Power supply unit of aerosol generation device

Abstract

To provide a power supply unit of an aerosol generating device capable of achieving high functionality.SOLUTION: The inhaler includes a heater connector Cn to which a heater HTR for heating a rod by consuming power supplied from a power source BAT is connected, an MCU1 configured to control power supply from the power source BAT to the heater HTR and including a power source terminal VDD, a switch driver 7 capable of restarting the MCU1, and an FF16 including a power source terminal VCC. The system power source voltage Vcc2 generated from the power source BAT can be supplied to the power source terminal VDD of the MCU1, and the system power source voltage Vcc1 generated from the power source BAT is supplied to the power source terminal VCC of the FMU16 even while the MCU1 is restarted by the switch driver 7.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 21

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an electronic inhaler that can reset variables and parameters changed by a user to their factory default settings through a reset operation.

[0003] Patent document 2 describes the need to press a reset button in an e-cigarette when an error condition is signaled to the user via the user interface.

[0004] Patent Document 3 describes an aerosol generating device that executes a reset (initialization setting) operation when a button is pressed for a long time.

[0005] Patent Document 4 describes an aerosol delivery device that automatically resets the device if the control component or the software running thereon remains unstable.

[0006] Patent Document 5 describes resetting an electronic cigarette using a smartphone that can communicate with the electronic cigarette.

[0007] US Pat. No. 5,629,499 describes rendering the inhaler permanently unusable until a reset procedure is performed.

[0008] Patent Document 7 describes a device for providing maintenance services for smoking devices. This device is configured to be able to reset the software of the smoking device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [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]

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a power supply unit for an aerosol generating device that can be made highly functional. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] A power supply unit of an aerosol generating device of one embodiment of the present invention comprises a power supply, a heater connector to which a heater that consumes power supplied from the power supply to heat an aerosol source is connected, a controller configured to control the supply of power from the power supply to the heater and including a power supply terminal to which power for operation is input, a restart circuit capable of restarting the controller, and an IC that includes a power supply terminal to which power for operation is input and is separate from the controller, wherein a second system voltage generated from the power supply can be supplied to the power supply terminal of the controller, and the first system voltage generated from the power supply is supplied to the power supply terminal of the IC even while the controller is being restarted by the restart circuit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a power supply unit for an aerosol generating device that can be made highly functional. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a non-combustion type inhaler. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a non-combustion type inhaler showing a state in which a rod is attached. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the non-combustion type inhaler. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the non-combustion type inhaler. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the internal unit of the non-combustion type inhaler. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the internal unit of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the internal unit with the power supply and chassis removed. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is another perspective view of the internal unit with the power supply and chassis removed. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining an operation mode of the inhaler. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric circuit of an internal unit. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric circuit of an internal unit. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric circuit of an internal unit. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of an electric circuit in a sleep mode. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of an electric circuit in an active mode. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in the heating initial setting mode. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit when the heater is heating in the heating mode. [Figure 17] 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit when detecting the temperature of the heater in the heating mode. FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of an electric circuit in a charging mode. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of an electric circuit when the MCU is reset (restarted). [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic internal configuration of a charging IC. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram of a main portion of the electric circuit shown in FIG. 10, showing the main electronic components related to the reset operation. [Figure 22] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the inhaler shown in FIG. 1 taken along a cutting plane passing through a case thermistor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A suction system, which is one embodiment of the aerosol generating device of the present invention, will be described below with reference to the drawings. This suction system includes a non-combustion inhalator 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as "inhalator 100"), which is one embodiment of the power supply unit of the present invention, and a rod 500 heated by the inhalator 100. In the following description, an example will be described in which the inhalator 100 houses a heating unit in an undetachable manner. However, the heating unit may be detachably attached to the inhalator 100. For example, the rod 500 and the heating unit may be integrated and detachably attached to the inhalator 100. In other words, the power supply unit of the aerosol generating device may not include a heating unit as a component. Note that "undetachable" refers to a configuration in which the heating unit cannot be removed within the scope of the intended use. Alternatively, an induction heating coil provided in the inhalator 100 and a susceptor built into the rod 500 may cooperate to form the heating unit.

[0015] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of aspirator 100. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of aspirator 100 showing a state in which rod 500 is attached. Fig. 3 is another perspective view of aspirator 100. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of aspirator 100. In the following description, for convenience, an orthogonal coordinate system of three-dimensional space is used, in which three mutually orthogonal directions are defined as the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction. In the drawings, the front is indicated as Fr, the rear as Rr, the right side as R, the left side as L, the upside as U, and the downside as D.

[0016] The inhaler 100 is configured to generate a flavor-containing aerosol by heating an elongated, generally cylindrical rod 500 (see FIG. 2), which is an example of a flavor ingredient generating substrate having a filling containing an aerosol source and a flavor source.

[0017] <Flavor component generating base material (rod)> The rod 500 includes a fill containing an aerosol source that is heated to a predetermined temperature to produce an aerosol.

[0018] The type of aerosol source is not particularly limited, and extracts from various natural products and / or their constituent components can be selected depending on the application. The aerosol source may be a solid or a liquid, such as a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerin or propylene glycol, or water. The aerosol source may include a flavor source such as a tobacco raw material or an extract derived from a tobacco raw material that releases a flavor component when heated. The gas to which the flavor component is added is not limited to an aerosol; for example, an invisible vapor may be generated.

[0019] The filler of the rod 500 may contain tobacco shreds as a flavor source. The material of the tobacco shreds is not particularly limited, and known materials such as lamina or rib can be used. The filler may contain one or more flavorings. The type of flavoring is not particularly limited, but menthol is preferred from the viewpoint of imparting a good smoking taste. The flavoring source may contain plants other than tobacco (e.g., mint, Chinese medicine, herbs, etc.). Depending on the application, the rod 500 may not contain a flavoring source.

[0020] <Overall configuration of non-combustion type aspirator> Next, the overall configuration of the inhalator 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. Inhaler 100 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case 110 having a front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom surfaces. Case 110 includes a cylindrical case body 112 with a bottom, whose front, rear, top, bottom, and right surfaces are integrally formed, an outer panel 115 and an inner panel 118 that seal an opening 114 (see FIG. 4 ) of case body 112 and form the left surface, and a slider 119.

[0021] The inner panel 118 is fixed to the case body 112 with bolts 120. The outer panel 115 is fixed to the case body 112 so as to cover the outer surface of the inner panel 118 by magnets 124 held by a chassis 150 (see FIG. 5 ), which will be described later and is housed in the case body 112. Since the outer panel 115 is fixed by the magnets 124, the user can replace the outer panel 115 according to their preference.

[0022] The inner panel 118 is provided with two through holes 126 through which the magnets 124 pass. The inner panel 118 is further provided with a vertically long slot 127 and a circular hole 128 between the two upper and lower through holes 126. The slot 127 is for transmitting light emitted from eight LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) L1 to L8 housed in the case body 112. A button-type operation switch OPS housed in the case body 112 passes through the circular hole 128. This allows the user to sense the light emitted from the eight LEDs L1 to L8 through the LED window 116 of the outer panel 115. The user can also press the operation switch OPS via a pressing portion 117 of the outer panel 115.

[0023] 2, an opening 132 into which a rod 500 can be inserted is provided on the top surface of the case body 112. The slider 119 is coupled to the case body 112 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction between a position where the opening 132 is closed (see FIG. 1) and a position where the opening 132 is opened (see FIG. 2).

[0024] The operation switch OPS is used to perform various operations of the inhaler 100. For example, a user operates the operation switch OPS via the pressing unit 117 while the rod 500 is inserted into the opening 132 as shown in FIG. 2. This causes the heating unit 170 (see FIG. 5) to heat the rod 500 without burning it. When the rod 500 is heated, an aerosol is generated from the aerosol source contained in the rod 500, and the flavor of the flavor source contained in the rod 500 is added to the aerosol. The user can inhale the aerosol containing the flavor by holding the mouthpiece 502 of the rod 500 protruding from the opening 132 in their mouth and inhaling.

[0025] 3, a charging terminal 134 is provided on the underside of the case body 112 for electrically connecting to an external power source such as an outlet or a mobile battery to receive power. In this embodiment, the charging terminal 134 is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) Type-C receptacle, but is not limited to this. Hereinafter, the charging terminal 134 will also be referred to as a receptacle RCP.

[0026] The charging terminal 134 may include, for example, a power receiving coil and be configured to be able to contactlessly receive power transmitted from an external power source. In this case, the power transmission (Wireless Power Transfer) method may be an electromagnetic induction type, a magnetic resonance type, or a combination of the electromagnetic induction type and the magnetic resonance type. As another example, the charging terminal 134 may be connectable to various USB terminals or the like and may include the above-mentioned power receiving coil.

[0027] 1 to 4 are merely examples of the configuration of the inhaler 100. The inhaler 100 can be configured in various forms such that, by holding the rod 500 and applying an action such as heating, the rod 500 generates gas to which flavor components have been added, and the user can inhale the generated gas.

[0028] <Internal structure of non-combustion type aspirator> The internal unit 140 of the inhalator 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the internal unit 140 of the inhalator 100. Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the internal unit 140 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the internal unit 140 from which the power supply BAT and the chassis 150 have been removed. Fig. 8 is another perspective view of the internal unit 140 from which the power supply BAT and the chassis 150 have been removed.

[0029] The internal unit 140 housed in the internal space of the case 110 includes a chassis 150, a power supply BAT, a circuit section 160, a heating section 170, a notification section 180, and various sensors.

[0030] The chassis 150 includes a plate-shaped chassis main body 151 that is disposed approximately at the center of the internal space of the case 110 in the front-to-rear direction and extends in the up-down and front-to-rear directions, a plate-shaped front-to-rear dividing wall 152 that is disposed approximately at the center of the internal space of the case 110 in the front-to-rear direction and extends in the up-down and left-to-right directions, a plate-shaped upper-lower dividing wall 153 that extends forward from approximately the center of the front-to-rear dividing wall 152 in the up-down direction, a plate-shaped chassis upper wall 154 that extends rearward from upper edges of the front-to-rear dividing wall 152 and the chassis main body 151, and a plate-shaped chassis lower wall 155 that extends rearward from lower edges of the front-to-rear dividing wall 152 and the chassis main body 151. The left surface of the chassis main body 151 is covered by the inner panel 118 and outer panel 115 of the case 110 described above.

[0031] The internal space of the case 110 is partitioned by the chassis 150 into a heating unit accommodating area 142 at the front upper part, a board accommodating area 144 at the front lower part, and a power supply accommodating space 146 extending vertically at the rear.

[0032] The heating unit 170 accommodated in the heating unit accommodation region 142 is composed of multiple cylindrical members arranged concentrically to form a cylindrical body as a whole. The heating unit 170 has a rod accommodation section 172 capable of accommodating a portion of the rod 500 therein, and a heater HTR (see FIGS. 10 to 19) that heats the rod 500 from the periphery or center. It is preferable that the rod accommodation section 172 be made of a heat insulating material or that a heat insulating material be provided inside the rod accommodation section 172 to insulate the surface of the rod accommodation section 172 from the heater HTR. The heater HTR may be any element capable of heating the rod 500. The heater HTR is, for example, a heating element. Examples of heating elements include a heating resistor, a ceramic heater, and an induction heater. As the heater HTR, for example, one having a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) characteristic, in which the resistance value increases with increasing temperature, is preferably used. Alternatively, a heater HTR having NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient) characteristics, in which the resistance value decreases as the temperature increases, may be used. The heating unit 170 has a function of defining a flow path for air to be supplied to the rod 500 and a function of heating the rod 500. A vent (not shown) for allowing air to flow in is formed in the case 110, and is configured to allow air to flow into the heating unit 170.

