Flavor inhaler or aerosol generation device, and operation method and program for same

Abstract

The present invention provides a flavor inhaler or similar that is configured such that when heating for generating a flavor or similar using power from a power source is restricted, the restriction is not released if the remaining capacity of the power source is insufficient.　Provided is a device that is a flavor inhaler or an aerosol generation device comprising a heating unit that is configured to heat one or both of a flavor source and an aerosol source, a power source that supplies power to the heating unit, and a control unit that is configured to restrict the heating by the heating unit when the remaining capacity of the power source is insufficient, wherein the control unit is further configured such that, when the heating by the heating unit is restricted, the control unit releases the restriction on the basis of a prescribed condition being fulfilled after the start of charging of the power source (S113, S114, S115).

Description

Flavor inhaler or aerosol generating device, its operation method and program

[0001] The present application relates to a flavor inhaler or an aerosol generating device (hereinafter referred to as "flavor inhaler, etc.").

[0002] Note that a flavor inhalation device refers to a device for inhaling flavors, and includes heated flavor inhalation devices (which generate flavors by heating) and non-heated flavor inhalation devices (which generate flavors by ultrasonic atomization, for example). Flavor inhalation devices include, but are not limited to, electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and conventional cigarettes. Furthermore, an "aerosol generating device" refers to a device for inhaling the generated aerosol, and includes heated aerosol generating devices (which generate aerosols by heating) and non-heated aerosol generating devices (which generate aerosols by ultrasonic atomization, for example). Aerosol generating devices include, but are not limited to, electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and medical nebulizers. Therefore, at least some flavor inhalation devices are aerosol generating devices, and at least some aerosol generating devices are flavor inhalation devices. In addition, heated aerosol generating devices that do not involve combustion, such as electronic cigarettes, are sometimes called RRPs (Reduced-Risk Products).

[0003] Conventionally, in a flavor inhaler or the like that is equipped with a power source such as a battery and generates one or both of a flavor and an aerosol (hereinafter referred to as "flavor, etc.") by heating using electric power from the power source, the remaining power of the power source is checked before heating, and if the remaining power of the power source is insufficient, heating is restricted (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, such restriction on heating is lifted in response to charging of the power source.

[0004] International Publication No. 2020 / 084757

[0005] However, if the restriction on heating is simply lifted in response to charging of the power source, there is a problem in that the restriction on heating may be lifted even when the remaining power of the power source is insufficient.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and its object is to provide a flavor inhalation device or the like that is configured so that when a restriction is placed on heating for generating flavors or the like using electric power from a power source, the restriction is not lifted if the remaining power of the power source is insufficient.

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a flavor inhaler or aerosol generating device comprising a heating unit configured to heat one or both of a flavor source and an aerosol source, a power source that supplies power to the heating unit, and a control unit configured to limit heating by the heating unit when the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient, wherein the control unit is further configured to, when heating by the heating unit is limited, lift the limit based on the fact that a predetermined condition is satisfied after charging of the power source begins.

[0008] In one embodiment, the control unit may be further configured to make a first determination as to whether the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient in response to a first predetermined operation on the device to start heating by the heating unit.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first determination may include one or both of measuring the remaining capacity of the power source and measuring the operating voltage of the power source by temporarily supplying power from the power source to the heating unit.

[0010] In one embodiment, the control unit may be further configured to make a second determination as to whether the remaining power of the power source is insufficient in response to a second predetermined operation on the device that is different from the first predetermined operation.

[0011] In one embodiment, the control unit may be further configured to set the power source to an insufficient remaining charge state when it is determined that the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient, and the second determination may include determining whether the power source is set to an insufficient remaining charge state, and if it is not determined that the power source is set to an insufficient remaining charge state, performing a measurement process including one or both of measuring the remaining charge of the power source and temporarily supplying power from the power source to the heating unit to measure the operating voltage of the power source, and omitting the measurement process when it is determined that the power source is set to an insufficient remaining charge state.

[0012] In one embodiment, the predetermined condition may be that the remaining amount of the power source has increased by a predetermined amount or more, based on the remaining amount of the power source measured before charging of the power source is started.

[0013] In one embodiment, the predetermined amount may be an amount sufficient to perform a determination as to whether the remaining power of the power source is insufficient.

[0014] In one embodiment, the device may be configured to allow replacement of a substrate containing one or both of the flavor source and the aerosol source, and the predetermined amount may be an amount sufficient to consume at least one of the substrates.

[0015] In one embodiment, the controller may be further configured to determine the amount sufficient to consume at least one of the substrates based on a temperature of the power source.

[0016] In one embodiment, the device may be configured to allow the predetermined amount to be set by a user.

[0017] In one embodiment, the control unit may be further configured to determine the predetermined amount based on a user's history of use of the device.

[0018] In one embodiment, the device may be configured so that the predetermined amount is rewritable.

[0019] In one embodiment, the predetermined condition may be that the power source is fully charged.

[0020] In one embodiment, the predetermined condition may be that a predetermined time or more has elapsed since charging to the power source started.

[0021] In one embodiment, the control unit may be further configured to determine a type of external device connected to the device for charging the power source, and to determine the predetermined time based on the determined type of external device.

[0022] In one embodiment, the device may be configured so that the predetermined time is rewritable.

[0023] In one embodiment, limiting the heating by the heating unit by the control unit can include limiting the heating by the heating unit so as not to start heating.

[0024] In order to solve the above problem, according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method executed by a control unit of a device that is a flavor inhaler or an aerosol generating device, which is equipped with a heating unit configured to heat one or both of a flavor source and an aerosol source, and a power source that supplies power to the heating unit, the method including a step of restricting heating by the heating unit when the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient, and a step of lifting the restriction based on the fact that a predetermined condition is satisfied after charging of the power source begins.

[0025] In order to solve the above problem, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a program is provided that causes a control unit of a device that is a flavor inhaler or an aerosol generating device, which is equipped with a heating unit configured to heat one or both of a flavor source and an aerosol source, and a power source that supplies power to the heating unit, to execute the following steps: limiting heating by the heating unit when the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient; and lifting the limit based on the fact that a predetermined condition is satisfied after charging of the power source begins.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the restriction on heating for generating flavors and the like using power from a power source is prevented from being lifted when the remaining power of the power source is insufficient, thereby preventing unnecessary repetition of the restriction on heating that is imposed when the remaining battery power is insufficient and the lifting of the restriction.

[0027] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an aerosol generation device according to one embodiment; an explanatory diagram for explaining insertion of a tobacco stick into the aerosol generation device of FIG. 1; a block diagram showing an example of a schematic circuit configuration of the aerosol generation device of FIG. 1; an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a temperature profile that can be realized in one session; an explanatory diagram for explaining a drop in power supply voltage as multiple sessions progress; an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of setting different thresholds for multiple temperature ranges; a flowchart showing an example of a schematic flow of processing executed by an aerosol generation device according to one embodiment; a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a pre-check processing according to one embodiment; a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a session start check processing according to one embodiment; a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a voltage measurement processing according to one embodiment.

[0028] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined in any desired manner. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used to designate identical or similar components, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0029] 1. Device Configuration Example This specification mainly describes an example in which the technology according to the present disclosure is applied to a non-combustion flavor inhalation device that generates an aerosol by heating and atomizing one or both of a flavor source and an aerosol source (hereinafter referred to as "flavor source, etc.") without involving combustion. However, the technology according to the present disclosure is not limited to such an example, and may be applied to any type of flavor inhalation device, such as a combustion device or a medical nebulizer.

[0030] 1-1 Appearance Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a flavor inhaler 10 according to one embodiment. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the insertion of a tobacco stick into the flavor inhaler 10 shown in Fig. 1. Referring to Fig. 1, the flavor inhaler 10 includes a main body 101, a front panel 102, a display window 103, and a slider 104.

[0031] The main body 101 is a housing that supports one or more circuit boards of the flavor inhaler 10. In this embodiment, the main body 101 has a rounded, approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape that is elongated in the vertical direction in the figure. The size of the main body 101 may be, for example, large enough for a user to hold it in one hand. The front panel 102 is a flexible panel member that covers the front of the main body 101. The front panel 102 may be detachable from the main body 101. The front panel 102 also functions as an input unit that accepts user input. For example, when a user presses the center of the front panel 102, a button (not shown) disposed between the main body 101 and the front panel 102 is pressed, and the user input can be detected. The display window 103 is a strip-shaped window that extends longitudinally at approximately the center of the front panel 102. Display window 103 transmits light emitted from one or more LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes) disposed between main body 101 and front panel 102 to the outside.

