Power supply unit for aerosol generator

Abstract

This invention provides a power supply unit for an aerosol generator that can reduce heat generation and noise. [Solution] The power supply unit comprises a power supply, pogo pins p1 to p3 electrically connected to an atomizer that atomizes an aerosol source, a main board configured to control the power supplied from the power supply ba to the pogo pins, and a main FPC23 connected to the main board and the pogo pins, and including a conductive pattern through which power for atomizing the aerosol source flows. The main FPC23 includes a front layer and a back layer, and the conductive pattern is formed on the front layer and the back layer.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] ,

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

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an aerosol generating device including a heater, a battery that supplies power so that the heater is heated, a control unit, a main PCB and a sub PCB made of a rigid material, the main PCB being arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating device, the sub PCB being arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating device, and the main PCB and the sub PCB being electrically connected by a connecting PCB made of a flexible material.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to generate a sufficient amount of aerosol in an aerosol generating device, it is necessary to supply a large amount of power to an atomizer that atomizes an aerosol source. For this reason, it is required to reduce heat and noise generated on a circuit board.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a power supply unit for an aerosol generating device capable of reducing heat generation and noise.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a power supply, a cartridge holding section for housing a cartridge including a reservoir for storing an aerosol source and an atomizer for aerosolizing the aerosol source, an atomizer connector electrically connected to the atomizer contained in the cartridge housed in the cartridge holding section, a rigid circuit board configured to control the power supplied from the power supply to the atomizer connector, and a first flexible circuit board connected to the rigid circuit board and the atomizer connector, and including a first conductive pattern and a second conductive pattern through which power for atomizing the aerosol source flows, wherein the first flexible circuit board includes a first layer and a second layer, the first conductive pattern is formed on the first layer, and the second conductive pattern is formed on the second layer. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, heat generation and noise can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the aerosol generator 200. [Figure 2] Another perspective view of the aerosol generator 200. [Figure 3] This is an exploded perspective view of the aerosol generator 200. [Figure 4] This is a left side view of internal unit 2A. [Figure 5] This is a right side view of internal unit 2A. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of the heating section 60 and the circuit section 70 of the internal unit 2A. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing the surface 201 of the main circuit board 20. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing the back surface 202 of the main board 20. [Figure 9] This diagram shows the schematic configuration of the circuitry provided on the main board 20. [Figure 10]The circuit diagram shows the electronic components involved in the operation of the heating mode, extracted from the circuit shown in Figure 9. [Figure 11] This circuit diagram shows the electronic components involved in the heating control of the seat heater HTR and liquid heater, the drive control of the vibration motor 13, and the drive control of the LED 21D, extracted from the circuit shown in Figure 9. [Figure 12] Figure 9 shows a circuit diagram showing the electronic components involved in restarting the MCU6, extracted from the circuit shown. [Figure 13] This is a front view of the main FPC23, unfolded so that its thickness aligns with its width, as seen from the left side. [Figure 14] This is a front view from the right side, with the main FPC23 unfolded so that its thickness aligns with its left-right direction. [Figure 15] Figure 14 is an enlarged view of the AR range shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes a power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus, which is one embodiment of the present invention. First, the aerosol generating apparatus equipped with the power supply unit of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8.

[0010] (Aerosol generator) The aerosol generator 200 is a device for generating a flavored aerosol without combustion and for inhaling the generated aerosol. The aerosol generator 200 is preferably small enough to fit in the hand, and for example, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, it has a rounded, roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape. However, the shape of the aerosol generator 200 is not limited to this, and it may also be rod-shaped, egg-shaped, etc. In the following description, of the three orthogonal directions in the aerosol generator 200, they will be referred to as the up-down direction, the front-back direction, and the left-right direction, in order of length. Also, for convenience, in the following description, as shown in Figures 1 to 8, the forward, backward, left, right, upward, and downward directions will be defined as Fr, Rr, L, R, U, and D.

[0011] Referring also to Fig. 3, the aerosol generating device 200 includes a power supply unit 100, a first cartridge 110, and a second cartridge 120. The first cartridge 110 and the second cartridge 120 are detachable from the power supply unit 100. In other words, the first cartridge 110 and the second cartridge 120 are each replaceable.

[0012] (Power supply unit) The power supply unit 100 includes an internal unit 2A and a case 3a, and at least a part of the internal unit 2A is housed in the case 3a.

[0013] The case 3a is composed of a first case 3A and a second case 3B that are detachable in the left - right direction (thickness direction). When the first case 3A and the second case 3B are assembled in the left - right direction (thickness direction), the front, rear, left, and right surfaces of the power supply unit 100 are formed. Specifically, the first case 3A is supported on the left - hand side surface of a chassis 50 (described later) included in the internal unit 2A, and the second case 3B is supported on the right - hand side surface of the chassis 50, so that the internal unit 2A is housed in the case 3. A capsule holder 4A is provided in front on the upper surface of the power supply unit 100. The capsule holder 4A is provided with an opening 4a that opens upward. The capsule holder 4A is configured such that the second cartridge 120 can be inserted through the opening 4a. A mouthpiece 130 is detachably provided on the second cartridge 120.

[0014] The upper surface of the power supply unit 100 is formed by an OLED (Organic Light - Emitting Diode) cover 5a disposed behind the opening 4a, and the lower surface of the power supply unit 100 is formed by a lower cover 8a provided with a charging terminal 1 and a rotatable lower lid 7a.

[0015] Between the top and rear surfaces of the power supply unit 100, there is an inclined surface that slopes downward as it approaches the rear. An operating section for user operation is provided on the inclined surface. In this embodiment, the operating section is a button-type switch BT, but it may also be composed of a touch panel or the like. The operating section is used to activate / deactivate / operate the MCU (Micro Controller Unit) 6 and various sensors described later, reflecting the user's intentions.

[0016] The charging terminal 1, accessible from the lower cover 8a, is configured to be electrically connected to an external power supply (not shown) capable of supplying power to the power supply unit 100 to charge the power supply ba included in the battery pack BP. The charging terminal 1 is, for example, a receptacle into which the other side plug can be inserted. As the charging terminal 1, a receptacle into which various USB terminals, etc., can be inserted can be used. As an example, in this embodiment, the charging terminal 1 is a USB Type-C shaped receptacle.

[0017] Furthermore, the charging terminal 1 may be configured to receive power from an external power source in a contactless manner, for example, by including a power receiving coil. In this case, the method of power transmission (wireless power transfer) may be electromagnetic induction type, magnetic resonance type, or a combination of electromagnetic induction type and magnetic resonance type. As another example, the charging terminal 1 may be connectable to various USB terminals, etc., and may also have the power receiving coil described above.

[0018] As shown in Figures 3 to 6, the internal unit 2A includes a battery pack BP, a chassis 50, a heating unit 60, a circuit unit 70, a notification unit, and various sensors.

[0019] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the chassis 50 includes a cylindrical cartridge holder 51 located at the front, a semi-cylindrical battery holder 52 located at the rear with a cutout on the left side, a plate-shaped connecting portion 53 connecting the cartridge holder 51 and the battery holder 52, a motor holder 54 provided below and to the right of the connecting portion 53 and straddling the cartridge holder 51 and the battery holder 52, and a sensor holder 55 provided to the left rear of the cartridge holder 51.

[0020] The first cartridge 110 is inserted into the cartridge holder 51 from below with the lower lid 7a open. The first cartridge 110 is housed in the cartridge holder 51 by closing the lower lid 7a with the first cartridge 110 inserted. A capsule holder 4A is attached to the upper part of the cartridge holder 51. The cartridge holder 51 has a vertically elongated through-hole at the front, and the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the first cartridge 110 and the light from the LED (Light Emitting Diode) 21D, which will be described later, can be visually checked through the remaining amount confirmation window 3w provided at the joint between the first case 3A and the second case 3B. The first cartridge 110 will be described later.

[0021] A battery pack BP is placed in the battery holder 52. The battery pack BP includes a power supply ba and a power supply thermistor for detecting the temperature of the power supply ba. The power supply ba is a rechargeable secondary battery, an electric double-layer capacitor, etc., and is preferably a lithium-ion secondary battery. The electrolyte of the power supply ba may consist of one of a gel electrolyte, an electrolyte solution, a solid electrolyte, an ionic liquid, or a combination thereof.

[0022] A vibration motor 13 is positioned in the motor holder 54. A suction sensor 15, which will be described later, is positioned in the sensor holder 55 and outputs an output corresponding to the user's suction action (puffing action).

[0023] As shown in Figure 6, the heating unit 60 comprises a cylindrical heat transfer tube 61 and a sheet heater HTR wound around the outer circumference of the heat transfer tube 61. The aforementioned capsule holder 4A is provided spaced apart around the sheet heater HTR. The air layer between the capsule holder 4A and the sheet heater HTR functions as an insulating material. The lower part of the second cartridge 120, which is inserted through the opening 4a of the capsule holder 4A, is housed in the heat transfer tube 61, and the lower part of the second cartridge 120 is heated by the sheet heater HTR. As a result, compared to the absence of the heating unit 60, the flavor source stored in the second cartridge 120 releases flavor more easily, making it easier for flavor to be added to the aerosol.

[0024] The heating unit 60 can be any element capable of heating the second cartridge 120. Examples of such elements include resistance heating elements, ceramic heaters, and induction heating elements. As for resistance heating elements, those with PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) characteristics, where the resistance value increases with increasing temperature, are preferably used. Alternatively, those with NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient) characteristics, where the resistance value decreases with increasing temperature, may be used. The heating unit 60 has the function of defining the airflow path supplied to the second cartridge 120 and the function of heating the second cartridge 120.

[0025] The notification unit notifies various information such as the charging status of the power supply ba, the remaining charge of the first cartridge 110, and the remaining charge of the second cartridge 130. The notification unit in this embodiment includes an LED 21D and a vibration motor 13. The notification unit may be composed of a light-emitting element such as the LED 21D, a vibration element such as the vibration motor 13, or a sound output element. The notification unit may also be a combination of two or more elements from among the light-emitting element, the vibration element, and the sound output element.

[0026] The various sensors include a suction sensor 15 that detects the user's puffing motion (suction action), a heater temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the seat heater HTR, and the like.

[0027] The suction sensor 15 is composed of, for example, a condenser microphone, a pressure sensor, or a flow sensor. Multiple suction sensors 15 may be placed spaced apart, and the puffing action may be detected from the difference in their output values. The heater temperature sensor includes a first thermistor th1 and a second thermistor th2. It is preferable that the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 are in contact with or close to the sheet heater HTR. If the sheet heater HTR has PTC characteristics or NTC characteristics, the sheet heater HTR itself may be used as the heater temperature sensor. The heater temperature sensor is described as being composed of two thermistors, but it may also be composed of one thermistor.

