Power supply unit of aerosol generation device

Abstract

To provide a power supply unit of an aerosol generation device that can be reset by a user operation.SOLUTION: The charger includes an MCU6 configured to control power supply from a power source ba to a liquid heater, a switch BT operable by a user, and a charging IC3 connected to a power source terminal (terminal VDD) of the MCU6 and including an output terminal SYS for converting and outputting an input voltage and a terminal QON, wherein when the switch BT is operated, a low-level signal is input to the terminal QON, and the charging IC3 enters a non-operating state in which no voltage is output from the output terminal SYS when the low-level signal is input to the terminal QON.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 19

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Documents 1 to 3 describe aerosol generators that can be reset by themselves. Patent Document 4 describes an aerosol generator that is automatically reset by a safety timer. Patent Documents 5 to 7 describe aerosol generators that can be reset from an external device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-187428 [Patent Document 2] Japan Special Publication No. 2020-518250 [Patent Document 3] Japan Special Publication No. 2020-527053 [Patent Document 4] Japan Special Publication No. 2020-527945 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent No. 6770579 [Patent Document 6] Japan Special Publication No. 2017-538408 [Patent Document 7] Japanese Patent No. 6752220 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a power supply unit for an aerosol generating device that can be reset by user operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The power supply unit of an aerosol generating device of one embodiment of the present invention comprises a power supply capable of supplying power to an atomizer that atomizes an aerosol source, a controller configured to control the supply of power from the power supply to the atomizer, an operation unit operable by a user, an output terminal connected to the power supply terminal of the controller and converting and outputting the input voltage, and an IC including a control terminal, wherein when the operation unit is operated, a first level signal is input to the control terminal, and when the first level signal is input to the control terminal, the IC enters an inactive state in which it does not output voltage from the output terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, resetting can be performed by a user operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the aerosol generating device 200. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the aerosol generating device 200. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the aerosol generating device 200. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the internal unit 2A. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a right side view of the internal unit 2A. [Figure 6] 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a heating section 60 and a circuit section 70 of an internal unit 2A. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a surface 201 of a main board 20. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the rear surface 202 of the main board 20. [Figure 9] 1 is a plan view seen in a direction perpendicular to the element mounting surface of the puff sensor substrate 21 (in other words, in the thickness direction of the puff sensor substrate 21). [Figure 10] 10 is an exploded perspective view of the puff sensor substrate 21, the sensor holding portion 55, and the suction sensor 15 shown in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the chassis 50 with the sensor holding portion 55 removed. [Figure 12] 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a circuit provided on a main board 20. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram showing electronic components involved in the operation in the heating mode extracted from the circuit shown in FIG. 12. [Figure 14] 13 is a circuit diagram showing electronic components related to heating control of the seat heater HTR and the liquid heater, drive control of the vibration motor 13, and drive control of the LED 21D extracted from the circuit shown in FIG. 12. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram corresponding to FIG. 13 in the case where FF9 is omitted. [Figure 16] 14 is a circuit diagram corresponding to FIG. 13 in which FF9 and AND gate 10 are omitted. [Figure 17] 7 is an exploded perspective view of a heating unit 60 and a flow path forming body 19 shown in FIG. 6. FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a development view of the heater FPC 24 shown in FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram showing electronic components involved in restarting the MCU 6 extracted from the circuit shown in FIG. 12. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the restart circuit RBT shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The power supply unit of the aerosol generation device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below. First, the aerosol generation device including the power supply unit of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0009] (Aerosol generating device) The aerosol generation device 200 is a device for generating a flavored aerosol without combustion and for inhaling the generated aerosol. The aerosol generation device 200 is preferably hand-sized and has, for example, a rounded, approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Note that the shape of the aerosol generation device 200 is not limited to this, and it may also be rod-shaped, egg-shaped, or the like. In the following description, of the three orthogonal directions in the aerosol generation device 200, the directions are referred to in descending order of length as the up-down direction, the front-rear direction, and the left-right direction. For convenience, the following description defines the front, rear, left, right, upper, and lower directions as shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, and indicates the front as Fr, the rear as Rr, the left as L, the right as R, the upper as U, and the lower as D.

[0010] 3, the aerosol generation device 200 includes a power supply unit 100, a first cartridge 110, and a second cartridge 120. The first cartridge 110 and the second cartridge 120 are detachable from the power supply unit 100. In other words, the first cartridge 110 and the second cartridge 120 are each replaceable.

[0011] (Power supply unit) The power supply unit 100 includes an internal unit 2A and a case 3a, and at least a portion of the internal unit 2A is housed in the case 3a.

[0012] The case 3a is composed of a first case 3A and a second case 3B that are detachable in the left-right direction (thickness direction), and the front, rear, left, and right sides of the power supply unit 100 are formed by assembling the first case 3A and the second case 3B in the left-right direction (thickness direction). Specifically, the first case 3A is supported on the left side of a chassis 50 (described below) included in the internal unit 2A, and the second case 3B is supported on the right side of the chassis 50, so that the internal unit 2A is housed in the case 3a. A capsule holder 4A is provided at the front of the top surface of the power supply unit 100. The capsule holder 4A has an opening 4a that opens upward. The capsule holder 4A is configured so that the second cartridge 120 can be inserted through the opening 4a. A mouthpiece 130 is detachably provided to the second cartridge 120.

[0013] The upper surface of the power supply unit 100 is formed by an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) cover 5a arranged behind the opening 4a, and the lower surface of the power supply unit 100 is formed by a lower cover 8a provided with a charging terminal 1 and a rotatable lower lid 7a.

[0014] Between the top and rear surfaces of the power supply unit 100, there is provided an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the rear. An operation unit that can be operated by the user is provided on the inclined surface. In this embodiment, the operation unit is a button-type switch BT, but it may also be configured as a touch panel or the like. The operation unit is used to start / shut off / operate the MCU (Micro Controller Unit) 6 (described below) and various sensors, reflecting the user's intentions.

[0015] The charging terminal 1, which is accessible from the bottom cover 8a, is configured to be electrically connectable to an external power source (not shown) that can supply power to the power supply unit 100 to charge the power source ba included in the battery pack BP. The charging terminal 1 is, for example, a receptacle into which a mating plug can be inserted. The charging terminal 1 can be a receptacle into which various USB terminals can be inserted. As an example, in this embodiment, the charging terminal 1 is a USB Type-C shaped receptacle.

[0016] Furthermore, the charging terminal 1 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 electromagnetic induction type, magnetic resonance type, or a combination of electromagnetic induction type and magnetic resonance type. As another example, the charging terminal 1 may be connectable to various USB terminals and may include the above-mentioned power receiving coil.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the internal unit 2A includes a battery pack BP, a chassis 50, a heating section 60, a circuit section 70, a notification section, and various sensors.

[0018] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the chassis 50 comprises a cylindrical cartridge holding portion 51 located at the front, a semi-cylindrical battery holding portion 52 located at the rear with the left side cut out, a plate-shaped connecting portion 53 connecting the cartridge holding portion 51 and the battery holding portion 52, a motor holding portion 54 located below and to the right of the connecting portion 53 and spanning the cartridge holding portion 51 and the battery holding portion 52, and a sensor holding portion 55 located to the left rear of the cartridge holding portion 51.

[0019] With the lower lid 7a open, the first cartridge 110 is inserted into the cartridge holding portion 51 from below. When the lower lid 7a is closed with the first cartridge 110 inserted, the first cartridge 110 is housed in the cartridge holding portion 51. A capsule holder 4A is attached to the upper portion of the cartridge holding portion 51. A vertically long through-hole is provided in the front of the cartridge holding portion 51, and the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the first cartridge 110 and the light of an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 21D (described later) can be visually observed through a remaining amount confirmation window 3w provided at the joint between the first case 3A and the second case 3B. The first cartridge 110 will be described later.

[0020] A battery pack BP is disposed in the battery holding unit 52. The battery pack BP includes a power supply ba and a power supply thermistor for detecting the temperature of the power supply ba. The power supply ba 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 ba may be one or a combination of a gel electrolyte, an electrolytic solution, a solid electrolyte, and an ionic liquid.

[0021] The motor holding portion 54 is provided with the vibration motor 13. The sensor holding portion 55 is provided with the suction sensor 15, which will be described later, that outputs an output in response to the user's inhalation action (puffing action).

[0022] As shown in Fig. 6, the heating unit 60 includes a cylindrical heat transfer tube 61 and a seat heater HTR wound around the heat transfer tube 61. The capsule holder 4A described above is provided around the seat heater HTR at a distance. An air layer between the capsule holder 4A and the seat heater HTR functions as a heat insulator. The heat transfer tube 61 accommodates the lower part of the second cartridge 120 inserted through the opening 4a of the capsule holder 4A, and the lower part of the second cartridge 120 is heated by the seat heater HTR. This makes it easier for the flavor source stored in the second cartridge 120 to release the flavor compared to a case where the heating unit 60 is not present, and therefore makes it easier for the flavor to be added to the aerosol.

[0023] The heating unit 60 may be any element capable of heating the second cartridge 120. Examples of elements include a resistance heating element, a ceramic heater, and an induction heater. A resistance heating element having a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) characteristic, in which the resistance value increases as the temperature increases, is preferably used. Alternatively, a resistance heating element having an NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient) characteristic, in which the resistance value decreases as the temperature increases, may be used. The heating unit 60 has the function of defining a flow path for air to be supplied to the second cartridge 120 and the function of heating the second cartridge 120.

[0024] The notification unit notifies various information such as the charging state of the power source ba, the remaining amount of the first cartridge 110, and the remaining amount of the second cartridge 120. The notification unit of this embodiment includes an LED 21D and a vibration motor 13. The notification unit may be configured with a light-emitting element such as the LED 21D, a vibration element such as the vibration motor 13, or a sound output element. The notification unit may be a combination of two or more elements selected from the light-emitting element, the vibration element, and the sound output element.

[0025] The various sensors include a suction sensor 15 that detects a puffing action (inhalation action) of the user, a heater temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the seat heater HTR, and the like.

[0026] The suction sensor 15 may be composed of, for example, a condenser microphone, a pressure sensor, or a flow rate sensor. A plurality of suction sensors 15 may be spaced apart, and the puffing action may be detected from the difference in their output values. The heater temperature sensor includes a first thermistor th1 and a second thermistor th2. The first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 are preferably in contact with or adjacent to the seat heater HTR. If the seat heater HTR has a PTC characteristic or an NTC characteristic, the seat heater HTR itself may be used as the heater temperature sensor. The heater temperature sensor is described as being composed of two thermistors, but may instead be composed of a single thermistor.

[0027] The circuit unit 70 includes four rigid circuit boards, three FPCs (Flexible Printed Circuits), multiple ICs (Integrated Circuits), and multiple elements. The four circuit boards are made up of a main board 20, a puff sensor board 21, a pogo pin board 22, and an OLED board 26. The three FPCs are made up of a main FPC 23, a heater FPC 24, and an OLED FPC 25.

[0028] The main board 20 is disposed between the battery pack BP and the rear surface of the case 3a (the rear surface of the power supply unit 100) with the element mounting surface facing the front-to-rear direction. The main board 20 is configured by stacking multiple layers (six layers in this embodiment) of boards, and electronic components (elements) such as the MCU 6 and charging IC 3 are mounted on it.

[0029] As will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 12 and the like, the MCU 6 is a control device that is connected to various sensor devices such as the suction sensor 15, an operation unit, a notification unit, and a memory that stores the number or load of puffing operations and the duration of power supply to the seat heater HTR, and performs various controls on the aerosol generating device 200. Specifically, the MCU 6 is mainly composed of a processor and further includes storage media such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) necessary for the processor's operation and a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various information. In this specification, the processor refers to, for example, an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements. Note that some of the elements connected to the MCU 6 (e.g., the suction sensor 15 and the memory) may be provided within the MCU 6 as functions of the MCU 6 itself.

[0030] The charging IC 3 is an IC that controls charging of the power supply ba using power input from the charging terminal 1, and supplies power from the power supply ba to electronic components on the main board 20, etc.

[0031] The main board 20 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. Hereinafter, the rearward-facing surface of the main board 20 will be referred to as the front surface 201 for convenience, and the forward-facing surface of the main board 20 will be referred to as the back surface 202 for convenience. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the front surface 201 of the main board 20, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the back surface 202 of the main board 20. The main board 20 is a plate-like board extending vertically. FIGS. 7 and 8 show an upper side surface 20SU, which is the upper side surface, and a lower side surface 20SD, which is the lower side surface, as side surfaces perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main board 20. Furthermore, a left side surface 20SL, which is the left side surface, and a right side surface 20SR, which is the right side surface, are shown as side surfaces perpendicular to the lateral direction of the main board 20.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 8, the MCU 6 and the charging IC 3 are mounted on the back surface 202 of the main board 20 together with the charging terminal 1. A debug connector 20E is also mounted on the back surface 202. The debug connector 20E is an interface for rewriting the program of the MCU 6 from an external device such as a personal computer, and is, for example, one that complies with the SWD (Serial Wire Debug) standard. Meanwhile, as shown in Fig. 7, an OLED connector 20C, a heater connector 20B, a main connector 20A, and a battery connector 20D that is connected to the battery pack BP via lead wires 16 (see Fig. 6) are mounted on the front surface 201 of the main board 20.

