AEROSOL GENERATION DEVICE

- Japan Tobacco Inc.

An aerosol generation device according to the present disclosure comprises: a body that has a heating unit and a control unit that controls heating by the heating unit; and a cover that is installed on the body. The cover has a biological information sensor that detects biological information. When the cover is installed and the biological information detected by the biological information sensor meets predetermined prescribed conditions, the control unit of the body allows heating by the heating unit. The biological information sensor is off when the heating unit is heating.

Skip to: Description  ·  Claims  · Patent History  ·  Patent History
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/JP2022/034120 filed on Sep. 12, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an aerosol generation device.

BACKGROUND ART

For example, an aerosol-generating system described in PTL 1 has a biosensor configured to detect a biological characteristic of the user. A controller provides health data based on the at least one biological characteristic detected by the biosensor. The health data is provided to the user and used to modify an aerosol delivery profile of an aerosolizer.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

    • PTL 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2021-516540

According to PTL 1, the timing for turning on or off the sensor is not taken into consideration. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of energy saving.

The present disclosure provides an aerosol generation device capable of saving energy.

SUMMARY

According to the present disclosure made to achieve the above-described object, an aerosol generation device includes a body including a heater and a controller that controls heating by the heater; and a cover attached to the body. The cover includes a biological information sensor that detects biological information. When the cover is attached and when the biological information detected by the biological information sensor satisfies a predetermined condition, the controller of the body allows the heater to perform heating. The biological information sensor is off when heating is performed by the heater.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an example of a front view of an aerosol generation device from an upper position.

FIG. 2 is an example of a front view of the aerosol generation device from a lower position.

FIG. 3 is an example of a front view of a body from which a cover is removed.

FIG. 4 is an example of a rear view of the cover.

FIG. 5 is an example of a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the body.

FIG. 6 is an example of a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the cover.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the generation device held in the right hand.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the generation device held in the left hand.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of information stored in a memory.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of information output to a portable terminal by an output unit.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of information output to the portable terminal by the output unit.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an example of a heat control process performed by a controller.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example of an on-off control process performed by the controller.

 DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is an example of a front view of an aerosol generation device 1 from an upper position.

FIG. 2 is an example of a front view of the aerosol generation device 1 from a lower position.

FIG. 3 is an example of a front view of a body 100 from which a cover 10 is removed.

FIG. 4 is an example of a rear view of the cover 10.

FIG. 5 is an example of a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the body 100.

FIG. 6 is an example of a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the cover 10.

The aerosol generation device 1 (hereinafter sometimes referred to simply as “generation device 1”) includes a body 100 and a cover 10 removably attachable to the body 100. The body 100 includes a heater 170 that heats a substrate 500 containing an aerosol source (hereinafter sometimes referred to simply as “substrate 500”).

The body 100 includes a substantially rectangular-parallelepiped-shaped housing 101 accommodating the heater 170 and other components. The cover 10 covers one face of the housing 101. Among six faces of the housing 101, a face to which the cover 10 is attached is hereinafter referred to as a front face 102, a side face on the left side when viewed from the front face 102 as a left side face 103, a side surface on the right side as a right side face 104, a face on the top as a top face 105, and a face on the bottom as a bottom face 106. Among the six faces of the housing 101, a face connected to the left side face 103, the right side face 104, the top face 105, and the bottom face 106 and that differs from the front face 102 is referred to as a rear face 107. The cover 10 covers the front face 102 of the housing 101. The left side face 103, the right side face 104, the top face 105, the bottom face 106, and the rear face 107 are exposed to the outside when the cover 10 is attached.

(Body 100)

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the body 100 includes a power supply 110, a sensor unit 120, a notifier 130, a memory 140, a communicator 150, a controller 160, a heater 170, a heat insulator 180, and a holder 190. The power supply 110, the sensor unit 120, the notifier 130, the memory 140, the communicator 150, the controller 160, the heater 170, and the heat insulator 180 are accommodated in the housing 101. The body 100 also includes a shutter 194 (see FIG. 1) disposed on the top face 105 and slidable along the top face 105.

Individual structural elements will now be described in sequence below.

((Power Supply 110))

The power supply 110 includes a battery 111 that stores electric power and a power feeder 112 that supplies electric power.