[0033] The power supply BAT housed in the power supply housing space 146 is a rechargeable secondary battery, an electric double layer capacitor, or the like, and is preferably a lithium ion secondary battery. The electrolyte of the power supply BAT may be one or a combination of a gel electrolyte, an electrolytic solution, a solid electrolyte, and an ionic liquid.

[0034] The notification unit 180 notifies various information such as the SOC (State Of Charge) indicating the charge state of the power supply BAT, the preheating time before suction, and the period during which suction is possible. The notification unit 180 of this embodiment includes eight LEDs L1 to L8 and a vibration motor M. The notification unit 180 may be composed of light-emitting elements such as the LEDs L1 to L8, a vibration element such as the vibration motor M, or a sound output element. The notification unit 180 may be a combination of two or more elements selected from the group consisting of light-emitting elements, vibration elements, and sound output elements.

[0035] The various sensors include an inhalation sensor that detects the user's puffing action (inhalation action), a power supply temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the power supply BAT, a heater temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the heater HTR, a case temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the case 110, a cover position sensor that detects the position of the slider 119, and a panel detection sensor that detects the attachment / detachment of the outer panel 115.

[0036] The intake sensor is mainly composed of, for example, a thermistor T2 disposed near the opening 132. The power supply temperature sensor is mainly composed of, for example, a thermistor T1 disposed near the power supply BAT. The heater temperature sensor is mainly composed of, for example, a thermistor T3 disposed near the heater HTR. As described above, the rod accommodating portion 172 is preferably insulated from the heater HTR. In this case, the thermistor T3 is preferably in contact with or close to the heater HTR inside the rod accommodating portion 172. If the heater HTR has a PTC characteristic or an NTC characteristic, the heater HTR itself may be used as the heater temperature sensor. The case temperature sensor is mainly composed of, for example, a thermistor T4 disposed near the left surface of the case 110. The thermistor T4 is preferably in contact with or close to the case 110. The cover position sensor is mainly composed of a Hall IC 14 including a Hall element disposed near the slider 119. The panel detection sensor is mainly composed of a Hall IC 13 including a Hall element arranged near the inner surface of the inner panel 118.

[0037] The circuit section 160 includes four circuit boards, a plurality of ICs (Integrated Circuits), and a plurality of elements. The four circuit boards include an MCU mounting board 161 on which an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) 1 and a charging IC 2 (described later) are mainly arranged, a receptacle mounting board 162 on which a charging terminal 134 is mainly arranged, an LED mounting board 163 on which an operation switch OPS, LEDs L1 to L8, and a communication IC 15 (described later) are arranged, and a Hall IC mounting board 164 on which a Hall IC 14 (described later) including a Hall element constituting a cover position sensor is arranged.

[0038] The MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are arranged parallel to each other in the board accommodating area 144. Specifically, the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are arranged with their respective element mounting surfaces aligned in the left-right and up-down directions, with the MCU mounting board 161 being arranged in front of the receptacle mounting board 162. An opening is provided in each of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162. The MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are fastened to the board fixing portion 156 of the front and rear dividing wall 152 with bolts 136, with a cylindrical spacer 173 interposed between the peripheral edges of the openings. In other words, the spacer 173 fixes the positions of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 inside the case 110, and also mechanically connects the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162. This prevents the MCU mounted board 161 and the receptacle mounted board 162 from coming into contact with each other and causing a short circuit current between them.

[0039] For convenience, the forward-facing surfaces of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are referred to as main surfaces 161a and 162a, respectively, and the surfaces opposite the main surfaces 161a and 162a are referred to as sub-surfaces 161b and 162b, respectively. The sub-surface 161b of the MCU mounting board 161 and the main surface 162a of the receptacle mounting board 162 face each other with a predetermined gap between them. The main surface 161a of the MCU mounting board 161 faces the front surface of the case 110, and the sub-surface 162b of the receptacle mounting board 162 faces the front-rear dividing wall 152 of the chassis 150. The elements and ICs mounted on the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 will be described later.

[0040] The LED mounting board 163 is disposed on the left side surface of the chassis main body 151, between two magnets 124 disposed above and below. The element mounting surface of the LED mounting board 163 is disposed along the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. In other words, the element mounting surfaces of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are orthogonal to the element mounting surface of the LED mounting board 163. As described above, the element mounting surfaces of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 and the element mounting surface of the LED mounting board 163 are not necessarily orthogonal, but preferably intersect (are non-parallel). The vibration motor M, which constitutes the notification unit 180 together with the LEDs L1 to L8, is fixed to the lower surface of the chassis lower wall 155 and is electrically connected to the MCU mounting board 161.

[0041] The Hall IC mounting board 164 is disposed on the upper surface of the chassis upper wall 154 .

[0042] <Suction device operation mode> 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation modes of the inhalator 100. As shown in FIG. 9, the operation modes of the inhalator 100 include a charging mode, a sleep mode, an active mode, a heating initial setting mode, a heating mode, and a heating end mode.

[0043] The sleep mode is a power saving mode that cuts off the power supply to electronic components required for heating control of the heater HTR.

[0044] In the active mode, most functions are enabled except for the heating control of the heater HTR. When the slider 119 is opened while the inhaler 100 is operating in the sleep mode, the inhaler 100 switches its operation mode to the active mode. When the slider 119 is closed while the inhaler 100 is operating in the active mode, or when the non-operation time of the operation switch OPS reaches a predetermined time, the inhaler 100 switches its operation mode to the sleep mode.

[0045] The heating initial setting mode is a mode for initializing control parameters, etc., for starting heating control of the heater HTR. When the inhaler 100 detects operation of the operation switch OPS while operating in the active mode, the inhaler 100 switches the operation mode to the heating initial setting mode, and when the initial setting is completed, the operation mode is switched to the heating mode.

[0046] The heating mode is a mode in which heating control of the heater HTR (heating control for aerosol generation and heating control for temperature detection) is performed. When the operation mode of the inhalator 100 is switched to the heating mode, the inhalator 100 starts heating control of the heater HTR.

[0047] The heating termination mode is a mode in which termination processing of the heating control of the heater HTR (such as storage processing of the heating history) is executed. When the power-on time of the heater HTR or the number of suctions by the user reaches an upper limit or the slider 119 is closed while the inhaler 100 is operating in the heating mode, the inhaler 100 switches the operation mode to the heating termination mode, and when the termination processing is completed, the inhaler 100 switches the operation mode to the active mode. When a USB connection is established while the inhaler 100 is operating in the heating mode, the inhaler 100 switches the operation mode to the heating termination mode, and when the termination processing is completed, the inhaler 100 switches the operation mode to the charging mode. As shown in FIG. 9 , in this case, the operation mode may be switched to the active mode before switching the operation mode to the charging mode. In other words, when a USB connection is established while the inhaler 100 is operating in the heating mode, the operation mode may be switched in the order of the heating termination mode, the active mode, and the charging mode.

[0048] The charging mode is a mode in which the power supply BAT is charged by power supplied from an external power supply connected to the receptacle RCP. When the inhaler 100 is operating in the sleep mode or active mode and an external power supply is connected to the receptacle RCP (USB connection), the operating mode is switched to the charging mode. When the inhaler 100 is operating in the charging mode and charging of the power supply BAT is completed or the connection between the receptacle RCP and the external power supply is released, the operating mode is switched to the sleep mode.

[0049] <Outline of the internal unit circuit> 10, 11, and 12 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of the electric circuit of the internal unit 140. Fig. 11 is the same as Fig. 10 except that, of the electric circuit shown in Fig. 10, a range 161A (the range surrounded by a thick dashed line) mounted on the MCU mounting board 161 and a range 163A (the range surrounded by a thick solid line) mounted on the LED mounting board 163 are added. Fig. 12 is the same as Fig. 10 except that, of the electric circuit shown in Fig. 10, a range 162A mounted on the receptacle mounting board 162 and a range 164A mounted on the Hall IC mounting board 164 are added.

[0050] In FIG. 10, the wiring indicated by a thick solid line is wiring (wiring connected to a ground provided in the internal unit 140) that has the same potential as the reference potential (ground potential) of the internal unit 140, and this wiring will be referred to as a ground line below. In FIG. 10, an electronic component in which multiple circuit elements are integrated into a chip is shown as a rectangle, with the symbols of various terminals written inside this rectangle. The power supply terminals VCC and VDD mounted on the chip each indicate a power supply terminal on the high potential side. The power supply terminal VSS and ground terminal GND mounted on the chip each indicate a power supply terminal on the low potential side (reference potential side). For a chip-integrated electronic component, the difference between the potential of the high potential side power supply terminal and the potential of the low potential side power supply terminal is the power supply voltage. The chip-integrated electronic component uses this power supply voltage to perform various functions.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 11, the MCU mounting board 161 (area 161A) includes, as main electronic components, an MCU 1 that controls the entire inhaler 100, a charging IC 2 that controls charging of the power supply BAT, load switches (hereinafter referred to as LSW) 3, 4, and 5 that are configured by combining capacitors, resistors, transistors, etc., and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The power supply is provided with a power supply (power supply voltage: 10 V, power supply voltage: 10 V), ...

[0052] The ground terminals GND of the charging IC2, LSW3, LSW4, LSW5, switch driver 7, step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8, FF16, and FF17 are connected to the ground line. The power supply terminal VSS of ROM6 is connected to the ground line. The negative power supply terminals of the operational amplifiers OP2 and OP3 are connected to the ground line.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 11, the LED mounting substrate 163 (area 163A) is provided with, as main electronic components, a Hall IC 13 including a Hall element constituting a panel detection sensor, LEDs L1 to L8, an operation switch OPS, and a communication IC 15. The communication IC 15 is a communication module for communicating with electronic devices such as smartphones. A power supply terminal VSS of the Hall IC 13 and a ground terminal GND of the communication IC 15 are each connected to a ground line. The communication IC 15 and the MCU 1 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a communication line LN. One end of the operation switch OPS is connected to the ground line, and the other end of the operation switch OPS is connected to a terminal P4 of the MCU 1.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 12, the receptacle mounting board 162 (area 162A) is provided with, as main electronic components, a power connector electrically connected to the power supply BAT (the figure shows the power supply BAT connected to this power connector), a connector electrically connected to the thermistor T1 constituting the power supply temperature sensor (the figure shows the thermistor T1 connected to this connector), a step-up DC / DC converter 9 (the figure shows step-up DC / DC9), a protection IC10, an overvoltage protection IC11, a fuel gauge IC12, a receptacle RCP, switches S3 to S6 composed of MOSFETs, an operational amplifier OP1, and a pair of heater connectors Cn (positive and negative sides) electrically connected to the heater HTR.

[0055] The two ground terminals GND of the receptacle RCP, the ground terminal GND of the step-up DC / DC converter 9, the power supply terminal VSS of the protection IC 10, the power supply terminal VSS of the fuel gauge IC 12, the ground terminal GND of the overvoltage protection IC 11, and the negative power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 are each connected to the ground line.

[0056] 12, a Hall IC 14 including a Hall element constituting a cover position sensor is provided on the Hall IC mounting substrate 164 (area 164A). A power supply terminal VSS of the Hall IC 14 is connected to the ground line. An output terminal OUT of the Hall IC 14 is connected to a terminal P8 of the MCU1. The MCU1 detects the opening and closing of the slider 119 based on a signal input to the terminal P8.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 11, a connector electrically connected to the vibration motor M is provided on the MCU mounting board 161.

[0058] <Details of the internal unit circuit> The connection relationships of the electronic components will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0059] Two power input terminals V of the receptacle RCP BUS are connected via fuse Fs, respectively. and is connected to the input terminal IN of the overvoltage protection IC11. When a USB plug is connected to the receptacle RCP and the USB cable including this USB plug is connected to an external power supply, the two power input terminals V BUS to USB voltage V USB is supplied.

