Aerosol generation device

Abstract

An aerosol generation device 1 comprises: a heating unit that heats an aerosol source; a housing 11 that accommodates the heating unit and has an upper surface 15 provided with an opening through which the aerosol source is inserted or a delivery port through which the heated aerosol source is delivered to the outside, a right side surface 14 provided in a direction intersecting with the upper surface 15, and a right upper curved surface 19 provided between the upper surface 15 and the right side surface 14; a contact sensor 100 that detects an operation acting on the right upper curved surface 19; and a control unit that performs processing corresponding to the operation detected by the contact sensor 100.

Description

Aerosol Generator

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

[0002] For example, the device described in U.S. Patent No. 6,277,949 includes a heating assembly configured to heat an aerosol-forming material, an input interface configured to receive an input for selecting an operating mode from a plurality of operating modes, and a controller configured to detect operation of the input interface and, in response to the detected operation of the input interface, cause the heating assembly to begin heating the aerosol-forming material.

[0003] Special table number 2022-524198

[0004] Since a user performs input operations such as starting heating of the heating unit while holding the aerosol generation device, it is desirable to place an object (in Patent Document 1, an input interface) that allows the user to perform input operations in a location that is easy to operate even while holding the device. An object of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol generation device that allows the user to easily perform input operations.

[0005] The present disclosure, which has been completed with the above object in mind, provides an aerosol generating device including: a heating unit for heating an aerosol source; a housing that houses the heating unit and has a first surface provided with an opening for inserting the aerosol source or a delivery port through which the heated aerosol source is delivered to the outside; a second surface provided in a direction intersecting the first surface; and a third surface provided between the first surface and the second surface; a contact sensor that detects an operation on the third surface; and a control unit that performs processing in response to the operation detected by the contact sensor. Here, the opening may be provided on one end side of the first surface, and the second surface may be provided on the other end side of the first surface. Alternatively, the opening may be provided in a central portion of the first surface, and the second surface may be provided around the periphery of the first surface. Furthermore, the control unit may perform processing in response to a movement operation from the first surface side to the second surface side relative to the contact sensor. Furthermore, the control unit may start heating by the heating unit when the movement operation is performed. The control unit may also perform processing in response to a movement operation on the contact sensor in a direction from the second surface side to the first surface side. The control unit may also stop heating by the heating unit when receiving the movement operation. The control unit may not perform processing in response to the operation on the contact sensor while heating is being performed by the heating unit. The control unit may also perform processing in response to the operation on the contact sensor when a predetermined event is detected even during heating by the heating unit. The control unit may also perform processing in response to the operation on the contact sensor only within a predetermined time after detecting the predetermined event. The control unit may also perform processing in response to the operation on the contact sensor in response to opening and closing of the opening. The control unit may also start heating when a predetermined operation to start heating by the heating unit is performed on the contact sensor when the opening is open, and not start heating when the opening is closed, even if the predetermined operation is performed.

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an aerosol generating device that allows a user to easily perform input operations.

[0007] 1 is an example of a view of the aerosol generation device as seen from diagonally above the front. FIG. 2 is an example of a view of the aerosol generation device as seen from diagonally above the rear. FIG. 3 is an example of a view of the main body as seen from the front with the cover removed. FIG. 4 is an example of a view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the aerosol generation device. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a swipe operation performed by a user on a contact sensor. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between a swipe operation on the contact sensor and a transition of the state of the generation device. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the generation device is held in the right hand. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the generation device is held in the left hand. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a heating stop process performed by a control unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a generation device according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a swipe operation performed by a user on a contact sensor according to the fifth embodiment.

[0008] FIG. 1 is an example of a view of the aerosol generation device 1 as seen from diagonally above the front. FIG. 2 is an example of a view of the aerosol generation device 1 as seen from diagonally above the rear. FIG. 3 is an example of a view of the main body 10 as seen from the front with the cover 9 removed. FIG. 4 is an example of a diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of the aerosol generation device 1. The aerosol generation device (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the "generation device") 1 has a main body 10 having a heating unit 80 that heats a substrate 1000 including an aerosol source, and a cover 9 that is detachable from the main body 10.

[0009] (Main body 10) The main body 10 has a housing 11 that forms a substantially rectangular parallelepiped internal space that houses the heating unit 80 and other components. The cover 9 covers one surface of the housing 11. Hereinafter, of the six surfaces of the housing 11, the surface to which the cover 9 is attached will be referred to as the front surface 12, the left side surface as viewed from the front surface 12 will be referred to as the left side surface 13, the right side surface as viewed from the front surface 12 will be referred to as the right side surface 14, the upper surface as the top surface 15, and the lower surface as the bottom surface 16. Furthermore, of the six surfaces of the housing 11, the surface that is connected to the left side surface 13, the right side surface 14, the top surface 15, and the bottom surface 16 and is different from the front surface 12 will be referred to as the rear surface 17. The cover 9 covers the front surface 12 of the housing 11, and the left side surface 13, the right side surface 14, the top surface 15, the bottom surface 16, and the rear surface 17 are exposed to the outside when the cover 9 is attached.

[0010] An opening 92, which will be described later, is formed in a portion of the top surface 15 on the left side surface 13 side. Furthermore, the housing 11 has a curved surface between each pair of surfaces in the front surface 12, left side surface 13, right side surface 14, top surface 15, bottom surface 16, and rear surface 17. For example, an upper-left curved surface 18 is provided between the left side surface 13 and the top surface 15. Furthermore, an upper-right curved surface 19 is provided between the right side surface 14 and the top surface 15.