[0028] The circuit section 70 comprises four circuit boards, three FPCs (Flexible Printed Circuits), multiple ICs (Integrated Circuits), and multiple elements. The four circuit boards consist of a main board 20, a puff sensor board 21, a pogo pin board 22, and an OLED board 26. The three FPCs consist of a main FPC 23, a heater FPC 24, and an OLED FPC 25. These four circuit boards are rigid and have significantly higher rigidity than the three FPCs.

[0029] The main board 20 is positioned between the battery pack BP and the rear surface of the case 3a (the rear surface of the power supply unit 100) such that the element mounting surface faces in the front-to-back direction. The main board 20 is constructed by stacking multiple layers (six layers in this embodiment) of boards, and electronic components (elements) such as the MCU 6 and charging IC 3 are mounted on it.

[0030] As will be described in detail later using Figure 12, etc., the MCU6 is a control device that controls various aspects of the aerosol generator 200, connected to various sensor devices such as the suction sensor 15, an operation unit, a notification unit, and a memory that stores the number of puff operations or load and the energizing time to the sheet heater HTR, etc. Specifically, the MCU6 is mainly composed of a processor and further includes a storage medium such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory) for storing various information necessary for the operation of the processor. In this specification, a processor is, for example, an electrical circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements. Note that some of the elements connected to the MCU6 (for example, the suction sensor 15 and memory) may be provided inside the MCU6 as a function of the MCU6 itself.

[0031] The charging IC 3 is an IC that controls the charging of power supply ba using the power input from the charging terminal 1, and also supplies power from power supply ba to electronic components on the main board 20.

[0032] The main board 20 will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Hereinafter, the side of the main board 20 facing backward will be referred to as the front surface 201 for convenience, and the side facing forward will be referred to as the back surface 202 for convenience. Figure 7 shows the front surface 201 of the main board 20, and Figure 8 shows the back surface 202 of the main board 20. The main board 20 is a plate-like structure extending vertically. Figures 7 and 8 show the upper side surface 20SU and the lower side surface 20SD as sides perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main board 20. Additionally, the left side surface 20SL and the right side surface 20SR are shown as sides perpendicular to the short direction of the main board 20.

[0033] As shown in Figure 8, the MCU6 and charging IC3 are mounted on the back surface 202 of the main board 20 along with the charging terminal 1. A debug connector 20E is also mounted on the back surface 202. The debug connector 20E is an interface for rewriting the MCU6 program from an external device such as a personal computer, and for example, one conforming to the SWD (Serial Wire Debug) standard is used. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 7, the front surface 201 of the main board 20 is mounted with an OLED connector 20C, a heater connector 20B, a main connector 20A, and a battery connector 20D that is connected to the battery pack BP via lead wires 16 (see Figure 6).

[0034] As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the puff sensor board 21 is positioned in the sensor holding section 55 of the chassis 50 with the element mounting surface facing the front right and rear left. The suction sensor 15 is mounted on the puff sensor board 21.

[0035] As shown in Figure 6, the OLED substrate 26 is positioned between the battery pack BP and the OLED cover 5a with the element mounting surface facing up and down. The OLED panel 17 is mounted on the OLED substrate 26.

[0036] As shown in Figure 6, the pogo pin board 22 is positioned on the lower lid 7a such that the element mounting surface faces up and down when the lower lid 7a is closed. The pogo pin board 22 is provided with input-side contacts P1 to P3 to which power is supplied from the main board 20 via the main FPC 23, pogo pins p1 to p3 which are connectors electrically connected to a load provided on the first cartridge 110, and wiring that connects the pogo pins p1 to p3 to the input-side contacts P1 to P3. The input-side contacts P1 to P3 are electrically connected to the main FPC 23 only when the lower lid 7a is closed. Three pogo pins p1 to p3 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and at least two of the pogo pins are configured to be electrically connected to the + terminal and - terminal of the first cartridge 110 housed in the cartridge holding part 51.

[0037] The battery pack BP, held in the battery holder 52, has its left side exposed from the battery holder 52 by the semi-cylindrical battery holder 52. In the space between the left side of the battery pack BP, formed by the cutout in the battery holder 52, and the first case 3A, the main FPC 23, heater FPC 24, and OLED FPC 25 are arranged to overlap, as shown in Figures 3, 4, and 6.

[0038] Of the three FPCs, the main FPC23 is routed closest to the battery pack BP, the OLED FPC25 is routed so that it partially overlaps the main FPC23, and the heater FPC24 is routed so that it overlaps the OLED FPC25. In other words, the heater FPC24, which receives the largest amount of power among the three FPCs, is routed furthest from the battery pack BP. The main FPC23 has a roughly cross shape when unfolded, and is folded back where it overlaps with the heater FPC24. In other words, the main FPC23 is a folded wiring. The folded portion of the main FPC23 is prone to lifting in the left-right direction, but this lifting is prevented by the overlapping of the heater FPC24 and OLED FPC25 in this portion. The switch BT is mounted directly to the main FPC23 without the need for a rigid circuit board or other intermediaries.

[0039] One end of the OLED FPC25 is connected to the OLED connector 20C of the main board 20, and the other end is connected to the OLED board 26.

[0040] The main FPC23 connects the main connector 20A of the main board 20, the switch BT of the control unit, the connector 21B of the puff sensor board 21, and the input contacts P1 to P3 of the pogo pin board 22.

[0041] The heater FPC24 has one end connected to the heater connector 20B of the main board 20, and the other end has a seat heater HTR integrally formed with it.

[0042] (First cartridge) The first cartridge 110 comprises a reservoir for storing an aerosol source, an electrical load for atomizing the aerosol source, a wick for drawing the aerosol source from the reservoir to the load, and an aerosol channel through which the aerosol generated by the atomization of the aerosol source flows toward the second cartridge 120. The aerosol source contains a liquid such as glycerin, propylene glycol, or water.

[0043] The load is a heating element that heats the aerosol source without combustion by power supplied from the power supply ba via pogo pins p1 to p3 on the pogo pin substrate 22, and is composed of, for example, an electric heating wire (coil) wound at a predetermined pitch. The load atomizes the aerosol source by heating it. As the load, a heating resistor, ceramic heater, induction heating type heater, etc., can be used. Hereinafter, the load provided on the first cartridge 110 will also be referred to as the liquid heater.

[0044] The aerosol channel is connected to the second cartridge 120 via a channel forming body 19 (see Figure 6) housed in the cartridge holding section 51 of the chassis 50.

[0045] (Second cartridge) The second cartridge 120 stores the flavor source. The flavor source is heated when the second cartridge 120 is heated by the sheet heater HTR. The second cartridge 120 adds flavor to the aerosol by passing the aerosol generated when the aerosol source is atomized by the liquid heater through the flavor source. As raw material pieces constituting the flavor source, shredded tobacco or molded bodies formed from tobacco raw materials into granules can be used. The flavor source may also be composed of plants other than tobacco (e.g., mint, herbs, etc.). The flavor source may be flavored with menthol or other fragrances.

[0046] The aerosol generator 200 can generate flavored aerosols using an aerosol source and a flavor source. In other words, the aerosol source and flavor source constitute an aerosol generator that produces flavored aerosols.

[0047] In the aerosol generator 200, the aerosol source is a part that the user replaces. This part is provided to the user as a set, for example, one first cartridge 110 and one or more (e.g., five) second cartridges 120. The battery pack BP can be repeatedly charged and discharged as long as the power supply ba does not deteriorate significantly. Therefore, in the aerosol generator 200, the power supply unit 100 or the battery pack BP has the lowest replacement frequency, followed by the first cartridge 110, and then the second cartridge 120 has the highest replacement frequency. The first cartridge 110 and the second cartridge 120 may be integrated into a single cartridge. Alternatively, a drug or the like may be added to the aerosol source instead of a flavor source.

[0048] In the aerosol generator 200 configured in this way, air flowing in from an air intake (not shown) provided in case 3a or internal unit 2A passes near the load of the first cartridge 110. The load atomizes the aerosol source drawn in from the reservoir by a wick. The atomized aerosol flows through the aerosol channel together with the air flowing in from the intake and is supplied to the second cartridge 120 via the channel forming body 19. The aerosol supplied to the second cartridge 120 has flavor added to it by passing through a flavor source and is supplied to the mouthpiece 131 of the mouthpiece 130.

[0049] Next, I will provide some additional information about the configuration of the lower lid 7a. The lower lid 7a is configured to rotate around a pivot axis Ax that extends in the left-right direction as shown in Figure 4. Specifically, the lower lid 7a moves from the closed state (covering the hollow part of the cartridge holder 51) as shown in Figure 4 to the open state (exposing the hollow part of the cartridge holder 51) by moving its front end counterclockwise. As shown in Figure 6, the pogo pin substrate 22 is flat, and input-side contacts P1 to P3, which are projections that protrude upward, are provided at the rear end of the upper surface of the pogo pin substrate 22. Also, pogo pins p1 to p3, which are projections that protrude upward, are provided at the front end of the upper surface of the pogo pin substrate 22. This pogo pin substrate 22 is fixed to the inner surface (upper surface) of the lower lid 7a. When the lower lid 7a is closed, the input contacts P1 to P3 of the pogo pin board 22 contact the terminals 81T to 83T of the conductive patterns 81 to 83 provided on the main FPC 23 (described later), establishing an electrical connection between the main FPC 23 and the pogo pin board 22. On the other hand, when the lower lid 7a is open, the input contacts P1 to P3 of the pogo pin board 22 are separated from the terminals 81T to 83T of the conductive patterns 81 to 83, and become non-contact with the conductive patterns 81 to 83. In other words, the electrical connection between the main FPC 23 and the pogo pin board 22 is released. The main FPC 23 is housed in the case 3 so as not to deform due to the opening and closing operation of the lower lid 7a. Not deforming the main FPC 23 means that the position of the main FPC 23 within the case 3 does not substantially change.

[0050] Thus, the lower lid 7a and the pogo pin substrate 22 fixed thereto are points where force is applied when inserting or removing the first cartridge 110 from the cartridge holding section 51. In this embodiment, the pogo pin substrate 22 is made of a rigid circuit board. By using an inexpensive and rigid rigid circuit board in such a location, the durability of the power supply unit 100 can be improved. Furthermore, in this configuration, the electrical connection between the pogo pin substrate 22 and the main FPC 23 is established only when the lower lid 7a is closed. This makes the main FPC 23 less susceptible to damage compared to the case where the main FPC 23 moves in conjunction with the rotation of the lower lid 7a. Furthermore, in this configuration, when the first cartridge 110 is inserted or removed, no electrical contact is established between the main board 20 or power supply ba and the first cartridge 110. This makes it less likely for unintended short-circuit currents to occur, thereby improving the safety of the power supply unit 100. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the input-side contacts P1 to P3 that contact the main FPC 23 are each composed of protrusions that require a small contact area. Therefore, the external force applied to the main FPC 23 when the lower lid 7a is opened and closed, and the stress generated by this external force, can be reduced. Furthermore, in this configuration, inserting or removing the second cartridge 120 into or from the capsule holder 4A does not require inserting or removing the first cartridge 110. In other words, the lower lid 7a needs to be opened and closed in order to insert or remove the first cartridge 110, which is replaced less frequently than the second cartridge 120. This prevents the lower lid 7a from being opened and closed too frequently, thereby improving the durability of the power supply unit 100.

