Power Unit of Aerosol Generator

Abstract

A power supply unit (100) for an aerosol generation device (10) comprises: a main substrate (20) that includes a battery connector (20D) that is installed at a front surface (201); a power supply (ba) that is provided to a back surface (202) and can supply power to an atomizer that atomizes an aerosol source; and a lead wire (16) that is connected to the power supply (ba) and the battery connector (20D). The main substrate (20) has a notch (80), and the lead wire (16) passes through the notch (80).

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In a heated tobacco product, which is a form of an aerosol generating device, generally, a battery as a power source and a circuit board are connected by an FPC or a lead wire. Then, the electric power supplied from the battery is supplied to electronic components mounted or connected to the circuit board (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An aerosol generating device that is routinely carried by a user is preferably as small as possible. However, in recent years, with the increasing functionality of aerosol generating devices, the number of components incorporated in the housing has tended to increase. Also, the battery capacity has tended to increase. Under such circumstances, there is a need for a technique for appropriately arranging FPCs or lead wires without increasing the size of the housing.

[0005] The present invention provides a power supply unit of an aerosol generating device that can appropriately route wiring without increasing the size of the housing.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The power supply unit of the aerosol generating device of the present invention is A circuit board including a first surface, a second surface located on the back of the first surface, and a power connector mounted on the first surface, A power source that can supply power to an atomizer for atomizing an aerosol source and is disposed on the second surface side, A power wiring connected to the power source and the power connector, The circuit board has a notch, The power wiring passes through the notch.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the size of the aerosol device in the width direction or the length direction of the circuit board can be made smaller than the case where no notch is provided, so that the aerosol generating device can be miniaturized.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, the power supply unit of the aerosol generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, the aerosol generating device including the power supply unit of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

[0010] (Aerosol generating device) The aerosol generating device 10 is a device for generating an aerosol with added flavor without combustion and sucking the generated aerosol. The aerosol generating device 10 is preferably sized to fit in the hand. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with rounded corners. Note that the shape of the aerosol generating device 10 is not limited to this, and it may be a rod shape, an oval shape, or the like. In the following description, in the aerosol generating device 10, among the three orthogonal directions, from the longest in length order, they are referred to as the vertical direction, the front-rear direction, and the left-right direction. Also, in the following description, for convenience, as described in FIGS. 1 to 8, the front, rear, left, right, upper, and lower directions are defined, and the front is indicated as Fr, the rear as Rr, the left side as L, the right side as R, the upper side as U, and the lower side as D.

[0011] Referring also to FIG. 3, the aerosol generating device 10 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 2 and a case 3, and at least a part of the internal unit 2 is housed in the case 3.

[0013] Case 3 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 2, and the second case 3B is supported on the right - hand side surface of the chassis 50, so that the internal unit 2 is accommodated in the case 3. On the upper surface of the power supply unit 100, a capsule holder 4 is provided forward. The capsule holder 4 is provided with an opening 4a that opens upward. The capsule holder 4 is configured such that a 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 5 disposed behind the opening 4a, and the lower surface of the power supply unit 100 is formed by a lower cover 8 provided with a charging terminal 1 and a rotatable lower lid 7.

[0015] Between the upper surface and the rear surface of the power supply unit 100, an inclined surface that slopes downward as it goes rearward is provided. An operation part that can be operated by the user is provided on the inclined surface. The operation part in this embodiment is a button - type switch BT, but it may be composed of a touch panel or the like. The operation part is used when reflecting the user's intention to use and starting / turning off / operating an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) 6 and various sensors (described later).

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

[0017] Further, the charging terminal 1 may include, for example, a power receiving coil and be configured to be able to receive power transmitted from an external power source in a non-contact manner. In this case, the power transmission (Wireless Power Transfer) method may be an electromagnetic induction type, a magnetic resonance type, or a combination of the electromagnetic induction type and the magnetic resonance type. As another example, the charging terminal 1 may be connectable to various USB terminals and the like and may have the above-described power receiving coil.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the internal unit 2 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 FIGS. 4 and 5, the chassis 50 includes a cylindrical cartridge holding portion 51 located at the front, a semi-cylindrical battery holding portion 52 located at the rear with the left side cut out, a plate-shaped connecting portion 53 connecting the cartridge holding portion 51 and the battery holding portion 52, a motor holding portion 54 provided below and to the right of the connecting portion 53 and straddling the cartridge holding portion 51 and the battery holding portion 52, and a sensor holding portion 55 provided at the left rear of the cartridge holding portion 51.

