terminal VOUT of LSW4 is referred to as the power supply line PL2.

[0074] When the signal input to the control terminal ON of LSW5 becomes high level, LSW5 outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc2 input to the input terminal VIN from the output terminal VOUT. The control terminal ON of LSW5 is connected to terminal P23 of MCU1. The voltage output by LSW5 is the same as the system power supply voltage Vcc2 if wiring resistance and the like are ignored. However, to distinguish it from the system power supply voltage Vcc2, the voltage output from the output terminal VOUT of LSW5 will be referred to as the system power supply voltage Vcc3 below. The wiring through which the system power supply voltage Vcc3 output from the output terminal VOUT of LSW5 is supplied will be referred to as the power supply line PL3.

[0075] A series circuit of thermistor T2 and resistor Rt2 is connected to power supply line PL3, and resistor Rt2 is connected to the ground line. Thermistor T2 and resistor Rt2 form a voltage divider circuit, and their junction is connected to terminal P21 of MCU1. MCU1 detects temperature fluctuations (resistance fluctuations) of thermistor T2 based on the voltage input to terminal P21, and determines whether or not a puffing operation is occurring based on the amount of temperature fluctuation.

[0076] A series circuit of thermistor T3 and resistor Rt3 is connected to the power supply line PL3, and resistor Rt3 is connected to the ground line. Thermistor T3 and resistor Rt3 form a voltage divider circuit, and their junction is connected to terminal P13 of MCU1 and the inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP2. MCU1 detects the temperature of thermistor T3 (equivalent to the temperature of heater HTR) based on the voltage input to terminal P13.

[0077] A series circuit of a thermistor T4 and a resistor Rt4 is connected to the power supply line PL3, and the resistor Rt4 is connected to the ground line. The thermistor T4 and the resistor Rt4 form a voltage divider circuit, and their junction is connected to a terminal P12 of the MCU1 and the inverting input terminal of an operational amplifier OP3. The MCU1 detects the temperature of the thermistor T4 (corresponding to the temperature of the case 110) based on the voltage input to the terminal P12.

[0078] The source terminal of switch S7, which is configured as a MOSFET, is connected to power supply line PL2. The gate terminal of switch S7 is connected to terminal P20 of MCU1. The drain terminal of switch S7 is connected to one of a pair of connectors to which vibration motor M is connected. The other of the pair of connectors is connected to a ground line. MCU1 controls the opening and closing of switch S7 by manipulating the potential of terminal P20, and can cause vibration motor M to vibrate in a specific pattern. A dedicated driver IC may be used instead of switch S7.

[0079] The power supply line PL2 is connected to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 and a voltage divider circuit Pd (a series circuit of two resistors) connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. The junction of the two resistors constituting the voltage divider circuit Pd is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. The operational amplifier OP2 outputs a signal corresponding to the temperature of the heater HTR (a signal corresponding to the resistance value of the thermistor T3). In this embodiment, the thermistor T3 has NTC characteristics. Therefore, the higher the temperature of the heater HTR (the temperature of thermistor T3), the lower the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP2. This is because the negative power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 is connected to the ground line. When the voltage value input to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 (the voltage divided by the thermistor T3 and resistor Rt3) becomes higher than the voltage value input to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 (the voltage divided by the voltage divider circuit Pd), the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes approximately equal to the ground potential. That is, when the temperature of the heater HTR (the temperature of the thermistor T3) becomes high, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes low level. If a thermistor T3 having PTC characteristics is used, the output of the voltage divider circuit consisting of thermistor T3 and resistor Rt3 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP2, and the output of voltage divider circuit Pd is connected to the inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP2.

[0080] The power supply line PL2 is connected to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 and a voltage divider circuit Pe (a series circuit of two resistors) connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3. The junction of the two resistors constituting the voltage divider circuit Pe is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3. The operational amplifier OP3 outputs a signal corresponding to the temperature of the case 110 (a signal corresponding to the resistance value of the thermistor T4). In this embodiment, the thermistor T4 has NTC characteristics. Therefore, the higher the temperature of the case 110, the lower the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP3. This is because the negative power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 is connected to the ground line. Therefore, when the voltage value input to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 (the voltage divided by the thermistor T4 and resistor Rt4) becomes higher than the voltage value input to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 (the voltage divided by the voltage divider circuit Pe), the output voltage value of the operational amplifier OP3 becomes approximately equal to the ground potential. In other words, when the temperature of the thermistor T4 becomes high, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP3 becomes low level. If a thermistor T4 with PTC characteristics is used, the output of the voltage divider circuit consisting of the thermistor T4 and resistor Rt4 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3, and the output of the voltage divider circuit Pe is connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3.

[0081] Resistor R1 is connected to the output terminal of operational amplifier OP2. Resistor R1 is connected to the cathode of diode D1. The anode of diode D1 is connected to the output terminal of operational amplifier OP3, the D terminal of FF17, and the CLR(￣) terminal of FF17. Resistor R2, which is connected to power supply line PL1, is connected to the connection line between resistor R1 and diode D1. The CLR(￣) terminal of FF16 is also connected to this connection line.

[0082] One end of resistor R3 is connected to the connection line between the junction of the anode of diode D1 and the output terminal of operational amplifier OP3 and the D terminal of FF17. The other end of resistor R3 is connected to power supply line PL2. Furthermore, this connection line is connected to the anode of diode D2, which is connected to notification terminal 12a of fuel gauge IC12, the anode of diode D3, and the CLR(￣) terminal of FF17. The cathode of diode D3 is connected to terminal P5 of MCU1.

[0083] When the temperature of heater HTR becomes excessive, the signal output from operational amplifier OP2 becomes small, and the signal input to the CLR(￣) terminal goes low, FF16 inputs a high-level signal from its Q(￣) terminal to MCU1's terminal P11. High-level system power supply voltage Vcc1 is supplied to the D terminal of FF16 from power line PL1. For this reason, FF16 will continue to output a low-level signal from its Q(￣) terminal unless the signal input to its CLR(￣) terminal, which operates on negative logic, goes low.

[0084] The signal input to the CLR(￣) terminal of FF17 goes low when the heater HTR temperature becomes excessive, when the case 110 temperature becomes excessive, or when a low-level signal indicating an abnormality is output from the notification terminal 12a of the fuel gauge IC 12. When the signal input to the CLR(￣) terminal goes low, FF17 outputs a low-level signal from its Q terminal. This low-level signal is input to terminal P10 of the MCU 1, the gate terminal of switch S6, the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9, and the base terminal of the bipolar transistor S1 connected to the charging IC 2. When a low-level signal is input to the gate terminal of switch S6, the gate-source voltage of the N-channel MOSFET that constitutes switch S6 falls below the threshold voltage, turning switch S6 off. When a low-level signal is input to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9, the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 is positive logic, so the boost operation stops. When a low-level signal is input to the base terminal of bipolar transistor S1, bipolar transistor S1 turns on (amplified current is output from the collector terminal). When bipolar transistor S1 turns on, a high-level system power supply voltage Vcc2 is input to the CE(￣) terminal of charging IC2 via bipolar transistor S1. Because the CE(￣) terminal of charging IC2 is negative logic, charging of power supply BAT is stopped. This stops heating of heater HTR and charging of power supply BAT. Note that even if MCU1 attempts to output a low-level enable signal from terminal P22 to the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charging IC2, when bipolar transistor S1 turns on, an amplified current is input from the collector terminal to terminal P22 of MCU1 and the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charging IC2. Note that this causes a high-level signal to be input to the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charging IC2.

[0085] The D terminal of FF17 is supplied with a high-level system power supply voltage Vcc2 from the power line PL2. Therefore, FF17 continues to output a high-level signal from the Q terminal unless the signal input to the CLR(￣) terminal, which operates in negative logic, goes low. When a low-level signal is output from the output terminal of operational amplifier OP3, a low-level signal is input to the CLR(￣) terminal of FF17, regardless of the level of the signal output from the output terminal of operational amplifier OP2. Note that when a high-level signal is output from the output terminal of operational amplifier OP2, the low-level signal output from the output terminal of operational amplifier OP3 is not affected by this high-level signal due to diode D1. Furthermore, when a low-level signal is output from the output terminal of operational amplifier OP2, even if a high-level signal is output from the output terminal of operational amplifier OP3, this high-level signal is replaced by a low-level signal via diode D1.

[0086] The power supply line PL2 further branches from the MCU mounted board 161 toward the LED mounted board 163 and the Hall IC mounted board 164. A power supply terminal VDD of the Hall IC 13, a power supply terminal VCC of the communication IC 15, and a power supply terminal VDD of the Hall IC 14 are connected to this branched power supply line PL2.

[0087] The output terminal OUT of the Hall IC 13 is connected to the terminal P3 of the MCU 1 and the terminal SW2 of the switch driver 7. When the outer panel 115 is removed, a low-level signal is output from the output terminal OUT of the Hall IC 13. The MCU 1 determines whether or not the outer panel 115 is attached based on the signal input to the terminal P3.

