Aerosol generation device

Abstract

An aerosol generation device 1 includes: a heating unit for heating an aerosol source; a shoulder-section contact sensor 110 for detecting an operation at a first site on a surface of a housing 11; a rear-surface contact sensor 120 for detecting an operation at a second site different from the first site on a surface of the housing 11; and a control unit for controlling heating by the heating unit in response to detection by at least one contact sensor of the shoulder-section contact sensor 110 and the rear-surface contact sensor 120.

Description

Aerosol Generator

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

[0002] For example, in the aerosol inhaler described in Patent Document 1, the control device detects a request for aerosol generation based on the operation of an operation unit consisting of a button switch. For example, when a user performs a predetermined operation on the operation unit to start inhaling aerosol, the operation unit outputs a signal indicating a request for aerosol generation to the control device.

[0003] International Publication No. 2022 / 123796

[0004] If the button-type switch provided on the housing of the aerosol generator (the power supply unit case in Patent Document 1) does not have a waterproof structure, water droplets may enter the housing through the gap between the switch and the housing, causing a malfunction. Therefore, a configuration that employs a contact sensor that detects when a user's finger touches the housing to make it difficult for water droplets to enter the housing is conceivable. When employing a contact sensor, it is desirable that the sensor be able to accept a large number of input operations. The present disclosure aims to provide an aerosol generator that can accept a large number of input operations while suppressing the inflow of water droplets into the housing.

[0005] The present disclosure, which has been completed to achieve this objective, provides an aerosol generating device including a heating unit that heats an aerosol source, a first contact sensor that detects an operation on a first portion on a surface of a housing, a second contact sensor that detects an operation on a second portion on the surface of the housing that is different from the first portion, and a control unit that controls heating by the heating unit in response to detection by at least one of the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor. The control unit may perform processing in response to a common input operation for the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor. The control unit may also differentiate the content of processing in response to the input operation received by the first contact sensor from the content of processing in response to the input operation received by the second contact sensor. The input operation received by the first contact sensor may be an operation related to heating the aerosol source, and the input operation received by the second contact sensor may be an operation related to checking a physical quantity. The physical quantity may be at least one of a remaining battery charge, the number of aerosol sources that can be inhaled with the remaining battery charge, the remaining number of inhalations or inhalation time of the aerosol source currently in use, and the cumulative number of inhalations to date. The control unit may permit only processing in response to an operation on either the first contact sensor or the second contact sensor during heating by the heating unit. The housing may have a first surface having 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 intersecting the first surface, and a third surface between the first and second surfaces. The first contact sensor may detect an operation related to heating the aerosol source on the third surface, and the control unit may perform only processing in response to an operation on the first contact sensor during heating by the heating unit. The control unit may also perform processing in response to an operation on the second contact sensor when a predetermined event is detected, even during heating by the heating unit. The control unit may perform a process according to an operation on the second contact sensor only within a predetermined time after detecting the predetermined event.The control unit may perform only a process in response to an operation on one of the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor, the other of which is different from the other sensor having a larger contact area with another object. After detecting a predetermined operation, the control unit may perform a process in response to the operation on the other sensor only within a predetermined time.

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an aerosol generating device that can accept more input operations while suppressing the inflow of water droplets into the housing.

[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 an aerosol generation device. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a swipe operation performed by a user on the shoulder contact sensor. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between a swipe operation on the shoulder contact sensor and a transition of the state of the generation device. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a swipe operation performed by a user. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a swipe operation performed by a user. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor and notification content. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the generation device is held in the left hand. A flowchart showing an example of a heating process performed by the control unit. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a generation device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the generation device is held in the right hand. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a generation device according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a swipe operation performed by a user. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor and a transition of the state of the generation device. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a generation device according to a fifth embodiment. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a relationship between a swipe operation on a shoulder contact sensor and a transition of a state of the generating device;

[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 includes a shoulder contact sensor 110 and a rear contact sensor 120, which will be described in detail later, that detect when the user is touching the main unit 10. The shoulder contact sensor 110 and the rear contact sensor 120 function as input devices that accept information input from the user. The shoulder contact sensor 110 and the rear contact sensor 120 then output the information input by the user to the control unit 70.

[0016] (Notification Unit 40) The notification unit 40 notifies the user of information. The notification unit 40 includes, as an example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 41. In this embodiment, a plurality of (e.g., eight) LEDs 41 are arranged vertically in front of the rear wall 171 of the housing 11 that forms the rear surface 17 (in other words, inside the housing 11). The notification unit 40 causes the LEDs 41 to emit light in different light emission 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, and so on. The light emission pattern here is a concept that includes color, timing of turning on / off, and so on. The notification unit 40 may be configured with a display device that displays an image, a sound output device that outputs sound, a vibration device that vibrates, and so on, together with or instead of a light-emitting device such as the LED 41.

[0017] ((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.

[0018] ((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.

[0019] (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.

[0020] (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.

[0021] ((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.

[0022] ((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.

[0023] (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.

[0024] ((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.

[0025] 2, the main body 10 has a display window 172 in a rear wall 171 of the housing 11 that forms the rear surface 17, which passes light from the plurality of LEDs 41 arranged inside the housing 11. The display window 172 is a window provided at a position corresponding to the positions of the plurality of LEDs 41 arranged inside the housing 11 of the main body 10, and passes light from the plurality of LEDs 41. This allows the user to see the light from the rear surface 17 side.

[0026] (Cover 9) The cover 9 covers the front surface 12 of the housing 11 of the main body 10 and is molded 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.

[0027] (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 .

[0028] 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.

[0029] {Shoulder Contact Sensor 110 and Rear Contact Sensor 120} The following describes in detail the shoulder contact sensor 110 and the rear contact sensor 120. The detection methods of the shoulder contact sensor 110 and the rear contact sensor 120 can be, for example, a capacitance method, a resistive film method, a surface acoustic wave method, an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, or a load detection method.