[0011] With the above-described configuration, the opening 92 is provided on the left side surface 13, which is an example of one end side of the top surface 15, and the upper-left curved surface 18 is provided on the left side surface 13 side of the opening 92. The upper-right curved surface 19 is provided on the right side surface 14, which is an example of the other end side of the top surface 15. As shown in Fig. 3 , when viewed from the front surface 12 side, the curvature of the upper-right curved surface 19 is smaller than the curvature of the upper-left curved surface 18. In other words, the radius of curvature of the upper-right curved surface 19 is larger than the radius of curvature of the upper-left curved surface 18, and the upper-right curved surface 19 changes more gradually than the upper-left curved surface 18.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 4, the main body 10 includes a power supply unit 20, a sensor unit 30, a notification unit 40, a memory unit 50, a communication unit 60, a control unit 70, a heating unit 80, a heat insulating unit 85, and a holding unit 90. The power supply unit 20, the sensor unit 30, the notification unit 40, the memory unit 50, the communication unit 60, the control unit 70, the heating unit 80, and the heat insulating unit 85 are housed in a housing 11. The main body 10 also has a shutter 94 (see Fig. 1) that is disposed on an upper surface 15 and can be moved along the upper surface 15. Each component will be described below in order.

[0013] ((Power Supply Unit 20)) The power supply unit 20 has a battery that stores power. The battery can be, for example, a rechargeable battery such as a lithium-ion secondary battery. The battery may be charged by connecting to an external power source via a cable connected to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal (not shown). The battery may also be charged using wireless power transmission technology without being connected to a power transmitting device. Alternatively, the battery may be removable from the main unit 10 and may be replaceable with a new battery.

[0014] (Sensor unit 30) The sensor unit 30 detects various types of information related to the main body 10. The sensor unit 30 then outputs the detected information to the control unit 70. As an example, the sensor unit 30 is configured with a pressure sensor such as a microphone capacitor, a flow rate sensor, or a temperature sensor. When the sensor unit 30 detects a value associated with inhalation by the user, it outputs information indicating that inhalation by the user has been performed to the control unit 70. The sensor unit 30 also detects the temperature of the heating unit 80 and outputs the detected temperature to the control unit 70.

[0015] The sensor unit 30 also has a contact sensor 100 that detects when the user is touching the main body 10. The contact sensor 100 functions as an input device that accepts information input from the user. The contact sensor 100 then outputs the information input by the user to the control unit 70. The contact sensor 100 will be described in detail later.

[0016] (Notification unit 40) The notification unit 40 notifies the user of information. As an example, the notification unit 40 is configured with a light-emitting device such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode). In this case, the notification unit 40 emits light in different light-emitting patterns when the battery of the power supply unit 20 needs to be charged, when the battery is being charged, when an abnormality has occurred in the main body 10, etc. The light-emitting pattern here is a concept that includes color, timing of turning on / off, etc. The notification unit 40 may be configured with a display device that displays images, a sound output device that outputs sound, a vibration device that vibrates, etc., together with or instead of the light-emitting device.

[0017] A display window 98 is formed on the front surface 12 of the housing 11 to transmit light emitted by a light-emitting device such as an LED, which is an example of the notification unit 40, and the light-emitting device is provided behind the display window 98.

[0018] ((Storage Unit 50)) The storage unit 50 stores various types of information for the operation of the generation device 1. The storage unit 50 is configured, for example, with a non-volatile storage medium such as a flash memory. One example of the information stored in the storage unit 50 is information about the OS (Operating System) of the generation device 1, such as the control details of the various components controlled by the control unit 70. Another example of the information stored in the storage unit 50 is information about suction by the user, such as the number of suctions, the suction time, and the cumulative suction time. Another example of the information stored in the storage unit 50 is information about a control sequence that defines the change over time in the target temperature of the heating unit 80 when the heating unit 80 is heated. The storage unit 50 may store information about multiple types of control sequences that vary in the change over time in the target temperature of the heating unit 80.

[0019] ((Communication Unit 60)) The communication unit 60 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving information between the generation device 1 and other devices. The communication unit 60 performs communication in accordance with any wired or wireless communication standard. Such communication standards may include, for example, a wireless local area network (LAN), a wired LAN, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark). For example, the communication unit 60 receives new OS information from a server in order to update the OS information stored in the storage unit 50.

[0020] (Control Unit 70) The control unit 70 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a control device, and controls the overall operation of the generation device 1 in accordance with various programs. The control unit 70 is realized by electronic circuits such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a microprocessor. The control unit 70 may also include a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores the programs to be used, calculation parameters, etc., and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores parameters that change as appropriate. The generation device 1 executes various processes under the control of the control unit 70. Examples of processes controlled by the control unit 70 include power supply from the power supply unit 20 to the other components, charging of the power supply unit 20, detection by the sensor unit 30, notification of information by the notification unit 40, storage and reading of information by the memory unit 50, and transmission and reception of information by the communication unit 60. Other processes executed by the generation device 1, such as input of information to each component and processing based on information output from each component, are also controlled by the control unit 70.

