POWER SUPPLY UNIT FOR AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE

Info

Publication number: 20240057684
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 5, 2023
Publication Date: Feb 22, 2024
Applicant: Japan Tobacco Inc. (Tokyo)
Inventors: Tatsunari AOYAMA (Tokyo), Hiroshi KAWANAGO (Tokyo), Toru NAGAHAMA (Tokyo), Takashi FUJIKI (Tokyo), Ryo YOSHIDA (Tokyo)
Application Number: 18/502,051

Abstract

A power supply unit for an aerosol generating device, the power supply unit includes: a power supply; a heater connector to which a heater configured to heat an aerosol source by consuming a power supplied from the power supply is connected; a controller configured to control a supply of a power from the power supply to the heater and including a power supply terminal configured to receive a power for operation; a switch configured to connect the power supply and the power supply terminal of the controller; and a restart circuit configured to control opening and closing of the switch. The restart circuit performs a first operation of opening the switch when a restart condition is satisfied, and performs a second operation of closing the switch after performing the first operation.

Description

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/JP2022/009493 filed on Mar. 4, 2022, and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-079905 filed on May 10, 2021, the entire content of each is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a power supply unit for an aerosol generating device.

BACKGROUND

JP2019-187428A describes an electronic inhalation device capable of returning variables and parameters changed by a user to a state of factory settings by a reset operation.

JP2020-518250A describes a necessity of pressing a reset button in an e-cigarette when an error state is flagged by a user via a user interface.

JP2020-527053A describes an aerosol generating device that performs a reset (initialization setting) operation by pressing a button for a long time.

JP2020-527945A discloses that, in an aerosol delivery device, the device is automatically reset when a control component or software running thereon is continuously unstable.

Japanese Patent No. 6770579 describes a reset of an electronic cigarette by a smartphone capable of communicating with the electronic cigarette.

JP2017-538408A describes permanently disabling an inhalation device until a reset procedure is carried out.

Japanese Patent No. 6752220 describes an apparatus for providing a maintenance service for a smoking device. The apparatus is configured to perform a software reset of the smoking device.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a power supply unit for an aerosol generating device, the power supply unit being capable of stably restarting a controller.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a power supply unit for an aerosol generating device includes: a power supply; a heater connector to which a heater configured to heat an aerosol source by consuming a power supplied from the power supply is connected; a controller configured to control a supply of a power from the power supply to the heater and including a power supply terminal configured to receive a power for operation; a switch configured to connect the power supply and the power supply terminal of the controller; and a restart circuit configured to control opening and closing of the switch, in which the restart circuit performs a first operation of opening the switch when a restart condition is satisfied, and performs a second operation of closing the switch after performing the first operation.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to stably restart the controller.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a non-combustion inhalation device;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the non-combustion inhalation device with a rod mounted thereon;

FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the non-combustion inhalation device;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the non-combustion inhalation device;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an internal unit of the non-combustion inhalation device;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the internal unit in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the internal unit without a power supply and a chassis;

FIG. 8 is another perspective view of the internal unit without the power supply and the chassis;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation modes of the inhalation device;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric circuit of the internal unit;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the electric circuit of the internal unit;

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the electric circuit of the internal unit;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the electric circuit in a sleep mode;

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the electric circuit in an active mode;

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the electric circuit in a heating initial setting mode;

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the electric circuit when a heater is heated in a heating mode;

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the electric circuit when a temperature of the heater is detected in the heating mode;

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the electric circuit in a charge mode;

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the electric circuit when an MCU is reset (restarted);

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a schematic internal configuration of a charging IC;

FIG. 21 is a circuit diagram of main parts of the electric circuit shown in FIG. 10, showing main electronic components related to a reset operation; and

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along a section passing through a case thermistor of the inhalation device shown in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an inhalation system which is an embodiment of an aerosol generating device according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The inhalation system includes a non-combustion inhalation device 100 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as the “inhalation device 100”) which is an embodiment of a power supply unit of the present disclosure, and a rod 500 to be heated by the inhalation device 100. In the following description, a configuration in which the inhalation device 100 accommodates a heating unit in a non-detachable manner will be described as an example. However, the heating unit may be detachably attached to the inhalation device 100. For example, a component in which the rod 500 and the heating unit are integrated may be detachably attached to the inhalation device 100. That is, the power supply unit for the aerosol generating device may have a configuration that does not include the heating unit as a component. The term “non-detachable” refers to a configuration in which detachment cannot be performed as far as possible uses. Alternatively, an induction heating coil provided in the inhalation device 100 and a susceptor built in the rod 500 may cooperate to constitute the heating unit.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of the inhalation device 100. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inhalation device 100 with the rod 500 mounted thereon. FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the inhalation device 100. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the inhalation device 100. In the following description, an orthogonal coordinate system of a three-dimensional space in which three directions orthogonal to each other are defined as a front-rear direction, a left-right direction, and an up-down direction is used for convenience. In the drawings, a front side is denoted by Fr, a rear side is denoted by Rr, a right side is denoted by R, a left side is denoted by L, an upper side is denoted by U, and a lower side is denoted by D.

The inhalation device 100 is configured to generate a flavor-containing aerosol by heating the elongated substantially cylindrical rod 500 (see FIG. 2) as an example of a flavor component-generating base material including a filler or the like containing an aerosol source and a flavor source.

The rod 500 includes a filler containing an aerosol source that is heated at a predetermined temperature to generate an aerosol.

A type of the aerosol source is not particularly limited, and an extract substance from various natural products and/or a constituent component thereof may be selected according to the use. The aerosol source may be a solid, or may be a liquid, for example, a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerin or propylene glycol, or water. The aerosol source may contain a flavor source such as a cigarette raw material that effuses a flavor component by heating, or an extract derived from the cigarette raw material. A gas to which the flavor component is added is not limited to the aerosol, and for example, an invisible vapor may be generated.

The filler of the rod 500 may contain a cut tobacco as a flavor source. A material of the cut tobacco is not particularly limited, and a known material such as lamina or backbone may be used. The filler may contain one or two or more fragrances. A type of the fragrance is not particularly limited, and menthol is preferred from a viewpoint of imparting a good smoking taste. The flavor source may contain a plant other than tobacco (for example, mints, herbal medicines, or herbs). Depending on uses, the rod 500 may not include the flavor source.

Next, the overall configuration of the inhalation device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

The inhalation device 100 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case 110 having a front surface, a rear surface, a left surface, a right surface, an upper surface, and a lower surface. The case 110 includes a bottomed cylindrical case main body 112 in which the front surface, the rear surface, the upper surface, the lower surface, and the right surface are integrally formed, an outer panel 115 and an inner panel 118 that seal an opening portion 114 (see FIG. 4) of the case main body 112 and form the left surface, and a slider 119.

The inner panel 118 is fixed to the case main body 112 with bolts 120. The outer panel 115 is fixed to the case main body 112 so as to cover an outer surface of the inner panel 118, by using magnets 124 held by a chassis 150 (see FIG. 5) to be described later accommodated in the case main body 112. Since the outer panel 115 is fixed by the magnets 124, a user may replace the outer panel 115 as desired.

The inner panel 118 is provided with two through holes 126 through which the magnets 124 pass, respectively. The inner panel 118 is further provided with a vertically long hole 127 and a circular round hole 128 between the two through holes 126 that are arranged vertically. The long hole 127 is for transmitting light emitted from eight light emitting diodes (LEDs) L1 to L8 built in the case main body 112. A button-type operation switch OPS built in the case main body 112 passes through the round hole 128. Accordingly, the user may detect the light emitted from the eight LEDs L1 to L8 through an LED window 116 of the outer panel 115. In addition, the user may press down the operation switch OPS via a pressing unit 117 of the outer panel 115.

As shown in FIG. 2, an opening 132 into which the rod 500 may be inserted is provided on the upper surface of the case main body 112. The slider 119 is coupled to the case main body 112 in a manner as to be movable in a front-rear direction between a position (see FIG. 1) where the opening 132 is closed and a position (see FIG. 2) where the opening 132 is opened.

The operation switch OPS is used to perform various operations of the inhalation device 100. For example, the user operates the operation switch OPS via the pressing unit 117 in a state where the rod 500 is inserted into the opening 132 and mounted thereon as shown in FIG. 2. Accordingly, the rod 500 is heated by a heating unit 170 (see FIG. 5) without being burned. When the rod 500 is heated, an aerosol is generated from the aerosol source included in the rod 500, and a flavor of the flavor source included in the rod 500 is added to the aerosol. The user may inhale the flavor-containing aerosol by holding a mouthpiece 502 of the rod 500 protruding from the opening 132 and inhaling.

As shown in FIG. 3, a charging terminal 134 that is electrically connected to an external power supply such as an outlet or a mobile battery and receives a supply of a power is provided at the lower surface of the case main body 112. In the present embodiment, the charging terminal 134 is a universal serial bus (USB) Type-C receptacle, but is not limited thereto. The charging terminal 134 is hereinafter also referred to as a receptacle RCP.

The charging terminal 134 may include, for example, a power receiving coil, and may be configured to receive a power transmitted from the external power supply in a wireless manner. A wireless power transfer method in this case may be an electromagnetic induction type, a magnetic resonance type, or a combination of the electromagnetic induction type and the magnetic resonance type. As another example, the charging terminal 134 may be connected to various USB terminals or the like, and may include the above power receiving coil.

The configuration of the inhalation device 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is merely an example. The inhalation device 100 may be configured in various forms such that the rod 500 is held and an action such as heating is applied to generate a gas to which a flavor component is added from the rod 500, and the user may inhale the generated gas.

An internal unit 140 of the inhalation device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the internal unit 140 of the inhalation device 100. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the internal unit 140 in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the internal unit 140 without a power supply BAT and the chassis 150. FIG. 8 is another perspective view of the internal unit 140 without the power supply BAT and the chassis 150.

The internal unit 140 accommodated in an internal space of the case 110 includes the chassis 150, the power supply BAT, a circuit unit 160, the heating unit 170, a notification unit 180, and various sensors.

The chassis 150 includes a plate-shaped chassis main body 151 that is disposed substantially in a center of the internal space of the case 110 in the front-rear direction and extends in an up-down direction and the front-rear direction, a plate-shaped front-rear dividing wall 152 that is disposed substantially in the center of the internal space of the case 110 in the front-rear direction and extends in the up-down direction and a left-right direction, a plate-shaped up-down dividing wall 153 that extends forward from substantially a center of the front-rear dividing wall 152 in the up-down direction, a plate-shaped chassis upper wall 154 that extends rearward from upper edge portions of the front-rear dividing wall 152 and the chassis main body 151, and a plate-shaped chassis lower wall 155 that extends rearward from lower edge portions of the front-rear dividing wall 152 and the chassis main body 151. A left surface of the chassis main body 151 is covered with the inner panel 118 and the outer panel 115 of the case 110 described above.

The internal space of the case 110 is defined by the chassis 150 such that a heating unit accommodation region 142 is defined in an upper front portion, a board accommodation region 144 is defined in a lower front portion, and a power supply accommodation space 146 is defined in the rear in the up-down direction.

The heating unit 170 accommodated in the heating unit accommodation region 142 is constituted by a plurality of cylindrical members, and the cylindrical members are concentrically arranged to form a cylindrical body as a whole. The heating unit 170 includes a rod accommodation portion 172 capable of accommodating a part of the rod 500 therein, and a heater HTR (see FIGS. 10 to 19) that heats the rod 500 from an outer periphery or a center. It is preferable that a surface of the rod accommodation portion 172 is heat-insulated against the heater HTR by forming the rod accommodation portion 172 with a heat insulating material or providing a heat insulating material inside the rod accommodation portion 172. The heater HTR may be an element capable of heating the rod 500. The heater HTR is, for example, a heating element. Examples of the heating element include a heating resistor, a ceramic heater, and an induction heating heater. As the heater HTR, for example, an element having a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) characteristic in which a resistance value increases with an increase in temperature is preferably used. Instead, the heater HTR having a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) characteristic in which the resistance value decreases with the increase in temperature may be used. The heating unit 170 has a function of defining a flow path of air supplied to the rod 500 and a function of heating the rod 500. The case 110 is formed with a vent (not shown) for allowing the air to flow in, and is configured to allow the air to flow into the heating unit 170.

