Aerosol generation device and program

Abstract

An aerosol generation device having a control unit, a first battery, and a heating unit for heating an aerosol source, wherein when a second battery is provided to a cover member attached to the device body, the control unit controls the supply of power from the second battery to the device body.

Description

Aerosol generating device and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an aerosol generating device and a program.

[0002] The aerosol generating device generates aerosol by heating an aerosol source containing a fragrance or the like, and uses a secondary battery built into the main body as its power source. However, if heating of the aerosol source is initiated before the remaining charge of the secondary battery of the aerosol generating device is sufficient to completely use up one unused aerosol source, heating cannot be continued even before the aerosol source is completely used up. Control of heating of the aerosol source is based on the premise that one unused aerosol source is attached. Therefore, if heating of the aerosol source is terminated due to a lack of remaining charge in the secondary battery, the used aerosol source may need to be discarded. Therefore, Patent Document 1 describes a mechanism that does not start supplying power to the heating unit if the remaining charge of the secondary battery is insufficient to completely use up one unused aerosol source.

[0003] International Publication No. 2020 / 084757

[0004] Incidentally, even if the remaining capacity of the secondary battery falls below the capacity required to use up one unused aerosol source, it will be possible to use up one unused aerosol source if the missing capacity can be replenished.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present disclosure provides an aerosol generating device that can operate while taking into consideration not only the remaining battery charge of the main body but also the remaining battery charge of batteries other than the main body.

[0006] As one form of the present disclosure, there is provided an aerosol generating device having a control unit, a first battery, and a heating unit that heats an aerosol source, wherein the control unit controls the power supply from the second battery to the device main body when a second battery is provided on a cover member attached to the device main body.

[0007] The control unit may instruct the second battery to supply power to the device body when the remaining charge of the first battery satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0008] The control unit may charge the first battery with power from the second battery when a predetermined condition is met.

[0009] The control unit may determine that the predetermined condition is met when it is predicted that the remaining charge of the first battery will likely fall below the capacity required to use up one unused aerosol source.

[0010] The control unit may determine that the predetermined condition is satisfied when the remaining charge of the first battery falls below a capacity required to use up one unused aerosol source.

[0011] The control unit may instruct the second battery to supply power to the device main body when the combined remaining charge of the first battery and the second battery exceeds the capacity required to use up one unused aerosol source, even if the remaining charge of the first battery is less than the capacity required to use up one unused aerosol source.

[0012] When the control unit is capable of directly supplying the power of the second battery to the heating unit, the control unit may directly supply the power of the second battery to the heating unit.

[0013] The control unit may charge the first battery with power from the second battery.

[0014] The control unit may change the remaining capacity of the second battery used to calculate the total value depending on the difference in the power supply path from the second battery to the aerosol generation device.

[0015] The control unit may supply power from the second battery to components other than the heating unit within the device body.

[0016] The control unit may charge the second battery with power supplied from the device body side to the cover member side.

[0017] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer provided in an aerosol generating device having a first battery and a heating unit that heats an aerosol source, and when a second battery is provided in a cover member attached to the device main body, a program is provided to cause the computer to realize a function of controlling power supply from the second battery to the device main body.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an aerosol generating device can be provided that can operate taking into account not only the remaining battery charge of the main body but also the remaining battery charge of batteries other than the main body.

[0019] 1 is a diagram of the front side of the aerosol generation device observed from diagonally above. FIG. 2 is a diagram of the front side of the aerosol generation device observed from diagonally below. FIG. 3 is a diagram of the aerosol generation device observed from above with the shutter removed. FIG. 4 is a diagram of the main body device observed from the front with the front panel removed. FIG. 5 is a diagram of the back side of the front panel removed from the main body device. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of the aerosol generation device. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the connection relationship between the front panel and the power supply circuit in the main body device. FIG. 8 is a flowchart explaining an example of an attachment detection operation of the front panel performed by the control unit of the main body device. FIG. 9 is a flowchart explaining an example of a USB charging operation performed by the control unit of the main body device. FIG. 10 is a diagram explaining the USB charging operation. FIG. 11 is a flowchart explaining an operation of charging the secondary battery of the main body device using the primary battery on the front panel. FIG. 12 is a diagram explaining auxiliary charging using the primary battery on the front panel as an external power source. FIG. 13 is a diagram explaining the amount of power usable by the entire aerosol generation device. FIG. 14 is a flowchart explaining another example of a processing operation using the front panel as an auxiliary power source. FIG. 15 is a diagram explaining an example of a connection between the power supply line and each part in the main body device. 1 is a diagram illustrating power supply to a main device using a primary battery on the front panel as an external power source. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of an aerosol generation device according to embodiment 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the connection relationship between power supply circuits in the front panel and the main device in embodiment 3. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a USB charging operation performed by a control unit of the main device. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a USB charging operation. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing operation example in embodiment 4. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating auxiliary charging using a battery on the front panel as an external power source. FIG. 8 is a table illustrating the relationship between the remaining capacity of a secondary battery on the front panel used as an auxiliary power source and the remaining capacity available for use in the main device. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating power loss due to auxiliary charging. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating auxiliary charging in embodiment 15. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing operation example in embodiment 16. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of auxiliary charging in embodiment 17.

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0021] <Terminology> The aerosol generating device according to each embodiment is a form of electronic cigarette. In the following description, the substance generated by the aerosol generating device is referred to as aerosol. Aerosol refers to a mixture of tiny liquid or solid particles suspended in a gas and air or other gases. In each embodiment, an aerosol generating device that generates aerosol without combustion is described. In the following description, the user's inhalation of the aerosol generated by the aerosol generating device is referred to as "inhalation" or "puffing." In each embodiment, an aerosol generating device to which a solid aerosol source can be attached is described. Note that the container that stores the solid aerosol source is referred to as either a "capsule" or a "stick-type substrate" depending on the product form. Capsules and stick-type substrates are consumables. For this reason, guidelines for replacement are set for capsules and stick-type substrates.

[0022] <Embodiment 1> <External Appearance> First, an external appearance example of the aerosol generation device used in embodiment 1 will be described. Fig. 1 is a view of the front side of the aerosol generation device 1 observed from diagonally above. Fig. 2 is a view of the front side of the aerosol generation device 1 observed from diagonally below. Fig. 3 is a view of the aerosol generation device 1 with the shutter 30 removed observed from above. Fig. 4 is a view of the main device 20 with the front panel 10 removed observed from the front. Fig. 5 is a view of the back side of the front panel 10 removed from the main device 20.

[0023] The aerosol generation device 1 used in this embodiment has a size that allows the user to hold it in one hand. The aerosol generation device 1 has a main body device 20, a front panel 10 attached to the front of the main body device 20, and a shutter 30 that is arranged on the top surface of the main body device 20 and can be slid along the top surface. The front panel 10 is a member that can be attached to and detached from the main body device 20. The front panel 10 is attached and detached by the user.

[0024] The front panel 10 attached to the main unit 20 covers the front portion of the main unit 20, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In other words, even after the front panel 10 is attached, the main unit 20 can be observed from the outside except for the front portion. For example, the side, back, top, and bottom surfaces of the main unit 20 can be observed from the outside even after the front panel 10 is attached. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front panel 10 attached to the main unit 20 is continuously connected to the side, top, and bottom surfaces of the main unit 20 without any steps, forming a unified appearance. Thus, one of the roles of the front panel 10 is decoration. Note that the side, top, and bottom surfaces of the main unit 20 are examples of parts not covered by the front panel 10.

[0025] The front panel 10 is provided with a window 10B. The window 10B is provided in a position facing the light-emitting element on the main device 20 side. In the case of embodiment 1, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 20A (see Figure 4) is used as the light-emitting element. The window 10B in embodiment 1 is made of a light-transmitting material. However, the window 10B may also be a slit that penetrates from the front to the back. The lighting and blinking of the light-emitting element represent the operating status of the aerosol generation device 1, etc. The operating status also includes errors. The lighting and blinking of the light-emitting element is controlled by the control unit 206 (see Figure 6), which will be described later.

[0026] In addition to its decorative role, the front panel 10 also serves to buffer the propagation of heat emitted from the main unit 20. For this reason, in the present embodiment, aerosol generation is permitted only when the front panel 10 is attached to the main unit 20. In other words, the front panel 10 attached to the main unit 20 forms an integrated appearance with the main unit 20 in a state in which aerosol generation is possible.

[0027] Furthermore, the front panel 10 serves to protect the main device 20 from dirt, scratches, and the like. The battery-equipped front panel 10 also serves to increase the amount of power available to the entire aerosol generation device 1. The front panel 10 used in this embodiment is deformed when a user presses a position below the window 10B with their fingertip, and restores its original shape when the user stops pressing. The front panel 10 used in this embodiment is fitted on its inside with a power supply unit 101 capable of discharging electricity, a power supply circuit 102 that supplies the power stored in the power supply unit 101 to the main device 20, a communication unit 103 that can communicate with at least the main device 20, and a fuel gauge 104 that measures the remaining amount of power stored in the power supply unit 101.