[0021] (Heating unit 80) The heating unit 80 generates an aerosol by heating the aerosol source and atomizing the aerosol source. The heating unit 80 is made of any material, such as metal or polyimide. For example, the heating unit 80 is configured in a film shape and is arranged to cover the outer periphery of the holding unit 90. When the heating unit 80 generates heat, the aerosol source contained in the substrate 1000 is heated from the outer periphery of the substrate 1000 and atomized, thereby generating an aerosol. When power is supplied from the power supply unit 20, the heating unit 80 generates heat and heats the substrate 1000. When the temperature of the substrate 1000 heated by the heating unit 80 reaches a predetermined temperature, the user can inhale the aerosol. Thereafter, when the sensor unit 30 detects that a predetermined user input has been made, the power supply may be stopped.

[0022] ((Thermal insulation section 85)) The thermal insulation section 85 prevents heat transfer from the heating section 80 to other components of the generating device 1. The thermal insulation section 85 is arranged so as to cover at least the outer periphery of the heating section 80. For example, the thermal insulation section 85 is made of a vacuum insulation material, an aerogel insulation material, or the like. Note that a vacuum insulation material is an insulation material in which, for example, glass wool and silica (silicon powder) are wrapped in a resin film to create a high vacuum state, thereby reducing the thermal conduction of gases to as close to zero as possible.

[0023] ((Holding unit 90)) The holding unit 90 has a columnar internal space 91 provided inside the housing 11 and an opening 92 formed on the upper surface 15 of the housing 11 to connect the internal space 91 to the outside. The internal space 91 is a columnar body having a bottom 93 as its bottom surface. The holding unit 90 is configured so that the inner diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the substrate 1000 in at least a portion of the height direction of the columnar body, and can hold the substrate 1000 by compressing the substrate 1000 inserted into the internal space 91 from the opening 92 from the outer periphery. The holding unit 90 also has the function of defining an air flow path through the substrate 1000. An air inlet, which is an entrance for air into this flow path, is located, for example, in the bottom 93. On the other hand, an air outlet, which is an exit for air from this flow path, is the opening 92. The opening 92 is exposed by sliding a shutter 94 to an open position and is concealed by sliding the shutter 94 to a closed position.

[0024] (Shutter 94) The shutter 94 has a magnet on its back surface. Meanwhile, a magnetic sensor (not shown) of the sensor unit 30 is attached to the top surface 15 of the housing 11 within the movable range of the shutter 94. The magnetic sensor is a Hall IC composed 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 control unit 70 detects whether the shutter 94 is open or closed from a change in the voltage output from the magnetic sensor as the shutter 94 slides.

[0025] ((Example of Appearance of Main Body 10)) As shown in FIG. 3 , the main body 10 is exposed from the front surface 12 of the housing 11 and has two magnets, an upper magnet 95 and a lower magnet 96, which are used to connect to the cover 9. The upper magnet 95 and the lower magnet 96 are cylindrical and have a circular shape when viewed from the front. The centers of the circles of the upper magnet 95 and the lower magnet 96 are aligned in the vertical direction, with the upper magnet 95 located at the top of the main body 10 and the lower magnet 96 located at the bottom of the main body 10.

[0026] The main body 10 has a display window 98 between the upper magnet 95 and the lower magnet 96 that allows light from the multiple LEDs to pass through to a display window 9a (described later) of the cover 9. The display window 98 is a window provided at a position corresponding to the positions of the multiple LEDs arranged inside the housing 11 of the main body 10, and allows light from the multiple LEDs to pass through to the display window 9a of the cover 9. This allows the user to see the light from the outer surface of the cover 9.

[0027] (Cover 9) The cover 9 is formed into a plate shape using a light-transmitting material, covers the front surface 12 of the housing 11 of the main body 10, and is formed so as not to create any steps with the left side surface 13, right side surface 14, top surface 15, and bottom surface 16 of the housing 11. As a result, the cover 9 forms an appearance that is integrated with the left side surface 13, right side surface 14, top surface 15, and bottom surface 16 of the housing 11, and functions as decoration. The cover 9 also functions to suppress the propagation of heat emitted from the main body 10. The cover 9 has a display window 9a that transmits light from multiple LEDs provided on the main body 10.

[0028] (Substrate 1000) The substrate 1000 is a stick-shaped member. The substrate 1000 includes a substrate portion 1001 and a mouthpiece portion 1002. The substrate portion 1001 includes an aerosol source. The aerosol source is atomized by heating, generating an aerosol. The aerosol source may be tobacco-derived, such as a processed product obtained by molding cut tobacco or tobacco raw materials into granules, sheets, or powder. The aerosol source may also include non-tobacco-derived aerosol sources made from plants other than tobacco (e.g., mint and herbs). As an example, the aerosol source may contain a flavoring component such as menthol. When the generator 1 is a medical inhaler, the aerosol source may contain a medication to be inhaled by the patient. The aerosol source is not limited to a solid, but may also be a liquid such as a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerin and propylene glycol, or water. At least a portion of the substrate part 1001 is accommodated in the internal space 91 of the holder 90 when the substrate 1000 is held by the holder 90 .

[0029] The suction mouthpiece 1002 is a member that is held in the user's mouth when inhaling. At least a portion of the suction mouthpiece 1002 protrudes from the opening 92 when the substrate 1000 is held in the holding portion 90. When the user holds the suction mouthpiece 1002 protruding from the opening 92 in their mouth and inhales, air flows into the holding portion 90 through an air inlet hole (not shown). The inflowing air passes through the internal space 91 of the holding portion 90, i.e., passes through the substrate portion 1001, and reaches the user's mouth together with the aerosol generated from the substrate portion 1001.