[0088] The LED mounting board 163 is provided with a series circuit (a series circuit of a resistor and a capacitor) connected to the operation switch OPS. This series circuit is connected to the power supply line PL2. The junction of the resistor and capacitor in this series circuit is connected to the terminal P4 of the MCU1, the operation switch OPS, and the terminal SW1 of the switch driver 7. When the operation switch OPS is not pressed, the operation switch OPS is not conductive, and the signals input to the terminal P4 of the MCU1 and the terminal SW1 of the switch driver 7 are high level due to the system power supply voltage Vcc2. When the operation switch OPS is pressed and becomes conductive, the signals input to the terminal P4 of the MCU1 and the terminal SW1 of the switch driver 7 are low level because they are connected to the ground line. The MCU1 detects the operation of the operation switch OPS based on the signal input to the terminal P4.

[0089] The switch driver 7 is provided with a reset input terminal RSTB. The reset input terminal RSTB is connected to the control terminal ON of the LSW4. When the levels of the signals input to the terminals SW1 and SW2 of the switch driver 7 are both low (when the outer panel 115 is removed and the operation switch OPS is pressed), the switch driver 7 outputs a low-level signal from the reset input terminal RSTB to stop the output operation of the LSW4. In other words, when the operation switch OPS is normally pressed down via the pressing portion 117 of the outer panel 115, but is pressed down directly by the user with the outer panel 115 removed, the levels of the signals input to the terminals SW1 and SW2 of the switch driver 7 both become low.

[0090] <Operation of each suction device operation mode> The operation of the electric circuit shown in FIG. 10 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 13 to 19. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in sleep mode. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in active mode. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in heating initial setting mode. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit when heating the heater HTR in heating mode. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit when detecting the temperature of the heater HTR in heating mode. FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in charging mode. FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit when resetting (restarting) the MCU 1. In each of FIGS. 13 to 19, of the terminals of the chipped electronic components, the terminals surrounded by dashed ellipses are terminals that are connected to the power supply voltage V BAT , USB voltage V USB , and terminals to which the system power supply voltage or the like is input or output.

[0091] In either operating mode, the power supply voltage V BAT is input to the power supply terminal VDD of the protection IC 10, the input terminal VIN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9, and the charging terminal bat of the charging IC 2.

[0092] <Sleep mode: Figure 13> MCU1 detects the V BAT Enable the power path function and disable the OTG and charging functions. Apply the USB voltage V to the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC2. USB When no input is made, the V of charging IC2 BAT The power path function is enabled. The OTG function is disabled because the signal to enable the OTG function from the communication line LN is not output from the MCU1 to the charging IC2. Therefore, the charging IC2 does not receive the power supply voltage V input to the charging terminal bat. BATThe step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 generates a system power supply voltage Vcc0 from the LSW4 and outputs it from the output terminal SYS. The system power supply voltage Vcc0 output from the output terminal SYS is input to the input terminal VIN and enable terminal EN of the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8. The step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 is enabled when a high-level system power supply voltage Vcc0 is input to the enable terminal EN, which is positive logic, and generates a system power supply voltage Vcc1 from the system power supply voltage Vcc0 and outputs it from the output terminal VOUT. The system power supply voltage Vcc1 output from the output terminal VOUT of the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 is supplied to the input terminal VIN of the LSW4, the control terminal ON of the LSW4, the input terminal VIN of the switch driver 7, and the power supply terminal VCC and D terminal of the FF16.

[0093] When the system power supply voltage Vcc1 is input to the control terminal ON of LSW4, it outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc1 input to the input terminal VIN as the system power supply voltage Vcc2 from the output terminal VOUT. The system power supply voltage Vcc2 output from LSW4 is input to the power supply terminal VDD of MCU1, the input terminal VIN of LSW5, the power supply terminal VDD of Hall IC13, the power supply terminal VCC of communication IC15, and the power supply terminal VDD of Hall IC14. Furthermore, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is supplied to the power supply terminal VDD of fuel gauge IC12, the power supply terminal VCC of ROM6, the resistor Rc and bipolar transistor S1 connected to the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charger IC2, the power supply terminal VCC of FF17, the positive power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP3, the voltage divider circuit Pe, the positive power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP2, and the voltage divider circuit Pd. The bipolar transistor S1 connected to charger IC2 remains off unless a low-level signal is output from the Q terminal of FF17. As a result, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 generated by LSW4 is also input to the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charger IC2. Because the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charger IC2 is negative logic, in this state the charging function of charger IC2 is turned off.

[0094] In this way, in sleep mode, LSW5 stops outputting the system power supply voltage Vcc3, so power supply to electronic components connected to power line PL3 is stopped. Also, in sleep mode, the OTG function of charging IC2 is stopped, so power supply to LEDs L1 to L8 is stopped.

[0095] <Active mode: Figure 14> 13, when the signal input to terminal P8 goes high and the MCU1 detects that slider 119 has opened, it inputs a high-level signal from terminal P23 to control terminal ON of LSW5. This causes LSW5 to output system power supply voltage Vcc2 input to input terminal VIN as system power supply voltage Vcc3 from output terminal VOUT. System power supply voltage Vcc3 output from output terminal VOUT of LSW5 is supplied to thermistors T2, T3, and T4.

[0096] Furthermore, when the MCU 1 detects that the slider 119 is open, it enables the OTG function of the charging IC 2 via the communication line LN. As a result, the charging IC 2 receives the power supply voltage V BAT The system power supply voltage Vcc4 obtained by boosting the voltage Vcc4 is output from the input terminal VBUS. The system power supply voltage Vcc4 output from the input terminal VBUS is supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8.

[0097] <Heating initial setting mode: Figure 15> When the signal input to terminal P4 goes low (the operation switch OPS is pressed) from the state in FIG. 14, the MCU 1 performs various settings required for heating, and then inputs a high-level enable signal from terminal P14 to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9. This causes the step-up DC / DC converter 9 to BAT The drive voltage V obtained by boosting bst is output from the output terminal VOUT. bstis supplied to switches S3 and S4. In this state, switches S3 and S4 are off. Also, switch S6 is turned on by a high-level enable signal output from terminal P14. This connects the negative terminal of heater HTR to the ground line, and when switch S3 is turned on, heater HTR is ready to heat. After a high-level enable signal is output from terminal P14 of MCU1, the system transitions to heating mode.

[0098] <Heater heating in heating mode: Figure 16> In the state of Fig. 15, the MCU1 starts the switching control of the switch S3 connected to the terminal P16 and the switching control of the switch S4 connected to the terminal P15. These switching controls may be started automatically when the above-mentioned heating initial setting mode is completed, or may be started by pressing the operation switch OPS again. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 16, the MCU1 turns on the switch S3 and turns off the switch S4, and the driving voltage V bst to the heater HTR to heat the heater HTR for aerosol generation, and temperature detection control is performed to detect the temperature of the heater HTR by turning off switch S3 and turning on switch S4 as shown in FIG. 17.

[0099] As shown in FIG. 16, during heating control, the drive voltage V bst is also supplied to the gate of the switch S5, turning on the switch S5. During heating control, the driving voltage V bst is also input to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 via the resistor Rs. The resistance of the resistor Rs is negligibly small compared to the internal resistance of the operational amplifier OP1. Therefore, during heating control, the voltage input to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is equal to the driving voltage V bst becomes almost equivalent to

[0100] The resistance value of resistor R4 is larger than the on-resistance value of switch S5. The operational amplifier OP1 operates even during heating control, but switch S5 is turned on during heating control. When switch S5 is on, the output voltage of operational amplifier OP1 is divided by the voltage divider circuit consisting of resistor R4 and switch S5 and input to terminal P9 of MCU1. Because the resistance value of resistor R4 is larger than the on-resistance value of switch S5, the voltage input to terminal P9 of MCU1 is sufficiently small. This prevents a large voltage from being input from operational amplifier OP1 to MCU1.

[0101] <Heater temperature detection in heating mode: Figure 17> As shown in Figure 17, during temperature detection control, the drive voltage V bst is input to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 and also to the voltage divider circuit Pb. The voltage divided by the voltage divider circuit Pb is input to the terminal P18 of the MCU1. Based on the voltage input to the terminal P18, the MCU1 calculates the reference voltage V to be applied to the series circuit of the resistor Rs and the heater HTR during temperature detection control. temp Get.

[0102] In addition, during temperature detection control, the drive voltage V bst (Reference voltage V temp ) is supplied to the series circuit of the resistor Rs and the heater HTR. bst (Reference voltage V temp ) is divided by resistor Rs and heater HTR to form voltage V heat is input to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1. Since the resistance value of the resistor Rs is sufficiently larger than the resistance value of the heater HTR, the voltage V heat is the driving voltage V bst During temperature detection control, this low voltage V heat is also supplied to the gate terminal of the switch S5, turning off the switch S5. The operational amplifier OP1 operates by dividing the voltage input to the inverting input terminal and the voltage V heat The difference is amplified and output.