[0032] The slider 104 is a cover member disposed on the top surface of the main body 101 so as to be slidable in a direction 104a. As shown in Fig. 2, when the slider 104 is slid toward the viewer in the figure (i.e., when the slider 104 is opened), an opening 106 on the top surface of the main body 101 is exposed. When a user inhales aerosol using the flavor inhaler 10, the user inserts a tobacco stick 15 into a tubular insertion hole 107 in a direction 106a from the opening 106 exposed by opening the slider 104. That is, the insertion hole 107 serves as a receiving portion for receiving the tobacco stick 15. The cross section of the insertion hole 107 perpendicular to the axial direction may be, for example, circular, elliptical, or polygonal, and its cross-sectional area gradually decreases as it approaches the bottom surface. As a result, the outer surface of the tobacco stick 15 inserted into the insertion hole 107 is pressed by the inner surface of the insertion hole 107, preventing the tobacco stick 15 from falling out by frictional force and increasing the efficiency of heat transfer from the heating unit 130, which will be described later, to the tobacco stick 15. When the user has finished inhaling the aerosol, he or she pulls out the tobacco stick 15 from the insertion hole 107 and closes the slider 104.

[0033] The tobacco stick 15 is a tobacco article that holds a filler inside a cylindrical cigarette paper. The filler of the tobacco stick 15 may be, for example, a mixture of an aerosol-generating substrate and tobacco shreds. As the aerosol-generating substrate, a substrate containing any type of aerosol source, such as glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, or a mixture thereof, may be used. The tobacco shreds are what is known as a flavor source. The material of the tobacco shreds may be, for example, lamina or rib. Note that a flavor source derived from a non-tobacco source may be used instead of the tobacco shreds. In other words, the tobacco stick 15 corresponds to a substrate containing a flavor source, etc. Note that, in another embodiment, a substrate containing only one of a flavor source and an aerosol source may be used.

[0034] Hereinafter, the tobacco stick 15 is defined as including a flavor source or the like in an amount that allows M puffs on the flavor or the like, where M may be any integer equal to or greater than 2. For example, M may be a value within a range of approximately 10 to 20, which is close to the number of puffs on a typical cigarette.

[0035] The flavor inhaler 10 is not limited to the above-described example, and may be capable of receiving an article in a shape other than a stick (e.g., a capsule, a cartridge, or a reservoir). The flavor source contained in the article may be solid or liquid.

[0036] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic circuit configuration of the flavor inhaler 10. Referring to Fig. 3, the flavor inhaler 10 includes a control unit 120, a memory unit 121, an input detection unit 122, a state detection unit 123, a suction detection unit 124, a light emitting unit 125, a vibration unit 126, a communication interface (I / F) 127, a connection I / F 128, a heating unit 130, a first switch 131, a second switch 132, a battery 140, a boost circuit 141, a fuel gauge 142, and a measurement circuit 150.

[0037] The control unit 120 may be a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a microcontroller. The control unit 120 controls the overall functions of the flavor inhaler 10 by executing computer programs (also referred to as software or firmware) stored in the storage unit 121. The storage unit 121 may be a semiconductor memory, for example. The storage unit 121 stores one or more computer programs and data (e.g., multiple types of determination thresholds) used in the temperature control function and check function described below.

[0038] The input detection unit 122 is a detection circuit for detecting user input, which is an operation on the flavor inhaler 10. The input detection unit 122 detects, for example, a user pressing the front panel 102 (i.e., pressing a button) and outputs an input signal indicating the detected state to the control unit 120. Note that the flavor inhaler 10 may include any type of input device, such as a button, a switch, or a touch-sensitive surface, instead of (or in addition to) the front panel 102. The state detection unit 123 is a detection circuit for detecting the open / closed state of the slider 104, which is an operation on the flavor inhaler. For example, the state detection unit 123 may include a Hall IC that detects a change in a magnetic field caused by the opening and closing of the slider 104 using a Hall element. The state detection unit 123 outputs a state detection signal indicating whether the slider 104 is open or closed to the control unit 120. The suction detection unit 124 is a detection circuit for detecting a user inhaling (puffing) the tobacco stick 15. As one example, suction detection unit 124 may include a thermistor (not shown) disposed near opening 106. In this case, suction detection unit 124 may detect suction based on a change in the resistance value of the thermistor caused by a temperature change resulting from suction by the user. As another example, suction detection unit 124 may include a pressure sensor (not shown) disposed at the bottom of insertion hole 107. In this case, suction detection unit 124 may detect suction based on a decrease in air pressure caused by an airflow caused by suction. Suction detection unit 124 outputs a suction detection signal to control unit 120, for example, indicating whether suction is being performed.

[0039] The light-emitting unit 125 includes one or more LEDs and a driver for driving the LEDs. The light-emitting unit 125 causes each of the LEDs to emit light in accordance with an instruction signal input from the control unit 120. The vibration unit 126 includes a vibrator (e.g., an eccentric motor) and a driver for driving the vibrator. The vibration unit 126 vibrates the vibrator in accordance with an instruction signal input from the control unit 120. The control unit 120 may use one or both of the light-emitting unit 125 and the vibration unit 126 in any pattern to notify the user of, for example, some status of the flavor inhaler 10 (e.g., the remaining power of the battery 140, which will be described later). Therefore, in this embodiment, the light-emitting unit 125 and the vibration unit 126 may be collectively referred to as the notification unit 160. For example, the light-emitting pattern of the light-emitting unit 125 can be distinguished by factors such as the light-emitting state of each LED (constantly emitting / flashing / non-emitting), the flashing cycle, the number of emitting LEDs, and the emitted color. The vibration patterns of the vibrating unit 126 can be distinguished by factors such as the vibration state of the vibrator (vibration / stop), the strength of the vibration, and the length of the vibration period.

[0040] The wireless I / F 127 is a communication interface that enables the flavor inhaler 10 to wirelessly communicate with other devices (e.g., a user's personal computer (PC) or smartphone). The wireless I / F 127 may be an interface that complies with any wireless communication protocol, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC (Near Field Communication), or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network). The connection I / F 128 is an interface that has mechanisms such as terminals and coils for connecting the flavor inhaler 10 to other devices. The connection I / F 128 may be, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface. The connection I / F 128 may be used to charge the battery 140 from an external power source (via a power supply line not shown or wirelessly).

[0041] The heating unit 130 is a resistance heating component, i.e., a heater, that generates aerosol by heating the aerosol source contained in the aerosol-generating substrate of the tobacco stick 15. In this embodiment, the generated aerosol is configured to be flavored by passing through the flavor source contained in the tobacco stick 15. However, in another embodiment, a flavor source that generates a flavor by heating itself may be used. The resistance heating material of the heating unit 130 may be, for example, one or a mixture of two or more of copper, nickel alloy, chromium alloy, stainless steel, and platinum-rhodium. One end of the heating unit 130 is connected to the positive electrode of the battery 140 via a first switch 131 and a boost circuit 141, and the other end of the heating unit 130 is connected to the negative electrode of the battery 140 via a second switch 132. The first switch 131 is a switching element provided in a power supply line between the heating unit 130 and the boost circuit 141. The second switch 132 is a switching element provided on a ground line between the heating unit 130 and the battery 140. The first switch 131 and the second switch 132 may be, for example, a field effect transistor (FET). The control unit 120 can supply power from the battery 140 to the heating unit 130 at a voltage amplified by the boost circuit 141 by, for example, outputting a control signal, which is a pulse signal, to the gates of the first switch 131 and the second switch 132 to turn on both switches.

[0042] The battery 140 is a power source for supplying power to the heating unit 130 and other components of the flavor inhaler 10, such as the heating unit 130. Power supply lines from the battery 140 to components other than the heating unit 130 are omitted in FIG. 3 . The battery 140 may be, for example, a lithium-ion battery. In this embodiment, the battery 140 has a capacity equivalent to the amount of power required to complete N sessions (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) (i.e., an amount of power sufficient to consume the flavor source, etc., contained in N tobacco sticks 15). This allows a user to enjoy multiple tobacco sticks 15 consecutively by fully charging the battery 140, without having to recharge the battery 140 each time a session is completed. The capacity of the battery 140 may be determined taking into account a trade-off between cost and size. For example, N may be approximately 25. The boost circuit (DC / DC converter) 141 is a voltage conversion circuit that amplifies the voltage of the battery 140 to supply power to the heating unit 130.

[0043] The fuel gauge 142 is an IC chip for monitoring the remaining power of the battery 140 and other statuses. For example, the fuel gauge 142 measures the amount of current flowing into the battery 140 during charging and the amount of current flowing out of the battery 140 during discharging according to the coulomb counting method, and derives the remaining power of the battery 140 by integrating the measured current amounts. The fuel gauge 142 may also derive the remaining power of the battery 140 according to other algorithms, such as a voltage measurement method or an impedance tracking method. The fuel gauge 142 may also be capable of measuring the temperature of the battery 140. The control unit 120 is connected to the fuel gauge 142 via an I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) communication line consisting of, for example, a clock line and a data line, and operates as an I2C master device. In this case, the control unit 120 receives the remaining battery power value R periodically updated by the fuel gauge 142, which is a slave device. Ｃ and the battery temperature value T ＢＡＴThe fuel gauge 142 may also be capable of measuring other statuses of the battery 140, such as the state of charge (SOC), the state of health (SOH), and the relative state of charge (RSOC), and outputting the values ​​of these statuses to the control unit 120.