The battery 111 may be, for example, a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium ion secondary battery. The battery 111 may be charged by connection to an external power supply with a cable or the like connected to a universal serial bus (USB) terminal 113. Alternatively, the battery 111 may be charged by wireless power transmission technology without connection to a power transmission device. The battery 111 may be independently removable from the body 100 or be replaceable with a new battery 111.

The power feeder 112 supplies electric power to the structural elements of the body 100 under the control of the controller 160. The power feeder 112 also supplies electric power to the cover 10.

The power feeder 112 supplies electric power to the cover 10 by, for example, contactless power transmission. An example of contactless power transmission is power transmission by near-field communication. This enables supply of electric power to the cover 10 by a simple configuration.

((Sensor Unit 120))

The sensor unit 120 detects various information related to the body 100. The sensor unit 120 outputs the detected information to the controller 160. In one example, the sensor unit 120 includes a pressure sensor such as a condenser microphone, a flow sensor, or a temperature sensor. When the sensor unit 120 detects a value associated with user's inhalation, the sensor unit 120 outputs information indicating that the user has performed inhalation to the controller 160. In another example, the sensor unit 120 includes an input device, such as a button or a switch, that receives information input by the user. In particular, the sensor unit 120 may include a button for issuing a command to start/stop the aerosol generation. The sensor unit 120 outputs the information input by the user to the controller 160.

The sensor unit 120 includes, as the button, an operation button 121 for issuing a command to start the generation of an aerosol. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the operation button 121 is exposed on the front face 102 of the housing 101.

((Notifier 130))

The notifier 130 presents information to the user. In one example, the notifier 130 includes a light-emitting device, such as a light emitting diode (LED). In that case, the notifier 130 emits light in different light emission patterns for different situations, such as when the battery 111 of the power supply 110 needs charging, when the battery 111 is being charged, and when an abnormality has occurred in the body 100. The term light emission pattern as used herein conceptually includes, for example, color and light-on/light-off timing. The notifier 130 may include, in addition to or instead of the light-emitting device, a display device that displays an image, a sound output device that outputs sound, a vibration device that vibrates, and the like.

The front face 102 of the housing 101 has a display window 108 that transmits light emitted from the light-emitting device, such as the LED, as an example of the notifier 130. The light-emitting device is disposed behind the display window 108.

((Memory 140))

The memory 140 stores various information for the operation of the generation device 1. The memory 140 includes, for example, a non-volatile storage medium, such as a flash memory. An example of the information stored in the memory 140 is information related to the operating system (OS) of the generation device 1, such as control details of the structural elements controlled by the controller 160. Another example of the information stored in the memory 140 is information related to the user's inhalation, such as the number of inhalations, the time of inhalation, and the cumulative duration of inhalation.

((Communicator 150))

The communicator 150 is a communication interface for transmission and reception of information between the generation device 1 and another device. The communicator 150 performs communication in conformity with any wired or wireless communication standard. The communication standard may be, for example, wireless local area network (LAN), wired LAN, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark). In one example, the communicator 150 transmits information related to the user's inhalation to another device (e.g., a portable terminal 600 described below) to cause the other device to display the information related to the user's inhalation. In another example, the communicator 150 receives new OS information from a server to update the OS information stored in the memory 140.

((Controller 160))

The controller 160 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a control unit, and controls the overall internal operation of the generation device 1 in accordance with various programs. The controller 160 is implemented by, for example, an electronic circuit, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor. The controller 160 may also include a read only memory (ROM) that stores programs, arithmetic parameters, and the like to be used and a random access memory (RAM) for temporarily storing parameters and the like that change as appropriate. The generation device 1 executes various processes under the control of the controller 160. Examples of processes controlled by the controller 160 include supplying power from the power supply 110 to other structural elements; charging the power supply 110; detection by the sensor unit 120; notification of information by the notifier 130; storing and reading of information by the memory 140; and transmission and reception of information by the communicator 150. The controller 160 also controls other processes performed by the generation device 1, such as inputting information to the structural elements and processes based on information output from the structural elements.