[0020] The first cartridge 110 is inserted into the cartridge holding portion 51 from below with the lower lid 7 open. Further, with the lower lid 7 closed in the state where the first cartridge 110 is inserted, the first cartridge 110 is accommodated in the cartridge holding portion 51. A capsule holder 4 is attached to the upper portion of the cartridge holding portion 51. A vertically long through hole is provided in the front of the cartridge holding portion 51, and the remaining amount of the aerosol source of the first cartridge 110 and the light of an LED (Light Emitting Diode) (not shown) are visible from the remaining amount confirmation window 3w provided at the joint portion of the first case 3A and the second case 3B. The LED is provided on the perfume sensor substrate 21 described later. The first cartridge 110 will be described later.

[0021] The battery pack BP is disposed in the battery holding portion 52. The battery pack BP includes a power source ba and a power source thermistor for detecting the temperature of the power source ba. The power source ba is a rechargeable secondary battery, an electric double layer capacitor, etc., and preferably a lithium ion secondary battery. The electrolyte of the power source ba may be composed of one of a gel electrolyte, an electrolytic solution, a solid electrolyte, an ionic liquid, or a combination thereof.

[0022] The vibration motor 13 is disposed in the motor holding portion 54. The suction sensor 15, which will be described later and outputs in response to the user's suction operation (puff operation), is disposed in the sensor holding portion 55.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 6, the heating unit 60 includes a cylindrical heat transfer tube 61 and a sheet heater HTR wound around the outer periphery of the heat transfer tube 61. The aforementioned capsule holder 4 is provided separately around the sheet heater HTR. The air layer between the capsule holder 4 and the sheet heater HTR functions as a heat insulating material. The lower part of the second cartridge 120 inserted from the opening 4a of the capsule holder 4 is accommodated 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 with the case where the heating unit 60 is not provided, the fragrance source stored in the second cartridge 120 is more likely to release the fragrance, so that the aerosol is more likely to be imparted with the fragrance.

[0024] Note that the heating unit 60 may be any element that can heat the second cartridge 120. Examples of the element include a resistance heating element, a ceramic heater, and an induction heating type heater. As the resistance heating element, for example, one having a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) characteristic in which the resistance value increases as the temperature increases is preferably used. Alternatively, one having an NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient) characteristic in which the resistance value decreases as the temperature increases may be used. The heating unit 60 has a function of defining a flow path of air supplied to the second cartridge 120 and a function of heating the second cartridge 120.

[0025] The notification unit notifies various information such as the charging state of the power supply ba, the remaining amount of the first cartridge 110, and the remaining amount of the second cartridge 120. The notification unit of the present embodiment includes an LED and a vibration motor 13. The notification unit may be constituted by a light-emitting element such as an LED, may be constituted by a vibration element such as the vibration motor 13, or may be constituted by a sound output element. The notification unit may be a combination of two or more of the light-emitting element, the vibration element, and the sound output element.

[0026] The various sensors include a suction sensor 15 that detects the puff operation (suction operation) of the user, 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, a flow sensor, or the like. A plurality of suction sensors 15 may be arranged at intervals, and the puff operation may be detected from the difference in the output values thereof. The heater temperature sensor includes a first thermistor th1 and a second thermistor th2. The first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 are preferably in contact with or close to the seat heater HTR. When the seat heater HTR has PTC characteristics or NTC characteristics, the seat heater HTR itself may be used as the heater temperature sensor. The heater temperature sensor is described as being composed of two thermistors, but it may be composed of one thermistor.

[0028] The circuit unit 70 includes four rigid circuit boards, three FPCs (Flexible Printed Circuits), a plurality of ICs (Integrated Circuits), and a plurality of elements. The four circuit boards are composed of a main board 20, a puff sensor board 21, a pogo pin board 22, and an OLED board 26. The three FPCs are composed of a main FPC 23, a heater FPC 24, and an OLED FPC 25.

[0029] The main board 20 is disposed between the battery pack BP and the rear surface of the case 3 (the rear surface of the power supply unit 100) such that the element mounting surface faces the front-rear direction. The main board 20 is configured by laminating a plurality of layers (six layers in this embodiment) of boards, and electronic components (elements) such as an MCU 6 and a charging IC 3 are mounted thereon.