[0030] The shoulder contact sensor 110 is disposed below the upper right wall 191 of the housing 11, which forms the upper right curved surface 19 (i.e., inside the housing 11). The shoulder contact sensor 110 detects the position where the user's finger F (see FIG. 5 ) touches the upper right curved surface 19. When viewed in a direction perpendicular to the upper right curved surface 19, the shoulder contact sensor 110 is rectangular and disposed so that its surface is parallel to the upper right curved surface 19. For example, if the shoulder contact sensor 110 uses a capacitance detection method, the shoulder contact sensor 110 has a matrix of multiple electrodes running from the top surface 15 toward the right side surface 14 and in the front-to-back direction (a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 3 ), and its surface is always covered with a slight 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 shoulder contact sensor 110. The shoulder contact sensor 110 identifies the location where the static electricity has been absorbed, thereby determining the coordinates of the position where the finger F is in contact, and transmits the coordinates to the control unit 70 via the internal bus.

[0031] Because the shoulder contact sensor 110 uses the above-described detection method, it is possible to place the shoulder contact sensor 110 inside the housing 11. The shoulder contact sensor 110 allows the 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 areas where the shoulder contact sensor 110 is located and in the areas where it is not. In other words, the areas of the upper right curved surface 19 where the shoulder contact sensor 110 is located are formed so that they are indistinguishable from each other visually and tactilely.

[0032] The rear contact sensor 120 is disposed in front of the rear wall 171 of the housing 11 that forms the rear surface 17 (i.e., inside the housing 11), below the vertically aligned LEDs 41. The rear contact sensor 120 detects the position where the user's finger F touches the rear surface 17. When viewed from the front to back, the rear contact sensor 120 is rectangular and disposed so that its surface is parallel to the rear surface 17. For example, if the rear contact sensor 120 uses a capacitance detection method, the rear contact sensor 120 has a matrix of multiple electrodes running in the vertical and horizontal directions as shown in FIG. 3, and its surface is always covered with a slight amount of static electricity. When the finger F touches the rear surface 17, the finger F absorbs the static electricity covering the surface of the rear contact sensor 120. The rear contact sensor 120 identifies the location where the static electricity was 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.

[0033] Because the rear contact sensor 120 uses the above-described detection method, it is possible to place the rear contact sensor 120 inside the housing 11. The rear contact sensor 120 allows the user to perform an input operation by touching the rear surface 17 with a finger F. In addition, in the generation device 1, the shape of the rear surface 17 is the same between the area where the rear contact sensor 120 is located inside and the area where the rear contact sensor 120 is not located inside. In other words, the area where the rear contact sensor 120 is located inside the rear surface 17 is formed so that it is indistinguishable on the surface both visually and tactilely from the area where the rear contact sensor 120 is not located inside.

[0034] The control unit 70 determines what kind of operation has been performed on the shoulder contact sensor 110 and the rear contact sensor 120 based on the information transmitted from the shoulder contact sensor 110 and the rear contact sensor 120. 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 a predetermined distance or more on the upper right curved surface 19 or the rear surface 17 (in other words, moved along the upper right curved surface 19 or the rear surface 17). The control unit 70 also determines that a tap operation has been performed when the finger F is brought into contact with the upper right curved surface 19 or the rear surface 17 and then removed from the upper right curved surface 19 or the rear surface 17 within a reference time (e.g., two seconds) without performing a swipe operation.

[0035] The following describes in detail a swipe operation on the shoulder contact sensor 110. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a swipe operation performed by a user on the shoulder contact sensor 110. 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.

[0036] When the shoulder contact sensor 110 transmits information indicating that the finger F has 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 shoulder contact sensor 110 transmits information indicating that the finger F has 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.

[0037] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between a swipe operation on the shoulder contact sensor 110 and a transition in 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 shoulder contact sensor 110. 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 illustrated that most of the functions of the generation device 1 are unavailable, except for the function of determining an operation on the shoulder contact sensor 110. Furthermore, when the generation device 1 is in active mode, it can be illustrated that most of the functions are available, except for the heating function of the heating unit 80.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] Next, a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor 120 will be described in detail. Figures 7 and 8 are diagrams showing an example of a swipe operation performed by a user. In Figures 7 and 8, the position of the finger F before movement due to an input operation (in other words, the area where the finger F is in contact with the rear surface 17) is shown by a dashed line, and the position of the finger F after movement is shown by a solid line. Also, in Figures 7 and 8, the rear contact sensor 120 is shown by a solid line.

[0041] FIG. 7 shows examples of swipe operations in four directions. More specifically, when information indicating that the finger F has moved upward is transmitted from the rear contact sensor 120 as shown in FIG. 7( a), the control unit 70 determines that an upward swipe operation (an example of an input operation) has been performed. When information indicating that the finger F has moved downward is transmitted from the rear contact sensor 120 as shown in FIG. 7( b), the control unit 70 determines that a downward swipe operation has been performed. When information indicating that the finger F has moved leftward is transmitted from the rear contact sensor 120 as shown in FIG. 7( c), the control unit 70 determines that a leftward swipe operation has been performed. When information indicating that the finger F has moved rightward is transmitted from the rear contact sensor 120 as shown in FIG. 7( d), the control unit 70 determines that a rightward swipe operation has been performed.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 8(a), when information indicating that the finger F has moved diagonally upward to the right is transmitted from the rear contact sensor 120, the control unit 70 determines that a right-upward swipe operation has been performed. As shown in Fig. 8(b), when information indicating that the finger F has moved diagonally downward to the left is transmitted from the rear contact sensor 120, the control unit 70 determines that a left-downward swipe operation has been performed. As shown in Fig. 8(c), when information indicating that the finger F has moved diagonally upward to the left is transmitted from the rear contact sensor 120, the control unit 70 determines that a left-upward swipe operation has been performed. As shown in Fig. 8(d), when information indicating that the finger F has moved diagonally downward to the right is transmitted from the rear contact sensor 120, the control unit 70 determines that a right-downward swipe operation has been performed.

[0043] Here, the control unit 70 determines that the swipe operation of the finger F is a movement in one of the four directions (up, down, left, and right) even if the movement direction of the finger F is slightly diagonal to that direction. For example, if the movement direction of the finger F is within a predetermined angle (e.g., 15°) with respect to each of the four directions (up, down, left, and right), the control unit 70 determines that the swipe operation is a movement in that direction. On the other hand, if the movement direction of the finger F exceeds a predetermined angle (e.g., 15°) with respect to the four directions, the control unit 70 determines that the swipe operation is a movement in a diagonal direction. More specifically, an example of upward movement will be described. Even if the movement direction of the finger F is not exactly upward (the direction in FIG. 7A ), the control unit 70 determines that the swipe operation is an upward movement if the directional deviation is within a predetermined angle, for example. On the other hand, if the movement direction of the finger F exceeds a predetermined angle to the right with respect to the upward direction, the control unit 70 determines that the swipe operation is an upper right swipe operation. If the movement direction of the finger F exceeds a predetermined angle to the left with respect to the upward direction, the control unit 70 determines that the swipe operation is an upper left swipe operation.

