Power supply unit for aerosol generator

Abstract

Provided is a power supply unit for an aerosol generating device that can be reset by a user operation. The present invention comprises: an MCU 6 configured so as to be able to control a supply of power to a liquid heater from a power supply ba; a switch BT capable of being operated by a user; and a charging IC 3 that includes an output terminal SYS which is connected to a power supply terminal (terminal VDD) of the MCU 6, converts an input voltage, and outputs the converted voltage, and a terminal QON (￣). When the switch BT is operated, a low-level signal is input to the terminal QON (￣), and the charging IC 3 enters a non-operational state of not outputting a voltage from the output terminal SYS when the low-level signal is input to the terminal QON (￣).

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Patent Documents 1 to 3 describe aerosol generating devices capable of performing a reset operation in the device itself. Patent Document 4 describes an aerosol generating device that automatically performs a reset by a safety timer. Patent Documents 5 to 7 describe aerosol generating devices capable of being reset from an external device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Patent Document 6

Patent Document 7

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] [[ID=�8]] An object of the present invention is to provide a power supply unit of an aerosol generating device that can be reset by a user operation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a power supply capable of supplying power to an atomizer that atomizes an aerosol source, a controller configured to control the supply of power from the power supply to the atomizer, an operating unit that can be operated by a user, an output terminal connected to the power terminal of the controller and outputting a voltage that has been converted, and an IC including a control terminal, wherein the controller includes a restart terminal, and when the operating unit is operated, The restart circuit to which the aforementioned operating unit is connected generates The first level signal , to the control terminal When the input is received, the IC enters a non-operating state in which it does not output voltage from the output terminal when the first level signal is input to the control terminal. The restart circuit generated A signal at a level that triggers the restart process of the aforementioned controller , to the aforementioned restart terminal Upon receiving the input, the controller restarts. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, the system can be reset by user operation. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [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 is a plan view of the puff sensor substrate 21 as seen in a direction perpendicular to the element mounting surface (in other words, in the thickness direction of the puff sensor substrate 21). [Figure 10] Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of the puff sensor substrate 21, sensor holder 55, and suction sensor 15. [Figure 11] This is a perspective view of the chassis 50, excluding the sensor holding section 55. [Figure 12] This diagram shows the schematic configuration of the circuitry provided on the main board 20. [Figure 13] This circuit diagram shows the electronic components involved in the operation of the heating mode, extracted from the circuit shown in Figure 12. [Figure 14] 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 12. [Figure 15] This is the circuit diagram corresponding to Figure 13 when FF9 is omitted. [Figure 16] This is the circuit diagram corresponding to Figure 13 when FF9 and AND gate 10 are omitted. [Figure 17] Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the heating section 60 and the flow path forming body 19. [Figure 18] Figure 17 is an unfolded view of the heater FPC24. [Figure 19] Figure 12 shows a circuit diagram showing the electronic components involved in restarting the MCU6, extracted from the circuit shown. [Figure 20] This figure shows a modified example of the restart circuit (RBT) shown in Figure 19. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] 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.

[0009] (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.

[0010] Referring also to Figure 3, the aerosol generator 200 comprises 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 interchangeable.

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

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

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

[0014] 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.

[0015] 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.

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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 according to the user's suction action (puffing action).

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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 120. 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] The circuit section 70 comprises four rigid 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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).

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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, which are supplied with power from the main board 20 via the main FPC 23, and pogo pins p1 to p3, which are connectors that are electrically connected to a load 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 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, which is housed in the cartridge holding part 51.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] (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.

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] (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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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.

[0047] 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.

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

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

[0050] Furthermore, the insertion direction of the wiring for the four connectors mounted on the front surface 201 is standardized to the right. On the other hand, the insertion direction of the wiring for the debug connector 20E mounted on the back surface 202 is different from that of the four connectors mentioned above (specifically, the opposite direction). This prevents the connection cable from interfering with the wiring inserted into the four connectors when a connection cable is inserted into the debug connector 20E. Also, the insertion direction of the wiring for the charging terminal 1 is different from that of the wiring for the debug connector 20E (specifically, perpendicular to that insertion direction). This prevents interference between the two cables even when a connection cable is inserted into the debug connector 20E and a USB cable is connected to the charging terminal 1.

[0051] Furthermore, the debug connector 20E can be accessed by removing only the second case 3B of case 3a from the chassis 50. In other words, the debug connector 20E can be accessed even with the first case 3A of case 3a still attached. Also, when only the second case 3B of case 3a is removed from the chassis 50 (with the first case 3A still attached), the four connectors and the wiring connected to them are not exposed. As a result, it is possible to prevent people from touching the four connectors on the surface 201 or the wiring connected to them when inserting or removing the debug connector 20E.

[0052] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the surface 201 of the main board 20 faces away from the battery pack BP side. In other words, the distance between the surface 201 of the main board 20 and the rear surface of the case 3a is smaller than the distance between the back surface 202 of the main board 20 and the front surface of the case 3a. Moreover, there are no other components constituting the internal unit 2A between the surface 201 of the main board 20 and the inner wall of the case 3a (the rear surface of the case 3a) that faces this surface 201. This minimizes the distance between the surface 201 and the case 3a, allowing for further miniaturization of the power supply unit 100.

[0053] Next, we will describe the details of the holding mechanism for the suction sensor 15 within case 3a. Figures 9 and 10 show the detailed configuration of the puff sensor substrate 21 and the sensor holder 55. Figure 9 is a plan view of the puff sensor substrate 21 in a direction perpendicular to the element mounting surface (in other words, in the thickness direction of the puff sensor substrate 21). Figure 10 is an exploded perspective view of the puff sensor substrate 21, sensor holder 55, and suction sensor 15 shown in Figure 9. Figure 11 is a perspective view of the chassis 50 excluding the sensor holder 55.

[0054] As shown in Figure 10, the suction sensor 15 has a roughly cylindrical shape and includes a fixed electrode 151 located at one end in the axial direction, a movable electrode 152 located at the other end in the axial direction and movable in the axial direction relative to the fixed electrode 151, and a ring-shaped side surface 153. A group of terminals 15A, consisting of the output terminal, ground terminal, and power terminal of the suction sensor 15, is provided protruding from the surface of the suction sensor 15 on the fixed electrode 151 side.

[0055] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the puff sensor substrate 21 is a plate-shaped structure extending in the vertical direction. Hereinafter, for convenience, the side of the puff sensor substrate 21 opposite to the sensor holding portion 55 will be referred to as the front surface 214, and the side of the puff sensor substrate 21 facing the sensor holding portion 55 will be referred to as the back surface 215. The length of the puff sensor substrate 21 in the shorter direction will be referred to as the width.