The power supply BAT accommodated in the power supply accommodation space 146 is a rechargeable secondary battery, an electric double layer capacitor, or the like, and is preferably a lithium ion secondary battery. An electrolyte of the power supply BAT may be constituted by one or a combination of a gel electrolyte, an electrolytic solution, a solid electrolyte, and an ionic liquid.

The notification unit 180 performs a notification of various information such as a state of charge (SOC) indicating a state of charge of the power supply BAT, a preheating time at the time of inhalation, and an inhalation available period. The notification unit 180 of the present embodiment includes the eight LEDs L1 to L8 and a vibration motor M. The notification unit 180 may be constituted by light emitting elements such as the LEDs L1 to L8, vibration elements such as the vibration motor M, or audio output elements. The notification unit 180 may be a combination of two or more elements among the light emitting element, the vibration element, and the audio output element.

The various sensors include an intake sensor that detects a puff operation (an inhalation operation) of the user, a power supply temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the power supply BAT, a heater temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the heater HTR, a case temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the case 110, a cover position sensor that detects a position of the slider 119, a panel detection sensor that detects attachment and detachment of the outer panel 115, and the like.

The intake sensor is mainly constituted by, for example, a thermistor T2 disposed near the opening 132. The power supply temperature sensor is mainly constituted by, for example, a thermistor T1 disposed near the power supply BAT. The heater temperature sensor is mainly constituted by, for example, a thermistor T3 disposed near the heater HTR. As described above, the rod accommodation portion 172 is preferably heat-insulated from the heater HTR. In this case, the thermistor T3 is preferably in contact with or close to the heater HTR inside the rod accommodation portion 172. When the heater HTR has the PTC characteristic or the NTC characteristic, the heater HTR itself may be used as the heater temperature sensor. The case temperature sensor is mainly constituted by, for example, a thermistor T4 disposed near the left surface of the case 110. The thermistor T4 is preferably in contact with or close to the case 110. The cover position sensor is mainly constituted by a Hall IC 14 including a Hall element disposed near the slider 119. The panel detection sensor is mainly constituted by a Hall IC 13 including a Hall element disposed near an inner surface of the inner panel 118.

The circuit unit 160 includes four circuit boards, a plurality of integrate circuits (ICs), and a plurality of elements. The four circuit boards include a micro controller unit (MCU) mounting board 161 on which an MCU 1 and a charging IC 2 to be described later are mainly arranged, a receptacle mounting board 162 on which the charging terminal 134 is mainly disposed, an LED mounting board 163 on which a communication IC 15 to be described later, the operation switch OPS, and the LEDs L1 to L8 are arranged, and a Hall IC mounting board 164 on which the Hall IC 14 to be described later including the Hall element constituting the cover position sensor is disposed.

The MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are arranged parallel to each other in the board accommodation region 144. Specifically, the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are arranged such that each of the element arrangement surfaces thereof extend in the left-right direction and the up-down direction, and the MCU mounting board 161 is disposed in front of the receptacle mounting board 162. Each of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 is provided with an opening portion. The MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are fastened to a board fixing portion 156 of the front-rear dividing wall 152 by a bolt 136 in a state where a cylindrical spacer 173 is interposed between peripheral edge portions of the opening portions. That is, the spacer 173 fixes positions of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 inside the case 110, and mechanically connects the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 from coming into contact with each other and from generating a short-circuit current therebetween.

For convenience, assuming that surfaces of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 directing forward are main surfaces 161a and 162a, respectively, and surfaces opposite to the main surfaces 161a and 162a are sub surfaces 161b and 162b, respectively, the sub surface 161b of the MCU mounting board 161 and the main surface 162a of the receptacle mounting board 162 face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween. The main surface 161a of the MCU mounting board 161 faces the front surface of the case 110, and the sub surface 162b of the receptacle mounting board 162 faces the front-rear dividing wall 152 of the chassis 150. Elements and ICs mounted on the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 will be described later.

The LED mounting board 163 is disposed on a left side surface of the chassis main body 151 and between the two magnets 124 arranged vertically. An element arrangement surface of the LED mounting board 163 is disposed along the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. In other words, the respective element arrangement surfaces of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 are orthogonal to the element arrangement surface of the LED mounting board 163. The respective element arrangement surfaces of the MCU mounting board 161 and the receptacle mounting board 162 and the element arrangement surface of the LED mounting board 163 are not limited to being orthogonal to each other, and preferably intersect with each other (non-parallel). The vibration motor M constituting the notification unit 180 together with the LEDs L1 to L8 is fixed to a lower surface of the chassis lower wall 155 and is electrically connected to the MCU mounting board 161.

The Hall IC mounting board 164 is disposed on an upper surface of the chassis upper wall 154.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation modes of the inhalation device 100. As shown in FIG. 9, the operation modes of the inhalation device 100 include a charge mode, a sleep mode, an active mode, a heating initial setting mode, a heating mode, and a heating end mode.

The sleep mode is a mode for power saving by stopping a supply of a power mainly to electronic components required for heating control of the heater HTR.

The active mode is a mode in which most functions except the heating control of the heater HTR are enabled. When the slider 119 is opened while the inhalation device 100 is operating in the sleep mode, the operation mode is switched to the active mode. When the slider 119 is closed or a non-operating time of the operation switch OPS reaches a predetermined time while the inhalation device 100 is operating in the active mode, the operation mode is switched to the sleep mode.

The heating initial setting mode is a mode for performing initial setting of control parameters and the like for starting the heating control of the heater HTR. When an operation of the operation switch OPS is detected while the inhalation device 100 is operating in the active mode, the operation mode is switched to the heating initial setting mode. When the initial setting ends, the operation mode is switched to the heating mode.

The heating mode is a mode for performing the heating control of the heater HTR (heating control for aerosol generation and heating control for temperature detection). When the operation mode is switched to the heating mode, the inhalation device 100 starts the heating control of the heater HTR.

The heating end mode is a mode for executing an end process (a storage process of a heating history or the like) of the heating control of the heater HTR. While the inhalation device 100 is operating in the heating mode, when an energization time of the heater HTR or the number of times of inhalation by the user reaches an upper limit, or when the slider 119 is closed, the operation mode is switched to the heating end mode, and when the end process ends, the operation mode is switched to the active mode. When a USB connection is established while the inhalation device 100 is operating in the heating mode, the operation mode is switched to the heating end mode, and when the end process ends, the operation mode is switched to the charge mode. As shown in FIG. 9, in this case, the operation mode may be switched to the active mode before the operation mode is switched to the charge mode. In other words, when the USB connection is established while the inhalation device 100 is operating in the heating mode, the operation mode may be switched in the order of the heating end mode, the active mode, and the charge mode.

The charge mode is a mode in which the power supply BAT is charged by a power supplied from the external power supply connected to the receptacle RCP. When the external power supply is connected to the receptacle RCP (the USB connection) while the inhalation device 100 is operating in the sleep mode or the active mode, the operation mode is switched to the charge mode. While the inhalation device 100 is operating in the charge mode, when the charging of the power supply BAT is completed or the connection between the receptacle RCP and the external power supply is released, the operation mode is switched to the sleep mode.

FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of an electric circuit of the internal unit 140. FIG. 11 is the same as FIG. 10 except that a range 161A (a range surrounded by a thick broken line) mounted on the MCU mounting board 161 and a range 163 A (a range surrounded by a thick solid line) mounted on the LED mounting board 163 are added in the electric circuit shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is the same as FIG. 10 except that a range 162A mounted on the receptacle mounting board 162 and a range 164A mounted on the Hall IC mounting board 164 are added in the electric circuit shown in FIG. 10.

An interconnect indicated by a thick solid line in FIG. 10 is an interconnect (an interconnect connected to the ground provided in the internal unit 140) having the same potential as a reference potential (a ground potential) of the internal unit 140, and the interconnect is hereinafter referred to as a ground line. In FIG. 10, each electronic component in which a plurality of circuit elements are chipped is indicated by a rectangle, and reference numerals of various terminals are shown inside the rectangle. Power supply terminals VCC and power supply terminals VDD mounted on chips indicate power supply terminals on a high potential side, respectively. Power supply terminals VSS and ground terminals GND mounted on the chips indicate power supply terminals on a low potential side (a reference potential side), respectively. In the chipped electronic component, a difference between a potential of the power supply terminal on the high potential side and a potential of the power supply terminal on the low potential side is a power supply voltage. The chipped electronic component performs various functions using the power supply voltage.

As shown in FIG. 11, the MCU mounting board 161 (the range 161A) is provided with, as main electronic components, the MCU 1 that performs overall control of the entire inhalation device 100, the charging IC 2 that performs charging control of the power supply BAT, load switches (hereinafter, referred to as LSWs) 3, 4, and 5 each constituted by combining a capacitor, a resistor, a transistor, and the like, a read only memory (ROM) 6, a switch driver 7, a step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 (shown as the step-up/down DC-DC 8 in the drawing), an operational amplifier OP2, an operational amplifier OP3, flip-flops (hereinafter, referred to as FFs) 16 and 17, connectors Cn(t2) electrically connected to the thermistor T2 constituting the intake sensor (the thermistor T2 connected to the connectors is shown in the drawing), connectors Cn(t3) electrically connected to the thermistor T3 constituting the heater temperature sensor (the thermistor T3 connected to the connectors is shown in the drawing), connectors Cn(t4) electrically connected to the thermistor T4 constituting the case temperature sensor (the thermistor T4 connected to the connectors is shown in the drawing), and a voltage dividing circuit Pc for USB connection detection.

The ground terminal GND of each of the charging IC 2, LSW 3, LSW 4, and LSW 5, the switch driver 7, the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8, the FF 16, and the FF 17 is connected to the ground line. The power supply terminal VSS of the ROM 6 is connected to the ground line. A negative power supply terminal of each of the operational amplifiers OP2 and OP3 is connected to the ground line.

As shown in FIG. 11, the LED mounting board 163 (the range 163A) is provided with the Hall IC 13 including the Hall element constituting the panel detection sensor, the LEDs L1 to L8, the operation switch OPS, and the communication IC 15 as main electronic components. The communication IC 15 is a communication module for communicating with an electronic device such as a smartphone. Each of the power supply terminal VSS of the Hall IC 13 and the ground terminal GND of the communication IC 15 is connected to the ground line. The communication IC 15 and the MCU 1 are configured to communicate with each other via a communication line LN. One end of the operation switch OPS is connected to the ground line, and the other end of the operation switch OPS is connected to a terminal P4 of the MCU 1.

As shown in FIG. 12, the receptacle mounting board 162 (the range 162A) is provided with, as main electronic components, a power supply connector electrically connected to the power supply BAT (the power supply BAT connected to the power supply connector is shown in the drawing), a connector electrically connected to the thermistor T1 constituting the power supply temperature sensor (the thermistor T1 connected to this connector is shown in the drawing), a step-up DC-DC converter 9 (shown as the step-up DC-DC 9 in the drawing), a protection IC 10, an overvoltage protection IC 11, a remaining capacity meter IC 12, the receptacle RCP, switches S3 to S6 each constituted by a MOSFET, an operational amplifier OP1, and a pair of (that is, positive electrode side and negative electrode side) heater connectors Cn electrically connected to the heater HTR.

Each of the two ground terminals GND of the receptacle RCP, the ground terminal GND of the step-up DC-DC converter 9, the power supply terminal VSS of the protection IC 10, the power supply terminal VSS of the remaining capacity meter IC 12, the ground terminal GND of the overvoltage protection IC 11, and a negative power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the ground line.

As shown in FIG. 12, the Hall IC mounting board 164 (the range 164A) is provided with the Hall IC 14 including the Hall element constituting the cover position sensor. The power supply terminal VSS of the Hall IC 14 is connected to the ground line. An output terminal OUT of the Hall IC 14 is connected to a terminal P8 of the MCU 1. The MCU 1 detects the opening and closing of the slider 119 based on a signal input to the terminal P8.

As shown in FIG. 11, a connector electrically connected to the vibration motor M is provided on the MCU mounting board 161.

Hereinafter, a connection relationship or the like between the electronic components will be described with reference to FIG. 10.

Two power supply input terminals VBUS of the receptacle RCP are each connected to an input terminal IN of the overvoltage protection IC 11 via a fuse Fs. When a USB plug is connected to the receptacle RCP, and a USB cable including the USB plug is connected to the external power supply, a USB voltage V_USBis supplied to the two power supply input terminals VBUS of the receptacle RCP.