[0051] (Circuit configuration) Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of the circuitry provided on the main board 20. In addition to the circuitry of the main board 20, Figure 9 also shows the main FPC 23 connected to the main connector 20A of the main board 20, the puff sensor board 21 connected to the main FPC 23, the pogo pin board 22 connected to the main FPC 23, and the battery pack BP connected to the battery connector 20D.

[0052] In Figure 9, the wiring shown by the thick solid line is the wiring that is at the same potential as the reference potential of the power supply unit 100 (ground potential, which will be hereinafter referred to as 0V as an example) (wiring that is connected to the ground provided in the power supply unit 100), and this wiring will be referred to as the ground line below.

[0053] The main board 20 is equipped with several main ICs, which are electronic components that integrate multiple circuit elements into a single chip: a protection IC 2, a charging IC 3, an LDO (Low Dropout) regulator (hereinafter referred to as LDO) 4, a boost circuit 5 composed of a DC / DC converter, an MCU 6, a load switch (hereinafter referred to as LSW) 7 composed of a combination of capacitors, resistors, and transistors, a multiplexer 8, a flip-flop (hereinafter referred to as FF) 9, an AND gate (simply referred to as "AND" in Figure 9) 10, a boost circuit 11 composed of a DC / DC converter, an operational amplifier OP1, and an operational amplifier OP2.

[0054] The main board 20 is further provided with switches Q1 to Q9, each composed of MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors), resistors R1 to R12, RA, and RB with fixed electrical resistance values, capacitors C1 and C2, varistor V and V1, reactor L3 connected to charging IC 3, reactor L5 connected to boost circuit 5, and reactor L11 connected to boost circuit 11. Switches Q3, Q4, Q7, Q8, and Q9 are each composed of N-channel MOSFETs. Switches Q1, Q2, Q5, and Q6 are each composed of P-channel MOSFETs. Switches Q1 to Q8 can be switched between on and off states by controlling the potential of their gate terminals with the MCU 6.

[0055] In Figure 9, the symbols for various terminals are indicated for each IC except the operational amplifier. Terminals VCC and VDD mounted on the chip indicate the high-potential power supply terminals, respectively. Terminals VSS and GND mounted on the chip indicate the low-potential (reference potential) power supply terminals, respectively. For chip-based electronic components, the difference between the potential of the high-potential power supply terminal and the potential of the low-potential power supply terminal becomes the power supply voltage (operating voltage). Chip-based electronic components use this power supply voltage to perform various functions.

[0056] In Figure 9, the GND and VSS terminals of each IC, excluding the operational amplifiers, are connected to the ground line. Additionally, the GND terminal of charging terminal 1, the negative power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP1, and the negative power supply terminal of operational amplifier OP2 are all connected to the ground line.

[0057] The battery connector 20D provided on the main board 20 (see near the left center in Figure 9) includes terminal BAT connected to the detection terminal SNS and the charging terminal BAT of the charging IC 3, respectively; terminal GND connected to the ground line of the main board 20; and terminal TH3 connected to terminal P25 of the MCU 6. Terminal BAT of the battery connector 20D is connected to the positive terminal of the power supply ba included in the battery pack BP by lead wire 16. Terminal TH3 of the battery connector 20D is connected to the positive terminal of the power supply thermistor th3 included in the battery pack BP by lead wire 16. Terminal GND of the battery connector 20D is connected to the negative terminal of the power supply ba and the negative terminal of the power supply thermistor th3 by lead wire 16.

[0058] The OLED connector 20C provided on the main board 20 (see near the bottom left in Figure 9) includes terminal VCC_R connected to the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 5, terminal VDD connected to the output terminal OUT of the LDO4, terminal RSTB connected to terminal P24 of the MCU6, communication terminal T3 connected to the communication terminal P28 of the MCU6 by signal line SL, and terminal VSS connected to the ground line of the main board 20.

[0059] Terminal VCC_R of OLED connector 20C is connected to the drive voltage supply terminal of OLED panel 17 via OLED FPC25. Terminal VDD of OLED connector 20C is connected to the power supply terminal of the control IC that controls OLED panel 17 via OLED FPC25. The voltage to be supplied to the drive voltage supply terminal of OLED panel 17 is, for example, about 15V, which is greater than the voltage to be supplied to the power supply terminal of the control IC of OLED panel 17. Terminal VSS of OLED connector 20C is connected to the ground terminals of both OLED panel 17 and the control IC of OLED panel 17 via OLED FPC25. Terminal RSTB of OLED connector 20C is connected to the terminal for restarting the control IC of OLED panel 17 via OLED FPC25.

[0060] The signal line SL connected to the communication terminal T3 of the OLED connector 20C is also connected to the communication terminal T3 of the charging IC 3. This signal line SL enables the MCU 6 to communicate with the charging IC 3 and with the control IC of the OLED panel 17. This signal line SL is for serial communication, and in reality, multiple signal lines such as a data line for data transmission and a clock line for synchronization are required. Note that in Figure 9, for simplification, the signal line SL is shown as a single signal line. Alternatively, communication between the MCU 6 and the charging IC 3 and the control IC of the OLED panel 17 may be performed using parallel communication instead of serial communication.

[0061] The debug connector 20E (see the lower left of Figure 9) located on the main board 20 includes terminal VMCU connected to the output terminal OUT of the LDO4, terminal T1 (shown as one in the figure but actually two terminals) connected to the communication terminal P23 of the MCU6, terminal T2 (shown as one in the figure but actually two terminals) connected to the communication terminal P22 of the MCU6, terminal NRST connected to terminal P27 of the MCU6, and terminal GND connected to the ground line of the main board 20. Terminal NRST is also connected to the drain terminal of switch Q9, whose gate terminal is connected to the drain terminal of switch Q7 and whose source terminal is connected to the ground line. The debug connector 20E is not used under normal operating conditions of the aerosol generator 200, and is only used when maintenance such as rewriting information (including programs) stored in the MCU6 is required, and is connected to a computer provided by the manufacturer or seller.

[0062] The main connector 20A on the main board 20 (see near the right center in Figure 9) has terminal PUFF connected to terminal P19 of MCU6, terminal LED connected to the drain terminal of switch Q8 whose gate terminal is connected to terminal P20 of MCU6 and whose source terminal is connected to the ground line, terminal VIB connected to the output terminal OUT of LSW7, terminal VOTG connected to the boost output terminal RN of charging IC3, terminal VMCU connected to the output terminal OUT of LDO4 via resistor R5, terminal GND connected to the ground line, and terminal KEY connected to the output terminal OUT of LDO4 via a voltage divider circuit consisting of resistor R4 and resistor R3 connected in series with it, and The following terminals are provided: terminal HT1(P1) connected to the drain terminal of switch Q1, whose gate terminal is connected to terminal P12 of MCU6 and whose source terminal is connected to the output terminal VOUT of boost circuit 11; terminal HT1(P2) connected to the drain terminal of switch Q2, whose gate terminal is connected to terminal P13 of MCU6 and whose source terminal is connected to the output terminal VOUT of boost circuit 11; terminal HT1(P3) connected to the drain terminal of switch Q4, whose gate terminal is connected to terminal P17 of MCU6 and whose source terminal is connected to the ground line; and terminal HT1(P3) connected to the drain terminal of switch Q3, whose gate terminal is connected to terminal P18 of MCU6 and whose source terminal is connected to the ground line.

[0063] Terminal HT1(P1) of main connector 20A is connected by main FPC23 to input contact P1, which is connected to pogo pin p1. Terminal HT1(P2) of main connector 20A is connected by main FPC23 to input contact P2, which is connected to pogo pin p2. Terminal HT1(P3) of main connector 20A is connected by main FPC23 to input contact P3, which is connected to pogo pin p3. Terminal KEY of main connector 20A is connected by the wiring of main FPC23 to one end of switch BT, which is mounted on main FPC23. The other end of this switch BT is connected to the ground line of main FPC23.

[0064] The heater connector 20B provided on the main board 20 (see near the upper right in Figure 9) includes a first thermistor terminal TH1 connected to the positive terminal of the first thermistor th1 mounted on the heater FPC 24 via the wiring of the heater FPC 24, a second thermistor terminal TH2 connected to the positive terminal of the second thermistor th2 mounted on the heater FPC 24 via the wiring of the heater FPC 24, a sheet heater terminal HT2 connected to the positive terminal of the sheet heater HTR formed by the conductive pattern of the heater FPC 24 via the wiring of the heater FPC 24, and a terminal GND connected to the ground line of the main board 20. Wiring is formed on the heater FPC 24 that connects to the negative terminal of the first thermistor th1, the negative terminal of the second thermistor th2, and the negative terminal of the sheet heater HTR, and this wiring is connected to the terminal GND of the heater connector 20B. The seat heater terminal HT2 has its gate terminal connected to terminal P11 of MCU6 and its source terminal connected to the drain terminal of switch Q5, which is connected to the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 11.

[0065] The puff sensor board 21 (see the area near the bottom center in Figure 9) has the following components mounted on it: a puff sensor connector 21A connected to the terminal group 15A of the suction sensor 15, a connector 21B connected to the main FPC 23, a vibration motor connector 21C connected to the vibration motor 13, an LED 21D, a varistor V, and a capacitor C2.

[0066] The connector 21B of the puff sensor board 21 is equipped with terminals (PUFF, LED, VIB, VOTG, VMCU, and GND) that are connected to the terminals PUFF, LED, VIB, VOTG, VMCU, and GND of the main connector 20A by wiring formed on the main FPC 23. As described above, the main FPC 23 is provided with a switch BT that is connected between the terminal KEY of the main connector 20A and the ground line. When switch BT is pressed, the terminal KEY and the ground line of the main FPC 23 are connected, and the potential of terminal KEY becomes the ground potential. On the other hand, when switch BT is not pressed, the terminal KEY and the ground line of the main FPC 23 are not connected, and the potential of terminal KEY is undefined.

[0067] The puff sensor connector 21A on the puff sensor board 21 includes a terminal GATE connected to the output terminal of the suction sensor 15, a terminal GND connected to the ground terminal of the suction sensor 15, and a terminal VDD connected to the power terminal of the suction sensor 15. Terminal GATE of the puff sensor connector 21A is connected to terminal PUFF of connector 21B. Terminal VDD of the puff sensor connector 21A is connected to terminal VMCU of connector 21B. Terminal GND of the puff sensor connector 21A is connected to terminal GND of connector 21B. One end of varistor V is connected to the connection line between terminal GATE of the puff sensor connector 21A and terminal PUFF of connector 21B, and the other end of varistor V is connected to the ground line. The varistor V prevents other components of the puff sensor board 21 or the MCU 6 from receiving a large voltage input from the suction sensor 15 side to terminal GATE. One end of capacitor C2 is connected to the connection line between terminal VDD of puff sensor connector 21A and terminal VMCU of connector 21B, and the other end of capacitor C2 is connected to the ground line. Capacitor C2 ensures that even if an unstable voltage is input to terminal VDD of puff sensor connector 21A from the main board 20, a voltage smoothed by capacitor C2 can be input to the suction sensor 15.