[0103] The output signal of the operational amplifier OP1 is input to the terminal P9 of the MCU1. The MCU1 obtains a reference voltage V based on the signal input to the terminal P9 and the input voltage of the terminal P18. temp and the known electrical resistance value of the resistor Rs, the MCU 1 acquires the temperature of the heater HTR. Based on the acquired temperature of the heater HTR, the MCU 1 performs heating control of the heater HTR (for example, control so that the temperature of the heater HTR becomes a target temperature).

[0104] The MCU 1 can acquire the temperature of the heater HTR even during the period when the switches S3 and S4 are turned off (the period when the heater HTR is not energized). Specifically, the MCU 1 acquires the temperature of the heater HTR based on the voltage input to the terminal P13 (the output voltage of the voltage divider circuit configured by the thermistor T3 and the resistor Rt3).

[0105] The MCU 1 can also, at any timing, acquire the temperature of the case 110. Specifically, the MCU 1 acquires the temperature of the case 110 based on the voltage input to the terminal P12 (the output voltage of the voltage divider circuit configured by the thermistor T4 and the resistor Rt4).

[0106] <Charging mode: Figure 18> Figure 18 shows an example of a case where a USB connection is made in the sleep mode. When a USB connection is made, the USB voltage V USB is input to the input terminal VIN of LSW3 via the overvoltage protection IC11. USB The USB voltage V is also supplied to the voltage divider circuit Pf connected to the input terminal VIN of LSW3. Immediately after USB connection, the bipolar transistor S2 is on, so the signal input to the control terminal ON of LSW3 remains low. USB is also supplied to a voltage divider circuit Pc connected to a terminal P17 of the MCU1, and the voltage divided by this voltage divider circuit Pc is input to the terminal P17. The MCU1 detects that a USB connection has been made based on the voltage input to the terminal P17.

[0107] When the MCU1 detects that a USB connection has been made, it turns off the bipolar transistor S2 connected to the terminal P19. When a low-level signal is input to the gate terminal of the bipolar transistor S2, the USB voltage V divided by the voltage divider circuit Pf is USB is input to the control terminal ON of LSW3. As a result, a high-level signal is input to the control terminal ON of LSW3, and LSW3 is turned on at the USB voltage V USB is output from the output terminal VOUT. The USB voltage V USB is input to the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC2. Also, the USB voltage V USB is supplied as it is to the LEDs L1 to L8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc4.

[0108] When the MCU1 detects that a USB connection has been made, it also outputs a low-level enable signal from terminal P22 to the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of the charger IC2. This causes the charger IC2 to enable the charging function of the power supply BAT and increase the USB voltage V input to the input terminal VBUS. USB Start charging the power supply BAT.

[0109] If a USB connection is made in the active mode, the MCU1 detects this and turns off the bipolar transistor S2 connected to the terminal P19. It also outputs a low-level enable signal from the terminal P22 to the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of the charging IC2, and turns off the OTG function of the charging IC2 through serial communication using the communication line LN. As a result, the system power supply voltage Vcc4 supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8 becomes the voltage (power supply voltage V BAT The USB voltage V output from LSW3 is USB The LEDs L1 to L8 will not operate unless the built-in transistors are turned on by the MCU1. This prevents the unstable voltage that occurs during the transition period when the OTG function is turned on and off from being supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8.

[0110] <Reset of MCU: Figure 19> When the outer panel 115 is removed, the output of the Hall IC 13 becomes low level, and when the on-operation of the operation switch OPS is performed and the signal input to the terminal P4 of the MCU 1 becomes low level, both the terminal SW1 and the terminal SW2 of the switch driver 7 become low level. As a result, the switch driver 7 outputs a low-level signal from the reset input terminal RSTB. The low-level signal output from the reset input terminal RSTB is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW4. As a result, the LSW4 stops the output of the system power supply voltage Vcc2 from the output terminal VOUT. Since the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is no longer input to the power supply terminal VDD of the MCU 1, the MCU 1 stops.

[0111] When the time during which the switch driver 7 outputs a low-level signal from the reset input terminal RSTB reaches the preset time or the signal input to either the terminal SW1 or the terminal SW2 becomes high level, the switch driver 7 returns the signal output from the reset input terminal RSTB to high level. As a result, the control terminal ON of the LSW4 becomes high level, and the system returns to the state where the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is supplied to each part.

[0112] <Details of Heating Control and Temperature Detection Control> Figure 20 is a main circuit diagram showing the main electronic components used for heating and temperature detection of the heater HTR among the electric circuits shown in Figure 10. Figure 20 shows, as electronic components and nodes whose illustration or symbols were omitted in Figure 10, the reactor Ld, the resistor R S4 and the npn-type bipolar transistor T S4 and the resistors R that constitute the voltage dividing circuit Pb Pb1 and the resistor R Pb2 and the parasitic diode D5 of the switch S5, the nodes N1 to N8, the operational amplifiers OP4 and OP5 built in the MCU 1, the ADC (analog-to-digital converter) 1a, and the ADC1b. The various resistors (resistor R S4 shown in Figure 20, the resistor Rs, the resistor RPb1 , resistor R Pb2 , and resistor R4) are fixed resistors with predetermined resistance values.

[0113] resistor R S4 One end of the resistor R is connected to the gate terminal of the switch S4. S4 The other end of the bipolar transistor T S4 The collector terminal of the bipolar transistor T S4 The emitter terminal of the bipolar transistor T is connected to ground. S4 The base terminal of this is connected to the terminal P15 of the MCU1.

[0114] The reactor Ld is connected to the drive voltage V bst The reactor Ld is provided for the purpose of reducing noise. The reactor Ld is connected between the source terminal of the switch S4 and the output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC / DC converter 9. In addition to the reactor Ld, a separate first reactor for noise reduction may be provided between the switch S4 and the resistor Rs, and a separate second reactor for noise reduction may be provided between the resistor Rs and the positive-side heater connector Cn(+). Any one or two of the reactor Ld, the first reactor, and the second reactor may be omitted. Furthermore, these noise-reducing reactors are not essential and can be omitted.

[0115] The node N1 connects the source terminal of the switch S3 and one end of the reactor Ld. The node N1 is connected to the output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC / DC converter 9.

[0116] The node N7 connects the heater connector Cn(+) on the positive side (+ pole) and the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1.

[0117] The node N2 connects the drain terminal of the switch S3 to the node N7.

[0118] The node N4 connects the node N2 and the resistor Rs, and is connected to the gate terminal of the switch S5.

[0119] The node N5 connects the end of the resistor R4 opposite to the operational amplifier OP1 side to the drain terminal of the switch S5. The node N5 is connected to the terminal P9 of the MCU1.

[0120] The node N3 connects the drain terminal of the switch S4 to the opposite end of the resistor Rs on the node N4 side. The node N3 connects the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 to the resistor Rs. Pb1 One end of the cable is connected to the other end of the cable.

[0121] Node N6 is connected to resistor R Pb1 and the other end of resistor R Pb2 The node N6 is connected to the terminal P18 of the MCU1. Pb2 The other end is connected to ground.

[0122] The node N8 connects the negative (-) heater connector Cn(-) and the drain terminal of the switch S6. The node N8 is connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1.

[0123] The parasitic diode D5 has an anode connected to the source terminal of the switch S5 and a cathode connected to the drain terminal of the switch S5.

[0124] In the circuit shown in Fig. 20, the flow when the switch S4 is turned on is as follows: First, the drive voltage V bst is output, the MCU1 turns on the bipolar transistor T S4 Turn on the bipolar transistor T S4 (The amplified current is output from the emitter terminal of the switch S4.) This causes the gate terminal of the switch S4 to S4 , bipolar transistor T S4 The collector terminal of the bipolar transistor TS4 As a result, the gate voltage of the switch S4 becomes close to the ground potential (0 V in this embodiment), the absolute value of the gate-source voltage of the switch S4 becomes larger than the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the switch S4, and the switch S4 turns on. S4 When the switch S4 is turned off, the absolute value of the gate-source voltage of the switch S4 becomes equal to or less than the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the switch S4, and the switch S4 is turned off. The gate-source voltage refers to the voltage applied between the gate terminal and the source terminal. In this embodiment, switch S4 is a P-channel MOSFET, so a negative gate-source voltage is required to turn on switch S4. In other words, when the potential of the source terminal drops below the threshold voltage of the gate terminal, switch S4 turns on. For example, if the threshold voltage of switch S4 is −4.5 V, setting the source potential to 4.9 V and the gate potential to 0 V results in a gate-source voltage of −4.9 V. Because −4.9 V is lower than the threshold voltage of −4.5 V, switch S4 turns on. On the other hand, if the source potential is 4.9 V and the gate potential is 3.3 V, the gate-source voltage becomes −1.6 V. Because −1.6 V is higher than the threshold voltage of −4.5 V, switch S4 turns off. In this specification, for ease of understanding, the gate-source voltage and threshold voltage of a P-channel MOSFET will be explained as absolute values ​​ignoring signs.