[0033] 4 and 6, the puff sensor board 21 is placed in the sensor holding portion 55 of the chassis 50 so that the element mounting surface faces right front and left rear. The puff sensor board 21 has a suction sensor 15 mounted thereon.

[0034] 6, the OLED substrate 26 is disposed between the battery pack BP and the OLED cover 5a so that the element mounting surface faces up and down. An OLED panel 17 is mounted on the OLED substrate 26.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 6, the pogo pin substrate 22 is disposed on the lower lid 7a with the element mounting surface facing up and down when the lower lid 7a is closed. The pogo pin substrate 22 is provided with input contacts P1 to P3 to which power is supplied from the main board 20 via the main FPC 23, and pogo pins p1 to p3 which are connectors electrically connected to a load provided in the first cartridge 110. The input contacts P1 to P3 are electrically connected to the main FPC 23 only when the lower lid 7a is closed. Three pogo pins p1 to p3 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and at least two pogo pins are configured to be electrically connected to the + terminal and - terminal of the first cartridge 110 housed in the cartridge holding portion 51.

[0036] The left side of the battery pack BP held in the battery holding portion 52 is exposed from the semi-cylindrical battery holding portion 52. In the space formed by cutting out the battery holding portion 52 and between the left side of the battery pack BP and the first case 3A, the main FPC 23, the heater FPC 24, and the OLED FPC 25 are arranged so as to overlap each other, as shown in FIGS.

[0037] Of the three FPCs, the main FPC 23 is routed closest to the battery pack BP, the OLED FPC 25 is routed so as to partially overlap the main FPC 23, and the heater FPC 24 is routed so as to further overlap the OLED FPC 25. That is, of the three FPCs, the heater FPC 24, which receives the greatest power, is routed furthest from the battery pack BP. The main FPC 23 has a generally cross shape when unfolded, and is folded back at the point where it overlaps with the heater FPC 24. That is, the main FPC 23 has a folded wiring structure. The folded portion of the main FPC 23 is prone to lifting up in the left-right direction, but the heater FPC 24 and the OLED FPC 25 overlap this portion, preventing such lifting. The switch BT is mounted directly on the main FPC 23 without using a rigid board or the like.

[0038] One end of the OLED FPC 25 is connected to the OLED connector 20C of the main board 20, and the other end is connected to the OLED board .

[0039] The main FPC 23 connects the main connector 20A of the main board 20, the switch BT of the operation unit, the connector 21B of the puff sensor board 21, and the input side contacts P1 to P3 of the pogo pin board 22.

[0040] One end of the heater FPC 24 is connected to the heater connector 20B of the main board 20, and the other end is integrally formed with the seat heater HTR.

[0041] (1st cartridge) The first cartridge 110 includes, inside a cylindrical cartridge case 111, a reservoir that stores an aerosol source, an electrical load that atomizes the aerosol source, a wick that draws the aerosol source from the reservoir to the load, and an aerosol flow path through which the aerosol generated by atomizing the aerosol source flows toward the second cartridge 120. The aerosol source contains a liquid such as glycerin, propylene glycol, or water.

[0042] The load is a heating element that heats the aerosol source without combustion by power supplied from the power source ba via the pogo pins p1 to p3 of the pogo pin substrate 22, and is configured, for example, by an electric heating wire (coil) wound at a predetermined pitch. The load atomizes the aerosol source by heating it. The load may be a heating resistor, a ceramic heater, an induction heater, or the like. Hereinafter, the load provided in the first cartridge 110 will also be referred to as a liquid heater.

[0043] The aerosol flow path is connected to the second cartridge 120 via a flow path forming body 19 (see FIG. 6) housed in the cartridge holding portion 51 of the chassis 50.

[0044] (2nd cartridge) The second cartridge 120 stores a flavor source. The second cartridge 120 is heated by the sheet heater HTR, thereby heating the flavor source. The second cartridge 120 adds flavor to the aerosol by passing the aerosol generated by atomizing the aerosol source with the liquid heater through the flavor source. The raw material pieces constituting the flavor source can be cut tobacco or a molded product obtained by molding tobacco raw material into particles. The flavor source may be made from plants other than tobacco (e.g., mint, Chinese medicine, herbs, etc.). The flavor source may also be flavored with menthol or other flavorings.

[0045] The aerosol generating device 200 can generate a flavored aerosol by using the aerosol source and the flavor source. That is, the aerosol source and the flavor source constitute an aerosol generation source that generates a flavored aerosol.

[0046] The aerosol generation source in the aerosol generation device 200 is a part that is replaced by the user. This part is provided to the user as a set, for example, consisting of one first cartridge 110 and one or more (e.g., five) second cartridges 120. Furthermore, the battery pack BP can be repeatedly charged and discharged as long as the power supply ba does not deteriorate significantly. Therefore, in the aerosol generation device 200, the power supply unit 100 or the battery pack BP is replaced least frequently, the first cartridge 110 is replaced next least frequently, and the second cartridge 120 is replaced most frequently. Note that the first cartridge 110 and the second cartridge 120 may be integrated into one cartridge. A configuration in which a medicine or the like is added to the aerosol source instead of a flavor source may also be used.

[0047] In the aerosol generation device 200 configured in this manner, air flowing in from an air intake (not shown) provided in the case 3a or the internal unit 2A passes near the load of the first cartridge 110. The load atomizes the aerosol source drawn in from the reservoir by the wick. The atomized aerosol flows through the aerosol flow path together with the air flowing in from the intake and is supplied to the second cartridge 120 via the flow path forming body 19. The aerosol supplied to the second cartridge 120 passes through the flavor source, whereby flavor is added, and is then supplied to the mouthpiece 131 of the mouthpiece 130.

[0048] The connectors mounted on the main board 20 supported by the chassis 50 will be described in detail below. The connector of the main FPC 23, the connector of the heater FPC 24, the connector of the OLED FPC 25, and the lead wire 16 are inserted to the right into the main connector 20A, the heater connector 20B, the OLED connector 20C, and the battery connector 20D mounted on the front surface 201 of the main board 20 shown in FIG. 7 . Insertion to the right refers to insertion from left to right. The connector of the main FPC 23, the connector of the heater FPC 24, the connector of the OLED FPC 25, and the lead wire 16 are routed from the inserted connector position across the left side surface 20SL of the main board 20 to the battery pack BP side. The connector of a connection cable (not shown) is inserted to the left into the debug connector 20E mounted on the back surface 202 of the main board 20 shown in FIG. 8 . Insertion to the left refers to insertion from right to left. The connector of a USB cable (not shown) is inserted upward into the charging terminal 1 mounted on the back surface 202 of the main board 20. Insertion upward refers to insertion from bottom to top.

[0049] In this way, on the main board 20, four connectors (OLED connector 20C, heater connector 20B, main connector 20A, and battery connector 20D) to which wiring (FPC and lead wires) are always connected, and the debug connector 20E and charging terminal 1 to which wiring (connection cable and USB cable) are connected only when necessary, are mounted on different element mounting surfaces. This makes it easy to route the wiring connected to the four connectors. In particular, by making the insertion direction of the wiring to the four connectors the same as described above, routing the wiring becomes even easier and facilitates design such as reducing excess space, thereby realizing a more compact power supply unit 100.

[0050] Furthermore, the insertion direction of the wires into the four connectors mounted on the front surface 201 is the same, that is, to the right. On the other hand, the insertion direction of the wires into the debug connector 20E mounted on the back surface 202 is different from (specifically, opposite to) the insertion direction of the wires into the four connectors. This makes it possible to prevent the connection cable from interfering with the wires inserted into the four connectors when inserting the connection cable into the debug connector 20E. Furthermore, the insertion direction of the wires into the charging terminal 1 is different from (specifically, perpendicular to) the insertion direction of the wires into the debug connector 20E. This makes it possible to prevent interference between these two cables even when inserting a connection cable into the debug connector 20E and connecting a USB cable to the charging terminal 1.

[0051] Furthermore, the debug connector 20E allows the connection cable to be inserted or removed by removing only the second case 3B of the case 3a from the chassis 50. In other words, the debug connector 20E allows the connection cable to be inserted or removed even when the first case 3A of the case 3a remains attached. Furthermore, in a state where only the second case 3B of the case 3a is removed from the chassis 50 (while the first case 3A remains attached), the four connectors and the wires connected to them are not exposed. As a result, when inserting or removing a connection cable into or from the debug connector 20E, it is possible to prevent a person from touching the four connectors on the surface 201 or the wires connected to them.

[0052] 3, the surface 201 of the main board 20 faces away from the battery pack BP. In other words, the distance between the surface 201 of the main board 20 and the rear surface of the case 3a is smaller than the distance between the back surface 202 of the main board 20 and the front surface of the case 3a. Furthermore, no other components that make up the internal unit 2A are present between the surface 201 of the main board 20 and the inner wall of the case 3a (the rear surface of the case 3a) that faces the surface 201. This minimizes the distance between the surface 201 and the case 3a, thereby further reducing the size of the power supply unit 100.

[0053] Next, the mechanism for holding the suction sensor 15 in the case 3a will be described in detail. 9 and 10 are diagrams showing detailed configurations of the puff sensor substrate 21 and the sensor holding portion 55. Fig. 9 is a plan view seen in a direction perpendicular to the element mounting surface of the puff sensor substrate 21 (in other words, in the thickness direction of the puff sensor substrate 21). Fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the puff sensor substrate 21, the sensor holding portion 55, and the suction sensor 15 shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the chassis 50 excluding the sensor holding portion 55.

[0054] 10, the suction sensor 15 has a substantially cylindrical outer shape and includes a fixed electrode 151 arranged at one axial end, a movable electrode 152 arranged at the other axial end and movable in the axial direction relative to the fixed electrode 151, and a ring-shaped side surface 153. A terminal group 15A consisting of an output terminal, a ground terminal, and a power supply terminal of the suction sensor 15 is provided to protrude from the surface of the suction sensor 15 facing the fixed electrode 151.

[0055] 9 and 10, the puff sensor substrate 21 is in the shape of a plate extending in the vertical direction. Hereinafter, for convenience, the surface of the puff sensor substrate 21 opposite the sensor holding portion 55 side will be referred to as the front surface 214, and the surface of the puff sensor substrate 21 on the sensor holding portion 55 side will be referred to as the back surface 215. In addition, the length in the short side direction of the puff sensor substrate 21 will be referred to as the width.

[0056] 9, the puff sensor substrate 21 includes a first portion 211 that is located at one end (lower end) in the longitudinal direction and has the narrowest width, a third portion 213 that is located above and spaced apart from the first portion 211 and has the widest width, and a second portion 212 that connects the first portion 211 and the third portion 213. The width of the second portion 212 increases from the first portion 211 toward the third portion 213, being wider than the width of the first portion 211 and narrower than the width of the third portion 213. In the puff sensor substrate 21, the width changes gradually due to the second portion 212, so that the conductive pattern that passes near the edge of the puff sensor substrate 21 does not have a sharp curve at the portion where the width changes. This reduces the parasitic resistance and parasitic inductance of the conductive pattern, thereby reducing heat and noise that may be generated on the puff sensor substrate 21. More specifically, in the planar view of Figure 9, the angle θ1 of the vertex formed by the third portion 213 and the second portion 212 is 90 degrees or more, and the angle θ2 of the vertex formed by the second portion 212 and the first portion 211 is 90 degrees or more, which makes it easy to arrange a conductive pattern that follows this angle and prevents the conductive pattern from forming an acute angle.

[0057] The suction sensor 15 is mounted on the back surface 215 of the first portion 211. Three through holes 15B are formed in the first portion 211, penetrating the first portion 211 in the thickness direction. Terminals 15A of the suction sensor 15 are inserted into the through holes 15B from the back surface 215 side. A puff sensor connector 21A (described later) is provided on the puff sensor substrate 21, which is electrically connected to the connector 21B. The terminals 15A of the suction sensor 15 inserted into the through holes 15B are electrically connected to the puff sensor connector 21A. An output signal from the suction sensor 15 is input to the MCU 6 via the puff sensor connector 21A, the connector 21B, and the main FPC 23 connected to the connector 21B. As shown in FIG. 9, the width of the first portion 211 is small enough to allow the suction sensor 15 to protrude outward. That is, the suction sensor 15 has a portion that protrudes outward from the puff sensor substrate 21. Furthermore, the width of the suction sensor 15 is the same as the width of the third portion 213. Note that the width of the suction sensor 15 may be smaller than the width of the third portion 213. In this way, by making the width of the third portion 213 equal to or larger than the width of the suction sensor 15, more electronic components can be mounted on the puff sensor substrate 21.