[0044] The measurement circuit 150 is a circuit for measuring a temperature index that correlates with the temperature of the heating unit 130. The temperature index here may represent the temperature of the heating unit 130 itself, or may represent the electrical resistance value of the heating unit 130. In general, the electrical resistance value of a resistance heating material has the characteristic that it monotonically increases as the temperature rises (i.e., it has a correlation with temperature), so the electrical resistance value of the heating unit 130 can be used as the temperature index. The temperature of the heating unit 130 may be measured using a thermistor (not shown) disposed near the heating unit 130.

[0045] In this embodiment, the control unit 120 calculates the remaining capacity R of the battery 140. Ｃ and the temperature value T ＢＡＴ In addition to being able to obtain various status values ​​from the fuel gauge 142, including the output voltage V ＢＡＴ The control unit 120 can measure the power supply voltage (hereinafter also referred to simply as the power supply voltage). For example, the control unit 120 applies a voltage pulse from the battery 140 to the heating unit 130 by outputting a short control pulse to the first switch 131 and the second switch 132, and performs analog-to-digital conversion of the voltage level of the voltage pulse to obtain a value V ＢＡＴ In the example of FIG. 3, the control unit 120 can obtain the voltage value V ＢＡＴ In order to reduce or eliminate the influence of noise, the control unit 120 measures the power supply voltage several times in succession at regular time intervals and calculates the average value of the measurement results as the voltage value V. ＢＡＴ It may be obtained as.

[0046] 1-3 Example of Temperature Profile The control unit 120 controls the supply of power from the battery 140 to the heating unit 130 so as to achieve a desired temperature profile for providing a good user experience throughout the entire session. In this specification, a session refers to a period of time during which temperature control is performed to consume the flavor source and the like contained in one item (here, one tobacco stick 15 received by the insertion hole 107). A session may also be referred to as a heating period. As described above, a user can take a maximum of M puffs during one session.

[0047] The temperature control performed by the control unit 120 may typically be feedback control (e.g., PID control) in which the temperature index measured by the measurement circuit 150 is the controlled variable and the duty ratio of the power supply is the manipulated variable. For example, in each repeated control cycle, the control unit 120 outputs control pulses modulated according to the duty ratio derived through PID control to the first switch 131 and the second switch 132. Then, a voltage pulse is applied from the battery 140 to the heating unit 130 with the corresponding duty ratio. Through the repetition of this control cycle, the temperature of the heating unit 130 approaches the target value of the PID control.

[0048] 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a temperature profile that can be achieved in one session. The horizontal axis in the diagram represents the elapsed time from the start of power supply to the heating unit 130, and the vertical axis represents the temperature of the heating unit 130. The thick broken line represents an example of a temperature profile 40. The temperature profile 40 consists of an initial preheating period (T0 to T2) and an inhalation period (T2 to T8) that follows the preheating period. As an example, the entire inhalation period may be about 5 minutes long.

[0049] The preheating period includes a temperature rise section (T0 to T1) in which the temperature of the heating unit 130 is rapidly raised from the ambient temperature H0 to a first temperature H1, and a temperature maintenance section (T1 to T2) in which the temperature of the heating unit 130 is maintained at the first temperature H1. In this way, by first rapidly heating the heating unit 130 to the first temperature H1, heat can be quickly and sufficiently distributed throughout the aerosol-generating substrate of the tobacco stick 15, making it possible to start providing good-quality aerosol to the user more quickly.

[0050] The inhalable period includes a maintenance period (T2 to T3) in which the temperature of the heating unit 130 is maintained at a first temperature H1, a temperature reduction period (T3 to T4) in which the temperature of the heating unit 130 is reduced to a second temperature H2, and a maintenance period (T4 to T5) in which the temperature of the heating unit 130 is maintained at the second temperature H2. In this way, by reducing the temperature of the heating unit 130, which has once risen to the first temperature H1, to the second temperature H2, the user can enjoy a stable inhalation with a good smoking taste for a longer period. During the temperature reduction period, the supply of power from the battery 140 to the heating unit 130 may be stopped. The inhalable period further includes a temperature rise section (T5 to T6) in which the temperature of the heating unit 130 is gradually raised from the second temperature H2 to the third temperature H3, a maintenance section (T6 to T7) in which the temperature of the heating unit 130 is maintained at the third temperature H3, and a temperature fall section (T7 to T8) in which the temperature of the heating unit 130 is lowered toward the ambient temperature H0. In this way, by raising the temperature of the heating unit 130 again in the latter half of the inhalable period, it is possible to suppress deterioration in the smoking taste in a situation in which the flavor source, etc. contained in the tobacco stick 15 is reduced, and to provide the user with a highly satisfying experience until the end of the inhalable period.

[0051] As an example, the first temperature H1 may be 295° C., the second temperature H2 may be 230° C., and the third temperature H3 may be 260° C. However, different temperature profiles may be designed, for example, depending on the manufacturer's design guidelines, user preferences, or the characteristics of different brands of tobacco articles.

[0052] When attempting to rapidly increase the temperature of the heating unit 130 during a session, as in the temperature profile 40, the amount of current output from the battery 140 increases significantly during the rapid temperature increase. As the amount of current output from the battery 140 increases, the voltage drop across the internal resistance of the battery 140 increases accordingly, causing a temporary significant drop in the power supply voltage. If the minimum value of the power supply voltage during a session (hereinafter referred to as the minimum voltage) falls below the operational voltage of the circuits of the flavor inhaler 10, the device may malfunction. To prevent this situation and prompt the user to prompt recharging by informing them of the status of the battery 140 in a timely manner, the flavor inhaler 10 according to this embodiment incorporates several check functions, which will be described in the next section.

[0053] 2. Battery Status Check 2-1. Session Start Check Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the drop in power supply voltage as multiple sessions progress. The horizontal axis in the figure represents the progress of time across multiple sessions, with the intervals between sessions being omitted. The vertical axis in the figure represents the power supply voltage [V]. Voltage value V ｉｎｉｔ，ｎ is the power supply voltage of the battery 140 at the start of the nth session, expressed as a value V ｍｉｎ，ｎ represents the minimum voltage of the battery 140 during the nth session. The solid line portion 50 of the graph in the figure represents the change in the power supply voltage over time during the nth session. The power supply voltage is V at the start of the session. ｉｎｉｔ，ｎ From temporarily V ｍｉｎ，ｎ After descending to V in the latter half of the session ｉｎｉｔ，ｎ＋１ If we ignore the natural discharge between sessions, the power supply voltage at the start of the next (n+1)th session will be V ｉｎｉｔ，ｎ＋１ This becomes:

[0054] The horizontal line 55 in the figure represents the operable voltage of the circuit of the flavor inhaler 10. In the example of FIG. 5, the minimum voltage V ｍｉｎ，ｎ does not fall below the operable voltage 55, the flavor inhaler 10 can complete the n-th session. ｍｉｎ，ｎ＋１ is lower than the operable voltage 55. Therefore, the power supply voltage V ｉｎｉｔ，ｎ＋１When the (n+1)th session is started, the flavor inhaler 10 may malfunction midway through the (n+1)th session, causing the session to stop midway. Such a midway stop of the session not only impairs the user's inhalation experience, but also disadvantages the user by wasting the remaining flavor source contained in the partially heated tobacco stick 15.

[0055] In order to prevent disadvantages caused by stopping a session midway, a measure may be taken in which the power supply voltage is measured at the start of the session, and the session is not started if the measured value is below a predetermined voltage threshold. In this embodiment, the control unit 120 detects a predetermined operation on the flavor inhalation device 10 requesting the start of heating, for example, a user input such as pressing and holding a button, and then adjusts the voltage value V ＢＡＴ The obtained voltage value V ＢＡＴ is the voltage threshold V ｔｈ If the temperature is below 100°C, it may be determined not to start the session (i.e., to limit heating so that the heating unit 130 does not start heating).

[0056] However, the voltage value V ＢＡＴ As described above, the voltage level of the voltage pulse applied from the battery 140 to the heating unit 130 is obtained by measuring the voltage level of the voltage pulse applied from the battery 140 to the heating unit 130. Such application of a voltage pulse to the heating unit 130 for purposes other than heating may result in a waste of power or may cause an unnecessary temperature rise, and therefore should be performed as frequently as necessary. Here, the power supply voltage at the start of a session has the property of decreasing as the remaining battery charge decreases. Taking note of this property, in this embodiment, the control unit 120 compares the remaining battery charge with the remaining charge threshold before comparing the power supply voltage with the voltage threshold. Specifically, in response to detection of a predetermined operation on the flavor inhaler 10 requesting the start of heating, the control unit 120 reads the remaining charge value R indicating the remaining power of the battery 140 from the fuel gauge 142. Ｃ and obtain the remaining value R Ｃ is a predetermined remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ If the voltage value V is less than V, the control unit 120 determines not to start the session (i.e., to limit heating so that the heating unit 130 does not start heating). ＢＡＴ and the voltage threshold V ｔｈSince the remaining capacity shortage can be determined before the voltage measurement is compared with the remaining capacity, it is possible to avoid the waste of power and the unnecessary temperature rise that would be caused by the voltage measurement.