[0060] The input terminal IN of the overvoltage protection IC11 is connected to one end of a voltage divider circuit Pa, which consists of two resistors connected in series. The other end of the voltage divider circuit Pa is connected to the ground line. The junction of the two resistors that make up the voltage divider circuit Pa is connected to the voltage detection terminal OVLo of the overvoltage protection IC11. When the voltage input to the voltage detection terminal OVLo is below a threshold, the overvoltage protection IC11 outputs the voltage input to the input terminal IN from the output terminal OUT. When the voltage input to the voltage detection terminal OVLo exceeds the threshold (overvoltage), the overvoltage protection IC11 stops outputting voltage from the output terminal OUT (cutting off the electrical connection between the LSW3 and the receptacle RCP), thereby protecting electronic components downstream of the overvoltage protection IC11. The output terminal OUT of the overvoltage protection IC11 is connected to the input terminal VIN of the LSW3 and one end of a voltage divider circuit Pc (a series circuit of two resistors) connected to the MCU1. The other end of the voltage divider circuit Pc is connected to the ground line. The connection point of the two resistors that make up the voltage dividing circuit Pc is connected to a terminal P17 of the MCU1.

[0061] One end of a voltage divider circuit Pf, consisting of two series resistors, is connected to the input terminal VIN of LSW3. The other end of the voltage divider circuit Pf is connected to the ground line. The junction of the two resistors that make up the voltage divider circuit Pf is connected to the control terminal ON of LSW3. The control terminal ON of LSW3 is connected to the collector terminal of bipolar transistor S2. The emitter terminal of bipolar transistor S2 is connected to the ground line. The base terminal of bipolar transistor S2 is connected to terminal P19 of MCU1. When the signal input to the control terminal ON of LSW3 becomes high level, LSW3 outputs the voltage input to the input terminal VIN from the output terminal VOUT. The output terminal VOUT of LSW3 is connected to the input terminal VBUS of charging IC2. MCU1 turns on the bipolar transistor S2 when USB is not connected. As a result, the control terminal ON of LSW3 is connected to the ground line via bipolar transistor S2, and a low-level signal is input to the control terminal ON of LSW3. When the USB connection is established, the bipolar transistor S2 connected to the LSW3 is turned off by the MCU 1. When the bipolar transistor S2 is turned off, the USB voltage V divided by the voltage divider circuit Pf is USB is input to the control terminal ON of LSW3. Therefore, when the USB connection is established and the bipolar transistor S2 is turned off, a high-level signal is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW3. As a result, the LSW3 receives the USB voltage V supplied from the USB cable. USB is output from the output terminal VOUT. Even if the USB connection is made with bipolar transistor S2 turned off, the control terminal ON of LSW3 is connected to the ground line via bipolar transistor S2. Therefore, it should be noted that a low-level signal continues to be input to the control terminal ON of LSW3 unless MCU1 turns off bipolar transistor S2.

[0062] The positive terminal of the power supply BAT is connected to the power supply terminal VDD of the protection IC 10, the input terminal VIN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9, and the charging terminal bat of the charging IC 2. Therefore, the power supply voltage V of the power supply BAT BAT protection IC10, charging IC2, and boost DC / DC The power supply BAT is connected to a converter 9. A resistor Ra, a switch Sa configured with a MOSFET, a switch Sb configured with a MOSFET, and a resistor Rb are connected in series to the negative terminal of the power supply BAT in this order. A current detection terminal CS of a protection IC 10 is connected to the junction of the resistor Ra and the switch Sa. The control terminals of the switches Sa and Sb are connected to the protection IC 10. Both ends of the resistor Rb are connected to a fuel gauge IC 12.

[0063] The protection IC 10 obtains the current value flowing through the resistor Ra during charging or discharging of the power supply BAT from the voltage input to the current detection terminal CS. If this current value becomes excessive (overcurrent), the protection IC 10 controls the opening and closing of the switches Sa and Sb to stop charging or discharging of the power supply BAT, thereby protecting the power supply BAT. More specifically, if the protection IC 10 obtains an excessive current value during charging of the power supply BAT, it turns off the switch Sb to stop charging of the power supply BAT. If the protection IC 10 obtains an excessive current value during discharging of the power supply BAT, it turns off the switch Sa to stop discharging of the power supply BAT. Furthermore, if the protection IC 10 obtains an abnormal voltage value of the power supply BAT from the voltage input to the power supply terminal VDD (in the case of overcharge or overvoltage), it controls the opening and closing of the switches Sa and Sb to stop charging or discharging of the power supply BAT, thereby protecting the power supply BAT. More specifically, when the protection IC 10 detects overcharging of the power supply BAT, it turns off the switch Sb to stop charging of the power supply BAT.When the protection IC 10 detects overdischarging of the power supply BAT, it turns off the switch Sa to stop discharging of the power supply BAT.

[0064] A resistor Rt1 is connected to a connector that is connected to the thermistor T1, which is placed near the power supply BAT. The series circuit of the resistor Rt1 and thermistor T1 is connected to the ground line and the regulator terminal TREG of the fuel gauge IC12. The junction point of the thermistor T1 and resistor Rt1 is connected to the thermistor terminal THM of the fuel gauge IC12. The thermistor T1 may be a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) thermistor, whose resistance value increases as the temperature increases, or an NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient) thermistor, whose resistance value decreases as the temperature increases.

[0065] The fuel gauge IC12 detects the current flowing through resistor Rb and, based on the detected current value, derives battery information such as the remaining capacity of the power supply BAT, the SOC (State of Charge) indicating the state of charge, and the SOH (State of Health) indicating the state of health. The fuel gauge IC12 supplies voltage from an internal regulator connected to regulator terminal TREG to a voltage divider circuit consisting of thermistor T1 and resistor Rt1. The fuel gauge IC12 obtains the voltage divided by this voltage divider circuit from thermistor terminal THM and acquires temperature information about the power supply BAT based on this voltage. The fuel gauge IC12 is connected to the MCU1 via a communication line LN for serial communication and is configured to communicate with the MCU1. The fuel gauge IC12 transmits the derived battery information and the acquired temperature information about the power supply BAT to the MCU1 in response to a request from the MCU1. Note that serial communication requires multiple signal lines, such as a data line for data transmission and a clock line for synchronization. Please note that in Figures 10-19, for simplicity, only one signal line is shown.

[0066] The fuel gauge IC12 has a notification terminal 12a. The notification terminal 12a is connected to terminal P6 of the MCU1 and the cathode of diode D2, which will be described later. When the fuel gauge IC12 detects an abnormality, such as an excessive temperature of the power supply BAT, it notifies the MCU1 of the occurrence of the abnormality by outputting a low-level signal from the notification terminal 12a. This low-level signal is also input to the CLR(￣) terminal of FF17 via diode D2.

[0067] One end of a reactor Lc is connected to the switching terminal SW of the step-up DC / DC converter 9. The other end of this reactor Lc is connected to the input terminal VIN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9. The step-up DC / DC converter 9 boosts the input voltage by controlling the on / off of an internal transistor connected to the switching terminal SW, and outputs the boosted voltage from the output terminal VOUT. The input terminal VIN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 constitutes the high-potential power supply terminal of the step-up DC / DC converter 9. The step-up DC / DC converter 9 performs a boost operation when a signal input to an enable terminal EN is at a high level. When connected to the USB, the signal input to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 may be controlled to a low level by the MCU 1. Alternatively, when connected to the USB, the MCU 1 may not control the signal input to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9, thereby making the potential of the enable terminal EN undefined.

[0068] The output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 is connected to the source terminal of a switch S4 configured by a P-channel MOSFET. The gate terminal of the switch S4 is connected to terminal P15 of the MCU1. The drain terminal of the switch S4 is connected to one end of a resistor Rs. The other end of the resistor Rs is connected to a positive heater connector Cn connected to one end of the heater HTR. A voltage divider circuit Pb consisting of two resistors is connected to the connection point between the switch S4 and resistor Rs. The connection point between the two resistors that make up the voltage divider circuit Pb is connected to terminal P18 of the MCU1. The connection point between the switch S4 and resistor Rs is further connected to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1.

[0069] The source terminal of switch S3, which is configured as a P-channel MOSFET, is connected to the connection line between the output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 and the source terminal of switch S4. The gate terminal of switch S3 is connected to terminal P16 of the MCU1. The drain terminal of switch S3 is connected to the connection line between resistor Rs and the positive electrode side heater connector Cn. In this way, a circuit including switch S3 and a circuit including switch S4 and resistor Rs are connected in parallel between the output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 and the positive electrode side of heater connector Cn. Because the circuit including switch S3 does not have a resistor, it has lower resistance than the circuit including switch S4 and resistor Rs.

[0070] The non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the connection line between the resistor Rs and the positive heater connector Cn. The inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the negative heater connector Cn, which is connected to the other end of the heater HTR, and to the drain terminal of a switch S6 consisting of an N-channel MOSFET. The source terminal of the switch S6 is connected to the ground line. The gate terminal of the switch S6 is connected to terminal P14 of the MCU1, the anode of a diode D4, and the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9. The cathode of the diode D4 is connected to the Q terminal of the FF17. One end of a resistor R4 is connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP1. The other end of the resistor R4 is connected to terminal P9 of the MCU1 and the drain terminal of a switch S5 consisting of an N-channel MOSFET. The source terminal of the switch S5 is connected to the ground line. The gate terminal of the switch S5 is connected to the connection line between the resistor Rs and the positive heater connector Cn.

[0071] The input terminal VBUS of the charging IC2 is connected to the anodes of the LEDs L1 to L8. The cathodes of the LEDs L1 to L8 are connected to the control terminals PD1 to PD8 of the MCU1 via resistors for current limiting. In other words, the LEDs L1 to L8 are connected in parallel to the input terminal VBUS. The LEDs L1 to L8 are connected to the USB voltage V supplied from the USB cable connected to the receptacle RCP. USB And the power supply BAT to the charging IC 2. The MCU1 has built-in transistors (switching elements) connected to each of the control terminals PD1 to PD8 and the ground terminal GND. The MCU1 turns on the transistor connected to the control terminal PD1 to energize the LED L1, turning it on, and turns off the transistor connected to the control terminal PD1 to turn off the LED L1. The brightness and light emission pattern of the LED L1 can be dynamically controlled by quickly switching the transistor connected to the control terminal PD1 on and off. The lighting of the LEDs L2 to L8 is similarly controlled by the MCU1.

[0072] The charging IC2 detects the USB voltage V USB Based on the power supply BA The charging IC2 has a charging function for charging the battery T. The charging IC2 acquires the charging current and charging voltage of the power supply BAT from terminals and wiring (not shown), and controls the charging of the power supply BAT (controls the power supply from the charging terminal bat to the power supply BAT) based on these. The charging IC2 may also acquire temperature information of the power supply BAT sent from the fuel gauge IC12 to the MCU1 via serial communication using the communication line LN from the MCU1, and use this information for charging control.

[0073] Charging IC2 also BAT Equipped with power pass function and OTG function. BAT Pa The Warpath function operates by charging the power supply voltage V BAT System voltage that roughly matches The OTG function outputs the power supply voltage Vcc0 from the output terminal SYS. BAT The system power supply voltage Vcc4 obtained by boosting the The OTG function of the charging IC2 is controlled by the MCU1 through serial communication using the communication line LN. In the OTG function, the power supply voltage V input to the charging terminal bat is BAT From the input terminal VBUS In this case, the power supply voltage V BAT and system power supply voltage Vcc4 are approximately the same.