[0125] The system power supply voltage Vcc2 (the power supply voltage of MCU1 input to the power supply terminal VDD of MCU1) and the drive voltage V bst is preferably the value shown below. System power supply voltage Vcc2=3.3V Drive voltage V bst =4.9V

[0126] Next, with reference to FIGS. 21 to 24, the operation of the heating control of the heater HTR and the temperature detection control of the heater HTR will be described.

[0127] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of voltage changes input to the gate terminals of switches S3 and S4 in the heating mode. In this embodiment, switches S3 and S4 are P-channel MOSFETs. Therefore, it should be noted that switches S3 and S4 are turned on when the voltage input to their gate terminals is low. FIG. 21 shows driving examples EX1 and EX2. In driving example EX1 of FIG. 21, MCU1 alternately turns on and off switches S3 and S4. That is, in driving example EX1, MCU1 turns off switch S4 while switch S3 is on, and turns on switch S4 while switch S3 is off. In other words, in driving example EX1, the period during which the voltage input to the gate terminal of switch S3 is low does not overlap with the period during which the voltage input to the gate terminal of switch S4 is low. Driving example EX2 differs from driving example EX1 in that the period during which switch S3 is on and the period during which switch S4 is on partially overlap. In other words, in Driving Example EX2, the period during which the voltage input to the gate terminal of switch S3 is at a low level and the period during which the voltage input to the gate terminal of switch S4 is at a low level overlap.

[0128] FIG. 21 shows the control period Tc of the MCU1. During this control period Tc, the MCU1 keeps the switch S4 on for a constant period and controls the switch S3 on for a constant period. That is, during heating control, the MCU1 supplies power to the heater HTR using PWM (pulse width modulation) control. The time during this control period Tc excluding the fixed time during which the switch S4 is on is the maximum time during which the switch S3 is on. The fixed time during which the switch S4 is on is sufficiently shorter than the maximum time during which the switch S3 is on, for example, 1 / 10 or less of this maximum time. Note that the switch S3 may be turned on multiple times during the control period Tc. In this case, if the duty ratio calculated by PWM control is less than 100%, the switch S3 will be intermittently turned on during the control period Tc excluding the fixed time during which the switch S4 is on.

[0129] In driving example EX1, the MCU1 controls the switch S4 so that it switches from off to on at the same time that the switch S3 switches from on to off. That is, the MCU1 fixes the timing at which the switch S3 is turned off, and controls the timing at which the switch S3 is turned on, thereby changing the on time of the switch S3. The MCU1 may also supply power to the heater HTR by PFM (pulse frequency modulation) control.

[0130] 22 shows the current flow during heating control in the heating mode. During heating control, switch S3 is turned on and switch S4 is turned off. In this state, a first heating discharge path HR1 is formed, in which current flows through node N1, switch S3, node N2, node N7, heater HTR, node N8, switch S6, and ground in this order. A second heating discharge path HR2 is formed, in which current flows through node N1, switch S3, node N2, node N4, and the gate terminal of switch S5 in this order. A third heating discharge path HR3 is formed, in which current flows through node N1, switch S3, node N2, node N4, resistor Rs, node N3, and the positive power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP1 in this order.

[0131] Due to the existence of the third heating discharge path HR3, the drive voltage V bst Lower voltage (driving voltage V bst The voltage applied between the positive and negative power supply terminals of the operational amplifier OP1 is equal to the drive voltage V bst (however, it is higher than the system power supply voltage Vcc2, which is the power supply voltage of MCU1). In this state, the differential input voltage of the operational amplifier OP1 is equal to the drive voltage V bstIf the voltage Vout becomes higher than 1 / 2V, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP1 will be stuck to the voltage applied to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1. Because this voltage is higher than the power supply voltage of the MCU1, if this voltage is input to the MCU1, the MCU1 may not operate normally. Therefore, the presence of the second thermal discharge path HR2 turns on the switch S5. As a result, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP1 is divided by the on-resistance of the resistor R4 and the switch S5 and input to the terminal P9 of the MCU1. The on-resistance of the switch S5 is much smaller than the resistance of the resistor R4. Therefore, the voltage divided by the resistor R4 and the switch S5 is very small. Therefore, when the switch S5 is turned on, it can be considered that the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP1 is clamped to the ground level.

[0132] 23 is a diagram showing the current flow during temperature detection control in heating mode. During temperature detection control, switch S3 is off and switch S4 is on. In this state, a first detection discharge path MR1 is formed in which current flows in the following order: node N1, reactor Ld, switch S4, resistor Rs, node N2, node N7, heater HTR, node N8, switch S6, and ground; a second detection discharge path MR2 is formed in which current flows in the following order: node N1, reactor Ld, switch S4, resistor Rs, node N4, and the gate terminal of switch S5; and a third detection discharge path MR3 is formed in which current flows in the following order: node N1, reactor Ld, switch S4, node N3, and the positive power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP1.

[0133] The resistance of the reactor Ld and the on-resistance of the switch S4 are sufficiently small. Therefore, due to the existence of the third detection discharge path MR3, the drive voltage V bst Approximately the same voltage (reference voltage V temp ) is supplied to the operational amplifier OP1, enabling it to operate. In this way, during temperature detection control, the power supply voltage of the operational amplifier OP1 is higher than during heating control, so the upper limit of the differential input value of the operational amplifier OP1 can be increased.

[0134] During temperature detection control, the voltage at node N3 (reference voltage V temp ) is divided by resistor Rs and heater HTR, and the voltage V heat If the wiring resistance is ignored, the potential of node N7 will be equal to the potential of node N4. Therefore, the voltage input to the gate terminal of switch S5 will also be equal to the voltage V heat The voltage V heat is equal to or less than the threshold voltage of the switch S5, the switch S5 is turned off in the state shown in FIG. heat It is preferable to determine the resistance value of the resistor Rs so that the output voltage V of the operational amplifier OP1 is equal to or less than the threshold voltage of the switch S5. OUT is input to the terminal P9 of the MCU1 without being divided. When the switch S5 is in the off state, the parasitic diode D5 behaves like a Zener diode. Therefore, if the output voltage V of the operational amplifier OP1 is OUT becomes excessively large, it is possible to prevent the voltage input to the terminal P9 of the MCU 1 from becoming too high. In this embodiment, the resistance values ​​of the resistors R4 and Rs are determined so that the voltage input to the terminal P9 of the MCU 1 is equal to or lower than the operating voltage of the MCU 1 (system power supply voltage Vcc2) in the state of Fig. 23 .

[0135] The gain of the operational amplifier OP1 is A, and the resistance of the heater HTR is R HTR The resistance value of resistor Rs is R RS If the voltage input to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is 0V, the output voltage V of the operational amplifier OP1 is OUT is expressed by the following equation (1). The terms on the right side of equation (1) excluding the amplification factor A are the voltage V heat is equivalent to

[0136]

number

[0137] Equation (1) is the resistance value R HTRBy solving this, we obtain the following equation (2).

[0138]

number

[0139] During temperature detection control, the MCU1 detects the output voltage V OUT The difference between the ground potential (=0V) and the voltage is amplified by the built-in operational amplifier OP5, and the amplified voltage is converted into a digital value (ADC_V OUT Also, the MCU1 converts the reference voltage V temp The difference between the divided voltage (value divided by the voltage divider circuit Pb) and the ground potential (=0V) is amplified by the built-in operational amplifier OP4, and the amplified voltage is converted into a digital value (ADC_V temp The inverting input terminals of the operational amplifiers OP4 and / or OP5 do not necessarily have to be connected to ground potential, but may be connected to other reference potentials. If this reference potential is high enough, the reference potential will be connected to the non-inverting input terminal, and the output voltage V OUT and reference voltage V temp The divided voltage value may be connected to the inverting input terminal. Note that the outputs of ADC1a and operational amplifier OP4 have a temperature drift error ε1 due to the influence of the temperature inside MCU1, and the outputs of ADC1b and operational amplifier OP5 have a temperature drift error ε2 due to the influence of the temperature inside MCU1. In other words, strictly speaking, the digital value output from ADC1a is ADC_V temp (1+ε1), and the digital value output from ADC1b is, strictly speaking, ADC_V OUT (1+ε2).