[0068] The vibration motor connector 21C of the puff sensor board 21 includes a positive terminal connected to terminal VIB of connector 21B and a negative terminal connected to the ground line. The vibration motor 13 is connected to these positive and negative terminals.

[0069] The LED 21D on the puff sensor board 21 has its anode connected to terminal VOTG on connector 21B, and its cathode connected to terminal LED on connector 21B.

[0070] The charging terminal 1 in the upper left of Figure 9 has four GND terminals and four power input terminals BUS. Each power input terminal BUS of the charging terminal 1 is connected in parallel to the input terminal VIN of the protection IC 2. When a USB plug is connected to the charging terminal 1 and the USB cable including this USB plug is connected to an external power supply, i.e., when a USB connection is made, the USB voltage V↓USB↓ is input to the input terminal VIN of the protection IC 2 via the power input terminal BUS of the charging terminal 1.

[0071] The protection IC2 adjusts the USB voltage V↓USB↓ input to the input terminal VIN and outputs a default bus voltage V↓BUS↓ (5.0V in this example) from the output terminal OUT. The output terminal OUT of the protection IC2 is connected in parallel to the charging IC3, a voltage divider circuit consisting of a series circuit of resistors R1 and R2, and a switch Q7. Specifically, the output terminal OUT of the protection IC2 is connected to one end of resistor R2 which constitutes the voltage divider circuit, the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC3, and the drain terminal of switch Q7, whose gate terminal is connected to terminal P21 of the MCU6 and whose source terminal is connected to the ground line. One end of resistor R1 is connected to the other end of resistor R2, and the other end of resistor R1 is connected to the ground line. The node connecting resistors R1 and R2 is connected to terminal P2 of the MCU6. When a low-level signal is input from MCU6 to the negative logic enable terminal CE(￣), protection IC2 outputs the bus voltage V↓BUS↓ from the output terminal OUT. When a high-level signal is input from MCU6 to the enable terminal CE(￣), protection IC2 stops outputting the bus voltage V↓BUS↓ from the output terminal OUT.

[0072] The charging IC3 has a charging function that charges the power supply ba based on the bus voltage V↓BUS↓ input to the input terminal VBUS. The charging IC3 obtains the charging current and charging voltage of the power supply ba via the detection terminal SNS, and performs charging control of the power supply ba (control of power supply from charging terminal BAT to power supply ba) based on these. In addition, the charging IC3 obtains temperature information of the power supply ba obtained by the MCU6 from the power supply thermistor th3 via terminal P25 from the MCU6, and uses this information for charging control via serial communication using signal line SL.

[0073] The charging IC3 has three functions: a first function that generates the system power voltage V↓SYS↓ from the voltage of the power supply ba input to the charging terminal BAT (hereinafter referred to as the power supply voltage V↓BAT↓) and outputs it from the output terminal SYS; a second function that generates the system power supply voltage V↓SYS↓ from the bus voltage V↓BUS↓ input to the input terminal VBUS and outputs it from the output terminal SYS; and a third function that boosts the power supply voltage V↓BAT↓ input to the charging terminal BAT and outputs the OTG voltage V↓OTG↓ (for example, a voltage of 5V) from the boosted output terminal RN. The second function is only enabled when a USB connection is established. Thus, the system power supply voltage V↓SYS↓ and the OTG voltage V↓OTG↓ are always available for output from the charging IC3 as long as the power supply ba is in a normal state capable of supplying power to the charging IC3 and the charging IC3 is operating normally.

[0074] One end of reactor L3 is connected to the switching terminal SW of charging IC3. The other end of reactor L3 is connected to the output terminal SYS of charging IC3. Charging IC3 has a negative logic enable terminal CE(￣), which is connected to terminal P1 of MCU6. When a high-level signal is input to terminal P2 due to a USB connection, MCU6 controls the potential of terminal P1 to a low level, thereby allowing charging control of power supply ba by charging IC3 and further activating the second function.

[0075] The charging IC3 is further equipped with a negative logic terminal QON(￣). Terminal QON(￣) is connected to node N2, which connects resistors R3 and R4, and node N2 is connected to terminal P21 of the MCU6. When a low-level signal is input to terminal QON(￣), the charging IC3 stops the voltage output from output terminal SYS.

[0076] The output terminal SYS of the charging IC3 is connected in parallel to the LDO4, the boost circuit 5, and the boost circuit 11. Specifically, the output terminal SYS of the charging IC3 is connected to the control terminal CTL and input terminal IN of the LDO4, the input terminal VIN of the boost circuit 5, and the input terminal VIN of the boost circuit 11. The OTG voltage V↓OTG↓ output from the boost output terminal RN of the charging IC3 is supplied to the anode of the LED21D via the terminal VOTG of the main connector 20A and the terminal VOTG of connector 21B. The cathode of the LED21D is connected to ground via the terminal LED of connector 21B, the terminal LED of the main connector 20A, and the switch Q8. Therefore, by controlling the on / off state of the switch Q8, the MCU6 can control the lighting of the LED21D using the OTG voltage V↓OTG↓.

[0077] The boost circuit 5 comprises a switching terminal SW, a positive logic enable terminal EN connected to terminal P26 of the MCU 6, an output terminal VOUT, and a terminal GND. One end of reactor L5 is connected to the switching terminal SW of the boost circuit 5. The other end of reactor L5 is connected to the input terminal VIN of the boost circuit 5. The boost circuit 5 boosts the voltage input to the switching terminal SW via reactor L5 by controlling the on / off state of the built-in transistor connected to the switching terminal SW, and outputs it from the output terminal VOUT. The OLED voltage V↓OLED↓ output from the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 5 is a sufficiently large voltage suitable for driving the OLED panel 17, and is 15V as an example. The input terminal VIN of the boost circuit 5 constitutes the high-potential power supply terminal of the boost circuit 5. The boost circuit 5 outputs the OLED voltage V↓OLED↓ when the signal input from terminal P26 of the MCU6 to the enable terminal EN is at a high level, and stops outputting the OLED voltage V↓OLED↓ when the signal input from terminal P26 of the MCU6 to the enable terminal EN is at a low level. In this way, the OLED panel 17 is driven and controlled by the MCU6.

[0078] The boost circuit 11 comprises an input terminal VIN, a switching terminal SW, an output terminal VOUT, a positive logic enable terminal EN, and a terminal GND. One end of reactor L11 is connected to the switching terminal SW of the boost circuit 11. The other end of reactor L11 is connected to the input terminal VIN of the boost circuit 11. The boost circuit 11 boosts the voltage input to the switching terminal SW via reactor L11 by controlling the on / off state of the built-in transistor connected to the switching terminal SW, and outputs it from the output terminal VOUT. The heating voltage V↓HEAT↓ output from the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 11 is, for example, 4V. The input terminal VIN of the boost circuit 11 constitutes the high-potential power supply terminal of the boost circuit 11. The boost circuit 11 outputs a heating voltage V↓HEAT↓ when the signal input from the output terminal Y of the AND gate 10 (described later) to the enable terminal EN is at a high level, and stops outputting the heating voltage V↓HEAT↓ when the signal input to the enable terminal EN is at a low level.

[0079] The output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 11 is connected in parallel to a voltage divider circuit consisting of a capacitor C1 and a series circuit of resistors R7 and R6, a multiplexer 8, a switch Q1, a switch Q2, and a switch Q5. Specifically, the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 11 is connected to the other end of capacitor C1, one end of which is connected to the ground line, the input terminal of the voltage divider circuit consisting of a resistor R6 connected to the ground line and a resistor R7 connected in series with resistor R6 (the terminal of resistor R7 opposite to the side of resistor R6), the terminal VCC of the multiplexer 8, the source terminal of switch Q1, the source terminal of switch Q2, and the source terminal of switch Q5.

[0080] A resistor RA with electrical resistance value Ra is connected in parallel to switch Q1. A resistor RB with electrical resistance value Rb is connected in parallel to switch Q2.

[0081] Multiplexer 8 has input terminal B0, input terminal B1, output terminal A, and select terminal SE. Multiplexer 8 switches between a state in which input terminal B0 is connected to output terminal A and a state in which input terminal B1 is connected to output terminal A, based on a control signal input from terminal P15 of MCU 6 to select terminal SE.

[0082] Input terminal B0 of multiplexer 8 is connected to the line connecting switch Q1 and terminal HT1 (P1). Input terminal B1 of multiplexer 8 is connected to the line connecting switch Q2 and terminal HT1 (P2). Output terminal A of multiplexer 8 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP1. The inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the node connecting resistors R7 and R6. The output terminal of operational amplifier OP1 is connected to terminal P14 of MCU6.

[0083] When the signal input to the control terminal CTL of the LDO4 is at a high level (in other words, when the system power supply voltage V↓SYS↓ is output from the output terminal SYS of the charging IC3), the LDO4 converts the voltage input to the input terminal VIN (i.e., the system power supply voltage V↓SYS↓) and outputs the resulting voltage as the system power supply voltage V↓MCU↓ from the output terminal OUT. The system power supply voltage V↓SYS↓ is, for example, in the range of 3.5V to 4.2V, and the system power supply voltage V↓MCU↓ is, for example, 3.1V.

[0084] The output terminal OUT of the LDO4 is connected in parallel to a series circuit consisting of the control IC of the OLED panel 17, the MCU 6, the LSW7, the suction sensor 15, resistors R3 and R4, and switch BT, as well as the debug connector 20E. Specifically, the output terminal OUT of the LDO4 is connected to the terminal VDD of the OLED connector 20C, the terminal VDD of the MCU6, the input terminal VIN of the LSW7, the other end of resistor R5 (node ​​N1 in the figure), one end of which is connected to the terminal VMCU of the main connector 20A, the input terminal of the voltage divider circuit consisting of resistors R4 and R3 (node ​​N1 in the figure), and the terminal VMCU of the debug connector 20E.

[0085] Furthermore, the output terminal OUT of LDO4 is connected to the source terminal of switch Q6, whose gate terminal is connected to terminal P4 of MCU6. The drain terminal of switch Q6 is connected in parallel to the terminal VCC of AND gate 10, the terminal VCC of FF9, one end of resistor R11, one end of resistor R12, the positive power supply terminal of op-amp OP2, one end of resistor R8, one end of resistor R9, and the positive power supply terminal of op-amp OP1.