[0044] 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor 120 and the content of a notification. The control unit 70 notifies the user of a physical quantity via the notification unit 40 in response to a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor 120. Examples of the physical quantity include the remaining charge of the battery, which is the power source, the number of aerosol sources (in other words, the substrates 1000) that can be inhaled with the remaining charge of the battery, the remaining number of inhalations or the remaining suction time by the aerosol source currently in use, and the cumulative number of inhalations up to now. In addition, the control unit 70 uses multiple LEDs 41 provided above the rear contact sensor 120 as a means for notifying the user of the physical quantity.

[0045] When the control unit 70 determines that an upward swipe operation has been performed on the rear contact sensor 120, it causes the number of LEDs 41 corresponding to the remaining battery charge to emit light among the plurality of LEDs 41. For example, when the remaining battery charge is 90% or more, the control unit 70 causes all of the plurality of LEDs 41 to emit light. When the remaining battery charge is less than 10%, the control unit 70 causes one LED 41 to emit light.

[0046] When the control unit 70 determines that a rightward swipe operation has been performed on the rear contact sensor 120, the control unit 70 causes the LEDs 41, of which the number corresponds to the number of aerosol sources that can be inhaled with the remaining battery charge, to emit light. For example, the control unit 70 causes all of the LEDs 41 to emit light when the number of aerosol sources that can be inhaled with the remaining battery charge is equal to or greater than a predetermined first number (e.g., 10). Furthermore, the control unit 70 causes only one LED 41 to emit light when the number of aerosol sources that can be inhaled with the remaining battery charge is less than a predetermined second number (e.g., 2).

[0047] When the control unit 70 determines that a downward swipe operation has been performed on the rear contact sensor 120, it causes the control unit 70 to illuminate a number of the LEDs 41 corresponding to the remaining number of inhalations or the remaining inhalation time of the aerosol source in use. For example, the control unit 70 causes all of the LEDs 41 to illuminate when the remaining number of inhalations or the remaining inhalation time of the aerosol source in use is equal to or greater than a predetermined first number (e.g., 40 inhalations) or a predetermined first time (e.g., 5 minutes). Furthermore, the control unit 70 causes one LED 41 to illuminate when the remaining number of inhalations or the remaining inhalation time of the aerosol source in use is less than a predetermined second number (e.g., 5 inhalations) or a predetermined second time (e.g., 30 seconds).

[0048] When the control unit 70 determines that a leftward swipe operation has been performed on the rear contact sensor 120, it causes the control unit 70 to light up a number of the LEDs 41 corresponding to the cumulative number of suctions up to now. For example, the control unit 70 causes all of the LEDs 41 to light up when the cumulative number of suctions up to now is equal to or greater than a predetermined first cumulative number (e.g., 1 million times). Furthermore, the control unit 70 causes one LED 41 to light up when the cumulative number of suctions up to now is less than a predetermined second cumulative number (e.g., 10,000 times).

[0049] Note that the control unit 70 can, for example, notify the user of the physical quantity via the notification unit 40 in response to a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor 120, regardless of the state of the generation device 1, for example, whether it is in sleep mode, active mode, or heating mode with the heating unit 80. Alternatively, the control unit 70 can notify the user of the physical quantity via the notification unit 40 in response to a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor 120 only when the generation device 1 is in active mode or the heating unit 80 is heating.

[0050] As described above, the generator 1 includes a heating unit 80 that heats the aerosol source, a shoulder contact sensor 110 (an example of a first contact sensor) that detects an operation on the upper right curved surface 19 (an example of a first portion) on the surface of the housing 11, and a rear contact sensor 120 (an example of a second contact sensor) that detects an operation on the rear surface 17 (an example of a second portion) on the surface of the housing 11, which is different from the upper right curved surface 19. The generator 1 also includes a control unit 70 that controls heating by the heating unit 80 in response to detection by at least one of the shoulder contact sensor 110 and the rear contact sensor 120.

[0051] With the generation device 1 configured as described above, the shoulder contact sensor 110 and the rear contact sensor 120 can 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 there is a gap between the button-type switch and the housing. Furthermore, because the generation device 1 has two contact sensors, the shoulder contact sensor 110 and the rear contact sensor 120, it can accept more input operations than, for example, a configuration in which only one of the contact sensors is provided.

[0052] Furthermore, the control unit 70 differentiates the content of processing corresponding to input operations received by the shoulder contact sensor 110 from the content of processing corresponding to input operations received by the rear contact sensor 120. For example, the control unit 70 switches the mode of the generator 1 and starts and stops heating by the heating unit 80 in response to a swipe operation on the shoulder contact sensor 110. The control unit 70 also notifies the user of a physical quantity via the notification unit 40 in response to a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor 120. In other words, the input operations received by the shoulder contact sensor 110 are operations related to heating the aerosol source, and the input operations received by the rear contact sensor 120 are operations related to checking the physical quantity. Therefore, the generator 1 can accept a wider variety of processing via the shoulder contact sensor 110 and the rear contact sensor 120.

[0053] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the generator 1 is held in the left hand. In the generator 1 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 10, the user can perform a swipe operation on the upper right curved surface 19 with the thumb of the left hand while holding the generator 1 in the left hand. Therefore, with the generator 1, the user can switch modes and perform operations related to heating of the heating unit 80 by performing a swipe operation more easily than by performing a swipe operation on a surface of the housing 11 other than the upper right curved surface 19.

[0054] Here, the opening 92 is provided on one end side (the left side in FIG. 3 ) of the top surface 15, and the right side surface 14 is provided on the other end side (the right side in FIG. 3 ) 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, it is possible to reduce the size of the housing 11 while increasing the space for arranging the shoulder contact sensor 110.

[0055] The control unit 70 accepts a movement operation from the top surface 15 toward the right surface 14 on the shoulder contact sensor 110 as an input operation. When the control unit 70 accepts this movement operation, it starts heating the heating unit 80. In other words, when the control unit 70 determines that a first-movement swipe operation has been performed on the upper right curved surface 19, it 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.