[0057] The control unit 120 determines the remaining amount R Ｃ is the remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ When the voltage value V ＢＡＴ and the voltage threshold V ｔｈ Further comparison is made with the voltage value V ＢＡＴ is the voltage threshold V ｔｈ When the remaining charge value exceeds the threshold, it is determined that the session should start (i.e., the heating unit 130 should start heating). By performing a double check based on both the remaining charge value and the voltage value in this way, it is possible to reduce the probability of erroneous determination due to factors such as errors in the remaining charge measurement algorithm, temporary disturbances, or individual differences between devices, and more reliably prevent the session from being stopped midway.

[0058] In the following description, the above-mentioned check function performed in response to a predetermined operation on the flavor inhaler 10 requesting the start of heating will be referred to as a “session start check.” Note that, although the present embodiment has been described as an example in which a double check is performed based on both the remaining amount value and the voltage value, in other embodiments, a check based on only one of the remaining amount value and the voltage value may be performed.

[0059] 2-2 Pre-Check If only the session start check function were implemented in the flavor inhalation device 10, the user would have to perform an operation to request the start of heating to determine whether sufficient power remains in the battery 140. However, the user would not be able to perform such an operation in a location where inhaling aerosols is not permitted. On the other hand, if the session start check function could only be invoked by an operation unrelated to the start of heating, the user would be forced to perform two operations to start a session—invoking the session start check and starting heating—to avoid interrupting the session midway, which would be cumbersome. Therefore, in this embodiment, in addition to the session start check function triggered by a predetermined operation on the flavor inhalation device 10 to request the start of heating, the flavor inhalation device 10 is also equipped with a function to check the remaining power of the battery 140 when another predetermined operation on the flavor inhalation device 10 is triggered. In the following description, this other check function will be referred to as the “pre-check.”

[0060] For convenience of explanation, the predetermined operation for invoking a session start check for the flavor inhaler 10 will be referred to as the first predetermined operation, and the predetermined operation for invoking a pre-check for the flavor inhaler 10 will be referred to as the second predetermined operation. The first predetermined operation corresponds to an operation for requesting the start of heating, and may be, for example, a long press of a button (on the front panel 102). In this case, the second predetermined operation may be any operation other than a long press of a button, such as an operation for opening the slider 104, a short press of a button, or a plurality of consecutive presses of a button.

[0061] In the preliminary check, the control unit 120 reads the remaining amount value R from the remaining amount gauge 142 in response to a second predetermined operation. Ｃ and obtain the remaining amount value R Ｃ Based on the remaining amount value R Ｃ is the remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ The control unit 120 compares the remaining amount value R Ｃ is the remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０If the remaining power value R is greater than R, the control unit 120 may determine that the battery 140 has a sufficient amount of power remaining and can complete one session without causing a stop. Ｃ is the remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ If the remaining amount is less than 10 ...

[0062] In this way, by being able to check whether the battery is sufficiently charged in response to an operation separate from the operation to request the start of heating, the user can know the results of the check on the remaining power charge no matter where the user is, other than the location where suction is being performed.

[0063] In the preliminary check, in addition to the above-described determination of insufficient remaining power, the control unit 120 may also determine whether the remaining power of the battery 140 is sufficient to complete at most one session. This determination is made based on the remaining power value R Ｃ , the remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ In addition to this, a further remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ１ (R ｔｈ１ >R ｔｈ０ The control unit 120 compares the remaining amount value R Ｃ is the remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ１ , it can be determined that there is sufficient power remaining in the battery 140 to consume the flavor sources and the like contained in two or more tobacco sticks 15. On the other hand, the control unit 120 determines that the remaining power value R Ｃ is the remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ and exceeds the remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ１ If the remaining charge is below 150 kJ / s, it may be determined that although the remaining charge is not currently insufficient, the battery 140 will become insufficient after the user uses the next tobacco stick 15 .

[0064] 2-3 Notification of Check Results The check results of the above-described pre-check and session start check may be notified to the user in various ways. For example, the control unit 120 may instruct the notification unit 160 to notify the user in each of the following five types of check results in each manner: Pre-check - insufficient remaining amount Pre-check - 1 bottle remaining Pre-check - 2 or more bottles remaining Session start check - insufficient remaining amount Session start check - heating start

[0065] (1) Pre-check - Insufficient remaining amount In the pre-check, Ｃ <R ｔｈ０ , that is, when the remaining power value R Ｃ When this is indicated, the notification unit 160 issues a notification to inform the user of the low remaining charge. This notification of the low remaining charge may be made, for example, by lighting or flashing an LED in a warning color (e.g., red) or by vibrating with a relatively strong intensity or for a relatively long period of time, in order to reliably make the user aware of the need for charging.

[0066] (2) Pre-check - One remaining In the pre-check, R ｔｈ０ ≦R Ｃ <R ｔｈ１ If the remaining amount is R , that is, the remaining amount is not insufficient but the battery 140 only has enough power to consume the flavor source and the like contained in at most one tobacco stick 15. Ｃ indicates that one tobacco stick 15 remains, the notification unit 160 notifies the user that there is one tobacco stick 15 remaining that can be used without charging. This notification is distinguished from the notification of a low remaining amount described above and the notification of two or more remaining sticks, which will be described later, in terms of the notification mode (e.g., light emission pattern or vibration pattern). By receiving this notification of one remaining stick, the user can recognize in advance that they will not be able to inhale any more aerosol unless they recharge after using the next tobacco stick.

[0067] (3) Pre-check - 2 or more remaining In the pre-check, R ｔｈ１≦R Ｃ If the remaining power value R is 0, that is, if a sufficient amount of power remains in the battery 140 to consume the flavor source and the like contained in two or more tobacco sticks 15, Ｃ indicates that the battery 140 is full, the notification unit 160 may perform a notification to notify the user of the amount of power remaining in the battery 140 (remaining battery capacity). For example, the remaining battery capacity may be notified in the form of a battery level determined as a discrete numerical value, a relative charging rate, or the number of remaining tobacco sticks that can be used without charging. For example, the battery level or the number of remaining tobacco sticks may be expressed by the number of lit LEDs, the number of flashes of the LED, or the number of vibrations of the vibrator.

[0068] (4) Session start check - insufficient remaining amount In the session start check, Ｃ <R ｔｈ０ or V ＢＡＴ <V ｔｈ , that is, when the remaining power value R Ｃ or voltage value V ＢＡＴ When the remaining amount is insufficient, the notification unit 160 notifies the user of the remaining amount being insufficient. This notification of the remaining amount being insufficient may be made in the same manner as the notification of the remaining amount being insufficient in the preliminary check (or may be made in a different manner).

[0069] (5) Session start check - heating start In the session start check, R ｔｈ０ ≦R Ｃ And V ｔｈ ≦V ＢＡＴIf so, the notification unit 160 issues a notification to inform the user that heating has started. This notification of the start of heating may be made, for example, by illuminating or flashing an LED in a non-warning color (e.g., white), or by vibrating a vibrator at a relatively low intensity or for a relatively short period of time. After (or simultaneously with) this notification, the control unit 120 starts supplying power from the battery 140 to the heating unit 130. Then, the control unit 120 may cause the notification unit 160 to issue further notifications (e.g., a notice of the end of the pre-heating period and the end of the inhalation-enabled period) at several points during the session as described with reference to FIG. 4 .

[0070] (6) Other Notification Modes In the present embodiment, examples have been mainly described in which one or both of the light-emitting unit 125 and the vibration unit 126 perform notification, but the notification mode is not limited to such examples. For example, each of the notifications listed above may be performed by sound output from a speaker or a message transmitted to an external device instead of (or in addition to) light emission or vibration.

[0071] 2-4 Example of threshold setting (1) Basic concept The voltage threshold V ｔｈ , remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ (first remaining amount threshold) and second remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ１ The value of the (second remaining capacity threshold) is determined in advance and stored in the storage unit 121. For example, the voltage threshold V ｔｈ is the minimum operable voltage 55 that ensures normal operation of the circuit of the flavor inhaler 10, plus the amount of voltage drop (for example, V ｉｎｉｔ，ｎ and V ｍｉｎ，ｎ The difference between the reference voltage and the reference voltage may be determined by adding a margin for absorbing voltage variations.

[0072] Remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ is calculated by using a characteristic graph showing the relationship between the remaining capacity [mAh] of the battery 140 and the output voltage [V] (at the start of a session). ｔｈ The remaining amount threshold R may be determined by converting the value of R ｔｈ１ is the remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０The amount of power consumed by using one tobacco stick 15 (one completed session) may be added to the above.