[0140] Digital value ADC_V temp (1+ε1) to V in equation (2) temp and the digital value ADC_V OUT (1+ε2) into V in equation (2) OUTThe equation (3) is obtained by substituting the above equations. ADC1a and operational amplifier OP4, and ADC1b and operational amplifier OP5 are each provided inside MCU1. Therefore, the temperature drift error ε1 and the temperature drift error ε2 can be considered to be approximately the same. In other words, (1 + ε1) and (1 + ε2) in equation (3) have the same value. Therefore, the temperature drift errors are cancelled out in equation (3). By calculating equation (3), MCU1 calculates the resistance value R of the heater HTR. HTR The heater HTR has a characteristic that its resistance changes depending on the temperature, so the resistance value R HTR By deriving this, the temperature of the heater HTR can be obtained.

[0141]

number

[0142] In this way, the output voltage V OUT The temperature drift error that can occur in the output voltage V OUT The temperature drift error that may occur in the output of the electronic components (op-amp OP5 and ADC1b) required to obtain information equivalent to temp The temperature drift error that can occur in the reference voltage V temp The resistance value R of the heater HTR can be offset by the temperature drift error that may occur in the output of the electronic components (op-amp OP4 and ADC1a) required to obtain information equivalent to HTR In other words, the resistance value R of the heater HTR can be calculated more accurately without being affected by the temperature of the MCU 1. HTR becomes easier to derive.

[0143] In the example of FIG. 20, the operational amplifier OP5 and the ADC1b, and the operational amplifier OP4 and the ADC1a are individually provided inside the MCU1. However, these may be shared. That is, the output voltage V OUT The operational amplifier and ADC are used to acquire information on the reference voltage V temp The operational amplifier and ADC are used to acquire the digital value ADC_Vtemp (1+ε1) and the digital value ADC_V OUT (1+ε2) may be obtained in a time-division manner. This configuration allows the temperature drift errors occurring in these two digital values ​​to be more closely matched, and the resistance value R of the heater HTR HTR can be derived with higher accuracy.

[0144] When the switch S4 is on, the potential of the node N3 is approximately the same as the potential of the node N1. Therefore, when the switch S3 is off and the switch S4 is on, the MCU1 sets the potential of the node N1 to the reference voltage V temp and may be used to derive the resistance value of the heater HTR. Also, if it is acceptable to constantly supply voltage to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1, thereby increasing power consumption, the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 may be connected to node N1 instead of node N3, and node N1 may be connected to the voltage divider circuit Pb.

[0145] Fig. 24 is a diagram showing the current flow when switch S3 and switch S4 are both on in driving example EX2 of Fig. 21. In the state of Fig. 24, a first heating discharge path HR1 is formed in which current flows in the order of node N1, switch S3, node N2, node N7, heater HTR, node N8, switch S6, and ground, a second heating discharge path HR2 is formed in which current flows in the order of node N1, switch S3, node N2, node N4, and the gate terminal of switch S5, and a third detection discharge path MR3 is formed in which current flows in the order of node N1, reactor Ld, switch S4, node N3, and the positive power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP1.

[0146] In the state of FIG. 24, the node N3 and the node N4 are at almost the same potential, so almost no current flows through the resistor Rs. Therefore, the power supply voltage of the operational amplifier OP1 is equal to the drive voltage V bst In other words, in this state, the upper limit of the differential input value of the operational amplifier OP1 is the drive voltage V bstTherefore, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP1 becomes larger compared to the state in FIG. 22. However, in this embodiment, the resistance ratio between the resistor R4 and the on-resistance of the switch S5 is determined so that the voltage input to the terminal P9 of the MCU1 in the state in FIG. 24 is equal to or less than the operating voltage (system power supply voltage Vcc2) of the MCU1. Therefore, a voltage greater than the operating voltage is not input to the terminal P9 of the MCU1. In other words, the operation of the MCU1 is stable.

[0147] In this way, in the inhaler 100, as shown in FIG. 22, during the period when the switch S3 is on and the switch S4 is off, the third heating and discharging path HR3 generates the driving voltage V bst 23, during the period when the switch S4 is on and the switch S3 is off, the third detection discharge path MR3 supplies the drive voltage V bst 21, the power supply voltage can be continuously supplied to the operational amplifier OP1 during the period from when heating of the heater HTR starts to when the heating ends and when temperature detection of the heater HTR ends (the period from the falling edge of the gate voltage of switch S3 to the rising edge of switch S4 immediately thereafter). Therefore, compared to the reference example in which the power supply voltage is not supplied to the operational amplifier OP1 during the on-period of switch S3 (the heating period of the heater HTR), it is not necessary to wait until the power supply voltage of the operational amplifier OP1 rises sufficiently during temperature detection control, and heating control and temperature detection control can be efficiently executed.

[0148] In particular, according to Drive Example EX2, it is possible to supply the power supply voltage to the operational amplifier OP1 required for temperature detection control while performing heating control. Therefore, when heating control ends, the power supply voltage to the operational amplifier OP1 can be raised sufficiently, and compared to Drive Example EX1, it becomes possible to detect the resistance value of the heater HTR with high accuracy at an earlier timing after heating of the heater HTR ends.

[0149] In both of the driving examples EX1 and EX2 shown in FIG. 21, there are cases where power supply voltage is not supplied to the operational amplifier OP1 during the period from when the switch S4 is turned off until the switch S3 is next turned on. However, heating control is performed immediately after this period, and the operation of the operational amplifier OP1 is not essential. Therefore, there is no problem even if the power supply voltage is not supplied to the operational amplifier OP1 during this period. Moreover, power consumption by the operational amplifier OP1 can be eliminated during this period, which can contribute to power saving of the entire inhaler 100.

[0150] In the inhaler 100 configured as above, each of the switches S3, S4, and S6 shown in Fig. 20 has a preferred configuration. Preferred examples of each switch will be described below.

[0151] <Preferred configuration of switch S3> The switch S3 is preferably configured to have a small on-resistance value (in other words, a large chip size) so that a large current flows through the heater HTR when the heater HTR is heated. In the following, when comparing the on-resistance values ​​of the switches S3, S4, and S6, the comparison is performed under the condition that the temperature and the current flowing through them are the same.

[0152] When heating the heater HTR, the switch S3 is turned on and off at high speed by PWM control, PFM control, or the like. For this reason, it is preferable that the maximum current value that can be instantaneously output (the maximum current value that can be output in pulses) is large. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of passing a large amount of current through the heater HTR and from the viewpoint of the switch S3 having a longer on time than the switch S4, it is preferable that the maximum current value that can be continuously output is larger than that of the switch S4. In the following, when comparing the maximum current values ​​that can be output by the switches S3, S4, and S6, the comparison is performed under the condition that the temperatures are the same.

[0153] As shown in FIG. 20, the switch S3 is preferably a P-channel MOSFET. The switch S3 can also be configured as an N-channel MOSFET. However, when the switch S3 is configured as an N-channel MOSFET, the voltage supplied from the terminal P16 of the MCU1 to the gate terminal of the switch S3 in order to turn on the switch S3 is set to a drive voltage V bst Therefore, the power supply voltage of MCU1 must be higher. On the other hand, if switch S3 is configured with a P-channel MOSFET, the power supply voltage of MCU1 can be set to a value greater than the drive voltage V bst Since the power consumption of the MCU1 can be reduced, the power consumption of the MCU1 can be reduced.

[0154] <Preferred configuration of switch S4> The on-resistance of the switch S4 is preferably small so that a sufficiently large voltage can be applied to the series circuit of the resistor Rs and the heater HTR. However, if the on-resistance is too small, the size will increase. Therefore, in order to reduce the circuit area, the on-resistance of the switch S4 is preferably larger than the on-resistance of the switch S3. The on-resistance of the switch S4 is preferably not too small so that the current for detecting the resistance of the heater HTR does not change the temperature of the heater HTR. Specifically, the on-resistance of the switch S4 is preferably smaller than the resistance of the resistor Rs and larger than the on-resistance of the switch S3.

[0155] As shown in FIG. 21, the resistance value of the heater HTR needs to be detected in a shorter time than the heating of the heater HTR. In addition, the switch S6 is always turned on in the heating mode, so its responsiveness does not need to be high. Therefore, it is preferable that the responsiveness of the switch S4 is higher than the responsiveness of the switches S3 and S6. The turn-on time t on , turn-on delay time t d(on) , rise time t r , turn-off time t off , turn-off delay time t d(off) , and the fall time t f There is.

[0156] Turn-on delay time t d(on) is the time it takes for the drain-source voltage to reach 90% of its set value after the gate-source voltage reaches 10% of its set value during turn-on. Rise time t r is the time it takes for the drain-source voltage to rise from 90% to 10% of its set value during turn-on. Turn-on time t on is the turn-on delay time t d(on) and rise time t r is the sum of the above. Turn-off delay time t d(off) is the time it takes for the drain-source voltage to reach 10% of the set value after the gate-source voltage reaches 90% of the set value during turn-off. descent time t f is the time it takes for the drain-source voltage to rise from 10% to 90% of its set value during turn-off. Turn-off time t off is the turn-off delay time t d(off) and fall time t f is the sum of the above.