[0058] 11, an opening 51H is formed in the left rear side surface of cartridge holding portion 51, which defines a substantially cylindrical cavity that accommodates first cartridge 110. A peripheral portion 51E of opening 51H is slightly recessed, and sensor holding portion 55 is fixed to this peripheral portion 51E with an adhesive or the like, and opening 51H is closed by sensor holding portion 55.

[0059] The sensor holding portion 55 has a curved shape that corresponds to the curved shape of the outer peripheral surface of the substantially cylindrical cartridge holding portion 51. In other words, when viewed from above, the sensor holding portion 55 has a shape that follows the circumferential direction of the cartridge holding portion 51. By giving the sensor holding portion 55 such a curved shape, the area inside the case 3a can be effectively utilized, which contributes to the miniaturization of the power supply unit 100.

[0060] 10, the sensor holding portion 55 has a protruding portion 550 that protrudes left rearward and extends in the vertical direction. The protruding portion 550 includes an upper portion 551 having a flat surface 551A on which a recess 551B is formed, and a substantially annular lower portion 552 that is disposed below the upper portion 551. The inner diameter of a through-hole 552A formed in the lower portion 552 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the suction sensor 15.

[0061] When the suction sensor 15 mounted on the puff sensor substrate 21 is press-fitted into the through-hole 552A, the inner circumferential surface of the lower portion 552 comes into contact with the side surface 153 of the suction sensor 15, and the suction sensor 15 and the puff sensor substrate 21 are supported by the sensor holding portion 55, as shown in FIG. 9. In the state shown in FIG. 9, the movable electrode 152 faces the cartridge holding portion 51, allowing the suction sensor 15 to detect pressure fluctuations in the internal space of the cartridge holding portion 51. When the user inhales, pressure fluctuations occur in this internal space, allowing the suction sensor 15 to detect the user's inhalation. Furthermore, in the state shown in FIG. 9, the LED 21D mounted on the back surface 215 of the puff sensor substrate 21 faces the recess 551B of the sensor holding portion 55. The sensor holding portion 55 or the recess 551B is made of a light-transmitting material, and light from the LED 21D passes through the opening 51H of the cartridge holding portion 51 and illuminates the aerosol source of the first cartridge 110 housed in the cartridge holding portion 51. This makes it easier for the user to visually check the remaining amount of the aerosol source of the first cartridge 110 through the remaining amount confirmation window 3w.

[0062] As described above, the side surface 153 of the suction sensor 15 has a portion that protrudes outward from the puff sensor substrate 21. Therefore, after the suction sensor 15 is mounted on the puff sensor substrate 21, the suction sensor 15 can be easily pressed into the through-hole 552A by grasping the side surface 153. This reduces the risk of touching sensitive parts such as the movable electrode 152 and fixed electrode 151 of the suction sensor 15 with fingers or the like during the manufacture of the power supply unit 100, thereby preventing breakdown of the suction sensor 15.

[0063] 9 and 10, a notch 553 is provided in a portion of the periphery of the lower portion 552 of the sensor holding portion 55. The presence of this notch 553 makes it easier to maintain a gripped state of the side surface 153 of the suction sensor 15 while the suction sensor 15 is being press-fitted into the through-hole 552A. This makes it easier to press-fit the suction sensor 15 into the sensor holding portion 55.

[0064] 4, the notch 533 of the sensor holding portion 55 is exposed to the outside when the first case 3A of the cases 3a is removed from the chassis 50. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the notch 533 is not exposed to the outside when the case 3a is removed from the chassis 50, maintenance of the suction sensor 15 and the work of attaching it to the sensor holding portion 55 can be made easier.

[0065] The sensor holding portion 55 is disposed such that the radial direction of the through-hole 552A (the direction along a plane perpendicular to the extending direction of the through-hole 552A) intersects with two of the longitudinal direction (up-down direction), lateral direction (front-rear direction), and thickness direction (left-right direction) of the power supply unit 100 (in the illustrated example, the lateral direction and thickness direction). For example, if the sensor holding portion 55 is fixed to the rear surface of the cartridge holding portion 51 so that the lateral direction coincides with the left-right direction and the longitudinal direction coincides with the up-down direction, the front-rear direction intersects with the radial direction of the through-hole 552A, but the up-down direction and thickness direction are both parallel to the radial direction of the through-hole 552A. In this configuration, the thickness (length in the left-right direction) and width (length in the front-rear direction) of the internal unit 2A are large. In contrast, according to the configuration of this embodiment in which the sensor holding portion 55 is fixed to the diagonally left rear surface of the cartridge holding portion 51, the thickness and width of the internal unit 2A can be reduced, thereby realizing a more compact power supply unit 100.

[0066] Also, for example, assume that the aerosol generation device 200 has an elongated cylindrical shape overall, with the capsule holder 4A, cartridge holding unit 51, and battery pack BP aligned in a straight line. In this case, for example, if the sensor holding unit 55 is fixed to the left surface of the cartridge holding unit 51 so that its short side coincides with the front-to-rear direction and its long side coincides with the up-to-down direction, the thickness direction intersects with the radial direction of the through-hole 552A, but both the up-to-down direction and the front-to-rear direction are parallel to the radial direction of the through-hole 552A. In this configuration, the thickness and width of the internal unit 2A are large. In contrast, according to the present embodiment, in which the sensor holding unit 55 is fixed to the diagonally left rear surface of the cartridge holding unit 51, the thickness and width of the internal unit 2A can be reduced, thereby enabling the power supply unit 100 to be made more compact.

[0067] Mounted on the surface 214 of the puff sensor board 21 are a connector 21B electrically connected to the puff sensor connector 21A and a vibration motor connector 21C (described later), a varistor V as a protective component that protects the MCU 6 or other electrical components mounted on the puff sensor board 21 from signals output from the output terminal of the suction sensor 15, and a capacitor C2 as a protective component that protects the suction sensor 15 from power input to the power terminal of the suction sensor 15. Note that no ICs other than the suction sensor 15 are mounted on the puff sensor board 21. In this way, the absence of any ICs other than the suction sensor 15 that could be a source of noise on the puff sensor board 21 allows the suction sensor 15 to operate stably.

[0068] 9, the capacitor C2 is mounted on the first portion 211. The varistor V is mounted across the first portion 211 and the second portion 212. By mounting the capacitor C2 and the varistor V in this manner at a position close to the terminal group 15A of the suction sensor 15 in the thickness direction of the puff sensor substrate 21, noise input to or output from the suction sensor 15 can be quickly processed by the protective component.

[0069] As described above, the suction sensor 15 supported by the chassis 50 inside the case 3a is not exposed to the outside unless the first case 3A is removed from the chassis 50. In other words, the suction sensor 15 is exposed to the outside only when the first case 3A is removed from the chassis 50. For example, when only the second case 3B is removed from the chassis 50 and the debug connector 20E is used, the suction sensor 15 is not exposed to the outside, which has the advantage of making the suction sensor 15 less likely to break down.

[0070] (Circuit configuration) Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the circuit provided on the main board 20. In addition to the circuit of the main board 20, Fig. 12 shows the main FPC 23 connected to the main connector 20A of the main board 20, the puff sensor board 21 connected to the main FPC 23, the pogo pin board 22 connected to the main FPC 23, and the battery pack BP connected to the battery connector 20D.

[0071] The wiring indicated by the thick solid line in Figure 12 is wiring (wiring connected to the ground provided in the power supply unit 100) that has the same potential as the reference potential (ground potential, hereinafter referred to as 0V as an example) of the power supply unit 100, and this wiring will be referred to as the ground line below.

[0072] The main board 20 is provided with main ICs, which are electronic components formed by chipping multiple circuit elements, including a protection IC 2, a charging IC 3, an LDO (Low Dropout) regulator (hereinafter referred to as LDO) 4, a boost circuit 5 consisting of a DC / DC converter, an MCU 6, a load switch (hereinafter referred to as LSW) 7 consisting of a combination of capacitors, resistors, transistors, etc., a multiplexer 8, a flip-flop (hereinafter referred to as FF) 9, an AND gate (simply referred to as "AND" in Figure 12) 10, a boost circuit 11 consisting of a DC / DC converter, an operational amplifier OP1, and an operational amplifier OP2.

[0073] The main board 20 is further provided with switches Q1 to Q9 configured as MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors), resistors R1 to R12, RA, and RB having fixed electrical resistances, capacitor C1, capacitor C2, varistor V, a reactor L3 connected to a charging IC 3, a reactor L5 connected to a boost circuit 5, and a reactor L11 connected to a boost circuit 11. The switches Q3, Q4, Q7, Q8, and Q9 are each configured as N-channel MOSFETs. The switches Q1, Q2, Q5, and Q6 are each configured as P-channel MOSFETs. The potential of each of the gate terminals of the switches Q1 to Q8 is controlled by the MCU 6, thereby switching between an ON state and an OFF state.

[0074] In Figure 12, symbols for various terminals are written on each IC except for the operational amplifier. Terminals VCC and VDD mounted on the chip each indicate the high-potential side power supply terminal. Terminals VSS and GND mounted on the chip each indicate the low-potential side (reference potential side) power supply terminal. For chipped electronic components, the difference in potential between the high-potential side power supply terminal and the low-potential side power supply terminal becomes the power supply voltage (operating voltage). Chipped electronic components use this power supply voltage to perform various functions.

[0075] In Figure 12, the GND and VSS terminals of each IC except the operational amplifiers are connected to the ground line. In addition, the GND terminal of charging terminal 1, the negative power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP1, and the negative power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP2 are also connected to the ground line.

[0076] The battery connector 20D (see the left center of FIG. 12 ) provided on the main board 20 includes a terminal BAT connected to the detection terminal SNS of the charging IC 3 and the charging terminal BAT of the charging IC 3, a terminal GND connected to the ground line of the main board 20, and a terminal TH3 connected to terminal P25 of the MCU 6. The terminal BAT of the battery connector 20D is connected to the positive terminal of the power supply ba included in the battery pack BP by a lead wire 16. The terminal TH3 of the battery connector 20D is connected to the positive terminal of the power supply thermistor th3 included in the battery pack BP by a lead wire 16. The terminal GND of the battery connector 20D is connected to the negative terminal of the power supply ba and the negative terminal of the power supply thermistor th3 by lead wires 16.

[0077] The OLED connector 20C (see the lower left area in Figure 12) provided on the main board 20 includes a terminal VCC_R connected to the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 5, a terminal VDD connected to the output terminal OUT of the LDO 4, a terminal RSTB connected to the terminal P24 of the MCU 6, a communication terminal T3 connected to the communication terminal P28 of the MCU 6 by a signal line SL, and a terminal VSS connected to the ground line of the main board 20.

[0078] A terminal VCC_R of the OLED connector 20C is connected to a drive voltage supply terminal of the OLED panel 17 via an OLED FPC 25. A terminal VDD of the OLED connector 20C is connected to a power supply terminal of the control IC that controls the OLED panel 17 via an OLED FPC 25. The voltage to be supplied to the drive voltage supply terminal of the OLED panel 17 is, for example, about 15 V, which is higher than the voltage to be supplied to the power supply terminal of the control IC for the OLED panel 17. A terminal VSS of the OLED connector 20C is connected to the ground terminals of the OLED panel 17 and the control IC for the OLED panel 17 via an OLED FPC 25. A terminal RSTB of the OLED connector 20C is connected to a terminal for restarting the control IC for the OLED panel 17 via an OLED FPC 25.

[0079] The signal line SL connected to the communication terminal T3 of the OLED connector 20C is also connected to the communication terminal T3 of the charging IC 3. This signal line SL enables the MCU 6 to communicate with the charging IC 3 and with the control IC of the OLED panel 17. This signal line SL is for serial communication, and in reality, multiple signal lines are required, such as a data line for data transmission and a clock line for synchronization. Please note that in FIG. 12, for simplicity, the signal line SL is illustrated as a single signal line. Note that communication between the MCU 6 and the charging IC 3 and the control IC of the OLED panel 17 may be performed by parallel communication instead of serial communication.