[0074] The output terminal SYS of charging IC2 is connected to the input terminal VIN of the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8. One end of reactor La is connected to the switching terminal SW of charging IC2. The other end of reactor La is connected to the output terminal SYS of charging IC2. The charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charging IC2 is connected to terminal P22 of MCU1 via a resistor. The charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charging IC2 is also connected to the collector terminal of bipolar transistor S1. The emitter terminal of bipolar transistor S1 is connected to the output terminal VOUT of LSW4 (described below). The base terminal of bipolar transistor S1 is connected to the Q terminal of FF17. The charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charging IC2 is also connected to one end of resistor Rc. The other end of resistor Rc is connected to the output terminal VOUT of LSW4.

[0075] A resistor is connected between the input terminal VIN and enable terminal EN of the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8. When the system power voltage Vcc0 is input to the input terminal VIN of the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8 from the output terminal SYS of the charging IC2, the signal input to the enable terminal EN of the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8 goes high, causing the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8 to start boosting or bucking. The buck-boost DC / DC converter 8 boosts or bucks the system power voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN through switching control of the internal transistor connected to the reactor Lb to generate the system power voltage Vcc1, which is output from the output terminal VOUT. The output terminal VOUT of the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8 is connected to the feedback terminal FB of the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8, the input terminal VIN of the LSW4, the input terminal VIN of the switch driver 7, and the power terminals VCC and D of the FF16. The wiring through which the system power voltage Vcc1, output from the output terminal VOUT of the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8, is supplied is referred to as the power line PL1.

[0076] When the signal input to the control terminal ON of LSW4 becomes high level, it outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc1 input to the input terminal VIN from the output terminal VOUT. The control terminal ON of LSW4 is connected to the power supply line PL1 via a resistor. Therefore, when the system power supply voltage Vcc1 is supplied to the power supply line PL1, a high-level signal is input to the control terminal ON of LSW4. The voltage output by LSW4 is the same as the system power supply voltage Vcc1 if wiring resistance and the like are ignored, but to distinguish it from the system power supply voltage Vcc1, the voltage output from the output terminal VOUT of LSW4 will be referred to as the system power supply voltage Vcc2 below.

[0077] The output terminal VOUT of LSW4 is connected to the power supply terminal VDD of MCU1, the input terminal VIN of LSW5, the power supply terminal VDD of fuel gauge IC12, the power supply terminal VCC of ROM6, the emitter terminal of bipolar transistor S1, resistor Rc, and the power supply terminal VCC of FF 17. The wiring that supplies the system power supply voltage Vcc2 output from the output terminal VOUT of LSW4 is referred to as the power supply line PL2.

[0078] When the signal input to the control terminal ON of LSW5 becomes high level, LSW5 outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc2 input to the input terminal VIN from the output terminal VOUT. The control terminal ON of LSW5 is connected to terminal P23 of MCU1. The voltage output by LSW5 is the same as the system power supply voltage Vcc2 if wiring resistance and the like are ignored. However, to distinguish it from the system power supply voltage Vcc2, the voltage output from the output terminal VOUT of LSW5 will be referred to as the system power supply voltage Vcc3 below. The wiring through which the system power supply voltage Vcc3 output from the output terminal VOUT of LSW5 is supplied will be referred to as the power supply line PL3.

[0079] A series circuit of thermistor T2 and resistor Rt2 is connected to power supply line PL3, and resistor Rt2 is connected to the ground line. Thermistor T2 and resistor Rt2 form a voltage divider circuit, and their junction is connected to terminal P21 of MCU1. MCU1 detects temperature fluctuations (resistance fluctuations) of thermistor T2 based on the voltage input to terminal P21, and determines whether or not a puffing operation is occurring based on the amount of temperature fluctuation.

[0080] A series circuit of thermistor T3 and resistor Rt3 is connected to the power supply line PL3, and resistor Rt3 is connected to the ground line. Thermistor T3 and resistor Rt3 form a voltage divider circuit, and their junction is connected to terminal P13 of MCU1 and the inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP2. MCU1 detects the temperature of thermistor T3 (equivalent to the temperature of heater HTR) based on the voltage input to terminal P13.

[0081] A series circuit of a thermistor T4 and a resistor Rt4 is connected to the power supply line PL3, and the resistor Rt4 is connected to the ground line. The thermistor T4 and the resistor Rt4 form a voltage divider circuit, and their junction is connected to a terminal P12 of the MCU1 and the inverting input terminal of an operational amplifier OP3. The MCU1 detects the temperature of the thermistor T4 (corresponding to the temperature of the case 110) based on the voltage input to the terminal P12.

[0082] The source terminal of switch S7, which is configured as a MOSFET, is connected to power supply line PL2. The gate terminal of switch S7 is connected to terminal P20 of MCU1. The drain terminal of switch S7 is connected to one of a pair of connectors to which vibration motor M is connected. The other of the pair of connectors is connected to a ground line. MCU1 controls the opening and closing of switch S7 by manipulating the potential of terminal P20, and can cause vibration motor M to vibrate in a specific pattern. A dedicated driver IC may be used instead of switch S7.

[0083] The power supply line PL2 is connected to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 and a voltage divider circuit Pd (a series circuit of two resistors) connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. The junction of the two resistors constituting the voltage divider circuit Pd is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. The operational amplifier OP2 outputs a signal corresponding to the temperature of the heater HTR (a signal corresponding to the resistance value of the thermistor T3). In this embodiment, the thermistor T3 has NTC characteristics. Therefore, the higher the temperature of the heater HTR (the temperature of thermistor T3), the lower the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP2. This is because the negative power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 is connected to the ground line. When the voltage value input to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 (the voltage divided by the thermistor T3 and resistor Rt3) becomes higher than the voltage value input to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 (the voltage divided by the voltage divider circuit Pd), the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes approximately equal to the ground potential. That is, when the temperature of the heater HTR (the temperature of the thermistor T3) becomes high, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes low level. If a thermistor T3 having PTC characteristics is used, the output of the voltage divider circuit consisting of thermistor T3 and resistor Rt3 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP2, and the output of voltage divider circuit Pd is connected to the inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP2.

[0084] The power supply line PL2 is connected to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 and a voltage divider circuit Pe (a series circuit of two resistors) connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3. The junction of the two resistors constituting the voltage divider circuit Pe is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3. The operational amplifier OP3 outputs a signal corresponding to the temperature of the case 110 (a signal corresponding to the resistance value of the thermistor T4). In this embodiment, the thermistor T4 has NTC characteristics. Therefore, the higher the temperature of the case 110, the lower the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP3. This is because the negative power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 is connected to the ground line. Therefore, when the voltage value input to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 (the voltage divided by the thermistor T4 and resistor Rt4) becomes higher than the voltage value input to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 (the voltage divided by the voltage divider circuit Pe), the output voltage value of the operational amplifier OP3 becomes approximately equal to the ground potential. In other words, when the temperature of the thermistor T4 becomes high, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP3 becomes low level. If a thermistor T4 with PTC characteristics is used, the output of the voltage divider circuit consisting of the thermistor T4 and resistor Rt4 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3, and the output of the voltage divider circuit Pe is connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3.

[0085] Resistor R1 is connected to the output terminal of operational amplifier OP2. Resistor R1 is connected to the cathode of diode D1. The anode of diode D1 is connected to the output terminal of operational amplifier OP3, the D terminal of FF17, and the CLR(￣) terminal of FF17. Resistor R2, which is connected to power supply line PL1, is connected to the connection line between resistor R1 and diode D1. The CLR(￣) terminal of FF16 is also connected to this connection line.

[0086] One end of resistor R3 is connected to the connection line between the junction of the anode of diode D1 and the output terminal of operational amplifier OP3 and the D terminal of FF17. The other end of resistor R3 is connected to power supply line PL2. Furthermore, this connection line is connected to the anode of diode D2, which is connected to notification terminal 12a of fuel gauge IC12, the anode of diode D3, and the CLR(￣) terminal of FF17. The cathode of diode D3 is connected to terminal P5 of MCU1.

[0087] When the temperature of heater HTR becomes excessive, the signal output from operational amplifier OP2 becomes small, and the signal input to the CLR(￣) terminal goes low, FF16 inputs a high-level signal from its Q(￣) terminal to MCU1's terminal P11. High-level system power supply voltage Vcc1 is supplied to the D terminal of FF16 from power line PL1. For this reason, FF16 will continue to output a low-level signal from its Q(￣) terminal unless the signal input to its CLR(￣) terminal, which operates on negative logic, goes low.

[0088] The signal input to the CLR(￣) terminal of FF17 goes low when the heater HTR temperature becomes excessive, when the case 110 temperature becomes excessive, or when a low-level signal indicating an abnormality is output from the notification terminal 12a of the fuel gauge IC 12. When the signal input to the CLR(￣) terminal goes low, FF17 outputs a low-level signal from its Q terminal. This low-level signal is input to terminal P10 of the MCU 1, the gate terminal of switch S6, the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9, and the base terminal of the bipolar transistor S1 connected to the charging IC 2. When a low-level signal is input to the gate terminal of switch S6, the gate-source voltage of the N-channel MOSFET that constitutes switch S6 falls below the threshold voltage, turning switch S6 off. When a low-level signal is input to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9, the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 is positive logic, so the boost operation stops. When a low-level signal is input to the base terminal of bipolar transistor S1, bipolar transistor S1 turns on (amplified current is output from the collector terminal). When bipolar transistor S1 turns on, a high-level system power supply voltage Vcc2 is input to the CE(￣) terminal of charging IC2 via bipolar transistor S1. Because the CE(￣) terminal of charging IC2 is negative logic, charging of power supply BAT is stopped. This stops heating of heater HTR and charging of power supply BAT. Note that even if MCU1 attempts to output a low-level enable signal from terminal P22 to the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charging IC2, when bipolar transistor S1 turns on, an amplified current is input from the collector terminal to terminal P22 of MCU1 and the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charging IC2. Note that this causes a high-level signal to be input to the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charging IC2.

[0089] The D terminal of FF17 is supplied with a high-level system power supply voltage Vcc2 from the power line PL2. Therefore, FF17 continues to output a high-level signal from the Q terminal unless the signal input to the CLR(￣) terminal, which operates in negative logic, goes low. When a low-level signal is output from the output terminal of operational amplifier OP3, a low-level signal is input to the CLR(￣) terminal of FF17, regardless of the level of the signal output from the output terminal of operational amplifier OP2. Note that when a high-level signal is output from the output terminal of operational amplifier OP2, the low-level signal output from the output terminal of operational amplifier OP3 is not affected by this high-level signal due to diode D1. Furthermore, when a low-level signal is output from the output terminal of operational amplifier OP2, even if a high-level signal is output from the output terminal of operational amplifier OP3, this high-level signal is replaced by a low-level signal via diode D1.

[0090] The power supply line PL2 further branches from the MCU mounted board 161 toward the LED mounted board 163 and the Hall IC mounted board 164. A power supply terminal VDD of the Hall IC 13, a power supply terminal VCC of the communication IC 15, and a power supply terminal VDD of the Hall IC 14 are connected to this branched power supply line PL2.

[0091] The output terminal OUT of the Hall IC 13 is connected to the terminal P3 of the MCU 1 and the terminal SW2 of the switch driver 7. When the outer panel 115 is removed, a low-level signal is output from the output terminal OUT of the Hall IC 13. The MCU 1 determines whether or not the outer panel 115 is attached based on the signal input to the terminal P3.

[0092] The LED mounting board 163 is provided with a series circuit (a series circuit of a resistor and a capacitor) connected to the operation switch OPS. This series circuit is connected to the power supply line PL2. The junction of the resistor and capacitor in this series circuit is connected to the terminal P4 of the MCU1, the operation switch OPS, and the terminal SW1 of the switch driver 7. When the operation switch OPS is not pressed, the operation switch OPS is not conductive, and the signals input to the terminal P4 of the MCU1 and the terminal SW1 of the switch driver 7 are high level due to the system power supply voltage Vcc2. When the operation switch OPS is pressed and becomes conductive, the signals input to the terminal P4 of the MCU1 and the terminal SW1 of the switch driver 7 are low level because they are connected to the ground line. The MCU1 detects the operation of the operation switch OPS based on the signal input to the terminal P4.