[0056] The control unit 70 also accepts a movement operation from the right side surface 14 toward the top surface 15 relative to the shoulder contact sensor 110 as an input operation. When the control unit 70 accepts this movement operation, it 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, it 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.

[0057] 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 mode 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.

[0058] 10 , the generation device 1 configured as described above allows a user to perform a swipe operation on the rear surface 17 with the thumb of the left hand while holding the generation device 1 in the left hand. Alternatively, the user can perform a swipe operation on the rear surface 17 with a finger (e.g., the index finger) of the right hand while holding the generation device 1 in the left hand. Therefore, with the generation device 1, the user can check physical quantities by performing a swipe operation more easily than by performing a swipe operation on a surface of the housing 11 other than the upper right curved surface 19 or the rear surface 17.

[0059] In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 70 notifies the user of the physical quantity via the notification unit 40 in response to a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor 120. However, the control unit 70 may also perform other processing in response to a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor 120. For example, the control unit 70 may perform processing related to heating of the heating unit 80 in response to a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor 120. More specifically, when the heating unit 80 is heating and the control unit 70 determines that an upper-right swipe operation has been performed on the rear contact sensor 120, the control unit 70 may increase the heating temperature. On the other hand, when the control unit 70 determines that a lower-left swipe operation has been performed on the rear contact sensor 120, the control unit 70 may decrease the heating temperature. Furthermore, when multiple control sequences are stored in the storage unit 50, the control unit 70 may change the currently set control sequence to a control sequence with a higher target temperature for the heating unit 80 when the generation device 1 is in active mode and the control unit 70 determines that an upper-right swipe operation has been performed. In addition, when the control unit 70 determines that a swipe operation to the bottom left has been performed while the generation device 1 is in active mode, it may change the setting from the currently set control sequence to a control sequence with a lower target temperature for the heating unit 80.

[0060] 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.

[0061] The control unit 70 according to the second embodiment does not perform processing in response to an operation on the rear contact sensor 120 when the heating unit 80 is heating. In other words, even if the control unit 70 determines that a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor 120 has been performed while the heating unit 80 is heating after starting heating the heating unit 80, the control unit 70 does not notify the user of a physical quantity via the notification unit 40, for example. Alternatively, the control unit 70 does not accept information about the position coordinates of the finger F that is in contact with the rear contact sensor 120, which is transmitted from the rear contact sensor 120. This makes it possible to prevent the user from accidentally touching the rear contact sensor 120 and thus preventing the notification of a physical quantity via the notification unit 40, for example.

[0062] Furthermore, when a predetermined event is detected, the control unit 70 may perform processing according to an operation on the rear contact sensor 120. An example of the predetermined event is a double tap operation (in other words, two consecutive tap operations) on the rear contact sensor 120. 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 rear contact sensor 120 and then determines that a swipe operation has been performed on the rear contact sensor 120, the control unit 70 notifies the user via the notification unit 40 of a physical quantity corresponding to the swipe operation.

[0063] Alternatively, an example of the predetermined event may be a double tap on the generating device according to the second embodiment (the target of the double tap is not limited to the rear contact sensor 120). That is, when the heating unit 80 is heating, the control unit 70 determines that the generating device has been double tapped, and then notifies the user of a physical quantity corresponding to the swipe operation via the notification unit 40. Note that an example of the control unit 70 determining whether the generating device has been double tapped is based on the output of an acceleration sensor included in the sensor unit 30.

[0064] Furthermore, when the control unit 70 detects a predetermined event and performs processing in response to an operation on the rear contact sensor 120, the control unit 70 may perform the processing in response to the operation on the rear contact sensor 120 only within a predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds) after detecting the predetermined event. That is, when the control unit 70 detects a predetermined event while the heating unit 80 is heating and determines that a swipe operation has been performed on the rear contact sensor 120 within the predetermined time, the control unit 70 notifies the user of a physical quantity corresponding to the swipe operation via the notification unit 40. 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 swipe operation has been performed on the rear contact sensor 120 after the predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 70 does not stop heating the heating unit 80. Alternatively, the control unit 70 may stop accepting information transmitted from the rear contact sensor 120 after the predetermined time has elapsed.

[0065] An example of the heating process performed by the control unit 70 will be described below using a flowchart. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the heating process performed by the control unit 70. The control unit 70 repeatedly performs the heating process at predetermined intervals (e.g., 1 millisecond) while the heating unit 80 is heating. The control unit 70 determines whether a second-movement swipe operation has been performed on the shoulder contact sensor 110 (S1101). If a second-movement swipe operation has been performed (YES in S1101), the control unit 70 stops heating by the heating unit 80 (S1102). On the other hand, if a second-movement swipe operation has not been performed (NO in S1101), the control unit 70 determines whether it is time to stop heating according to the control sequence (S1103). If it is time to stop heating (YES in S1103), the control unit 70 stops heating by the heating unit 80 (S1102).

[0066] On the other hand, if it is not the timing to stop heating (NO in S1103), the control unit 70 determines whether a predetermined event has been detected (S1104). If a predetermined event has been detected (YES in S1104), the control unit 70 determines whether a swipe operation has been performed on the rear contact sensor 120 (S1105). If a swipe operation has been performed on the rear contact sensor 120 (YES in S1105), the control unit 70 notifies the user of the physical quantity corresponding to the swipe operation via the notification unit 40 (S1106), and ends the heating process.

[0067] On the other hand, if a swipe operation has not been performed on the rear contact sensor 120 (NO in S1105), the control unit 70 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed (S1107). If the predetermined time has not elapsed (NO in S1107), the control unit 70 performs the processing from S1105 onwards. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in S1107), the control unit 70 ends the heating process. Furthermore, if a predetermined event has not been detected in the processing of S1104 (NO in S1104), the control unit 70 ends the heating process.

[0068] As described above, the control unit 70 according to the second embodiment only permits processing in response to an operation on either the shoulder contact sensor 110 or the rear contact sensor 120 while the heating unit 80 is heating. In the example described above, the control unit 70 only permits reception of an operation on the shoulder contact sensor 110 while the heating unit 80 is heating. In other words, in the generation device according to the second embodiment, the control unit 70 does not perform processing in response to an operation on the rear contact sensor 120 while the heating unit 80 is heating. This makes it possible to prevent notification of a physical quantity, for example, via the notification unit 40, from being made due to the user accidentally touching the rear contact sensor 120.