[0080] The debug connector 20E (see the lower left corner of FIG. 12 ) provided on the main board 20 includes a terminal VMCU connected to the output terminal OUT of the LDO 4, a terminal T1 (shown as one terminal in the figure but actually two terminals) connected to the communication terminal P23 of the MCU 6, a terminal T2 (shown as one terminal in the figure but actually two terminals) connected to the communication terminal P22 of the MCU 6, a terminal NRST connected to the terminal P27 of the MCU 6, and a terminal GND connected to the ground line of the main board 20. The terminal NRST is also connected to the drain terminal of a switch Q9, whose gate terminal is connected to the drain terminal of a switch Q7 and whose source terminal is connected to the ground line. The debug connector 20E is not used during normal use of the aerosol generation device 200, but is connected to a computer provided by the manufacturer or seller only when maintenance, such as rewriting information (including programs) stored in the MCU 6, is required.

[0081] A main connector 20A (see the center right of FIG. 12) provided on the main board 20 is connected to a terminal PUFF connected to a terminal P19 of the MCU6, a terminal LED connected to the drain terminal of a switch Q8 whose gate terminal is connected to a terminal P20 of the MCU6 and whose source terminal is connected to the ground line, a terminal VIB connected to the output terminal OUT of the LSW7, a terminal VOTG connected to a boost output terminal RN of the charging IC3, a terminal VMCU connected to the output terminal OUT of the LDO4 via a resistor R5, a terminal GND connected to the ground line, a terminal KEY connected to the output terminal OUT of the LDO4 via a voltage dividing circuit consisting of a resistor R4 and a resistor R3 connected in series with the resistor R4, and a gate terminal VIB connected to the output terminal OUT of the LSW7. The terminals are: a terminal HT1 (P1) connected to the drain terminal of a switch Q1, the gate terminal of which is connected to a terminal P12 of the MCU6 and the source terminal of which is connected to the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 11; a drain terminal of a switch Q2, the gate terminal of which is connected to a terminal P13 of the MCU6 and the source terminal of which is connected to the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 11; a terminal HT1 (P2) connected to the drain terminal of a switch Q4, the gate terminal of which is connected to a terminal P17 of the MCU6 and the source terminal of which is connected to the ground line; and a terminal HT1 (P3) connected to the drain terminal of a switch Q3, the gate terminal of which is connected to a terminal P18 of the MCU6 and the source terminal of which is connected to the ground line.

[0082] Terminal HT1 (P1) of the main connector 20A is connected to input contact P1 connected to pogo pin p1 via the main FPC 23. Terminal HT1 (P2) of the main connector 20A is connected to input contact P2 connected to pogo pin p2 via the main FPC 23. Terminal HT1 (P3) of the main connector 20A is connected to input contact P3 connected to pogo pin p3 via the main FPC 23. Terminal KEY of the main connector 20A is connected to one end of a switch BT mounted on the main FPC 23 via wiring of the main FPC 23. The other end of this switch BT is connected to the ground line of the main FPC 23.

[0083] The heater connector 20B (see the upper right area in FIG. 12 ) provided on the main board 20 includes a first thermistor terminal TH1 connected to the positive terminal of a first thermistor th1 mounted on the heater FPC 24 via the wiring of the heater FPC 24, a second thermistor terminal TH2 connected to the positive terminal of a second thermistor th2 mounted on the heater FPC 24 via the wiring of the heater FPC 24, a seat heater terminal HT2 connected to the positive terminal of a seat heater HTR formed by the conductive pattern of the heater FPC 24 via the wiring of the heater FPC 24, and a terminal GND connected to the ground line of the main board 20. The heater FPC 24 is provided with wiring connected to the negative terminal of the first thermistor th1, the negative terminal of the second thermistor th2, and the negative terminal of the seat heater HTR, and this wiring is connected to the terminal GND of the heater connector 20B. The seat heater terminal HT2 is connected to the drain terminal of a switch Q5, whose gate terminal is connected to the terminal P11 of the MCU6 and whose source terminal is connected to the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 11.

[0084] The puff sensor board 21 (see near the bottom center in Figure 12) is equipped with a puff sensor connector 21A connected to the terminal group 15A of the suction sensor 15, a connector 21B connected to the main FPC 23, a vibration motor connector 21C connected to the vibration motor 13, an LED 21D, a varistor V, and a capacitor C2.

[0085] The connector 21B of the puff sensor board 21 has terminals (terminals PUFF, LED, VIB, VOTG, VMCU, and GND) connected to the terminals PUFF, LED, VIB, VOTG, VMCU, and GND of the main connector 20A by wiring formed on the main FPC 23. As described above, the main FPC 23 is provided with a switch BT connected between the terminal KEY of the main connector 20A and the ground line. When the switch BT is pressed, the terminal KEY is connected to the ground line of the main FPC 23, and the potential of the terminal KEY becomes the ground potential. On the other hand, when the switch BT is not pressed, the terminal KEY is not connected to the ground line of the main FPC 23, and the potential of the terminal KEY is undefined.

[0086] The puff sensor connector 21A of the puff sensor board 21 has a terminal GATE connected to the output terminal of the suction sensor 15, a terminal GND connected to the ground terminal of the suction sensor 15, and a terminal VDD connected to the power supply terminal of the suction sensor 15. The terminal GATE of the puff sensor connector 21A is connected to the terminal PUFF of the connector 21B. The terminal VDD of the puff sensor connector 21A is connected to the terminal VMCU of the connector 21B. The terminal GND of the puff sensor connector 21A is connected to the terminal GND of the connector 21B. One end of the varistor V is connected to the connection line between the terminal GATE of the puff sensor connector 21A and the terminal PUFF of the connector 21B, and the other end of the varistor V is connected to the ground line. Even if a large voltage is input to the terminal GATE from the suction sensor 15 side, the varistor V prevents the voltage from being input to other components of the puff sensor board 21 or the MCU 6. One end of capacitor C2 is connected to the connection line between terminal VDD of puff sensor connector 21A and terminal VMCU of connector 21B, and the other end of capacitor C2 is connected to the ground line. Even if an unstable voltage is input to terminal VDD of puff sensor connector 21A from main board 20, capacitor C2 allows a voltage smoothed by capacitor C2 to be input to suction sensor 15.

[0087] The vibration motor connector 21C of the puff sensor board 21 has a positive terminal connected to the terminal VIB of the connector 21B and a negative terminal connected to the ground line. The vibration motor 13 is connected to the positive and negative terminals.

[0088] The LED 21D of the puff sensor board 21 has an anode connected to the terminal VOTG of the connector 21B and a cathode connected to the terminal LED of the connector 21B.

[0089] The charging terminal 1 in the upper left of Figure 12 has four terminals GND and four power input terminals BUS. Each power input terminal BUS of the charging terminal 1 is connected in parallel to the input terminal VIN of the protection IC2. When a USB plug is connected to the charging terminal 1 and the USB cable including this USB plug is connected to an external power supply, i.e., when a USB connection is made, the USB voltage V is applied to the input terminal VIN of the protection IC2 via the power input terminal BUS of the charging terminal 1. USB is entered.

[0090] Protection IC2 detects the USB voltage V input to the input terminal VIN. USB Adjust the bus voltage V to the default value (5.0V as an example below). BUS The output terminal OUT of protection IC2 is connected in parallel to charging IC3, a voltage divider circuit consisting of a series circuit of resistors R1 and R2, and switch Q7. Specifically, the output terminal OUT of protection IC2 is connected to one end of resistor R2 that constitutes the voltage divider circuit, input terminal VBUS of charging IC3, and the drain terminal of switch Q7, whose gate terminal is connected to terminal P21 of MCU6 and whose source terminal is connected to the ground line. The other end of resistor R2 is connected to one end of resistor R1, and the other end of resistor R1 is connected to the ground line. The node connecting resistors R1 and R2 is connected to terminal P2 of MCU6. When a low-level signal is input from MCU6 to the negative logic enable terminal CE(￣), protection IC2 outputs the bus voltage V from the output terminal OUT. BUSWhen a high-level signal is input from MCU6 to the enable terminal CE(￣), the bus voltage V from the output terminal OUT BUS Stops output of

[0091] The charging IC3 detects the bus voltage V BUS The charging IC3 has a charging function that charges the power supply ba based on the detected voltage and current. The charging IC3 acquires the charging current and charging voltage of the power supply ba through the detection terminal SNS, and controls the charging of the power supply ba (controls the power supply supply from the charging terminal BAT to the power supply ba) based on these. The charging IC3 also acquires temperature information of the power supply ba, which the MCU6 acquires from the power supply thermistor th3 via terminal P25, from the MCU6 through serial communication using the signal line SL, and uses this information for charging control.

[0092] The charging IC3 detects the voltage of the power supply ba (hereinafter referred to as the power supply voltage V BAT ) to the system power supply voltage V SYS The first function generates and outputs from the output terminal SYS, and the second function generates the bus voltage V BUS to system power supply voltage V SYS The second function is to generate and output from the output terminal SYS, and the power supply voltage V input to the charging terminal BAT. BAT The OTG voltage V obtained by boosting OTG The third function is to output a voltage (for example, 5V) from the boost output terminal RN. The second function is only enabled when the USB is connected. In this way, the system power supply voltage V SYS and OTG voltage V OTG indicates a normal state in which the power supply ba can supply power to the charging IC 3, and if the charging IC 3 is operating normally, output from the charging IC 3 is possible at all times.

[0093] One end of reactor L3 is connected to the switching terminal SW of charging IC3. The other end of reactor L3 is connected to the output terminal SYS of charging IC3. Charging IC3 has a negative logic enable terminal CE(￣), which is connected to terminal P1 of MCU6. When a high-level signal is input to terminal P2 upon USB connection, MCU6 controls the potential of terminal P1 to low, thereby allowing charging control of power supply ba by charging IC3 and enabling the second function.

[0094] The charging IC3 also has a negative logic terminal QON(￣). Terminal QON(￣) is connected to node N2, which connects resistors R3 and R4, and this node N2 is connected to terminal P21 of the MCU 6. When a low-level signal is input to terminal QON(￣), the charging IC3 stops outputting voltage from output terminal SYS.

[0095] The output terminal SYS of the charging IC 3 is connected in parallel to the LDO 4, the boost circuit 5, and the boost circuit 11. Specifically, the output terminal SYS of the charging IC 3 is connected to the control terminal CTL and the input terminal IN of the LDO 4, the input terminal VIN of the boost circuit 5, and the input terminal VIN of the boost circuit 11. The OTG voltage V output from the boost output terminal RN of the charging IC 3 is OTG is supplied to the anode of the LED 21D via the terminal VOTG of the main connector 20A and the terminal VOTG of the connector 21B. The cathode of the LED 21D is connected to the terminal LED of the connector 21B, the terminal LED of the main connector 20A, and ground via the switch Q8. Therefore, the MCU 6 controls the on / off of the switch Q8, thereby controlling the OTG voltage V OTG It is possible to control the lighting of the LED21D using this.

[0096] The boost circuit 5 includes a switching terminal SW, a positive logic enable terminal EN connected to the terminal P26 of the MCU 6, an output terminal VOUT, and a terminal GND. One end of a reactor L5 is connected to the switching terminal SW of the boost circuit 5. The other end of the reactor L5 is connected to the input terminal VIN of the boost circuit 5. The boost circuit 5 controls the on / off of an internal transistor connected to the switching terminal SW, thereby boosting the voltage input to the switching terminal SW via the reactor L5 and outputting it from the output terminal VOUT. The OLED voltage V output from the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 5 is OLED is a voltage large enough to drive the OLED panel 17, for example, 15V. The input terminal VIN of the boost circuit 5 constitutes the high-potential power supply terminal of the boost circuit 5. When the signal input from the terminal P26 of the MCU 6 to the enable terminal EN is at a high level, the boost circuit 5 raises the OLED voltage V OLED When the signal input from the terminal P26 of the MCU6 to the enable terminal EN is at low level, the OLED voltage V OLED In this way, the OLED panel 17 is driven and controlled by the MCU 6.

[0097] The boost circuit 11 includes an input terminal VIN, a switching terminal SW, an output terminal VOUT, a positive logic enable terminal EN, and a terminal GND. One end of a reactor L11 is connected to the switching terminal SW of the boost circuit 11. The other end of the reactor L11 is connected to the input terminal VIN of the boost circuit 11. The boost circuit 11 controls the on / off of an internal transistor connected to the switching terminal SW, thereby boosting the voltage input to the switching terminal SW via the reactor L11 and outputting it from the output terminal VOUT. The heating voltage V output from the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 11 is HEAT is a voltage of 4 V, for example. The input terminal VIN of the boost circuit 11 constitutes a power supply terminal on the high potential side of the boost circuit 11. When a signal input from an output terminal Y of an AND gate 10 (described later) to an enable terminal EN is at a high level, the boost circuit 11 outputs a heating voltage VHEAT When the signal input to this enable terminal EN is at low level, the heating voltage V HEAT Stops output of

[0098] A voltage divider circuit consisting of a capacitor C1, a series circuit of resistors R7 and R6, a multiplexer 8, a switch Q1, a switch Q2, and a switch Q5 are connected in parallel to the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 11. Specifically, the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 11 is connected to one end of the capacitor C1 connected to the ground line, the other end of the capacitor C1 connected to the ground line, an input terminal (the terminal of the resistor R7 opposite to the resistor R6 side) of the voltage divider circuit consisting of a resistor R6 connected to the ground line and a resistor R7 connected in series to the resistor R6, a terminal VCC of the multiplexer 8, a source terminal of the switch Q1, a source terminal of the switch Q2, and a source terminal of the switch Q5.