[0030] Details will be described later with reference to FIG. 9 and the like. The MCU 6 is connected to various sensor devices such as a suction sensor 15, an operation unit, a notification unit, and a memory that stores the number of puff operations or load and the energization time to the seat heater HTR, etc., and is a control device that performs various controls of the aerosol generating device 10. Specifically, the MCU 6 is mainly configured by a processor, and further includes a storage medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) necessary for the operation of the processor and a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various information. The processor in this specification is, for example, an electric circuit combining circuit elements such as semiconductor elements. Note that a part of the elements connected to the MCU 6 (for example, the suction sensor 15 and the memory) may be provided as a function of the MCU 6 inside the MCU 6.

[0031] The charging IC 3 is an IC that performs charging control of the power supply ba with the power input from the charging terminal 1 or supplies the power of the power supply ba to the electronic components etc. of the main board 20.

[0032] The main board 20 will be described more specifically with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience, the surface facing the rear of the main board 20 is referred to as the front surface 201, and the surface facing the front of the main board 20 is referred to as the back surface 202. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the front surface 201 of the main board 20, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the back surface 202 of the main board 20.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 8, the MCU 6 and the charging IC 3 are mounted on the back surface 202 of the main board 20 together with the charging terminal 1. Further, a debug connector 20E is mounted on the back surface 202. The debug connector 20E is an interface for rewriting the program of the MCU 6 etc. from an external device such as a personal computer, and for example, one compliant with the SWD (Serial Wire Debug) standard is used. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, on the front surface 201 of the main board 20, an OLED connector 20C, a heater connector 20B, a main connector 20A, and a battery connector 20D connected to the battery pack BP via a lead wire 16 (see FIG. 6) are mounted.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the perfume sensor board 21 is arranged in the sensor holding portion 55 of the chassis 50 such that the element mounting surface faces the right front and the left rear. A suction sensor 15 is mounted on the perfume sensor board 21.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 6, the OLED board 26 is arranged between the battery pack BP and the OLED cover 5 such that the element mounting surface faces the vertical direction. An OLED panel 17 is mounted on the OLED board 26.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 6, the pogo pin board 22 is arranged on the lower lid 7 such that the element mounting surface faces the vertical direction with the lower lid 7 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, and pogo pins p1 to p3 which are connectors electrically connected to loads provided on the first cartridge 110. The input side contacts P1 to P3 are electrically connected to the main FPC 23 only when the lower lid 7 is closed. The pogo pins p1 to p3 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and at least two pogo pins are configured to be electrically connected to the + terminal and the - terminal of the first cartridge 110 housed in the cartridge holding portion 51.

[0037] The battery pack BP held by the battery holding portion 52 is exposed from the battery holding portion 52 on the left side by the semi-cylindrical battery holding portion 52. In the space between the left side of the battery pack BP formed by notching the battery holding portion 52 and the first case 3A, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 6, the main FPC 23, the heater FPC 24, and the OLED FPC 25 are arranged so as to overlap each other.

[0038] Among the three FPCs, the main FPC 23 is routed closest to the battery pack BP, the OLED FPC 25 is routed so as to partially overlap the main FPC 23, and the heater FPC 24 is routed so as to overlap the OLED FPC 25. That is, the heater FPC 24, which is supplied with the largest power among the three FPCs, is routed farthest from the battery pack BP.

[0039] One end of the OLED FPC 25 is connected to the OLED connector 20C of the main board 20, and the other end is connected to the OLED board 26.

[0040] The main FPC 23 connects the main connector 20A of the main board 20, the switch BT of the operation unit, the connector 21B of the puff sensor board 21, and the input side contacts P1 to P3 of the pogo pin board 22.

[0041] One end of the heater FPC 24 is connected to the heater connector 20B of the main board 20, and a sheet heater HTR is integrally formed at the other end.

[0042] (First Cartridge) The first cartridge 110 includes 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 flow path through which the aerosol generated by atomizing the aerosol source flows toward the second cartridge 120 inside a cylindrical cartridge case 31. The aerosol source contains a liquid such as glycerin, propylene glycol, or water.

[0043] The load (atomizer) is a heating element that heats the aerosol source without combustion by the power supplied from the power source ba through the pogo pins p1 to p3 of the pogo pin substrate 22, and is constituted by, for example, a heating wire (coil) wound at a predetermined pitch. The load atomizes the aerosol source by heating the aerosol source. As the load, a heating resistor, a ceramic heater, an induction heating type heater, etc. can be used.