[0157] The detection of the resistance value of the heater HTR must be performed in a shorter time than the heating of the heater HTR. For this reason, the turn-on delay time or rise time of the switch S4 is preferably shorter than the turn-on delay time or rise time of the switches S3 and S6. Similarly, the turn-off delay time or fall time of the switch S4 is preferably shorter than the turn-off delay time or fall time of the switches S3 and S6.

[0158] As shown in FIG. 20, the switch S4 is preferably a P-channel MOSFET. The switch S4 can also be configured as an N-channel MOSFET. However, when the switch S4 is configured as an N-channel MOSFET, the voltage supplied from the terminal P15 of the MCU1 to the gate terminal of the switch S4 to turn on the switch S4 is set to a drive voltage V bstOn the other hand, if switch S4 is configured with a P-channel MOSFET, the power supply voltage of MCU1 can be set to a value greater than the drive voltage V bst Since the power consumption of the MCU1 can be reduced, the power consumption of the MCU1 can be reduced.

[0159] <Preferred Configuration of Switch S6> The switch S6 preferably has a small on-resistance (i.e., a large chip size) so that a large current flows through the heater HTR when the heater HTR is heated. Specifically, the on-resistance of the switch S6 is preferably set to be equal to the on-resistance of the switch S3.

[0160] Switch S6 needs to continuously pass a current in the heating mode. For this reason, it is preferable that the maximum current value that switch S6 can continuously output is larger than that of switches S4 and S3. On the other hand, because switch S6 is always on in the heating mode, it is preferable that the maximum current value that switch S6 can instantaneously output (in pulses) is smaller than that of switch S3, which is repeatedly turned on and off. If the maximum current value that switch S6 can instantaneously output (in pulses) is set too large for the intended use of switch S6, there is a risk that the chip size and cost of switch S6 will increase.

[0161] Furthermore, because switch S3 is connected to a high-potential point on the circuit, it is more difficult to improve the responsiveness of switch S3 than switch S6 from a safety standpoint. Therefore, making switch S6 more responsive than switch S3 is effective in improving the responsiveness of the entire circuit. Specifically, the turn-off delay time or fall time of switch S6 is preferably shorter than the turn-off delay time or fall time of switch S3. Similarly, the turn-on delay time or rise time of switch S6 is preferably shorter than the turn-on delay time or rise time of switch S3.

[0162] As shown in FIG. 20, the switch S6 is preferably an N-channel MOSFET. The switch S6 can also be configured as a P-channel MOSFET. However, if the switch S6 is configured as a P-channel MOSFET, the voltage supplied from the terminal P14 of the MCU1 to the gate terminal of the switch S6 must be set to a value lower than the ground level in order to turn on the switch S6. Generating a voltage lower than the ground level requires dedicated circuits such as a negative power supply and a rail splitter circuit. In contrast, if the switch S6 is configured as an N-channel MOSFET, the MCU1 can turn on the switch S6 by inputting a voltage equivalent to its own power supply voltage to the gate terminal, thereby reducing the complexity of the circuit. Furthermore, if the switch S6 is configured as an N-channel MOSFET, a high-level signal can be input to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 at the same time as the switch S6 is turned on, and the drive voltage V bst If switch S6 is configured with a P-channel MOSFET, it is necessary to connect an inverter for logic inversion between the enable terminal EN of step-up DC / DC converter 9 and the gate terminal of switch S6. However, by configuring switch S6 with an N-channel MOSFET, such an inverter can be eliminated, enabling reductions in circuit size and manufacturing costs.

[0163] As described above, it is preferable that switches S3, S4, and S6 have different configurations. In this specification, "different configurations of switches including transistors" means that at least one of the following is satisfied: different types of transistors, different specifications of the transistors (on-resistance, responsiveness, etc.). With this configuration, the type and specifications of each switch can be adapted to the location to which it is connected, compared to when all three switches are the same type and specifications. This can improve the performance of the inhaler 100.

[0164] 20, it is also possible to omit switch S6 and connect node N8 directly to ground. Even in this case, by configuring switches S3 and S4 differently, the type and specifications of each switch can be adapted to the location to which it is connected, compared to when both switches are the same type and have the same specifications. This can improve the performance of inhalator 100.

[0165] <Preferred placement of electronic components> Next, a preferred example of the locations on receptacle mounting board 162 where the main electronic components in the circuit shown in FIG. 20 are to be installed will be described.

[0166] 25 is a plan view of receptacle mounting board 162 as viewed from main surface 162a. FIG. 26 is a plan view of receptacle mounting board 162 as viewed from sub-surface 162b. As shown in FIG. 25, main surface 162a of receptacle mounting board 162 is provided with reactor Lc, resistor Rs, switch S4, switch S6, and heater connector Cn, among the electronic components shown in FIG. 20. As shown in FIG. 26, sub-surface 162b of receptacle mounting board 162 is provided with step-up DC / DC converter 9, switch S3, resistor R Pb1 , and resistor R Pb2 will be established.

[0167] On the minor surface 162b, a resistor R Pb1 and resistor R Pb2 are placed close to each other. Resistor R Pb1 and resistor R Pb2 The resistors R form a voltage divider circuit Pb that divides the potential of the node N3. Pb1 and resistor R Pb2 If a difference occurs in the temperature of the resistor R, the voltage division ratio of the voltage divider circuit Pb fluctuates, and the accuracy of obtaining the potential of the node N3 required to derive the resistance value of the heater HTR decreases. Pb1 and resistor R Pb2 are mounted on the same surface of the receptacle mounting board 162 and are arranged close to each other, so that the resistor R Pb1and resistor R Pb2 In order to enhance this effect, among the electronic components mounted on the receptacle mounting board 162, the resistor R Pb1 The electronic component closest to Pb2 It is preferable to set the following.

[0168] Among the electronic components shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the switch S3, the step-up DC / DC converter 9, the reactor Lc, and the heater connector Cn can be considered heat or noise sources. Among these, the switch S3 generates the most heat, followed by the step-up DC / DC converter 9. In the example shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the switch S3 and the step-up DC / DC converter 9, which generate the most heat, are mounted on different surfaces of the same substrate, on the same side as the switches S4, S6, and resistor Rs. In other words, the switch S3 and the step-up DC / DC converter 9 are mounted on the secondary surface 162b, and the switches S4, S6, and resistor Rs are mounted on the primary surface 162a. This configuration can prevent the switch S4, the switch S6, and the resistor Rs from being affected by heat or noise from the switch S3 and the step-up DC / DC converter 9.

[0169] 25, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the element mounting surfaces (principal surface 162a and secondary surface 162b) of the receptacle mounting board 162, the switch S3 and the step-up DC / DC converter 9 are arranged so as not to overlap with the switch S4, the switch S6, and the resistor Rs. This makes it difficult for heat or noise generated by the switch S3 and the step-up DC / DC converter 9 to be transmitted to the switch S4, the switch S6, and the resistor Rs via the board. In other words, the switch S4, the switch S6, and the resistor Rs can be more effectively prevented from being affected by heat or noise from the switch S3 and the step-up DC / DC converter 9.

[0170] 25 and 26, for example, switch S4 or switch S6 may be mounted on the secondary surface 162b. This also makes it possible to prevent either switch S4 or switch S6 from being affected by heat or noise from switch S3 and step-up DC / DC converter 9.

[0171] 20, at least one of the switches S4 and S6 may be mounted on a board (such as the MCU mounting board 161) separate from the receptacle mounting board 162. This also makes it possible to prevent at least one of the switches S4 and S6 from being affected by heat or noise from the switch S3 and the step-up DC / DC converter 9.

[0172] Fig. 25 shows a distance DS4 (the length of a straight line connecting the two mounting areas at the shortest distance) between the mounting area on main surface 162a where resistor Rs is mounted and the mounting area on main surface 162a where reactor Lc is mounted. Fig. 25 also shows a distance DS5 (the length of a straight line connecting the two mounting areas at the shortest distance) between the mounting area on main surface 162a where switch S4 is mounted and the mounting area on main surface 162a where reactor Lc is mounted. Distance DS4 is shorter than distance DS5.

[0173] The resistance value of resistor Rs is less susceptible to temperature fluctuations than the on-resistance value of switch S4. Therefore, by placing resistor Rs, which is less susceptible to temperature changes, closer to reactor Lc than switch S4, the board area can be used more effectively.

[0174] Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 25, a resistor Rs is mounted between the switch S4 and the reactor Lc. In other words, the mounting area of ​​the resistor Rs is located on a line connecting the mounting area of ​​the switch S4 and the mounting area of ​​the reactor Lc. In this way, the resistor Rs acts as a physical barrier that protects the switch S4 from the heat generated by the reactor Lc. As a result, temperature changes in the switch S4 can be strongly suppressed. Fluctuations in the on-resistance value of the switch S4 affect the measurement accuracy of the resistance value of the heater HTR. Therefore, suppressing temperature changes in the switch S4 is particularly important.