[0086] The other end of resistor R12 is connected to the second thermistor terminal TH2, and the series circuit of resistor R12 and the second thermistor th2 connected to the second thermistor terminal TH2 constitutes a voltage divider circuit to which the system power supply voltage V↓MCU↓ is applied. The output of this voltage divider circuit corresponds to the electrical resistance value (in other words, temperature) of the second thermistor th2 and is input to terminal P8 of MCU6. This allows MCU6 to obtain the temperature of the second thermistor th2. In this embodiment, the second thermistor th2 is one that has NTC characteristics, where the resistance value decreases with increasing temperature, but one that has PTC characteristics, where the resistance value increases with increasing temperature, may also be used.

[0087] One end of resistor R10 is connected to the other end of resistor R9, and the other end of resistor R10 is connected to the ground line. The series circuit of resistors R9 and R10 forms a voltage divider circuit to which the system power supply voltage V↓MCU↓ is applied. The output of this voltage divider circuit is connected to the inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP2, to which a fixed voltage value is input. The other end of resistor R8 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP2.

[0088] Furthermore, the other end of resistor R8 is connected to the first thermistor terminal TH1 and terminal P9 of MCU6. The series circuit of resistor R8 and the first thermistor th1 connected to the first thermistor terminal TH1 constitutes a voltage divider circuit to which the system power supply voltage V↓MCU↓ is applied. The output of this voltage divider circuit corresponds to the electrical resistance value (in other words, temperature) of the first thermistor th1 and is input to terminal P9 of MCU6. This allows MCU6 to obtain the temperature of the first thermistor th1 (in other words, the temperature of the seat heater HTR). The output of this voltage divider circuit is also input to the non-inverting input terminal of operational amplifier OP2. In this embodiment, the first thermistor th1 is one that has an NTC characteristic in which its resistance value decreases with increasing temperature. Therefore, the output of operational amplifier OP2 becomes low level when the temperature of the first thermistor th1 (temperature of the seat heater HTR) rises and exceeds the threshold THD1. In other words, as long as the temperature of the first thermistor th1 (the temperature of the sheet heater HTR) is within the normal range, the output of the operational amplifier OP2 will be high level.

[0089] Furthermore, if a PTC (Pulse-to-Turn) thermistor th1 is used as the first thermistor, where the resistance increases with increasing temperature, the output of the voltage divider circuit consisting of the first thermistor th1 and resistor R8 should be connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2, and the output of the voltage divider circuit consisting of resistors R9 and R10 should be connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. Even in this case, the output of the operational amplifier OP2 will become low level when the temperature of the first thermistor th1 (the temperature of the sheet heater HTR) rises above the threshold THD1.

[0090] The output terminal of operational amplifier OP2 is connected to the input terminal D of FF9. The node connecting the input terminal D of FF9 and the output terminal of operational amplifier OP2 is connected to the other end of resistor R11 and to the negative logic clear terminal CLR(￣) provided on FF9. In other words, the input terminal D of FF9, the clear terminal CLR(￣) of FF9, and the output terminal of operational amplifier OP2 are each pulled up to the system power supply voltage V↓MCU↓ supply line by resistor R11.

[0091] FF9 has a clock terminal CLK, which is connected to terminal P7 of MCU6. FF9 also has an output terminal Q, which is connected to one of the input terminals B of AND gate 10. When a clock signal is input to the clock terminal CLK from MCU6 and a high-level signal is input to the clear terminal CLR(￣), FF9 holds data (high or low data) according to the level of the signal input to input terminal D and outputs the held data from output terminal Q. When a clock signal is input to the clock terminal CLK from MCU6 and a low-level signal is input to the clear terminal CLR(￣), FF9 performs a reset process, outputting a low-level signal from output terminal Q regardless of the held data. This reset process is canceled when a high-level signal is input to the clear terminal CLR(￣) and the clock signal is re-input to the clock terminal CLK. In other words, the clear terminal CLR(￣) is opened when a high-level signal is input, the supply of the clock signal to the clock terminal CLK is stopped, and then the supply of the clock signal is resumed, thereby releasing the restriction.

[0092] The other input terminal A of the AND gate 10 is connected to terminal P6 of the MCU 6. The output terminal Y of the AND gate 10 is connected to the positive logic enable terminal EN of the boost circuit 11. The AND gate 10 outputs a high-level signal from output terminal Y only when both the signal input to input terminal A and the signal input to input terminal B are at a high level.

[0093] When a control signal is input from terminal P10 of MCU6 to the control terminal CTL of LSW7, LSW7 outputs the system power supply voltage V↓MCU↓ input to input terminal VIN from output terminal OUT. The output terminal OUT of LSW7 is connected to the vibration motor 13 via terminal VIB of main board 20 and terminal VIB of puff sensor board 21. Therefore, by inputting a control signal from MCU6 to LSW7, the vibration motor 13 can be operated using the system power supply voltage V↓MCU↓.

[0094] (Transition from standby mode to heating mode) The power supply unit 100 has three operating modes: a sleep mode for power saving, a standby mode to which it can transition from the sleep mode, and a heating mode to which it can transition from the standby mode (a mode in which it generates aerosols by heating a liquid heater or sheet heater HTR). When the MCU 6 detects a specific operation on switch BT (e.g., a long press) in sleep mode, it switches the operating mode to standby mode. When the MCU 6 detects a specific operation on switch BT (e.g., a short press) in standby mode, it switches the operating mode to heating mode.

[0095] (Operation in heating mode) Figure 10 is a circuit diagram showing the electronic components involved in the operation of the heating mode, extracted from the circuit shown in Figure 9. Figure 10 also shows a capacitor C3, which was not shown in Figure 9. Figure 11 is a circuit diagram showing the electronic components involved in the heating control of the seat heater HTR and liquid heater, the drive control of the vibration motor 13, and the drive control of the LED 21D, extracted from the circuit shown in Figure 9. The operation of the heating mode will be explained below with reference to Figures 10 and 11.

[0096] When MCU6 transitions to heating mode, it controls switch Q6, shown in Figure 10, to the ON state. As a result, the system power supply voltage V↓MCU↓ is supplied to each of the following: AND gate 10, FF9, resistor R11, operational amplifier OP2, voltage divider circuit consisting of resistors R11, R9 and R10, voltage divider circuit consisting of resistor R8 and first thermistor th1, voltage divider circuit consisting of resistor R12 and second thermistor th2, and operational amplifier OP1. Furthermore, when MCU6 transitions to heating mode, it controls the signal input from terminal P6 to input terminal A of AND gate 10 to a high level. Also, MCU6 starts inputting a clock signal to the clock terminal CLK of FF9. In this state, if the temperature of the first thermistor th1 (temperature of the sheet heater HTR) is within the normal range (less than the threshold THD1), the output of operational amplifier OP2 becomes high level, as a result the output of FF9 becomes high level, and as a result the output of AND gate 10 becomes high level. Therefore, the boost circuit 11 starts outputting a heating voltage V↓HEAT↓, making the sheet heater HTR and the liquid heater ready to heat.

[0097] (Determining the destination of the liquid heater connection) When the boost circuit 11 starts outputting the heating voltage V↓HEAT↓, power can be supplied to the sheet heater HTR connected to the sheet heater terminal HT2 and to the liquid heaters connected to any two of the terminals HT1(P1) to HT1(P3) (in Figure 11, the liquid heater htr connected to terminals HT1(P1) and HT1(P2) is shown), as shown in Figure 11. In this state, the MCU 6 first determines which pair of pogo pins p1, p2, and p3 are connected to the liquid heaters based on the output of the operational amplifier OP1 shown in Figure 9. This determination process includes the following first, second, and third steps.

[0098] (first step) The MCU6 controls the connection between the input terminal B0 and output terminal A of the multiplexer 8 while only switch Q4 of switches Q1-Q4 is turned ON. In this state, if the electrical resistance between terminals HT1(P1) and HT1(P2) is Rx, the voltage division value = V↓HEAT↓*{Rx / (Ra+Rx)} is input to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1. The operational amplifier OP1 compares the voltage input to the non-inverting input terminal with the voltage division value that would occur if a liquid heater were connected between terminals HT1(P1) and HT1(P2). If the difference is small, the output of the operational amplifier OP1 becomes low level. Therefore, when the output of the operational amplifier OP1 becomes low level, the MCU6 determines that a liquid heater is connected between terminals HT1(P1) and HT1(P2).

[0099] (Second process) If the output of op-amp OP1 becomes high in the first step, MCU6 controls only switch Q3 of switches Q1-Q4 to turn on, and connects input terminal B0 and output terminal A of multiplexer 8. In this state, if a liquid heater is connected between terminals HT1(P1) and HT1(P3), the output of op-amp OP1 becomes low. Therefore, if the output of op-amp OP1 becomes low, MCU6 determines that a liquid heater is connected between terminals HT1(P1) and HT1(P3).

[0100] (Third step) In the second step, if the output of operational amplifier OP1 becomes high level, MCU6 controls the connection between input terminal B1 and output terminal A of multiplexer 8 while only switch Q3 among switches Q1-Q4 is turned on. In this state, if a liquid heater is connected between terminals HT1(P2) and HT1(P3), the output of operational amplifier OP1 will become low level. Therefore, if the output of operational amplifier OP1 becomes low level, MCU6 determines that a liquid heater is connected between terminals HT1(P2) and HT1(P3).

[0101] The MCU6 issues an error notification if the output of operational amplifier OP1 does not become low level in any of the first, second, or third processes.

[0102] (Start of heating control) When the above determination process is completed, the MCU6 starts heating control of the sheet heater HTR and liquid heater if the output level of the suction sensor 15 changes to a value corresponding to when the user performs suction. Specifically, the MCU6 controls the heating of the sheet heater HTR by turning the switch Q5 shown in Figure 11 on and off (for example, PWM control or PFM control). At this time, the MCU6 also controls the heating of the sheet heater HTR so that its temperature converges to the target temperature, based on the temperature of the second thermistor th2 (in other words, the temperature of the sheet heater HTR) obtained from the signal input to terminal P8. For example, PID (Proportional-Integral-Differential) control is used for this heating control.

[0103] Furthermore, when a liquid heater is connected between terminals HT1(P1) and HT1(P2), the MCU6 controls the heating of the liquid heater by controlling switch Q4 to the ON state, switches Q2 and Q3 to the OFF state, and switching switch Q1 on and off (for example, PWM control or PFM control) among the switches Q1 to Q4 shown in Figure 11. When a liquid heater is connected between terminals HT1(P1) and HT1(P3), the MCU6 controls the heating of the liquid heater by controlling switch Q3 to the ON state, switches Q2 and Q4 to the OFF state, and switching switch Q1 on and off. When a liquid heater is connected between terminals HT1(P2) and HT1(P3), the MCU6 controls the heating of the liquid heater by controlling switch Q3 to the ON state, switches Q1 and Q4 to the OFF state, and switching switch Q2 on and off.