One end of a voltage dividing circuit Pa including a series circuit of two resistors is connected to the input terminal IN of the overvoltage protection IC 11. The other end of the voltage dividing circuit Pa is connected to the ground line. A connection point of the two resistors constituting the voltage dividing circuit Pa is connected to a voltage detection terminal OVLo of the overvoltage protection IC 11. In a state where a voltage input to the voltage detection terminal OVLo is less than a threshold, the overvoltage protection IC 11 outputs a voltage input to the input terminal IN from an output terminal OUT. When the voltage input to the voltage detection terminal OVLo is equal to or greater than the threshold (overvoltage), the overvoltage protection IC 11 stops the voltage output from the output terminal OUT (cuts off an electrical connection between the LSW 3 and the receptacle RCP) to protect the electronic components downstream of the overvoltage protection IC 11. The output terminal OUT of the overvoltage protection IC 11 is connected to an input terminal VIN of the LSW 3 and one end of the voltage dividing circuit Pc (a series circuit of two resistors) connected to the MCU 1. The other end of the voltage dividing circuit Pc is connected to the ground line. A connection point of the two resistors constituting the voltage dividing circuit Pc is connected to a terminal P17 of the MCU 1.

One end of a voltage dividing circuit Pf including a series circuit of two resistors is connected to the input terminal VIN of the LSW 3. The other end of the voltage dividing circuit Pf is connected to the ground line. A connection point of the two resistors constituting the voltage dividing circuit Pf is connected to a control terminal ON of the LSW 3. A collector terminal of a bipolar transistor S2 is connected to the control terminal ON of the LSW 3. An emitter terminal of the bipolar transistor S2 is connected to the ground line. A base terminal of the bipolar transistor S2 is connected to a terminal P19 of the MCU 1. When a signal input to the control terminal ON is at a high level, the LSW 3 outputs a voltage input to the input terminal VIN from an output terminal VOUT. The output terminal VOUT of the LSW 3 is connected to an input terminal VBUS of the charging IC 2. The MCU 1 turns on the bipolar transistor S2 while the USB connection is not established. Accordingly, the control terminal ON of the LSW 3 is connected to the ground line via the bipolar transistor S2, and thus a low-level signal is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW 3.

The bipolar transistor S2 connected to the LSW 3 is turned off by the MCU 1 when the USB connection is established. By turning off the bipolar transistor S2, the USB voltage V_USBdivided by the voltage dividing circuit Pf is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW 3. Therefore, when the USB connection is established and the bipolar transistor S2 is turned off, a high-level signal is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW 3. Accordingly, the LSW 3 outputs the USB voltage V_USBsupplied from the USB cable from the output terminal VOUT. Even if the USB connection is established in a state where the bipolar transistor S2 is not turned off, the control terminal ON of the LSW 3 is connected to the ground line via the bipolar transistor S2. Therefore, it should be noted that the low-level signal is continuously input to the control terminal ON of the LSW 3 unless the MCU 1 turns off the bipolar transistor S2.

A positive electrode terminal of the power supply BAT is connected to the power supply terminal VDD of the protection IC 10, an input terminal VIN of the step-up DC-DC converter 9, and a charging terminal bat of the charging IC 2. Therefore, a power supply voltage V_BATof the power supply BAT is supplied to the protection IC 10, the charging IC 2, and the step-up DC-DC converter 9. A resistor Ra, a switch Sa constituted by a MOSFET, a switch Sb constituted by a MOSFET, and a resistor Rb are connected in series to a negative electrode terminal of the power supply BAT in this order. A current detection terminal CS of the protection IC 10 is connected to a connection point of the resistor Ra and the switch Sa. Control terminals of the switch Sa and the switch Sb are connected to the protection IC 10. Both ends of the resistor Rb are connected to the remaining capacity meter IC 12.

The protection IC 10 acquires, based on a voltage input to the current detection terminal CS, a current value flowing through the resistor Ra during charging and discharging of the power supply BAT, and performs, when the current value is excessive (overcurrent), opening and closing control of the switch Sa and the switch Sb to stop the charging or the discharging of the power supply BAT, thereby protecting the power supply BAT. More specifically, when the protection IC 10 acquires an excessive current value at the time of charging the power supply BAT, the protection IC 10 turns off the switch Sb to stop the charging of the power supply BAT. When the protection IC 10 acquires an excessive current value at the time of discharging the power supply BAT, the protection IC 10 turns off the switch Sa to stop the discharging of the power supply BAT. In addition, when a voltage value of the power supply BAT is abnormal (in a case of overcharge or overvoltage) based on a voltage input to the power supply terminal VDD, the protection IC 10 performs the opening and closing control of the switch Sa and the switch Sb to stop the charging or the discharging of the power supply BAT, thereby protecting the power supply BAT. More specifically, when the protection IC 10 detects the overcharge of the power supply BAT, the protection IC 10 turns off the switch Sb to stop the charging of the power supply BAT. When the protection IC 10 detects an over-discharge of the power supply BAT, the protection IC 10 turns off the switch Sa to stop the discharging of the power supply BAT.

A resistor Rt1 is connected to the connector connected to the thermistor T1 disposed near the power supply BAT. A series circuit of the resistor Rt1 and the thermistor T1 is connected to the ground line and a regulator terminal TREG of the remaining capacity meter IC 12. A connection point of the thermistor T1 and the resistor Rt1 is connected to a thermistor terminal THM of the remaining capacity meter IC 12. The thermistor T1 may be a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistor whose resistance value increases with an increase in temperature, or may be a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor whose resistance value decreases with the increase in temperature.

The remaining capacity meter IC 12 detects a current flowing through the resistor Rb, and derives, based on the detected current value, battery information such as a remaining capacity, a state of charge (SOC) indicating the charging state, and a state of health (SOH) indicating the health state of the power supply BAT. The remaining capacity meter IC 12 supplies a voltage from a built-in regulator connected to the regulator terminal TREG to a voltage dividing circuit constituted by the thermistor T1 and the resistor Rt1. The remaining capacity meter IC 12 acquires a voltage divided by the voltage dividing circuit from the thermistor terminal THM, and acquires temperature information related to the temperature of the power supply BAT based on this voltage. The remaining capacity meter IC 12 is connected to the MCU 1 via the communication line LN for serial communication, and is configured to communicate with the MCU 1. The remaining capacity meter IC 12 transmits the derived battery information and the acquired temperature information of the power supply BAT to the MCU 1 in response to a request from the MCU 1. In order to perform the serial communication, a plurality of signal lines such as a data line for data transmission and a clock line for synchronization are required. It should be noted that only one signal line is shown in FIGS. 10 to 19 for simplification.

The remaining capacity meter IC 12 includes a notification terminal 12a. The notification terminal 12a is connected to a terminal P6 of the MCU 1 and a cathode of a diode D2 to be described later. When the remaining capacity meter IC 12 detects an abnormality such as an excessive temperature of the power supply BAT, the remaining capacity meter IC 12 outputs a low-level signal from the notification terminal 12a to notify the MCU 1 of occurrence of the abnormality. The low-level signal is also input to a CLR(⁻) terminal of the FF 17 via the diode D2.

One end of a reactor Lc is connected to a switching terminal SW of the step-up DC-DC converter 9. The other end of the reactor Lc is connected to the input terminal VIN of the step-up DC-DC converter 9. The step-up DC-DC converter 9 performs on/off control of a built-in transistor connected to the switching terminal SW to step up the input voltage, and outputs the stepped-up voltage from an output terminal VOUT. The input terminal VIN of the step-up DC-DC converter 9 constitutes a power supply terminal on a high potential side of the step-up DC-DC converter 9. The step-up DC-DC converter 9 performs a step-up operation when a signal input to an enable terminal EN is at a high level. While the USB connection is established, the signal input to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC-DC converter 9 may be controlled to a low level by the MCU 1. Alternatively, while the USB connection is established, the MCU 1 may not control the signal input to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC-DC converter 9 to make a potential of the enable terminal EN unstable.

A source terminal of the switch S4 constituted by a P-channel MOSFET is connected to the output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC-DC converter 9. A gate terminal of the switch S4 is connected to a terminal P15 of the MCU 1. One end of a resistor Rs is connected to a drain terminal of the switch S4. The other end of the resistor Rs is connected to the heater connector Cn on the positive electrode side connected to one end of the heater HTR. A voltage dividing circuit Pb including two resistors is connected to a connection point of the switch S4 and the resistor Rs. A connection point of the two resistors constituting the voltage dividing circuit Pb is connected to a terminal P18 of the MCU 1. The connection point of the switch S4 and the resistor Rs is further connected to a positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1.

A connection line between the output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC-DC converter 9 and the source terminal of the switch S4 is connected to a source terminal of the switch S3 constituted by a P-channel MOSFET. A gate terminal of the switch S3 is connected to a terminal P16 of the MCU 1. A drain terminal of the switch S3 is connected to a connection line between the resistor Rs and the heater connector Cn on the positive electrode side. As described above, a circuit including the switch S3 and a circuit including the switch S4 and the resistor Rs are connected in parallel between the output terminal VOUT of the step-up DC-DC converter 9 and the positive electrode side of the heater connector Cn. The circuit including the switch S3 does not include a resistor, and thus is a circuit having a resistance lower than that of the circuit including the switch S4 and the resistor Rs.

A non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the connection line between the resistor Rs and the heater connector Cn on the positive electrode side. An inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is connected to the heater connector Cn on the negative electrode side connected to the other end of the heater HTR, and a drain terminal of the switch S6 constituted by an N-channel MOSFET. A source terminal of the switch S6 is connected to the ground line. A gate terminal of the switch S6 is connected to a terminal P14 of the MCU 1, an anode of a diode D4, and the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC-DC converter 9. A cathode of the diode D4 is connected to a Q terminal of the FF 17. One end of a resistor R4 is connected to an output terminal of the operational amplifier OP1. The other end of the resistor R4 is connected to a terminal P9 of the MCU 1 and a drain terminal of the switch S5 constituted by an N-channel MOSFET. A source terminal of the switch S5 is connected to the ground line. A gate terminal of the switch S5 is connected to the connection line between the resistor Rs and the heater connector Cn on the positive electrode side.

The input terminal VBUS of the charging IC 2 is connected to an anode of each of the LEDs L1 to L8. Cathodes of the LEDs L1 to L8 are connected to control terminals PD1 to PD8 of the MCU 1 via resistors for current limitation, respectively. That is, the LEDs L1 to L8 are connected in parallel to the input terminal VBUS. The LEDs L1 to L8 are configured to operate by the USB voltage V_USBsupplied from the USB cable connected to the receptacle RCP and a voltage supplied from the power supply BAT via the charging IC 2, respectively. The MCU 1 includes a built-in transistor (a switching element) connected to each of the control terminals PD1 to PD8 and the ground terminal GND. The MCU 1 turns on the transistor connected to the control terminal PD1 to energize the LED L1 to turn on the LED L1, and turns off the transistor connected to the control terminal PD1 to turn off the LED L1. By switching on and off the transistor connected to the control terminal PD1 at a high speed, a luminance and a light emission pattern of the LED L1 may be dynamically controlled. Similarly, the LEDs L2 to L8 are controlled to be turned on by the MCU 1.

The charging IC 2 has a charging function of charging the power supply BAT based on the USB voltage V_USBinput to the input terminal VBUS. The charging IC 2 acquires a charging current or a charging voltage of the power supply BAT from a terminal or an interconnect (not shown), and performs the charging control of the power supply BAT (control of a supply of a power from the charging terminal bat to the power supply BAT) based on the charging current or the charging voltage. The charging IC 2 may acquire the temperature information of the power supply BAT transmitted from the remaining capacity meter IC 12 to the MCU 1 from the MCU 1 through the serial communication using the communication line LN and use the temperature information for the charging control.

The charging IC 2 further has a V BAT power path function and an OTG function. The V_BATpower path function is a function of outputting, from an output terminal SYS, a system power supply voltage Vcc0 that is substantially equal to the power supply voltage V_BATinput to the charging terminal bat. The OTG function is a function of outputting, from the input terminal VBUS, a system power supply voltage Vcc4 obtained by stepping up the power supply voltage V BAT input to the charging terminal bat. The MCU 1 controls on and off of the OTG function of the charging IC 2 through the serial communication using the communication line LN. In the OTG function, the power supply voltage V_BATinput to the charging terminal bat may be output as it is from the input terminal VBUS. In this case, the power supply voltage V_BATand the system power supply voltage Vcc4 are substantially equal to each other.