[0073] In many cases, the remaining battery capacity corresponding to the voltage threshold determined based on the circuit's operable voltage exceeds the power consumption per session. ｔｈ and remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ However, an example of determining the voltage threshold V ｔｈ and remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ is not limited to this example, and may be determined based on the amount of power consumed per session.

[0074] (2) Temperature-Dependent Threshold The inventors have recognized that the remaining capacity-output voltage characteristics of a battery may differ depending on the battery temperature. Typically, if the remaining battery capacity is the same, the lower the battery temperature, the lower the output voltage tends to be. Therefore, in this embodiment, the storage unit 121 stores the remaining capacity threshold R ｔｈ０ , R ｔｈ１ For each of the temperature ranges, different set values ​​respectively associated with two or more temperature ranges are stored.

[0075] 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of setting different threshold values ​​for a plurality of temperature ranges. In the example of FIG. 6, ＢＡＴ The remaining capacity threshold R is categorized into three temperature ranges: less than 10°C (category C1), 10°C or more but less than 20°C (category C2), and 20°C or more (category C3). ｔｈ１ is the battery temperature T ＢＡＴ belongs to category C1, then R ｔｈ１＿ｌｏｗ , battery temperature T ＢＡＴ belongs to category C2, then R ｔｈ１＿ｍｉｄ , battery temperature T ＢＡＴ belongs to category C3, then R ｔｈ１＿ｈｉｇｈ Similarly, the remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ is the battery temperature T ＢＡＴ belongs to category C1, then R ｔｈ０＿ｌｏｗ , battery temperature T ＢＡＴbelongs to category C2, then R ｔｈ０＿ｍｉｄ , battery temperature T ＢＡＴ belongs to category C3, then R ｔｈ０＿ｈｉｇｈ The following relationship holds between these set values: R ｔｈ１＿ｈｉｇｈ <R ｔｈ１＿ｍｉｄ <R ｔｈ１＿ｌｏｗ R ｔｈ０＿ｈｉｇｈ <R ｔｈ０＿ｍｉｄ <R ｔｈ０＿ｌｏｗ In this way, the battery temperature T ＢＡＴ By selectively using different remaining charge thresholds depending on the temperature in the pre-check and the session start check, it is possible to perform a highly reliable check regardless of changes in the environmental temperature (or the battery temperature, which is affected by the environmental temperature).

[0076] In the example of FIG. 6, the voltage threshold V ｔｈ is set to a common value regardless of the battery temperature category. ｔｈ may also be set to different values ​​for different battery temperature categories.

[0077] Here, consider one use case. The remaining amount threshold is, for example, R ｔｈ１＿ｌｏｗ = 400 mAh, R ｔｈ１＿ｍｉｄ = 380 mAh, R ｔｈ０＿ｌｏｗ = 260 mAh, R ｔｈ０＿ｍｉｄ = 240 mAh. In addition, the user may set the remaining battery capacity to 250 mAh (i.e., R Ｃ Assume that the user has a flavor inhaler 10 with a battery temperature T = 250 mAh and is indoors at an ambient temperature of 15° C. However, aerosol inhalation is possible outdoors at an ambient temperature of 5° C. The user first invokes the pre-check function by a second predetermined operation indoors. The control unit 120 ＢＡＴ = 15°C, the remaining value R Ｃ The remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ１＿ｍｉｄ (=380mAh) and R ｔｈ０＿ｍｉｄ (=240 mAh), and it is determined that the remaining tobacco stick 15 can be used (R ｔｈ０＿ｍｉｄ <R Ｃ <R ｔｈ１＿ｍｉｄThe notification unit 160 notifies the user of this determination result. The user goes outside to inhale the remaining bottle and instructs the flavor inhaler 10 to start heating by a first predetermined operation. At this time, the battery temperature T ＢＡＴ is affected by the change in the environmental temperature and falls to a temperature lower than 10° C. Even in this case, if the same remaining capacity threshold R ｔｈ１＿ｍｉｄ and R ｔｈ０＿ｍｉｄ If the battery temperature T is used, it is determined that the remaining battery charge is sufficient, and heating is started. However, there is a risk that the device may malfunction due to insufficient output from the battery 140 during the session after heating has started due to the low temperature. In contrast, in this embodiment, the control unit 120 determines that the battery temperature T ＢＡＴ Considering the remaining value R Ｃ The remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ１＿ｌｏｗ (=400mAh) and R ｔｈ０＿ｌｏｗ (=260mAh). In this case, the remaining capacity value R Ｃ is the remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０＿ｌｏｗ , the control unit 120 determines that the remaining amount is insufficient and does not start heating by the heating unit 130. This prevents the session from being stopped midway, and avoids the situation where partially heated tobacco sticks 15 are wasted.

[0078] 2-5 Omission of Redundant Re-Determination The control unit 120 may store in memory a flag (hereinafter referred to as a "remaining power shortage flag") indicating the result of the determination of insufficient remaining power in the pre-check or session start check. Specifically, the control unit 120 may store in memory a flag (hereinafter referred to as a "remaining power shortage flag") indicating the result of the determination of insufficient remaining power in the battery 140 in each check (remaining power value R Ｃ <Remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０), the control unit 120 rewrites the value of the insufficient remaining amount flag to a value (e.g., "1") indicating an insufficient remaining amount. The value of the insufficient remaining amount flag indicating an insufficient remaining amount corresponds to the flavor inhaler 10 being set to an insufficient remaining amount state, and heating by the heating unit 130 being restricted. After detecting that charging of the battery 140 has started, the control unit 120 determines that a predetermined condition has been satisfied, and then resets the value of the insufficient remaining amount flag to its original value (e.g., "0") (indicating that the remaining amount is not insufficient). The value of the insufficient remaining amount flag indicating that the remaining amount is not insufficient corresponds to the flavor inhaler 10 not being set to an insufficient remaining amount state, and heating by the heating unit 130 being released from the restriction.

[0079] In response to a second predetermined operation requesting a preliminary check, the control unit 120 refers to the remaining charge insufficiency flag, and if the value indicates a remaining charge insufficiency, the remaining charge value R Ｃ The remaining battery charge is determined to be insufficient without making a determination based on the above.

[0080] Similarly, the control unit 120 refers to the remaining charge insufficiency flag in response to a first predetermined operation requesting the start of heating, and if the value indicates a remaining charge insufficiency, the remaining charge value R Ｃ and voltage value V ＢＡＴ In this case, the control unit 120 determines that the remaining battery charge is insufficient without making a determination based on the first predetermined operation. At this time, the control unit 120 limits heating so as not to cause the heating unit 130 to start heating in response to the first predetermined operation.

[0081] By managing the flags in this way, redundant re-determination of the remaining battery capacity can be omitted. This reduces communication between the control unit 120 and the fuel gauge 142, and suppresses the load on the circuit. In addition, this reduces the remaining capacity value R Ｃ and voltage value V ＢＡＴSince the power consumed to measure is reduced, even if a pre-check or a session start check is repeated, the possibility that the remaining charge of the battery 140 will drop so drastically that it will be judged to be a permanent failure can be reduced.

[0082] 2-6 Predetermined Conditions for Canceling Heating Restrictions 2-6-1 First Type An example of a predetermined condition for canceling heating restrictions is a remaining capacity value R measured before the start of charging the battery 140. Ｃ The remaining value R Ｃ＿ｌａｔｅｓｔ When the remaining amount of the battery 140 is a predetermined amount ΔR ｃ To achieve this, the control unit 120 checks the remaining capacity R measured before starting charging the battery 140 or when checking the start of a session. Ｃ The remaining value R Ｃ＿ｌａｔｅｓｔ can be stored in the storage unit 121 as

[0083] Predetermined amount ΔR ｃ may be an amount sufficient to make a determination about the remaining capacity of the battery 140. Therefore, the predetermined amount ΔR ｃ The predetermined amount ΔR may be an amount sufficient to complete the session start check process and the pre-check process described later at least once. ｃ can be experimentally determined in advance and stored in the storage unit 121 in advance.