[0028] In the present embodiment, the power supply unit 101 is assumed to be, for example, a film-type primary battery, a coin-type primary battery, or a chip-type primary battery. These batteries are detachable from the front panel 10. Note that the arrangement of the power supply unit 101, power supply circuit 102, communication unit 103, and fuel gauge 104 in FIG. 5 is one example. Also, multiple power supply units 101 may be attached to the front panel 10. The front panel 10 in this embodiment is an example of a cover member. Note that the main body panel 10A that forms the exterior of the front panel 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is an example of a main body.

[0029] A Type C USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector 21 is provided on the bottom side of the main device 20. The shape and type of the USB connector 21 are merely examples. In other words, the USB connector 21 may be a USB connector other than Type C. In the case of the first embodiment, the USB connector 21 is used, for example, to charge a power supply unit 201 (see FIG. 6 ) built into the main device 20.

[0030] A hole 22 is provided on the top surface of the main device 20 for inserting a stick-shaped substrate 210 (see FIG. 6 ) that houses an aerosol source. The stick-shaped substrate 210 used in this embodiment houses a solid aerosol source in a paper tube formed into a substantially cylindrical shape. The hole 22 is exposed by sliding the shutter 30 to the open position, and is concealed by sliding the shutter 30 to the closed position. In the case of embodiment 1, the hole 22 has substantially the same cylindrical shape as the stick-shaped substrate 210. The diameter of the opening of the hole 22 is a dimension that allows the stick-shaped substrate 210 to be inserted. In other words, the diameter of the stick-shaped substrate 210 is a dimension that allows it to be inserted into the hole 22.

[0031] A magnet, for example, is attached to the back surface of the shutter 30. Meanwhile, a Hall IC is attached to the main device 20 within the movable range of the shutter 30. The Hall IC is a magnetic sensor comprised of a Hall element and an operational amplifier, etc., and outputs a voltage according to the strength of the magnetic field that crosses the Hall element. In this embodiment, the opening and closing of the shutter 30 is detected from the change in voltage output from the Hall IC as the shutter 30 slides. In other words, it is detected whether the shutter 30 is in the open or closed position.

[0032] A button 20B is located approximately in the center of the front of the main device 20. As described above, the button 20B can be operated with the front panel 10 attached. The button 20B is used, for example, to turn the power of the main device on and off, turn on and off the power supply to the heating unit 207 (see FIG. 6 ) that heats the aerosol source, and issue a Bluetooth (registered trademark) pairing command. Note that if the button 20B is pressed and held (for example, pressed for 5 seconds or more) with the front panel 10 detached from the main device 20, a reset function is activated. In this embodiment, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) is used as Bluetooth.

[0033] Magnets 20C used to attach the front panel 10 are located at the top and bottom of the front of the main device 20. The magnets 20C are positioned opposite the magnets 10C provided inside the front panel 10. For example, if the magnet 10C on the front panel 10 has a north pole, the magnet 20C on the main device 20 has a south pole. The front panel 10 is detachably attached to the main device 20 by the attractive force between the magnets. Note that either the magnets 10C or 20C may be a piece of iron or other magnetic metal. Attachment of the front panel 10 to the main device 20 is detected by a Hall IC provided on the main device 20. Additionally, the main device 20 incorporates various electronic components necessary for aerosol generation. In this sense, the main device 20 is an example of an electronic device specialized for aerosol generation. In a narrower sense, the main device 20 is referred to as an aerosol generating device.

[0034] <Internal Configuration> Fig. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating the internal configuration of the aerosol generation device 1. Fig. 6 also illustrates a state in which the stick-shaped substrate 210 is attached to the main device 20. The internal configuration shown in Fig. 6 is intended to explain the electronic components provided on the front panel 10 and the main device 20 and their positional relationship. For this reason, the appearance of the electronic components, etc., shown in Fig. 6 does not necessarily match the appearance diagram described above. Fig. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating the connection relationship of the power supply circuits in the front panel 10 and the main device 20.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 6, the front panel 10 is provided with a power supply unit 101 that stores electricity, a power supply circuit 102 that supplies power from the power supply unit 101 to the main unit 20 and other devices, a communication unit 103 that notifies the main unit 20 of the remaining battery charge of the power supply unit 101, and a fuel gauge 104 that measures the remaining battery charge of the power supply unit 101. Fig. 7 shows the case where the battery of the power supply unit 101 is a primary battery 101A. The primary battery 101A here is, for example, a lithium battery or an alkaline battery. The primary battery 101A is an example of a second battery. The primary battery 101A functions as a secondary battery or auxiliary battery for the secondary battery 201A on the main unit 20 side.

[0036] The power supply circuit 102 is configured, for example, by a step-up DC / DC circuit. The power supply circuit 102 supplies a constant voltage (e.g., 5 V) to the main device 20 regardless of the output voltage of the power supply unit 101. The power supply circuit 102 is provided with a circuit for preventing reverse current flow. Incidentally, power supply from the power supply circuit 102 to the main device 20 may be contact or non-contact. Contact power supply may be achieved, for example, by mechanical contact of electrodes, mechanical contact using spring-loaded electrode pins (pogo pins), or by connector coupling. Contactless power supply may be achieved, for example, by electromagnetic induction, such as the Qi standard or the NFC (Near Field Communication) standard, or by electric field induction.

[0037] The communication unit 103 is a communication interface for communicating with the main device 20. In this embodiment, the communication unit 103 notifies the main device 20 of the remaining charge of the primary battery 101A. The communication unit 103 communicates with the main device 20 in accordance with any wired or wireless communication standard. Examples of communication standards include wireless LAN (Local Area Network), serial signal line, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and Bluetooth (registered trademark). In this embodiment, communication with the user's smartphone or server is performed by the communication unit 205 of the main device 20, but the communication unit 103 of the front panel 10 can also be provided with a function for communicating with devices other than the main device 20.

[0038] The fuel gauge 104 is a circuit that calculates the remaining capacity of the primary battery 101A based on the power supply current IBAT and power supply voltage VBAT that appear on the power supply line of the primary battery 101A. The calculation of the remaining capacity by the fuel gauge 104 may be performed, for example, at a predetermined cycle or timing, or may be performed only when instructed by the control unit 206 of the main device 20. The calculated remaining capacity is transmitted to the main device 20 via the communication unit 103. The system power supply Vsys required for the operation of the communication unit 103 and the fuel gauge 104 is supplied from the step-up / step-down DC / DC circuit 101B.

[0039] The step-up / step-down DC / DC circuit 101B is a voltage conversion circuit that generates a 3.3 V system power supply Vsys from the output voltage of the primary battery 101A and supplies it to the communication unit 103 and the fuel gauge 104. Therefore, all of the power required for the operation of the communication unit 103 and other units is supplied from the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10. In other words, the power required for the operation of the communication unit 103 and other units provided in the front panel 10 does not need to be supplied from the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20.

[0040] Meanwhile, the main device 20 has a power supply unit 201, a sensor unit 202, a notification unit 203, a memory unit 204, a communication unit 205, a control unit 206, a heating unit 207, a heat insulating unit 208, and a holding unit 209. As described above, Fig. 6 shows a state in which the stick-shaped substrate 210 is held by the holding unit 209. In this state, the user inhales the aerosol.

[0041] The power supply unit 201 in this embodiment is a unit that supplies power to the main device 20. The power supply unit 201 stores power using, for example, a lithium-ion secondary battery or a capacitor. FIG. 7 shows an example in which power is stored in a secondary battery 201A. The secondary battery 201A is an example of a first battery. The secondary battery 201A can be charged from an external power source. In this embodiment, the external power source may be, for example, a commercial power source, a mobile battery, or the primary battery 101A of the front panel 10.

[0042] In addition, the power supply section 201 is provided with a power supply unit 201B. The power supply unit 201B switches the power supply path and converts the voltage level depending on the operating mode. The power supply unit 201B outputs, for example, 3.3 V (i.e., "system power") to a power supply line to which the sensor section 202, the notification section 203 (excluding the LED 20A), the storage section 204, the communication section 205, and the control section 206 are connected. The power supply unit 201B also outputs, for example, 5 V to the power supply line to which the LED 20A is connected, and outputs, for example, 4.2 V to the power supply line to which the heating section 207 is connected.