The output terminal SYS of the charging IC 2 is connected to an input terminal VIN of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8. One end of a reactor La is connected to a switching terminal SW of the charging IC 2. The other end of the reactor La is connected to the output terminal SYS of the charging IC 2. A charge enable terminal CE(⁻) of the charging IC 2 is connected to a terminal P22 of the MCU 1 via a resistor. Further, a collector terminal of a bipolar transistor S1 is connected to the charge enable terminal CE(⁻) of the charging IC 2. An emitter terminal of the bipolar transistor S1 is connected to an output terminal VOUT of the LSW 4 to be described later. A base terminal of the bipolar transistor S1 is connected to the Q terminal of the FF 17. Further, one end of a resistor Rc is connected to the charge enable terminal CE(⁻) of the charging IC 2. The other end of the resistor Rc is connected to the output terminal VOUT of the LSW 4.

A resistor is connected to the input terminal VIN and an enable terminal EN of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8. By inputting the system power supply voltage Vcc0 from the output terminal SYS of the charging IC 2 to the input terminal VIN of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8, a signal input to the enable terminal EN of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 is at a high level, and the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 starts a step-up operation or a step-down operation. By switching control of a built-in transistor connected to a reactor Lb, the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 steps up or steps down the system power supply voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN to generate a system power supply voltage Vcc1, and outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc1 from an output terminal VOUT. The output terminal VOUT of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 is connected to a feedback terminal FB of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8, an input terminal VIN of the LSW 4, an input terminal VIN of the switch driver 7, and the power supply terminal VCC and a D terminal of the FF 16. An interconnect to which the system power supply voltage Vcc1 output from the output terminal VOUT of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 is supplied is referred to as a power supply line PL1.

When a signal input to a control terminal ON is at a high level, the LSW 4 outputs, from the output terminal VOUT, the system power supply voltage Vcc1 input to the input terminal VIN. The control terminal ON of the LSW 4 and the power supply line PL1 are connected via a resistor. Therefore, by supplying the system power supply voltage Vcc1 to the power supply line PL1, a high-level signal is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW 4. A voltage output from LSW 4 is the same as the system power supply voltage Vcc1 if an interconnect resistance or the like is ignored. However, the voltage output from the output terminal VOUT of LSW 4 is hereinafter referred to as a system power supply voltage Vcc2 in order to distinguish from the system power supply voltage Vcc1.

The output terminal VOUT of the LSW 4 is connected to the power supply terminal VDD of the MCU 1, an input terminal VIN of the LSW 5, the power supply terminal VDD of the remaining capacity meter IC 12, the power supply terminal VCC of the ROM 6, the emitter terminal of the bipolar transistor S1, the resistor Rc, and the power supply terminal VCC of the FF 17. An interconnect to which the system power supply voltage Vcc2 output from the output terminal VOUT of the LSW 4 is supplied is referred to as a power supply line PL2.

When a signal input to a control terminal ON is at a high level, the LSW 5 outputs, from an output terminal VOUT, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 input to the input terminal VIN. The control terminal ON of the LSW 5 is connected to a terminal P23 of the MCU 1. A voltage output from LSW 5 is the same as the system power supply voltage Vcc2 if an interconnect resistance or the like is ignored. However, the voltage output from the output terminal VOUT of LSW 5 is hereinafter referred to as a system power supply voltage Vcc3 in order to distinguish from the system power supply voltage Vcc2. An interconnect to which the system power supply voltage Vcc3 output from the output terminal VOUT of the LSW 5 is supplied is referred to as a power supply line PL3.

A series circuit of the thermistor T2 and a resistor Rt2 is connected to the power supply line PL3, and the resistor Rt2 is connected to the ground line. The thermistor T2 and the resistor Rt2 constitute a voltage dividing circuit, and a connection point thereof is connected to a terminal P21 of the MCU 1. The MCU 1 detects temperature variation (resistance value variation) of the thermistor T2 based on a voltage input to the terminal P21, and determines the presence or absence of a puff operation based on a temperature variation amount.

A series circuit of the thermistor T3 and a resistor Rt3 is connected to the power supply line PL3, and the resistor Rt3 is connected to the ground line. The thermistor T3 and the resistor Rt3 constitute a voltage dividing circuit, and a connection point thereof is connected to a terminal P13 of the MCU 1 and an inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. The MCU 1 detects a temperature of the thermistor T3 (corresponding to the temperature of the heater HTR) based on a voltage input to the terminal P13.

A series circuit of the thermistor T4 and a resistor Rt4 is connected to the power supply line PL3, and the resistor Rt4 is connected to the ground line. The thermistor T4 and the resistor Rt4 constitute a voltage dividing circuit, and a connection point thereof is connected to a terminal P12 of the MCU 1 and an inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3. The MCU 1 detects a temperature of the thermistor T4 (corresponding to the temperature of the case 110) based on a voltage input to the terminal P12.

A source terminal of a switch S7 constituted by a MOSFET is connected to the power supply line PL2. A gate terminal of the switch S7 is connected to a terminal P20 of the MCU 1. A drain terminal of the switch S7 is connected to one of a pair of connectors to which the vibration motor M is connected. The other of the pair of connectors is connected to the ground line. The MCU 1 may control opening and closing of the switch S7 by operating a potential of the terminal P20 to vibrate the vibration motor M in a specific pattern. A dedicated driver IC may be used instead of the switch S7.

A positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 and a voltage dividing circuit Pd (a series circuit of two resistors) connected to a non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 are connected to the power supply line PL2. A connection point of the two resistors constituting the voltage dividing circuit Pd is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. The operational amplifier OP2 outputs a signal corresponding to the temperature of the heater HTR (a signal corresponding to a resistance value of the thermistor T3). In the present embodiment, since a thermistor having the NTC characteristic is used as the thermistor T3, an output voltage of the operational amplifier OP2 decreases as the temperature of the heater HTR (the temperature of the thermistor T3) increases. This is because the negative power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 is connected to the ground line, and a value of the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP2 is substantially equal to a value of the ground potential when a voltage value (a divided voltage value obtained by the thermistor T3 and the resistor Rt3) input to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2 is higher than a voltage value (a divided voltage value obtained by the voltage dividing circuit Pd) input to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. That is, when the temperature of the heater HTR (the temperature of the thermistor T3) is high, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP2 is at a low level.

When a thermistor having the PTC characteristic is used as the thermistor T3, an output of the voltage dividing circuit constituted by the thermistor T3 and the resistor Rt3 may be connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2, and an output of the voltage dividing circuit Pd may be connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP2.

A positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 and a voltage dividing circuit Pe (a series circuit of two resistors) connected to a non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 are connected to the power supply line PL2. A connection point of the two resistors constituting the voltage dividing circuit Pe is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3. The operational amplifier OP3 outputs a signal corresponding to the temperature of the case 110 (a signal corresponding to a resistance value of the thermistor T4). In the present embodiment, since a thermistor having the NTC characteristic is used as the thermistor T4, an output voltage of the operational amplifier OP3 decreases as the temperature of the case 110 increases. This is because the negative power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 is connected to the ground line, and a value of the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP3 is substantially equal to the value of the ground potential when a voltage value (a divided voltage value obtained by the thermistor T4 and the resistor Rt4) input to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 is higher than a voltage value (a divided voltage value obtained by the voltage dividing circuit Pe) input to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3. That is, when the temperature of the thermistor T4 is high, the output voltage of the operational amplifier OP3 is at a low level.

When a thermistor having the PTC characteristic is used as the thermistor T4, an output of the voltage dividing circuit constituted by the thermistor T4 and the resistor Rt4 may be connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3, and an output of the voltage dividing circuit Pe may be connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP3.

A resistor R1 is connected to an output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. A cathode of a diode D1 is connected to the resistor R1. An anode of the diode D1 is connected to an output terminal of the operational amplifier OP3, a D terminal of the FF 17, and the CLR(⁻) terminal of the FF 17. A resistor R2 connected to the power supply line PL1 is connected to a connection line between the resistor R1 and the diode D1. A CLR(⁻) terminal of the FF 16 is connected to the connection line.

One end of a resistor R3 is connected to a connection line between the D terminal of the FF 17 and a connection point of the anode of the diode D1 and the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP3. The other end of the resistor R3 is connected to the power supply line PL2. Further, an anode of the diode D2 connected to the notification terminal 12a of the remaining capacity meter IC 12, an anode of a diode D3, and the CLR(⁻) terminal of the FF 17 are connected to the connection line. A cathode of the diode D3 is connected to a terminal P5 of the MCU 1.

When the temperature of the heater HTR is excessive, the signal output from the operational amplifier OP2 is small, and a signal input to the CLR(⁻) terminal is at a low level, the FF 16 inputs a high-level signal from a Q(⁻) terminal to a terminal P11 of the MCU 1. The high-level system power supply voltage Vcc1 is supplied from the power supply line PL1 to the D terminal of the FF 16. Therefore, in the FF 16, a low-level signal is continuously output from the Q(⁻) terminal unless the signal input to the CLR(⁻) terminal operating with a negative logic is at a low level.

A signal input to the CLR(⁻) terminal of the FF 17 is at a low level when the temperature of the heater HTR is excessive, when the temperature of the case 110 is excessive, or when the low-level signal indicating the abnormality detection is output from the notification terminal 12a of the remaining capacity meter IC 12. The FF 17 outputs a low-level signal from the Q terminal when the signal input to the CLR(⁻) terminal is at a low level. The low-level signal is input to a terminal P10 of the MCU 1, the gate terminal of the switch S6, the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC-DC converter 9, and the base terminal of the bipolar transistor S1 connected to the charging IC 2. When the low-level signal is input to the gate terminal of the switch S6, a gate-source voltage of the N-channel MOSFET constituting the switch S6 is less than a threshold voltage, and thus the switch S6 is turned off. When the low-level signal is input to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC-DC converter 9, the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC-DC converter 9 has a positive logic, and thus the step-up operation is stopped. When the low-level signal is input to the base terminal of the bipolar transistor S1, the bipolar transistor S1 is turned on (an amplified current is output from the collector terminal). When the bipolar transistor S1 is turned on, the high-level system power supply voltage Vcc2 is input to the CE(⁻) terminal of the charging IC 2 via the bipolar transistor S1. Since the CE(⁻) terminal of the charging IC 2 has a negative logic, the charging of the power supply BAT is stopped. As a result, the heating of the heater HTR and the charging of the power supply BAT are stopped. Even if the MCU 1 outputs a low-level enable signal from the terminal P22 to the charge enable terminal CE(⁻) of the charging IC 2, when the bipolar transistor S1 is turned on, the amplified current is input from the collector terminal to the terminal P22 of the MCU 1 and the charge enable terminal CE(⁻) of the charging IC 2. Accordingly, it should be noted that a high-level signal is input to the charge enable terminal CE(⁻) of the charging IC 2.

The high-level system power supply voltage Vcc2 is supplied from the power supply line PL2 to the D terminal of the FF 17. Therefore, in the FF 17, a high-level signal is continuously output from the Q terminal unless a signal input to the CLR(⁻) terminal operating with a negative logic is at a low level. When a low-level signal is output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP3, a low-level signal is input to the CLR(⁻) terminal of the FF 17 regardless of a level of a signal output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2. It should be noted that even when a high-level signal is output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2, the low-level signal output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP3 is not affected by the high-level signal due to the diode D1. When a low-level signal is output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP2, even if a high-level signal is output from the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP3, the high-level signal is replaced with a low-level signal due to the diode D1.

The power supply line PL2 is further branched from the MCU mounting board 161 toward the LED mounting board 163 and the Hall IC mounting board 164. The power supply terminal VDD of the Hall IC 13, the power supply terminal VCC of the communication IC 15, and the power supply terminal VDD of the Hall IC 14 are connected to the branched power supply line PL2.

An output terminal OUT of the Hall IC 13 is connected to a terminal P3 of the MCU 1 and a terminal SW2 of the switch driver 7. When the outer panel 115 is removed, a low-level signal is output from the output terminal OUT of the Hall IC 13. The MCU 1 determines whether the outer panel 115 is attached based on a signal input to the terminal P3.