[0069] More specifically, housing 11 has top surface 15 (an example of a first surface) provided with opening 92 for inserting the aerosol source, right side surface 14 (an example of a second surface) provided in a direction intersecting top surface 15, and upper right curved surface 19 (an example of a third surface) provided between top surface 15 and right side surface 14. Shoulder contact sensor 110 detects an operation related to heating the aerosol source on upper right curved surface 19, and control unit 70 performs only processing corresponding to the operation on shoulder contact sensor 110 while heating unit 80 is heating.

[0070] Even if the heating unit 80 is heating, the control unit 70 may perform processing in response to an operation on the rear contact sensor 120 when a predetermined event is detected. Convenience can be improved by performing processing in response to an operation on the rear contact sensor 120 when the user intentionally performs the operation. Even in such a case, the control unit 70 performs processing in response to the operation on the rear contact sensor 120 only within a predetermined time after detecting the predetermined event. This makes it possible to prevent notification of a physical quantity via, for example, the notification unit 40 when a predetermined event occurs unintentionally by the user.

[0071] Note that the control unit 70 according to the second embodiment may permit only processing corresponding to an operation on the rear contact sensor 120 out of the shoulder contact sensor 110 and the rear contact sensor 120 while the heating unit 80 is heating. In other words, after starting heating of the heating unit 80, the control unit 70 heats the heating unit 80 according to the control sequence and then stops the heating. However, even if the control unit 70 determines that a second movement swipe operation has been performed on the shoulder contact sensor 110 while the heating unit 80 is heating, the control unit 70 does not stop heating of the heating unit 80. Alternatively, the control unit 70 may not accept information about the position coordinates of the finger F that is transmitted from the shoulder contact sensor 110. This prevents the heating unit 80 from being stopped due to an erroneous operation by the user.

[0072] Third Embodiment Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the schematic configuration of a generation device 3 according to a third embodiment. Fig. 12(a) is an example of a view of the generation device 3 as seen from diagonally above the front, and Fig. 12(b) is an example of a view of the generation device 3 as seen from diagonally above the rear. The generation device 3 according to the third embodiment differs from the generation device 1 according to the first embodiment in that it does not have a cover 9, that it has a front contact sensor 130 in addition to the shoulder contact sensors 110 and the rear contact sensors 120, that it has multiple LEDs 342, and that it has a control unit 370 equivalent to the control unit 70. Components having the same functions in the first and third embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0073] The generator 3 has a housing 311 that corresponds to the housing 11 according to the first embodiment. The housing 311 has a front surface 312 that corresponds to the front surface 12 according to the first embodiment. Because the generator 3 does not have a cover 9, the front surface 312 is exposed to the outside even when the generator 3 is in use, for example, when the heating unit 80 is heating.

[0074] The front contact sensor 130 is disposed behind the front wall 317 of the housing 311 that forms the front surface 312 (in other words, inside the housing 311). The front contact sensor 130 can be exemplified as having the same structure and function as the rear contact sensor 120. The front contact sensor 130 is disposed so that its surface is parallel to the front surface 312. The front contact sensor 130 detects the position at which the user's finger F touches the front surface 312.

[0075] A plurality of (e.g., eight) LEDs 342 are arranged in a vertical line behind a front wall 317 of the housing 311 that forms the front surface 312 (in other words, inside the housing 311). The front wall 317 has a display window 372 that passes light from the plurality of LEDs 342 arranged inside the housing 311. The display window 372 is a window provided at a position corresponding to the positions of the plurality of LEDs 342 arranged inside the housing 311, and passes light from the plurality of LEDs 342. This allows the user to see the light from the front surface 312 side.

[0076] The control unit 370 also notifies the user of the physical quantity of the generation device 3 when a swipe operation is performed on the front contact sensor 130, in the same manner as when a swipe operation is performed on the rear contact sensor 120. That is, the control unit 370 performs processing according to a common input operation on the front contact sensor 130 and the rear contact sensor 120. The control unit 370 also provides a common notification for a swipe operation on the front contact sensor 130 and a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor 120.

[0077] For example, when the control unit 370 determines that an upward swipe operation has been performed on the front contact sensor 130, it causes the control unit 370 to light up a number of LEDs 342 corresponding to the remaining battery charge. Furthermore, when the control unit 370 determines that a rightward swipe operation has been performed on the front contact sensor 130, it causes the control unit 370 to light up a number of LEDs 342 corresponding to the number of aerosol sources that can be inhaled with the remaining battery charge. Furthermore, when the control unit 370 determines that a downward swipe operation has been performed on the front contact sensor 130, it causes the control unit 370 to light up a number of LEDs 342 corresponding to the remaining number of inhalations or the remaining inhalation time of the aerosol source currently in use. Furthermore, when the control unit 370 determines that a leftward swipe operation has been performed on the front contact sensor 130, it causes the control unit 370 to light up a number of LEDs 342 corresponding to the cumulative number of inhalations to date.

[0078] As described above, in the generating device 3, the rear contact sensor 120 is provided to correspond to the rear surface 17, and the front contact sensor 130 is provided to correspond to the front surface 312, and they are provided opposite each other across the heating unit 80. In the generating device 3, the control unit 370 performs processing in response to a common input operation on the rear contact sensor 120 and the front contact sensor 130.

[0079] This allows the user to perform input operations on the front contact sensor 130 when holding the generating device 3 in the hand with the front surface 312 facing forward, and to perform input operations on the rear contact sensor 120 when holding the generating device 3 in the hand with the rear surface 17 facing forward.

[0080] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the generation device 3 is held in the right hand. In the generation device 3 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 13, 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 3 in the right hand. Therefore, with the generation device 3, the user can perform a swipe operation more easily than with a surface of the housing 311 other than the upper right curved surface 19.

[0081] 13 , the generation device 3 allows a user to perform a swipe operation on the front surface 312 with the thumb of the right hand while holding the generation device 3 in the right hand. Alternatively, the user can perform a swipe operation on the front surface 312 with the fingers (e.g., index finger) of the left hand while holding the generation device 3 in the right hand. In this way, the user can perform input operations from multiple directions, making the generation device 3 highly convenient.