[0056] As shown in Figure 9, the puff sensor substrate 21 comprises a first portion 211 located at one end (lower end) in the longitudinal direction and having the narrowest width, a third portion 213 located above and spaced apart from the first portion 211 and having the widest width, and a second portion 212 connecting the first portion 211 and the third portion 213. The width of the second portion 212 widens from the first portion 211 toward the third portion 213, being wider than the width of the first portion 211 but narrower than the width of the third portion 213. Because the width of the puff sensor substrate 21 changes gradually due to the second portion 212, the conductive pattern passing near the edge of the puff sensor substrate 21 does not have sharp curves in the portion where the width changes. This reduces the parasitic resistance and parasitic inductance of the conductive pattern, thereby reducing the heat and noise that may occur on the puff sensor substrate 21. More specifically, in the plan view of Figure 9, the angle θ1 of the vertex formed by the third part 213 and the second part 212 is 90 degrees or more, and the angle θ2 of the vertex formed by the second part 212 and the first part 211 is also 90 degrees or more. This makes it easy to create a conductive pattern along this angle and prevents the conductive pattern from becoming acute.

[0057] The suction sensor 15 is mounted on the back surface 215 of the first part 211. Three through holes 15B are formed in the first part 211, penetrating in the thickness direction. The terminal group 15A of the suction sensor 15 is inserted through these through holes 15B from the back surface 215 side. The puff sensor substrate 21 is provided with a puff sensor connector 21A, which will be described later, electrically connected to connector 21B, and the terminal group 15A of the suction sensor 15 inserted through the through holes 15B is electrically connected to this puff sensor connector 21A. The output signal of the suction sensor 15 is input to the MCU 6 via the puff sensor connector 21A, connector 21B, and the main FPC 23 connected to connector 21B. As shown in Figure 9, the width of the first part 211 is small enough that the suction sensor 15 can protrude outwards. In other words, the suction sensor 15 has a portion that protrudes outwards from the puff sensor substrate 21. Furthermore, the width of the suction sensor 15 is the same as the width of the third section 213. However, the width of the suction sensor 15 may be smaller than the width of the third section 213. By making the width of the third section 213 greater than or equal to the width of the suction sensor 15, more electronic components can be mounted on the puff sensor substrate 21.

[0058] As shown in Figure 11, the cartridge holding portion 51, which defines a roughly cylindrical cavity for housing the first cartridge 110, has an opening 51H formed on its left rear side. The peripheral edge 51E of the opening 51H is slightly recessed, and the sensor holding portion 55 is fixed to this peripheral edge 51E with adhesive or the like, so that the opening 51H is closed by the sensor holding portion 55.

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

[0060] As shown in Figure 10, the sensor holder 55 has a projection 550 that protrudes to the left rear and extends vertically. The projection 550 comprises an upper portion 551 having a flat surface 551A with a recess 551B formed therein, and a substantially annular lower portion 552 located below the upper portion 551. The inner diameter of the through hole 552A formed in the lower portion 552 is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the suction sensor 15.

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

[0062] As mentioned above, the side surface 153 of the suction sensor 15 has a portion that protrudes outward from the puff sensor substrate 21. Therefore, after mounting the suction sensor 15 on the puff sensor substrate 21, the side surface 153 can be grasped and the suction sensor 15 can be easily press-fitted into the through-hole 552A. This reduces the risk of touching sensitive components such as the movable electrode 152 and fixed electrode 151 of the suction sensor 15 with fingers during the manufacturing of the power supply unit 100, thereby preventing failure of the suction sensor 15.

[0063] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, the lower portion 552 of the sensor holding part 55 has a notch 553 in a part of its peripheral edge. This notch 553 makes it easier to maintain a gripping state of the side surface 153 of the suction sensor 15 during the process of press-fitting the suction sensor 15 into the through hole 552A. Therefore, the suction sensor 15 can be easily press-fitted by the sensor holding part 55.

[0064] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the notch 533 of the sensor holding part 55 is exposed to the outside when the first case 3A of the case 3a is removed from the chassis 50. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the notch 533 is not exposed to the outside when the case 3a is removed from the chassis 50, maintenance of the suction sensor 15 and installation work on the sensor holding part 55 can be made easier.

[0065] The sensor holder 55 is positioned such that the radial direction of the through-hole 552A (the direction along the plane perpendicular to the direction in which the through-hole 552A extends) intersects with two of the longitudinal direction (up and down direction), short direction (front and back direction), and thickness direction (left and right direction) of the power supply unit 100 (in the example shown, the short direction and the thickness direction). For example, if the sensor holder 55 is fixed to the rear surface of the cartridge holder 51 such that the short direction coincides with the left and right direction and the longitudinal direction coincides with the up and down direction, the front and back direction intersects with the radial direction of the through-hole 552A, but the up and down direction and the thickness direction are both parallel to the radial direction of the through-hole 552A. In such a configuration, the thickness (length in the left and right direction) and width (length in the front and back direction) of the internal unit 2A become large. In contrast, with the configuration of this embodiment, in which the sensor holder 55 is fixed to the diagonally left rear surface of the cartridge holder 51, the thickness and width of the internal unit 2A can be reduced, thereby enabling miniaturization of the power supply unit 100.

[0066] Furthermore, consider, for example, that the aerosol generator 200 has an overall elongated cylindrical shape, with the capsule holder 4A, cartridge holder 51, and battery pack BP arranged in a straight line. In this case, for example, if we consider the case where the sensor holder 55 is fixed to the left side of the cartridge holder 51 such that its short side coincides with the front-to-back direction and its long side coincides with the up-to-down direction, the thickness direction intersects with the radial direction of the through hole 552A, but the up-to-down direction and the front-to-back direction are both parallel to the radial direction of the through hole 552A. In such a configuration, the thickness and width of the internal unit 2A become large. In contrast, with the present configuration in which the sensor holder 55 is fixed to the diagonally left rear surface of the cartridge holder 51, the thickness and width of the internal unit 2A can be reduced, thereby enabling miniaturization of the power supply unit 100.

[0067] On the surface 214 of the puff sensor board 21, there is a connector 21B electrically connected to the puff sensor connector 21A and the vibration motor connector 21C described later, a varistor V as a protective component to protect other electrical components or the MCU6 mounted on the puff sensor board 21 from the signal output from the output terminal of the suction sensor 15, and a capacitor C2 as a protective component to protect the suction sensor 15 from the power input to the power terminal of the suction sensor 15. No ICs other than the suction sensor 15 are mounted on the puff sensor board 21. In this way, the puff sensor board 21 does not have any ICs other than the suction sensor 15 that could be sources of noise, which allows the suction sensor 15 to operate stably.

[0068] As shown in Figure 9, capacitor C2 is mounted on the first section 211. Additionally, varistor V is mounted across both the first section 211 and the second section 212. By mounting capacitor C2 and varistor V in a position close to the terminal group 15A of the suction sensor 15 when viewed in the thickness direction of the puff sensor substrate 21, noise input to or output from the suction sensor 15 can be quickly processed by the protective components.