[0043] Furthermore, when charging the secondary battery 201A with an external power supply, the power supply unit 201B outputs, for example, 4.2 V to the power supply line to which the secondary battery 201A is connected. The external power supply here includes a commercial power supply, a mobile battery, and also the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10. A USB cable is used to supply power from the commercial power supply or the mobile battery, and therefore the power supply terminal corresponding to these is represented by VUSB in FIG. 7 .

[0044] The sensor unit 202 is an electronic component that detects various types of information related to the main device 20. The sensor unit 202 includes, for example, a pressure sensor such as a microphone capacitor and a flow rate sensor. The sensor unit 202 as a sensor outputs the detected information to the control unit 206. For example, when the sensor unit 202 detects a change in air pressure or air flow caused by inhalation, it outputs a numerical value representing the user's inhalation to the control unit 206.

[0045] The sensor unit 202 has an input device that accepts input from, for example, a user. The input device may be, for example, a button or a switch. In this embodiment, a button 20B (see FIG. 4) is used as the input device. The button 20B is used to switch the main power supply on and off, and to start and stop the supply of power to the heating unit 207 (i.e., start and stop the generation of aerosol), etc. The content of the user's instruction is output from the sensor unit 202 to the control unit 206. Note that the button 20B is not only an example of a button, but also an example of a switch.

[0046] In addition, the sensor unit 202 has a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the heating unit 207. The temperature sensor detects the temperature of the heating unit 207 based on, for example, the electrical resistance value of the conductive track of the heating unit 207. The detected electrical resistance value is output from the sensor unit 202 to the control unit 206. The control unit 206 calculates the temperature of the heating unit 207 based on the electrical resistance value. In other words, the control unit 206 calculates the temperature of the stick-shaped substrate 210 held by the holding unit 209.

[0047] The sensor unit 202 also includes a capacitance sensor, an optical sensor, a pressure sensor, etc. that detect the insertion of the stick-shaped substrate 210 into the holding unit 209. The sensor unit 202 also includes an optical color sensor and an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) reader, etc. that identify the individual stick-shaped substrate 210. The sensor unit 202 also includes a biosensor that measures the user's heart rate, etc., and a fingerprint sensor used for unlocking. The sensor unit 202 also includes an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, etc. that detect the user's movement.

[0048] Notification unit 203 is an electronic component that notifies the user of various types of information related to main device 20. Notification unit 203 includes LED 20A and other light-emitting devices. For example, LED 20A emits light in different patterns when power supply unit 201 needs to be charged, when power supply unit 201 is being charged, and when an abnormality has occurred in main device 20. The patterns here include different colors, different timings for turning on and off, etc.

[0049] The notification unit 203 may be configured with a display device that displays images, a sound output device that outputs sound, a vibration device that vibrates the main body device, or the like, together with or instead of the light-emitting device described above. The light-emitting device, display device, sound output device, vibration device, etc. are also examples of a notification unit that notifies information. In addition, the notification unit 203 may notify the user that it is now possible to inhale the aerosol. This notification is given when the temperature of the stick-shaped substrate 210 heated by the heating unit 207 reaches a predetermined temperature.

[0050] The storage unit 204 stores various information related to the operation of the main device 20. The storage unit 204 is configured with a non-volatile storage medium such as a flash memory. The information stored in the storage unit 204 includes, for example, an operating system (OS), firmware (FW), and other programs. The information stored in the storage unit 204 also includes, for example, information related to the control of electronic components. The control information includes information related to the user's suction, such as the number of suctions, the time of suction, and the cumulative suction time.

[0051] The communication unit 205 is a communication interface for realizing communication between the main device 20 and other devices. The communication unit 205 communicates with other devices in accordance with any wired or wireless communication standard. Examples of communication standards include wireless LAN, wired LAN, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and Bluetooth (registered trademark). For example, the communication unit 205 transmits information about the user's inhalation to a smartphone. The communication unit 205 also downloads update programs and a profile that defines the temperature change of the heating unit 207 in heating mode from a server.

[0052] The control unit 206 functions as an arithmetic processing unit or control device, and controls the operation of the main unit 20 in accordance with various programs. The control unit 206 may also control the operation of the power supply circuit 102 provided in the front panel 10. Control signals are transmitted via a signal line different from the power supply line. For example, serial communication methods such as I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) communication, SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) communication, and UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) communication are used for communication within the main unit 20. The SPI communication method or UART communication method is used for communication with the power supply circuit 102 of the front panel 10. BLE, for example, is used as the communication line.

[0053] The control unit 206 is realized by electronic circuits such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc. The control unit 206 may include a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs, calculation parameters, etc., and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores parameters that change as appropriate.

[0054] The control unit 206 executes various processes and controls through the execution of programs. The processes and controls here include, for example, power supply from the power supply unit 201 to other electronic components, charging of the power supply unit 201, detection of information by the sensor unit 202, notification of information by the notification unit 203, storage and reading of information by the memory unit 204, and transmission and reception of information by the communication unit 205. Note that communication by the communication unit 205 also includes communication with the front panel 10. In addition, the control unit 206 also controls input of information to electronic components, processing based on information output from electronic components, and the like.

[0055] The holding part 209 is a roughly cylindrical container. In this embodiment, the space inside the holding part 209, which is defined by the inner wall and the bottom surface, is referred to as the internal space 209A. The internal space 209A is roughly columnar. The holding part 209 is provided with an opening 209B that connects the internal space 209A to the outside. The stick-shaped substrate 210 is inserted into the internal space 209A from this opening 209B. The stick-shaped substrate 210 is inserted until its tip hits the bottom 209C. Only a portion of the stick-shaped substrate 210 is accommodated in the internal space 209A. A state in which the stick-shaped substrate 210 is accommodated in the internal space 209A is referred to as the stick-shaped substrate 210 being held in the internal space 209A.

[0056] The holding part 209 is formed so that the inner diameter of at least a portion of its axial direction is smaller than the outer diameter of the stick-shaped substrate 210. For this reason, the outer peripheral surface of the stick-shaped substrate 210 inserted into the internal space 209A is subjected to pressure from the inner wall of the holding part 209. This pressure holds the stick-shaped substrate 210 in the internal space 209A. The holding part 209 also has the function of defining the flow path of air passing through the stick-shaped substrate 210. An air inlet, which is the entrance of air to the flow path, is located, for example, in the bottom part 209C. Note that the opening 209B corresponds to an air outlet, which is the air outlet.

[0057] In the present embodiment, only a portion of the stick-shaped substrate 210 is held in the holding portion 209, with the remainder protruding from the housing. Hereinafter, the portion held in the holding portion 209 will be referred to as the substrate portion 210A, and the portion protruding from the housing will be referred to as the mouthpiece portion 210B. At least the substrate portion 210A houses an aerosol source. The aerosol source is a substance that is atomized by heating to generate an aerosol. Aerosol sources include shredded tobacco, as well as processed products in which tobacco raw materials are formed into granules, sheets, or powder, and other tobacco-derived substances.

[0058] Furthermore, the aerosol source may include non-tobacco-derived substances made from plants other than tobacco, such as mint or herbs. For example, the aerosol source may include a flavoring component such as menthol. If the main device 20 is a medical inhaler, the aerosol source may include a medication for inhalation by the patient. Note that the aerosol source is not limited to solids and may be, for example, a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerin or propylene glycol, or a liquid such as water.

[0059] At least a portion of suction mouth portion 210B is held in the user's mouth when inhaling. When the user holds suction mouth portion 210B in their mouth and inhales, air flows into internal space 209A through the air inlet hole. The inflowing air passes through internal space 209A and base portion 210A and reaches the user's mouth. The air that reaches the user's mouth contains aerosol generated in base portion 210A.

[0060] The heating unit 207 is composed of a heater or other heat generating element. The heating unit 207 is composed of any material such as metal or polyimide. The heating unit 207 is, for example, in the form of a film, and is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the holding unit 209. The aerosol source contained in the stick-shaped substrate 210 is heated and atomized by the heat generated by the heating unit 207. The atomized aerosol source is mixed with air or the like to generate an aerosol. In the case of FIG. 6 , the area near the periphery of the stick-shaped substrate 210 is heated first, and the heated range gradually moves toward the center.

[0061] Therefore, atomization of the aerosol source begins near the periphery of the stick-shaped substrate 210 and gradually moves toward the center. The heating unit 207 generates heat when power is supplied from the power supply unit 201. For example, when a predetermined user input is detected via the sensor unit 202, power supply to the heating unit 207 is permitted. The user input here includes operation of the shutter 30 (see FIG. 1) or button 20B (see FIG. 4). However, power supply to the heating unit 207 is premised on the front panel 10 (see FIG. 1) being attached to the main device 20. By attaching the front panel 10, it is possible to reduce the temperature transmitted to the user's hand compared to when the front panel 10 is not attached.