[0082] In addition, like the control unit 70 according to the second embodiment, the control unit 370 may be configured not to perform processing in response to operations on the rear contact sensor 120 and the front contact sensor 130 when the heating unit 80 is heating.

[0083] Fourth Embodiment Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the schematic configuration of a generation device 4 according to a fourth embodiment. Fig. 14(a) is an example of a view of the generation device 4 as seen from diagonally above the front, and Fig. 14(b) is an example of a view of the generation device 4 as seen from diagonally above the rear. The generation device 4 according to the fourth embodiment differs from the generation device 3 according to the third embodiment in that it does not have a shoulder contact sensor 110 and in that it has a control unit 470 that corresponds to the control unit 370. Components having the same functions in the third and fourth embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0084] Like the control unit 370, the control unit 470 has the function of notifying a physical quantity in response to operations on the rear contact sensor 120 (an example of a first contact sensor) and the front contact sensor 130 (an example of a second contact sensor), and in addition has the function of controlling mode transitions of the generation device 4 and the operation of the heating unit 80 in response to operations on the rear contact sensor 120 and the front contact sensor 130. The control unit 470 accepts common input operations for the rear contact sensor 120 and the front contact sensor 130. In the following explanation, the rear contact sensor 120 will be used as an example.

[0085] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a swipe operation performed by a user. In Fig. 15, the position of the finger F before the movement due to the input operation (in other words, the area where the finger F is in contact with the rear surface 17) is shown by a dashed line, and the position of the finger F after the movement is shown by a solid line. In Fig. 15, the rear contact sensor 120 is also shown by a solid line.

[0086] 15(a) and 15(b), when information indicating that the finger F has been moved in a clockwise arc is transmitted from the rear contact sensor 120, the control unit 470 determines that a clockwise swipe operation has been performed. Furthermore, when the central angle of the clockwise arc is 90° or less as shown in FIG. 15(a), the control unit 470 determines that a half-clockwise swipe operation has been performed, and when the central angle of the clockwise arc is greater than 90° as shown in FIG. 15(b), the control unit 470 determines that a full-clockwise swipe operation has been performed.

[0087] 15(c) and 15(d), when information indicating that the finger F has been moved counterclockwise in an arc is transmitted from the rear contact sensor 120, the control unit 470 determines that a counterclockwise swipe operation has been performed. Furthermore, when the central angle of the counterclockwise arc is 90° or less as shown in FIG. 15(c), the control unit 470 determines that a half-counterclockwise swipe operation has been performed, and when the central angle of the counterclockwise arc is greater than 90° as shown in FIG. 15(d), the control unit 470 determines that a full-counterclockwise swipe operation has been performed.

[0088] 16 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor 120 and a transition of the state of the generating device 4. The control unit 470 controls the operation of the generating device 4 based on the operation on the rear contact sensor 120. For example, if the generating device 4 is in sleep mode and the control unit 470 determines that a swipe operation of a full turn to the right has been performed, the generating device 4 is started up and transitions to active mode. Also, if the generating device 4 is in active mode and the control unit 470 determines that a swipe operation of a full turn to the left has been performed, the generating device 4 transitions to sleep mode.

[0089] The control unit 470 may wake up the generation device 4 from the sleep mode when it determines that a swipe operation of a half-clockwise movement has been performed. The control unit 470 may transition the generation device 4 from the active mode to the sleep mode when it determines that a swipe operation of a half-clockwise movement has been performed.

[0090] The control unit 470 controls the operation of the heating unit 80 based on a swipe operation on the rear contact sensor 120. For example, if the generation device 4 is in the active mode and the control unit 470 determines that a swipe operation of a half-clockwise movement has been performed, the control unit 470 starts heating the heating unit 80. Furthermore, if the control unit 470 determines that a swipe operation of a half-clockwise movement has been performed while the heating unit 80 is heating, the control unit 470 stops heating the heating unit 80.

[0091] The control unit 470 may start heating the heating unit 80 when it determines that a swipe operation of moving all the way around to the right has been performed. The control unit 470 may stop heating the heating unit 80 when it determines that a swipe operation of moving all the way around to the left has been performed.

[0092] When the control unit 470 determines that a swipe operation to move up and to the right has been performed while the heating unit 80 is heating, the control unit 470 increases the heating temperature. On the other hand, when the control unit 470 determines that a swipe operation to move down and to the left has been performed while the heating unit 80 is heating, the control unit 470 decreases the heating temperature. Note that the control unit 470 may increase the heating temperature when the control unit 470 determines that a swipe operation to move up and to the left has been performed while the heating unit 80 is heating, and decrease the heating temperature when the control unit 470 determines that a swipe operation to move down and to the right has been performed.

[0093] Furthermore, when multiple control sequences are stored in the storage unit 50, if the generation device 4 is in the active mode and it is determined that a swipe operation to the upper right has been performed, the control unit 470 may change the setting from the currently set control sequence to a control sequence with a higher target temperature for the heating unit 80. Furthermore, if the generation device 4 is in the active mode and it is determined that a swipe operation to the lower left has been performed, the control unit 470 may change the setting from the currently set control sequence to a control sequence with a lower target temperature for the heating unit 80.

[0094] In the generating device 4 according to the fourth embodiment configured as described above, the control unit 470 can also perform processing in response to an input operation common to the rear contact sensor 120 and the front contact sensor 130. Furthermore, the control unit 470 may permit the reception of an operation on one of the rear contact sensor 120 and the front contact sensor 130, whichever sensor has a larger contact area with another object (e.g., a user's hand), different from the other sensor.

[0095] For example, as shown in FIG. 10 , when a user holds the front surface 312 of the generation device 4 with their palm, the user is likely to perform an input operation on the rear contact sensor 120. Furthermore, when the user holds the front surface 312 with their palm, the contact area with the user's hand is larger on the front surface 312 (corresponding to the area where the front contact sensor 130 is located) than on the rear surface 17 (corresponding to the area where the rear contact sensor 120 is located). Therefore, for example, only processing is performed in response to an operation on the rear contact sensor 120 (an example of the other sensor) that is different from the front contact sensor 130 (an example of one sensor) that has a larger contact area with the user's hand. This prevents erroneous processing due to the user's grip. Furthermore, the control unit 470 may perform processing in response to an operation on the rear contact sensor 120 only within a predetermined time (e.g., five seconds) after detecting a predetermined operation. Examples of predetermined operations include a double-tap operation on the rear contact sensor 120 and a double-tap operation on the generation device 4.