[0099] A resistor RA having an electrical resistance Ra is connected in parallel to the switch Q1, and a resistor RB having an electrical resistance Rb is connected in parallel to the switch Q2.

[0100] The multiplexer 8 has an input terminal B0, an input terminal B1, an output terminal A, and a select terminal SE. The multiplexer 8 switches between a state in which the input terminal B0 is connected to the output terminal A and a state in which the input terminal B1 is connected to the output terminal A, depending on a control signal input from a terminal P15 of the MCU 6 to the select terminal SE.

[0101] The input terminal B0 of the multiplexer 8 is connected to the line connecting the switch Q1 and the terminal HT1 (P1). The input terminal B1 of the multiplexer 8 is connected to the line connecting the switch Q2 and the terminal HT1 (P2). The output terminal A of the multiplexer 8 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1. The inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the node connecting the resistors R7 and R6. The output terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the terminal P14 of the MCU6.

[0102] LDO4 operates when the signal input to the control terminal CTL is at a high level (in other words, when the system power supply voltage V SYS is output from the output terminal SYS of the charging IC3), the voltage input to the input terminal VIN (i.e., the system power supply voltage V SYS ) is converted to the system power supply voltage V MCU The output terminal OUT outputs the system power supply voltage V SYS is a value in the range of 3.5V to 4.2V, for example, and the system power supply voltage V MCU is 3.1V as an example.

[0103] The output terminal OUT of the LDO 4 is connected in parallel to the control IC of the OLED panel 17, the MCU 6, the LSW 7, the suction sensor 15, a series circuit consisting of resistors R3, R4, and switch BT, and the debug connector 20E. Specifically, the output terminal OUT of the LDO 4 is connected to the terminal VDD of the OLED connector 20C, the power supply terminal VDD of the MCU 6, the input terminal VIN of the LSW 7, one end of a resistor R5 (node ​​N1 in the figure) whose other end is connected to the terminal VMCU of the main connector 20A, the input end (node ​​N1 in the figure) of a voltage divider circuit consisting of resistors R4 and R3, and the terminal VMCU of the debug connector 20E.

[0104] The output terminal OUT of LDO4 is connected to the source terminal of switch Q6, whose gate terminal is connected to terminal P4 of MCU 6. The drain terminal of switch Q6 is connected in parallel to terminal VCC of AND gate 10, terminal VCC of FF9, one end of resistor R11, one end of resistor R12, the positive power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP2, one end of resistor R8, one end of resistor R9, and the positive power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP1.

[0105] The other end of the resistor R12 is connected to the second thermistor terminal TH2, and a series circuit of the resistor R12 and the second thermistor th2 connected to the second thermistor terminal TH2 is connected to the system power supply voltage V MCUThe second thermistor th2 forms a voltage divider circuit to which a voltage is applied. The output of this voltage divider circuit corresponds to the electrical resistance value (in other words, temperature) of the second thermistor th2 and is input to terminal P8 of the MCU 6. This allows the MCU 6 to acquire the temperature of the second thermistor th2. In this embodiment, the second thermistor th2 has an NTC characteristic in which the resistance value decreases as the temperature increases, but it may also have a PTC characteristic in which the resistance value increases as the temperature increases.

[0106] The other end of the resistor R9 is connected to one end of a resistor R10, and the other end of the resistor R10 is connected to the ground line. The series circuit of the resistors R9 and R10 is connected to the system power supply voltage V MCU This forms a voltage divider circuit to which a fixed voltage is applied. The output of this voltage divider circuit is connected to the inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP2, to which a fixed voltage value is input. The other end of resistor R8 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP2.

[0107] The other end of the resistor R8 is further connected to a first thermistor terminal TH1 and a terminal P9 of the MCU 6. A series circuit of the resistor R8 and the first thermistor th1 connected to the first thermistor terminal TH1 is connected to the system power supply voltage V MCU The voltage divider circuit forms a voltage divider circuit to which a voltage corresponding to the electrical resistance (i.e., temperature) of the first thermistor th1 is applied. The output of this voltage divider circuit corresponds to the electrical resistance (i.e., temperature) of the first thermistor th1 and is input to a terminal P9 of the MCU 6. This allows the MCU 6 to obtain the temperature of the first thermistor th1 (i.e., the temperature of the seat heater HTR). The output of this voltage divider circuit is also input to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. In this embodiment, the first thermistor th1 has an NTC characteristic, in which the resistance decreases with increasing temperature. Therefore, when the temperature of the first thermistor th1 (i.e., the temperature of the seat heater HTR) increases and exceeds the threshold value THD1, the output of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes low level. In other words, as long as the temperature of the first thermistor th1 (i.e., the temperature of the seat heater HTR) is within the normal range, the output of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes high level.

[0108] If the first thermistor th1 has a PTC characteristic in which its resistance value increases with increasing temperature, the output of a voltage divider circuit made up of the first thermistor th1 and resistor R8 may be connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2, and the output of a voltage divider circuit made up of resistors R9 and R10 may be connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. Even in this case, the output of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes low when the temperature of the first thermistor th1 (the temperature of the seat heater HTR) rises and exceeds the threshold value THD1.

[0109] The output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 is connected to the input terminal D of FF9. The node connecting the input terminal D of FF9 and the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 is connected to the other end of the resistor R11 and the negative logic clear terminal CLR(￣) provided on FF9. In other words, the input terminal D of FF9, the clear terminal CLR(￣) of FF9, and the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 are each connected to the system power supply voltage V MCU The supply line is pulled up by resistor R11.

[0110] FF9 has a clock terminal CLK, which is connected to terminal P7 of MCU6. FF9 has an output terminal Q, which is connected to one input terminal B of AND gate 10. When a clock signal is input from MCU6 to the clock terminal CLK and a high-level signal is input to the clear terminal CLR(￣), FF9 holds data (high or low data) according to the level of the signal input to input terminal D and outputs the held data from output terminal Q. When a clock signal is input from MCU6 to the clock terminal CLK and a low-level signal is input to the clear terminal CLR(￣), FF9 performs a reset process that outputs a low-level signal from output terminal Q regardless of the data it holds. This reset process is released by re-inputting the clock signal to the clock terminal CLK while a high-level signal is input to the clear terminal CLR(￣). That is, when a high-level signal is input to the clear terminal CLR( ), the supply of the clock signal to the clock terminal CLK is stopped, and then the supply of the clock signal is resumed, thereby clearing the state.

[0111] The other input terminal A of the AND gate 10 is connected to a terminal P6 of the MCU 6. An output terminal Y of the AND gate 10 is connected to a positive logic enable terminal EN of the boost circuit 11. The AND gate 10 outputs a high-level signal from its output terminal Y only when the signal input to its input terminal A and the signal input to its input terminal B are both high-level.

[0112] When a control signal is input from the MCU6 terminal P10 to the control terminal CTL, the LSW7 outputs the system power supply voltage V MCU The output terminal OUT of the LSW 7 is connected to the vibration motor 13 via the terminal VIB of the main board 20 and the terminal VIB of the puff sensor board 21. Therefore, when the MCU 6 inputs a control signal to the LSW 7, the system power supply voltage V MCU can be used to activate the vibration motor 13.

[0113] (Transition from standby mode to heating mode) The power supply unit 100 has the following operation modes: a sleep mode for saving power, a standby mode to which the power supply unit 100 can be switched from the sleep mode, and a heating mode to which the power supply unit 100 can be switched from the standby mode (a mode in which the power supply unit 100 generates aerosol by heating the liquid heater or the seat heater HTR). When the MCU 6 detects a specific operation (e.g., a long press) on the switch BT in the sleep mode, the MCU 6 switches the operation mode to the standby mode. When the MCU 6 detects a specific operation (e.g., a short press) on the switch BT in the standby mode, the MCU 6 switches the operation mode to the heating mode.

[0114] (Heating mode operation) Fig. 13 is a circuit diagram showing electronic components involved in the operation of the heating mode extracted from the circuit shown in Fig. 12. Capacitor C3, which was not shown in Fig. 12, is additionally shown in Fig. 13. Fig. 14 is a circuit diagram showing electronic components involved in the heating control of the seat heater HTR and liquid heater, the drive control of the vibration motor 13, and the drive control of the LED 21D extracted from the circuit shown in Fig. 12. The operation of the heating mode will be described below with reference to Figs. 13 and 14.

[0115] When the MCU 6 transitions to the heating mode, it controls the switch Q6 shown in Fig. 13 to the on state, whereby the system power supply voltage V is applied to each of the AND gate 10, FF9, resistor R11, operational amplifier OP2, resistor R11, a voltage dividing circuit consisting of resistors R9 and R10, a voltage dividing circuit consisting of resistor R8 and the first thermistor th1, a voltage dividing circuit consisting of resistor R12 and the second thermistor th2, and operational amplifier OP1. MCUis supplied. Furthermore, when the MCU 6 transitions to the heating mode, it controls the signal input from the terminal P6 to the input terminal A of the AND gate 10 to be at high level. Also, the MCU 6 starts inputting a clock signal to the clock terminal CLK of FF9. In this state, if the temperature of the first thermistor th1 (the temperature of the seat heater HTR) is within the normal range (less than the threshold THD1), the output of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes high level, and as a result, the output of FF9 becomes high level, and as a result, the output of the AND gate 10 becomes high level. Therefore, the heating voltage V HEAT The output of the heater starts, and the seat heater HTR and the liquid heater are ready to heat.

[0116] (Determine the liquid heater connection destination) The heating voltage V from the boost circuit 11 HEAT When output of the signal starts, as shown in FIG. 14, power can be supplied to the seat heater HTR connected to the seat heater terminal HT2 and to the liquid heaters connected to any two of the terminals HT1 (P1) to HT1 (P3) (FIG. 14 shows the liquid heater htr connected to the terminals HT1 (P1) and HT1 (P2)). In this state, the MCU 6 first determines which pair of pogo pins p1, p2, and p3 the liquid heater is connected to, based on the output of the operational amplifier OP1 shown in FIG. 12. This determination process includes the following first, second, and third steps.

[0117] (first step) The MCU 6 controls the connection between the input terminal B0 and the output terminal A of the multiplexer 8 while controlling only the switch Q4 among the switches Q1-Q4 to be on. In this state, if the electrical resistance between the terminal HT1 (P1) and the terminal HT1 (P2) is Rx, the voltage division value = V HEAT*{Rx / (Ra+Rx)} is input to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1. The operational amplifier OP1 compares the voltage input to the non-inverting input terminal with the above-mentioned divided voltage value when a liquid heater is connected between terminals HT1 (P1) and HT1 (P2), and if the difference is small, the output of the operational amplifier OP1 becomes low level. Therefore, when the output of the operational amplifier OP1 becomes low level, the MCU6 determines that a liquid heater is connected between terminals HT1 (P1) and HT1 (P2).

[0118] (Second process) When the output of the operational amplifier OP1 becomes high level in the first step, the MCU 6 controls the multiplexer 8 to connect the input terminal B0 to the output terminal A while controlling only the switch Q3 of the switches Q1-Q4 to be on. In this state, if a liquid heater is connected between the terminal HT1 (P1) and the terminal HT1 (P3), the output of the operational amplifier OP1 becomes low level. Therefore, when the output of the operational amplifier OP1 becomes low level, the MCU 6 determines that a liquid heater is connected between the terminal HT1 (P1) and the terminal HT1 (P3).

[0119] (Third step) When the output of the operational amplifier OP1 becomes high level in the second step, the MCU 6 controls the multiplexer 8 to connect the input terminal B1 and the output terminal A with only the switch Q3 of the switches Q1-Q4 controlled to be on. In this state, if a liquid heater is connected between the terminal HT1 (P2) and the terminal HT1 (P3), the output of the operational amplifier OP1 becomes low level. Therefore, when the output of the operational amplifier OP1 becomes low level, the MCU 6 determines that a liquid heater is connected between the terminal HT1 (P2) and the terminal HT1 (P3).

[0120] If the output of the operational amplifier OP1 does not become low level in any of the first to third steps, the MCU 6 issues an error notification.