[0093] The switch driver 7 is provided with a reset input terminal RSTB. The reset input terminal RSTB is connected to the control terminal ON of the LSW4. When the levels of the signals input to the terminals SW1 and SW2 of the switch driver 7 are both low (when the outer panel 115 is removed and the operation switch OPS is pressed), the switch driver 7 outputs a low-level signal from the reset input terminal RSTB to stop the output operation of the LSW4. In other words, when the operation switch OPS is normally pressed down via the pressing portion 117 of the outer panel 115, but is pressed down directly by the user with the outer panel 115 removed, the levels of the signals input to the terminals SW1 and SW2 of the switch driver 7 both become low.

[0094] <Operation of each suction device operation mode> The operation of the electric circuit shown in FIG. 10 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 13 to 19. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in sleep mode. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in active mode. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in heating initial setting mode. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit when heating the heater HTR in heating mode. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit when detecting the temperature of the heater HTR in heating mode. FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit in charging mode. FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the electric circuit when resetting (restarting) the MCU1. In each of FIGS. 13 to 19, of the terminals of the chipped electronic components, the terminals surrounded by dashed ellipses are terminals that are connected to the power supply voltage V BAT , USB voltage V USB and there is no input or output of the system power supply voltage, etc. The terminals shown in the figure are connected to the

[0095] In either operating mode, the power supply voltage V BAT is the power supply terminal VDD of the protection IC10 This is input to the input terminal VIN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 and the charging terminal bat of the charging IC2.

[0096] <Sleep mode: Figure 13> MCU1 detects the V BAT Enables the Power Pass function, and supports OTG and charging functions. The USB voltage V is applied to the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC2. USB is not entered And the V of charging IC2 BAT The power pass function is enabled. The OTG function is disabled because the signal to enable it is not output from the MCU1 to the charging IC2. Therefore, the charging IC2 does not receive the power supply voltage V input to the charging terminal bat. BAT From System The step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 generates a system power supply voltage Vcc0 and outputs it from the output terminal SYS. The system power supply voltage Vcc0 output from the output terminal SYS is input to the input terminal VIN and enable terminal EN of the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8. The step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 is enabled when a high-level system power supply voltage Vcc0 is input to the enable terminal EN, which is positive logic, and generates a system power supply voltage Vcc1 from the system power supply voltage Vcc0 and outputs it from the output terminal VOUT. The system power supply voltage Vcc1 output from the output terminal VOUT of the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 is supplied to the input terminal VIN of the LSW4, the control terminal ON of the LSW4, the input terminal VIN of the switch driver 7, and the power supply terminal VCC and D terminal of the FF16.

[0097] When the system power supply voltage Vcc1 is input to the control terminal ON of LSW4, it outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc1 input to the input terminal VIN as the system power supply voltage Vcc2 from the output terminal VOUT. The system power supply voltage Vcc2 output from LSW4 is input to the power supply terminal VDD of MCU1, the input terminal VIN of LSW5, the power supply terminal VDD of Hall IC13, the power supply terminal VCC of communication IC15, and the power supply terminal VDD of Hall IC14. Furthermore, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is supplied to the power supply terminal VDD of fuel gauge IC12, the power supply terminal VCC of ROM6, the resistor Rc and bipolar transistor S1 connected to the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charger IC2, the power supply terminal VCC of FF17, the positive power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP3, the voltage divider circuit Pe, the positive power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP2, and the voltage divider circuit Pd. The bipolar transistor S1 connected to charger IC2 remains off unless a low-level signal is output from the Q terminal of FF17. As a result, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 generated by LSW4 is also input to the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charger IC2. Because the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of charger IC2 is negative logic, in this state the charging function of charger IC2 is turned off.

[0098] In this way, in sleep mode, LSW5 stops outputting the system power supply voltage Vcc3, so power supply to electronic components connected to power line PL3 is stopped. Also, in sleep mode, the OTG function of charging IC2 is stopped, so power supply to LEDs L1 to L8 is stopped.

[0099] <Active mode: Figure 14> 13, when the signal input to terminal P8 goes high and the MCU1 detects that slider 119 has opened, it inputs a high-level signal from terminal P23 to control terminal ON of LSW5. This causes LSW5 to output system power supply voltage Vcc2 input to input terminal VIN as system power supply voltage Vcc3 from output terminal VOUT. System power supply voltage Vcc3 output from output terminal VOUT of LSW5 is supplied to thermistors T2, T3, and T4.

[0100] Furthermore, when the MCU 1 detects that the slider 119 is open, it enables the OTG function of the charging IC 2 via the communication line LN. As a result, the charging IC 2 receives the power supply voltage V BAT The system power supply voltage Vcc4 obtained by boosting The system power supply voltage Vcc4 output from the input terminal VBUS is supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8.

[0101] <Heating initial setting mode: Figure 15> When the signal input to terminal P4 goes low (the operation switch OPS is pressed) from the state in FIG. 14, the MCU 1 performs various settings required for heating, and then inputs a high-level enable signal from terminal P14 to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9. This causes the step-up DC / DC converter 9 to BAT Boost the voltage The resulting drive voltage V bst is output from the output terminal VOUT. bst Is, sweet The voltage is supplied to switch S3 and switch S4. In this state, switches S3 and S4 are off. Also, switch S6 is turned on by a high-level enable signal output from terminal P14. This connects the negative terminal of heater HTR to the ground line, and when switch S3 is turned on, heater HTR is ready to heat. After a high-level enable signal is output from terminal P14 of MCU1, the system transitions to heating mode.

[0102] <Heater heating in heating mode: Figure 16> In the state of Fig. 15, the MCU1 starts the switching control of the switch S3 connected to the terminal P16 and the switching control of the switch S4 connected to the terminal P15. These switching controls may be started automatically when the above-mentioned heating initial setting mode is completed, or may be started by pressing the operation switch OPS again. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 16, the MCU1 turns on the switch S3 and turns off the switch S4, and the driving voltage V bst The heater HTR is heated to generate aerosols. Heat control and temperature detection control are performed by turning off the switch S3 and turning on the switch S4 to detect the temperature of the heater HTR, as shown in FIG.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 16, during heating control, the drive voltage V bst is the gate of switch S5. The drive voltage V bst is connected to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 via the resistor Rs. The resistance of resistor Rs is negligibly small compared to the internal resistance of operational amplifier OP1. Therefore, during heating control, the voltage input to the positive power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP1 is equal to the drive voltage V bst becomes almost equivalent to

[0104] The resistance value of resistor R4 is larger than the on-resistance value of switch S5. The operational amplifier OP1 operates even during heating control, but switch S5 is turned on during heating control. When switch S5 is on, the output voltage of operational amplifier OP1 is divided by the voltage divider circuit consisting of resistor R4 and switch S5 and input to terminal P9 of MCU1. Because the resistance value of resistor R4 is larger than the on-resistance value of switch S5, the voltage input to terminal P9 of MCU1 is sufficiently small. This prevents a large voltage from being input from operational amplifier OP1 to MCU1.

[0105] <Heater temperature detection in heating mode: Figure 17> As shown in Figure 17, during temperature detection control, the drive voltage V bst is the positive terminal of the operational amplifier OP1. The voltage is input to the power supply terminal and also to the voltage divider circuit Pb. The voltage divided by the voltage divider circuit Pb is input to the terminal P18 of the MCU1. Based on the voltage input to the terminal P18, the MCU1 determines the reference voltage V to be applied to the series circuit of the resistor Rs and the heater HTR during temperature detection control. temp Get.

[0106] In addition, during temperature detection control, the drive voltage V bst (Reference voltage V temp ) is resistor Rs and is supplied to the series circuit of the heater HTR. And this driving voltage V bst (Reference voltage V t emp ) is divided by resistor Rs and heater HTR to form voltage V heat But the operational amplifier O The resistance of resistor Rs is much larger than that of heater HTR, so the voltage V heat is the driving voltage V bst This is a value that is significantly lower than the During temperature detection control, this low voltage V heat is also supplied to the gate terminal of switch S5. The operational amplifier OP1 detects the voltage V heat The difference is amplified and output.

[0107] The output signal of the operational amplifier OP1 is input to the terminal P9 of the MCU1. The MCU1 obtains a reference voltage V based on the signal input to the terminal P9 and the input voltage of the terminal P18. temp and the known electrical resistance value of the resistor Rs, the MCU 1 acquires the temperature of the heater HTR. Based on the acquired temperature of the heater HTR, the MCU 1 performs heating control of the heater HTR (for example, control so that the temperature of the heater HTR becomes a target temperature).

[0108] The MCU 1 can acquire the temperature of the heater HTR even during the period when the switches S3 and S4 are turned off (the period when the heater HTR is not energized). Specifically, the MCU 1 acquires the temperature of the heater HTR based on the voltage input to the terminal P13 (the output voltage of the voltage divider circuit configured by the thermistor T3 and the resistor Rt3).

[0109] The MCU 1 can also, at any timing, acquire the temperature of the case 110. Specifically, the MCU 1 acquires the temperature of the case 110 based on the voltage input to the terminal P12 (the output voltage of the voltage divider circuit configured by the thermistor T4 and the resistor Rt4).

[0110] <Charging mode: Figure 18> Figure 18 shows an example of a case where a USB connection is made in the sleep mode. When a USB connection is made, the USB voltage V USB is connected to the input terminal of LSW3 via the overvoltage protection IC11. The USB voltage V USB is connected to the input terminal VIN of LSW3. The voltage is also supplied to the voltage divider circuit Pf. Immediately after USB connection, the bipolar transistor S2 is on, so the signal input to the control terminal ON of LSW3 remains low. The USB voltage V USB is the voltage divider circuit connected to pin P17 of MCU1. The voltage is also supplied to terminal Pc, and the voltage divided by this voltage divider circuit Pc is input to terminal P17. The MCU1 detects that a USB connection has been made based on the voltage input to terminal P17.

[0111] When the MCU1 detects that a USB connection has been made, it turns off the bipolar transistor S2 connected to the terminal P19. When a low-level signal is input to the gate terminal of the bipolar transistor S2, the USB voltage V divided by the voltage divider circuit Pf is USB LSW3 This causes a high-level signal to be input to the control terminal ON of LSW3, and LSW3 is turned on by the USB voltage V USB is output from the output terminal VOUT. USB voltage V output from W3 USB is input to the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC2 Also, the USB voltage V output from LSW3 USB is the system power supply voltage Vc It is supplied to LEDs L1 to L8 as c4.

[0112] When the MCU1 detects that a USB connection has been made, it also outputs a low-level enable signal from terminal P22 to the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of the charger IC2. This causes the charger IC2 to enable the charging function of the power supply BAT and increase the USB voltage V input to the input terminal VBUS. USB Start charging the power supply BAT.

[0113] When a USB connection is made in the active mode, when the MCU1 detects the USB connection, it turns off the bipolar transistor S2 connected to the terminal P19. Further, from the terminal P22, it outputs a low-level enable signal to the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of the charge IC2. Further, it turns off the OTG function of the charge IC2 through serial communication using the communication line LN. As a result, the system power supply voltage Vcc4 supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8 is switched from the voltage (voltage based on the power supply voltage V BAT ), which was generated by the OTG function of the charge IC2, to the USB voltage V USB output from the LSW3 . The LEDs L1 to L8 do not operate unless the built-in transistor is turned on by the MCU1. Therefore, it is prevented that an unstable voltage in the transition period from the on state to the off state of the OTG function is supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8.