[0175] Fig. 27 is an enlarged view of the range H shown in Fig. 25. As shown in Fig. 27, on the main surface 162a of the receptacle mounting board 162, the mounting area of ​​the switch S4 and the mounting area of ​​the heater connector Cn are spaced apart, but there is a resistor R S4 and bipolar transistor T S4 In other words, the resistor R is mounted on each of the straight lines DL1 and DL2 that connect the mounting area of ​​the switch S4 and the mounting area of ​​the heater connector Cn. S4 and bipolar transistor T S4 According to this configuration, the resistor R S4 and bipolar transistor T S4 This acts as a physical barrier to protect the switch S4 from the heat generated by the heater connector Cn, and as a result, the temperature of the switch S4 can be strongly suppressed from changing.

[0176] 25 and 27, switch S4 is disposed near the outer edge of main surface 162a of receptacle mounting board 162. Specifically, on main surface 162a of receptacle mounting board 162, a distance DS1 between the mounting area of ​​switch S4 and closest edge 162em, which is the edge closest to the mounting area of ​​switch S4 among right-hand edge 162e of main surface 162a, is shorter than a distance DS2 between the center in the left-right direction of main surface 162a of receptacle mounting board 162 and the mounting area of ​​switch S4. In this way, by disposing switch S4 near the edge of receptacle mounting board 162, switch S4 is less susceptible to the effects of heat generated by other electronic components. In particular, as shown in Figure 27, by ensuring that no other electronic components exist between the closest edge 162em and switch S4, in other words, by making switch S4 the electronic component closest to the closest edge 162em on the receptacle mounting board 162, temperature changes in switch S4 can be further suppressed.

[0177] 27, distance DS3 between the mounting area of ​​resistor Rs on main surface 162a of receptacle mounting board 162 and edge 162en of edge 162e that is closest to the mounting area of ​​resistor Rs is greater than distance DS1. As described above, resistor Rs is less susceptible to temperature changes than switch S4. Therefore, by arranging resistor Rs closer to the center of receptacle mounting board 162, the board area can be used effectively.

[0178] <Preferred form of switch S4> When the switch S4 is on, the voltage V applied between the gate and source GS It is preferable to set the absolute value of the voltage V applied between the gate and source of the switch S4 when it is on as high as possible. GSIt is preferable to set V to as large a negative value as possible. This is because the on-resistance of the switch S4 can be reduced, Joule heat generated when the switch S4 is on can be reduced, and temperature fluctuations of the switch S4 can be suppressed. Specifically, the maximum rated value (absolute value) of the voltage that can be applied between the gate and source of the switch S4 is set to the voltage V GSS The threshold (absolute value) of the voltage between the gate and source of switch S4 is set to voltage V th Then, MCU1 will output a voltage V GS (absolute value) is the voltage V GSS and voltage V th Of these, voltage V GSS It is preferable to control the voltage applied to the gate terminal of the switch S4 so that the voltage V GSS and voltage V GS The absolute value of the difference between the voltage V th and voltage V GS It is preferable to control the voltage applied to the gate terminal of the switch S4 so that it is smaller than the absolute value of the difference between the absolute value of the switch S4 and the absolute value of the voltage applied to the gate terminal of the switch S4.

[0179] Thus, the voltage V GS In order to increase the absolute value of the voltage drop (absolute value), it is preferable to provide an overvoltage protection diode such as a varistor between the gate terminal and source terminal of switch S4. The presence of this overvoltage protection diode makes it possible to keep the surge voltage, which may be generated by switching in step-up DC / DC converter 9, below the maximum rated value even when it is applied to switch S4. As a result, switch S4 is less likely to break down, and the durability of inhaler 100 can be improved.

[0180] This specification describes at least the following items. Note that the components in parentheses correspond to those in the above-described embodiment, but are not limited to these.

[0181] (1) Power supply (power supply BAT) and a heater connector (heater connector Cn) including a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and a heater (heater HTR) that consumes power supplied from the power source to heat the aerosol source, and is connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode; a first positive side circuit (a circuit including a series circuit of a reactor Ld, the switch S4, and the resistor Rs, and wiring connecting this series circuit with the node N1 and the node N2) including a first positive side switch (switch S4) and a fixed resistor (resistor Rs), one end of which is connected to the positive pole; a second positive side circuit (a circuit including wiring connecting the switch S3 to the node N1 and the node N2) including a second positive side switch (switch S3) having one end connected to the positive pole and connected in parallel to the first positive side circuit; A negative side switch (switch S6) connected to the negative pole; a controller (MCU1) configured to execute predetermined control based on a voltage applied to the fixed resistor or the heater connector when the first positive-side switch and the negative-side switch are ON, One or both of a first condition that the first positive-side switch is different from at least one of the second positive-side switch and the negative-side switch and a second condition that the second positive-side switch is different from the negative-side switch are satisfied. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0182] According to (1), compared to when all three switches are the same type and specifications, the type and specifications of each switch can be tailored to the location to which it is connected, thereby improving the performance of the aerosol generating device.

[0183] (2) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (1), the first positive-side switch includes a P-channel MOSFET; the second positive-side switch includes a P-channel MOSFET; The negative side switch includes an N-channel MOSFET. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0184] According to (2), a P-channel MOSFET suitable for high potential (positive control) is placed on the positive side, and an N-channel MOSFET suitable for low potential (negative control) is placed on the negative side, which improves the performance of the aerosol generator.

[0185] (3) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (2), a boost converter (boost DC / DC converter 9) having an output terminal connected to a source terminal of a P-channel MOSFET included in the first positive-side switch and a source terminal of a P-channel MOSFET included in the second positive-side switch; a controller (MCU1) connected to a gate terminal of a P-channel MOSFET included in the first positive-side switch and a gate terminal of a P-channel MOSFET included in the second positive-side switch; The voltage (system power supply voltage Vcc2) input to the power supply terminal (power supply terminal VDD) of the controller is the voltage (drive voltage V bst ) lower, Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0186] According to (3), a high voltage with excellent aerosol generation efficiency can be applied to the heater by the boost converter. Furthermore, even with a low-voltage power-saving controller, the voltage between the gate and source of each of the first and second positive-side switches can be easily set to a value that turns the switch on. As a result, high performance and low power consumption can be achieved at the same time in the aerosol generator.

[0187] (4) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (2) or (3), a boost converter (boost DC / DC converter 9) having an output terminal (output terminal VOUT) connected to a source terminal of a P-channel MOSFET included in the first positive side switch and a source terminal of a P-channel MOSFET included in the second positive side switch, and including an enable terminal (enable terminal EN) that outputs a voltage from the output terminal when a signal of a predetermined level is input; an enabling terminal of the boost converter is connected to a gate terminal of an N-channel MOSFET included in the negative-side switch; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0188] According to (4), the negative side switch can be turned on and the boost converter can be started at the same time, which reduces the number of steps required to discharge the heater and improves the responsiveness of aerosol generation.

[0189] (5) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (4), The predetermined level is a high level. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0190] According to (5), the same signal can be used to turn on the negative-side switch and start the boost converter. In other words, there is no need to connect an inverter for logic inversion to the enable terminal of the boost converter. This reduces the cost of the aerosol generator and improves the responsiveness of aerosol generation.

[0191] (6) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (1), the second positive-side switch includes a transistor; the negative-side switch includes a transistor, The transistor included in the second positive-side switch has differences from the transistor included in the negative-side switch other than the channel type. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0192] According to (6), compared to when the second positive side switch and the negative side switch are different types but have the same specifications, the specifications of each switch can be tailored to the locations to which they are connected, thereby improving the performance of the aerosol generation device.

[0193] (7) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (6), a maximum current value that can be continuously output by a transistor included in the negative side switch is greater than a maximum current value that can be continuously output by a transistor included in the second positive side switch; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0194] According to (7), even if the two positive side switches are turned on simultaneously for some reason and current is supplied to the negative side switch from both of the two parallel-connected positive side circuits, the negative side switch is less likely to be damaged, thereby improving the durability of the aerosol generator.

[0195] (8) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (6) or (7), the controller is configured to repeatedly switch the transistor included in the second positive-side switch between ON and OFF while the transistor included in the negative-side switch is ON; a maximum current value that can be output in pulse form by a transistor included in the negative side switch is smaller than a maximum current value that can be output in pulse form by a transistor included in the second positive side switch; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0196] According to (8), even if a surge current occurs due to repeated switching of the second positive side switch, the second positive side switch is less likely to be damaged, and therefore the aerosol generation device can be operated stably.

[0197] (9) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to any one of (6) to (8), a turn-off delay time of a transistor included in the second positive-side switch is longer than a turn-off delay time of a transistor included in the negative-side switch; and / or a fall time of a transistor included in the second positive-side switch is longer than a fall time of a transistor included in the negative-side switch; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0198] Since the positive-side transistor is connected to a high-potential point on the circuit, it is difficult to improve its responsiveness from a safety standpoint. According to (9), the responsiveness of the negative-side transistor is higher than that of the positive-side transistor, so the responsiveness of the aerosol generation device as a whole can be improved.