[0030] {Contact Sensor 100} The contact sensor 100 will be described in detail below. The contact sensor 100 detects the position where the user's finger F touches the upper right curved surface 19. Examples of the detection method of the contact sensor 100 include a capacitance method, a resistive film method, a surface acoustic wave method, an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, and a load detection method. For example, if the contact sensor 100 uses a capacitance method, the contact sensor 100 has a matrix of multiple electrodes running in a direction from the top surface 15 to the right surface 14 and in a front-to-back direction (a direction perpendicular to the plane of the page in FIG. 3 ), and the surface is always covered with a small amount of static electricity. When the finger F touches the upper right curved surface 19, the finger F absorbs the static electricity covering the surface of the contact sensor 100. The contact sensor 100 identifies the location where the static electricity has been absorbed, thereby determining the coordinates of the position where the finger F is touching, and transmits the coordinates to the control unit 70 via the internal bus.

[0031] The contact sensor 100 is disposed below the upper right wall 191 of the housing 11, which forms the upper right curved surface 19 (in other words, inside the housing 11). When viewed in a direction perpendicular to the upper right curved surface 19, the contact sensor 100 is rectangular and disposed so that its surface is parallel to the upper right curved surface 19. Because the contact sensor 100 employs the detection method described above, it is possible to dispose the contact sensor 100 inside the housing 11. The contact sensor 100 enables a user to perform an input operation by touching the upper right curved surface 19 with a finger F. In addition, in the generation device 1, the shape of the upper right curved surface 19 is the same in the area where the contact sensor 100 is disposed inside and the area where the contact sensor 100 is not disposed inside. In other words, the area where the contact sensor 100 is disposed inside the upper right curved surface 19 is formed so that it is indistinguishable on the surface, both visually and tactilely, from the area where the contact sensor 100 is not disposed inside.

[0032] The control unit 70 determines what kind of operation has been performed on the contact sensor 100 based on the information transmitted from the contact sensor 100. The control unit 70 determines that a swipe operation has been performed when it is detected that the contact position of the finger F has moved on the upper right curved surface 19 (in other words, moved along the upper right curved surface 19) a predetermined distance or more. The control unit 70 also determines that a tap operation has been performed when an operation has been performed in which the finger F is brought into contact with the upper right curved surface 19 and then removed from the upper right curved surface 19 within a reference time (e.g., 2 seconds) without performing a swipe operation.

[0033] The swipe operation will be described in detail below. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a swipe operation performed by a user on the contact sensor 100. In Fig. 5, the position of the finger F before movement due to an input operation is indicated by a dashed line, and the position of the finger F after movement is indicated by a solid line.

[0034] When the contact sensor 100 transmits information indicating that the finger F has been moved in a direction from the top surface 15 toward the right surface 14 (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the "first direction") as shown in Fig. 5(a), the control unit 70 determines that a swipe operation of a first movement has been performed. When the contact sensor 100 transmits information indicating that the finger F has been moved in a direction from the right surface 14 toward the top surface 15 (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the "second direction") as shown in Fig. 5(b), the control unit 70 determines that a swipe operation of a second movement has been performed.

[0035] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between a swipe operation on the contact sensor 100 and a transition of the state of the generation device 1. The control unit 70 controls the operation of the generation device 1 based on the operation on the contact sensor 100. For example, when the generation device 1 is in sleep mode, if the control unit 70 determines that a swipe operation for a first movement has been performed, the generation device 1 is started up and transitions to active mode. Furthermore, when the generation device 1 is in active mode, if the control unit 70 determines that a swipe operation for a second movement has been performed, the generation device 1 transitions to sleep mode. Note that when the generation device 1 is in sleep mode, it can be exemplified that most of the functions of the generation device 1 are unavailable, except for the function of determining an operation on the contact sensor 100. Furthermore, when the generation device 1 is in active mode, it can be exemplified that most of the functions are available, except for the heating function of the heating unit 80.

[0036] Furthermore, when the control unit 70 determines that a swipe operation for a first movement has been performed while the generation device 1 is in active mode, it starts heating the heating unit 80. Then, the control unit 70 heats the heating unit 80 in accordance with a control sequence that specifies the temporal change in the target temperature of the heating unit 80 when heating the heating unit 80, and that is stored in the storage unit 50, and then stops heating. Note that the control unit 70 may start heating the heating unit 80 on the condition that the cover 9 is attached to the main body 10. Furthermore, when the control unit 70 is heating, it stops heating the heating unit 80 when it determines that a swipe operation for a second movement has been performed.

[0037] When the control unit 70 receives an instruction based on a swipe operation for controlling a mode transition of the generation device 1 or the operation of the heating unit 80, the control unit 70 may notify the user of the reception of the instruction via the notification unit 40. For example, when the control unit 70 determines that a first movement swipe operation has been performed while the generation device 1 is in the active mode, the control unit 70 may start heating the heating unit 80 and vibrate the vibration device. Alternatively, the control unit 70 may output sound from the sound output device or cause the light emitting device to emit light, in addition to or instead of vibrating the vibration device.