[0062] When the temperature of the stick-shaped substrate 210 heated by the heating unit 207 reaches a predetermined temperature, the user becomes able to inhale. The inhalation of the aerosol by the user is detected by a flow rate sensor or the like of the sensor unit 202 and stored in the storage unit 204. Thereafter, when a predetermined user input is detected by the sensor unit 202, power supply to the heating unit 207 is stopped. It is also possible to employ a system in which power is supplied to the heating unit 207 while the sensor unit 202 detects inhalation by the user, and power supply to the heating unit 207 is stopped when inhalation by the user is no longer detected by the sensor unit 202.

[0063] 6, the heating unit 207 is disposed outside the stick-shaped substrate 210, but the heating unit 207 may be a blade-shaped metal piece that is inserted into the stick-shaped substrate 210, or a metal piece built into the stick-shaped substrate 210. When a metal piece that functions as the heating unit 207 is built into the stick-shaped substrate 210, a coil for induction heating may be disposed around the holding unit 209.

[0064] The heat insulating section 208 is a member that reduces the propagation of heat generated in the heating section 207 to the surrounding area. For this reason, the heat insulating section 208 is arranged so as to cover at least the outer peripheral surface of the heating section 207. The heat insulating section 208 is made of, for example, a vacuum insulation material, an aerogel insulation material, or the like. A vacuum insulation material is an insulation material in which, for example, glass wool and silica (silicon powder) are wrapped in a resin film and placed in a high vacuum state, thereby reducing the thermal conduction of gases to as close to zero as possible.

[0065] <Example of Processing Operation> An example of processing operation executed by the control unit 206 (see FIG. 6) of the main unit 20 will be described below. <Attachment Detection Operation> FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the attachment detection operation of the front panel 10 executed by the control unit 206 of the main unit 20. This operation is executed not only before heating by the heating unit 207 (see FIG. 6) starts but also after heating starts, and is always executed in the background. Note that the symbol S in the figure indicates a step. First, the control unit 206 determines whether the front panel 10 (see FIG. 1) is attached to the main unit 20 (see FIG. 1) (step 1).

[0066] If the front panel 10 is attached to the main device 20, a positive result is obtained in step 1. On the other hand, if the front panel 10 is detached from the front of the main device 20, a negative result is obtained in step 1. Attachment and detachment of the front panel 10 is determined based on the output signal of the Hall IC. If a positive result is obtained in step 1, the control unit 206 cancels the prohibition on heating the aerosol source by the heating unit 207 (step 2).

[0067] However, lifting the prohibition on heating is different from starting heating. Heating of the stick-shaped substrate 210 (see FIG. 6), which is the aerosol source, is started by pressing and holding the button 20B (see FIG. 4) from above the front panel 10 for at least one second. If a negative result is obtained in step 1, the control unit 206 controls the heating unit 207 to prohibit heating of the aerosol source (step 3). After step 2 or step 3 is executed, the control unit 206 returns to step 1 and repeatedly determines whether the front panel 10 is attached to the main device 20. This attachment detection operation prevents the user from directly touching the main device 20 during the heating operation.

[0068] <USB Charging Operation> Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the USB charging operation executed by the control unit 206 of the main unit 20. The USB charging operation is also constantly executed in the background. First, the control unit 206 determines whether a USB connection has been detected (step 11). If a USB cable is connected to the USB connector 21 (see Figure 2), a positive result is obtained in step 11. On the other hand, if a USB cable is not connected to the USB connector 21, a negative result is obtained in step 11.

[0069] If a negative result is obtained in step 11, the control unit 206 repeats the determination in step 11. On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step 11, the control unit 206 starts charging the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 (step 12). Next, the control unit 206 determines whether the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 is at a full charge voltage (step 13).

[0070] If the battery has not yet reached full charge, a negative result is obtained in step 13. On the other hand, if the battery has reached full charge, a positive result is obtained in step 13. If a negative result is obtained in step 13, the control unit 206 determines whether the USB cable has been removed (step 14). If the USB cable remains connected, a negative result is obtained in step 14. On the other hand, if the USB cable is removed during charging, a positive result is obtained in step 14. If a negative result is obtained in step 14, the control unit 206 returns to step 13 and repeats the determination in step 13.

[0071] If a positive result is obtained in step 13 or if a positive result is obtained in step 14, the control unit 206 stops charging the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20 (step 15). The control unit 206 then terminates the USB charging operation. Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the USB charging operation. The horizontal axis in the diagram represents time, the upper half of the vertical axis represents the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20, and the lower half of the vertical axis represents the remaining charge of the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10.

[0072] In the example shown in Figure 10, in the initial state T1, the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 and the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20 are both fully charged. At time T2, the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20 has dropped from full charge. When a USB cable is connected in this state, USB charging begins. In the example shown in Figure 10, the remaining charge of the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 is fully charged, but this is not necessarily the case. At the end of USB charging at T3, the secondary battery 201A returns to a fully charged state. Needless to say, only the secondary battery 201A regains its remaining charge.

[0073] 11 is a flowchart illustrating the operation (i.e., auxiliary charging) of charging secondary battery 201A (see FIG. 7) of main unit 20 (see FIG. 1) using primary battery 101A (see FIG. 7) of front panel 10 (see FIG. 1). Auxiliary charging in this embodiment is controlled by control unit 206 (see FIG. 6).

[0074] First, the control unit 206 acquires the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 (step 22). Next, the control unit 206 determines whether the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 is less than a threshold value V1 (step 23). The threshold value V1 here is an example of a predetermined condition.

[0075] If the remaining charge is equal to or greater than threshold V1, a negative result is obtained in step 23. If a negative result is obtained in step 23, control unit 206 returns to step 22. On the other hand, if the remaining charge is less than threshold V1 (i.e., if the predetermined condition is satisfied), a positive result is obtained in step 23. In this case, control unit 206 starts feeding power from primary battery 101A in front panel 10 to secondary battery 201A in main unit 20 (step 24). In this embodiment, control unit 206 instructs power feeding circuit 102 in front panel 10 to start feeding power.

[0076] As a result, a voltage boosted to, for example, 5 V is supplied from the output terminal of power supply circuit 102 to power supply unit 201B (see FIG. 7) of main unit 20. Power supply unit 201B also performs DC / DC conversion of the 5 V voltage supplied from primary battery 101A as an external power source to 4.2 V and supplies the voltage to the power line to which secondary battery 201A is connected. This starts charging secondary battery 201A of main unit 20. Next, control unit 206 determines whether the remaining charge of secondary battery 201A of main unit 20 is greater than threshold value V2 (> V1) (step 25).

[0077] If the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A is equal to or less than the threshold V2, a negative result is obtained in step 25. On the other hand, if the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A is greater than the threshold V2, a positive result is obtained in step 25. If a negative result is obtained in step 25, the control unit 206 determines whether the remaining charge of the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 is less than the threshold V3 (step 26). The threshold V3 here defines the timing for stopping power supply from the front panel 10 to the main unit 20. If the remaining charge of the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 is equal to or greater than the threshold V3, a negative result is obtained in step 26. In this case, the control unit 206 returns to step 25. On the other hand, if the remaining charge of the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 is less than the threshold V3, a positive result is obtained in step 26.

[0078] If a positive result is obtained in step 25 or if a positive result is obtained in step 26, the control unit 206 stops the power supply from the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 to the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20 (step 27). In this embodiment, the control unit 206 instructs the power supply circuit 102 in the front panel 10 to stop the power supply. Here, a positive result is obtained in step 25 when the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20 has recovered to a target level. On the other hand, a positive result is obtained in step 26 when the remaining charge of the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 has become low. Thereafter, the control unit 206 stops charging the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20, which uses the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 as an external power source.

[0079] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating auxiliary charging using the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 as an external power source. The horizontal axis in the diagram represents time, the upper half of the vertical axis represents the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A in the main device 20, and the lower half of the vertical axis represents the remaining charge of the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10. In the example shown in FIG. 12, in the initial state T11, both the primary battery 101A and the secondary battery 201A are fully charged. Time T12 in FIG. 12 represents a state in which the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A in the main device 20 has fallen below the threshold V1. Note that the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 remains fully charged. However, the remaining charge of the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 may also decrease.

[0080] Auxiliary charging begins at time T12. As a result of auxiliary charging, the remaining charge of primary battery 101A in front panel 10 decreases, while the remaining charge of secondary battery 201A in main unit 20 increases. In the example of Figure 12, the remaining charge of secondary battery 201A in main unit 20 has not reached threshold V2, but charging of primary battery 101A in front panel 10, which serves as an external power source, has stopped because the remaining charge has fallen below threshold V3.

[0081] <Summary> As described above, the main device 20 (see FIG. 1) described in this embodiment can be fitted with a front panel 10 incorporating a primary battery 101A. Furthermore, when the front panel 10 incorporating a primary battery 101A is fitted to the main device 20, it becomes possible to charge the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 using the primary battery 101A as an external power source. As a result, the operating time of the main device 20 is longer than when a front panel 10 not incorporating a primary battery 101A is fitted.