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

[0070] (Circuit configuration) Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the circuit provided on the main board 20. In addition to the circuit of the main board 20, Figure 12 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.

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

[0072] 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 12) 10, a boost circuit 11 composed of a DC / DC converter, an operational amplifier OP1, and an operational amplifier OP2.

[0073] The main board 20 is further provided with switches Q1 to Q9, 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, a varistor V, a reactor L3 connected to the charging IC 3, a reactor L5 connected to the boost circuit 5, and a reactor L11 connected to the 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.

[0074] In Figure 12, 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.

[0075] In Figure 12, 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.

[0076] The battery connector 20D provided on the main board 20 (see near the left center in Figure 12) 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.

[0077] The OLED connector 20C provided on the main board 20 (see near the bottom left in Figure 12) 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.

[0078] 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.

[0079] The signal line SL connected to the communication terminal T3 of the OLED connector 20C is also connected to the communication terminal T3 of the charging IC 3. This signal line SL enables the MCU 6 to communicate with the charging IC 3 and with the control IC of the OLED panel 17. This signal line SL is for serial communication, and in reality, multiple signal lines such as a data line for data transmission and a clock line for synchronization are required. Note that in Figure 12, 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.

[0080] The debug connector 20E (see lower left in Figure 12) 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.

[0081] The main connector 20A on the main board 20 (see near the right center in Figure 12) 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. The following terminals are provided: terminal HT1(P1), which is 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), which is 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(P2), which is 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), which is 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.

[0082] 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.

[0083] The heater connector 20B provided on the main board 20 (see near the upper right in Figure 12) 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.

[0084] The puff sensor board 21 (see the area near the bottom center in Figure 12) has 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 mounted on it.

[0085] 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.

[0086] 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.

[0087] 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] The charging terminal 1 in the upper left of Figure 12 comprises 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 is transmitted to the input terminal VIN of the protection IC 2 via the power input terminal BUS of the charging terminal 1. USB The following is entered.

[0090] Protection IC2 detects the USB voltage V input to input terminal VIN. USB Adjust the bus voltage V to the default value (5.0V in this example). BUS The bus voltage V is output 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 the MCU6 to the negative logic enable terminal CE(￣) of the protection IC2, the bus voltage V from the output terminal OUT is BUSperforms the output, and when a high-level signal is input from the MCU6 to the enable terminal CE(￣), the bus voltage V from the output terminal OUT BUS stops the output.

[0091] The charging IC3 has a charging function for charging the power supply ba based on the bus voltage V input to the input terminal VBUS. The charging IC3 acquires the charging current and charging voltage of the power supply ba through the detection terminal SNS, and based on these, performs charging control of the power supply ba (power supply control from the charging terminal BAT to the power supply ba). Also, the charging IC3 acquires the temperature information of the power supply ba obtained by the MCU6 from the power supply thermistor th3 via the terminal P25 through serial communication using the signal line SL, and uses it for charging control.

[0092] The charging IC3 has a first function of generating the system power supply voltage V 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 outputting it from the output terminal SYS, a second function of generating the system power supply voltage V from the bus voltage V input to the input terminal VBUS SYS and outputting it from the output terminal SYS, and a third function of boosting the power supply voltage V input to the charging terminal BAT to obtain the OTG voltage V BUS and outputting it from the boost output terminal RN. The second function is only enabled when the USB connection is made. Thus, the system power supply voltage V SYS and the OTG voltage V BAT are in a normal state where the power supply ba can supply power to the charging IC3, and as long as the charging IC3 is operating normally, they can always be output from the charging IC3.

[0093] ​​​​​​​​One end of reactor L3 is connected to the switching terminal SW of charging IC3. The other end of reactor L3 is connected to the output terminal SYS of charging IC3. Charging IC3 has a negative logic enable terminal CE(￣), which is connected to terminal P1 of MCU6. When a high-level signal is input to terminal P2 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.

[0094] 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.

[0095] 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 is output from the boost output terminal RN of the charging IC3. OTG The OTG voltage V is supplied to the anode of LED21D via terminal VOTG of main connector 20A and terminal VOTG of connector 21B. The cathode of LED21D is connected to ground via terminal LED of connector 21B, terminal LED of main connector 20A, and switch Q8. Therefore, by controlling the on / off state of switch Q8, the OTG voltage V is supplied to the anode of LED21D via terminal VOTG of main connector 20A and terminal VOTG of connector 21B. OTG This enables the lighting control of LED21D using [a specific method / technology].

[0096] 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 is output from the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 5. OLED This is a sufficiently large voltage suitable for driving the OLED panel 17, for example, 15V. The input terminal VIN of the boost circuit 5 constitutes the high-potential power supply terminal of the boost circuit 5. The boost circuit 5 raises the OLED voltage V when the signal input from terminal P26 of the MCU 6 to the enable terminal EN is at a high level. OLED The output is generated, and when the signal input from terminal P26 of MCU6 to the enable terminal EN is at a low level, the OLED voltage V OLED The output is stopped. In this way, the OLED panel 17 is driven and controlled by the MCU 6.

[0097] The boost circuit 11 includes an input terminal VIN, a switching terminal SW, an output terminal VOUT, a positive logic enable terminal EN, and a terminal GND. One end of 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 is output from the output terminal VOUT of the boost circuit 11. HEAT For example, this is a voltage of 4V. The input terminal VIN of the boost circuit 11 constitutes the power supply terminal on the high-potential side of the boost circuit 11. The boost circuit 11 sets the heating voltage V 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.HEAT The output is generated, and when the signal input to this enable terminal EN is at a low level, the heating voltage V is applied. HEAT Stop the output.

[0098] 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.

[0099] 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.

[0100] 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.

[0101] 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.

[0102] LDO4 is affected when the signal input to the control terminal CTL is at a high level (in other words, the system power supply voltage V) SYS When the output is coming from the output terminal SYS of the charging IC3, the voltage input to the input terminal VIN (i.e., the system power supply voltage V) SYS The voltage obtained by converting ) is the system power supply voltage V MCU The output is sent from the output terminal OUT. System power supply voltage V SYS For example, this ranges from 3.5V to 4.2V, and the system power supply voltage V MCU For example, this is 3.1V.

[0103] 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 power 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.

[0104] 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.

[0105] 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 is the system power supply voltage V MCUA voltage divider circuit is constructed to which the voltage is applied. The output of this voltage divider circuit corresponds to the electrical resistance value (in other words, temperature) of the second thermistor th2 and is input to terminal P8 of the MCU6. This allows the 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.

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

[0107] 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 is equal to the system power supply voltage V MCU A voltage divider circuit is constructed to which the voltage 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 the MCU6. This allows the MCU6 to obtain the temperature of the first thermistor th1 (in other words, the temperature of the sheet heater HTR). The output of this voltage divider circuit is also input to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. In this configuration, the first thermistor th1 is one that has an NTC characteristic in which its resistance value decreases with increasing temperature. Therefore, the output of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes low level when the temperature of the first thermistor th1 (temperature of the sheet heater HTR) rises and exceeds the threshold THD1. In other words, as long as the temperature of the first thermistor th1 (temperature of the sheet heater HTR) is within the normal range, the output of the operational amplifier OP2 will be high level.