[0096] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13 , when a user holds the rear surface 17 of the generating device 4 with their palm, the user is likely to perform an input operation on the front contact sensor 130. Furthermore, when the user holds the rear surface 17 with their palm, the contact area with the user's hand is larger on the rear surface 17 (corresponding to the area where the rear contact sensor 120 is located) than on the front surface 312 (corresponding to the area where the front contact sensor 130 is located). Therefore, for example, only processing is performed in response to an operation on the front contact sensor 130 (an example of the other sensor), which is different from the rear contact sensor 120 (an example of one sensor) that has a larger contact area with the user's hand. This prevents erroneous processing due to the user's grip. Furthermore, the control unit 470 may perform processing in response to an operation on the front contact sensor 130 only within a predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds) after detecting a predetermined operation. Examples of predetermined operations include a double-tap operation on the front contact sensor 130 and a double-tap operation on the generating device 4.

[0097] 17 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.

[0098] The main body 510 differs from the main body 10 in that it has a housing 511 corresponding to the housing 11, a shoulder contact sensor 540 corresponding to the shoulder contact sensor 110, a side contact sensor 550 corresponding to the rear contact sensor 120, a plurality of LEDs 541 corresponding to the plurality of LEDs 41, 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.

[0099] A plurality of (eight, for example) LEDs 541 are arranged vertically inside a side wall 571 of the housing 511 that forms the side surface 514. The side wall 571 has a display window 572 that passes light from the plurality of LEDs 541 arranged inside the housing 511. The display window 572 is a window provided at a position corresponding to the positions of the plurality of LEDs 541, and passes light from the plurality of LEDs 541.

[0100] Shoulder contact sensor 540 is disposed inside housing 511, which forms curved surface 519, and detects the position where user's finger F touches curved surface 519. For example, if shoulder contact sensor 540 uses a capacitance detection method, shoulder contact sensor 540 has a matrix of numerous electrodes running in both directions from top surface 515 to side surface 514 and in the circumferential direction, and its surface is always covered with a slight amount of static electricity. When finger F touches curved surface 519, finger F absorbs the static electricity covering the surface of shoulder contact sensor 540. Shoulder contact sensor 540 identifies the location where the static electricity has been absorbed, thereby determining the coordinates of the position where finger F is touching, and transmits this to control unit 570 via the internal bus.

[0101] The side contact sensor 550 is disposed below the LEDs 541 and inside the side wall 571 of the housing 11 that forms the side surface 514. The side contact sensor 550 detects the position where the user's finger F touches the side surface 514. For example, if the detection method of the side contact sensor 550 is a capacitance method, the side contact sensor 550 has a matrix of numerous electrodes running in both the vertical and circumferential directions, and its surface is always covered with a small amount of static electricity. When the finger F touches the side surface 514, the finger F absorbs the static electricity that covers the surface of the side contact sensor 550. The side contact sensor 550 identifies the location where the static electricity is 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. The side contact sensor 550 may be provided around the entire circumference, or may be provided over a range that has a predetermined central angle (e.g., 90°, 120°, or 180°) centered on a virtual line connecting the LEDs 541.

[0102] 18A and 18B are diagrams illustrating an example of a swipe operation performed by a user on the shoulder contact sensor 540. When the shoulder contact sensor 540 transmits information indicating that the finger F has moved in a direction from the top surface 515 toward the side surface 514 (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the "first direction") as shown in Fig. 18A, the control unit 570 determines that a swipe operation of a first movement has been performed. When the shoulder contact sensor 540 transmits information indicating that the finger F has moved in a direction from the side surface 514 toward the top surface 515 (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the "second direction") as shown in Fig. 18B, the control unit 570 determines that a swipe operation of a second movement has been performed.

[0103] 19 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between a swipe operation on the shoulder contact sensor 540 and a transition of the state of the generation device 5. The control unit 570 controls the operation of the generation device 5 based on the operation on the shoulder contact sensor 540. 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 sleep mode, the control unit 570 starts up the generation device 5 and transitions it to active mode. Furthermore, if the control unit 570 determines that a swipe operation for a second movement has been performed when the generation device 5 is in active mode, the control unit 570 transitions it to sleep mode.

[0104] Furthermore, if 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, if 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.

[0105] Next, a swipe operation on the side contact sensor 550 will be described in detail. Fig. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a swipe operation performed by a user. In Fig. 20, the position of the finger F before movement due to an input operation (in other words, the area where the finger F is in contact with the side surface 514) is shown by a dashed line, and the position of the finger F after movement is shown by a solid line.

[0106] FIG. 20 shows an example of a swipe operation in four directions. More specifically, when the side contact sensor 550 transmits information indicating that the finger F has moved upward as shown in FIG. 20( a), the control unit 570 determines that an upward swipe operation has been performed. When the side contact sensor 550 transmits information indicating that the finger F has moved downward as shown in FIG. 20( b), the control unit 570 determines that a downward swipe operation has been performed. When the side contact sensor 550 transmits information indicating that the finger F has moved leftward (in other words, clockwise as viewed from the top surface 515) as shown in FIG. 20( c), the control unit 570 determines that a leftward swipe operation has been performed. When the side contact sensor 550 transmits information indicating that the finger F has moved rightward (in other words, counterclockwise as viewed from the top surface 515) as shown in FIG. 20( d), the control unit 570 determines that a rightward swipe operation has been performed.

[0107] More specifically, the control unit 570 notifies the user of a physical quantity via the plurality of LEDs 541 in response to a swipe operation on the side contact sensor 550. For example, when the control unit 570 determines that an upward swipe operation has been performed on the side contact sensor 550, the control unit 570 causes a number of the plurality of LEDs 541 corresponding to the remaining battery charge to emit light. Furthermore, when the control unit 570 determines that a rightward swipe operation has been performed on the side contact sensor 550, the control unit 570 causes a number of the plurality of LEDs 541 corresponding to the number of aerosol sources that can be inhaled with the remaining battery charge to emit light. Furthermore, when the control unit 570 determines that a downward swipe operation has been performed on the side contact sensor 550, the control unit 570 causes a number of the plurality of LEDs 541 corresponding to the remaining number of inhalations or the remaining inhalation time of the aerosol source currently in use to emit light. Furthermore, when the control unit 570 determines that a leftward swipe operation has been performed on the side contact sensor 550, it causes a number of the LEDs 541 out of the plurality of LEDs 541 to light up according to the cumulative number of suctions up to the present time.