[0199] (10) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to any one of (6) to (9), a turn-on delay time of a transistor included in the second positive-side switch is longer than a turn-on delay time of a transistor included in the negative-side switch; and / or a rise time of a transistor included in the second positive-side switch is longer than a rise time of a transistor included in the negative-side switch; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0200] Since the positive-side transistor is connected to a high-potential point on the circuit, it is difficult to improve its responsiveness from a safety standpoint. According to (10), the responsiveness of the negative-side transistor is higher than that of the positive-side transistor, so the responsiveness of the aerosol generation device as a whole can be improved.

[0201] (11) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (1), the first positive-side switch includes a P-channel MOSFET; the second positive-side switch includes a P-channel MOSFET; the P-channel MOSFET included in the first positive-side switch is different from the P-channel MOSFET included in the second positive-side switch; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0202] According to (11), compared to when the two positive side switches are of the same type and specifications, the specifications of each switch can be tailored to the location to which it is connected, thereby improving the performance of the aerosol generating device.

[0203] (12) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (11), a maximum current value that can be continuously output by the P-channel MOSFET included in the second positive-side switch is greater than a maximum current value that can be continuously output by the P-channel MOSFET included in the first positive-side switch; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0204] According to (12), when generating aerosol, a larger current can be supplied to the heater via the second positive-side switch, which increases the amount of aerosol that can be generated and improves the marketability of the aerosol generator.

[0205] (13) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (11) or (12), the on-resistance value of the P-channel MOSFET included in the second positive-side switch is lower than the on-resistance value of the P-channel MOSFET included in the first positive-side switch; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0206] According to (13), not only can the power for generating aerosol be supplied to the heater with low loss while reducing the loss in the second positive side switch, but the size of the first positive side switch can also be reduced, which makes it possible to improve the aerosol generation efficiency of the aerosol generation device while also miniaturizing it.

[0207] (14) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (13), an ON resistance value of the P-channel MOSFET included in the first positive-side switch is lower than an electrical resistance value of the fixed resistor; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0208] According to (14), the current flowing through the first positive-side switch can be further reduced by using a fixed resistor with a high resistance value, which allows the first positive-side switch to be made smaller, thereby enabling the aerosol generation device to be made even smaller.

[0209] (15) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to any one of (11) to (14), a turn-on delay time of the P-channel MOSFET included in the first positive side switch is shorter than a turn-on delay time of the P-channel MOSFET included in the second positive side switch; and / or a rise time of the P-channel MOSFET included in the first positive side switch is shorter than a rise time of the P-channel MOSFET included in the second positive side switch; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0210] According to (15), when executing a predetermined control, the voltage applied to the heater connector or the fixed resistor can be obtained more quickly, thereby enabling the predetermined control to be executed with good responsiveness.

[0211] (16) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (1), the first positive-side switch includes a transistor; the negative-side switch includes a transistor, The transistor included in the first positive-side switch has differences from the transistor included in the negative-side switch other than the channel type. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0212] According to (16), compared to when the first positive side switch and the negative side switch are the same type and have the same specifications, the specifications of each switch can be tailored to the location to which each is connected, thereby improving the performance of the aerosol generation device.

[0213] (17) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (16), a turn-on delay time of a transistor included in the first positive-side switch is shorter than a turn-on delay time of a transistor included in the negative-side switch; and / or a rise time of a transistor included in the first positive-side switch is shorter than a rise time of a transistor included in the negative-side switch; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0214] According to (17), the responsiveness of the first positive-side switch, which does not allow a large current to flow unlike the negative-type switch, can be improved. Therefore, the responsiveness of the aerosol generation device as a whole to execute predetermined control can be improved.

[0215] (18) Power supply (power supply BAT) and a heater connector (heater connector Cn) including a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and a heater (heater HTR) that consumes power supplied from the power source to heat the aerosol source, and is connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode; a first positive side circuit (a circuit including a series circuit of a reactor Ld, the switch S4, and the resistor Rs, and wiring connecting this series circuit with the node N1 and the node N2) including a first positive side switch (switch S4) and a fixed resistor (resistor Rs), one end of which is connected to the positive pole; a second positive side circuit (a circuit including wiring connecting the switch S3 to the node N1 and the node N2) including a second positive side switch (switch S3) having one end connected to the positive pole and connected in parallel to the first positive side circuit; a controller (MCU1) configured to execute predetermined control based on a voltage applied to the fixed resistor or the heater connector when the first positive-side switch is ON, The first positive-side switch is different from the second positive-side switch. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0216] According to (18), compared to when the two switches are of the same type and specifications, the type and specifications of each switch can be tailored to the location to which it is connected, thereby improving the performance of the aerosol generating device.

[0217] (19) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (18), the first positive-side switch includes a P-channel MOSFET; the second positive-side switch includes a P-channel MOSFET; the P-channel MOSFET included in the first positive-side switch is different from the P-channel MOSFET included in the second positive-side switch; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0218] According to (19), compared to when the two switches are of different types but the same specifications, the specifications of each switch can be tailored to the location to which it is connected, thereby improving the performance of the aerosol generating device.

[0219] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components of the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0220] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2021-079879) filed on May 10, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0221] 100 Aspirator 1. MCU 9. Step-up DC / DC converter OP1 operational amplifier Lc, Ld reactor HTR heater BAT power supply Cn Heater Connector S3, S4, S5, S6 switches Rs, R4, R Pb1 , R Pb2 resistor D5 parasitic diode N1~N8 nodes HR1 First heating discharge path HR2 Second heating discharge path HR3 Third heating discharge path MR1 First detection discharge path MR2 Second detection discharge path MR3 Third detection discharge path

Claims

1. Power supply and a heater connector including a positive electrode and a negative electrode to which a heater that consumes power supplied from the power source to heat the aerosol source is connected; a first fixed resistor having one end connected to the positive terminal of the heater connector; an operational amplifier including: a positive power supply terminal connected to the positive electrode side of the heater connector; a negative power supply terminal; a non-inverting input terminal connected between one end of the first fixed resistor and the positive electrode of the heater connector; an inverting input terminal connected to the negative electrode of the heater connector; and an output terminal; a controller including an input terminal connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier, a power supply terminal, and a ground terminal connected to ground; a clamp circuit connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier, for preventing a value of a voltage output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier and input to the input terminal of the controller from exceeding a predetermined value; In a discharging state in which a current is supplied from the power supply to the first fixed resistor and then to the heater, a voltage applied between the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the operational amplifier is higher than a voltage applied between the power supply terminal and the ground terminal of the controller; the controller is configured to control the supply of power from the power source to the heater based on an input to the input terminal. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

2. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to claim 1, the clamp circuit includes a clamp switch including a control terminal for controlling opening and closing; a control terminal of the clamp switch is connected between one end of the first fixed resistor and the positive electrode of the heater connector; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

3. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to claim 1, a second fixed resistor having one end connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier and the other end connected to the input terminal of the controller; the clamp circuit includes an N-channel MOSFET; a gate terminal of the N-channel MOSFET is connected between one end of the first fixed resistor and a positive electrode of the heater connector; The source terminal of the N-channel MOSFET is connected to ground, a drain terminal of the N-channel MOSFET connected between the other end of the second fixed resistor and the input terminal of the controller; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

4. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to claim 3, a resistance value of the second fixed resistor is higher than an ON resistance value of the N-channel MOSFET; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

5. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to claim 4, the clamp circuit includes a parasitic diode having an anode connected to the source terminal of the N-channel MOSFET and a cathode connected to the drain terminal of the N-channel MOSFET; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

6. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, a first positive-side switch including a control terminal for controlling opening and closing thereof, and connected between the other end of the first fixed resistor and the power supply; a second positive-side switch connected between one end of the first fixed resistor and the power supply; a sensor that outputs a user's aerosol generation request; the controller is configured to close the second positive-side switch based on the aerosol generation request. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

7. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to claim 6, a voltage applied between the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the operational amplifier when the second positive-side switch is ON is lower than a voltage applied between the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the operational amplifier when the first positive-side switch is closed; a voltage applied between the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the operational amplifier when the first positive-side switch is closed is higher than a voltage applied between the power supply terminal and the ground terminal of the controller; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

8. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to claim 7, The clamp circuit functions only when the second positive-side switch is closed. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

9. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, The controller is configured to alternately turn on the first positive-side switch and the second positive-side switch. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

10. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, the controller is configured to output, when one of the first plus-side switch and the second plus-side switch is in an ON state, to a control terminal of the other of the first plus-side switch and the second plus-side switch, a signal for turning on the other of the first plus-side switch and the second plus-side switch. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

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