[0044] The aerosol flow path is connected to the second cartridge 120 through the flow path forming body 19 (see FIG. 6) housed in the cartridge holding portion 51 of the chassis 50.

[0045] (Second Cartridge) The second cartridge 120 stores the flavor source. When the second cartridge 120 is heated by the sheet heater HTR, the flavor source is heated. The second cartridge 120 imparts flavor to the aerosol by passing the aerosol generated by atomizing the aerosol source by the load through the flavor source. As the raw material piece constituting the flavor source, shredded tobacco or a molded body obtained by granulating tobacco raw materials can be used. The flavor source may be constituted by a plant other than tobacco (for example, mint, Chinese herbal medicine, herb, etc.). A fragrance such as menthol may be imparted to the flavor source.

[0046] The aerosol generating device 10 can generate an aerosol with added flavor by the aerosol source and the flavor source. That is, the aerosol source and the flavor source constitute an aerosol generation source for generating an aerosol with added flavor.

[0047] The aerosol generation source in the aerosol generation device 10 is a part that the user replaces and uses. This part is provided to the user as a set, for example, including one first cartridge 110 and one or more (e.g., five) second cartridges 120. Also, the battery pack BP can be repeatedly charged and discharged as long as the power supply ba does not deteriorate significantly. Therefore, in the aerosol generation device 10, the power supply unit 100 or the battery pack BP has the lowest replacement frequency, the first cartridge 110 has the next lowest replacement frequency, and the second cartridge 120 has the highest replacement frequency. Note that the first cartridge 110 and the second cartridge 120 may be integrated into one cartridge. A configuration where a drug or the like is added to the aerosol source instead of the flavor source may also be used.

[0048] In the aerosol generation device 10 configured as described above, the air flowing in from an air intake (not shown) provided in the case 3 or the internal unit 2 passes near the load of the first cartridge 110. The load atomizes the aerosol source drawn from the reservoir by the wick. The aerosol generated by atomization flows through the aerosol flow path together with the air flowing in from the intake, and is supplied to the second cartridge 120 through the flow path forming body 19. The aerosol supplied to the second cartridge 120 is imparted with a flavor by passing through the flavor source, and is supplied to the suction port 131 of the mouthpiece 130.

[0049] (Main substrate) Hereinafter, the main substrate 20 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. As described above, the main substrate 20 is a multilayer substrate formed by laminating a plurality of layers and has a substantially rectangular shape. The main substrate 20 is disposed near the rear of the battery pack BP such that the longitudinal direction is the vertical direction and the short-side direction faces the left-right direction.

[0050] On the back surface 202 facing the battery pack BP, as shown in FIG. 8, the MCU 6 and the charging IC 3 are mounted. On the front surface 201 facing the rear surface of the case 3 (the rear surface of the power supply unit 100), as shown in FIG. 7, the OLED connector 20C, the heater connector 20B, the main connector 20A, and the battery connector 20D are mounted. On the front surface 201, the OLED connector 20C, the heater connector 20B, the main connector 20A, and the battery connector 20D are arranged in this order from top to bottom.

[0051] Referring also to FIG. 6, the battery connector 20D is arranged at the lower part of the front surface 201 in the vertical direction (longitudinal direction) so that at least a part thereof overlaps the lower surface of the battery pack BP in a horizontal view. A lead wire 16 extending from the lower surface of the battery pack BP is connected to the battery connector 20D. In other words, the lead wire 16 is connected to the power supply ba of the battery pack BP and the battery connector 20D. The lead wire 16 may be connected to the power supply thermistor of the battery pack BP. Therefore, by arranging at least a part of the battery connector 20D so as to overlap the lower surface of the battery pack BP in a horizontal view, the length of the lead wire 16 can be shortened.