[0038] As described above, the generator 1 includes a heating unit 80 that heats the aerosol source, a housing 11 that houses the heating unit 80 and has a top surface 15 (an example of a first surface) that is provided with an opening 92 for inserting the aerosol source, a right side surface 14 (an example of a second surface) that is provided in a direction intersecting the top surface 15, and a right-upper curved surface 19 (an example of a third surface) that is provided between the top surface 15 and the right side surface 14. The generator 1 also includes a contact sensor 100 that detects an operation on the right-upper curved surface 19, and a control unit 70 that performs processing in accordance with the operation detected by the contact sensor 100. The generator 1 configured as described above allows the contact sensor 100 to be disposed inside the housing 11, which makes it possible to prevent water droplets from entering the housing 11 compared to a configuration in which, for example, a gap is formed between a button-type switch and the housing.

[0039] 7 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the generation device 1 is held in the right hand. In the generation device 1 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 7, the user can perform a swipe operation on the upper right curved surface 19 with the thumb of the right hand while holding the generation device 1 in the right hand. Therefore, with the generation device 1, the user can perform a swipe operation more easily than when performing a swipe operation on a surface of the housing 11 other than the upper right curved surface 19.

[0040] 8 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the generation device 1 is held in the left hand. Furthermore, in the generation device 1 configured as described above, the user can perform a swipe operation on the upper right curved surface 19 with the thumb of the left hand while holding the generation device 1 in the left hand, as shown in FIG. Therefore, with the generation device 1, the user can perform a swipe operation more easily than with a surface of the housing 11 other than the upper right curved surface 19.

[0041] Here, the opening 92 is provided on one end side (the left side in FIG. 7 ) of the top surface 15, and the right side surface 14 is provided on the other end side (the right side in FIG. 7 ) of the top surface 15. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the opening 92 is provided in the center of the top surface 15 in the left-right direction, for example, it is possible to reduce the size of the housing 11 while increasing the space for arranging the contact sensor 100.

[0042] The control unit 70 performs processing in response to a movement operation on the contact sensor 100 from the top surface 15 toward the right surface 14. When this movement operation is performed, the control unit 70 starts heating the heating unit 80. In other words, when the control unit 70 determines that a first-movement swipe operation on the upper right curved surface 19 has been performed, the control unit 70 starts heating the heating unit 80 in accordance with the stored association with the first-movement swipe operation. The first-movement swipe operation performed with the thumb on the upper right curved surface 19 is similar to, for example, the operation of rotating a file-shaped rotating drum to light a lighter. This allows the user to easily recognize that the operation to start heating the heating unit 80 is the first-movement swipe operation, allowing the user to start heating the heating unit 80 with high accuracy.

[0043] Furthermore, the control unit 70 performs processing in response to a movement operation from the right side surface 14 toward the top surface 15 relative to the contact sensor 100. When this movement operation is performed, the control unit 70 stops heating of the heating unit 80. In other words, when the control unit 70 determines that a second-movement swipe operation has been performed on the upper right curved surface 19, the control unit 70 stops heating of the heating unit 80 in accordance with the stored association with the second-movement swipe operation. The second-movement swipe operation performed with the thumb on the upper right curved surface 19 is, for example, an operation in the opposite direction to the operation of rotating a file-shaped rotating drum to light a lighter. This allows the user to easily recognize that the operation to stop heating of the heating unit 80 is the second-movement swipe operation, allowing the user to stop heating of the heating unit 80 with high accuracy.

[0044] In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 70 transitions the generation device 1 to the active mode when it determines that a swipe operation for the first movement has been performed while the generation device 1 is in the sleep mode, and transitions the generation device 1 to the sleep mode when it determines that a swipe operation for the second movement has been performed while the generation device 1 is in the active mode. However, the transition between the sleep mode and the active mode does not have to be when it determines that a swipe operation for the first movement or the second movement has been performed. For example, the control unit 70 may transition the generation device 1 to the active mode when it determines that a tap operation has been performed while the generation device 1 is in the sleep mode.

[0045] Second Embodiment A generation device (not shown) according to a second embodiment differs from the generation device 1 according to the first embodiment in the processing of the control unit 70. In the first and second embodiments, components having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0046] When the heating unit 80 is heating, the control unit 70 does not perform processing in response to an operation on the contact sensor 100. In other words, after starting heating of the heating unit 80, the control unit 70 heats the heating unit 80 in accordance with a control sequence that specifies the temporal change in the target temperature of the heating unit 80 when heating the heating unit 80, which is stored in the storage unit 50, and then stops the heating. However, when the heating unit 80 is heating, even if it determines that a second movement swipe operation has been performed, the control unit 70 does not stop heating of the heating unit 80. Alternatively, the control unit 70 does not accept information about the position coordinates of the finger F that is in contact with the heating unit 80, which is transmitted from the contact sensor 100. This makes it possible to prevent the heating unit 80 from stopping heating due to an erroneous operation by the user.

[0047] Furthermore, when a predetermined event is detected, the control unit 70 may perform processing according to an operation on the contact sensor 100. An example of the predetermined event is a double tap operation (in other words, two consecutive tap operations) on the contact sensor 100. In other words, when the heating unit 80 is heating, if the control unit 70 determines that a double tap operation has been performed on the contact sensor 100 and then determines that a second movement swipe operation has been performed, the control unit 70 stops heating the heating unit 80.

[0048] Alternatively, the predetermined event may be, for example, a double tap on the generating device according to the second embodiment (the target of the double tap is not limited to the upper right curved surface 19). That is, when the heating unit 80 is heating, if the control unit 70 determines that the generating device has been double tapped and then determines that a second movement swipe operation has been performed, the control unit 70 stops heating the heating unit 80. Note that, for example, the control unit 70 may determine whether the generating device has been double tapped based on the output of an acceleration sensor included in the sensor unit 30.