[0108] 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.

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

[0110] FF9 has a clock terminal CLK, which is connected to terminal P7 of MCU6. FF9 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.

[0111] 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.

[0112] LSW7 receives the system power supply voltage V from input terminal VIN when a control signal is input from terminal P10 of MCU6 to control terminal CTL. MCU The output is output from the output terminal OUT. The output terminal OUT of LSW7 is connected to the vibration motor 13 via terminal VIB of the main board 20 and terminal VIB of the puff sensor board 21. Therefore, when MCU6 inputs a control signal to LSW7, the system power supply voltage V MCU The vibration motor 13 can be operated using this method.

[0113] (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.

[0114] (Operation in heating mode) Figure 13 is a circuit diagram showing the electronic components involved in the operation of the heating mode, extracted from the circuit shown in Figure 12. Figure 13 also shows a capacitor C3, which was not shown in Figure 12. Figure 14 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 12. The operation of the heating mode will be explained below with reference to Figures 13 and 14.

[0115] When MCU6 transitions to heating mode, it controls switch Q6 shown in Figure 13 to the ON state. This sets the system power supply voltage V to each of the following: AND gate 10, FF9, resistor R11, operational amplifier OP2, voltage divider circuit consisting of resistor R11, resistor R9 and resistor 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. MCUThis will supply the heating voltage V. 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 the operational amplifier OP2 will be high level, as a result the output of FF9 will be high level, and as a result the output of AND gate 10 will be high level. Therefore, the heating voltage V is supplied from the boost circuit 11. HEAT The output is started, and the seat heater HTR and liquid heater become ready to heat.

[0116] (Determining the destination of the liquid heater connection) Heating voltage V from boost circuit 11 HEAT When the output starts, as shown in Figure 14, power can be supplied to the seat heater HTR connected to the seat heater terminal HT2 and to the liquid heaters connected to any two of the terminals HT1(P1) to HT1(P3) (in Figure 14, the liquid heater htr connected to terminals HT1(P1) and HT1(P2) is shown). In this state, the MCU6 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 12. This determination process includes the following first, second, and third steps.

[0117] (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, then the voltage division value = V HEAT*{Rx / (Ra+Rx)} is input to the non-inverting input terminal of op-amp OP1. Op-amp OP1 compares the voltage input to the non-inverting input terminal with the voltage divider 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 op-amp OP1 becomes low level. Therefore, when the output of op-amp OP1 becomes low level, MCU6 determines that a liquid heater is connected between terminals HT1(P1) and HT1(P2).

[0118] (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).

[0119] (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).

[0120] 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.

[0121] (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 14 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.

[0122] 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 14. 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.

[0123] As shown in Figure 13, the system power supply voltage V is output from LDO4. MCU This is constantly supplied to the suction sensor 15 connected to the puff sensor connector 21A. On the other hand, electronic components that need to operate only in heating mode are supplied with the system power supply voltage V MCUThe power is supplied via switch Q6. This configuration makes it possible to reduce the power consumption of the above electronic components when not in heating mode. System power supply voltage V to suction sensor 15 MCU Immediately after the power is turned on, there is a risk that the operation of the suction sensor 15 may become unstable. Therefore, the suction sensor 15 is connected to the system power supply voltage V MCU Because the suction is constantly supplied, even if suction is performed immediately after transitioning to heating mode, the suction operation can be detected with high accuracy by the suction sensor 15. Furthermore, in this configuration, the puff sensor board 21 on which the suction sensor 15 is mounted and the main board 20 on which the MCU 6, which is prone to becoming a noise source, is mounted are physically separated. This allows the suction sensor 15, which operates continuously, to operate more stably. In addition, the puff sensor board 21 does not have the switch BT, which is prone to becoming an entry point for noise such as static electricity, mounted on it, and the switch BT is mounted directly on the main FPC 23. This also allows the suction sensor 15, which operates continuously, to operate more stably. Moreover, by mounting the switch BT on the flexible main FPC 23, it is possible to easily increase the distance between the switch BT and the suction sensor 15.

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

[0125] Here, we focus on the LED21D and the vibration motor13, which are loads receiving power from power supply ba. The vibration motor13 can generate back electromotive force (reverse current flowing from the low potential side to the high potential side) due to vibration. In this embodiment, the switch used to control the power supply to the vibration motor13 is not a simple switch, but a high-performance LSW7 with a reverse current prevention function. This prevents the back electromotive force and reverse current generated by the vibration motor13 from being input to the MCU6, thereby improving the durability of the MCU6.

[0126] On the other hand, while LED21D does not have concerns about back electromotive force, the operating voltage of the vibration motor 13 (specifically the system power supply voltage V) MCU ) a larger operating voltage (specifically, OTG voltage V OTG It is driven by ). This is because the operating voltage needs to be increased in order to increase the brightness of LED21D. In this configuration, switch Q8 for controlling the power supply to LED21D is connected to the low potential side of main connector 20A. As a result, even if switch Q8 is short-circuited, switch Q8 will supply the MCU6 with the system power supply voltage V MCU A higher OTG voltage V OTG This prevents the input from being blocked. By placing switch Q8 on the low potential side in this way, the OTG voltage V OTG The system power supply voltage V MCU It can be set to a high value without being limited by that, and the brightness of the LED21D can be effectively increased.

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

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

[0129] In this configuration, switches Q1 and Q2 are connected to the liquid heater on the high-potential side (in other words, between it and the power supply ba), and switches Q3 and Q4 are connected to the low-potential side (in other words, between it and ground). This ensures that even if either the switch Q1 or Q2 connected to the liquid heater, or the switch Q3 or Q4 connected to the liquid heater, short-circuits, the other switch is controlled to the off state, preventing the short-circuit current from the other switch from continuously supplying the liquid heater. This improves the safety of the power supply unit 100. Note that the electrical resistance Ra of resistor RA connected in parallel to switch Q1 and the electrical resistance Rb of resistor RB connected in parallel to switch Q2 are sufficiently high. Therefore, it should be noted that short-circuit current through resistors RA and RB will not be supplied to the liquid heater.

[0130] Furthermore, in this configuration, only switch Q5 is connected to the high-potential side (in other words, between it and power supply ba) of the seat heater HTR. As mentioned above, since switch Q5 has a low probability of short-circuiting, safety can be ensured without providing another switch between the seat heater HTR and ground. In addition, the seat heater HTR is controlled by a protection circuit described later to prevent its temperature from becoming excessively high. Therefore, even if switch Q5 is short-circuited, the protection circuit prevents the seat heater HTR from continuing to heat up. From this point of view as well, safety can be ensured without providing another switch between the seat heater HTR and ground. In this way, by connecting only one switch to the seat heater HTR, the number of components in the power supply unit 100 is reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the power supply unit 100 can be reduced.