[0108] As described above, the generation device 5 includes a heating unit 80 that heats the aerosol source, a shoulder contact sensor 540 (an example of a first contact sensor) that detects an operation on a curved surface 519 (an example of a first portion) on the surface of the housing 511, and a side contact sensor 550 (an example of a second contact sensor) that detects an operation on a side surface 514 (an example of a second portion) on the surface of the housing 11 that is different from the curved surface 519. The generation device 5 also includes a control unit 570 that controls heating by the heating unit 80 in response to detection by at least one of the shoulder contact sensor 540 and the side contact sensor 550.

[0109] According to the generating device 5 configured as described above, the shoulder contact sensor 540 and the side contact sensor 550 can 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 a gap exists between the button-type switch and the housing, for example. Furthermore, because the generating device 5 has two contact sensors, the shoulder contact sensor 540 and the side contact sensor 550, it can accept more input operations than, for example, a configuration in which only one of the contact sensors is provided.

[0110] Furthermore, the control unit 570 differentiates the content of processing corresponding to input operations received by the shoulder contact sensor 540 from the content of processing corresponding to input operations received by the side contact sensor 550. For example, the control unit 570 switches the mode of the generation device 5 and starts and stops heating by the heating unit 80 in response to a swipe operation on the shoulder contact sensor 540. The control unit 570 also notifies the user of a physical quantity via the notification unit 40 in response to a swipe operation on the side contact sensor 550. In other words, the input operations received by the shoulder contact sensor 540 are operations related to heating the aerosol source, and the input operations received by the side contact sensor 550 are operations related to checking the physical quantity. Therefore, the generation device 5 can accept a wider variety of processing via the shoulder contact sensor 540 and the side contact sensor 550.

[0111] 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 shoulder contact sensor 540 regardless of where in the circumferential direction the housing 511 is held.

[0112] 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.

[0113] 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.

[0114] <Summary> The present disclosure includes the following configurations: (1) An aerosol generation device including a heating unit that heats an aerosol source, a first contact sensor that detects an operation on a first portion on a surface of a housing, a second contact sensor that detects an operation on a second portion on the surface of the housing that is different from the first portion, and a control unit that controls heating by the heating unit in response to detection by at least one of the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor. (2) The aerosol generation device described in (1), in which the control unit performs processing in response to an input operation common to the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor. (3) The aerosol generation device described in (1), in which the control unit differentiates the content of processing in response to the input operation received by the first contact sensor from the content of processing in response to the input operation received by the second contact sensor. (4) The aerosol generation device described in (3), in which the input operation received by the first contact sensor is an operation related to heating the aerosol source, and the input operation received by the second contact sensor is an operation related to checking a physical quantity. (5) The aerosol generation device according to (4), wherein the physical quantity is at least one of a remaining battery charge, the number of aerosol sources that can be inhaled with the remaining battery charge, the remaining number of inhalations or inhalation time that can be performed by the aerosol source currently in use, and the cumulative number of inhalations to date. (6) The aerosol generation device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the control unit permits only processing in accordance with an operation on either the first contact sensor or the second contact sensor during heating by the heating unit. (7) The aerosol generation device according to (6), wherein the housing 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, wherein the first contact sensor detects an operation on the third surface related to heating of the aerosol source, and the control unit performs only processing in accordance with an operation on the first contact sensor during heating by the heating unit. (8) The control unit of the aerosol generating device described in (7) performs processing in accordance with an operation on the second contact sensor when a predetermined event is detected, even while heating is being performed by the heating unit.(9) The aerosol generation device according to (8), wherein the control unit performs processing in response to an operation on the second contact sensor only within a predetermined time after detecting the predetermined event. (10) The aerosol generation device according to (6), wherein the control unit performs processing in response to an operation on one of the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor, which is different from the other sensor having a larger contact area with another object. (11) The aerosol generation device according to (10), wherein the control unit performs processing in response to an operation on the other sensor only within a predetermined time after detecting the predetermined operation.

[0115] 1, 3, 4, 5... aerosol generating device, 9... cover, 10... main body, 11... housing, 12, 312... front, 14... right side, 15, 515... upper surface, 17... rear surface, 19... upper right curved surface, 30... sensor unit, 70, 370, 470, 570... control unit, 80... heating unit, 110, 540... shoulder contact sensor, 120... rear contact sensor, 130... front contact sensor, 514... side, 519... curved surface, 550... side contact sensor

Claims

1. Aerosol generating device comprising a heating unit for heating an aerosol source, a first contact sensor for detecting an operation on a first part of the surface of the housing, a second contact sensor for detecting an operation on a second part of the surface of the housing different from the first part, and a control unit for controlling the heating by the heating unit in response to detection by at least one of the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor.

2. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs processing in response to a common input operation by the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor.

3. The aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit makes the content of the processing in response to the input operation received by the first contact sensor different from the content of the processing in response to the input operation received by the second contact sensor.

4. The input operation received by the first contact sensor is an operation related to heating of the aerosol source, and the input operation received by the second contact sensor is an operation related to confirmation of a physical quantity. The aerosol generating device according to claim 3.

5. The physical quantity is at least one of a battery remaining amount, the number of aerosol sources that can be aspirated with the remaining battery amount, the remaining number of aspiratable times or the aspirating time by the aerosol source in use, and the cumulative value of the number of aspirating times up to now. The aerosol generating device according to claim 4.

6. The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit permits only processing in response to an operation on either one of the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor during heating by the heating unit.

7. The housing 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. The first contact sensor detects an operation related to heating of the aerosol source on the third surface, and the control unit performs only processing in response to an operation on the first contact sensor during heating by the heating unit. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6.

8. The aerosol generating device according to claim 7, 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 second contact sensor.

9. The aerosol generating device according to claim 8, wherein after detecting the predetermined event, the control unit performs processing according to an operation on the second contact sensor only within a predetermined time.

10. The aerosol generating device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit performs only processing according to an operation on the other sensor, which is different from the sensor having a larger contact area with another object among the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor.

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

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