[0052] Also, the lead wire 16 is connected to the battery connector 20D from the left side through the left side surface of the main board 20. As shown in FIG. 7, a notch 80 formed by the left side surface being recessed is provided at the left edge 203L of the front surface 201 of the main board 20, and the lead wire 16 is connected to the battery connector 20D through this notch 80. That the lead wire 16 passes through the notch 80 means that at least a part of the lead wire 16 overlaps the concave space partitioned by the notch 80 when viewed from the direction (front-rear direction) perpendicular to the front surface 201 and the back surface 202. Thereby, compared with the case where the notch 80 is not provided, the size of the power supply unit 100 in the width direction (left-right direction) of the main board 20 can be reduced.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 9, the notch 80 includes a stepped portion 81 extending parallel to the straight portion 204 of the left edge 203L, and a pair of upper and lower inclined portions 82 connecting the stepped portion 81 and the straight portion 204, and has a trapezoidal shape when viewed from a direction (front-rear direction) perpendicular to the surface 201. The notch angle α, which is the angle formed by the stepped portion 81 and the inclined portion 82, is set to be greater than 90°. That is, the upper inclined portion 82 is inclined obliquely downward toward the stepped portion 81, and the lower inclined portion 82 is inclined obliquely upward toward the stepped portion 81.

[0054] A plurality of electronic components are mounted on the main board 20, and a plurality of conductive patterns 210 are formed. Note that the conductive pattern 210 in FIG. 9 shows a conductive pattern provided in an intermediate layer other than the surface layer (surface 201) of the main board 20 which is a multilayer board. A narrow portion where the electricity of the conductive pattern hardly passes becomes the parasitic resistance of the conductive pattern and tends to generate heat when electricity flows. In addition, a corner portion where the angle of the conductive pattern is less than 90° becomes the parasitic capacitance of the conductive pattern and tends to generate noise when electricity flows. Therefore, by setting the notch angle α to be greater than 90° and making the conductive pattern 210 printed around the notch 80 into an obtuse curve, more conductive patterns 210 can be formed while suppressing the generation of heat and noise from this conductive pattern 210.

[0055] Note that the notch angle α does not necessarily have to be greater than 90°, and it may be 90° or more. By setting the angle α of the notch 80 to be 90° or more, the lead wire 16 will not be caught by the notch 80, so the lead wire 16 will not be damaged. In addition, unintended stress will not be generated in the lead wire 16 or the electronic components connected to the lead wire 16.

[0056] Further, the battery connector 20D is arranged such that the shortest distance between the center line CL of the main board 20 and the battery connector 20D in the left - right direction (short - side direction) is shorter than the shortest distance L between the notch 80 and the battery connector 20D. The shortest distance between the center line CL of the main board 20 and the battery connector 20D is the length of the straight line that most closely connects the center line CL and the portion of the battery connector 20D closest to the center line CL. Further, it is preferable that the battery connector 20D overlaps the center line CL of the main board 20 when viewed from the direction (front - rear direction) perpendicular to the front surface 201 and the back surface 202. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the battery connector 20D overlaps the center line CL of the main board 20, showing a state where the shortest distance between the center line CL of the main board 20 and the battery connector 20D is zero.

[0057] As described above, the main board 20 on which the battery connector 20D is mounted is arranged between the battery pack BP and the rear surface of the case 3 (the rear surface of the power supply unit 100), and the battery connector 20D is mounted on the front surface 201 of the main board 20 facing the rear surface of the case 3 (the rear surface of the power supply unit 100). Also, since the power supply ba of the battery pack BP supplies a large amount of power (large current), the lead wire 16 becomes thick, and the battery connector 20D becomes thick. The battery connector 20D is one of the thickest (tallest) electronic components among the electronic components mounted on the front surface 201.

[0058] The position of the battery connector 20D affects the size of the gap between the main board 20 and the rear surface of the case 3. Therefore, when such a thick (tall) battery connector 20D is provided at the end of the main board 20 in the width direction (left - right direction), in order to prevent interference between the battery connector 20D and the rear surface of the case 3, it is necessary to ensure a large gap between the main board 20 and the case 3. By mounting the battery connector 20D closer to the center of the main board 20, the power supply unit 100 can be miniaturized. In particular, since the case 3 has a rounded shape, by mounting the battery connector 20D closer to the center of the main board 20, the distances between both sides of the main board 20 in the width direction (left - right direction) and the case 3 can be reduced. In addition to being easy for the user to hold, the power supply unit 100 can be further miniaturized.

[0059] Also, on the surface 201 of the main board 20, it is preferable that no electronic components are mounted between the notch 80 and the battery connector 20D. As a result, the stress caused by the lead wire 16 is less likely to be received by the electronic components mounted on the surface 201, so the durability of the power supply unit 100 is improved.