The LED mounting board 163 is provided with a series circuit (a series circuit of a resistor and a capacitor) connected to the operation switch OPS. The series circuit is connected to the power supply line PL2. A connection point of the resistor and the capacitor in the series circuit is connected to the terminal P4 of the MCU 1, the operation switch OPS, and a terminal SW1 of the switch driver 7. In a state where the operation switch OPS is not pressed, the operation switch OPS is not conductive, and signals respectively input to the terminal P4 of the MCU 1 and the terminal SW1 of the switch driver 7 are at a high level due to the system power supply voltage Vcc2. When the operation switch OPS is pressed and the operation switch OPS is brought into a conductive state, the signals respectively input to the terminal P4 of the MCU 1 and the terminal SW1 of the switch driver 7 are at a low level due to the connection to the ground line. The MCU 1 detects an operation of the operation switch OPS based on the signal input to the terminal P4.

The switch driver 7 is provided with a reset input terminal RSTB. The reset input terminal RSTB is connected to the control terminal ON of the LSW 4. When levels of signals input to the terminal SW1 and the terminal SW2 are both at a low level (a state where the outer panel 115 is removed and the operation switch OPS is pressed), the switch driver 7 stops an output operation of the LSW 4 by outputting a low-level signal from the reset input terminal RSTB. That is, when the operation switch OPS, which is originally pressed down via the pressing unit 117 of the outer panel 115, is directly pressed down by the user in a state where the outer panel 115 is removed, the levels of the signals input to the terminal SW1 and the terminal SW2 of the switch driver 7 are both at a low level.

Hereinafter, operations of the electric circuit shown in FIG. 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 19. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the electric circuit in the sleep mode. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the electric circuit in the active mode. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the electric circuit in the heating initial setting mode. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the electric circuit when the heater HTR is heated in the heating mode. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the electric circuit when the temperature of the heater HTR is detected in the heating mode. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the electric circuit in the charge mode. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the electric circuit when the MCU 1 is reset (restarted). In each of FIGS. 13 to 19, among the terminals of the chipped electronic components, the terminals surrounded by broken ellipses indicate terminals to which the power supply voltage V_BAT, the USB voltage V_USB, the system power supply voltage, and the like are input or output, respectively.

In any operation mode, the power supply voltage V_BATis input to the power supply terminal VDD of the protection IC 10, the input terminal VIN of the step-up DC-DC converter 9, and the charging terminal bat of the charging IC 2.

The MCU 1 enables the V_BATpower path function of the charging IC 2 and disables the OTG function and the charging function. When the USB voltage V_USBis not input to the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC 2, the V_BATpower path function of the charging IC 2 is enabled. Since a signal for enabling the OTG function is not output from the MCU 1 to the charging IC 2 via the communication line LN, the OTG function is disabled. Therefore, the charging IC 2 generates the system power supply voltage Vcc0 based on the power supply voltage V_BATinput to the charging terminal bat, and outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc0 from the output terminal SYS. The system power supply voltage Vcc0 output from the output terminal SYS is input to the input terminal VIN and the enable terminal EN of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8. The step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 is enabled when the high-level system power supply voltage Vcc0 is input to the enable terminal EN which has a positive logic, generates the system power supply voltage Vcc1 based on the system power supply voltage Vcc0, and outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc1 from the output terminal VOUT. The system power supply voltage Vcc1 output from the output terminal VOUT of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 is supplied to the input terminal VIN of the LSW 4, the control terminal ON of the LSW 4, the input terminal VIN of the switch driver 7, and the power supply terminal VCC and the D terminal of the FF 16.

When the system power supply voltage Vcc1 is input to the control terminal ON, the LSW 4 outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc1 input to the input terminal VIN as the system power supply voltage Vcc2 from the output terminal VOUT. The system power supply voltage Vcc2 output from the LSW 4 is input to the power supply terminal VDD of the MCU 1, the input terminal VIN of the LSW 5, the power supply terminal VDD of the Hall IC 13, the power supply terminal VCC of the communication IC 15, and the power supply terminal VDD of the Hall IC 14. Further, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is supplied to the power supply terminal VDD of the remaining capacity meter IC 12, the power supply terminal VCC of the ROM 6, the resistor Rc and the bipolar transistor S1 connected to the charge enable terminal CE(⁻) of the charging IC 2, the power supply terminal VCC of the FF 17, the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP3, the voltage dividing circuit Pe, the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP2, and the voltage dividing circuit Pd. The bipolar transistor S1 connected to the charging IC 2 is turned off unless a low-level signal is output from the Q terminal of the FF 17. Therefore, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 generated by the LSW 4 is also input to the charge enable terminal CE(⁻) of the charging IC 2. Since the charge enable terminal CE(⁻) of the charging IC 2 has a negative logic, the charging function of the charging IC 2 is turned off in this state.

As described above, in the sleep mode, since the LSW 5 stops outputting the system power supply voltage Vcc3, a supply of a power to the electronic components connected to the power supply line PL3 is stopped. In addition, in the sleep mode, since the OTG function of the charging IC 2 is stopped, a supply of a power to the LEDs L1 to L8 is stopped.

When the MCU 1 detects that a signal input to the terminal P8 is at a high level and the slider 119 is opened from a sleep mode state in FIG. 13, the MCU 1 inputs a high-level signal to the control terminal ON of the LSW5 from the terminal P23. Accordingly, the LSW 5 outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc2 input to the input terminal VIN as the system power supply voltage Vcc3 from the output terminal VOUT. The system power supply voltage Vcc3 output from the output terminal VOUT of the LSW 5 is supplied to the thermistor T2, the thermistor T3, and the thermistor T4.

Further, when the MCU 1 detects that the slider 119 is opened, the MCU 1 enables the OTG function of the charging IC 2 via the communication line LN. Accordingly, the charging IC 2 outputs, from the input terminal VBUS, the system power supply voltage Vcc4 obtained by stepping up the power supply voltage V_BATinput from the charging terminal bat. The system power supply voltage Vcc4 output from the input terminal VBUS is supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8.

When a signal input to the terminal P4 is at a low level (the operation switch OPS is pressed) from a state in FIG. 14, the MCU 1 performs various settings required for heating, and then inputs a high-level enable signal from the terminal P14 to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC-DC converter 9. Accordingly, the step-up DC-DC converter 9 outputs a drive voltage V_bstobtained by stepping up the power supply voltage V_BATfrom the output terminal VOUT. The drive voltage V_bstis supplied to the switch S3 and the switch S4. In this state, the switch S3 and the switch S4 are turned off. In addition, the switch S6 is turned on by the high-level enable signal output from the terminal P14. Accordingly, the negative electrode-side terminal of the heater HTR is connected to the ground line, and the heater HTR may be heated by turning on the switch S3. After the high-level enable signal is output from the terminal P14 of the MCU 1, the mode shifts to the heating mode.

In a state in FIG. 15, the MCU 1 starts switching control of the switch S3 connected to the terminal P16 and switching control of the switch S4 connected to the terminal P15. The switching control may be automatically started when the above heating initial setting mode is completed, or may be started by further pressing the operation switch OPS. Specifically, the MCU 1 performs the heating control of heating the heater HTR to generate an aerosol by turning on the switch S3 and turning off the switch S4 to supply the drive voltage V_bstto the heater HTR as shown in FIG. 16, and performs temperature detection control of detecting the temperature of the heater HTR by turning off the switch S3 and turning on the switch S4 as shown in FIG. 17.

As shown in FIG. 16, during the heating control, the drive voltage V_bstis also supplied to the gate of the switch S5, and the switch S5 is turned on. In addition, during the heating control, the drive voltage V_bstpassing through the switch S3 is also input to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 via the resistor Rs. A resistance value of the resistor Rs is negligibly small as compared with an internal resistance value of the operational amplifier OP1. Therefore, during the heating control, a voltage input to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 is substantially equal to the drive voltage V_bst.

A resistance value of the resistor R4 is larger than an on-resistance value of the switch S5. The operational amplifier OP1 operates also during the heating control, but the switch S5 is turned on during the heating control. When the switch S5 is turned on, an output voltage of the operational amplifier OP1 is divided by a voltage dividing circuit constituted by the resistor R4 and the switch S5 and is input to the terminal P9 of the MCU 1. Since the resistance value of the resistor R4 is larger than the on-resistance value of the switch S5, a voltage input to the terminal P9 of the MCU 1 is sufficiently small. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a large voltage from being input from the operational amplifier OP1 to the MCU 1.

As shown in FIG. 17, during the temperature detection control, the drive voltage V_bstis input to the positive power supply terminal of the operational amplifier OP1 and is input to the voltage dividing circuit Pb. A voltage divided by the voltage dividing circuit Pb is input to the terminal P18 of the MCU 1. Based on the voltage input to the terminal P18, the MCU 1 acquires a reference voltage V_tempapplied to a series circuit of the resistor Rs and the heater HTR during the temperature detection control.

During the temperature detection control, the drive voltage V_bst(the reference voltage V_temp) is supplied to the series circuit of the resistor Rs and the heater HTR. Then, a voltage V_heatobtained by dividing the drive voltage V_bst(the reference voltage V_temp) by the resistor Rs and the heater HTR is input to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP1. Since the resistance value of the resistor Rs is sufficiently larger than a resistance value of the heater HTR, the voltage V_heatis sufficiently lower than the drive voltage V_bst. During the temperature detection control, the low voltage V_heatis also supplied to the gate terminal of the switch S5, so that the switch S5 is turned off. The operational amplifier OP1 amplifies a difference between a voltage input to the inverting input terminal and the voltage V_heatinput to the non-inverting input terminal and outputs the amplified difference.

An output signal of the operational amplifier OP1 is input to the terminal P9 of the MCU 1. The MCU 1 acquires the temperature of the heater HTR based on the signal input to the terminal P9, the reference voltage V_tempacquired based on the input voltage of the terminal P18, and the known electric resistance value of the resistor Rs. The MCU 1 performs the heating control of the heater HTR (for example, control such that the temperature of the heater HTR is a target temperature) based on the acquired temperature of the heater HTR.

The MCU 1 may acquire the temperature of the heater HTR even during a period in which the switch S3 and the switch S4 are turned off (a period in which the heater HTR is not energized). Specifically, the MCU 1 acquires the temperature of the heater HTR based on a voltage input to the terminal P13 (an output voltage of the voltage dividing circuit constituted by the thermistor T3 and the resistor Rt3).

The MCU 1 may also acquire the temperature of the case 110 at any timing. Specifically, the MCU 1 acquires the temperature of the case 110 based on a voltage input to the terminal P12 (an output voltage of the voltage dividing circuit constituted by the thermistor T4 and the resistor Rt4).

FIG. 18 illustrates a case where the USB connection is established in the sleep mode state. When the USB connection is established, the USB voltage V_USBis input to the input terminal VIN of the LSW 3 via the overvoltage protection IC 11. The USB voltage V_USBis also supplied to the voltage dividing circuit Pf connected to the input terminal VIN of the LSW 3. Since the bipolar transistor S2 is turned on immediately after the USB connection is established, a signal input to the control terminal ON of the LSW 3 remains at a low level. The USB voltage V_USBis also supplied to the voltage dividing circuit Pc connected to the terminal P17 of the MCU 1, and a voltage divided by the voltage dividing circuit Pc is input to the terminal P17. Based on the voltage input to the terminal P17, the MCU 1 detects that the USB connection is established.

When the MCU 1 detects that the USB connection is established, the MCU 1 turns off the bipolar transistor S2 connected to the terminal P19. When a low-level signal is input to a gate terminal of the bipolar transistor S2, the USB voltage V_USBdivided by the voltage dividing circuit Pf is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW 3. Accordingly, a high-level signal is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW 3, and the LSW 3 outputs the USB voltage V_USBfrom the output terminal VOUT. The USB voltage V_USBoutput from the LSW 3 is input to the input terminal VBUS of the charging IC 2. In addition, the USB voltage V USB output from the LSW 3 is directly supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc4.

When the MCU 1 detects that the USB connection is established, the MCU 1 further outputs a low-level enable signal from the terminal P22 to the charge enable terminal CE(⁻) of the charging IC 2. Accordingly, the charging IC 2 enables the charging function for the power supply BAT and starts the charging of the power supply BAT by using the USB voltage V_USBinput to the input terminal VBUS.