((Heater 170))

The heater 170 heats the aerosol source to atomize the aerosol source and generate an aerosol. The heater 170 may be made of any material, such as metal or polyimide. For example, the heater 170 is film-shaped and disposed to cover the outer circumference of the holder 190. When the heater 170 produces heat, the aerosol source contained in the substrate 500 is heated from the outer circumference of the substrate 500 and atomized to generate the aerosol. The heater 170 produces heat to heat the substrate 500 in response to the supply of electric power from the power supply 110. The user's inhalation is enabled when the temperature of the substrate 500 heated by the heater 170 reaches a predetermined temperature. After that, the supply of electric power may be stopped when the sensor unit 120 detects a predetermined user input.

((Heat Insulator 180))

The heat insulator 180 prevents heat transmission from the heater 170 to another structural element of the generation device 1. The heat insulator 180 is disposed to cover at least the outer circumference of the heater 170. The heat insulator 180 is composed of, for example, a vacuum heat insulator or an aerogel heat insulator. The vacuum heat insulator is a heat insulator obtained by wrapping glass wool, silica (silicon powder), or the like with a resin film and establishing a high-vacuum state to substantially eliminate gaseous thermal conduction.

((Holder 190))

The holder 190 has a column-shaped internal space 191 provided in the housing 101 and an opening 192 formed in the top face 105 of the housing 101 to provide communication between the internal space 191 and the outside. The internal space 191 is defined by a tubular body with a bottom 193 serving as a bottom face. The holder 190 is formed so that at least a portion of the tubular body in the height direction has an inside diameter smaller than the outside diameter of the substrate 500. This allows the holder 190 to hold the substrate 500 inserted into the internal space 191 through the opening 192 by pressing against the outer circumference of the substrate 500. The holder 190 also defines a flow path for air passing through the substrate 500. An air inlet hole through which air flows into the flow path is disposed at, for example, the bottom 193. An air outlet hole through which air flows out of the flow path is the opening 192. The opening 192 is exposed when the shutter 194 is slid to an open position and covered when the shutter 194 is slid to a closed position.

((Shutter 194))

The shutter 194 has a magnet on a back surface thereof. A magnetic sensor (not illustrated) included in the sensor unit 120 is attached to the top face 105 of the housing 101 within a range of movement of the shutter 194. The magnetic sensor is a Hall IC including a Hall element, an operational amplifier, and the like, and outputs a voltage corresponding to the intensity of the magnetic field that passes the Hall element. In the present embodiment, the controller 160 detects opening and closing of the shutter 194 based on a change in the voltage output from the magnetic sensor when the shutter 194 is slid.

((Substrate 500))

The substrate 500 is a stick-shaped member. The substrate 500 includes a substrate portion 501 and an inhalation port 502.

The substrate portion 501 contains the aerosol source. The aerosol source is atomized by heating to generate an aerosol. The aerosol source may be, for example, a tobacco-derived material, such as a processed material obtained by forming shredded tobacco or a tobacco raw material into granular, sheet, or powder form. The aerosol source may include a non-tobacco-derived material made from a plant other than tobacco (e.g., mint or herb). In one example, the aerosol source may contain a flavor component such as menthol. If the generation device 1 is a medical inhaler, the aerosol source may include a medicine for inhalation by a patient. The aerosol source is not necessarily a solid. Alternatively, for example, the aerosol source may be a liquid such as polyhydric alcohol or water. Examples of the polyhydric alcohol include glycerol and propylene glycol. At least a portion of the substrate portion 501 is accommodated in the internal space 191 of the holder 190 when the substrate 500 is held by the holder 190.

The inhalation port 502 is a member on which the user sucks during inhalation. At least a portion of the inhalation port 502 protrudes from the opening 192 when the substrate 500 is held by the holder 190. As the user sucks and inhales on the inhalation port 502 protruding from the opening 192, air flows into the holder 190 through the air inlet hole (not illustrated). After entering the holder 190, the air passes through the internal space 191 of the holder 190, that is, through the substrate portion 501, and reaches the inside of the user's mouth together with the aerosol generated from the substrate portion 501.