[0131] (Heater overheat protection) In the power supply unit 100, the electrical resistance values ​​of resistors R8, R9, and R10 are determined such that in heating mode, when the temperature of the first thermistor th1 exceeds the threshold THD1, 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 data held by FF9 is canceled, forcing the output of FF9 to become low level, and the output of the AND gate 10 also becomes low level, so the boost circuit 11 sets the heating voltage V HEAT This stops the output of the op-amp OP2. In other words, when the output of op-amp OP2 becomes low level, it means that the signal input to the enable terminal EN of the boost circuit 11 becomes low level.

[0132] If the power supply control from the MCU6 to the seat heater HTR is functioning correctly, the temperature of the first thermistor th1 should not exceed the threshold THD1. In other words, if the temperature of the first thermistor th1 exceeds the threshold THD1, it is highly likely that there is some kind of malfunction in the circuit supplying power to the seat heater HTR (specifically, switch Q5) or in the MCU6.

[0133] In this configuration, instead of controlling the MCU6 and switch Q5 with a low-level signal output from the operational amplifier OP2, the heating voltage V HEAT The boost circuit 11, which outputs a low-level signal, is controlled to stop the heating of the seat heater HTR. In this way, the output signal of the operational amplifier OP2 is input to the boost circuit 11, which can reliably stop the power supply to the seat heater HTR, thereby increasing safety when the seat heater HTR becomes hot. For example, if the temperature of the first thermistor th1 exceeds the threshold THD1 due to the MCU 6 freezing or the switch Q5 short-circuiting, it is not possible to control the MCU 6 or the switch Q5. Even in such cases, by inputting a low-level signal from the operational amplifier OP2 to the enable terminal EN of the boost circuit 11, the power supply to the seat heater HTR can be reliably stopped.

[0134] Furthermore, the heating voltage V is supplied from the boost circuit 11. HEAT One way to stop the output is to input the system power supply voltage V to the boost circuit 11. SYS Another possible method is to input a high-level signal to the enable terminal CE(￣) of the charging IC that generates the voltage. However, compared to this method, the configuration in which the output of the operational amplifier OP2 can be input to the enable terminal EN of the boost circuit 11 has the advantage of simplifying the circuit configuration and reducing manufacturing costs.

[0135] 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.

[0136] 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 19), which allows the MCU6 to be restarted (reset) by the user operating switch BT, although details will be described 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. When the MCU6 restarts, the signal input to input terminal A of the AND gate 10 becomes low level. Also, at the time the MCU6 restarts, switch Q6 is in the off state, so the potential of the signal at input terminal B of the AND gate 10 is 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.

[0137] In this way, the restart of the output from the boost circuit 11 is controlled by the MCU 6 (which performs control to restart the output after reflecting the user's intention), thereby preventing the seat heater HTR from restarting against the user's intention and improving safety and convenience.

[0138] As described above, the AND gate 10, FF9, and operational amplifier OP2 constitute a protection circuit that stops the power supply to the sheet heater HTR when the sheet heater HTR becomes hot, thereby providing protection. This protection circuit can autonomously stop the output from the boost circuit 11 according to the temperature of the first thermistor th1, even when a high-level signal is input to the input terminal A of the AND gate 10 and a clock signal is input to the clock terminal CLK of the FF9, without receiving a command from the MCU6 to disable the boost circuit 11. As a result, even if the MCU6 experiences a malfunction such as a freeze, emergency stopping of heating by the sheet heater HTR and liquid heater can be performed, thereby improving the safety of the aerosol generator 200.

[0139] Furthermore, if the MCU6 determines that the temperature of the second thermistor th2, obtained based on the signal input to terminal P8, is equal to or greater than the threshold THD2 (this value is smaller than the threshold THD1), it sets the signal input to input terminal A of the AND gate 10 to a low level. As a result, the output of the AND gate 10 becomes low level, and the boost circuit 11 sets the heating voltage V HEAT The output is stopped. In this way, if the MCU6 is operating normally, the output from the boost circuit 11 can also be stopped by a command from the MCU6. This means that even if the first thermistor th1 is not operating normally, for example, the output from the boost circuit 11 can be stopped by a command from the MCU6, thereby increasing safety. Also, the threshold THD2 is smaller than the threshold THD1. Therefore, if the MCU6 is operating normally, when the temperature of the seat heater HTR becomes high, the MCU6 can stop the output from the boost circuit 11 before the protection circuit, further increasing safety.

[0140] In this embodiment, the MCU6 can obtain the temperature of the first thermistor th1 from the signal input to terminal P9. Therefore, it is preferable for the MCU6 to determine whether or not the temperature of the second thermistor th2 can be obtained normally, and if the temperature of the second thermistor th2 cannot be obtained normally, to control the heating of the seat heater HTR based on the temperature of the first thermistor th1 so that the temperature of the seat heater HTR converges to the target temperature. This allows the heating control of the seat heater HTR to be performed by the first thermistor th1 even if some abnormality occurs in the second thermistor th2. The determination of whether or not the temperature of the second thermistor th2 can be obtained normally can be made by determining whether or not the signal input to terminal P8 shows an abnormal value, or whether or not that signal can be obtained.

[0141] However, the MCU6 basically controls the heating of the sheet heater HTR based on the temperature of the second thermistor th2. Therefore, it is preferable to position the second thermistor th2 in a location that can more accurately reflect the temperature of the sheet heater HTR. On the other hand, the first thermistor th1 is mainly used to stop the output from the boost circuit 11 by the protection circuit when the sheet heater HTR becomes hot. Therefore, it is preferable to position the first thermistor th1 in a location where the sheet heater HTR is more likely to become hot, so that the high temperature state of the sheet heater HTR can be reliably detected. The detailed configuration of the heater FPC24 on which the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 are mounted will be described later.

[0142] Note that FF9 is not essential in the protection circuit described above and can be omitted. Figure 15 is a circuit diagram corresponding to Figure 13 when FF9 is omitted. When FF9 is omitted, the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 can be connected to the input terminal B of the AND gate 10, as shown in Figure 15. In the configuration shown in Figure 15, when the temperature of the first thermistor th1 exceeds the threshold THD1 and the output of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes low level, the output of the AND gate 10 also becomes low level. This allows the output from the boost circuit 11 to be stopped when the sheet heater HTR becomes hot. With the configuration shown in Figure 15, the power supply unit 100 can be made smaller, lighter, and more power-efficient by eliminating FF9.