[0049] Furthermore, when the control unit 70 detects a predetermined event and performs processing in response to an operation on the contact sensor 100, the control unit 70 may be configured to perform processing in response to the operation on the contact sensor 100 only within a predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds) after detecting the predetermined event. In other words, when the control unit 70 detects a predetermined event while the heating unit 80 is heating and determines that a second movement swipe operation has been performed within the predetermined time, the control unit 70 stops heating the heating unit 80. On the other hand, even when the control unit 70 detects a predetermined event while the heating unit 80 is heating, if the control unit 70 determines that a second movement swipe operation has been performed after the predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 70 does not stop heating the heating unit 80. Alternatively, the control unit 70 prevents information transmitted from the contact sensor 100 from being received after the predetermined time has elapsed.

[0050] An example of the heating stop process performed by the control unit 70 will be described below using a flowchart. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the heating stop process performed by the control unit 70. The control unit 70 repeatedly performs the heating stop process at preset intervals (e.g., every 1 millisecond) while the heating unit 80 is heating. The control unit 70 determines whether a predetermined event has been detected (S901). If the predetermined event has been detected (YES in S901), the control unit 70 determines whether a second swipe operation has been performed (S902). Then, if a second swipe operation has been performed (YES in S902), the control unit 70 stops heating the heating unit 80 (S903).

[0051] On the other hand, if the second movement swipe operation has not been performed (NO in S902), the control unit 70 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (S904). If the predetermined time has not elapsed (NO in S904), the control unit 70 performs the processes from S902 onward. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in S904), the control unit 70 ends the heating stop process.

[0052] If the predetermined event is not detected in the process of S901 (NO in S901), the control unit 70 determines whether it is time to stop heating according to the control sequence (S905). If it is time to stop heating (YES in S905), the control unit 70 stops heating by the heating unit 80 (S903). On the other hand, if it is not time to stop heating (NO in S905), the control unit 70 ends the heating stop process.

[0053] As described above, in the generating device according to the second embodiment, the control unit 70 does not perform processing in response to an operation on the contact sensor 100 while the heating unit 80 is heating. This makes it possible to prevent the heating unit 80 from stopping heating due to an erroneous operation by the user. The control unit 70 may perform processing in response to an operation on the contact sensor 100 when a predetermined event is detected, even while the heating unit 80 is heating. Convenience can be improved by performing processing in response to an operation on the contact sensor 100 when the user intentionally operates the contact sensor 100. Even in this case, the control unit 70 performs processing in response to an operation on the contact sensor 100 only within a predetermined time after detecting the predetermined event. This makes it possible to prevent the heating unit 80 from stopping heating when a predetermined event occurs unintentionally by the user.

[0054] <Third embodiment> A generation device (not shown) according to a third embodiment differs from the generation device 1 according to the first embodiment in the processing of the control unit 70. In the first and third embodiments, components having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0055] The control unit 70 switches between input operations that can be accepted via operations on the contact sensor 100 depending on whether the shutter 94 (an example of an opening / closing member) is open or closed. More specifically, when the generation device according to the third embodiment is in active mode and the shutter 94 is open, the control unit 70 performs processing on the contact sensor 100 in response to an operation to start heating by the heating unit 80 (in other words, a swipe operation for the first movement), and does not perform processing on the contact sensor 100 in response to an operation to start heating by the heating unit 80 when the shutter 94 is closed.

[0056] That is, when the generation device is in active mode and the shutter 94 is open, the control unit 70 starts heating the heating unit 80 upon determining that a first swipe operation has been performed, and when the shutter 94 is closed, the control unit 70 does not start heating the heating unit 80 even if it determines that a first swipe operation has been performed. Alternatively, when the shutter 94 is closed, the control unit 70 does not accept information about the position coordinates of the finger F in contact, which is transmitted from the contact sensor 100. This makes it possible to prevent the heating unit 80 from starting heating due to an erroneous operation by the user.

[0057] In addition, when the heating unit 80 is heating, the control unit 70 may perform processing in response to an operation to stop heating by the heating unit 80 (in other words, a second movement swipe operation) on the contact sensor 100, regardless of whether the shutter 94 is open or closed.

[0058] Furthermore, the functions of the control unit 70 according to the third embodiment may be applied to the generation device according to the second embodiment.

[0059] <Fourth embodiment> A generation device (not shown) according to the fourth embodiment differs from the generation device 1 according to the first embodiment in the processing of the control unit 70. In the first and fourth embodiments, components having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0060] The control unit 70 switches input operations that can be accepted via operations on the contact sensor 100 depending on whether the shutter 94 (an example of an opening / closing member) is open or closed. More specifically, when the generation device according to the fourth embodiment is in sleep mode and the shutter 94 is open, the control unit 70 performs processing on the contact sensor 100 in response to an operation for transitioning to the active mode (in other words, a swipe operation of the first movement), and does not perform processing on the contact sensor 100 in response to an operation for transitioning to the active mode when the shutter 94 is closed.