[0121] (Start of heating control) After the above-described determination process is completed, if the output level of the suction sensor 15 changes to a value corresponding to when the user inhales, the MCU 6 starts heating control of the seat heater HTR and the liquid heater. Specifically, the MCU 6 controls the heating of the seat heater HTR by on / off control (e.g., PWM control or PFM control) of the switch Q5 shown in FIG. 14. At this time, the MCU 6 also controls the heating of the seat heater HTR based on the temperature of the second thermistor th2 (in other words, the temperature of the seat heater HTR) acquired from the signal input to the terminal P8, so that the temperature of the seat heater HTR converges to a target temperature. For example, PID (Proportional-Integral-Differential) control is used for this heating control.

[0122] Furthermore, when a liquid heater is connected between terminals HT1 (P1) and HT1 (P2), the MCU 6 controls the heating of the liquid heater by controlling switch Q4 of switches Q1 to Q4 shown in Fig. 14 to the on state, controlling switches Q2 and Q3 to the off state, and controlling switch Q1 on and off (for example, PWM control or PFM control).When a liquid heater is connected between terminals HT1 (P1) and HT1 (P3), the MCU 6 controls the heating of the liquid heater by controlling switch Q3 of switches Q1 to Q4 to the on state, controlling switches Q2 and Q4 to the off state, and controlling switch Q1 on and off. When a liquid heater is connected between terminal HT1 (P2) and terminal HT1 (P3), MCU6 controls the heating of the liquid heater by controlling switch Q3 of switches Q1 to Q4 to the on state, controlling switches Q1 and Q4 to the off state, and controlling switch Q2 on and off.

[0123] As shown in Figure 13, the system power supply voltage V MCU is always supplied to the suction sensor 15 connected to the puff sensor connector 21A. On the other hand, the system power supply voltage V MCUis supplied via switch Q6. This configuration makes it possible to reduce the power consumption of the above electronic components in modes other than the heating mode. MCU Immediately after the power is turned on, the operation of the suction sensor 15 may become unstable. MCU By constantly supplying the air, even if suction is performed immediately after the transition to the heating mode, the suction sensor 15 can detect the suction operation with high accuracy. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the puff sensor board 21 on which the suction sensor 15 is mounted and the main board 20 on which the MCU 6, which is likely to be a noise source, is mounted are physically separated. This allows the suction sensor 15, which operates constantly, to operate more stably. Furthermore, the switch BT, which is likely to be an intrusion point for noise such as static electricity, is not mounted on the puff sensor board 21, and the switch BT is mounted directly on the main FPC 23. This also allows the suction sensor 15, which operates constantly, to operate more stably. Furthermore, by mounting the switch BT on the flexible main FPC 23, it is possible to easily increase the distance between the switch BT and the suction sensor 15.

[0124] Figure 14 shows connectors (main connector 20A and heater connector 20B) electrically connected to the power supply ba, an LED 21D and a vibration motor 13 connected to the main connector 20A via cables such as an FPC or lead wires, a switch Q8 electrically connected to the low potential side of the main connector 20A and capable of opening and closing the electrical connection between the power supply ba and the LED 21D, and an LSW7 electrically connected to the high potential side of the main connector 20A and capable of opening and closing the electrical connection between the power supply ba and the vibration motor 13.

[0125] Here, attention is focused on the LED 21D and the vibration motor 13, which are loads receiving power from the power supply ba. When the vibration motor 13 vibrates, a back electromotive force (a reverse current flowing from the low potential side to the high potential side) can be generated. In this embodiment, the switch used to control the power supply to the vibration motor 13 is not a simple switch, but a highly functional LSW 7 with a backflow prevention function. This makes it possible to prevent the back electromotive force and back current generated by the vibration motor 13 from being input to the MCU 6, thereby improving the durability of the MCU 6.

[0126] On the other hand, although there is no concern about back electromotive force, the LED21D is MCU ) operating voltage (specifically, OTG voltage V OTG ) because it is necessary to increase the operating voltage in order to increase the brightness of the LED 21D. In this embodiment, the switch Q8 for controlling the power supply to the LED 21D is connected to the low potential side of the main connector 20A. As a result, even if the switch Q8 is shorted, the system power supply voltage V MCU OTG voltage higher than V OTG In this way, by placing the switch Q8 on the low potential side, the OTG voltage V OTG , the system power supply voltage V MCU can be set to a high value without being limited by, and the brightness of the LED 21D can be effectively increased.

[0127] Figure 14 also shows a seat heater HTR connected to heater connector 20B via a cable such as an FPC, a liquid heater (liquid heater htr is shown as an example in the figure) connected to main connector 20A via a cable such as an FPC, a switch Q5 electrically connected to the high potential side of heater connector 20B and capable of opening and closing the electrical connection between power supply ba and seat heater HTR, switches Q1 and Q2 electrically connected to the high potential side of main connector 20A and capable of opening and closing the electrical connection between power supply ba and the liquid heater, and switches Q3 and Q4 electrically connected to the low potential side of main connector 20A and capable of opening and closing the electrical connection between power supply ba and the liquid heater.

[0128] Here, we focus on the seat heater HTR and the liquid heater, which are loads that receive power from the power supply ba. The liquid heater needs to atomize the aerosol source, so it needs to be supplied with a large amount of power per unit time. On the other hand, the seat heater HTR only needs to be supplied with enough power to improve the amount of flavor released from the flavor source, so the power it needs to supply per unit time is not as much as the liquid heater. Therefore, switches Q1 to Q4, which control the power supply to the liquid heater, are more likely to short-circuit than switch Q5, which controls the power supply to the seat heater HTR.

[0129] In this embodiment, switches Q1 and Q2 are connected to the high potential side (i.e., between power supply ba) of the liquid heater, and switches Q3 and Q4 are connected to the low potential side (i.e., between power supply ba) of the liquid heater. As a result, even if either one of switches Q1 and Q2 connected to the liquid heater or one of switches Q3 and Q4 connected to the liquid heater is short-circuited, the other switch can be controlled to an off state to prevent the short-circuit current of one switch from continuing to be supplied to the liquid heater. This improves the safety of the power supply unit 100. Note that the electrical resistance Ra of resistor RA connected in parallel to switch Q1 and the electrical resistance Rb of resistor RB connected in parallel to switch Q2 are sufficiently high. In other words, it should be noted that short-circuit current is not supplied to the liquid heater via resistors RA and RB.

[0130] In this embodiment, only switch Q5 is connected to the high potential side of the seat heater HTR (in other words, between the switch Q5 and the power supply ba). As described above, because switch Q5 is unlikely to short-circuit, safety can be ensured without providing another switch between the seat heater HTR and ground. Furthermore, a protection circuit (described later) controls the temperature of the seat heater HTR to prevent it from becoming excessively high. Therefore, even if switch Q5 shorts, the protection circuit function can prevent the seat heater HTR from continuing to heat up. From this perspective, safety can also be ensured without providing another switch between the seat heater HTR and ground. By providing only one switch connected to the seat heater HTR in this way, the number of components in the power supply unit 100 can be reduced, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the power supply unit 100.

[0131] (Heater overheat protection) In the power supply unit 100, the electrical resistance values ​​of resistors R8, R9, and R10 are determined so that, in the heating mode, when the temperature of the first thermistor th1 exceeds the threshold value THD1, the output of the operational amplifier OP2 goes low. When the temperature of the first thermistor th1 exceeds the threshold value THD1 and the output of the operational amplifier OP2 goes low, a low signal is input to the clear terminal CLR( ) of FF9. This cancels the data held by FF9, forcing the output of FF9 to go low, so the output of the AND gate 10 also goes low, causing the boost circuit 11 to output the heating voltage V HEAT In other words, when the output of the operational amplifier OP2 goes low, the signal input to the enable terminal EN of the boost circuit 11 goes low.

[0132] If the control of the power supply from the MCU 6 to the seat heater HTR is functioning normally, the temperature of the first thermistor th1 will not, in principle, exceed the threshold value THD1. In other words, if the temperature of the first thermistor th1 exceeds the threshold value THD1, it means that there is a high possibility that some kind of malfunction has occurred in the circuit that supplies power to the seat heater HTR (specifically, the switch Q5) or the MCU 6.

[0133] In this embodiment, the low-level signal output from the operational amplifier OP2 does not control the MCU 6 or the switch Q5, but the heating voltage V HEAT The boost circuit 11 controls the boost circuit 11, which outputs a signal corresponding to the operational amplifier OP2, to stop heating the seat heater HTR. In this way, the output signal of the operational amplifier OP2 is input to the boost circuit 11, which can reliably stop the power supply to the seat heater HTR, thereby increasing safety when the seat heater HTR becomes too hot. For example, if the MCU 6 freezes or the switch Q5 shorts, causing the temperature of the first thermistor th1 to exceed the threshold value THD1, it is not possible to control the MCU 6 or the switch Q5. Even in such a case, the power supply to the seat heater HTR can be reliably stopped by inputting a low-level signal from the operational amplifier OP2 to the enable terminal EN of the boost circuit 11.

[0134] In addition, the heating voltage V HEAT As a method for stopping the output of the system power supply voltage V SYS Alternatively, a high-level signal can be input to the enable terminal CE(￣) of the charging IC, which generates a VCC. In contrast to this method, a configuration in which the output of operational amplifier OP2 can be input to the enable terminal EN of boost circuit 11 has the advantage of simplifying the circuit configuration and reducing manufacturing costs.

[0135] In order to return the output of FF9 to a high level, the MCU 6 must re-input the clock signal to the clock terminal CLK of FF9 (in other words, restart FF9). In other words, even if the temperature of the first thermistor th1 returns to below the threshold value THD1 after the output from the boost circuit 11 has stopped, the output from the boost circuit 11 will not resume unless the MCU 6 performs a process to restart FF9.

[0136] Assume that the cause of the temperature of the first thermistor th1 becoming equal to or higher than the threshold value THD1 is the freezing of the MCU 6. In this case, a high-level signal continues to be input to the input terminal A of the AND gate 10, and a clock signal continues to be input to FF9. The aerosol generation device 200 is provided with a restart circuit RBT (see FIG. 19 ), which will be described in detail later, that allows the user to restart (reset) the MCU 6 by operating the switch BT. If the cause of the protection circuit functioning is the freezing of the MCU 6, the user restarts the MCU 6. The restart of the MCU 6 restarts FF9. Furthermore, the restart of the MCU 6 causes the signal input to the input terminal A of the AND gate 10 to go low. Furthermore, since the switch Q6 is in the off state when the MCU 6 restarts, the potential of the signal at the input terminal B of the AND gate 10 is undefined. Therefore, the output from the boost circuit 11 does not resume simply because the MCU 6 has restarted. After the MCU 6 is restarted, the user switches the operation mode to the heating mode, causing the signal input to the input terminal A of the AND gate 10 to go high. Also, the switch Q6 goes on, causing the signal input to the input terminal B of the AND gate 10 to go high. This causes the output from the boost circuit 11 to resume.

[0137] In this way, the MCU 6 controls the resumption of output from the boost circuit 11 (controlling the resumption of output after reflecting the user's intention), thereby preventing the seat heater HTR from resuming heating against the user's intention, thereby improving safety and convenience.

[0138] As described above, the AND gate 10, FF9, and operational amplifier OP2 constitute a protection circuit that protects the seat heater HTR by stopping the supply of power to the seat heater HTR when the seat heater HTR becomes too hot. This protection circuit can autonomously stop the output from the boost circuit 11 in accordance with the temperature of the first thermistor th1 without receiving a command from the MCU 6 to disable the boost circuit 11. In other words, even when a high-level signal is input to the input terminal A of the AND gate 10 and a clock signal is input to the clock terminal CLK of FF9, this protection circuit can autonomously stop the output from the boost circuit 11 in accordance with the temperature of the first thermistor th1. This allows for an emergency stop of heating by the seat heater HTR and the liquid heater even if a problem such as freezing occurs in the MCU 6, thereby improving the safety of the aerosol generation device 200.

[0139] Furthermore, when the MCU 6 determines that the temperature of the second thermistor th2 acquired based on the signal input to the terminal P8 is equal to or higher than the threshold value THD2 (which is a value smaller than the threshold value THD1), it sets the signal input to the input terminal A of the AND gate 10 to low level. As a result, the output of the AND gate 10 becomes low level, and the boost circuit 11 raises the heating voltage V HEAT In this way, when the MCU 6 is operating normally, the output from the boost circuit 11 can be stopped also by a command from the MCU 6. As a result, even when, for example, the first thermistor th1 is not operating normally, the output from the boost circuit 11 can be stopped by a command from the MCU 6, thereby improving safety. Furthermore, the threshold value THD2 is smaller than the threshold value THD1. Therefore, when the temperature of the seat heater HTR becomes high, the MCU 6 can stop the output from the boost circuit 11 before the protection circuit does, so that safety can be further improved.