[0060] Also, the surface 201 and the back surface 202 of the main board 20 are covered with an insulating insulating film 220 and are configured so that conductive patterns do not short - circuit. However, as shown in FIG. 9, the left edge 203L is an insulating film non - forming portion 230 where this insulating film 220 is not provided. The insulating film non - forming portion 230 is formed along the straight portion 204 of the left edge 203L of the surface 201 with a predetermined width including the straight portion 204. The main board 20 is provided with a ground having a common reference potential and a ground pattern 231 which is a conductive pattern connected to the ground or forming the ground. In the insulating film non - forming portion 230, the ground pattern 231 is exposed.

[0061] In this way, due to the non-formation portions 230 of the insulating film on the front surface 201 and the back surface 202 of the main substrate 20, the ground pattern 231 is exposed from the insulating film 220, making it easier for external noise (e.g., electrostatic noise) to penetrate into the ground pattern 231. Then, the noise that has penetrated into the ground pattern 231 penetrates from the ground pattern 231 into the ground. Therefore, even without other electronic components such as capacitors as noise countermeasures, it is possible to suppress the penetration of noise into the electronic components connected to the conductive pattern, and the adverse effects caused by the noise can be suppressed. Also, since other electronic components such as capacitors can be simplified or omitted as noise countermeasures, miniaturization and cost reduction of the power supply unit 100 can be achieved.

[0062] On the other hand, the stepped portion 81 of the notch 80 is covered with the insulating film 220. In other words, the non-formation portion 230 of the insulating film is not provided on the stepped portion 81 of the notch 80. Since the lead wire 16 whose surface is insulated by a coating material with insulating properties passes through the notch 80, the coating material prevents the transmission of external noise. Therefore, even if the ground pattern 231 in this portion is exposed, the external noise does not reach the ground. Thus, by not exposing the ground pattern 231 of the notch 80, the process for exposure can be shortened. Thereby, the cost of the power supply unit 100 can be reduced.

[0063] Note that the edge of the main substrate 20 where the non-formation portion 230 of the insulating film is provided is not limited to the left edge 203L, and may include any one, or two or more edges of the right edge, the upper edge, and the lower edge.

[0064] Also, as shown in FIG. 6, OLED connector 20C, heater connector 20B, and main connector 20A, which are other connectors arranged on the surface 201 of the main board 20, are connected to OLED FPC 25, heater FPC 24, and main FPC 23, respectively, in the same way as the lead wire 16, that is, all of them are connected through the left side surface of the main board 20 from the left side. Therefore, compared with the case where these FPCs 25, 24, 23 are passed through different side surfaces of the main board 20 from the lead wire 16, the power supply unit 100 can be miniaturized. Further, by aggregating the FPCs 25, 24, 23 and the lead wire 16 on the same side surface (the left side surface in this embodiment) of the main board 20, the wiring management becomes easier.

[0065] Furthermore, since the OLED connector 20C, the heater connector 20B, and the main connector 20A are mounted on the same surface 201 as the battery connector 20D, the thickness of the main board 20 can be reduced compared with the case where the OLED connector 20C, the heater connector 20B, and the main connector 20A are mounted on different surfaces of the battery connector 20D and the main board 20, so that the power supply unit 100 can be miniaturized.

[0066] As described above, various embodiments have been described with reference to the drawings. Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modification examples or correction examples within the scope described in the claims, and it is naturally understood that they also belong to the technical scope of the present invention. Also, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention, the components in the above embodiments may be arbitrarily combined.

[0067] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the notch 80 through which the lead wire 16 passes is provided at the left edge 203L of the main board 20, but it is not limited to this and may be provided at the right edge, the upper edge, or the lower edge.

[0068] At least the following matters are described in this specification. Although the corresponding components, etc. in the above-described embodiments are shown in parentheses, it is not limited thereto.

[0069] (1) A circuit board (main board 20) including a first surface (surface 201), a second surface (back surface 202) located behind the first surface, and a power connector (battery connector 20D) mounted on the first surface, A power source (power source ba) that can supply power to an atomizer (load) that atomizes an aerosol source and is arranged on the second surface side, A power wiring (lead wire 16) connected to the power source and the power connector, The circuit board has a notch (notch 80), The power wiring passes through the notch and is a power unit (power unit 100) of an aerosol generating device (aerosol generating device 10).