In a case where the USB connection is established in a state of the active mode, the MCU 1, in response to the establishment of the USB connection being detected, turns off the bipolar transistor S2 connected to the terminal P19, outputs a low-level enable signal from the terminal P22 to the charge enable terminal CE(⁻) of the charging IC 2, and turns off the OTG function of the charging IC 2 by the serial communication using the communication line LN. Accordingly, the system power supply voltage Vcc4 supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8 is switched from a voltage (a voltage based on the power supply voltage V_BAT) generated by the OTG function of the charging IC 2 to the USB voltage V_USBoutput from the LSW 3. The LEDs L1 to L8 do not operate unless built-in transistors are turned on by the MCU 1. Therefore, an unstable voltage in a transition period from on to off of the OTG function is prevented from being supplied to the LEDs L1 to L8.

In FIG. 18, a supply state of the system power supply voltage in the charge mode is the same as that in the sleep mode. The supply state of the system power supply voltage in the charge mode is preferably the same as that in the active mode shown in FIG. 14. That is, in the charge mode, it is preferable that the system power supply voltage Vcc3 is supplied to the thermistors T2 to T4 for temperature management to be described later.

When an output of the Hall IC 13 is at a low level when the outer panel 115 is removed, and the signal input to the terminal P4 of the MCU 1 is at a low level when the operation switch OPS is turned on, both the terminals SW1 and SW2 of the switch driver 7 are at a low level. Accordingly, the switch driver 7 outputs a low-level signal from the reset input terminal RSTB. The low-level signal output from the reset input terminal RSTB is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW 4. Accordingly, the LSW 4 stops the output of the system power supply voltage Vcc2 from the output terminal VOUT. Since the output of the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is stopped, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is not input to the power supply terminal VDD of the MCU 1, and thus the MCU 1 is stopped.

The switch driver 7 returns the signal that is output from the reset input terminal RSTB to a high level when a time during which the low-level signal is output from the reset input terminal RSTB reaches a predetermined time or when the signal input to either the terminal SW1 or the terminal SW2 is at a high level. Accordingly, it is returned to a state where the control terminal ON of the LSW 4 is at a high level and the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is supplied to each unit.

Hereinafter, in order to facilitate understanding, the above thermistor T1 is also referred to as the power supply thermistor T1, the above thermistor T2 is also referred to as the puff thermistor T2, the above thermistor T3 is also referred to as the heater thermistor T3, and the above thermistor T4 is also referred to as the case thermistor T4.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a schematic internal configuration of the charging IC 2. The charging IC 2 includes a processor 21, a gate driver 22, and switches Q1 to Q4 each constituted by an N-channel MOSFET.

A source terminal of the switch Q1 is connected to the input terminal VBUS. A drain terminal of the switch Q1 is connected to a drain terminal of the switch Q2. A source terminal of the switch Q2 is connected to the switching terminal SW. A drain terminal of the switch Q3 is connected to a connection node between the switch Q2 and the switching terminal SW. A source terminal of the switch Q3 is connected to the ground terminal GND. A drain terminal of the switch Q4 is connected to the output terminal SYS. A source terminal of the switch Q4 is connected to the charging terminal bat.

The gate driver 22 is connected to a gate terminal of the switch Q2 and a gate terminal of the switch Q3, and performs on/off control of the switches Q2 and Q3 based on a command from the processor 21.

The processor 21 is connected to the gate driver 22, a gate terminal of the switch Q1, a gate terminal of the switch Q4, and the charge enable terminal CE(⁻) The processor 21 performs the on/off control of the switches Q2 and Q3 via the gate driver 22 and on/off control of the switches Q1 and Q4.

The charging IC 2 has a V_USBpower path function and a V_USB& V_BATpower path function in addition to the above-described charging function, V_BATpower path function, and OTG function. Hereinafter, contents of control inside the charging IC 2 when these functions are enabled will be described. Specific numerical values of the above various voltages are preferably values shown below.

Power supply voltage V_BAT(full charge voltage)=4.2 V

Power supply voltage V_BAT(nominal voltage)=3.7 V

System power supply voltage Vcc1=3.3 V

System power supply voltage Vcc2=3.3 V

System power supply voltage Vcc3=3.3 V

System power supply voltage Vcc4=5.0 V

USB voltage V_USB=5.0 V

Drive voltage V_bst=4.9 V

(Charging Function)

The processor 21 performs the on/off control of the switch Q2 and the switch Q4 while controlling the switch Q1 to be turned on and the switch Q3 to be turned off. The on/off control of the switch Q4 is performed to adjust a charging current of the power supply BAT. The processor 21 performs the on/off control of the switch Q2 such that a voltage of the output terminal SYS is equal to a voltage suitable for charging the power supply BAT. Accordingly, the USB voltage V_USBinput to the input terminal VBUS is stepped down and output from the output terminal SYS. The voltage output from the output terminal SYS is input to the input terminal VIN of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc0, and is output from the charging terminal bat of the charging IC 2. Accordingly, the power supply BAT is charged by using a voltage obtained by stepping down the USB voltage V_USB. When the charging function is enabled, the system power supply voltage Vcc0 finally is the same value as the full charge voltage of the power supply BAT. Therefore, the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 steps down the system power supply voltage Vcc0 of 4.2 V input to the input terminal VIN to generate and output the system power supply voltage Vcc1 of 3.3 V. When the charging function is enabled, in the charging IC 2, a potential of the input terminal VBUS is higher than a potential of the output terminal SYS, and thus a power from the power supply BAT is not output from the input terminal VBUS.

(V_USBPower Path Function)

The V_USBpower path function is enabled, for example, when the power supply BAT cannot be used due to an over-discharge or the like. The processor 21 turns on the switch Q1, turns on the switch Q2, turns off the switch Q3, and turns off the switch Q4. Accordingly, the USB voltage V_USBinput to the input terminal VBUS is directly output from the switching terminal SW without being stepped down. The voltage output from the switching terminal SW is input to the input terminal VIN of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc0. Also in this case, the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 steps down the system power supply voltage Vcc0 of 5 V input to the input terminal VIN to generate and output the system power supply voltage Vcc1 of 3.3 V. Even when the V_USBpower path function is enabled, the processor 21 may perform the on/off control of the switch Q2 while controlling the switch Q1 to be turned on, the switch Q3 to be turned off, and the switch Q4 to be turned on. In this way, the step-down from the USB voltage V_USBof 5.0 V to the system power supply voltage Vcc1 of 3.3 V may be performed by the charging IC 2 and the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 in a shared manner. Therefore, concentration of a load and heat generation on the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 may be prevented.

(V_USB& V_BATPower Path Function)

The V_USB& V_BATpower path function is enabled, for example, when the charging of the power supply BAT is completed and the USB connection is continued. The processor 21 performs the on/off control of the switch Q2 while controlling the switch Q1 to be turned on, the switch Q3 to be turned off, and the switch Q4 to be turned on. The processor 21 controls the switch Q2 such that the voltage of the output terminal SYS is equal to a voltage of the power supply BAT (the power supply voltage V_BAT). Accordingly, the USB voltage V_USBinput to the input terminal VBUS is stepped down and output from the output terminal SYS. The voltage output from the output terminal SYS after stepping down the USB voltage V_USBinput to the input terminal VBUS and a voltage output from the output terminal SYS from the power supply BAT via the charging terminal bat have the same value. Therefore, a power including the voltage obtained by stepping down the USB voltage V_USBand a power including the power supply voltage V_BAToutput from the output terminal SYS are combined and supplied to the input terminal VIN of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8. When the V_USB& V_BATpower path function is enabled, in the charging IC 2, the potential of the input terminal VBUS is higher than the potential of the output terminal SYS, and thus the power from the power supply BAT is not output from the input terminal VBUS.

When the V_USB& V_BATpower path function is enabled, the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 determines which of the step-up and the step-down is to be performed depending on a magnitude of the power supply voltage V_BAT. When the power supply voltage V_BATis 3.3 V or more, the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 steps down the system power supply voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN to generate and output the system power supply voltage Vcc1 of 3.3 V. When the power supply voltage V_BATis less than 3.3 V, the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 steps up the system power supply voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN to generate and output the system power supply voltage Vcc1 of 3.3 V.

(V_BATPower Path Function)

The V_BATpower path function is enabled in a mode (for example, the sleep mode) other than the charge mode. The processor 21 controls the switch Q1 and the switch Q3 to be turned off. Accordingly, the power supply voltage V_BATinput to the charging terminal bat is directly output from the output terminal SYS, and is input to the input terminal VIN of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc0. By this control, a power transmission path between the input terminal VBUS and the switching terminal SW of the charging IC 2 is blocked by a parasitic diode of the switch Q1. Therefore, the power supply voltage V_BAToutput from the output terminal SYS is not output from the input terminal VBUS.

When the V_BATpower path function is enabled, the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 determines which of the step-up and the step-down is to be performed depending on the magnitude of the power supply voltage V_BAT. When the power supply voltage V_BATinput to the input terminal VIN is 3.3 V or more, the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 steps down the power supply voltage V_BATto generate and output the system power supply voltage Vcc1 of 3.3 V. When the power supply voltage V_BATinput to the input terminal VIN is less than 3.3 V, the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 steps up the power supply voltage V_BATto generate and output the system power supply voltage Vcc1 of 3.3 V.

(OTG Function)

The OTG function is enabled simultaneously with the V BAT power path function, for example, enabled in the active mode. When both the OTG function and the V_BATpower path function are enabled, the processor 21 performs the on/off control of the switch Q3 while controlling the switch Q1 to be turned on. Accordingly, the power supply voltage V_BATinput to the charging terminal bat is directly output from the output terminal SYS, and is input to the input terminal VIN of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc0. The power supply voltage V_BAToutput from the output terminal SYS is input to the switching terminal SW of the charging IC 2. The processor 21 controls the switch Q3 such that the power supply voltage V_BATinput to the switching terminal SW is equal to the system power supply voltage Vcc4. Accordingly, the power supply voltage V_BATinput to the switching terminal SW is stepped up and output from the input terminal VBUS. The voltage output from the input terminal VBUS is input to the LEDs L1 to L8 as the system power supply voltage Vcc4.

As described above, the charging IC 2 has both a function as a step-down converter that steps down the USB voltage V USB and a function as a step-up converter that steps up the power supply voltage V_BAT. The voltage input from the charging IC 2 to the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 varies in various ways according to an enabled function of the charging IC 2. However, even if such a variation occurs, the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 selectively performs the step-up and the step-down, so that the system power supply voltage Vcc1 (a power including the system power supply voltage Vcc1) may be kept constant. When a voltage of the system power supply voltage Vcc0 input to the input terminal VIN of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 is equal to 3.3 V which is a voltage of the system power supply voltage Vcc1, the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 outputs the system power supply voltage Vcc0 as the system power supply voltage Vcc1 from the output terminal VOUT without performing the step-up and the step-down.

(Protection Control)

The inhalation device 100 may acquire the temperature of the power supply BAT (hereinafter, referred to as a power supply temperature T_BAT) based on a resistance value (an output value) of the power supply thermistor T1, the temperature of the heater HTR (hereinafter, referred to as a heater temperature T_HTR) based on a resistance value (an output value) of the heater thermistor T3, and the temperature of the case 110 (hereinafter, referred to as a case temperature T_CASE) based on a resistance value (an output value) of the case thermistor T4. When at least one of the power supply temperature T_BAT, the heater temperature T_HTR, and the case temperature T_CASEis far different from a value under a recommended environment in which the inhalation device 100 is used, the inhalation device 100 performs protection control for prohibiting the charging of the power supply BAT and discharging from the power supply BAT to the heater HTR (hereinafter, also referred to as charging and discharging) to improve safety. The protection control is performed by the MCU 1 and the FF 17.

The protection control for prohibiting the charging and discharging refers to controlling the electronic components so as to disable the charging and discharging. In order to disable the discharging from the power supply BAT to the heater HTR, it is sufficient that a low-level signal is input to the enable terminal EN of the step-up DC-DC converter 9 (or a potential of the enable terminal EN is made to be unstable) to stop the step-up operation, and a low-level signal is input to the gate terminal of the switch S6 (or a potential of the gate terminal is made to be unstable) to cut off a connection between the heater connector Cn(−) on the negative electrode side and the ground. It is also possible to disable the discharging from the power supply BAT to the heater HTR by performing only one of the stop of the step-up operation of the step-up DC-DC converter 9 and the cutting off of the connection between the heater connector Cn(−) and the ground. In order to disable the charging of the power supply BAT, it is sufficient to stop a charging operation of the charging IC 2 by inputting a high-level signal to the charge enable terminal CE(⁻) of the charging IC 2.