[0084] Predetermined amount ΔR ｃ may be an amount sufficient to consume at least one tobacco stick 15. Therefore, the predetermined amount ΔR ｃ is the remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ - remaining amount value R Ｃ＿ｌａｔｅｓｔ or remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ and R ｔｈ１ The difference R ｔｈ１ -R ｔｈ０ The amount sufficient to consume at least one tobacco stick 15 may be determined as follows: ＢＡＴ That is, the predetermined amount ΔR ｃ is the battery temperature T ＢＡＴ belongs to category C1, then R ｔｈ０＿ｌｏｗ -R Ｃ＿ｌａｔｅｓｔor R ｔｈ１＿ｌｏｗ－ R ｔｈ０＿ｌｏｗ , the battery temperature T ＢＡＴ belongs to category C2, then R ｔｈ０＿ｍｉｄ -R Ｃ＿ｌａｔｅｓｔ or R ｔｈ１＿ｍｉｄ -R ｔｈ０＿ｍｉｄ , the battery temperature T ＢＡＴ belongs to category C3, then R ｔｈ０＿ｈｉｇｈ -R Ｃ＿ｌａｔｅｓｔ or R ｔｈ１＿ｈｉｇｈ -R ｔｈ０＿ｈｉｇｈ may be determined as:

[0085] The flavor inhaler 10 is ｃ The flavor inhaler 10 may be configured so that the user can set a predetermined amount ΔR via the front panel 102 (input unit) or the wireless I / F 127. ｃ Alternatively, the flavor inhaler 10 may be configured to calculate a predetermined amount ΔR based on the number ΔN of consumable tobacco sticks 15 input by the user via the front panel 102 (input unit) or the wireless I / F 127. ｃ For example, the control unit 120 may determine (R ｔｈ１ -R ｔｈ０ ) × ΔN to obtain a predetermined amount ΔR ｃ The method may be configured to determine:

[0086] The control unit 120 calculates a predetermined amount ΔR based on the user's usage history of the flavor inhaler 10. ｃ For example, the control unit 120 may be configured to determine the average number, minimum number, or maximum number (hereinafter referred to as the "average number, etc.") ΔN ｓｔａｔｉｓｔｉｃａｌ is stored in the storage unit 121 as a usage history, and the average number etc. ΔN ｓｔａｔｉｓｔｉｃａｌ To be able to consume tobacco sticks 15 (R ｔｈ１ -R ｔｈ０ ) × ΔN ｓｔａｔｉｓｔｉｃａｌ or by using machine learning, a predetermined amount ΔR ｃ The method may be configured to determine:

[0087] According to the above-described configuration, the flavor inhaler 10 can reduce the amount of flavor by a predetermined amount ΔRｃ It will be understood that the above is configured to be rewritable.

[0088] 2-6-2 Second Type Another example of the predetermined condition for releasing the restriction on heating is that the battery 140 is fully charged. Note that any method can be used to determine that the battery 140 is fully charged. Examples are given below without limitation.

[0089] The control unit 120 calculates the remaining capacity R measured during charging. Ｃ The control unit 120 may determine that the battery 140 is fully charged when the charging rate or relative charging rate of the battery 140 measured during charging is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Alternatively, the control unit 120 may determine that the battery 140 is fully charged when the current flowing through the battery 140 during charging is equal to or less than a predetermined value, or when the voltage value V of the battery 140 during charging is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. ＢＡＴ When the charge voltage Vcc reaches or exceeds a predetermined value, the battery 140 may be determined to be fully charged.

[0090] The flavor inhaler 10 may be configured to store the threshold value according to the deterioration level of the battery 140 in the storage unit 121 in advance, and the control unit 120 may be configured to determine the threshold value based on the deterioration level of the battery 140 measured during charging. ＢＡＴ The threshold value corresponding to the temperature T of the battery 140 measured during charging is stored in the storage unit 121 in advance. ＢＡＴ The threshold value may be determined based on the

[0091] If the battery 140 continues to be charged even after it has been determined to be fully charged, repeated small discharges and charges may temporarily cause the battery 140 to be determined not to be fully charged. Therefore, once the control unit 120 determines that the battery 140 is fully charged during charging, the control unit 120 may be configured to maintain this determination until charging is completed.

[0092] 2-6-3 Third Type Another example of the predetermined condition for lifting the heating restriction is that a predetermined time Δt or more has elapsed since the start of charging. The control unit 120 may be configured to determine the type of external device connected to the flavor inhaler or the like to charge the battery 140, and to determine the predetermined time Δt based on the determined type of external device. For example, the control unit 120 may determine the type of external device based on the time rate of change of the current value flowing through the battery 140 during charging, and determine the predetermined time Δt so that the greater the time rate of change of the external device, the shorter the predetermined time Δt. The flavor inhaler or the like 10 may be configured to pre-store the predetermined time Δt for each type of external device in the storage unit 121. Furthermore, the flavor inhaler or the like 10 may be configured to rewrite the predetermined time Δt.

[0093] 2-7 Modifications In the first modification regarding the setting of the threshold value for each temperature range described with reference to FIG. 6, the control unit 120 receives the battery temperature T ＢＡＴ Instead of obtaining the remaining charge threshold R, the battery temperature may be estimated from at least one of the date and time of the check, and the remaining charge threshold corresponding to the estimated temperature may be used for the pre-check or the session start check, and may be used to determine whether a predetermined condition for releasing the heating restriction is satisfied. ｔｈ０ and R ｔｈ１ , predetermined amount ΔR ｃ For each of the threshold values ​​for determining whether the battery 140 is fully charged, a value to be used in a warm season and a value to be used in a cold season may be stored in advance. In this case, the control unit 120 may set a remaining charge threshold value R that differs depending on whether the date of the check belongs to the warm season or the cold season. ｔｈ０ and R ｔｈ１ , predetermined amount ΔR ｃ The threshold value for determining whether the battery 140 is fully charged can be read from the storage unit 121 and used. ｔｈ０ and R ｔｈ１ , predetermined amount ΔR ｃFor each of the threshold values ​​for determining whether the battery 140 is fully charged, a value to be used during the day and a value to be used during the night may be stored in advance. In this case, the control unit 120 stores a remaining charge threshold R that differs depending on whether the time of day or night falls on the daytime or nighttime. ｔｈ０ and R ｔｈ１ , predetermined amount ΔR ｃ In addition, the threshold value for determining whether the battery 140 is fully charged can be read from the storage unit 121 and used.

[0094] In a second variant, the control unit 120 may estimate the battery temperature based on the output value from a thermistor arranged near the battery 140, and use the remaining charge threshold corresponding to the estimated temperature for a pre-check or session start check, and may use it to determine whether the specified conditions for lifting the heating restriction have been met.

[0095] 2-8 Other Checks The control unit 120 may check various device statuses other than the remaining charge and voltage of the battery 140 at any time to confirm whether any abnormalities have occurred. For example, one or more of the following check items may be checked: - Temperature of the heating unit 130 (whether it indicates an abnormally high temperature); - Temperature of other parts (whether it indicates an abnormally high temperature); - Mounting status of the front panel 102 (whether it has been removed from the main body 101); - Status of the battery 140 monitored by the fuel gauge 142 (whether any abnormality has been detected). If the control unit 120 detects an abnormality in a certain check item, it stores an error code indicating the type of abnormality detected in the memory unit 121 and causes the notification unit 160 to notify the user of the occurrence of the abnormality. Even if the control unit 120 detects a first predetermined operation requesting the start of heating, if the abnormality has not been resolved, the control unit 120 will not cause the heating unit 130 to start heating.

[0096] 3. Process Flow In this section, several examples of process flows executed by the flavor inhaler 10 will be described using flowcharts. In the following description, process steps will be abbreviated as S (step).

[0097] For simplicity, the flowcharts do not show the processing steps for detecting anomalies described in the previous section. Anomaly detection may be performed periodically as part of the control unit 120's normal control routine, or as part of a pre-check or session start check. A detection circuit separate from the control unit 120 may detect anomalies and notify the control unit 120 of the detected anomaly (e.g., by an interrupt signal).

[0098] 3-1 General Flow FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a general flow of the process executed by the flavor inhaler 10 according to this embodiment.

[0099] In the standby state, the control unit 120 continuously monitors user input and the charging state of the battery 140 (S101, S103, S113). User input can be detected by the input detection unit 122, the state detection unit 123, or the suction detection unit 124. For example, if a second predetermined operation requesting a pre-check is detected (S101-Yes), the process proceeds to S105. Also, if a first predetermined operation requesting the start of heating is detected (S103-Yes), the process proceeds to S107.

[0100] In S105, the control unit 120 executes a pre-check process to check the remaining power of the battery 140 and causes the notification unit 160 to issue a notification according to the check result. A more specific flow of the pre-check process executed here will be described later.

[0101] In S107, the control unit 120 executes a session start check process to determine whether the battery 140 is in a state where a session can be started. A more specific flow of the session start check process executed here will be described later.

[0102] If, in the session start check process, it is determined that there is not enough power remaining in the battery 140 to consume the flavor source, etc. contained in one item (S109-Yes), the control unit 120 returns to a standby state without starting a session.

[0103] On the other hand, if it is determined in the session start check process that a sufficient amount of power remains in the battery 140 to consume the flavor source, etc. contained in one product (S109-No), the control unit 120 causes the heating unit 130 to start heating in S111, and executes one session of temperature control to realize the temperature profile 40 described with reference to Fig. 4. During this session, the heating unit 130 receives a supply of power from the battery 140, heats the tobacco stick 15 containing the flavor source, etc., and generates aerosol. The user can inhale the aerosol multiple times during the inhalable period after the end of the pre-heating period.