((Example of Appearance of Body 100))

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the body 100 includes two magnets, an upper magnet 195 and a lower magnet 196, that are exposed on the front face 102 of the housing 101 and used to connect the body 100 to the cover 10. The upper magnet 195 and the lower magnet 196 have a cylindrical shape that is circular when viewed from the front. The upper magnet 195 and the lower magnet 196 are arranged so that the centers of the circles are aligned in a centerline direction of the substrate 500 held by the holder 190 (hereinafter sometimes referred to simply as a “centerline direction”). The upper magnet 195 is disposed in an upper section of the body 100, and the lower magnet 196 in a lower section of the body 100.

The body 100 includes an operation button 121 exposed on the front face 102 of the housing 101 in a central region of the body 100 in the centerline direction. In other words, the operation button 121 is disposed between the upper magnet 195 and the lower magnet 196.

The body 100 includes the display window 108 disposed above the operation button 121 and between the upper magnet 195 and the operation button 121. The display window 108 transmits light from the light-emitting device, such as an LED, to a display window 74 of the cover 10 described below. The display window 108 is a window provided at a position corresponding to the position of the light-emitting device disposed in the housing 101 of the body 100, and transmits light from the light-emitting device to the display window 74 of the cover 10. Thus, the user can see the light on the outer surface of the cover 10.

The body 100 includes a magnetic sensor 122. The magnetic sensor 122 detects magnetic force based on a magnetic field applied by a magnet 75 on the cover 10 described below. For example, the magnetic sensor 122 may be a Hall sensor including a Hall element. Thus, the attachment of the cover 10 to the body 100 can be detected.

(Cover 10)

The cover 10 will now be described in detail.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the cover 10 includes a cover body 11, a power supply 20, a sensor unit 30, a memory 40, a communicator 50, and a controller 60.

((Cover Body 11))

The cover body 11, which is a plate-shaped member that transmits light, covers the front face 102 of the housing 101 of the body 100 and is shaped to form no step between the cover body 11 and any of the left side face 103, the right side face 104, the top face 105, and the bottom face 106 of the housing 101. Accordingly, the cover 10 forms an integrated appearance together with the left side face 103, the right side face 104, the top face 105, and the bottom face 106 of the housing 101 and has an ornamental function. The cover 10 also has a function of suppressing the propagation of heat emitted from the body 100. The power supply 20, the sensor unit 30, the memory 40, the communicator 50, and the controller 60 are attached to the cover body 11.

((Power Supply 20))

The power supply 20 includes a battery 21 that stores electric power, a power feeder 22 that supplies electric power to the structural elements of the cover 10, and a power receiver 23 that receives electric power from the power feeder 112 of the power supply 110 included in the body 100.

The battery 21 may be, for example, a rechargeable battery, such as a film-shaped lithium ion secondary battery. The battery 21 is charged with electric power supplied to the cover 10 from the power feeder 112 of the power supply 110 included in the body 100.

The power feeder 22 supplies electric power of the battery 21 to the structural elements of the cover 10. The power feeder 22 also supplies electric power received by the power receiver 23 to the structural elements of the cover 10. Thus, the structural elements of the cover 10 including the sensor unit 30 can be operated by the electric power supplied to the cover 10 from the body 100.

When the power feeder 112 included in the body 100 supplies electric power to the cover 10 by contactless power transmission, such as near-field communication, the power receiver 23 includes a near-field communication (NFC) reader/writer module and an NFC antenna.

((Sensor Unit 30))

The sensor unit 30 includes an ambient air sensor that detects information of the air around the generation device 1. The information of the air may include, for example, a temperature and a humidity. In other words, the sensor unit 30 may include, as examples of the ambient air sensor, a temperature sensor capable of detecting the temperature around the generation device 1 (e.g., room temperature) and a humidity sensor capable of detecting the humidity around the generation device 1. Additionally, the information of the air may be an atmospheric pressure. The sensor unit 30 may include, as an example of the ambient air sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor capable of detecting the atmospheric pressure around the generation device 1.

Additionally, the sensor unit 30 may include a vital sensor that detects biological information of the user. The vital sensor may be, for example, a sensor capable of detecting any of the user's body temperature, heart rate, pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation level, blood flow rate, and COHb (carboxyhemoglobin). The sensor that detects the user's body temperature may be, for example, a sensor that converts infrared radiation from the forehead or the like into body temperature. The sensor that detects at least one of the heart rate, pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation level, blood flow rate, and COHb may be, for example, an optical sensor. The optical sensor includes a light-emitting element for emitting light toward the human body and a light-receiving element that receives the light emitted by the light-emitting element and returning from the user's body. The optical sensor outputs the information related to the light received by the light-receiving element. The light-emitting element is a light source and is composed of, for example, an LED. The light-receiving element is composed of, for example, a photodiode. The light received by the light-receiving element is, for example, light reflected by the human body. The reflected light includes light scattered and reflected in the human body (that is, scattered light).