[0070] According to (1), the size of the power unit of the aerosol device in the width direction or length direction of the circuit board can be made smaller than when no notch is provided, so the power unit of the aerosol generating device can be miniaturized.

[0071] (2) A power unit of the aerosol generating device according to (1), The shortest distance between the center line (center line CL) of the circuit board and the power connector is shorter than the shortest distance (shortest distance L) between the notch and the power connector. A power unit of the aerosol generating device.

[0072] Since the power source supplies a large power (large current), the power wiring becomes thick and the power connector becomes thick. According to (2), such a thick (tall) power connector is mounted closer to the center of the circuit board. As a result, even if the housing of the power connector is made smaller, this housing is less likely to interfere with the power connector, so the power unit of the aerosol generating device can be miniaturized.

[0073] (3) A power unit of the aerosol generating device according to (2), The power connector overlaps the center line of the circuit board when viewed from a direction (front-rear direction) perpendicular to the first surface and the second surface. A power unit of the aerosol generating device.

[0074] (3) According to this, a thick (tall) power connector is mounted closer to the center of the circuit board. As a result, even if the housing of the power connector is made smaller, it is less likely to interfere with the power connector, so the power unit of the aerosol generating device can be miniaturized.

[0075] (4) A power unit of the aerosol generating device according to any one of (1) to (3), A power unit of the aerosol generating device, comprising a housing (case 3) that houses the circuit board and the power supply and has a rounded shape.

[0076] (4) According to this, since the housing of the aerosol generating device has a rounded shape while being miniaturized, a small and easy-to-carry aerosol generating device can be provided.

[0077] (5) A power unit of the aerosol generating device according to any one of (1) to (4), The notch is provided on a first edge (left edge 203L) of the edges of the circuit board, The notch includes a stepped portion (stepped portion 81) extending parallel to a straight portion (straight portion 204) of the first edge, and an inclined portion (inclined portion 82) connecting the stepped portion and the straight portion, A power unit of the aerosol generating device, wherein an angle (angle α) of the notch, which is an angle formed by the stepped portion and the inclined portion, is 90° or more.

[0078] (5) According to this, since the power wiring is not caught in the notch, the power wiring is not damaged, and no unintended stress is generated in the power wiring or the electronic components connected to the power wiring.

[0079] (6) A power unit of the aerosol generating device according to (5), A power unit of the aerosol generating device, wherein the angle of the notch is greater than 90°.

[0080] According to (6), since the conductive pattern passing near the notch has an obtuse curve, while forming more conductive patterns on the circuit board, it is possible to suppress the generation of heat and noise from this conductive pattern.

[0081] (7) A power supply unit of an aerosol generating device according to any one of (1) to (6), A power supply unit of an aerosol generating device, wherein on the first surface, no electronic component is mounted between the notch and the power connector.

[0082] (7) According to (7), since the stress caused by the power wiring is less likely to be received by the electronic components mounted on the first surface, the durability of the power supply unit of the aerosol generating device is improved.

[0083] (8) A power supply unit of an aerosol generating device according to any one of (1) to (7), The circuit board includes a ground and a conductive pattern (ground pattern 231) connected to the ground or forming the ground, The notch is provided at a first edge (left edge 203L) of the edges of the circuit board, An insulating film (insulating film 220) is formed on a stepped portion (stepped portion 81) extending parallel to a straight portion (straight portion 204) of the first edge in the notch, The insulating film is not formed on at least a part of the straight portion of the first edge, A power supply unit of an aerosol generating device, wherein the conductive pattern is exposed at at least a part of the straight portion of the first edge.

[0084] According to (8), in the straight portion of the first edge, since external noise easily enters the ground through the conductive pattern, the adverse effects of the noise can be suppressed. Also, as noise countermeasures, other electronic components such as capacitors can be simplified or omitted, so that the power supply unit of the aerosol generator can be miniaturized and the cost can be reduced. On the other hand, a power supply wiring covered with a coating material having an insulating surface passes through the notch. Even if the conductive pattern of this part is exposed, since the coating material of the power supply wiring prevents the transmission of external noise, the external noise does not reach the ground. Therefore, by not exposing the conductive pattern of this part, the process for exposure can be shortened. Thereby, the cost of the power supply unit of the aerosol generator can be reduced.