[0082] Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating the amount of power available for use by the entire aerosol generation device 1. The vertical axis in the diagram represents the amount of power available for use by the entire aerosol generation device 1. As shown in Fig. 13, it can be seen that the amount of power available increases when the front panel 10 incorporating the primary battery 101A is attached to the main device 20 compared to when only the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 is used.

[0083] <Embodiment 2> In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the power supplied from the primary battery 101A of the front panel 10 is used for purposes other than charging the secondary battery 201A of the main body device 20. The internal configuration and external configuration of the aerosol generation device 1 are the same as those of embodiment 1. Fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating another example of processing operations using the front panel 10 as an auxiliary power source. In Fig. 14, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 11 are assigned reference numerals corresponding to those in Fig. 11. The processing operations shown in Fig. 14 are executed as background processing by the control unit 206 (see Fig. 6).

[0084] In this embodiment, the control unit 206 acquires the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 regardless of whether or not there is a request for aerosol generation (step 22), and determines whether or not the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 is less than the threshold value V1 (step 23). Note that the acquisition of the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A in step 22 is performed, for example, at a predetermined timing. For example, it is performed when the power of the main device 20 is turned on, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous acquisition, or when a request for aerosol generation is detected. If the remaining charge is equal to or greater than the threshold value V1, a negative result is obtained in step 23. If a negative result is obtained in step 23, the control unit 206 returns to step 22.

[0085] On the other hand, if the remaining charge is less than threshold V1 (i.e., if the predetermined condition is satisfied), a positive result is obtained in step 23. In this case, control unit 206 starts supplying power from primary battery 101A in front panel 10 to main unit 20 (step 24A). In the present embodiment, control unit 206 also instructs power supply circuit 102 in front panel 10 to start supplying power. The power supplied from front panel 10 is converted to a predetermined voltage by power supply unit 201B in main unit 20 and distributed within the device.

[0086] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of connections between power lines and various components in the main unit 20. In FIG. 15, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The power supply unit 201B in this embodiment supplies a 3.3V system power supply Vsys generated by power supplied from the front panel 10 to the sensor unit 202, notification unit 203, memory unit 204, communication unit 205, and control unit 206. The sensor unit 202 and the like are examples of components other than the heating unit. The power supply unit 201B may be provided with a circuit that switches between generating a system power supply Vsys powered by the secondary battery 201A and a system power supply Vsys powered by the primary battery 101A of the front panel 10. Alternatively, a dedicated load switch may be connected to each of the two system power supplies Vsys to enable power supply switching.

[0087] Furthermore, the power supply unit 201B in this embodiment supplies, for example, 4.2 V power generated by power supplied from the front panel 10 to the load switch 211. The load switch 211 in this embodiment operates as a switch that connects either the output voltage of the secondary battery 201A or the output voltage of the front panel 10 to the boost DC / DC circuit 212. The load switch 211 is, for example, a MOSFET, and one is provided for each power supply. For example, when power is supplied from the secondary battery 201A to the heating unit 207, the MOSFET connected to the output voltage of the front panel 10 is controlled to be off, and the MOSFET connected to the secondary battery 201A is controlled to be on. Conversely, when power is supplied from the front panel 10 to the heating unit 207, the MOSFET connected to the output voltage of the front panel 10 is controlled to be on, and the MOSFET connected to the secondary battery 201A is controlled to be off.

[0088] When power is supplied to the heating unit 207 from both the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 and the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20, the output voltages of the two batteries are combined and supplied to the step-up DC / DC circuit 212. To make the output voltages of the two batteries equal, a step-up / step-down DC / DC circuit for the primary battery 101A and a step-up / step-down DC / DC circuit for the secondary battery 201A are provided. A current balance control IC, for example, is used to combine the two output voltages. The step-up DC / DC circuit 212 boosts the input voltage to, for example, 4.97 V.

[0089] Returning to the description of Figure 14, the control unit 206 that has instructed the supply of power from the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 determines whether the remaining charge of the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 is less than the threshold V3 (step 26). As long as a negative result is obtained in step 26, the control unit 206 repeats the determination in step 26. On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step 26, the control unit 206 stops the supply of power from the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 to the main unit 20 (step 27A).

[0090] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating power supply to the main unit 20 using the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 as an external power source. The horizontal axis in the diagram represents time, the upper half of the vertical axis represents the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20, and the lower half of the vertical axis represents the remaining charge of the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10. In the example shown in FIG. 16, in the initial state T11, both the primary battery 101A and the secondary battery 201A are fully charged. Time T12 in FIG. 16 represents a state in which the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20 has fallen below the threshold V1. Note that the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 remains fully charged. However, the remaining charge of the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10 may also decrease.

[0091] At this time T12, power supply to each component of the main unit 20 begins. The start of power supply reduces the remaining charge of the primary battery 101A in the front panel 10. Meanwhile, the reduction in the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20 is minimized. For example, if power supply to the heating unit 207, which consumes a large amount of power, is switched to power supply from the front panel 10, the secondary battery 201A is used as a power supply for the system power supply Vsys. As a result, the life of the secondary battery 201A can be extended. Furthermore, if power supply to components that operate on the system power supply Vsys is switched to power supply from the front panel 10, the power consumption of these components can be shared by the front panel 10. As a result, the life of the secondary battery 201A can be extended.

[0092] <Summary> As described above, in this embodiment, the power supplied from primary battery 101A of front panel 10 is used for purposes other than charging secondary battery 201A (see FIG. 15) of main unit 20 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the time during which secondary battery 201A of main unit 20 can supply power can be extended compared to when power cannot be supplied from front panel 10.

[0093] <Embodiment 3> In this embodiment, a case where a secondary battery is used as the battery of the front panel 10 will be described. The external configuration of the aerosol generation device 1 is the same as in embodiment 1. Fig. 17 is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of the aerosol generation device 1 according to embodiment 3. Note that parts corresponding to those in Fig. 6 are assigned reference numerals in Fig. 17. Fig. 18 is a diagram schematically showing the connection relationship between the power supply circuits in the front panel 10 and the main device 20 in embodiment 3. Parts corresponding to those in Fig. 7 are assigned reference numerals in Fig. 18.

[0094] In the aerosol generation device 1 of this embodiment, a secondary battery 101C is used as the battery of the front panel 10. In addition, a charging circuit 105 that charges the power supply unit 101 with power supplied from the main device 20 is added to the front panel 10. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. The charging circuit 105 is configured, for example, as a step-up DC / DC circuit. The charging circuit 105 of this embodiment is a circuit that supplies a voltage of, for example, 4.2 V to the secondary battery 101C when power is supplied from the main device 20. Note that the charging circuit 105 is provided with a circuit that prevents reverse current flow. Incidentally, power supply from the main device 20 to the charging circuit 105 may be contact-type or contactless.

[0095] An example of processing operation specific to this embodiment will be described below. FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a USB charging operation performed by the control unit 206 of the main device 20. In FIG. 19, the same reference numerals are used to denote corresponding parts of FIG. 9 . First, the control unit 206 determines whether a USB connection has been detected (step 11). If a negative result is obtained in step 11, the control unit 206 repeatedly executes the determination in step 11. On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step 11, the control unit 206 starts charging the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 and the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 (step 12A). Note that the actual charging may be performed by first fully charging either the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 or the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10, and then fully charging the other battery. However, the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 and the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 may be charged in parallel.

[0096] Next, the control unit 206 determines whether both secondary batteries are at full charge voltage (step 13A). If a negative result is obtained in step 13A, the control unit 206 determines whether the USB cable has been removed (step 14). If a negative result is obtained in step 14, the control unit 206 returns to step 13A and repeats the determination in step 13A. If a positive result is obtained in step 13A or if a positive result is obtained in step 14, the control unit 206 stops charging the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20 and the secondary battery 101C in the front panel 10 (step 15A). Thereafter, the control unit 206 ends the USB charging operation.

[0097] 20 is a diagram illustrating the USB charging operation. The horizontal axis in the diagram represents time, the upper half of the vertical axis represents the remaining charge of secondary battery 201A in main unit 20, and the lower half of the vertical axis represents the remaining charge of secondary battery 101C in front panel 10.

[0098] In Figure 20, in the initial state T1, both the secondary battery 101C in the front panel 10 and the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20 are fully charged. At time T2, the remaining power levels of both the secondary battery 101C in the front panel 10 and the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20 have dropped from full charge. When a USB cable is connected in this state, USB charging begins. At the end of USB charging time T3, both the secondary battery 101C in the front panel 10 and the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20 have returned to full charge.