The vital sensor may be a sensor capable of detecting the alcohol concentration in breath exhaled by the user. Additionally, the sensor unit 30 may include a distance sensor capable of detecting the distance from the generation device 1 to an object or a color sensor capable of detecting the color of an object.

Additionally, the sensor unit 30 includes a touch sensor 35 that detects when the cover 10 is being touched by the user. Since the user touches the touch sensor 35 to enable inhalation, in the example illustrated in FIG. 1 and other figures, the touch sensor 35 is disposed in the central region of the generation device 1 in the centerline direction. However, the position of the touch sensor 35 is not limited to the position illustrated in FIG. 1 and other figures.

To clarify the distinction from the touch sensor 35, the term “external sensor 31” may be hereinafter used to refer to a sensor that detects external information other than the information related to the state of the body 100 and external information other than the information related to the state of the cover 10, that is, external information other than the information related to the state of the generation device 1. The external sensor 31 is a generic term that collectively refers to the sensors for detecting information of the external environment around the generation device 1, such as the temperature sensor, the humidity sensor, and the atmospheric pressure sensor, the vital sensor for detecting the biological information of the user, the distance sensor, and the color sensor. The external information includes the biological information, such as body temperature, heart rate, pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation level, blood flow rate, COHb, and alcohol concentration, and the information of the external environment, such as temperature and humidity.

((Memory 40))

The memory 40 stores various information for the operation of the cover 10. The memory 40 includes, for example, a non-volatile storage medium, such as a flash memory. An example of the information stored in the memory 40 is information related to the operating system (OS) of the cover 10, such as control details of the structural elements controlled by the controller 60. The memory 40 also stores information acquired from the sensor unit 30. The memory 40 also stores a predetermined temperature range and a predetermined humidity range described below.

((Communicator 50))

The communicator 50 is a communication interface for transmission and reception of information between the cover 10 and an external device other than the cover 10. The communicator 50 performs communication in conformity with any wired or wireless communication standard. The communication standard may be, for example, wireless local area network (LAN), wired LAN, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The external device is the body 100 or a device other than the generation device 1. The device other than the generation device 1 may be, for example, a portable terminal 600, such as a multifunction mobile phone (so-called “smartphone”, hereinafter sometimes referred to as “mobile phone”) of the user or a server (not illustrated). The portable terminal 600 may be a tablet terminal, a tablet PC, a portable digital assistant (PDA), or a notebook PC. For example, the communicator 50 transmits the information detected by the sensor unit 30 to a mobile phone. Additionally, the communicator 50 receives new OS information from a server to update the OS information stored in the memory 40.

The communicator 50 may communicate with the body 100 by, for example, near-field communication. When electric power is supplied from the body 100 to the cover 10 by near-field communication as described above, and when the communicator 50 communicates with the body 100 by near-field communication, the efficiency of communication and electric power transmission between the body 100 and the cover 10 can be increased, and the structures of the body 100 and the cover 10 can be simplified. When electric power is supplied from the body 100 to the cover 10 by near-field communication and when the communicator 50 communicates with the body 100 by near-field communication, the communicator 50 may be composed of the same NFC reader/writer module, NFC antenna, etc., as those of the power receiver 23.

When the body 100 and the cover 10 are connected by a physical power supply interface, the communicator 50 may communicate with the body 100 through this power supply interface.

((Controller 60))

The controller 60 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a control unit, and controls the overall internal operation of the cover 10 in accordance with various programs. The controller 60 is implemented by, for example, an electronic circuit, such as a CPU or a microprocessor. The controller 60 may also include a ROM that stores programs, arithmetic parameters, and the like to be used and a RAM for temporarily storing parameters and the like that change as appropriate. The cover 10 executes various processes under the control of the controller 60. Examples of processes controlled by the controller 60 include supplying power from the power supply 20 to other structural elements; charging the power supply 20; detection by the sensor unit 30; storing and reading of information by the memory 40; and transmission and reception of information by the communicator 50. The controller 60 also controls other processes performed by the cover 10, such as inputting information to the structural elements and processes based on information output from the structural elements.