[0061] That is, when the generation device is in sleep mode and the shutter 94 is open, the control unit 70 transitions to active mode upon determining that a first swipe operation has been performed, and when the shutter 94 is closed, the control unit 70 does not transition to active mode even if it determines that a first swipe operation has been performed. Alternatively, when the shutter 94 is closed, the control unit 70 does not accept information about the position coordinates of the finger F touching the screen, which is transmitted from the contact sensor 100. This makes it possible to prevent the generation device from transitioning from sleep mode to active mode due to an erroneous operation by the user.

[0062] Note that when the generation device according to the fourth embodiment is in the active mode, the control unit 70 may perform processing in response to an operation for transitioning to the sleep mode on the contact sensor 100 (in other words, a swipe operation of the second movement) whether the shutter 94 is open or closed. In other words, when the generation device according to the fourth embodiment is in the active mode, the control unit 70 may transition to the sleep mode when a swipe operation of the second movement is performed whether the shutter 94 is open or closed.

[0063] The functions of the control unit 70 according to the fourth embodiment may be applied to the generation device according to the second and third embodiments.

[0064] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a generation device 5 according to a fifth embodiment. The generation device 5 according to the fifth embodiment differs from the generation device 1 according to the first embodiment in that it has a main body 510 equivalent to the main body 10 and does not have a cover 9. In the first and fifth embodiments, components having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0065] The main body 510 differs from the main body 10 in that it has a housing 511 corresponding to the housing 11, a contact sensor 500 corresponding to the contact sensor 100, and a control unit 570 corresponding to the control unit 70. The housing 511 forms a substantially cylindrical internal space that houses the heating unit 80 and the like. The housing 511 has a cylindrical side surface 514, a top surface 515, and a bottom surface 516 that covers a lower opening of the side surface 514. An opening 592 into which the substrate 1000 can be inserted is formed in the center of the top surface 515. A curved surface 519 is provided around the entire periphery between the surface surrounding the opening 592 in the top surface 515 and the side surface 514.

[0066] The contact sensor 500 is disposed inside the housing 511 that forms the curved surface 519, and detects the position where the user's finger F touches the curved surface 519. For example, if the detection method of the contact sensor 100 is a capacitive method, the contact sensor 500 has a matrix of numerous electrodes that run in a direction from the top surface 515 to the side surface 514 and in a circumferential direction, and the surface is always covered with a slight amount of static electricity. When the finger F touches the curved surface 519, the finger F absorbs the static electricity that covers the surface of the contact sensor 500. The contact sensor 500 identifies the location where the static electricity has been absorbed, thereby determining the coordinates of the position where the finger F is touching, and transmits the coordinates to the control unit 570 via the internal bus.

[0067] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a swipe operation performed by a user on the contact sensor 500 according to the fifth embodiment. When the contact sensor 500 transmits information indicating that the finger F has been moved in a direction from the top surface 515 to the side surface 514 (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the "first direction") as shown in FIG. 11A, the control unit 570 determines that a swipe operation of a first movement has been performed. When the contact sensor 500 transmits information indicating that the finger F has been moved in a direction from the side surface 514 to the top surface 515 (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the "second direction") as shown in FIG. 11B, the control unit 570 determines that a swipe operation of a second movement has been performed.

[0068] The control unit 570 controls the operation of the generation device 5 based on an operation on the contact sensor 500. For example, if the control unit 570 determines that a swipe operation for a first movement has been performed when the generation device 5 is in the sleep mode, the control unit 570 starts up the generation device 5 and transitions it to the active mode. Also, if the control unit 570 determines that a swipe operation for a second movement has been performed when the generation device 5 is in the active mode, the control unit 570 transitions the generation device 5 to the sleep mode.

[0069] Furthermore, when the control unit 570 determines that a swipe operation for the first movement has been performed while the generation device 5 is in the active mode, it starts heating the heating unit 80. Furthermore, when the control unit 570 determines that a swipe operation for the second movement has been performed while the heating unit 80 is heating, it stops heating the heating unit 80.

[0070] As described above, the generator 5 includes a heating unit 80 that heats the aerosol source, and a housing 511 that houses the heating unit 80 and has a top surface 515 (an example of a first surface) that is provided with an opening 592 for inserting the aerosol source, a side surface 514 (an example of a second surface) that is provided in a direction intersecting the top surface 515, and a curved surface 519 (an example of a third surface) that is provided between the top surface 515 and the side surface 514. The generator 5 also includes a contact sensor 500 that detects an operation on the curved surface 519, and a control unit 570 that performs processing in accordance with the operation detected by the contact sensor 500. The generator 5 configured as described above allows the contact sensor 500 to be disposed inside the housing 511, which makes it possible to prevent water droplets from entering the housing 511 compared to a configuration in which, for example, a gap is formed between a button-type switch and the housing.

[0071] Furthermore, in the generation device 5, the opening 592 is provided in the center of the top surface 515, and the side surfaces 514 are provided around the periphery of the top surface 515. This allows input operations to be performed with the thumb via the contact sensor 500 regardless of the position in the circumferential direction of the housing 511 that is gripped.

[0072] The functions of the control unit 70 according to the second to fourth embodiments may be applied to the control unit 570 according to the fifth embodiment.