[0104] (Heater overheat protection) In the power supply unit 100, the electrical resistance values ​​of resistors R8, R9, and R10 are determined such that when the temperature of the first thermistor th1 exceeds the threshold THD1 in heating mode, the output of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes low level. When the temperature of the first thermistor th1 exceeds the threshold THD1 and the output of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes low level, a low level is input to the clear terminal CLR(￣) of FF9. As a result, the clear terminal CLR(￣), which is negative logic, is enabled, forcing the output of FF9 to become low level, so the output of the AND gate 10 also becomes low level, and the boost circuit 11 stops outputting the heating voltage V↓HEAT↓. In this way, the output signal of the operational amplifier OP2 is input to the boost circuit 11, which can reliably stop the power supply to the seat heater HTR, thereby increasing safety when the seat heater HTR becomes hot.

[0105] Furthermore, in order to return the output of FF9 to a high level, the MCU6 needs to re-input the clock signal to the clock terminal CLK of FF9 (in other words, restart FF9). This means that even if the temperature of the first thermistor th1 returns to below the threshold THD1 after the output from the boost circuit 11 has stopped, the output from the boost circuit 11 will not resume unless the MCU6 performs the FF9 restart process.

[0106] Let's assume that the reason the temperature of the first thermistor th1 exceeded the threshold THD1 was due to the MCU6 freezing. In this case, a high-level signal continues to be input to input terminal A of the AND gate 10, and a clock signal continues to be input to FF9. The aerosol generator 200 is equipped with a restart circuit RBT (see Figure 12), which allows the user to restart (reset) the MCU6 by operating switch BT, as will be described in detail later. If the reason the protection circuit activated was due to the MCU6 freezing, the user will restart the MCU6. When the MCU6 restarts, the FF9 is also restarted. Also, when the MCU6 restarts, the signal input to input terminal A of the AND gate 10 becomes low level. Furthermore, since switch Q6 is in the off state when the MCU6 restarts, the potential of the signal at input terminal B of the AND gate 10 becomes undefined. Therefore, the output from the boost circuit 11 does not resume just because the MCU6 has restarted. After the MCU6 is restarted, the operating mode is switched to heating mode by user input, causing the signal input to input terminal A of the AND gate 10 to become high level. Additionally, when switch Q6 is turned on, the signal input to input terminal B of the AND gate 10 also becomes high level. As a result, the output from the boost circuit 11 is resumed.

[0107] (Configuration and operation of the Restart Circuit (RBT)) Figure 12 is a circuit diagram showing the electronic components involved in restarting the MCU6, extracted from the circuit shown in Figure 9. Figure 12 shows the restart circuit RBT. The restart circuit RBT consists of a voltage divider circuit consisting of resistors R3 and R4, switch BT, terminals KEY and GND of the main connector 20A, switch Q7, switch Q9, charging IC3, LDO4, and terminal NRST of the debug connector 20E. In this embodiment, the restart circuit RBT makes it possible to restart the MCU6 by operating switch BT (for example, by long-pressing it) and by commands from an external device connected to the debug connector 20E. The MCU6 is configured to restart if the signal input to terminal P27 remains at a low level for a predetermined time. The charging IC3 is configured to restart if the signal input to terminal QON(￣) remains at a low level for a predetermined time.

[0108] (Resetting MCU6 using SwitchBT) First, we will explain the procedure when restarting the MCU6 without using the debug connector 20E. Resistors R3 and R4 have resistance values ​​such that when switch BT is not pressed, the output of the voltage divider circuit between resistors R3 and R4 is high level. This high-level signal is input to terminal QON(￣) of charging IC3, so in this state charging IC3 is not reset and continues to output the system power voltage V↓SYS↓ from output terminal SYS. Because the output of the system power voltage V↓SYS↓ continues, the output of the system power voltage V↓MCU↓ from output terminal OUT of LDO4 also continues. Therefore, MCU6 continues to operate without stopping. In addition, this high-level signal is input to the gate terminal of switch Q7. Therefore, when USB is connected (bus voltage V↓BUS↓ is output from charging IC3), switch Q7 is turned ON, and as a result the potential of the gate terminal of switch Q9 becomes low level (ground level), turning switch Q9 OFF. When switch Q9 is OFF, the potential of terminal P27 of MCU6 is undefined, so MCU6 does not restart.

[0109] Resistors R3 and R4 have resistance values ​​such that when switch BT is pressed, the output of the voltage divider circuit between resistors R3 and R4 becomes low level. In other words, resistors R3 and R4 have resistance values ​​such that the divided value of the system power supply voltage V↓MCU↓ becomes low level. This low-level signal is input to terminal QON(￣) of charging IC3, and if this condition continues for a predetermined time, charging IC3 stops outputting the system power supply voltage V↓SYS↓ from output terminal SYS. When the output of the system power supply voltage V↓SYS↓ stops, the voltage output from LDO4 stops, the system power supply voltage V↓MCU↓ is no longer input to terminal VDD of MCU6, and MCU6 stops.

[0110] Furthermore, this low-level signal is input to the gate terminal of switch Q7. Therefore, when USB is connected (when the bus voltage V↓BUS↓ is output from charging IC3), switch Q7 is in the off state, and as a result, the potential of the gate terminal of switch Q9 becomes high level (bus voltage V↓BUS↓), turning switch Q9 into the on state. When switch Q9 is in the on state, the potential of terminal P27 of MCU6 becomes low level (ground level). If switch BT is pressed down for a predetermined time, a low-level signal is input to terminal P27 of MCU6 for a predetermined time, causing MCU6 to perform a restart process. When the pressing of switch BT is stopped, charging IC3 resumes outputting the system power supply voltage V↓SYS↓, so the system power supply voltage V↓MCU↓ is input to terminal VDD of the stopped MCU6, and MCU6 starts up.

[0111] (Resetting MCU6 using debug connector 20E) To restart the MCU6 using the debug connector 20E, a USB connection is established, and an external device is connected to the debug connector 20E. In this state, if switch BT is not pressed, switch Q9 is in the off state, and the potential of terminal P27 of the MCU6 depends on the input from the external device. Therefore, by having the operator operate the external device to input a low-level restart signal to terminal NRST, that restart signal is continuously input to terminal P27 for a predetermined time. Upon receiving this restart signal, the MCU6 executes the restart process.

[0112] (Detailed configuration of the main FPC23) Next, we will explain the details of the main FPC23. Figure 13 is a front view of the main FPC 23, unfolded so that its thickness direction coincides with its left-right direction, viewed from the left. Figure 14 is a front view of the main FPC 23, unfolded so that its thickness direction coincides with its left-right direction, viewed from the right. Figure 15 is an enlarged view of the area AR shown in Figure 14.

[0113] The main FPC 23 has a two-layer structure comprising a surface layer 231 (see Figure 13) located on the first case 3A side and a back layer 232 (see Figure 14) located to the right of the surface layer 231. Conductive patterns and ground patterns with a reference potential are provided on the left side of the surface layer 231 and the right side of the back layer 232, respectively. The conductive patterns formed on the main FPC 23 include conductive patterns 81-83 through which power for atomizing the aerosol source (power supplied to the liquid heater) flows, control conductive patterns connected to elements controlled by the MCU 6 (LED 21D and vibration motor 13), and input conductive patterns connected to elements that input signals to the MCU 6 (suction sensor 15 and switch BT). Conductive patterns 81-83 are used to heat the liquid heater, so a large amount of power flows through them. For this reason, it is preferable that conductive patterns 81-83 have low resistance so that heat generation and noise can be suppressed and power can be supplied to the liquid heater with high efficiency. Conductive patterns 81-83 are wider than the control and input conductive patterns to suppress heat generation and noise.

[0114] The main FPC23 is assembled into the internal unit 2A in a folded state along the fold lines LN1 to LN6, which are shown as straight dashed lines in Figures 13 and 14. Hereinafter, the folds resulting from folding along fold lines LN1 to LN6 will be referred to as folds l1 to l6. The main FPC23 includes multiple parts demarcated by folds l1 to l6. Specifically, the main FPC23 consists of a first part PA1 outside of fold l1 (edge ​​side), a second part PA2 between fold l1 and fold l2, a third part PA3 inside of folds l2, l3, l4, and l5, a fourth part PA4 outside of fold l4 (edge ​​side), a fifth part PA5 outside of fold l3 (edge ​​side), a sixth part PA6 between fold l5 and fold l6, and a seventh part PA7 outside of fold l6 (edge ​​side). Of these multiple sections, the third section PA3 has the largest planar area.

[0115] The main FPC23 is folded towards the front and right sides of the page in Figure 13 at fold line LN2, resulting in the state shown in Figure 4, where it is folded back from front to back. The main FPC23 is folded towards the front of the page in Figure 13 at fold line LN1. The main FPC23 is folded towards the back of the page in Figure 13 at fold lines LN3 to LN6. The first part PA1 is fixed to the chassis 50, but the second part PA2 is free and not fixed anywhere. However, as mentioned above, the heater FPC24 and OLED FPC25 suppress the lifting of the second part PA2. Note that the second part PA2 is narrower than the third part PA3, and the folds at both ends extend in different directions, making it more susceptible to stress than other parts.

[0116] Thus, since the main FPC 23 is folded along each of the fold lines LN1 to LN6, it can be flexibly arranged within the case 3 while reducing the space occupied by the main FPC 23 within the case 3, compared to the case where the main FPC 23 is curved. Note that for each fold line l1 to l6, the sharper the smaller of the angles formed by adjacent parts with respect to each fold line l1 to l6, the stronger the stress applied to each. Therefore, in order to reduce stress, it is preferable to make the smaller of the angles formed by adjacent parts with respect to each of the fold lines l1 to l6 in the main FPC 23 90 degrees or more. By doing so, the durability of the main FPC 23 can be improved.

[0117] As shown in Figure 14, a board connector CN1 is mounted on the fourth portion PA4 of the back layer 232 between the fold line LN4 and the edge 4e of the fourth portion PA4. An enlarged view of the board connector CN1 is shown in the area enclosed by the dashed line in Figure 14. The board connector CN1 is the part that connects to the main connector 20A of the main board 20, and has terminals (terminal KEY, terminal PUFF, terminal VMCU, terminal VOTG, terminal LED, terminal VIB, terminal GND, terminal HT1(P1), terminal HT1(P2), and terminal HT1(P3)) that connect to each of the terminals KEY, terminal PUFF, terminal VMCU, terminal VOTG, terminal LED, terminal VIB, terminal GND, terminal HT1(P1), terminal HT1(P2), and terminal HT1(P3) of the main connector 20A.