[0114] In FIG. 18, the supply state of the system power supply voltage in the charging mode is the same as that in the sleep mode. However, it is preferable that the supply state of the system power supply voltage in the charging mode is the same as that in the active mode shown in FIG. 14. That is, in the charging mode, it is preferable that the system power supply voltage Vcc3 is supplied to the thermistors T2 to T4 for temperature management described later.

[0115] <Reset of MCU: FIG. 19> When the outer panel 115 is removed and the output of the Hall IC 13 goes low, and the operation switch OPS is turned on and the signal input to the terminal P4 of the MCU1 goes low, both the terminals SW1 and SW2 of the switch driver 7 go low. This causes the switch driver 7 to output a low-level signal from the reset input terminal RSTB. The low-level signal output from the reset input terminal RSTB is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW4. This causes the LSW4 to stop outputting the system power supply voltage Vcc2 from the output terminal VOUT. Since the output of the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is stopped, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is no longer input to the power supply terminal VDD of the MCU1, and the MCU1 stops.

[0116] When the time that the low-level signal is output from the reset input terminal RSTB reaches a predetermined time, or when the signal input to either terminal SW1 or terminal SW2 becomes high, the switch driver 7 returns the signal output from the reset input terminal RSTB to high. This causes the control terminal ON of LSW4 to become high, and the system returns to a state in which the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is supplied to each component.

[0117] For ease of understanding, the thermistor T1 described above will also be referred to as power supply thermistor T1, the thermistor T2 described above will also be referred to as puff thermistor T2, the thermistor T3 described above will also be referred to as heater thermistor T3, and the thermistor T4 described above will also be referred to as case thermistor T4.

[0118] <Details of charging IC functions) 20 is a diagram showing a schematic internal configuration of the charging IC 2. The charging IC 2 includes a processor 21, a gate driver 22, and switches Q1 to Q4 each formed of an N-channel MOSFET.

[0119] The source terminal of switch Q1 is connected to the input terminal VBUS. The drain terminal of switch Q1 is connected to the drain terminal of switch Q2. The source terminal of switch Q2 is connected to switching terminal SW. The drain terminal of switch Q3 is connected to the connection node between switch Q2 and switching terminal SW. The source terminal of switch Q3 is connected to ground terminal GND. The drain terminal of switch Q4 is connected to output terminal SYS. The source terminal of switch Q4 is connected to charging terminal bat.

[0120] The gate driver 22 is connected to the gate terminal of the switch Q2 and the gate terminal of the switch Q3, and controls the on / off of the switches Q2 and Q3 based on instructions from the processor 21.

[0121] The processor 21 is connected to the gate driver 22, the gate terminal of the switch Q1, the gate terminal of the switch Q4, and the charge enable terminal CE( ). The processor 21 controls the on / off of the switches Q2 and Q3 via the gate driver 22, and the on / off of the switches Q1 and Q4.

[0122] Charging IC2 provides the charging function mentioned above, V BAT In addition to the Power Pass function and OTG function , V USB Power Pass function and V USB &V BAT It also has a power pass function. Next, we will explain the internal control of the charging IC 2 when each of these functions is enabled. Note that the specific values ​​of the various voltages mentioned above are preferably the values ​​shown below.

[0123] Power supply voltage V BAT (Fully charged voltage) = 4.2V Power supply voltage V BAT (nominal voltage)=3.7V System power supply voltage Vcc1=3.3V System power supply voltage Vcc2=3.3V System power supply voltage Vcc3=3.3V System power supply voltage Vcc4=5.0V USB voltage V USB =5.0V Drive voltage V bst =4.9V

[0124] (charging function) The processor 21 controls the on / off states of the switches Q2 and Q4 while controlling the switch Q1 to be on and the switch Q3 to be off. The on / off state of the switch Q4 is controlled to adjust the charging current of the power supply BAT. The processor 21 controls the on / off state of the switch Q2 so that the voltage of the output terminal SYS becomes the same as the voltage suitable for charging the power supply BAT. As a result, the USB voltage V input to the input terminal VBUS USB is stepped down and output terminal The voltage output from the output terminal SYS is input to the input terminal VIN of the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc0, and is also output from the charging terminal bat of the charging IC2. USB The voltage obtained by stepping down The power supply BAT is charged by this voltage. When the charging function is enabled, the system power supply voltage Vcc0 eventually becomes the same as the fully charged voltage of the power supply BAT. Therefore, the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 steps down the system power supply voltage Vcc0 of 4.2V input to the input terminal VIN, and generates and outputs a system power supply voltage Vcc1 of 3.3V. When the charging function is enabled, the potential of the input terminal VBUS in the charging IC2 is higher than the potential of the output terminal SYS, so power from the power supply BAT is not output from the input terminal VBUS.

[0125] (V USB Power Pass function) V USB The Power Pass function is useful when the power supply BAT is not available due to over-discharge or other reasons. The processor 21 controls the switches Q1 to be on, Q2 to be on, Q3 to be off, and Q4 to be off. As a result, the USB voltage V USBis output directly from the switching terminal SW without being stepped down. The voltage output from the switching terminal SW is input to the input terminal VIN of the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc0. In this case, the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 also steps down the 5V system power supply voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN to generate and output the 3.3V system power supply voltage Vcc1. USB Even when the power path function is enabled, the processor 21 In this way, the 5.0V USB voltage V USB From 3. The step-down of the system power supply voltage Vcc1 from 3V can be shared between the charging IC 2 and the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8. This prevents the load and heat from concentrating on the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8.

[0126] (V USB &V BAT Power Pass function) V USB &V BAT The Power Path function is used when, for example, the power supply BAT is fully charged and This is enabled when the USB connection is maintained. The processor 21 controls the switch Q2 to be on and off while controlling the switch Q1 to be on, the switch Q3 to be off, and the switch Q4 to be on. The processor 21 checks whether the voltage at the output terminal SYS is equal to or lower than the voltage at the power supply BAT (power supply voltage V BAT ) is controlled so that the voltage at the input terminal VBUS The USB voltage V USB is stepped down and output from the output terminal SYS. USB voltage V input to VBUS USB is stepped down and output from the output terminal SYS. The voltage output from the power supply BAT via the charging terminal bat and the output terminal SYS will be the same value.USB The power includes the voltage obtained by stepping down the output terminal The power supply voltage V output from SYS BAT The power including It is supplied to the input terminal VIN of inverter 8. V USB &V BAT When the Power Pass function is enabled In the charging IC2, the potential of the input terminal VBUS is higher than the potential of the output terminal SYS, so that the power from the power supply BAT is not output from the input terminal VBUS.

[0127] V USB &V BAT When the power path function is enabled, the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8 Power supply voltage V BAT The magnitude of the voltage determines whether to boost or buck. DC converter 8 supplies the power supply voltage V BAT If the voltage is 3.3V or higher, the voltage input to the input terminal VIN The step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 steps down the input system power supply voltage Vcc0 to generate and output a system power supply voltage Vcc1 of 3.3 V. BAT is less than 3.3V In this case, the system power supply voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN is boosted to generate and output a system power supply voltage Vcc1 of 3.3V.

[0128] (V BAT Power Pass function) V BAT The Power Pass function is effective in modes other than charging mode (e.g., sleep mode). The processor 21 controls the switches Q1 and Q3 to be turned off. This causes the power supply voltage V input to the charging terminal bat to BAT is output from the SYS terminal as is. This is then input to the input terminal VIN of the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc0. This control blocks the power transmission path between the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC2 and the switching terminal SW by the parasitic diode of the switch Q1. As a result, the power supply voltage V output from the output terminal SYS BAT is output from the input terminal VBUS. It will never be done.

[0129] V BAT When the Power Path function is enabled, the buck-boost DC / DC converter 8 operates at the power supply voltage V BAT The step-up or step-down DC / DC converter is used to determine whether to use step-up or step-down. The voltage regulator 8 is the power supply voltage V BAT If the voltage is 3.3V or higher, Source voltage V BAT This is stepped down to generate and output the 3.3V system power supply voltage Vcc1. The step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 converts the power supply voltage V BAT 3. If it is less than 3V, the supply voltage V BAT is boosted to 3.3V system power supply voltage Vcc Generate and output 1.

[0130] (OTG function) OTG function is V BAT This function is effective at the same time as the Power Pass function, and for example, OTG function and V BAT When both Power Path features are enabled, the processor The switch Q3 is turned on and off while the switch Q1 is turned on. This allows the power supply voltage V input to the charging terminal bat to BAT is output terminal SYS The power supply voltage Vcc0 is input to the input terminal VIN of the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc0. BAT Is, The power supply voltage V input to the switching terminal SW of the power supply IC2 is BAT is the same as the system power supply voltage Vcc4. This controls the power supply voltage V input to the switching terminal SW. BAT is boosted and output from the input terminal VBUS. The voltage output from the input terminal VBUS is input to the LEDs L1 to L8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc4.

[0131] In this way, the charging IC2 is connected to the USB voltage V USB It functions as a step-down converter to step down the Function and power supply voltage V BAT It also functions as a boost converter to boost the voltage. The voltage input to the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 from the charging IC2 fluctuates in various ways depending on the functions enabled in the charging IC2. However, even with such fluctuations, the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 can maintain a constant system power supply voltage Vcc1 (power including the system power supply voltage Vcc1) by selectively stepping up or down the voltage. Note that when the system power supply voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN of the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 is equal to the system power supply voltage Vcc1 (3.3 V), the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 does not step up or step down the voltage, and outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc0 from the output terminal VOUT as the system power supply voltage Vcc1.

[0132] (protection control) In the inhaler 100, the temperature of the power supply BAT (hereinafter referred to as the power supply temperature T BAT ) can be obtained, and the resistance value of heater thermistor T3 ( The temperature of the heater HTR (hereinafter referred to as the heater temperature T HTR (described as) can be obtained The resistance value (output value) of the case thermistor T4 determines the temperature of the case 110 (hereinafter referred to as the case temperature T CASEThe inhaler 100 can acquire the power supply temperature T B AT , heater temperature T HTR , and case temperature T CASE At least one of the following is a suction device When the value of 100 becomes far different from the value in the recommended environment for use, a protective control is executed to prohibit charging of the power supply BAT and discharging from the power supply BAT to the heater HTR (hereinafter also referred to as charging and discharging), thereby enhancing safety. This protective control is executed by the MCU1 and FF17.

[0133] Protection control to prohibit charging and discharging refers to controlling electronic components to disable charging and discharging. To disable discharging from the power supply BAT to the heater HTR, a low-level signal is input to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 (or the potential of the enable terminal EN is made undefined) to stop the boost operation, and a low-level signal is input to the gate terminal of the switch S6 (or the potential of the gate terminal is made undefined) to disconnect the negative heater connector Cn(-) from ground. Disabling discharging from the power supply BAT to the heater HTR can also be achieved by either stopping the boost operation of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 or disconnecting the heater connector Cn(-) from ground. To disable charging the power supply BAT, a high-level signal is input to the charge enable terminal CE(￣) of the charging IC2 to stop the charging operation of the charging IC2. In the following, an example of the protective control in which charging and discharging are prohibited will be described, but from the viewpoint of improving safety, the protective control may be a control that prohibits only charging, or a control that prohibits only discharging.

[0134] When protective control is performed, it is preferable to further restrict the operation mode. In the following, it is assumed that the operation mode is restricted when protective control is performed. However, since the operation mode is managed by the MCU1, the operation mode does not need to be restricted when the MCU1 is not operating for some reason.