[0143] Furthermore, in the protection circuit described above, it is possible to omit both FF9 and AND gate 10. Figure 16 is a circuit diagram corresponding to Figure 13 when FF9 and AND gate 10 are omitted. When FF9 and AND gate 10 are omitted, the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 and terminal P6 of the MCU6 are connected to the enable terminal EN of the boost circuit 11, as shown in Figure 16. In the configuration shown in Figure 16, when the temperature of the first thermistor th1 exceeds the threshold THD1 and the output of the operational amplifier OP2 becomes low level, the enable terminal EN of the boost circuit 11 becomes low level even if a high-level signal is output from terminal P6 of the MCU6. This makes it possible to stop the output from the boost circuit 11 when the seat heater HTR becomes hot. With the configuration shown in Figure 16, the power supply unit 100 can be made smaller, lighter, and more power-efficient by eliminating FF9 and AND gate 10.

[0144] (Configuration of Heater FPC24) Figure 17 is an exploded perspective view of the heating section 60 and the flow path forming body 19 shown in Figure 6. Figure 18 is an unfolded view of the heater FPC 24 shown in Figure 17. The heat transfer tube 61 and the flow path forming body 19 are fixed with the upper end of the flow path forming body 19 inserted through the lower end of the heat transfer tube 61. As a result, the flow path forming body 19 functions as a base against which the bottom of the second cartridge 120 abuts when the second cartridge 120 is housed inside the heat transfer tube 61. The flow path forming body 19 is preferably made of a material with high thermal insulation properties, such as silicone. When the flow path forming body 19 is made of a material with high thermal insulation properties, the heat from the sheet heater HTR is transferred not only to the second cartridge 120 but also to the flow path forming body 19 on the lower end side of the heat transfer tube 61.

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

[0146] The winding region 24A consists of a thermistor mounting region 240A on which the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 are mounted, a heater region 240B on which the conductive pattern Ph constituting the sheet heater HTR is formed, and an intermediate region 240C between the thermistor mounting region 240A and the heater region 240B. In this way, by mounting the sheet heater HTR and the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 on the same FPC, a simpler structure can be achieved compared to the case where the sheet heater HTR and the thermistors are provided on separate substrates, thereby reducing the cost and size of the power supply unit 100.

[0147] As shown in Figure 17, the winding region 24A is wound around the outer surface 61S of the heat transfer tube 61, with the thermistor mounting region 240A overlapping the heater region 240B on the opposite side of the heat transfer tube 61 when viewed radially across the heat transfer tube 61. This configuration allows the sheet heater HTR and the first thermistor th1 and second thermistor th2 to be placed as close together as possible, thereby improving the accuracy of heating control of the sheet heater HTR and protection control by the protection circuit.

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

[0149] Thus, by aligning the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 in the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61, the axial width of the thermistor mounting area 240A can be increased compared to a configuration in which the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 are aligned in the circumferential direction of the heat transfer tube 61. Furthermore, because the longitudinal directions of the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 coincide with the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61, the axial width of the thermistor mounting area 240A can be increased compared to a configuration in which the longitudinal directions of the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 are perpendicular to the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61. This improves the durability of the heater FPC 24.

[0150] Furthermore, if the longitudinal directions of the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 are not perpendicular to the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61, the effect of increasing the axial width of the thermistor mounting area 240A can be obtained.

[0151] The second thermistor th2 is positioned closer to the center of the sheet heater HTR in the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61 (synonymous with the short-side direction of the sheet heater HTR and the up-down direction of the power supply unit 100) than the first thermistor th1. That is, the shortest distance between the center of the sheet heater HTR and the second thermistor th2 in the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 61 (up-down direction in Figure 18) is shorter than the shortest distance between the center of the sheet heater HTR and the first thermistor th1 in the same axial direction. With this configuration, the second thermistor th2, which is positioned closer to the axial center of the sheet heater HTR, is less affected by air cooling than the first thermistor th1. Therefore, it can accurately reflect the temperature of the sheet heater HTR. By using such a second thermistor th2 to control the heating of the heater, the accuracy of the heating control of the sheet heater HTR can be improved.

[0152] Furthermore, the second thermistor th2 is positioned closer to the flow channel forming body 19 than the first thermistor th1 in the vertical direction of the power supply unit 100. That is, the shortest distance between the second thermistor th2 and the flow channel forming body 19 is shorter than the shortest distance between the first thermistor th1 and the flow channel forming body 19. When a highly insulating material such as silicone is used as the flow channel forming body 19, the temperature of the second thermistor th2, which is closer to the flow channel forming body 19, will be lower than the temperature of the first thermistor th1 because heat is absorbed by the flow channel forming body 19. In this embodiment, since the heating control of the sheet heater HTR is performed using the second thermistor th2 which exhibits such a relatively lower temperature, the effect of preventing the sheet heater HTR from becoming excessively hot can be obtained. On the other hand, the temperature of the first thermistor th1 is higher than the temperature of the second thermistor th2 because it is further away from the flow channel forming body 19. In other words, if the sheet heater HTR is excessively heated, the first thermistor th1 will reach a high temperature state that reflects that temperature more quickly. Therefore, if the seat heater HTR becomes too hot, the protection circuit can be activated quickly, thereby enhancing safety.

[0153] As shown in the enlarged view at the bottom center of Figure 18, terminals T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 are arranged vertically in this order within the connector area 24B. In Figure 18, the terminal name of the heater connector 20B to which each of terminals T1 to T5 is connected is indicated in parentheses. In Figure 12, the heater connector 20B is shown as having only one GND terminal, but in reality, as shown in Figure 18, the heater connector 20B contains two GND terminals.

[0154] One end of a conductive pattern 242, which is made up of a single wire, is connected to terminal T1. The other end of conductive pattern 242 is connected to one end of a conductive pattern Ph, which is made up of a single wire. One end of conductive pattern 241, which is made up of a single wire, is connected to the other end of conductive pattern Ph. The other end of conductive pattern 241 is connected to terminal T5.

[0155] One end of a conductive pattern 243, which consists of a single wire, is connected to terminal T2. The other end of conductive pattern 243 is connected to terminal T11. One end of a conductive pattern 245, which consists of a single wire, is connected to terminal T4. The other end of conductive pattern 245 is connected to terminal T14. One end of a conductive pattern 244, which consists of a single wire, is connected to terminal T3. Terminals T12 and T13 are connected in parallel to the other end of conductive pattern 244. Each conductive pattern in the heater FPC 24 is insulated from one another. In Figure 18, the terminal names of the heater connector 20B to which each of terminals T11 to T14 is electrically connected are indicated in parentheses.

[0156] In the heater FPC24, the conductive pattern 244 for connecting to ground is common to both the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2. This simplifies the wiring of the heater FPC24 compared to providing a separate conductive pattern for ground connection to each of the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the power supply unit 100. Furthermore, the widths of conductive patterns 241 and 242 connected to conductive pattern Ph can be made as wide as possible within the limited space of the heater FPC24. This reduces the parasitic resistance of conductive patterns 241 and 242, allowing for more efficient power supply to the seat heater HTR.