[0118] The thick lines shown in Figures 13 and 14 indicate conductive patterns made of conductive material. Terminal KEY of PCB connector CN1 is connected to via B11 formed next to the edge 4e side by an input conductive pattern. Vias in the main FPC 23 make an electrical connection between the conductive pattern of the surface layer 231 and the conductive pattern of the back layer 232, and are conductors that penetrate the main FPC 23 in the thickness direction and extend in that thickness direction. Terminal PUFF of PCB connector CN1 is connected to via B9 formed next to the edge 4e side by an input conductive pattern. Terminal VMCU of PCB connector CN1 is connected to via B10 formed next to the edge 4e side by an input conductive pattern. Terminal VOTG of PCB connector CN1 is connected to via B6 formed in the third section PA3 by a control conductive pattern. Terminal VLED of PCB connector CN1 is connected to via B7 formed in the third section PA3 by a control conductive pattern. Terminal VIB of board connector CN1 is connected to via B8 formed in the third section PA3 via a control conductive pattern. The name of the terminal to which each of vias B6 to B11 is connected is indicated in parentheses.

[0119] Vias B6 to B11 each reach the surface layer 231, as shown in Figure 13. Vias B4 and B5 are provided in the fifth portion PA5 of the surface layer 231. Input conductive patterns connecting via B9 and via B4, and input conductive patterns connecting via B10 and via B5 are formed on the surface layer 231. Vias B1, B2, and B3 are provided in the region adjacent to the fifth portion PA5 of the third portion PA3 of the surface layer 231. Control conductive patterns connecting via B6 and via B1 are formed on the surface layer 231, control conductive patterns connecting via B7 and via B2 are formed, and control conductive patterns connecting via B8 and via B3 are formed. Via B12 is provided in the region of the third portion PA3 of the surface layer 231 near the second portion PA2. Input conductive patterns connecting via B11 and via B12 are formed on the surface layer 231.

[0120] As shown in Figure 14, vias B1 to B5 and via B12 each reach the back layer 232. A substrate connector CN2 is mounted on the fifth portion PA5 of the back layer 232 between the fold line LN3 and the edge 5e of the fifth portion PA5. An enlarged view of the substrate connector CN2 is shown in the area enclosed by the dashed line in Figure 14. The substrate connector CN2 is the part that connects to the connector 21B of the puff sensor substrate 21, and has terminals (terminals VOTG, LED, VIB, GND, PUFF, and VMCU) that connect to the terminals VOTG, LED, VIB, GND, PUFF, and VMCU of the connector 21B, respectively.

[0121] The back layer 232 has the following conductive patterns formed on it: a control conductive pattern connecting via B1 to terminal VOTG of board connector CN2; a control conductive pattern connecting via B2 to terminal LED of board connector CN2; a control conductive pattern connecting via B3 to terminal VIB of board connector CN2; an input conductive pattern connecting via B4 to terminal PUFF of board connector CN2; and an input conductive pattern connecting via B5 to terminal VMCU of board connector CN2. In Figure 14, the name of the terminal to which each of vias B1 to B5 is connected on board connector CN2 is indicated in parentheses.

[0122] As shown in Figure 15, the first portion PA1 of the back layer 232 has terminal TH to which the positive terminal of switch BT is connected, terminal TL to which the negative terminal of switch BT is connected, a ground pattern G3 having a reference potential, and terminal TV to which the positive terminal of varistor V1 shown in Figure 9 is connected. Terminal TL is formed integrally with the ground pattern G3. The back layer 232 also has an input conductive pattern PTx that connects terminals TH and TV to via B12. Even if external noise such as static electricity enters through switch BT which is directly mounted on the main FPC23, the varistor V1, which is positioned near switch BT as an overvoltage protection element, prevents this noise from affecting other electrical components mounted on the main FPC23.

[0123] As shown in Figure 14, the input conductive pattern PTx is parallelized in the portion D1 overlapping with the fold line LN1, and in the portion D2 overlapping with the fold line LN2. Specifically, the input conductive pattern PTx branches into two at a position on the third portion PA3 side of the fold line LN2, and then returns to a single branch after passing the fold line LN2 and reaching the second portion PA2. Furthermore, the input conductive pattern PTx branches into two at a position on the second portion PA2 side of the fold line LN1, and then returns to a single branch after passing the fold line LN1 and reaching the first portion PA1. The second portion PA2 is particularly stressed at the folds at both ends. By parallelizing the input conductive pattern PTx formed in this portion, even if one of the two input conductive patterns PTx breaks, the other allows the input conductive pattern PTx to continue to be used.

[0124] In the back layer 232, one end of a conductive pattern 82 is connected to terminal HT1(P2) of the board connector CN1. The conductive pattern 82 extends from terminal HT1(P2) of the board connector CN1 towards the edge 4e, then folds back towards the third section PA3, and reaches the seventh section PA7 via the third section PA3. Four vias 82b are connected to the other end of the conductive pattern 82. As shown in Figure 13, the four vias 82b reach the seventh section PA7 of the surface layer 231. The seventh section PA7 of the surface layer 231 is provided with terminals 82T that connect to these four vias 82b.

[0125] In the back layer 232, one end of a conductive pattern 83 is connected to terminal HT1(P3) of the board connector CN1. The conductive pattern 83 extends from terminal HT1(P3) of the board connector CN1 towards the third section PA3, and reaches the seventh section PA7 via the third section PA3. Four vias 83b are connected to the other end of the conductive pattern 83. As shown in Figure 13, the four vias 83b reach the seventh section PA7 of the surface layer 231. The seventh section PA7 of the surface layer 231 is provided with terminals 83T that connect to these four vias 83b.

[0126] In the back layer 232, one end of a conductive pattern 81 is connected to terminal HT1(P1) of the board connector CN1. The conductive pattern 81 extends from terminal HT1(P1) of the board connector CN1 toward the edge 4e and is formed in the fourth portion PA4. A via 81b is connected to the conductive pattern 81. As shown in Figure 13, the via 81b reaches the fourth portion PA4 of the top layer 231. One end of the conductive pattern 81 that connects to this via 81b is provided in the fourth portion PA4 of the top layer 231. The conductive pattern 81 on the top layer 231 extends to the seventh portion PA7 via the third portion PA3. The other end of the conductive pattern 81 on the top layer 231 is wide, and this portion constitutes terminal 81T.

[0127] The seventh part PA7 has its thickness direction aligned with the vertical direction, and its back layer 232 is fixed to the lower surface of the chassis 50. This part is exposed when the lower lid 7a is open. When the lower lid 7a is closed, the input contact P1 of the lower lid 7a contacts terminal 81T, the input contact P2 of the lower lid 7a contacts terminal 82T, and the input contact P3 of the lower lid 7a contacts terminal 83T, thereby establishing an electrical connection between the pogo pin substrate 22 and the liquid heater and the main FPC 23. In this way, the conductive patterns 81-83 contact the input contacts P1-P3 at terminals 81T-83T. For this reason, it is preferable that the thickness of the conductive patterns 81-83 be thickest at terminals 81T-83T, and thinner in the parts excluding terminals 81T-83T. This increases the durability of terminals 81T-83T.

[0128] The conductive patterns 81-83 on the main FPC 23 are formed across the surface layer 231 and the back layer 232. Therefore, compared to a configuration where conductive patterns 81-83 are placed on a single layer, the width of each conductive pattern 81-83 can be increased if the area of ​​the main FPC 23 is the same. Alternatively, the main FPC 23 could be made into a three-layer structure, with the conductive patterns 81-83 distributed among the layers. Compared to this configuration, the main FPC 23 in this embodiment has fewer layers, simplifying its structure and reducing manufacturing costs and weight. Furthermore, the conductive patterns 81-83 in the main FPC 23 in this embodiment are not branched like the input conductive pattern PTx, but are formed as single lines. By making the conductive patterns 81-83 thick and simple in shape in this way, it is possible to prevent breakage at folds and suppress heat and noise through low resistance and low inductance.

[0129] Furthermore, the width of the parts of the main FPC 23 excluding the third part PA3 and the fourth part PA4 is smaller than the sum of the widths of the conductive patterns 81 to 83. In this embodiment, the main FPC 23 has a two-layer structure, with conductive pattern 81 formed on the surface layer 231 and conductive patterns 82 and 83 formed on the back layer 232, thereby reducing the width of the parts excluding the third part PA3 and the fourth part PA4. In other words, according to this embodiment, three thick conductive patterns can be formed without using an excessively large main FPC 23.

[0130] As conductive patterns formed on the surface layer 231, the control conductive pattern connecting via B1 and via B6, the control conductive pattern connecting via B2 and via B7, and the control conductive pattern connecting via B3 and via B8 are formed to extend in the front-to-back direction, straddling conductive patterns 82 and 83 formed on the back layer 232, when viewed from the front of the main FPC 23. In addition, as conductive patterns formed on the surface layer 231, the input conductive pattern connecting via B11 and via B12, the input conductive pattern connecting via B4 and via B9, and the input conductive pattern connecting via B5 and via B10 are formed to extend in the front-to-back direction, straddling either conductive pattern 82 or 83 formed on the back layer 232, when viewed from the front of the main FPC 23. Thus, the control conductive patterns and input conductive patterns formed on the surface layer 231 are configured to overlap with conductive patterns 82 and 83 formed on the back layer 232 when viewed from the front of the main FPC 23. This configuration allows for increasing the width of conductive patterns 82 and 83 without interfering with the control conductive pattern and the input conductive pattern.

[0131] As shown in Figure 13, a large-area ground pattern G1 is formed on the surface layer 231, spanning from the first section PA1 to the sixth section PA6. This ground pattern G1 has gaps Ga3 where it overlaps with the fold line LN3, gaps Ga2 where it overlaps with the fold line LN2, and gaps Ga1 where it overlaps with the fold line LN1. By providing these gaps Ga1 to Ga3, the stress applied to the folds l1 to l3 in the ground pattern G1 can be released.

[0132] As shown in Figure 14, two ground patterns G2, smaller in area than ground pattern G1, are formed on the back layer 232, spanning from the third section PA3 to the fifth section PA5. The ground pattern G2 on the lower left in the figure is connected to the GND terminal of board connector CN1. The ground pattern G2 on the upper right in the figure is connected to the GND terminal of board connector CN2.

[0133] As shown in Figure 14, in the back layer 232, ground patterns are not formed in the second part PA2, the sixth part PA6, and the seventh part PA7. In other words, ground patterns G2 and G3 are formed while avoiding some of the folds l1 to l7 (folds l1, l2, l5, and l6). Ground patterns are generally formed with large-area copper foil, but such large-area copper foil has little room for stress to escape due to the folds. Therefore, in the back layer 232, stress escape routes are secured by not providing ground patterns at the locations of folds l1, l2, l5, and l6.

[0134] On the other hand, the ground pattern G1 formed on the surface layer 231 is also formed at folds l1, l2, and l5 on the back layer 232, where overlap with the ground pattern is avoided. In other words, the only folds where the ground pattern overlaps on the surface layer 231 and the back layer 232 are folds l3 and l4. By reducing the number of folds where the ground pattern overlaps on the surface layer 231 and the back layer 232 in this way, the area of ​​the ground pattern can be increased while preventing disconnection of the ground pattern. The stability of the reference potential in the ground pattern depends greatly on the area of ​​the ground pattern. According to the main FPC 23, the area of ​​the ground pattern can be increased by forming the ground pattern across the surface layer 231 and the back layer 232 as described above.