[0135] The protection controls performed by the inhalator 100 include manual recovery protection control, which can be terminated by resetting the MCU 1 through a user operation; automatic recovery protection control, which can be terminated automatically when the temperature environment improves without requiring resetting the MCU 1; and non-recovery protection control, which cannot be terminated. The operation modes of the inhalator 100 include an error mode and a permanent error mode in addition to those described in Fig. 9. In this specification, the phrase "all operation modes of the inhalator" refers to all operation modes excluding the error mode and permanent error mode (all operation modes shown in Fig. 9).

[0136] When manual recovery protection control or automatic recovery protection control is performed, the inhaler 100 transitions to error mode and cannot transition to another operation mode. Note that in error mode, the power supply voltage state (the supply state of the system power supply voltage) in the previous operation mode is maintained. That is, in error mode, functions that could be performed in the previous operation mode (e.g., obtaining temperature information) except for charging and discharging can be performed. When the MCU 1 is reset in error mode, the manual recovery protection control is terminated. When the temperature environment is improved in error mode, the automatic recovery protection control is terminated. When manual recovery protection control or automatic recovery protection control is terminated, the operation mode restriction is lifted and the operation mode transitions to sleep mode. After that, the operation mode can be changed by user operation, etc.

[0137] When the non-recoverable protective control is performed, the inhaler 100 enters a permanent error mode. In the permanent error mode, all functions of the inhaler 100 become unusable, and the inhaler 100 must be repaired or discarded.

[0138] The MCU 1 performs protection control by outputting a low-level signal from terminal P14 to stop the boost operation of the step-up DC / DC converter 9 and disconnect the negative-side heater connector Cn(-) from ground, and by outputting a high-level signal from terminal P22 to stop the charging operation of the charging IC 2. If only charging is to be prohibited, there is no need to output a low-level signal from terminal P14, and if only discharging is to be prohibited, there is no need to output a high-level signal from terminal P22.

[0139] FF17 outputs a low-level signal from the Q terminal to stop the boost operation of the step-up DC / DC converter 9, cut off the connection between the negative heater connector Cn(-) and ground, and stop the charging operation of the charging IC2 by turning on the bipolar transistor S1, thereby performing protection control without going through MCU1.

[0140] When the signal input to the CLR(￣) terminal of FF17 switches from high to low, FF17 outputs a low signal from its Q terminal. This low signal is also input to the P10 terminal of MCU1. While a low signal is input to terminal P10, MCU1 does not switch the signal input to the CLK terminal (not shown) of FF17 from low to high. In other words, while a low signal is input to terminal P10, the CLK signal of FF17 does not rise. Furthermore, when MCU1 is frozen, for example, the signal input to the CLK terminal (not shown) of FF17 remains low. Therefore, whether MCU1 is operating normally or frozen, after a low signal is output from the Q terminal of FF17, the Q terminal of FF17 continues to output a low signal, even if the signal input to the CLR(￣) terminal of FF17 switches from low to high. As explained in Figure 19, when MCU1 is reset, FF17 is restarted (the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is reapplied). Because the reset MCU1 operates in sleep mode, the system power supply voltage Vcc3 is not applied to the heater thermistor T3 and case thermistor T4, and the outputs of the operational amplifiers OP2 and OP3 both go high. This causes high-level signals to be input to the D terminal and CLR(￣) terminal of FF17. At this timing, because a low-level signal is not being input to terminal P10 due to the restart of FF17, MCU1 causes the CLK signal of FF17 to rise. This makes it possible to return the output of the Q terminal of FF17 to high level. When the output of the Q terminal of FF17 returns to high level, protection control by FF17 ends.

[0141] As described above, the signal output from the Q terminal of FF17 is also input to the terminal P10 of MCU1. Therefore, the MCU1 can detect that FF17 has performed protection control from the low-level signal input to the terminal P10. When the MCU1 detects that FF17 has performed protection control, it is preferable that the MCU1 causes the notification unit 180 to issue a reset request notification for MCU1 and transition to error mode.

[0142] (Details of MCU1 reset) If the operation mode transitions to the error mode due to the execution of manual recovery protection control, or if the MCU1 stops operating normally (freezes) for some reason, the MCU1 needs to be reset (restarted).

[0143] FIG. 21 is a circuit diagram of the electrical circuit shown in FIG. 10, showing only the main electronic components related to the reset operation of MCU1. FIG. 21 additionally shows a motor connector Cn(m) and a resistor R7, which were not marked in FIG. 10. A vibration motor M is connected to the motor connector Cn(m). The motor connector Cn(m) is connected in parallel to the power supply terminal VDD of MCU1 via switch S7. Therefore, when the supply of the system power supply voltage Vcc2 to the power supply terminal VDD of MCU1 is stopped, the supply of operating voltage to vibration motor M is also stopped. One end of resistor R7 is connected to the node connecting the control terminal ON of LSW4 and the reset input terminal RSTB of switch driver 7, and the other end is connected to the input terminal VIN of switch driver 7.

[0144] The MCU1 is reset by stopping the supply of the system power supply voltage Vcc2, which serves as the operating voltage of the MCU1, to the power supply terminal VDD of the MCU1, and then resuming the supply. As shown in FIG. 20 , the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is output from the output terminal VOUT of the LSW4 when the LSW4 is closed (when the electrical connection between the input terminal VIN and the output terminal VOUT is closed). In other words, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is not output from the output terminal VOUT of the LSW4 when the LSW4 is open (when the electrical connection between the input terminal VIN and the output terminal VOUT is interrupted). The opening and closing of the LSW4 is controlled by the switch driver 7. In this way, in the inhaler 100, the MCU1 can be reset by the switch driver 7 controlling the opening and closing of the LSW4.

[0145] The system power supply voltage Vcc1 is input to the input terminal VIN of each of the LSW4 and the switch driver 7. Therefore, when the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 is generating the system power supply voltage Vcc1, the LSW4 and the switch driver 7 operate simultaneously. The switch driver 7 includes, for example, a switch connected between the reset input terminal RSTB and the ground terminal GND. When this switch is closed, the potential of the reset input terminal RSTB is at ground level (low level). The input terminal VIN and the reset input terminal RSTB of the switch driver 7 are connected in parallel via a resistor R7. Therefore, as long as the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 is generating the system power supply voltage Vcc1, the potential of the reset input terminal RSTB is at high level when the switch built into the switch driver 7 is open. The control terminal ON for controlling the opening and closing of the LSW4 is connected to the output terminal VOUT of the step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8 via the resistor R7 and also to the reset input terminal RSTB of the switch driver 7. Therefore, when the switch built into the switch driver 7 is open, a high-level voltage based on the system power supply voltage Vcc1 is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW4. On the other hand, when the switch built into the switch driver 7 is closed, one end of the resistor R7 is connected to ground, so that a high-level signal based on the system power supply voltage Vcc1 is not input to the control terminal ON of the LSW4, and the signal input to the control terminal ON of the LSW4 is low. In this way, the switch driver 7 controls the potential of the reset input terminal RSTB to control the opening and closing of the LSW4.

[0146] The switch driver 7 controls the potential of the reset input terminal RSTB based on the voltage input to the terminal SW1 and the voltage input to the terminal SW2. The voltage input to the terminal SW1 is at a low level (ground level) when the operation switch OPS is pressed, and is at a high level when the operation switch OPS is not pressed. The voltage input to the terminal SW2 is at a low level when the outer panel 115 is detached from the inner panel 118, and is at a high level when the outer panel 115 is attached to the inner panel 118.

[0147] The switch driver 7 starts a reset process for resetting the MCU 1 when a panel condition, that is, the outer panel 115 is detached from the inner panel 118, is satisfied, and a switch operation condition, that the operation switch OPS is continuously pressed for a predetermined time (hereinafter referred to as the reset operation time), is satisfied. A state in which both the panel condition and the switch operation condition are satisfied is defined as a state in which the restart condition is satisfied. A state in which the operation switch OPS continues to be pressed after both the panel condition and the switch operation condition are satisfied is defined as a state in which the restart condition continues to be satisfied.

[0148] The reset process refers to waiting for a predetermined delay time td of 0 seconds or more, then closing the built-in switch of the switch driver 7 to control the LSW 4 to an open state, and then opening the switch to return the LSW 4 to a closed state when the time the switch is closed reaches a predetermined time. If the panel condition is no longer satisfied or the user stops pressing the operation switch OPS while waiting for the reset operation time to elapse after the start of pressing the operation switch OPS when the panel condition is satisfied, the switch driver 7 returns to a standby state without executing the reset process. After starting the reset process, the switch driver 7 opens the built-in switch and terminates the reset process when the time the built-in switch is closed reaches a predetermined time, regardless of whether the restart condition is satisfied. In other words, even if the panel condition is satisfied and the restart condition continues to be satisfied by continuing to press the operation switch OPS until the time the built-in switch of the switch driver 7 is closed reaches the predetermined time, the switch driver 7 opens the built-in switch to return the LSW 4 to a closed state.

[0149] It is preferable that the reset operation time be set to a value different from the duration of pressing the operation switch OPS (hereinafter referred to as the heating start operation time) required to transition from the active mode to the heating setting mode (to instruct the heater HTR to start heating the rod 500). By doing so, resetting the MCU 1 requires an operation different from the operation for executing aerosol generation, which is likely to be performed frequently. This makes it possible to reset the MCU 1 with the user's clear intention. Furthermore, it is more preferable that the reset operation time be set to a value longer than the heating start operation time. By doing so, it becomes possible to reset the MCU 1 with the user's clearer intention.

[0150] For example, the heating start operation time is 1 second and the reset operation time is 5 seconds, but these values ​​are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting.

[0151] If the MCU1 itself is not frozen, when the reset process is initiated by the switch driver 7 (in other words, when the restart conditions are satisfied), it is preferable that the MCU1 controls the notification unit 180 (vibration motor M and LEDs L1 to L8) to cause the notification unit 180 to notify the user. Notification methods include lighting the LEDs L1 to L8 in a predetermined pattern, vibrating the vibration motor M, or a combination of these. This notification allows the user to recognize that continuing the current operation will reset the MCU1. The MCU1 may also issue this notification or a different notification while waiting for the reset operation time to elapse.

[0152] Furthermore, when the delay time td is set to a value greater than 0, it is preferable that the MCU1 completes the notification by the notification unit 180 accompanying the start of the reset process before the delay time td has elapsed. In this way, the user can recognize that the reset of the MCU1 will soon begin when the notification is completed. Of course, the notification by the notification unit 180 may continue until the delay time td has elapsed. Even in this case, since the vibration motor M operates using the system power supply voltage Vcc2, the notification is completed simultaneously with the cessation of the supply of the system power supply voltage Vcc2 to the MCU1, and the user can recognize that the reset of the MCU1 has begun.

[0153] As a result of the MCU1 freezing, for example, a situation may occur in which the heater HTR is overheated.

[0154] As mentioned above, if the temperature of the heater HTR (the temperature of the heater thermistor T3) becomes excessively high, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP2 will go low. This low-level voltage is input to the CLR(￣) terminal of FF16. When the signal input to the CLR(￣) terminal of FF16 goes low, the output of the Q terminal of FF16 goes low. The Q(￣) terminal of FF16 outputs a voltage that is the inverse of the output of the Q terminal of FF16. Therefore, when the signal input to the CLR(￣) terminal of FF16 goes low, FF16 outputs a high-level signal from the Q(￣) terminal. Note that under normal conditions, when the temperature of the heater HTR (the temperature of the heater thermistor T3) is not excessively high, the signal input to the CLR(￣) terminal of FF16 is high. Therefore, under normal conditions, FF16 outputs a low-level voltage from the Q(￣) terminal that is the inverse of the high-level voltage input to the D terminal (system power supply voltage Vcc1).