[0157] Furthermore, the heater FPC24 is provided with separate conductive patterns 244 for connecting the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 to ground, and conductive pattern 241 for connecting conductive pattern Ph to ground. This prevents fluctuations in the potential of conductive pattern 241 connected to conductive pattern Ph from affecting the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2. Therefore, the accuracy of control using the first thermistor th1 and the second thermistor th2 can be improved, thereby improving the safety of the power supply unit 100. Alternatively, the heater FPC24 may be provided with separate conductive patterns for connecting the first thermistor th1 to ground and for connecting the second thermistor th2 to ground, and either of these two conductive patterns may be connected to terminal T5. In this configuration as well, the accuracy of control using either the first thermistor th1 or the second thermistor th2 can be improved.

[0158] (Configuration and operation of the Restart Circuit (RBT)) Figure 19 is a circuit diagram showing the electronic components involved in restarting the MCU6, extracted from the circuit shown in Figure 12. Figure 19 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.

[0159] (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 the system power supply voltage V from output terminal SYS is maintained. SYS The output of the system power supply voltage V continues. SYS As the output continues, the system power supply voltage V from the LDO4 output terminal OUT MCU The output of this signal also continues. Therefore, MCU6 continues to operate without stopping. Also, this high-level signal is input to the gate terminal of switch Q7. Therefore, when connected via USB (bus voltage V BUS If the output is from the charging IC3, switch Q7 turns 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.

[0160] 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 are connected to the system power supply voltage V MCU The resistor has a value such that the divided voltage of the signal becomes a 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 will receive the system power supply voltage V from output terminal SYS. SYS Stop the output of the system power supply voltage V. SYS When the output of is stopped, the voltage output from LDO4 is stopped, and the system power supply voltage V is connected to terminal VDD of MCU6. MCU The input stops, and MCU6 shuts down.

[0161] Furthermore, this low-level signal is input to the gate terminal of switch Q7. Therefore, when connected via USB (bus voltage V BUS If the output is from charging IC3, switch Q7 will be in the off state, and as a result, the potential of the gate terminal of switch Q9 will be high (bus voltage V). BUS ) and switch Q9 turns ON. When switch Q9 is ON, 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, so MCU6 performs a restart process. When the pressing of switch BT is stopped, charging IC3 sets to the system power supply voltage V SYS To restart the output, the system power supply voltage V is connected to the VDD terminal of the stopped MCU6. MCU The input is received, and MCU6 starts up.

[0162] (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.

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

[0164] Furthermore, according to the restart circuit RBT shown in Figure 19, the MCU6 can also be restarted from an external device using the debug connector 20E. Even when a low-level signal is input to terminal P27 of the MCU6 from an external device, the presence of switch Q9 prevents this signal from being transmitted to terminal QON(￣) of the charging IC. In this way, the signal input to the debug connector 20E and the signal generated by the operation of switch BT can be separated, thus stabilizing the operation of the restart circuit RBT. Note that in Figure 19, a configuration in which terminal NRST is connected to terminal QON(￣) of the charging IC3 is also conceivable, but such a configuration is not adopted in Figure 19. This simplifies the restart circuit RBT compared to the case where the debug connector 20E is connected to terminal QON(￣), thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the power supply unit 100.

[0165] Furthermore, in the restart circuit RBT shown in Figure 19, restarting the MCU6 using switch BT is only possible when a USB connection is established. By ensuring that the MCU6 can only be restarted when power supply ba is able to charge, it becomes possible to reliably restart the MCU6 using an external power supply even if the remaining power of power supply ba decreases during the restart process.

[0166] (A modified version of the Reboot Circuit (RBT)) Figure 20 shows a modified version of the restart circuit RBT shown in Figure 19. The restart circuit RBT shown in Figure 20 has the same configuration as in Figure 19, except that the drain terminal of switch Q9 is connected to the control terminal CTL of LDO4 instead of terminal P27, and the connection between the voltage divider circuit of resistors R3 and R4 and terminal QON(￣) of charging IC3 has been removed. With the restart circuit RBT shown in Figure 20, a USB connection is required when restarting the MCU6 without using the debug connector 20E.

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

[0168] In the restart circuit RBT shown in Figure 20, when USB is connected and switch BT is pressed, the output of the voltage divider circuit of resistors R3 and R4 becomes low level. This low-level signal is input to the gate terminal of switch Q7. As a result, switch Q7 is turned off, and consequently, the potential of the gate terminal of switch Q9 becomes high level (bus voltage V). BUS ) and switch Q9 turns ON. When switch Q9 is ON, the control terminal CTL of LDO4 is connected to ground, so the signal input to this control terminal CTL becomes low level. When a low-level signal is continuously input to the control terminal CTL of LDO4 for a predetermined time, it stops outputting voltage from the output terminal OUT. Therefore, when switch BT is pressed down for a predetermined time, the system power supply voltage V to MCU6 is reduced. MCUWhen the power supply is cut off, MCU6 shuts down. When switch BT is released, switch Q9 is in the off state, so the signal input to control terminal CTL is high level (system power supply voltage V). SYS ) returns to this. This causes LDO4 to return to the system power supply voltage V MCU To restart the output, the system power supply voltage V is connected to the VDD terminal of the stopped MCU6. MCU The input is received, and MCU6 starts up.

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

[0170] In the restart circuit RBT shown in Figure 20, even if switch BT is pressed and held, a low-level signal is not input to terminal P27 of MCU6. Therefore, the circuit can be simplified compared to the restart circuit RBT shown in Figure 19, and the manufacturing cost of the power supply unit 100 can be reduced.

[0171] In addition, in the restart circuit RBT shown in Figure 20, a wiring PU indicated by the dashed line in the figure may be added. The wiring PU controls the potential of terminal P27 of MCU6 to the bus voltage V BUS This is provided to pull up to a high level. By adding this wiring PU, the potential of terminal P27 will not become unstable even when no low-level signal is input to terminal P27, thereby stabilizing the operation of the power supply unit 100.

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

[0173] 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.

[0174] (1) A power supply (power supply ba) capable of supplying power to an atomizer (liquid heater) that atomizes an aerosol source, A controller (MCU6) configured to control the supply of power from the above power source to the above atomizer, A user-operable control unit (switch BT), The above controller includes an output terminal (output terminal SYS or output terminal OUT) that is connected to the power terminal (terminal VDD) and converts and outputs the input voltage, and an IC (charging IC3 or LDO4) that includes a control terminal (terminal QON(￣) or control terminal CTL), When the above operating unit is operated, a first-level (low-level) signal is input to the above control terminal. When the above-mentioned IC receives the above-mentioned first-level signal at the above-mentioned control terminal, it enters a non-operating state where it does not output voltage from the above-mentioned output terminal. Power supply unit (power supply unit 100) for an aerosol generator.

[0175] According to (1), the voltage input to the controller's power terminal can be stopped and restarted by operating the control unit, thereby restarting (resetting) the controller and resolving any freezes that occur in the controller.