[0099] <Summary> As described above, in this embodiment, secondary battery 101C is used as the battery built into front panel 10. Therefore, when a USB cable is connected to main unit 20 (see FIG. 1 ) on which front panel 10 is attached, not only secondary battery 201A in main unit 20 but also secondary battery 101C on front panel 10 can be charged at the same time.

[0100] Therefore, the amount of power available to the aerosol generation device 1 after USB charging is greater than when the front panel 10 does not have a built-in battery or when the front panel 10 has a built-in primary battery 101A attached to the main device 20. As a result, the usage time of the aerosol generation device 1 can be extended. Furthermore, as in the second embodiment, the power supplied from the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 may be used for purposes other than charging the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20.

[0101] <Embodiment 4> In this embodiment, a case will be described in which, when the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A in the main device 20 is not sufficient to fully use up an unused stick-shaped substrate 210 (see FIG. 6 ), power is supplied from the front panel 10 to enable aerosol generation. An unused stick-shaped substrate 210 here refers to a stick-shaped substrate 210 that has never been heated. Therefore, if a stick-shaped substrate 210 has been inserted into the hole 22 of the main device 20 but has never been heated, it is an unused stick-shaped substrate 210. In other words, an unused stick-shaped substrate 210 refers to a brand new stick-shaped substrate 210.

[0102] Furthermore, "the remaining battery charge is sufficient to use up an unused stick-shaped substrate 210" means, for example, that the amount of power remaining is sufficient to generate an estimated amount of aerosol from an unused stick-shaped substrate 210. The estimated amount here may be determined, for example, based on the amount of aerosol source contained in the unused stick-shaped substrate 210, or based on the control profile of the heating unit 207, or may be determined according to the version or component configuration of the main device 20. The control profile determines the timing of heating and the change in target temperature after heating begins.

[0103] In addition, if multiple control profiles are prepared in the main device 20 and the user can select which control profile to use to generate aerosol, the estimated amount is determined according to the control profile or heating mode selected by the user. For example, if a heating mode (hereinafter referred to as "high mode") that generates a higher amount of aerosol but consumes more power and a heating mode (hereinafter referred to as "normal mode") that generates a standard amount of aerosol but consumes less power are prepared, the estimated amount is determined according to the currently selected heating mode. In addition, if the remaining battery power is insufficient to generate the estimated amount in the high mode, but sufficient to generate the estimated amount in the normal mode, the notification unit 203 may be used to notify this.

[0104] Fig. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing operation in embodiment 4. In Fig. 21, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 11 are assigned the same reference numerals. The processing operation shown in Fig. 21 is also executed by the control unit 206 (see Fig. 6) of the main body device 20. First, the control unit 206 determines whether or not a request for aerosol generation has been detected (step 21).

[0105] If a negative result is obtained in step 21, the control unit 206 repeats the determination in step 21. On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step 21, the control unit 206 acquires the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A of the main body device 20 (step 22). Next, the control unit 206 determines whether the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A of the main body device 20 is below a capacity sufficient to use up unused stick-shaped substrates 210 (step 31).

[0106] If the remaining charge of secondary battery 201A exceeds the reference capacity, a negative result is obtained in step 31. In this case, control unit 206 supplies power to heating unit 207 from secondary battery 201A of main unit 20 (step 37). That is, aerosol generation using secondary battery 201A of main unit 20 is initiated. On the other hand, if the remaining charge of secondary battery 201A is below the reference capacity, a positive result is obtained in step 31. In this case, control unit 206 obtains the remaining charge of secondary battery 101C of front panel 10 (step 32). The remaining charge here is obtained from fuel gauge 104 (see FIG. 7).

[0107] Next, the control unit 206 determines whether the sum of the remaining charges of the two batteries exceeds the capacity determined in step 31 (step 33). If the sum of the remaining charges of the two batteries is less than the capacity determined in step 31, a negative result is obtained in step 33. In this case, the control unit 206 ends the process without starting heating. On the other hand, if the sum of the remaining charges of the two batteries exceeds the capacity determined in step 31, a positive result is obtained in step 33. In this case, the control unit 206 starts supplying power from the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 to the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 (step 34).

[0108] Next, the control unit 206 determines whether the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 has recovered to the capacity of step 31 (step 35). If the recovery of the capacity is not confirmed, a negative result is obtained in step 35. In this case, the control unit 206 repeats the determination in step 35. On the other hand, if the recovery of the capacity is confirmed, a positive result is obtained in step 35. In this case, the control unit 206 stops the power supply from the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 to the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 (step 36).

[0109] 22 is a diagram illustrating auxiliary charging using the battery in front panel 10 as an external power source. The horizontal axis in the diagram represents time, the upper half of the vertical axis represents the remaining charge of secondary battery 201A in main unit 20, and the lower half represents the remaining charge of secondary battery 101C in front panel 10. At time T21, both secondary battery 101C in front panel 10 and secondary battery 201A in main unit 20 are fully charged.

[0110] Time point T22 in Figure 22 represents a state in which the remaining charge of secondary battery 201A in main device 20 has fallen below the capacity required to fully use up an unused stick-shaped substrate 210. Note that secondary battery 101C in front panel 10 remains fully charged. However, the remaining charge of the battery in front panel 10 may also be low. In any case, by utilizing the remaining charge of secondary battery 101C in front panel 10, it is possible to recover the remaining charge of secondary battery 201A in main device 20.

[0111] Auxiliary charging begins at time T22. As a result of auxiliary charging, the remaining charge of secondary battery 101C in front panel 10 decreases, while the remaining charge of secondary battery 201A in main device 20 increases. At time T23, charging stops when the remaining charge of secondary battery 201A in main device 20 has recovered to the capacity required to use up unused stick-shaped substrate 210. Thereafter, control unit 206 supplies power to heating unit 207 from secondary battery 201A in main device 20 (step 37).

[0112] <Summary> As explained above, in the case of the present embodiment, even when the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 is below the capacity required to fully use up the unused stick-shaped substrate 210, the capacity of the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 is restored by utilizing the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10, so that even when heating is started, it is possible to fully use up the unused stick-shaped substrate 210. Furthermore, if the capacity of the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 cannot be restored even by utilizing the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10, by not starting heating of the heating unit 207, heating ends before the unused stick-shaped substrate 210 is fully used up, and it is possible to prevent a situation in which the stick-shaped substrate 210 has to be discarded.

[0113] <Embodiment 5> In this embodiment, a correction function for the amount of available power depending on the difference in the power supply path from the front panel 10 to the main device 20, i.e., the remaining charge of the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10, will be described. The internal and external configurations of the aerosol generation device 1 are the same as those of embodiment 3. Fig. 23 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the remaining charge of the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 used as an auxiliary power source and the remaining charge usable by the main device 20.

[0114] The diagram in Figure 23 shows the power supply path for wired and wireless connections. However, only one of wired and wireless connections is used for power supply between the front panel 10 and the main unit 20. Therefore, the control unit 206 only needs to store the relationship according to the power supply path to be used. Basically, the power supply efficiency of a wired connection is higher than that of a wireless connection, and loss on the power supply path can be almost ignored.

[0115] Therefore, in the example of FIG. 23 , if the remaining charge of the secondary battery 101C in the front panel 10 is A [Wh], the converted value of the power available to the main device 20 is A0 (<A) [Wh]. For example, A0 is approximately 90% of A. On the other hand, in the case of a wireless connection, even if the remaining charge of the secondary battery 101C in the front panel 10 is A [Wh], the converted value of the power available to the main device 20 is B (<A0) [Wh]. The converted value B here depends on the power supply efficiency. For example, in the case of an electromagnetic induction system or an electric field coupling system, the power supply efficiency is approximately 90% or less. Furthermore, in the case of a magnetic field resonance system, the power supply efficiency is approximately 60% or less.

[0116] FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating power loss associated with auxiliary charging. In FIG. 24, the same reference numerals are used to denote corresponding parts of FIG. 22. In FIG. 24, the power consumed by auxiliary charging at time T22 is A1 [Wh]. However, when considering power loss along the power supply path from the front panel 10 to the main unit 20, the amount of power contributing to the recovery of the power of the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 is B1 [Wh]. In other words, the difference Δ (= A1 - B1) does not contribute to the recovery of the power of the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20. Therefore, the determination in step 33 (see FIG. 21) must take into account the loss along the power supply path.

[0117] FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating auxiliary charging in the fifth embodiment. In FIG. 25, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 21 are assigned the same reference numerals. The auxiliary charging shown in FIG. 25 differs from the auxiliary charging shown in FIG. 21 in that step 32A is executed instead of step 32. The other processing operations are the same as those in FIG. 21. In step 32A, the control unit 206 in this embodiment obtains the remaining charge of the secondary battery 101C in the front panel 10, and then converts it into an actually usable power value. This conversion process uses a relational expression according to the characteristics of the power supply path.