[0073] The configurations of the heating unit 80 and the aerosol source in the generator 1 according to the first embodiment to the generator 5 according to the fifth embodiment described above are not particularly limited. For example, the heating unit may be configured as a metal coil wound around a liquid guide that guides and holds a liquid aerosol source from a liquid storage unit, and the heating unit may generate heat to heat and atomize the aerosol source held in the liquid guide, thereby generating an aerosol. Alternatively, the generator may generate aerosol by heating and atomizing the aerosol source held in the liquid guide by electromagnetic induction using a susceptor formed of a metal conductor wound around the liquid guide. In the case of an aerosol generator that generates aerosol by heating and atomizing the aerosol source held in the liquid guide, a delivery port through which the generated aerosol is delivered may be formed on the top surface (e.g., housing 11) of the device's housing (e.g., housing 11). A mouthpiece may be attached to the delivery port. The heating unit 80 and the aerosol source may be configured as an aerosol generator that generates aerosol by heating the liquid aerosol source and heating a substrate containing the aerosol source. Alternatively, the device may be configured such that, with a stick-shaped substrate including a susceptor held in a holder, an electromagnetic induction source formed of a coiled conductor wound around the outer periphery of the holder generates a magnetic field, which generates Joule heat in the susceptor to heat and atomize the aerosol source contained in the stick-shaped substrate, thereby generating an aerosol. Alternatively, the device may be configured such that the heating unit 80 and the aerosol source are configured to heat a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerin or propylene glycol, and a liquid such as water, to generate steam, which is then passed through a capsule containing an aerosol source such as tobacco granules, thereby delivering the steam from which the flavor and aroma have been extracted to the delivery port.

[0074] <Summary> The present disclosure includes the following configurations: (1) An aerosol generation device including: a heating unit that heats an aerosol source; a housing that houses the heating unit and has a first surface that has an opening for inserting the aerosol source or a delivery port through which the heated aerosol source is delivered to the outside, a second surface that is provided in a direction intersecting the first surface, and a third surface that is provided between the first surface and the second surface; a contact sensor that detects an operation on the third surface; and a control unit that performs processing in response to the operation detected by the contact sensor. (2) The aerosol generation device described in (1), in which the opening is provided on one end side of the first surface and the second surface is provided on the other end side of the first surface. (3) The aerosol generation device described in (1), in which the opening is provided in a central portion of the first surface and the second surface is provided around the periphery of the first surface. (4) The aerosol generation device described in any one of (1) to (3), in which the control unit performs processing in response to a movement operation on the contact sensor in a direction from the first surface side to the second surface side. (5) The aerosol generation device according to (4), wherein the control unit starts heating by the heating unit when the movement operation is performed. (6) The aerosol generation device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the control unit performs processing in response to a movement operation on the contact sensor from the second surface side to the first surface side. (7) The aerosol generation device according to (6), wherein the control unit stops heating by the heating unit when the movement operation is received. (8) The aerosol generation device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the control unit does not perform processing in response to an operation on the contact sensor while the heating unit is heating. (9) The aerosol generation device according to (8), wherein the control unit performs processing in response to an operation on the contact sensor when a predetermined event is detected even during heating by the heating unit. (10) The aerosol generation device according to (9), wherein the control unit performs processing in response to an operation on the contact sensor only within a predetermined time after detecting the predetermined event. (11) An aerosol generating device described in any one of (1) to (3), wherein the control unit performs processing in accordance with an operation on the contact sensor depending on whether the opening is opened or closed.(12) The control unit of the aerosol generating device described in (11) starts heating by the heating unit when the opening is open and a predetermined operation to start heating the heating unit is performed on the contact sensor, and does not start heating when the opening is closed even if the predetermined operation is performed.

[0075] 1, 5... aerosol generating device, 9... cover, 10, 510... main body, 11, 511... housing, 12... front, 14... right side, 15, 515... upper surface, 17... rear surface, 19... upper right curved surface, 30... sensor unit, 70, 570... control unit, 80... heating unit, 92, 592... opening, 100, 500... contact sensor, 514... side, 519... curved surface

Claims

1. Aerosol generating device comprising: a heating unit that heats an aerosol source; a housing that houses the heating unit and has a first surface provided with an opening for inserting the aerosol source or a delivery port through which the heated aerosol source is delivered to the outside, a second surface provided in a direction intersecting the first surface, and a third surface provided between the first surface and the second surface; a contact sensor that detects an operation on the third surface; and a control unit that performs processing according to the operation detected by the contact sensor.

2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the opening is provided on one end side of the first surface, and the second surface is provided on the other end side of the first surface.

3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the opening is provided at the center of the first surface, and the second surface is provided around the first surface.

4. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit performs processing according to a moving operation on the contact sensor from the first surface side to the second surface side.

5. The aerosol generating device according to claim 4, wherein when the moving operation is performed, the control unit starts heating by the heating unit.

6. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit performs processing according to a moving operation on the contact sensor from the second surface side to the first surface side.

7. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6, wherein when the moving operation is received, the control unit stops heating by the heating unit.

8. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein during heating by the heating unit, the control unit does not perform processing according to an operation on the contact sensor.

9. The aerosol generating device according to claim 8, wherein even during heating by the heating unit, when a predetermined event is detected, the control unit performs processing according to an operation on the contact sensor.

10. The aerosol generating device according to claim 9, wherein after detecting the predetermined event, the control unit performs processing according to an operation on the contact sensor only within a predetermined time.

11. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit performs processing according to an operation on the contact sensor according to the opening and closing of the opening.

12. The aerosol generating device according to claim 11, wherein when the opening is open and a predetermined operation for starting heating by the heating unit is performed on the contact sensor, heating is started, and when the opening is closed, heating is not started even if the predetermined operation is performed.

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