Although an example of prohibiting the charging and discharging as the protection control will be described hereinafter, the protection control may be control for prohibiting the charging alone or control for prohibiting the discharging alone from a viewpoint of improving the safety.

When the protection control is performed, it is preferable to further limit the operation mode. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the operation mode is limited when the protection control is performed. However, since the operation mode is managed by the MCU 1, the operation mode may not be limited in a state where the MCU 1 is not operating for some reasons. The protection control performed by the inhalation device 100 includes manual return protection control that can be ended when the MCU 1 is reset by a user operation, automatic return protection control that can be automatically ended by improving a temperature environment without requiring the reset of the MCU 1, and non-return protection control that cannot be ended. The operation modes of the inhalation device 100 include an error mode and a permanent error mode in addition to those shown in FIG. 9. In the present description, when “all the operation modes of the inhalation device” are described, this means all the operation modes (all the operation modes shown in FIG. 9) except the error mode and the permanent error mode.

When the manual return protection control or the automatic return protection control is performed, the inhalation device 100 shifts to the error mode, and the shift to another operation mode is disabled. In the error mode, a state of a power supply voltage (a supply state of a system power supply voltage) in an immediately preceding operation mode is maintained. That is, in the error mode, the functions (for example, the acquisition of the temperature information) that are executable in the immediately preceding operation mode except for the charging and discharging may be executed. In the error mode, when the MCU 1 is reset, the manual return protection control is ended. In the error mode, when the temperature environment is improved, the automatic return protection control is ended. When the manual return protection control or the automatic return protection control is ended, the limitation for the operation mode is released, and the operation mode shifts to the sleep mode. Thereafter, the operation mode may be changed by a user operation or the like.

When the non-return protection control is performed, the inhalation device 100 shifts to the permanent error mode. In the permanent error mode, all the functions of the inhalation device 100 are disabled, and the inhalation device 100 is required to be repaired or discarded.

The MCU 1 outputs a low-level signal from the terminal P14 to stop the step-up operation of the step-up DC-DC converter 9 and cut off the connection between the heater connector Cn(−) on the negative electrode side and the ground, and outputs a high-level signal from the terminal P22 to stop the charging operation of the charging IC 2, thereby performing the protection control. When only charging is to be prohibited, it is not necessary to output the low-level signal from the terminal P14, and when only discharging is to be prohibited, it is not necessary to output the high-level signal from the terminal P22.

The FF 17 outputs a low-level signal from the Q terminal to stop the step-up operation of the step-up DC-DC converter 9, cut off the connection between the heater connector Cn(−) on the negative electrode side and the ground, and stop the charging operation of the charging IC 2 by turning on the bipolar transistor S1, thereby performing the protection control without using the MCU 1.

When a signal input to a CLR(⁻) terminal is switched from a high level to a low level, the FF 17 outputs a low-level signal from the Q terminal. The low-level signal is also input to the P10 terminal of the MCU 1. While the low-level signal is input to the terminal P10, the MCU 1 does not switch a signal input to a CLK terminal (not shown) of the FF 17 from a low level to a high level. In other words, while the low-level signal is input to the terminal P10, a CLK signal of the FF 17 does not rise. In a state where the MCU 1 is frozen, for example, the signal input to the CLK terminal (not shown) of the FF 17 remains at the low level. Therefore, regardless of whether the MCU 1 is in a normal operation state or a frozen state, even if the signal input to the CLR(⁻) terminal of the FF 17 is switched from the low level to the high level after the low-level signal is output from the Q terminal of the FF 17, the low-level signal is continuously output from the Q terminal of the FF 17. When the MCU 1 is reset as shown in FIG. 19, the FF 17 is restarted (the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is supplied again). Since the reset MCU 1 operates in the sleep mode, the system power supply voltage Vcc3 is not supplied to the heater thermistor T3 and the case thermistor T4, and both an output of the operational amplifier OP2 and an output of the operational amplifier OP3 are at a high level. Accordingly, a high-level signal is input to the D terminal and the CLR(⁻) terminal of the FF 17. At this timing, since a low-level signal is not input to the terminal P10 due to the restart of the FF 17, the MCU 1 raises the CLK signal of the FF 17. Accordingly, an output of the Q terminal of the FF 17 may be returned to a high level. By returning the output of the Q terminal of the FF 17 to the high level, the protection control performed by the FF 17 is ended.

As described above, the signal output from the Q terminal of the FF 17 is also input to the terminal P10 of the MCU 1. Therefore, based on the low-level signal input to the terminal P10, the MCU 1 may detect that the FF 17 performs the protection control. When the MCU 1 detects that the FF 17 performs the protection control, the MCU 1 preferably causes the notification unit 180 to perform a reset request notification of the MCU 1, and shifts to the error mode.

(Details of Reset of MCU 1)

When the operation mode is shifted to the error mode by performing the manual return protection control, or when the MCU 1 does not normally operate (when it is frozen) due to some reasons, the MCU 1 is required to be reset (restarted).

FIG. 21 is a circuit diagram of main parts of the electric circuit shown in FIG. 10, showing main electronic components related to a reset operation of the MCU 1. FIG. 21 additionally shows motor connectors Cn(m) and a resistor R7 which are not denoted in FIG. 10. The vibration motor M is connected to the motor connectors Cn(m). The motor connectors Cn(m) are connected in parallel to the power supply terminal VDD of the MCU 1 via the switch S7. Therefore, when a supply of the system power supply voltage Vcc2 to the power supply terminal VDD of the MCU 1 is stopped, a supply of an operating voltage to the vibration motor M is also stopped. The resistor R7 has one end connected to a node connecting the control terminal ON of the LSW 4 and the reset input terminal RSTB of the switch driver 7, and the other end connected to the input terminal VIN of the switch driver 7.

The MCU 1 is reset by stopping the supply of the system power supply voltage Vcc2 serving as an operating voltage of the MCU 1 to the power supply terminal VDD of the MCU 1 and then restarting the supply. As shown in FIG. 20, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is output from the output terminal VOUT of the LSW 4 in a state where the LSW 4 is closed (a state where an electrical connection between the input terminal VIN and the output terminal VOUT is closed). In other words, the system power supply voltage Vcc2 is not output from the output terminal VOUT of the LSW 4 in a state where the LSW 4 is opened (a state where the electrical connection between the input terminal VIN and the output terminal VOUT is cut off). Opening and closing control of the LSW 4 is performed by the switch driver 7. As described above, in the inhalation device 100, the switch driver 7 performs the opening and closing control of the LSW 4, so that the MCU 1 may be reset.

The system power supply voltage Vcc1 is input to the input terminal VIN of each of the LSW 4 and the switch driver 7. Therefore, in a state where the system power supply voltage Vcc1 is generated in the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8, the LSW 4 and the switch driver 7 operate simultaneously. The switch driver 7 includes, for example, a built-in switch provided between the reset input terminal RSTB and the ground terminal GND, and in a state where the switch is closed, a potential of the reset input terminal RSTB is at a ground level (a low level). The input terminal VIN and the reset input terminal RSTB of the switch driver 7 are connected in parallel via the resistor R7. Therefore, as long as the system power supply voltage Vcc1 is generated in the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8, the potential of the reset input terminal RSTB is at a high level in a state where the built-in switch built in the switch driver 7 is opened. The control terminal ON for controlling the opening and closing of the LSW 4 is connected to the output terminal VOUT of the step-up/down DC-DC converter 8 via the resistor R7, and is connected to the reset input terminal RSTB of the switch driver 7. Therefore, in the state where the built-in switch built in the switch driver 7 is opened, a high-level voltage based on the system power supply voltage Vcc1 is input to the control terminal ON of the LSW 4. On the other hand, in the state where the built-in switch built in the switch driver 7 is closed, one end of the resistor R7 is connected to the ground, and thus the high-level signal based on the system power supply voltage Vcc1 is not input to the control terminal ON of the LSW 4, and a signal input to the control terminal ON of the LSW 4 is at a low level. As described above, the switch driver 7 controls the potential of the reset input terminal RSTB to perform the opening and closing control of the LSW 4.

The switch driver 7 controls the potential of the reset input terminal RSTB based on a voltage input to the terminal SW1 and a voltage input to the terminal SW2. The voltage input to the terminal SW1 is at a low level (a ground level) in a state where the operation switch OPS is pressed, and is at a high level in a state where the operation switch OPS is not pressed. The voltage input to the terminal SW2 is at a low level in a state where the outer panel 115 is removed from the inner panel 118, and is at a high level in a state where the outer panel 115 is attached to the inner panel 118.

When a panel condition that the outer panel 115 is removed from the inner panel 118 is satisfied and a switch operation condition that the pressing of the operation switch OPS continues for a predetermined time (hereinafter, referred to as a reset operation time) is satisfied, the switch driver 7 starts a reset process for resetting the MCU 1. A state where both the panel condition and the switch operation condition are satisfied is defined as a state where a restart condition is satisfied. A state where the pressing of the operation switch OPS is continued after the panel condition and the switch operation condition are both satisfied is defined as a state where the restart condition is continued to be satisfied.

The reset process refers to a process of waiting for a predetermined delay time td equal to or longer than 0 second, then closing the built-in switch built in the switch driver 7 to control the LSW 4 to be in an open state, and thereafter opening the built-in switch to return the LSW 4 to a closed state when a time during which the switch is closed reaches a predetermined time. When the panel condition is no longer satisfied or when the user stops pressing the operation switch OPS while waiting for the reset operation time to elapse after the start of pressing the operation switch OPS in a state where the panel condition is satisfied, the switch driver 7 returns to a standby state without executing the reset process. After starting the reset process, the switch driver 7 opens the built-in switch at a time point when the time during which the built-in switch is closed reaches the predetermined time regardless of whether the restart condition is satisfied, and ends the reset process. In other words, the switch driver 7 opens the built-in switch and returns the LSW 4 to the closed state even if the restart condition is kept satisfied with the panel condition being kept satisfied and the operation switch OPS being kept to be pressed until the time during which the switch built in the switch driver 7 is closed reaches the predetermined time.

The above reset operation time is preferably set to a value different from a pressing duration time of the operation switch OPS (hereinafter, referred to as a heating start operation time) required for transitioning from the active mode to the heating setting mode (for making an instruction to start the heating of the rod 500 by the heater HTR). In this way, in order to reset the MCU 1, an operation different from an operation for performing the aerosol generation, which is to be frequently performed, is required. Therefore, the MCU 1 may be reset under an explicit intention of the user. The reset operation time is more preferably set to a value longer than the heating start operation time. In this way, the MCU 1 may be reset under a more explicit intention of the user.

For example, the heating start operation time is 1 second, and the reset operation time is 5 seconds. These numerical values are examples, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

If the MCU 1 itself is not frozen, when the reset process is started by the switch driver 7 (in other words, when the restart condition is satisfied), the MCU 1 preferably controls the notification unit 180 (the vibration motor M and the LEDs L1 to L8) to cause the notification unit 180 to perform a notification to the user. As a notification method, the LEDs L1 to L8 may be turned on in a predetermined pattern, the vibration motor M may be vibrated, or a combination thereof may be used. Based on the notification, the user may recognize that the MCU 1 is reset by continuing the current operation. The MCU 1 may perform the notification or a notification different from the notification while waiting for the reset operation time to elapse.

When the delay time td is set to a value larger than 0, the MCU 1 preferably completes, before the above delay time td elapses, the above notification performed by the notification unit 180 associated with the start of the reset process. In this way, the user may recognize that the reset of the MCU 1 is to be started in a short time based on the completion of the notification. Of course, the above notification performed by the notification unit 180 may be continued until the above delay time td elapses. Even in this case, the vibration motor M is operated at the system power supply voltage Vcc2, and thus the notification is completed at the same time as the supply of the system power supply voltage Vcc2 to the MCU 1 is stopped, so that it is possible to recognize that the reset of MCU 1 is started.

A situation is conceivable in which, for example, the heater HTR is overheated as a result of the MCU 1 being frozen.