[0135] Furthermore, in the second section PA2, a ground pattern is not formed on the back layer 232, and the ground pattern G1 is formed only on the front layer 231. As mentioned above, the second section PA2 is a part that is easily subjected to stress. For this reason, by providing only the input conductive pattern PTx on the back layer 232, the flexibility of the second section PA2 can be ensured and the durability of the main FPC 23 can be improved.

[0136] Furthermore, ground patterns G2 and G3 may be formed while avoiding all of the folds l1 to l7. In this case, the surface layer 231 may be configured such that ground pattern G1 is formed on some or all of the folds l1 to l7.

[0137] This specification contains at least the following information. Note that the components etc. in parentheses indicate those corresponding to the embodiments described above, but are not limited thereto.

[0138] (1) Power supply (power supply ba), A atomizer (liquid heater) that atomizes the aerosol source and an atomizer connector (pogo pins p1~p3) that is electrically connected to it, A rigid circuit board (main board 20) configured to control the power supplied from the above power supply to the above atomizer connector, The system comprises a flexible circuit board (main FPC23) connected to the rigid circuit board and the atomizer connector, and including a plurality of conductive patterns (conductive patterns 81-83) through which power for atomizing the aerosol source flows, The above flexible circuit board includes a first layer (front layer 231) and a second layer (back layer 232), The above-mentioned multiple conductive patterns are formed on the first layer and the second layer. Power supply unit (power supply unit 100) for an aerosol generator.

[0139] To generate a sufficient amount of aerosol from an aerosol source, a large amount of power (large current) needs to be supplied to the atomizer. If such a large amount of power (large current) is passed through a narrow conductive pattern, the apparent electrical resistance (parasitic resistance) increases, generating heat and noise. According to (1), since the conductive pattern is formed across multiple layers of the flexible circuit board, the width of this conductive pattern can be increased. Therefore, even when generating a sufficient amount of aerosol, the heat and noise generated in the flexible circuit board can be reduced. Note that the width of the conductive pattern refers to the distance in the direction perpendicular to the direction of current flow.

[0140] (2) (1) The power supply unit of the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The above flexible circuit board has a portion with a width smaller than the sum of the widths of the multiple conductive patterns (excluding the third portion PA3 and the fourth portion PA4). Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0141] According to (2), the width of the conductive pattern can be increased without using an excessively wide flexible circuit board. This reduces the manufacturing cost and size of the power supply unit while also reducing the heat and noise generated by the flexible circuit board.

[0142] (3) (1) or (2) The power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described above, It is mounted on the flexible circuit board and includes a board connector (board connector CN1) that connects the flexible circuit board and the rigid circuit board. The above-mentioned plurality of conductive patterns include a first conductive pattern (conductive pattern 83) extending from the edge of the substrate connector on the first direction side, and a second conductive pattern (conductive pattern 81) extending from the edge of the substrate connector on the second direction side, which is different from the first direction. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0143] According to (3), compared to the case where multiple conductive patterns are drawn from the same edge of the board connector, the width of the conductive pattern can be increased, so that heat and noise generated in the flexible circuit board can be reduced even when a sufficient amount of aerosol is generated.

[0144] (4) (3) The power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The above-mentioned board connector is mounted on the end of the second layer (fourth part PA4), The above-mentioned first conductive pattern is formed on the above-mentioned second layer, The above-mentioned second conductive pattern is formed on the above-mentioned first layer and the above-mentioned second layer. The first layer comprises a second conductive pattern formed on the first layer and vias (vias 81b) connecting the second conductive pattern formed on the second layer. The edge on the second direction side is closer to the edge (edge ​​4e) of the end of the second layer than the edge on the first direction side. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0145] According to (4), the area where the second conductive pattern is connected between the first and second layers is prone to heat concentration because the second conductive pattern and vias formed in the first layer and the second conductive pattern formed in the second layer overlap in the thickness direction. By placing such areas prone to heat concentration near the edge of the flexible substrate, the heat concentration can be easily eliminated as the area becomes more susceptible to air cooling. This reduces the thermal impact on electrical components mounted on the flexible circuit board and on other patterns formed on the flexible circuit board. Furthermore, the durability of the power supply unit is improved.

[0146] (5) A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus as described in any of (1) to (4), Equipped with a controller (MCU6), The flexible circuit board described above includes at least one of the following: a separate conductive pattern (control conductive pattern) connected to elements controlled by the controller (LED 21D and vibration motor 13), which is different from the plurality of conductive patterns described above; and a separate conductive pattern (input conductive pattern) connected to elements that input signals to the controller (suction sensor 15 and switch BT). Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0147] According to (5), by forming not only conductive patterns but also separate conductive patterns for control or input on a single flexible circuit board, the number of components in the power supply unit can be reduced, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost and size of the power supply unit.

[0148] (6) (5) The power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The above-mentioned conductive pattern is formed on the first layer and the second layer. The separate conductive pattern formed on one of the first layer and the second layer overlaps with the conductive pattern formed on the other of the first layer and the second layer when viewed from the front of the flexible circuit board. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0149] According to (6), the width of the conductive pattern can be increased without interfering with other conductive patterns. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the heat and noise that may be generated by the conductive pattern while having other conductive patterns and conductive patterns coexist on a single flexible circuit board.

[0150] (7) (6) The power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described above, It is mounted on the flexible circuit board and includes a board connector (board connector CN1) that connects the flexible circuit board and the rigid circuit board. The above-mentioned conductive pattern includes a first pattern extending from the edge of the board connector on the first direction side, and a second pattern extending from the edge of the board connector on the second direction side, which is different from the first direction. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0151] According to (7), the use of multiple separate conductive patterns for control or input increases the number of controls that the controller can perform and improves the accuracy of individual controls, thereby enabling a more functional power supply unit while reducing manufacturing costs and size.

[0152] (8) A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus as described in any of (5) to (7), The above flexible circuit board includes folds (folds l1 to l6), The above-mentioned separate conductive pattern includes a parallel arrangement of the portions (parts D1 and D2) formed at the fold (input conductive pattern PTx), Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0153] Stress concentrates at the folds, so if there is a thin conductive pattern at the fold, there is a risk that the conductive pattern will be damaged (broken). According to (8), the other conductive pattern includes parts formed at the folds arranged in parallel, so even if a part of this parallelized other conductive pattern breaks, the use of that other conductive pattern can continue. As a result, the durability of the power supply unit is improved.

[0154] (9) (8) The power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described above, Of the above conductive patterns, the portion formed at the above fold is not parallelized. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0155] According to (9), it is preferable that the conductive pattern for supplying power to the atomizer be thick and simple in shape, so that it is less likely to be damaged (broken) even when stress is applied at the folds. By not arranging such conductive patterns in parallel even at the folds, the width of the flexible circuit board can be made to the maximum extent possible, and its width can be increased.

[0156] (10) A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus as described in any of (1) to (9), The above flexible circuit board includes ground patterns (ground patterns G1, G2, G3) having a reference potential. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0157] According to (10), by forming not only conductive patterns but also ground patterns on a single flexible circuit board, the number of components in the power supply unit can be reduced, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost and size of the power supply unit.

[0158] (11) (10) Power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The above ground pattern is formed in the first layer and the second layer. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0159] The stability of the reference potential in a ground pattern largely depends on the area of ​​the ground pattern. According to (11), the area of ​​the ground pattern can be increased by forming the ground pattern across multiple layers of the flexible circuit board. As a result, the reference potential becomes stable, and the operation of the power supply unit becomes stable.

[0160] (12) A power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described in (10) or (11), The above flexible circuit board includes folds (folds l1 to l6), In the above ground pattern, gaps (gaps Ga1, Ga2, Ga3) are provided in the portion formed at the above fold. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0161] Because stress concentrates at the folds, ground patterns, which generally have complex shapes, are at risk of damage (disconnection). According to (12), by providing gaps in the ground pattern, this stress can be relieved, thereby improving the durability of the power supply unit.

[0162] (13) (1) or (2) The power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The above multiple conductive patterns include a first conductive pattern (conductive pattern 81), a second conductive pattern (conductive pattern 82), and a third conductive pattern (conductive pattern 83). The above-mentioned second conductive pattern and the above-mentioned third conductive pattern are formed in the above-mentioned second layer. The above first conductive pattern is formed on the above first layer. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0163] According to (13), since it is not necessary to create multiple layers of flexible circuit boards for each conductive pattern, it is possible to reduce the heat and noise that may occur in the conductive patterns while also reducing the manufacturing cost and weight of the flexible circuit board.

[0164] (14) (13) Power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The flexible circuit board is mounted on the flexible circuit board, connects the flexible circuit board and the rigid circuit board, and includes a board connector (board connector CN1) mounted on the second layer. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0165] Conductive patterns formed on layers where connectors are not mounted tend to have more complex structures and shapes than conductive patterns formed on layers where connectors are mounted, because they need to be connected with vias. According to (14), a larger number of conductive patterns formed on layers where connectors are mounted makes it easier to manufacture flexible circuit boards, thus reducing the manufacturing cost of power supply units. [Explanation of symbols]

[0166] 100 Power Supply Units 20 Main board 23 Main FPC 231 Surface layer 232 Underlayer 81, 82, 83 Conductive patterns BA Power Supply p1, p2, p3 Pogopin

Claims

1. Power supply and A cartridge holder that houses a cartridge including a reservoir for storing an aerosol source and an atomizer for aerosolizing the aerosol source, A atomizer connector that is electrically connected to the atomizer contained in the cartridge housed in the cartridge holding section, A rigid circuit board configured to control the power supplied from the power source to the atomizer connector, The device comprises a first flexible circuit board connected to the rigid circuit board and the atomizer connector, and including a first conductive pattern and a second conductive pattern through which power for atomizing the aerosol source flows, The first flexible circuit board includes a first layer and a second layer, The first conductive pattern is formed in the first layer, The second conductive pattern is formed in the second layer. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

2. A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 1, The first conductive pattern is formed on both the first layer and the second layer. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

3. A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 2, The first flexible circuit board further comprises a first heater terminal and a second heater terminal electrically connected to the rigid circuit board, The first conductive pattern extends in the second layer from the first heater terminal in a first direction, The second conductive pattern extends in the second layer from the second heater terminal in a second direction. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

4. A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 3, The first direction is the direction of the end of the first flexible circuit board. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

5. A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Equipped with an additional suction sensor, The first flexible circuit board further comprises a conductive pattern connected to the suction sensor. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

6. A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A second flexible circuit board on which a sheet heater is formed, The system further includes a heater temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the seat heater, The rigid circuit board is The main connector connected to the first flexible circuit board, The device comprises a heater connector connected to the second flexible circuit board, The heater connector is It is equipped with a terminal connected to the heater temperature sensor. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

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