[0140] In this embodiment, the MCU 6 can acquire the temperature of the first thermistor th1 from a signal input to terminal P9. Therefore, the MCU 6 preferably determines whether the temperature of the second thermistor th2 can be acquired normally, and if the temperature of the second thermistor th2 cannot be acquired normally, performs heating control of the seat heater HTR based on the temperature of the first thermistor th1 so that the temperature of the seat heater HTR converges to a target temperature. This allows the first thermistor th1 to perform heating control of the seat heater HTR even if some abnormality occurs in the second thermistor th2. Whether the temperature of the second thermistor th2 can be acquired normally can be determined by determining whether the signal input to terminal P8 indicates an abnormal value or whether the signal can be acquired.

[0141] However, basically, the MCU 6 controls the heating of the seat heater HTR based on the temperature of the second thermistor th2. Therefore, it is preferable that the second thermistor th2 be disposed in a position that can more accurately reflect the temperature of the seat heater HTR. On the other hand, the first thermistor th1 is mainly used to stop the output from the boost circuit 11 by the protection circuit when the temperature of the seat heater HTR becomes high. Therefore, it is preferable that the first thermistor th1 be disposed in a position of the seat heater HTR that is more likely to become high temperature so that a high temperature state of the seat heater HTR can be reliably detected. The detailed configuration of the heater FPC 24 on which the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 are mounted will be described later.

[0142] In the protection circuit described above, FF9 is not essential and can be omitted. FIG. 15 is a circuit diagram corresponding to FIG. 13 when FF9 is omitted. When FF9 is omitted, as shown in FIG. 15, the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 may be connected to the input terminal B of the AND gate 10. In the configuration shown in FIG. 15, when the temperature of the first thermistor th1 becomes equal to or higher than the threshold value THD1 and the output of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes low level, the output of the AND gate 10 becomes low level. This makes it possible to stop the output from the boost circuit 11 when the seat heater HTR becomes too hot. With the configuration shown in FIG. 15, the power supply unit 100 can be made smaller, lighter, and more energy-efficient by eliminating FF9.

[0143] Furthermore, in the protection circuit described above, both FF9 and AND gate 10 can be omitted. FIG. 16 is a circuit diagram corresponding to FIG. 13 when FF9 and AND gate 10 are omitted. When FF9 and AND gate 10 are omitted, as shown in FIG. 16, the output terminal of operational amplifier OP2 and terminal P6 of MCU6 can be connected to enable terminal EN of boost circuit 11, respectively. In the configuration shown in FIG. 16, when the temperature of first thermistor th1 exceeds threshold value THD1 and the output of operational amplifier OP2 goes low, the enable terminal EN of boost circuit 11 goes low even if a high-level signal is being output from terminal P6 of MCU6. This allows output from boost circuit 11 to be stopped when the seat heater HTR becomes too hot. The configuration shown in FIG. 16 allows FF9 and AND gate 10 to be omitted, thereby achieving a smaller, lighter, and more energy-efficient power supply unit 100.

[0144] (Heater FPC24 configuration) FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the heating unit 60 and the flow path forming body 19 shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 18 is a development view of the heater FPC 24 shown in FIG. 17. The heat transfer tube 61 and the flow path forming body 19 are fixed together with the upper end of the flow path forming body 19 inserted into the lower end of the heat transfer tube 61. This allows the flow path forming body 19 to function as a base against which the bottom of the second cartridge 120 abuts when the second cartridge 120 is housed inside the heat transfer tube 61. The flow path forming body 19 is preferably made of a material with high thermal insulation properties, such as silicone. When the flow path forming body 19 is made of a material with high thermal insulation properties, heat from the seat heater HTR is transferred not only to the second cartridge 120 but also to the flow path forming body 19 at the lower end of the heat transfer tube 61.

[0145] The heater FPC 24 is composed of a winding region 24A that is wound around and fixed to the outer surface 61S of the heat transfer tube 61 that is made of a cylindrical body, a connector region 24B that is inserted into the heater connector 20B of the main board 20, and a connecting region 24C that connects the winding region 24A and the connector region 24B.

[0146] The winding region 24A is composed of a thermistor mounting region 240A where the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 are mounted, a heater region 240B where the conductive pattern Ph that constitutes the seat heater HTR is formed, and an intermediate region 240C between the thermistor mounting region 240A and the heater region 240B. By mounting the seat heater HTR and the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 on the same FPC in this way, a simpler structure can be achieved compared to when the seat heater HTR and the thermistors are provided on separate substrates, and the cost and size of the power supply unit 100 can be reduced.

[0147] 17, the winding region 24A is wound around the outer peripheral surface 61S of the heat transfer tube 61 in a state in which the thermistor mounting region 240A overlaps with the heater region 240B on the opposite side of the heat transfer tube 61 when viewed in the radial direction of the heat transfer tube 61. This configuration allows the seat heater HTR to be positioned as close as possible to the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2, thereby improving the accuracy of heating control of the seat heater HTR and protection control by the protection circuit.

[0148] 18, in the thermistor mounting area 240A, terminals T11, T12, T13, and T14 are arranged side by side in the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61. The positive terminal of the first thermistor th1 is connected to terminal T11, and the negative terminal of the first thermistor th1 is connected to terminal T12. The negative terminal of the second thermistor th2 is connected to terminal T13, and the positive terminal of the second thermistor th2 is connected to terminal T14. As shown in the enlarged view in the upper left of FIG. 18, the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 are mounted side by side in the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61 in the thermistor mounting area 240A, with their longitudinal directions coinciding with the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61.

[0149] In this way, by arranging the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 in the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61, the axial width of the thermistor mounting area 240A can be made wider than in a configuration in which the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 are arranged in the circumferential direction of the heat transfer tube 61. Furthermore, by aligning the longitudinal directions of the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 with the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61, the axial width of the thermistor mounting area 240A can be made wider than in a configuration in which the longitudinal directions of the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 are perpendicular to the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61. This improves the durability of the heater FPC 24.

[0150] If the longitudinal direction of each of the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 is not perpendicular to the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61, the effect of increasing the axial width of the thermistor mounting region 240A can be obtained.

[0151] The second thermistor th2 is disposed closer to the center of the seat heater HTR in the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61 (synonymous with the short-side direction of the seat heater HTR and the vertical direction of the power supply unit 100) than the first thermistor th1. That is, the shortest distance between the center of the seat heater HTR and the second thermistor th2 in the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61 (the vertical direction in FIG. 18 ) is shorter than the shortest distance between the center of the seat heater HTR and the first thermistor th1 in the axial direction. With this configuration, the second thermistor th2, which is disposed closer to the axial center of the seat heater HTR, is less susceptible to the effects of air cooling than the first thermistor th1. This allows the temperature of the seat heater HTR to be accurately reflected. By using the second thermistor th2 to control the heater, the accuracy of the heating control of the seat heater HTR can be improved.

[0152] Furthermore, the second thermistor th2 is disposed closer to the flow path forming body 19 than the first thermistor th1 in the vertical direction of the power supply unit 100. That is, the shortest distance between the second thermistor th2 and the flow path forming body 19 is shorter than the shortest distance between the first thermistor th1 and the flow path forming body 19. When a highly insulating material such as silicone is used for the flow path forming body 19, the temperature of the second thermistor th2, which is closer to the flow path forming body 19, is lower than the temperature of the first thermistor th1 due to heat loss by the flow path forming body 19. In this embodiment, the heating control of the seat heater HTR is performed using the second thermistor th2, which exhibits a relatively low temperature, thereby achieving the effect of preventing the seat heater HTR from becoming too hot. On the other hand, the temperature of the first thermistor th1 is higher than the temperature of the second thermistor th2 due to its distance from the flow path forming body 19. That is, when the seat heater HTR is overheated, the first thermistor th1 quickly reaches a high temperature reflecting that temperature. Therefore, when the seat heater HTR becomes too hot, the protection circuit can be quickly activated, thereby improving safety.

[0153] As shown in the enlarged view at the bottom center of Fig. 18, connector area 24B has terminals T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 arranged in this order in a vertical direction. In Fig. 18, the name of the terminal on heater connector 20B to which each of terminals T1 to T5 is connected is written in parentheses. Although Fig. 12 shows heater connector 20B as including one terminal GND, heater connector 20B actually includes two terminals GND, as shown in Fig. 18.

[0154] One end of a conductive pattern 242 formed by a single conductor is connected to terminal T1. The other end of the conductive pattern 242 is connected to one end of a conductive pattern Ph formed by a single conductor. One end of a conductive pattern 241 formed by a single conductor is connected to the other end of the conductive pattern Ph. The other end of the conductive pattern 241 is connected to terminal T5.

[0155] One end of a conductive pattern 243 formed by a single conductor is connected to terminal T2. The other end of conductive pattern 243 is connected to terminal T11. One end of a conductive pattern 245 formed by a single conductor is connected to terminal T4. The other end of conductive pattern 245 is connected to terminal T14. One end of a conductive pattern 244 formed by a single conductor is connected to terminal T3. Terminals T12 and T13 are connected in parallel to the other end of conductive pattern 244. The conductive patterns in heater FPC 24 are insulated from each other. In FIG. 18, the terminal names of the heater connector 20B to which each terminal T11 to T14 is electrically connected are written in parentheses.

[0156] In the heater FPC 24, the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 share the conductive pattern 244 for connecting to ground. This simplifies the wiring of the heater FPC 24 compared to when a conductive pattern for connecting to ground is provided for each of the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the power supply unit 100. Furthermore, the widths of the conductive patterns 241 and 242 connected to the conductive pattern Ph can be made as wide as possible within the limited space available in the heater FPC 24. This reduces the parasitic resistance of the conductive patterns 241 and 242, thereby enabling more efficient power supply to the seat heater HTR.

[0157] Furthermore, the heater FPC 24 is provided with a separate conductive pattern 244 for connecting the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 to ground, and a separate conductive pattern 241 for connecting the conductive pattern Ph to ground. This prevents fluctuations in the potential of the conductive pattern 241 connected to the conductive pattern Ph from affecting the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2. This improves the accuracy of control using the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2, thereby improving the safety of the power supply unit 100. Alternatively, the heater FPC 24 may be provided with separate conductive patterns for connecting the first thermistor th1 to ground and the second thermistor th2 to ground, with either one of these two conductive patterns connected to the terminal T5. This configuration also improves the accuracy of control using either the first thermistor th1 or the second thermistor th2.

[0158] (Configuration and operation of restart circuit RBT) FIG. 19 is a circuit diagram showing the electronic components involved in restarting the MCU 6, extracted from the circuit shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 19 shows the restart circuit RBT. The restart circuit RBT includes a voltage divider circuit consisting of resistors R3 and R4, a switch BT, terminals KEY and GND of the main connector 20A, switches Q7 and Q9, a charging IC 3, an LDO 4, and a terminal NRST of the debug connector 20E. In this embodiment, the restart circuit RBT enables the MCU 6 to be restarted by operating the switch BT (for example, by pressing and holding it) or by receiving a command from an external device connected to the debug connector 20E. The MCU 6 is configured to restart when the signal input to terminal P27 remains low for a predetermined period of time. The charging IC 3 is also configured to restart when the signal input to terminal QON( ) remains low for a predetermined period of time.

[0159] (Resetting MCU6 using switch BT) First, the operation when restarting the MCU 6 without using the debug connector 20E will be described. Resistors R3 and R4 have resistance values ​​that cause the output of the voltage divider circuit of resistors R3 and R4 to be high when switch BT is not pressed. This high-level signal is input to terminal QON(￣) of charging IC3, so in this state charging IC3 is not reset, and the system power supply voltage V from output terminal SYS is SYS The system power supply voltage V SYS The system power supply voltage V from the output terminal OUT of LDO4 is maintained. MCU Therefore, the MCU6 continues to operate without stopping. Also, this high-level signal is input to the gate terminal of the switch Q7. Therefore, when the USB is connected (bus voltage V BUS is output from the charging IC3), switch Q7 is turned on, and as a result, the potential of the gate terminal of switch Q9 becomes low (ground level), and switch Q9 is turned off. When switch Q9 is off, the potential of terminal P27 of MCU6 becomes undefined, so MCU6 does not restart.

[0160] Resistors R3 and R4 have resistance values ​​such that when switch BT is pressed, the output of the voltage divider circuit of resistors R3 and R4 is at a low level. In other words, resistors R3 and R4 are connected to the system power supply voltage V MCU This low-level signal is input to the terminal QON(￣) of the charging IC3, and if this state continues for a certain period of time, the charging IC3 will output the system power supply voltage V from the output terminal SYS. SYS The output of the system power supply voltage V SYS When the output of the LDO4 is stopped, the voltage output from LDO4 is stopped and the system power supply voltage V is applied to the VDD pin of MCU6. MCU is no longer input and MCU6 stops.