[0155] Let us assume that MCU1 freezes due to noise. When MCU1 freezes, the user removes outer panel 115 from inner panel 118 and continues to press operation switch OPS to reset MCU1. Even while MCU1 is being reset, the system power supply voltage Vcc1 continues to be supplied to the power supply terminal VCC of FF16. Therefore, before and after resetting MCU1, FF16 continues to hold information indicating that the temperature of heater HTR has become excessive (high-level output from Q(￣) terminal).

[0156] When the voltage input to terminal P11 is at a high level, the restarted MCU1 detects that the temperature of the heater HTR has become excessive, executes protection control, and transitions the operation mode to permanent error mode. That is, the protection control executed here is non-recoverable protection control. In this way, even if the heater HTR overheats as a result of the MCU1 freezing, the MCU1 can be restored to normal operation by resetting, and the operation mode can be transitioned to permanent error mode. This makes it possible to disable the inhalator 100, thereby improving safety.

[0157] As described above, in the inhalator 100, the switch driver 7 opens and closes the LSW 4 to reset the MCU 1 when both the switch operation condition, which is a condition related to the operation of the operation switch OPS, and the panel condition, which is a condition different from the operation of the operation switch OPS, are satisfied. Techniques for resetting a controller when a single condition is satisfied are well known. However, in the inhalator 100, the MCU 1 is reset when multiple conditions are satisfied. This prevents the MCU 1 from being reset due to an incorrect operation or some kind of impact, and allows the MCU 1 to be reset only when necessary.

[0158] Furthermore, in inhalator 100, MCU 1 is not reset even if operation switch OPS is continuously pressed while outer panel 115 is attached to inner panel 118. MCU 1 is reset by continuously pressing operation switch OPS only while outer panel 115 is detached from inner panel 118. In this way, by switching functions that can be realized by the same operation member depending on whether outer panel 115 is attached or not, the number of operation members can be reduced, thereby improving operability and reducing costs.

[0159] It is preferable that the MCU 1 causes the notification unit 180 to issue a notification when it detects that the outer panel 115 has been removed from the inner panel 118. In this way, in order to reset the MCU 1, it is necessary to operate the operation switch OPS even while the notification is issued because the panel condition has been met. This allows the user to reset the MCU 1 with their clear intention.

[0160] Furthermore, it is preferable that the MCU 1 disables discharge from the power supply BAT to the heater HTR when it detects that the outer panel 115 has been removed from the inner panel 118. When the outer panel 115 is not attached, heat generated by the heating unit 170 is easily transmitted to the user, and so by doing so, safety can be improved.

[0161] (Preferred form of heating unit 170) Fig. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along a cutting plane passing through case thermistor T4 of inhalator 100 shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 22, heating unit 170 includes cylindrical rod accommodating portion 172 having a heat insulating function, cylindrical heater support member 174 arranged inside rod accommodating portion 172, and cylindrical heater HTR supported on the inner circumferential surface of heater support member 174.

[0162] The heater HTR has a generally elliptical cross section perpendicular to the vertical direction. Specifically, the heater HTR is composed of flat portions H1 and H2 that are arranged facing each other and spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction and extend in the vertical direction, a curved portion H3 that connects the right end of the flat portion H1 to the right end of the flat portion H2, and a curved portion H4 that connects the left end of the flat portion H1 to the left end of the flat portion H2. Note that the generally elliptical shape may be formed by using a curved portion with a curvature different from that of the curved portions H3 and H4 instead of the flat portions H1 and H2.

[0163] A portion of the rod 500 is accommodated in the space 170A surrounded by the elliptical heater HTR. The outer shape of the rod 500 is circular, and the diameter of the rod 500 is greater than the distance between the flat portions H1 and H2 in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, the rod 500 inserted into the space 170A is crushed in the front-to-rear direction by the flat portions H1 and H2. By configuring the heating unit 170 as shown in FIG. 21, the contact area between the rod 500 and the heater HTR is increased, allowing the rod 500 to be heated efficiently. The MCU 1 can be reset regardless of whether the rod 500 is inserted into the space 170A.

[0164] For example, assume that the MCU 1 freezes before heating the rod 500 inserted through the opening 132 (see FIG. 2 ), preventing aerosol generation. In such a case, the MCU 1 can be reset by simply removing the outer panel 115 and pressing the operation switch OPS while the rod 500 is still inserted, without removing the rod 500 from the opening 132 and closing the slider 119. After the MCU 1 returns to the active mode by resetting, the user attaches the outer panel 115 and then presses the operation switch OPS for the heating start operation time. This causes the aerosol generation that was not performed to be performed. In this way, the MCU 1 can be reset without removing or inserting the rod 500, in other words, without opening and closing the slider 119, thereby reducing the burden on the user and improving usability.

[0165] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that such modifications also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0166] 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.

[0167] (1) Power supply (power supply BAT) and a heater connector (heater connector Cn) to which a heater (heater HTR) that consumes power supplied from the power source and heats the aerosol source (rod 500) is connected; a controller (MCU1) configured to be able to control the supply of power from the power supply to the heater, and including a power supply terminal (power supply terminal VDD) to which power for operation is input; a restart circuit (switch driver 7) capable of restarting the controller; an IC (FF16) including a power supply terminal (power supply terminal VCC) to which power for operation is input, and which is separate from the controller; a second system voltage (system power supply voltage Vcc2) generated from the power supply can be supplied to a power supply terminal of the controller; a first system voltage (system power supply voltage Vcc1) generated from the power supply is supplied to the power supply terminal of the IC even while the controller is being restarted by the restart circuit; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0168] According to (1), the IC can continue to function even while the controller is restarting. This allows the aerosol generator to have higher functionality than when the power supply to the IC is cut off while the controller is restarting.

[0169] (2) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (1), the second system voltage is generated from the first system voltage. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0170] According to (2), the second system voltage (system power supply voltage Vcc2) for restarting the controller and the first system voltage (system power supply voltage Vcc1) that remains active even during restart can be realized with a simple circuit configuration, thereby reducing the cost and size of the aerosol generating device.

[0171] (3) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (2), The voltage value of the second system voltage is equal to the voltage value of the first system voltage. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0172] According to (3), the second system voltage (system power supply voltage Vcc2) for restarting the controller and the first system voltage (system power supply voltage Vcc1) that remains active even during restart can be realized with a simple circuit configuration, thereby reducing the cost and size of the aerosol generating device.

[0173] (4) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (2) or (3), a switch (LSW4) including an input terminal (input terminal VIN), an output terminal (output terminal VOUT) connected to a power supply terminal of the controller and outputting the second system voltage, and a control terminal (control terminal ON); the switch is configured to close an electrical connection between the input terminal of the switch and the output terminal of the switch when a high level voltage is input to a control terminal of the switch; the first system voltage is input to the input terminal and the control terminal; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0174] According to (4), when the first system voltage is input to the control terminal of the switch, the electrical connection between the input terminal and the output terminal of the switch is closed, and the second system voltage is output from the output terminal of the switch. In this way, the second system voltage (system power supply voltage Vcc2) for restarting the controller can be generated with a simple circuit configuration from the first system voltage (system power supply voltage Vcc1) that remains active even during restart.

[0175] (5) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (4), the restart circuit is configured to be able to input a low-level signal to the control terminal of the switch; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0176] According to (5), two system voltages can be realized with a simple circuit configuration, and the second system voltage can be temporarily disabled by the restart circuit. This allows the controller to be restarted while reducing the cost and size of the aerosol generating device.

[0177] (6) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to any one of (1) to (5), Includes a memory IC (FF16) that can store input information, The IC includes the memory IC. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0178] According to (6), since the memory IC can retain values ​​before and after the controller is restarted, the aerosol generating device can be made more functional than when the memory IC cannot retain values ​​before and after the controller is restarted.

[0179] (7) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (6), The controller restarted by the restart circuit is configured to execute a predetermined function based on the information stored in the memory IC. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0180] According to (7), even if the controller is not operating normally when the memory IC stores the information, the controller can retrieve that information after restarting. This allows the controller to reliably execute functions based on this information, improving the functionality of the aerosol generator.

[0181] (8) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (7), the predetermined function is permanent prohibition of at least one of charging the power source and discharging the power source to the heater; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0182] In situations where the controller needs to be restarted, it is highly likely that at least one of discharging and charging must be permanently prohibited. Ideally, the controller should be able to detect such a situation and permanently prohibit at least one of discharging and charging, but if the controller is frozen, this is not possible. According to (8), the restarted controller permanently prohibits at least one of discharging and charging based on the information stored in the memory IC while frozen. Therefore, even if the controller is not operating normally, the controller can be restarted to return to normal operation, while prohibiting at least one of discharging and charging based on the information stored in the memory IC, thereby improving the safety of the aerosol generating device.

[0183] (9) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to any one of (1) to (8), a voltage conversion circuit that converts a voltage supplied from the power supply to generate the first system voltage; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0184] According to (9), the voltage conversion circuit can stabilize the first system voltage, so that the operation of the IC that operates on the first system voltage can be stabilized.

[0185] (10) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (9), The voltage conversion circuit includes a step-up / step-down DC / DC converter (step-up / step-down DC / DC converter 8). Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0186] According to (10), even if the output voltage of the power supply fluctuates greatly, the first system voltage can be stabilized, so that the operation of the IC that operates on the first system voltage can be stabilized.

[0187] (11) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to (10), Equipped with a receptacle (receptacle RCP) that can be electrically connected to an external power source, the voltage conversion circuit is configured to convert a voltage supplied from the receptacle to generate the first system voltage. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

[0188] According to (11), the first system voltage can be generated from an external power supply, so that even if the power supply falls into an over-discharge state, the aerosol generating device can be restored.

[0189] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components of the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0190] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2021-079906) filed on May 10, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0191] 100 Aspirator 112 Case body 115 outer panel 118 Inner Panel 119 Slider 170 Heating section 1. MCU 8. Buck-boost DC / DC converter 16. Flip-Flop HTR heater BAT power supply Cn Heater Connector Cn(m) Motor Connector OPS operation switch M vibration motor

Claims

1. Power supply and a heater connector to which a heater that consumes power supplied from the power source to heat the aerosol source is connected; a controller configured to be able to control the supply of power from the power source to the heater and including a power supply terminal to which power for operation is input; a restart circuit capable of restarting the controller; an IC including a power supply terminal to which power for operation is input, and which is separate from the controller; a power supply terminal of the controller is capable of receiving a second system voltage generated from the power supply; a first system voltage generated from the power supply is supplied to a power supply terminal of the IC even while the controller is being restarted by the restart circuit; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

2. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to claim 1, the second system voltage is generated from the first system voltage. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

3. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to claim 2, the voltage value of the second system voltage is equal to the voltage value of the first system voltage; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

4. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to claim 2 or 3, a switch including an input terminal, an output terminal connected to a power supply terminal of the controller and outputting the second system voltage, and a control terminal; the switch is configured to close an electrical connection between the input terminal of the switch and the output terminal of the switch when a high-level voltage is input to a control terminal of the switch; the first system voltage is input to the input terminal and the control terminal; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

5. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to claim 4, the restart circuit is configured to be able to input a low-level signal to a control terminal of the switch; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

6. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A storage IC capable of storing input information is included, The IC includes the memory IC. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

7. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to claim 6, The controller restarted by the restart circuit is configured to execute a predetermined function based on the information stored in the memory IC. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

8. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to claim 7, the predetermined function is permanent prohibition of at least one of charging the power source and discharging the power source to the heater; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

9. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, a voltage conversion circuit that converts a voltage supplied from the power supply to generate the first system voltage; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

10. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to claim 9, the voltage conversion circuit includes a step-up / step-down DC / DC converter; Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

11. A power supply unit for the aerosol generating device according to claim 10, a receptacle that can be electrically connected to an external power source; the voltage conversion circuit is configured to convert a voltage supplied from the receptacle to generate the first system voltage. Power supply unit for the aerosol generator.

Images