[0118] <Summary> In the present embodiment, the remaining charge of the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 is calculated taking into account the power loss along the power supply path, so when power supply from the front panel 10 to the main device 20 is started, it is possible to reliably recover enough power to use up the unused stick-shaped substrate 210.

[0119] In this embodiment, a description will be given of an example in which the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 is determined to be insufficient regardless of an aerosol generation request, and if a remaining charge is predicted to be insufficient, charging of the secondary battery 201A is started in preparation for future inhalation. Note that the internal configuration and external configuration of the aerosol generation device 1 are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0120] Fig. 26 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing operation in embodiment 6. In Fig. 26, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 25 are assigned the same reference numerals. The processing operation shown in Fig. 26 is executed by control unit 206 of main unit 20. In this embodiment, control unit 206 of main unit 20 determines whether it is a predetermined timing (step 21A).

[0121] Examples of predetermined timing include when the number of stick-shaped substrates 210 sucked in after the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 is fully charged reaches a reference value (e.g., 10), when a predetermined number of heating start operations are detected, when a time set by a timer (e.g., 6:00 a.m. every morning), or when the user has not been sucked in a period of time identified by machine learning. Note that another condition for the predetermined timing may be that the difference ΔC (=FC1−FC2) between the full charge capacity FC1 of the secondary battery 201A on the main device 20 side and the full charge capacity FC2 of the secondary battery 101C on the front panel 10 side is greater than the current capacity C of the secondary battery 201A on the main device 20 side.

[0122] If the determination in step 21A shows that the timing is not the predetermined timing, the control unit 206 on the main device 20 side obtains a negative result in step 21A. In this case, the control unit 206 repeats the determination in step 21A. On the other hand, if the determination in step 21A shows that the timing is the predetermined timing, the control unit 206 on the main device 20 side obtains a positive result in step 21A.

[0123] In this case, the control unit 206 acquires the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 regardless of the generation request from the user (step 22).

[0124] Next, the control unit 206 determines whether the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A in the main device 20 is below a capacity sufficient to completely use up the unused stick-shaped substrate 210 (step 31). If a negative result is obtained in step 31, there is no need to charge the secondary battery 201A. Therefore, the control unit 206 ends the process without performing predictive auxiliary charging. On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step 31, the control unit 206 obtains the remaining charge of the secondary battery 101C in the front panel 10 and then converts it into an actually usable power value (step 32A).

[0125] Next, the control unit 206 determines whether the sum of the remaining power levels of the two secondary batteries exceeds the capacity determined in step 31 (step 33). If a negative result is obtained in step 33, the remaining power level of the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20 will not recover to the required capacity even if auxiliary charging is performed. Therefore, the control unit 206 terminates the process without performing auxiliary charging based on a prior prediction. Note that the user may be notified of the need for USB charging. On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step 33, the control unit 206 starts supplying power from the secondary battery 101C in the front panel 10 to the secondary battery 201A in the main unit 20 (step 34).

[0126] Next, the control unit 206 determines whether the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 has recovered to the capacity of step 31 (step 35). If the recovery of the capacity is not confirmed, a negative result is obtained in step 35. In this case, the control unit 206 repeats the determination in step 35. On the other hand, if the recovery of the capacity is confirmed, a positive result is obtained in step 35. In this case, the control unit 206 stops the power supply from the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 to the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 (step 36). This stop instruction is notified to the power supply circuit 102 from the control unit 206.

[0127] In the present embodiment, the remaining charge shortage of secondary battery 201A of main device 20 is resolved before the user requests the generation of aerosol. As a result, the user can start inhaling aerosol at a desired time.

[0128] Seventh Embodiment In this embodiment, an example will be described in which auxiliary charging of the secondary battery 201A of the main body device 20 is started regardless of whether the total remaining charge of the two secondary batteries is excessive or insufficient. The internal and external configurations of the aerosol generation device 1 are the same as those of the first embodiment. Fig. 27 is a flowchart illustrating an example of auxiliary charging in the seventh embodiment. In Fig. 27, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 25 are assigned the same reference numerals.

[0129] First, the control unit 206 determines whether or not an aerosol generation request has been detected (step 21). If a negative result is obtained in step 21, the control unit 206 repeats the determination in step 21. On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step 21, the control unit 206 acquires the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 (step 22).

[0130] Next, the control unit 206 determines whether the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 is below a capacity sufficient to use up the unused stick-shaped substrate 210 (step 31). If a negative result is obtained in step 31, the control unit 206 supplies power from the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 to the heating unit 207 (step 37). That is, aerosol generation using the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 is initiated. On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step 31, the control unit 206 obtains the remaining charge of the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 and then converts it into an actually usable power value (step 32A).

[0131] Next, the control unit 206 starts supplying power from the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 to the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 (step 34). As described above, in this embodiment, auxiliary charging of the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 starts without determining whether the total remaining charge of the two secondary batteries is sufficient to use up the unused stick-shaped substrate 210. Next, the control unit 206 determines whether the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 has recovered to the capacity determined in step 31 (step 35). If a negative result is obtained in step 35, the control unit 206 determines whether the remaining charge of the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 is less than a lower limit (step 41).

[0132] The lower limit value used in step 41 is the minimum power required for the operation of the electronic components on the front panel 10. If the remaining power of the secondary battery 101C on the front panel 10 is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, a negative result is obtained in step 41. In this case, the control unit 206 returns to step 35.

[0133] If a positive result is obtained in step 35, the control unit 206 stops the power supply from the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 to the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 (step 36). After this, the control unit 206 supplies power from the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 to the heating unit 207 (step 37). That is, the generation of aerosol using the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 is started.

[0134] Note that even if a positive result is obtained in step 41, the control unit 206 proceeds to step 36 to stop auxiliary charging, and then executes step 37. In this case, the start of heating will not provide enough power to use up the unused stick-shaped substrate 210. However, this meets the user's needs to inhale aerosol to the extent possible even before the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 is fully charged.

[0135] <Summary> As described above, in this embodiment, charging of the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 using the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 is started before checking whether the sum of the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 and the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 exceeds a capacity sufficient to use up the unused stick-shaped substrate 210. As a result, if the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 201A of the main device 20 recovers a capacity sufficient to use up the unused stick-shaped substrate 210, the unused stick-shaped substrate 210 can be used without waste. Furthermore, even if the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 201A does not recover a capacity sufficient to use up the unused stick-shaped substrate 210, the remaining capacities of the two secondary batteries can be maximized to generate aerosol.

[0136] <Embodiment 8> In this embodiment, a case will be described in which aerosol is generated by directly supplying power from the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 to the heating unit 207. The internal and external configurations of the aerosol generation device 1 are the same as those in embodiment 3. Fig. 28 is a flowchart illustrating an example of auxiliary charging in embodiment 8. In Fig. 28, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 25 are assigned the same reference numerals. In this embodiment as well, steps 21, 22, and 31 are executed in order. Furthermore, if a negative result is obtained in step 31, the control unit 206 supplies power to the heating unit 207 from the secondary battery 201A of the main unit 20 (step 37).

[0137] On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step 31, the control unit 206 obtains the remaining charge of the secondary battery 101C in the front panel 10 and converts it into an actually usable power value (step 32A). Next, the control unit 206 determines whether the remaining charge of the secondary battery 101C in the front panel 10 exceeds the capacity determined in step 31 (step 51). This determination is made based on the remaining charge after conversion in step 32A.

[0138] If a negative result is obtained in step 51, the control unit 206 ends the process without performing auxiliary charging or aerosol generation. The user may be notified of the need for USB charging. On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step 51, the control unit 206 starts supplying power from the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10 to the heating unit 207 (step 52).

[0139] <Summary> In the present embodiment, even if the remaining charge of secondary battery 201A of main device 20 is insufficient to fully use up unused stick-shaped substrate 210, if the remaining charge of secondary battery 101C of front panel 10 exceeds a capacity sufficient to fully use up unused stick-shaped substrate 210, heating of stick-shaped substrate 210 is initiated using the remaining charge of secondary battery 101C of front panel 10. In this case, aerosol can be generated without further reducing the remaining charge of secondary battery 201A of main device 20.

[0140] <Other Embodiments> (1) Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the scope described in the above-described embodiments. It is clear from the claims that various modifications or improvements to the above-described embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0141] (2) In the above-described embodiment, the joint between the front panel 10 and the main device 20 is continuously connected without any steps, forming a unified appearance. However, the joint may have steps or notches, etc., as long as the appearance is unified with the main device 20.

[0142] (3) In the above embodiment, the aerosol source is described as a solid, but the aerosol source may be a liquid. In the case where the aerosol source is a liquid, a method is adopted in which the aerosol source is guided into a thin tube called a wick by using capillary action, and the aerosol source is evaporated by heating a coil wound around the wick.