[0161] This low-level signal is also input to the gate terminal of switch Q7. Therefore, when USB is connected (bus voltage V BUS is output from the charging IC3), the switch Q7 is turned off, and as a result, the potential of the gate terminal of the switch Q9 is high level (bus voltage V BUS ) and the switch Q9 is turned on. When the switch Q9 is turned on, the potential of the terminal P27 of the MCU6 becomes low level (ground level). If the switch BT is pressed continuously for a predetermined time, a low level signal is input to the terminal P27 of the MCU6 for a predetermined time, and the MCU6 executes the restart process. When the pressing of the switch BT is stopped, the charging IC3 is turned on and the system power supply voltage V SYS To resume the output of the MCU6, the system power supply voltage V MCU is entered and MCU6 starts up.

[0162] (Resetting MCU6 using debug connector 20E) When restarting the MCU6 using the debug connector 20E, a USB connection is made, and an external device is further connected to the debug connector 20E. In this state, if the switch BT is not pressed, the switch Q9 is in the off state, and the potential of the terminal P27 of the MCU6 depends on the input from the external device. Therefore, when an operator operates the external device to input a low-level restart signal to the terminal NRST, the restart signal is input to the terminal P27 continuously for a predetermined time. Upon receiving this restart signal, the MCU6 executes the restart process.

[0163] With the restart circuit RBT shown in FIG. 19, the low-level signal generated by pressing switch BT is input not only to terminal QON(￣) of charging IC3, but also to terminal P27 of MCU6. Therefore, even if MCU6 has frozen, MCU6 can be restarted by stopping output from charging IC3. Furthermore, even if charging IC3 is not reset for some reason, as long as MCU6 is not frozen, MCU6 can be restarted by inputting a low-level signal to terminal P27. In this way, the ability to restart in two systems ensures that MCU6 can be reliably restarted by the simple operation of pressing switch BT.

[0164] Furthermore, the restart circuit RBT shown in FIG. 19 also allows the MCU 6 to be restarted from an external device using the debug connector 20E. Even if a low-level signal is input from an external device to terminal P27 of the MCU 6, the presence of switch Q9 prevents this signal from being transmitted to terminal QON(￣) of the charging IC. In this way, the signal input to the debug connector 20E and the signal generated by operating switch BT can be separated, stabilizing the operation of the restart circuit RBT. Note that while FIG. 19 also assumes a configuration in which terminal NRST is connected to terminal QON(￣) of the charging IC 3, such a configuration is not adopted in FIG. 19. This simplifies the restart circuit RBT compared to when the debug connector 20E is connected to terminal QON(￣), thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the power supply unit 100.

[0165] 19, restarting the MCU6 using the switch BT is possible only when the USB connection is established. In this way, by making it possible to restart the MCU6 only when the power supply ba is chargeable, it is possible to reliably restart the MCU6 using an external power supply even if the remaining charge of the power supply ba is low when restarting the MCU6.

[0166] (Modification of restart circuit RBT) Figure 20 is a diagram showing a modification of the restart circuit RBT shown in Figure 19. The restart circuit RBT shown in Figure 20 has the same configuration as that shown in Figure 19, except that the connection destination of the drain terminal of switch Q9 is changed from terminal P27 to the control terminal CTL of LDO4, and the connection between the voltage divider circuit of resistors R3 and R4 and terminal QON(￣) of charging IC3 is deleted. In the restart circuit RBT shown in Figure 20, a USB connection is required to restart MCU6 without using the debug connector 20E.

[0167] In the restart circuit RBT shown in Figure 20, when USB is connected and switch BT is not pressed, the output of the voltage divider circuit made up of resistors R3 and R4 is high. This high-level signal is input to the gate terminal of switch Q7. This turns switch Q7 on, causing the potential of the gate terminal of switch Q9 to be low (ground level), turning switch Q9 off. When switch Q9 is off, no low-level signal is input to the control terminal CTL of LDO4. Therefore, MCU6 continues to operate.

[0168] In the restart circuit RBT shown in FIG. 20, when the USB is connected and the switch BT is pressed, the output of the voltage divider circuit made up of resistors R3 and R4 is at a low level. This low level signal is input to the gate terminal of switch Q7. This turns switch Q7 off, and as a result, the potential of the gate terminal of switch Q9 becomes a high level (bus voltage V BUS ) and the switch Q9 is turned on. When the switch Q9 is turned on, the control terminal CTL of the LDO4 is connected to ground, so the signal input to this control terminal CTL becomes low level. When a low level signal is input to the control terminal CTL of the LDO4 for a predetermined period of time, the LDO4 stops outputting voltage from the output terminal OUT. Therefore, when the switch BT is pressed for a predetermined period of time, the system power supply voltage V MCUWhen the switch BT is no longer pressed, the switch Q9 is turned off, and the signal input to the control terminal CTL becomes high level (system power supply voltage V SYS ), which causes LDO4 to return to the system supply voltage V MCU To resume the output of the MCU6, the system power supply voltage V MCU is entered and MCU6 starts up.

[0169] 20, when restarting the MCU6 using the debug connector 20E, an external device is connected to the debug connector 20E. In this state, an operator operates the external device to input a low-level restart signal to the terminal NRST, and the restart signal is input to the terminal P27 continuously for a predetermined time. Upon receiving this restart signal, the MCU6 executes the restart process.

[0170] In the restart circuit RBT shown in Fig. 20, even if the switch BT is pressed and held down, a low-level signal is not input to the terminal P27 of the MCU 6. Therefore, the circuit can be simpler than the restart circuit RBT shown in Fig. 19, and the manufacturing cost of the power supply unit 100 can be reduced.

[0171] 20, a wiring PU indicated by a broken line in the figure may be added. The wiring PU connects the potential of the terminal P27 of the MCU 6 to the bus voltage V BUS By adding this wiring PU, the potential of terminal P27 does not become unstable even when no low-level signal is input to terminal P27, thereby stabilizing the operation of the power supply unit 100.

[0172] 12, the switch Q5 may be connected between the terminal GND of the heater connector 20B connected to the negative terminal of the seat heater HTR and the ground provided on the main board 20. In this configuration, the switch Q5 is preferably an N-channel type.

[0173] 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.

[0174] (1) a power supply (power supply ba) capable of supplying power to an atomizer (liquid heater) that atomizes the aerosol source; a controller (MCU6) configured to be able to control the supply of power from the power source to the atomizer; A user-operable control unit (switch BT), an IC (charging IC3 or LDO4) that is connected to the power supply terminal (terminal VDD) of the controller and that converts and outputs an input voltage (output terminal SYS or output terminal OUT), and that includes a control terminal (terminal QON(￣) or control terminal CTL); When the operation unit is operated, a first level (low level) signal is input to the control terminal, When the first level signal is input to the control terminal, the IC is brought into a non-operating state in which it does not output a voltage from the output terminal. A power supply unit (power supply unit 100) for the aerosol generating device.

[0175] According to (1), the voltage input to the power terminal of the controller can be stopped and restarted by operating the operation unit, so that the controller can be restarted (reset) and any freezing that occurs in the controller can be resolved.

[0176] (2) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (1), The controller includes a restart terminal (terminal P27), the controller is configured to restart when a restart signal is input to the restart terminal; a rewrite connector (debug connector 20E) for rewriting information stored in the controller; The restart signal can be input from the rewrite connector to a restart terminal of the controller. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0177] According to (2), the rewrite connector can restart the controller whose stored information has been rewritten, so the behavior of the controller becomes stable after the information has been rewritten.

[0178] (3) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (1) or (2), The power supply terminal of the controller is supplied with power from the first system power supply (LDO4). When the operation unit is operated, the signal of the first level is input to the control terminal of the IC based on the power from the first system power supply. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0179] According to (3), the power supply for the controller and the power supply for generating the first level signal can be shared, which simplifies the circuit and reduces the manufacturing cost of the power supply unit.

[0180] (4) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (1), The controller includes a restart terminal (terminal P27), the controller is configured to restart when the first level signal is input to the restart terminal; When the operation unit is operated, the first level signal is input to the restart terminal. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0181] According to (4), the first level signal generated by operating the operating unit is input not only to the control terminal of the IC but also to the restart terminal of the controller, so that the controller can be restarted more reliably.

[0182] (5) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (4), a rewrite connector (debug connector 20E) for rewriting information stored in the controller; The first level signal can be input from the rewrite connector to the restart terminal of the controller. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0183] According to (5), the rewrite connector allows the controller whose information has been rewritten to be restarted, so that the behavior of the controller after the information has been rewritten is stable, and the controller can be restarted more reliably by the user operating the operation unit.

[0184] (6) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (5), The rewrite connector is not connected to the control terminal of the IC. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0185] According to (6), the circuit can be simplified compared to when the rewrite connector is connected to the control terminal of the IC, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the power supply unit.

[0186] (7) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (6), The first level is a low level, a first N-channel MOSFET (switch Q9) having a drain terminal connected to the rewrite connector and the restart terminal and a source terminal connected to ground; a second N-channel MOSFET (switch Q7) having a gate terminal connected to the gate terminal of the first N-channel MOSFET, a drain terminal connected to a second system power supply (charging IC3), a source terminal connected to ground, and a gate terminal to which the first level signal is input when the operation unit is operated; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0187] According to (7), the drain terminal of the first N-channel MOSFET prevents the potential of the rewrite connector and the low-level signal input to the rewrite connector from being transmitted to the control terminal of the IC. Therefore, the potential of the rewrite connector and the low-level signal input to the rewrite connector are input only to the restart terminal of the controller. Furthermore, the low-level signal generated by operating the operation unit is input to both the restart terminal of the controller and the control terminal of the IC. In this way, the potential of the rewrite connector and the signal input to the rewrite connector can be separated from the signal generated by operating the operation unit, thereby simplifying the circuit while stabilizing its operation.

[0188] (8) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (7), a charging connector (charging terminal 1) for charging the power source; the second system power supply supplies power to the gate terminal of the first N-channel MOSFET only when an external power supply is connected to the charging connector; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0189] According to (8), the controller can be restarted only when the power supply is charging, so even if the remaining power supply is low at the time of restart, the controller can be reliably restarted using an external power supply.

[0190] (9) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (1), The controller includes a restart terminal (terminal P27), the controller is configured to restart when the first level signal is input to the restart terminal; Even if the operation unit is operated, the first level signal is not input to the restart terminal of the controller. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0191] According to (9), the circuit can be simpler than when a signal generated by operating the operating unit is input to a restart terminal, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the power supply unit.

[0192] (10) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (9), a rewrite connector (debug connector 20E) for rewriting information stored in the controller; The first level signal can be input from the rewrite connector to the restart terminal. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0193] According to (10), the rewrite connector allows the controller whose information has been rewritten to be restarted, so the behavior of the controller after the information has been rewritten becomes stable.

[0194] (11) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (10), The first level is a low level, The restart terminal is pulled up. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0195] According to (11), even when the first level signal is not input to the restart terminal, the potential of the restart terminal does not become unstable, so the operation of the power supply unit is stable.

[0196] (12) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to any one of (1) to (11), The IC is a charging IC (charging IC3) that can control charging of the power supply. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0197] According to (12), by stopping the output of the charging IC located upstream on the power transmission path when the controller is restarted, it is possible to cut off the power supply to many electrical components when the controller is restarted, thereby reducing power consumption when the controller is restarted.

[0198] (13) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to any one of (1) to (11), a charging IC (charging IC3) capable of controlling charging of the power supply; A voltage conversion IC (LDO4), The IC is the voltage conversion IC, The input terminal (charging terminal BAT) of the charging IC is connected to the power supply. The output terminal (output terminal SYS) of the charging IC is connected to the input terminal (input terminal IN) of the voltage conversion IC. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0199] According to (13), by stopping the output of the voltage conversion IC located downstream on the power transmission path when the controller is restarted, the power supply to many electrical components is not interrupted. This stabilizes the operation of the power supply unit immediately after the controller is restarted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0200] 100 Power Supply Units 3 Charging IC 6 MCU BT Switch ba power supply

Claims

[Claim 1] a power source capable of supplying power to an atomizer that atomizes the aerosol source; a controller configured to control the supply of power from the power source to the atomizer; an operation unit operable by a user; an IC including an output terminal connected to a power supply terminal of the controller, converting an input voltage and outputting the converted voltage, and a control terminal; When the operation unit is operated, a signal of a first level is input to the control terminal, When the signal of the first level is input to the control terminal, the IC is brought into an inactive state in which it does not output a voltage from the output terminal. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

Images