As described above, when the temperature of the heater HTR (the temperature of the heater thermistor T3) is excessive, an output voltage of the operational amplifier OP2 is at a low level. The low-level voltage is input to the CLR(⁻) terminal of the FF 16. The FF 16 sets an output of the Q terminal to a low level when a signal input to the CLR(⁻) terminal is at a low level. The Q(⁻) terminal of the FF 16 is a terminal that outputs a voltage obtained by inverting the output of the Q terminal of the FF 16. Therefore, the FF 16 outputs a high-level signal from the Q(⁻) terminal when the signal input to the CLR(⁻) terminal is at the low level. In a normal state where the temperature of the heater HTR (the temperature of the heater thermistor T3) is not excessive, the signal input to the CLR(⁻) terminal of the FF 16 is at a high level. Therefore, in the normal state, the FF 16 outputs, from the Q(⁻) terminal, a low-level voltage obtained by inverting a high-level voltage (the system power supply voltage Vcc1) input to the D terminal.

It is assumed that the MCU 1 is frozen due to noise. When the MCU 1 is frozen, the user removes the outer panel 115 from the inner panel 118 and continues to press the operation switch OPS to reset the MCU 1. Even while the MCU 1 is being reset, the system power supply voltage Vcc1 is kept supplied to the power supply terminal VCC of the FF 16. Therefore, before and after the reset of the MCU 1, the FF 16 is continued to hold information indicating that the temperature of the heater HTR is excessive (the high-level output of the Q(⁻) terminal).

When a voltage input to the terminal P11 is at a high level, the restarted MCU 1 detects that the temperature of the heater HTR is excessive, performs the protection control, and transitions the operation mode to the permanent error mode. That is, the protection control performed here is the non-return protection control. As described above, even when the overheating of the heater HTR occurs as a result of the MCU 1 being frozen, it is possible to return the MCU 1 to the normal operation by resetting, and transition the operation mode to the permanent error mode. Accordingly, the inhalation device 100 may be disabled, and the safety may be improved.

As described above, in the inhalation device 100, the switch driver 7 opens and closes the LSW 4 to reset the MCU 1 when both the switch operation condition which is a condition related to the operation of the operation switch OPS and the panel condition which is a condition different from the operation of the operation switch OPS are satisfied. A technique of resetting a controller when a single condition is satisfied is well known. In contrast, in the inhalation device 100, the MCU 1 is reset when a plurality of conditions are satisfied. Therefore, the MCU 1 is prevented from being reset due to an erroneous operation or some impact, and the MCU 1 may be reset only when necessary.

In the inhalation device 100, in the state where the outer panel 115 is attached to the inner panel 118, the MCU 1 is not reset even if the operation switch OPS is continuously pressed. Only in the state where the outer panel 115 is removed from the inner panel 118, the MCU 1 is reset by continuously pressing the operation switch OPS. As described above, the functions that may be realized by the same operation member are switched according to whether the outer panel 115 is attached, so that it is possible to reduce the number of operation members, improve the operability, and reduce a cost.

When the MCU 1 detects that the outer panel 115 is removed from the inner panel 118, the MCU 1 preferably causes the notification unit 180 to perform a notification. In this way, in order to reset the MCU 1, it is necessary to further operate the operation switch OPS while the notification that the panel condition is satisfied is performed. Therefore, the MCU 1 may be reset under the explicit intention of the user.

When the MCU 1 detects that the outer panel 115 is removed from the inner panel 118, the MCU 1 preferably disables the discharging from the power supply BAT to the heater HTR. In a state where the outer panel 115 is not attached, heat generated in the heating unit 170 is easily transmitted to the user, and thus the safety may be improved in this way.

(Preferred Form of Heating Unit 170)

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along a section passing through the case thermistor T4 of the inhalation device 100 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 22, the heating unit 170 includes the cylindrical rod accommodation portion 172 having a heat insulating function, a cylindrical heater support member 174 disposed inside the rod accommodation portion 172, and the cylindrical heater HTR supported by an inner circumferential surface of the heater support member 174.

The heater HTR has a substantially elliptical cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the up-down direction. Specifically, the heater HTR includes flat portions H1 and H2 that are arranged to face each other while being spaced apart in the front-rear direction and extend in the up-down direction, a curved portion H3 that connects a right end of the flat portion H1 and a right end of the flat portion H2, and a curved portion H4 that connects a left end of the flat portion H1 and a left end of the flat portion H2. The substantially elliptical shape may be formed by using curved portions, instead of the flat portions H1 and H2, having a curvature different from that of the curved portion H3 and the curved portion H4.

A part of the rod 500 is accommodated in a space 170A surrounded by the elliptical heater HTR. An outer shape of the rod 500 is circular, and a diameter of the rod 500 is larger than a distance between the flat portion H1 and the flat portion H2 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the rod 500 inserted into the space 170A is in a state of being crushed in the front-rear direction by the flat portion H1 and the flat portion H2. By forming the heating unit 170 as shown in FIG. 21, a contact area between the rod 500 and the heater HTR may be increased, and the rod 500 may be efficiently heated. The MCU 1 may be reset regardless of whether the rod 500 is inserted into the space 170A.

For example, it is assumed that the MCU 1 is frozen before the rod 500 inserted from the opening 132 (see FIG. 2) is heated, and aerosol generation is not performed. In such a case, the MCU 1 may be reset simply by removing the outer panel 115 and pressing the operation switch OPS while inserting the rod 500 without performing an operation such as removing the rod 500 from the opening 132 and closing the slider 119. After the MCU 1 returns to the active mode by resetting, the user presses the operation switch OPS for the heating start operation time after attaching the outer panel 115. Accordingly, the aerosol generation that has not been performed is to be performed. As described above, since the MCU 1 may be reset without inserting and removing the rod 500, in other words, without opening and closing the slider 119, it is possible to reduce a burden on the user and improve the usability.

Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or corrections can be conceived within the scope described in the claims, and it is understood that the modifications or corrections naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

In the present description, at least the following matters are described. In parentheses, corresponding components and the like in the above embodiment are shown, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

- (1) A power supply unit for an aerosol generating device, the power supply unit including:
- a power supply (power supply BAT);
- a heater connector (heater connector CN) to which a heater (heater HTR) configured to heat an aerosol source (rod 500) by consuming a power supplied from the power supply is connected;
- a controller (MCU 1) configured to control a supply of a power from the power supply to the heater and including a power supply terminal (power supply terminal VDD) configured to receive a power for operation;
- a switch (LSW4) configured to connect the power supply and the power supply terminal of the controller; and
- a restart circuit (switch driver 7) configured to control opening and closing of the switch, in which
- the restart circuit performs a first operation of opening the switch when a restart condition is satisfied, and performs a second operation of closing the switch after performing the first operation.

According to (1), the controller may be restarted by an opening and closing control of the switch by the restart circuit, and thus even if a freeze occurs in the controller, it is possible to stably cancel the freeze and return to a normal operation.

- (2) The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to (1), in which
- the restart circuit performs the second operation even if the restart condition is continuously satisfied after performing the first operation.

According to (2), regardless of a change in a situation after a supply of a power supply to the controller is cut off, the supply of the power supply to the controller is performed again, and thus the controller may be reliably restarted without requiring a user operation.

- (3)

The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to (1), in which

- a predetermined operation (pressing operation switch OPS) performed by a user is required to be continued for a predetermined period in order to satisfy the restart condition.

According to (3), the restart condition is less likely to be satisfied due to an erroneous operation or some impact. Therefore, a situation in which the controller is erroneously restarted may be prevented, and the controller may be restarted only by a clear operation performed by the user.

- (4) The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to (3), further including:
- a notification unit (notification unit 180) configured to perform a notification to a user, in which
- the controller is configured to
- detect the predetermined operation, and
- cause, after the predetermined operation is continued for the predetermined period and the restart condition is satisfied and before the first operation is performed (before the delay time td elapses after the reset condition is satisfied), the notification unit to perform a notification.

According to (4), by the notification before the restart of the controller, it is possible to make the user notice that the controller is restarted when the operation is continued. Therefore, the user may accurately recognize a state of the aerosol generating device.

- (5) The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to (4), further including:

a connector (motor connector Cn(m)) to which the notification unit (vibration motor M) is connected, in which

- the connector is connected in parallel to the power supply terminal of the controller.

According to (5), a power supply of the notification unit and a power supply of the controller are common. Accordingly, when the controller is restarted, the notification unit stops operating, and thus the user may easily recognize that the controller is being restarted.

- (6) The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to (4) or (5), in which
- the controller is configured to cause, after the restart condition is satisfied and before the first operation is performed (before the delay time td elapses after the restarting condition is satisfied), the notification unit to complete a notification.

According to (6), the notification is completed when the controller is restarted, and thus the user may easily recognize that the restart is being performed.

- (7) The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to any one of (1) to (6), in which
- the switch includes an input terminal (input terminal VIN) connected to the power supply, an output terminal (output terminal VOUT) connected to the power supply terminal of the controller, and a control terminal (control terminal ON), and is configured to close, when a high-level voltage is input to the control terminal, an electrical connection between the input terminal and the output terminal, and
- the input terminal is connected in parallel to the control terminal.

According to (7), when the restart circuit is not functioning, a high-level voltage may be input to the control terminal of the switch by the power supply. Therefore, when the restart circuit is not functioning, the supply of the power to the controller is less likely to be cut off.

- (8) The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to (7), in which
- the restart circuit includes a restart terminal (reset input terminal RSTB) connected to the control terminal of the switch, and is configured to set, when the restart condition is satisfied, a potential of the restart terminal to a low level.

According to (8), a low-level signal is input to the control terminal of the switch only when the restart circuit functions. Therefore, it is possible to limit a situation in which the supply of the power to the controller is cut off.

- (9) The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to (8), in which
- the restart circuit includes a first input terminal (terminal SW1) and a second input terminal (terminal SW2),
- a first-level voltage is required to be input to the first input terminal and a second-level voltage is required to be input to the second input terminal in order to satisfy the restart condition, and
- a user operation (pressing the operation switch OPS) required to input the first-level voltage to the first input terminal is different from a user operation (removing the outer panel 115) required to input the second-level voltage to the second input terminal.

According to (9), when the controller is to be restarted, a complicated operation is required. Therefore, a situation in which the controller is erroneously restarted may be prevented, and the controller may be restarted only by a clear operation performed by the user.

Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or corrections can be conceived within the scope described in the claims, and it is understood that the modifications or corrections naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, the components in the above embodiment may be combined freely without departing from the gist of the invention.

Claims

1. A power supply unit for an aerosol generating device, the power supply unit comprising:

a power supply;

a heater connector to which a heater configured to heat an aerosol source by consuming a power supplied from the power supply is connected;

a controller configured to control a supply of a power from the power supply to the heater and including a power supply terminal configured to receive a power for operation;

a switch configured to connect the power supply and the power supply terminal of the controller; and

a restart circuit configured to control opening and closing of the switch, wherein

the restart circuit performs a first operation of opening the switch when a restart condition is satisfied, and performs a second operation of closing the switch after performing the first operation.

2. The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein the restart circuit performs the second operation even if the restart condition is continuously satisfied after performing the first operation.

3. The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined operation performed by a user is required to be continued for a predetermined period in order to satisfy the restart condition.

4. The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a notification unit configured to perform a notification to a user, wherein

the controller is configured to

detect the predetermined operation, and

cause, after the predetermined operation is continued for the predetermined period and the restart condition is satisfied and before the first operation is performed, the notification unit to perform a notification.

5. The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a connector to which the notification unit is connected, wherein

the connector is connected in parallel to the power supply terminal of the controller.

6. The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to claim 4, wherein

the controller is configured to cause, after the restart condition is satisfied and before the first operation is performed, the notification unit to complete a notification.

7. The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to claim 1, wherein

the switch includes an input terminal connected to the power supply, an output terminal connected to the power supply terminal of the controller, and a control terminal, and is configured to close, when a high-level voltage is input to the control terminal, an electrical connection between the input terminal and the output terminal, and

the input terminal is connected in parallel to the control terminal.

8. The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to claim 7, wherein

the restart circuit includes a restart terminal connected to the control terminal of the switch, and is configured to set, when the restart condition is satisfied, a potential of the restart terminal to a low level.

9. The power supply unit for an aerosol generating device according to claim 8, wherein

the restart circuit includes a first input terminal and a second input terminal,

a first-level voltage is required to be input to the first input terminal and a second-level voltage is required to be input to the second input terminal in order to satisfy the restart condition, and

a user operation required to input the first-level voltage to the first input terminal is different from a user operation required to input the second-level voltage to the second input terminal.