[0143] (4) In the above embodiment, the aerosol generator generates an aerosol by heating a solid aerosol source. However, the aerosol generator may generate an aerosol by separately heating a solid aerosol source and a liquid aerosol source. This type of aerosol generator is also called a hybrid aerosol generator.

[0144] (5) In the above-described first embodiment, the determination of whether the remaining charge of the secondary battery of the main unit 20 is less than the threshold value V1 is performed when a request for aerosol generation is detected, but this determination may also be performed regardless of the request for aerosol generation.

[0145] (6) In the above-described embodiments 3-8, the battery of the front panel 10 is the secondary battery 101C, but it may be the primary battery 101A.

[0146] (7) In the above-described embodiment, the power supply circuit 102 is provided on the front panel 10. However, a configuration without the power supply circuit 102 may be adopted. In that case, the power supply unit 201B of the main device 20 functions as the power supply circuit 102 and charges the secondary battery 101C of the front panel 10. Similarly, the charging circuit 105 may be removed from the front panel 10. In that case, the power supply unit 201B of the main device 20 functions as the charging circuit 105.

[0147] (8) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which aerosol generation was permitted when the front panel 10 was attached to the main device 20. However, the main device 20 may be capable of generating aerosol even when the front panel 10 is not attached. In this case, attaching the front panel 10 to the main device 20 is used to expand the functions executable by the main device 20. For example, when the front panel 10 is removed, the main device 20 operates solely on the built-in secondary battery 201A (see FIG. 7 ), and when the main device 20 is attached to a front panel 10 with a secondary battery, functions that use power from the batteries (primary battery 101A, secondary battery 101C) of the front panel 10 are enabled.

[0148] (9) In the above-described embodiment, a state in which aerosol generation is possible has been described as an example of an operable aerosol generation device 1 (main unit 20). However, this is not limited to this. For example, even if aerosol generation is not possible due to a power shortage, the aerosol generation device 1 (main unit 20) is operable as long as other functions are operating. Examples of other functions include a function to check and display the remaining charge of the secondary battery 201A, etc., a function to acquire and display the inhalation history, and a function to communicate with an external terminal.

[0149] (10) In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which the front panel 10 attached to the main device 20 was pressed and deformed to operate the buttons 20B provided on the main device 20. However, instructions to the main device 20 may be input using methods other than deformation of the front panel 10. For example, a touch panel may be provided on the front panel 10, and information indicating a user's operation on the touch panel may be communicated to the control unit 206 (see FIG. 6) of the main device 20 via the communication unit 103 (see FIG. 6). Alternatively, for example, switches or buttons may be provided on the front panel 10, and the presence or absence of an operation on these may be communicated to the control unit 206 (see FIG. 6) of the main device 20 via the communication unit 103 (see FIG. 6). The touch panel, switches, etc. here are examples of an operation unit. Note that a heat-shielding structure is employed on the surface and interior of this type of main device 20.

[0150] (11) In the above-described embodiments 4, 5, 7, 8, etc., the execution of step 31 (see FIG. 21) requires the detection of a request for aerosol generation, and in embodiment 6 the execution of step 31 (see FIG. 26) requires the detection of a predetermined timing, but other events may also be detected. Examples of other events include the shutter 30 being slid to the open position and the display of the remaining battery power (including when instructed by the user).

[0151] (12) In the above-described first, fourth, sixth, and other embodiments, an example has been described in which power supply from the battery on the front panel 10 to the secondary battery 201A on the main device 20 is initiated when a request for aerosol generation is received, provided that certain conditions are further satisfied. However, it may take a long time for the secondary battery 201A on the main device 20 to recover a capacity sufficient to completely use up the stick-shaped substrate 210. Therefore, the control unit 206 may be provided with a function to notify the user of the charging progress and current capacity of the battery 201A on the main device 20 via the LED 20A (see FIG. 4 ) or a notification unit provided on the front panel 10, or a function to notify a smartphone or the like. Furthermore, the control unit 206 may be provided with a function to notify the user that aerosol generation or heating of the aerosol source is possible, or a function to notify a smartphone or the like, when it is detected that a capacity sufficient to completely use up the stick-shaped substrate 210 has been recovered. The inclusion of these functions can improve the user's predictability.

[0152] <Summary> The present disclosure includes the following configurations. (1) An aerosol generation device having a control unit, a first battery, and a heating unit that heats an aerosol source, wherein the control unit controls power supply from the second battery to the device body when a second battery is provided on a cover member attached to the device body. (2) The aerosol generation device described in (1), wherein the control unit instructs power supply from the second battery to the device body when the remaining charge of the first battery satisfies a predetermined condition. (3) The aerosol generation device described in (2), wherein the control unit charges the first battery with power from the second battery when the predetermined condition is satisfied. (4) The aerosol generation device described in (3), wherein the control unit determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied when it is predicted that the remaining charge of the first battery will likely fall below the capacity required to use up one unused aerosol source. (5) The aerosol generation device according to (3), wherein the control unit determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied when the remaining charge of the first battery falls below the capacity required to use up one unused aerosol source. (6) The aerosol generation device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the control unit instructs the second battery to supply power to the device body when the combined value of the remaining charges of the first battery and the second battery exceeds the capacity required to use up one unused aerosol source, even when the remaining charge of the first battery falls below the capacity required to use up one unused aerosol source. (7) The aerosol generation device according to (6), wherein the control unit directly supplies power from the second battery to the heating unit when the power of the second battery can be directly supplied to the heating unit. (8) The aerosol generation device according to (6), wherein the control unit charges the first battery with power from the second battery. (9) The aerosol generating device according to (6), wherein the control unit changes the remaining charge of the second battery used to calculate the total value depending on the difference in the power supply path from the second battery to the aerosol generating device. (10) The aerosol generating device according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein the control unit supplies power from the second battery to components other than the heating unit within the device main body. (11) The aerosol generating device according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein the control unit charges the second battery with power supplied from the device main body side to the cover member side.(12) A computer provided in an aerosol generating device having a first battery and a heating unit for heating an aerosol source, and a program for causing the computer to realize the function of controlling the power supply from the second battery to the device main body when a second battery is provided in a cover member attached to the device main body.

[0153] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Aerosol generating device, 10...Front panel, 10A...Main body panel, 10B...Window, 10C, 20C...Magnet, 20...Main body device, 20A...LED, 20B...Button, 21...USB connector, 22...Hole, 30...Shutter, 101, 201...Power supply unit, 101A...Primary battery, 101B...Step-up / step-down DC / DC circuit, 101C, 201A...Secondary battery, 102...Power supply circuit, 103, 205...Communication unit, 104...Fuel gauge, 105...Charging circuit, 202...Sensor unit, 203...Notification unit, 204...Memory unit, 206...Control unit, 207...Heating unit, 208...Insulating unit, 209...Holding unit, 210...Stick-shaped substrate

Claims

1. An aerosol generating device comprising a control unit, a first battery, and a heating unit for heating an aerosol source, wherein when a second battery is provided in a cover member attached to the device body, the control unit controls power supply from the second battery to the device body. Aerosol generating device.

2. The control unit, when the remaining amount of the first battery satisfies a predetermined condition, instructs power supply from the second battery to the device body. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1.

3. The control unit, when the predetermined condition is satisfied, charges the first battery with the power of the second battery. The aerosol generating device according to claim 2.

4. The control unit, when it is predicted that the remaining amount of the first battery may fall below the capacity required to deplete one unused aerosol source, determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied. The aerosol generating device according to claim 3.

5. The control unit, when the remaining amount of the first battery falls below the capacity required to deplete one unused aerosol source, determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied. The aerosol generating device according to claim 3.

6. The control unit, even when the remaining amount of the first battery falls below the capacity required to deplete one unused aerosol source, if the sum of the remaining amount of the first battery and the remaining amount of the second battery exceeds the capacity required to deplete the one unused aerosol source, instructs power supply from the second battery to the device body. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The control unit, when the power of the second battery can be directly supplied to the heating unit, directly supplies the power of the second battery to the heating unit. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6.

8. The control unit, charges the first battery with the power of the second battery. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6.

9. The control unit, changes the remaining amount of the second battery used in the calculation of the sum value according to the difference in the power supply path from the second battery to the aerosol generating device. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6.

10. The control unit, supplies the power of the second battery to components other than the heating unit in the device body. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

11. The control unit, Charging the second battery with electric power supplied from the device main body side to the cover member side. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

12. A computer provided in an aerosol generating device having a first battery and a heating unit that heats an aerosol source. When a second battery is provided in a cover member attached to the device main body, a function of controlling power supply from the second battery to the device main body is provided to the computer. A program for realizing the above.