[0085] (9) The power supply unit of the aerosol generator according to any one of (1) to (8), a housing (case 3) that houses the power supply and the circuit board, electronic components (OLED substrate 26, sheet heater HTR, switch BT, puff sensor substrate 21, pogo pin substrate 22) housed in the housing, a first connector (OLED connector 20C, heater connector 20B, main connector 20A) connected to the electronic components via a first wiring (OLED FPC 25, heater FPC 24, main FPC 23), The first wiring and the power supply wiring pass through the same side (left side) of the plurality of side surfaces of the circuit board, and it is the power supply unit of the aerosol generator.

[0086] (9) According to (9), compared with the case where the power supply wiring and the first wiring pass through different side surfaces of the circuit board, the power supply unit of the aerosol generator can be miniaturized. Also, by aggregating the power supply wiring and the first wiring on the same side surface of the circuit board, wiring management and routing become easier.

[0087] (10) The power supply unit of the aerosol generator according to (9), wherein the first connector is mounted on the first surface, and it is the power supply unit of the aerosol generator.

[0088] According to (10), compared with the case where the power connector and the first connector are mounted on different surfaces, the thickness of the circuit board can be reduced, so that the power unit of the aerosol generating device can be miniaturized.

Description of Signs

[0089] 3 Case (housing) 16 Lead wire (power wiring) 20 Main board (circuit board) 20A Main connector (first connector) 20B Heater connector (first connector) 20C OLED connector (first connector) 20D Battery connector (power connector) 21 Perf sensor board (electronic component) 22 Pogo pin board (electronic component) 23 Main FPC (first wiring) 24 Heater FPC (first wiring) 25 OLED FPC (first wiring) 26 OLED board (electronic component) 80 Notch 81 Step portion 82 Inclined portion 100 Power unit 201 Surface (first surface) 202 Back surface (second surface) 203L Left edge (first edge) 204 Straight portion 220 Insulating film 231 Ground pattern (conductive pattern) ba Power supply BT Switch (electronic component) CL Center line of the main board (center line of the circuit board) L Shortest distance between the notch and the battery connector (shortest distance between the notch and the power connector) α Angle of the notch HTR Sheet heater (electronic component)

Claims

1. A circuit board including a first surface, a second surface located on the back of the first surface, and a power connector mounted on the first surface, A power source capable of supplying power to an atomizer that atomizes an aerosol source and disposed on the second surface side, And a power wiring connected to the power source and the power connector. The circuit board has a notch, The power wiring passes through the notch, which is a power unit of an aerosol generating device.

2. A power unit of an aerosol generating device according to claim 1, The shortest distance between the center line of the circuit board and the power connector is shorter than the shortest distance between the notch and the power connector, which is a power unit of an aerosol generating device.

3. A power unit of an aerosol generating device according to claim 2, The power connector overlaps the center line of the circuit board when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the first surface and the second surface, which is a power unit of an aerosol generating device.

4. A power unit of an aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, Comprising a housing that houses the circuit board and the power source and has a rounded shape, which is a power unit of an aerosol generating device.

5. A power unit of an aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The notch is provided on a first edge of the edges of the circuit board, The notch includes a stepped portion extending parallel to a straight portion of the first edge and an inclined portion connecting the stepped portion and the straight portion, The angle of the notch, which is the angle formed by the stepped portion and the inclined portion, is 90° or more, which is a power unit of an aerosol generating device.

6. A power unit of an aerosol generating device according to claim 5, The power supply unit of the aerosol generating device, wherein the angle of the notch is greater than 90°.

7. The power supply unit of the aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The power supply unit of the aerosol generating device, wherein no electronic component is mounted between the notch and the power connector on the first surface.

8. The power supply unit of the aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The circuit board includes a ground and a conductive pattern connected to or forming the ground, The notch is provided on a first edge among the edges of the circuit board, An insulating film is formed on a stepped portion extending parallel to a straight portion of the first edge in the notch, The insulating film is not formed on at least a part of the straight portion of the first edge, The power supply unit of the aerosol generating device, wherein the conductive pattern is exposed at at least a part of the straight portion of the first edge.

9. The power supply unit of the aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, A housing for housing the power supply and the circuit board, Electronic components housed in the housing, A first connector connected to the electronic components via a first wiring, The power supply unit of the aerosol generating device, wherein the first wiring and the power supply wiring pass through the same side among a plurality of sides of the circuit board.

10. The power supply unit of the aerosol generating device according to claim 9, The first connector is mounted on the first surface, the power supply unit of the aerosol generating device.

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