[0104] During the standby state, the user can connect the flavor inhaler 10 to an external power source via the connection I / F 128 to charge the battery 140. After detecting that charging of the battery 140 has started (S113—Yes), the control unit 120 updates the value of the insufficient remaining amount flag to “0,” which indicates false, in S115 based on the determination that a predetermined condition has been met (S114—Yes). Note that if the value of the insufficient remaining amount flag is already “0” in S115, the control unit 120 does not need to do anything. Alternatively, a step (not shown) may be provided immediately before S113 or S114 to determine whether the value of the insufficient remaining amount flag is “0.” If it is determined that the value of the insufficient remaining amount flag is not “0,” the process proceeds to S113 or S114, and if not, the process returns to S101. In any case, according to the steps including S113, S114 and S115, the value of the insufficient remaining battery flag is not "0" but "1" which means true as described below, and therefore, when heating by the heating unit 130 is restricted, it can be understood that the value of the insufficient remaining battery flag becomes "0" based on the specified conditions being satisfied after charging of the battery 140 begins, and therefore the restriction on heating by the heating unit 130 is lifted.

[0105] The process executed by the flavor inhaler 10 may include a step (not shown) of starting a timer for measuring the elapsed time since the start of charging of the battery 140 immediately after detecting that charging of the battery 140 has started (S113-Yes). Also, the step (S114) of determining whether a predetermined condition is met may include a step of starting a timer for measuring the elapsed time since the start of charging of the battery 140 immediately after detecting that charging of the battery 140 has started (S113-Yes). ＢＡＴ Alternatively, the step of determining whether the predetermined condition is satisfied (S114) may include a step of estimating the battery temperature as described above, or a step of reading the battery temperature stored as described above from the storage unit 121. The step of determining whether the predetermined condition is satisfied (S114) may include a step of obtaining the charge rate, the relative charge rate, or the deterioration degree of the battery 140 from the fuel gauge 142.

[0106] 3-2 Preliminary Check Process FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the preliminary check process that can be executed in S105 of FIG.

[0107] First, in S121, the control unit 120 determines whether the remaining amount insufficient flag indicates "1", which means true. If the remaining amount insufficient flag indicates "1", the process proceeds to S145. On the other hand, if the remaining amount insufficient flag indicates "0", the process proceeds to S123.

[0108] In S123, the control unit 120 reads the remaining power value R indicating the remaining power of the battery 140 from the remaining power gauge 142. Ｃ The pre-check process is performed immediately after or after S123, by checking the remaining amount R Ｃ is used to determine the predetermined conditions for releasing the heating restriction. Ｃ＿ｌａｔｅｓｔ The method may include a step (not shown) of storing the remaining amount value R Ｃ＿ｌａｔｅｓｔ is the newly acquired remaining amount value R Ｃ Next, in S125, the control unit 120 receives the temperature value T ＢＡＴ Next, in S127, the control unit 120 acquires the temperature value T ＢＡＴThe remaining capacity threshold R associated with the temperature range to which the ｔｈ０ and R ｔｈ１ from the storage unit 121. For example, the control unit 120 acquires R ｔｈ０＿ｌｏｗ , R ｔｈ０＿ｍｉｄ and R ｔｈ０＿ｈｉｇｈ One of the following and R ｔｈ１＿ｌｏｗ , R ｔｈ１＿ｍｉｄ and R ｔｈ１＿ｈｉｇｈ Get one of the following:

[0109] Next, in S129, the control unit 120 calculates the remaining amount value R Ｃ The remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ Compare with where R ｔｈ０ ≦R Ｃ If so (S129-No), the control unit 120 further calculates the remaining amount value R Ｃ The remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ１ Compare with.

[0110] As a result of the threshold comparison in S129 and S131, R ｔｈ１ ≦R Ｃ If so, in S133, the control unit 120 determines that a sufficient amount of power remains in the battery 140 for puffing on two or more remaining tobacco sticks 15. In this case, in S135, the control unit 120 causes the notification unit 160 to notify the user of the remaining battery power. For example, the notification unit 160 causes a number of LEDs corresponding to the battery level or the number of remaining tobacco sticks to emit light.

[0111] As a result of the threshold comparison, R ｔｈ０ ≦R Ｃ <R ｔｈ１ If so, in S137 the control unit 120 determines that there is enough power remaining in the battery 140 to enable one remaining tobacco stick 15 to be inhaled. In this case, in S139 the control unit 120 causes the notification unit 160 to notify the user that there is one remaining tobacco stick 15 that can be inhaled. For example, the notification unit 160 causes an LED to emit light in a preset unique light emission pattern, or causes a vibrator to vibrate in a unique vibration pattern.

[0112] As a result of the threshold comparison, R Ｃ <R ｔｈ０If so, in S141, the control unit 120 determines that the battery 140 does not have enough power remaining to consume the flavor source, etc., contained in one tobacco stick 15. In this case, in S143, the control unit 120 updates the value of the remaining power shortage flag to "1". Next, in S145, the control unit 120 causes the notification unit 160 to notify the user that the remaining power of the battery 140 is insufficient. For example, the notification unit 160 causes the LED to emit light in a warning color or vibrates the vibrator in a specific vibration pattern to prompt the user to recharge the battery.

[0113] Another example of the pre-check process is the remaining amount value R Ｃ and the remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ In addition to or instead of the comparison (S129), a voltage value V indicating the output voltage of the battery 140 obtained by performing the voltage measurement process is ＢＡＴ and the voltage threshold V ｔｈ (See the session start check process described below.) to determine that there is not enough power remaining in the battery 140.

[0114] 3-3 Session Start Check Processing FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of session start check processing that can be executed in S107 of FIG.

[0115] First, in S151, the control unit 120 determines whether the remaining amount insufficient flag indicates "1." If the remaining amount insufficient flag indicates "1," the process proceeds to S175. On the other hand, if the remaining amount insufficient flag indicates "0," the process proceeds to S153.

[0116] In S153, the control unit 120 reads the remaining power value R indicating the remaining power of the battery 140 from the remaining power gauge 142. Ｃ The session start check process is performed immediately after or after S153, and the remaining amount value R Ｃ is used to determine the predetermined conditions for releasing the heating restriction. Ｃ＿ｌａｔｅｓｔ The method may include a step (not shown) of storing the remaining amount value R Ｃ＿ｌａｔｅｓｔ is the newly acquired remaining amount value R ＣNext, in S155, the control unit 120 receives the temperature value T ＢＡＴ Next, in S157, the control unit 120 acquires the temperature value T ＢＡＴ The remaining capacity threshold R associated with the temperature range to which the ｔｈ０ from the storage unit 121. For example, the control unit 120 acquires R ｔｈ０＿ｌｏｗ , R ｔｈ０＿ｍｉｄ and Ｒｔｈ０＿ｈｉｇｈ Get one of the following:

[0117] Next, in S159, the control unit 120 calculates the remaining amount value R Ｃ The remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ Compare with where R ｔｈ０ ≦R Ｃ If so, the process proceeds to S161 (S159-No), and R Ｃ <R ｔｈ０ If so, the process proceeds to S171 (S159-Yes).

[0118] In S161, the control unit 120 determines the voltage threshold V ｔｈ Next, in S163, the control unit 120 executes a voltage measurement process to obtain a voltage value V ＢＡＴ The voltage measurement process executed here will be described in more detail later. Next, in S165, the control unit 120 acquires the voltage value V ＢＡＴ is the voltage threshold V ｔｈ Compare with where V ｔｈ ≦V ＢＡＴ If so, the process proceeds to S167 (S165-No), and ＢＡＴ <V ｔｈ If so, the process proceeds to S171 (S165-Yes).

[0119] In S167, the control unit 120 determines, as a result of double checking based on the remaining charge value and the voltage value, that there is sufficient power remaining in the battery 140 so that the session will not be interrupted midway and therefore the session can be started. In this case, in S111 of Fig. 7, the control unit 120 causes the heating unit 130 to start heating and executes temperature control for one session.

[0120] On the other hand, in S171, the control unit 120 determines that a sufficient amount of power is not remaining in the battery 140. In S173, the control unit 120 updates the value of the remaining power shortage flag to "1". Then, in S175, the control unit 120 causes the notification unit 160 to notify the user that the remaining power of the battery 140 is insufficient. In this case, the control unit 120 returns to the standby state at the beginning of FIG. 7 without causing the heating unit 130 to start heating.

[0121] In another example of the session start check process, when it is determined that there is not enough power remaining in the battery 140, the remaining power value R Ｃ The remaining amount threshold R ｔｈ０ and a step (S159) of comparing the voltage value V ＢＡＴ is the voltage threshold V ｔｈ One of the steps (S165) of comparing with the first and second values ​​may be omitted.

[0122] 3-4 Voltage Measurement Process FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the voltage measurement process that can be executed in S163 of FIG.

[0123] First, in S181 , the control unit 120 turns on the first switch 131 and the second switch 132 to start outputting a voltage pulse from the battery 140 to the heating unit 130 .