[0176] (2) (1) The power supply unit of the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The above controller includes a restart terminal (terminal P27), The above controller is configured to restart when a restart signal is input to the above restart terminal. The above controller is equipped with a rewrite connector (debug connector 20E) for rewriting the information stored in it. The above restart signal can be input from the above rewrite connector to the above controller's restart terminal. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0177] According to (2), the rewrite connector allows the controller to be restarted after the stored information has been rewritten, thus stabilizing the controller's behavior after the information has been rewritten.

[0178] (3) (1) or (2) The power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The power terminals of the above controller are supplied with power from the first system power supply (LDO4). When the above operating unit is operated, the first level signal is input to the above control terminal of the IC based on the power from the above first system power supply. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

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

[0180] (4) (1) The power supply unit of the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The above controller includes a restart terminal (terminal P27), The above controller is configured to restart when the above-mentioned first-level signal is input to the above-mentioned restart terminal. When the above control unit is operated, the above-mentioned first-level signal is input to the above-mentioned restart terminal. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0181] According to (4), the first level signal generated by the operation of the control unit is input not only to the IC's control terminal but also to the controller's restart terminal, thus enabling a more reliable restart of the controller.

[0182] (5) (4) The power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The above controller is equipped with a rewrite connector (debug connector 20E) for rewriting the information stored in it. The above-mentioned first-level signal can be input from the above-mentioned reprogramming connector to the above-mentioned controller's restart terminal. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0183] According to (5), the rewrite connector allows the controller to be restarted after the information has been rewritten, so that the behavior of the controller after the information has been rewritten remains stable, while the controller can be restarted more reliably by the user operating the control panel.

[0184] (6) (5) The power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The above reprogramming connector is not connected to the above control terminal of the above IC. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0185] According to (6), compared to connecting the reprogramming connector to the IC's control terminals, the circuit can be simplified, thus reducing the manufacturing cost of the power supply unit.

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

[0187] According to (7), the potential of the rewrite connector and the low-level signals input to the rewrite connector are not transmitted to the IC's control terminal by the drain terminal of the first N-channel MOSFET. Therefore, the potential of the rewrite connector and the low-level signals input to the rewrite connector are input only to the controller's restart terminal. Furthermore, the low-level signals generated by the operation of the control unit are input to both the controller's restart terminal and the IC's control terminal. In this way, the potential of the rewrite connector and the signals input to the rewrite connector can be separated from the signals generated by the operation of the control unit, thus simplifying the circuit while stabilizing its operation.

[0188] (8) (7) The power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The above power supply is equipped with a charging connector (charging terminal 1), The second system power supply mentioned above supplies power to the gate terminal of the first N-channel MOSFET only when an external power supply is connected to the charging connector. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0189] According to (8), the controller can only be restarted when the power supply is being charged, so even if the power supply level drops during a restart, the controller can be reliably restarted using an external power supply.

[0190] (9) (1) The power supply unit of the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The above controller includes a restart terminal (terminal P27), The above controller is configured to restart when the above-mentioned first-level signal is input to the above-mentioned restart terminal. Even if the above control unit is operated, the above-mentioned first-level signal is not input to the restart terminal of the above-mentioned controller. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0191] According to (9), the circuit can be simplified compared to the case where the signal generated by the operation of the control unit is input to the restart terminal, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the power supply unit.

[0192] (10) (9) The power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The above controller is equipped with a rewrite connector (debug connector 20E) for rewriting the information stored in it. The above-mentioned first-level signal can be input from the above-mentioned rewrite connector to the above-mentioned restart terminal. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

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

[0194] (11) (10) Power supply unit for the aerosol generating apparatus described above, The first level mentioned above is a low level. The above restart terminal is pulled up. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0195] According to (11), even when no first-level signal is input to the restart terminal, the potential of the restart terminal does not become uncertain, thus ensuring stable operation of the power supply unit.

[0196] (12) A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus as described in any of (1) to (11), The above IC is a charging IC (charging IC3) capable of controlling the charging of the above power supply. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

[0197] According to (12), by stopping the output of the charging IC located upstream in the power transmission path when the controller restarts, the power supply to many electrical components can be cut off during the restart. Therefore, power consumption during controller restart can be reduced.

[0198] (13) A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus as described in any of (1) to (11), A charging IC (charging IC3) capable of controlling the charging of the above power supply, It includes a voltage conversion IC (LDO4), The above IC is the above voltage conversion IC, The input terminal (charging terminal BAT) of the above charging IC is connected to the above power supply. The output terminal (output terminal SYS) of the above charging IC is connected to the input terminal (input terminal IN) of the above voltage conversion IC. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

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

[0200] 100 Power Supply Units 3 Charging IC 6 MCU BT switch BA Power Supply

Claims

1. A power supply capable of supplying power to an atomizer that atomizes an aerosol source, A controller configured to control the supply of power from the power source to the atomizer, A user-operable control panel, The controller comprises an IC including an output terminal that is connected to the power terminal and converts and outputs the input voltage, and a control terminal, The aforementioned controller includes a restart terminal, When the operating unit is operated, a first-level signal generated by the restart circuit to which the operating unit is connected is input to the control terminal, and the IC enters a non-operating state where it does not output voltage from the output terminal. A signal at a level that triggers the controller restart process, generated by the restart circuit, is input to the restart terminal, and the controller restarts. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

2. A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 1, The controller is equipped with a rewrite connector for rewriting the information stored in it. The rewrite connector can be used to input a signal at a level sufficient to execute the restart process to the restart terminal of the controller. The controller restarts when the signal is input. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

3. A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, Power is supplied to the power terminals of the controller from the first system power supply. When the operating unit is operated, a first-level signal is input to the control terminal of the IC based on the power from the first system power supply. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

4. A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 2, The reprogramming connector is not connected to the control terminal of the IC. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

5. A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 4, The aforementioned first level is a low level, A first N-channel MOSFET having a drain terminal connected to the rewrite connector and the restart terminal, and a source terminal connected to ground, The system comprises a first N-channel MOSFET having a gate terminal, a drain terminal connected to a second system power supply, a source terminal connected to ground, and a gate terminal to which the first level signal is input when the operation unit is operated. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

6. A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus according to claim 5, The power supply is equipped with a charging connector for charging the power supply, The second system power supply supplies power to the gate terminal of the first N-channel MOSFET only when an external power supply is connected to the charging connector. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

7. A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The IC is a charging IC capable of controlling the charging of the power supply. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

8. A power supply unit for an aerosol generating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, A charging IC capable of controlling the charging of the aforementioned power supply, Equipped with a voltage conversion IC, The IC is the voltage conversion IC, The input terminal of the charging IC is connected to the power supply. The output terminal of the charging IC is connected to the input terminal of the voltage conversion IC. Power supply unit for an aerosol generator.

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