[0124] Next, in S183, the control unit 120 measures the output voltage of the battery 140 by analog-to-digital conversion of the voltage level input via the boost circuit 141. This measurement is performed multiple times at regular time intervals.

[0125] Next, in S185 , the control unit 120 turns off the first switch 131 and the second switch 132 , thereby ending the output of the voltage pulse from the battery 140 to the heating unit 130 .

[0126] Next, in S187, the control unit 120 calculates the average value of the output voltage measured in S183 as a voltage value V ＢＡＴ It is calculated as follows.

[0127] 4 Summary Up to this point, various embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure have been described using Figures 1 to 10. According to the technology disclosed herein, in a flavor inhaler or the like in which a heating unit receives power from a power source to heat an item containing a flavor source or the like to generate a flavor or the like, if it is determined in response to a user input requesting the start of heating that the power source does not have enough power remaining to consume the flavor source or the like contained in one item, heating is not initiated and is instead limited, and the user is notified of the insufficient remaining power. In addition, in response to a user input different from the user input requesting the start of heating, a check is performed to determine whether the power source has enough power remaining, and the result of this check is notified to the user. Therefore, by simply performing an operation requesting the start of heating, the user can start inhaling aerosol without risking interruption of the session, and can also know the result of the check on the remaining power, regardless of their location. Furthermore, if heating is limited and the remaining power is insufficient, the restriction is not lifted, thereby preventing unnecessary repetition of the process of limiting heating.

[0128] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

[0129] Finally, some of the features of the present disclosure will be described below.

[0130] [Feature 1] A flavor inhaler or aerosol generating device including: a heating unit configured to heat one or both of a flavor source and an aerosol source; a power source that supplies power to the heating unit; and a control unit configured to limit heating by the heating unit when the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient, wherein the control unit is further configured to, when heating by the heating unit is limited, lift the limit based on the fact that a predetermined condition is satisfied after charging of the power source begins.

[0131] [Feature 2] The device according to Feature 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to make a first determination as to whether the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient in response to a first predetermined operation on the device for starting heating by the heating unit.

[0132] [Feature 3] The device according to Feature 2, wherein the first determination includes one or both of: measuring a remaining capacity of the power source; and temporarily supplying power from the power source to the heating unit and measuring an operating voltage of the power source.

[0133] [Feature 4] The device according to Feature 2 or 3, wherein the control unit is further configured to make a second determination as to whether the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient in response to a second predetermined operation on the device that is different from the first predetermined operation.

[0134] [Feature 5] The device according to Feature 4, wherein the control unit is further configured to set a low remaining charge state when it is determined that the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient, and the second determination includes: determining whether the low remaining charge state is set; and, when it is not determined that the low remaining charge state is set, performing a measurement process including one or both of measuring the remaining charge of the power source and measuring an operating voltage of the power source by temporarily supplying power from the power source to the heating unit; and omitting the measurement process when it is determined that the low remaining charge state is set.

[0135] [Feature 6] The device according to any one of Features 1 to 5, wherein the predetermined condition is that the remaining amount of the power source has increased by a predetermined amount or more, based on the remaining amount of the power source measured before charging of the power source is started.

[0136] [Feature 7] The device according to feature 6, wherein the predetermined amount is an amount sufficient to determine whether the remaining power of the power source is insufficient.

[0137] [Feature 8] The device according to Feature 6, wherein the device is configured to allow a substrate containing one or both of the flavor source and the aerosol source to be replaceable, and the predetermined amount is an amount sufficient to consume at least one of the substrates.

[0138] Feature 9. The apparatus of Feature 8, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the amount sufficient to consume at least one of the substrates based on a temperature of the power source.

[0139] [Feature 10] The device according to Feature 6, wherein the predetermined amount is user-configurable.

[0140] [Feature 11] The device according to Feature 6, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine the predetermined amount based on a usage history of the device by a user.

[0141] [Feature 12] The device according to Feature 6, wherein the predetermined amount is rewritable.

[0142] [Feature 13] The device according to any one of Features 1 to 5, wherein the predetermined condition is that the power source is fully charged.

[0143] [Feature 14] The device according to any one of Features 1 to 5, wherein the predetermined condition is that a predetermined time or more has elapsed since charging to the power source started.

[0144] [Feature 15] The device according to Feature 14, wherein the control unit is further configured to: determine a type of an external device connected to the device for charging the power source; and determine the predetermined time based on the determined type of the external device.

[0145] [Feature 16] The device according to Feature 14, wherein the predetermined time is rewritable.

[0146] [Feature 17] The device according to any one of Features 1 to 16, wherein limiting the heating by the heating unit by the control unit includes limiting the heating by the heating unit so as not to start heating.

[0147] [Feature 18] A method executed by a control unit of a device that is a flavor inhaler or an aerosol generating device, the device including a heating unit configured to heat one or both of a flavor source and an aerosol source, and a power source that supplies power to the heating unit, the method including: limiting heating by the heating unit when the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient; and lifting the limit when a predetermined condition is satisfied after charging of the power source begins.

[0148] [Feature 19] A program causing a control unit of a flavor inhaler or aerosol generating device including a heating unit configured to heat one or both of a flavor source and an aerosol source, and a power source that supplies power to the heating unit, to execute the following steps: limiting heating by the heating unit when the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient; and lifting the limit when a predetermined condition is satisfied after charging of the power source begins.

[0149] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Flavor inhaler, etc. 15... Tobacco stick (article) 101... Main body 102... Front panel 103... Display window 104... Slider 106... Opening 107... Insertion hole 120... Control unit 121... Memory unit 122... Input detection unit 123... Status detection unit 130... Heating unit 140... Battery (power source) 142... Remaining battery level gauge 160... Notification unit

Claims

1. a heating portion configured to heat one or both of the flavor source and the aerosol source; A power source for supplying power to the heating unit; A control unit configured to limit heating by the heating unit when the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient; A device that is a flavor inhaler or an aerosol generating device comprising: The control unit is further configured to release the restriction on heating by the heating unit when the restriction is imposed on the heating unit based on a predetermined condition being satisfied after the start of charging to the power source. Device.

2. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, The control unit is further configured to make a first determination as to whether the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient in response to a first predetermined operation on the device for starting heating by the heating unit. Device.

3. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first determination comprises: Measuring a remaining capacity of the power source; temporarily supplying power to the heating unit from the power source and measuring an operating voltage of the power source; An apparatus comprising one or both of the following:

4. 4. An apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, comprising: The control unit is further configured to perform a second determination as to whether the remaining amount of the power source is insufficient in response to a second predetermined operation different from the first predetermined operation on the device. Device.

5. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, The control unit is further configured to set a remaining charge insufficient state when it is determined that the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient; The second determination includes: determining whether the remaining amount is insufficient; When it is not determined that the remaining amount is insufficient, Measuring a remaining capacity of the power source; temporarily supplying power to the heating unit from the power source and measuring an operating voltage of the power source; A measurement process including one or both of the following is performed; When it is determined that the remaining amount is insufficient, the measurement process is omitted.

13. An apparatus comprising:

6. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, the predetermined condition is that the remaining amount of the power source has increased by a predetermined amount or more based on the remaining amount of the power source measured before the start of charging to the power source. Device.

7. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the predetermined amount is an amount sufficient to perform a determination as to whether the power source is running low.

8. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, the device is configured to allow replacement of a substrate containing one or both of the flavor source and the aerosol source; the predetermined amount being sufficient to consume at least one of the substrates; Device.

9. 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the amount sufficient to consume at least one of the substrate based on a temperature of the power source.

10. 7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, arranged so that said predetermined amount is user configurable.

11. The device of claim 6 , wherein the control unit is further configured to determine the predetermined amount based on a user's historical use of the device.

12. 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined amount is rewritable.

13. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that the power source is fully charged.

14. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that a predetermined time or more has elapsed since charging to the power source started.

15. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the control unit: determining a type of external device connected to the device for charging the power source; The predetermined time is determined based on the determined type of the external device. The apparatus further configured as follows.

16. 15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined time is rewritable.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit restricts the heating by the heating unit by restricting the heating unit from starting heating by the control unit.

18. A method executed by a control unit of a device that is a flavor inhalation device or an aerosol generating device, the device comprising a heating unit configured to heat one or both of a flavor source and an aerosol source, and a power source that supplies power to the heating unit, the method comprising: limiting heating by the heating unit when the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient; releasing the restriction based on a predetermined condition being satisfied after the start of charging to the power source; The method includes:

19. A control unit of a flavor inhalation device or an aerosol generating device including a heating unit configured to heat one or both of a flavor source and an aerosol source, and a power source that supplies power to the heating unit, limiting heating by the heating unit when the remaining charge of the power source is insufficient; releasing the restriction based on a predetermined condition being satisfied after the start of charging to the power source; A program that executes the following.