The controller 60 also transmits and receives data to and from the controller 160 of the body 100 through the communicator 50. The controller 60 transmits, for example, the detections values obtained by the sensor unit 30 to the controller 160 of the body 100. The controller 60 receives, for example, notification that heating of the heater 170 has been started or stopped from the controller 160 of the body 100.

((Magnets))

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the cover 10 includes an upper magnet 71 and a lower magnet 72 on a rear face 13 of the cover body 11 facing the body 100. The upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72 have a cylindrical shape that is circular when viewed from the rear, and are disposed at positions corresponding to the positions of the upper magnet 195 and the lower magnet 196 provided on the body 100. In other words, the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72 are arranged in the centerline direction, and the upper magnet 71 is disposed in an upper section of the cover 10 and the lower magnet 72 in a lower section of the cover 10.

When, for example, the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72 of the cover 10 are N poles, the upper magnet 195 and the lower magnet 196 of the body 100 are S poles. The cover 10 is attached to the body 100 by the attraction force between the magnets.

Either the magnets on the cover 10 (upper magnet 71 and lower magnet 72) or the magnets on the body 100 (upper magnet 195 and lower magnet 196) may be pieces of iron or another magnetic metal.

The cover 10 is not necessarily attached to the body 100 by the attraction force between the magnets. For example, the cover 10 and the body 100 may be physically fitted together. To physically fit the cover 10 and the body 100 together, for example, one of the cover 10 and the body 100 (e.g., the cover 10) may have fitting lugs to be fitted to holes or recesses formed in the other (e.g., body 100).

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, the above-described touch sensor 35 is disposed between the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72, in other words, in a central region of the cover 10 in the centerline direction. However, the position of the touch sensor 35 is not limited to this. The touch sensor 35 may be provided at each of a plurality positions.

The cover body 11 has the display window 74 formed between the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72 and above the touch sensor 35. The display window 74 is disposed at a position corresponding to the position of the display window 108 provided on the body 100. The cover body 11 is made of a material that transmits light. Thus, the cover 10 transmits the light emitted by the light emitting element provided in the body 100 to the front face 12 of the cover body 11.

The cover 10 includes the magnet 75 on the left side of the line connecting the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72 in FIG. 4. The magnet 75 is provided at a position corresponding to the position of the magnetic sensor 122 on the body 100. The attachment of the cover 10 to the body 100 is detected by the magnetic sensor 122 on the body 100.

((Location of External Sensor 31))

The external sensor 31 included in the sensor unit 30 is preferably provided at one of the ends of the cover 10 in the centerline direction, in other words, in a first region R1 above the upper magnet 71 or a second region R2 below the lower magnet 72 in FIG. 4.

When, for example, the external sensor 31 is an optical sensor, the external sensor 31 includes a light-emitting element for emitting light toward a finger or the like placed in front of the front face 12 of the cover body 11 and a light-receiving element for receiving the light emitted by the light-emitting element and returning from the finger or the like. Therefore, the detection cannot be accurately performed if dirt adheres to a portion that transmits light.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the generation device 1 held in the right hand. FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the generation device 1 held in the left hand.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which the external sensor 31 is disposed in the first region R1. Since the external sensor 31 is disposed in the first region R1, the user is less likely to touch the external sensor 31. More specifically, even when the generation device 1 is held in the right or left hand as illustrated in FIG. 7 or 8 for inhalation using the generation device 1, the hand does not easily cover a region closer to the opening 192 of the holder 190 than the upper magnet 71 (region above the upper magnet 71), and therefore does not easily touch the external sensor 31.

In the cover 10 of the present embodiment, the external sensor 31 is disposed in a region that is unlikely to be touched by the user, so that dirt does not easily adhere to the front face 12 of the cover 10. Accordingly, the detection can be accurately performed.

In addition, since the external sensor 31 is disposed in the first region R1, the external sensor 31 does not easily receive the load applied by the user. The external sensor 31 may also be disposed in the second region R2 below the lower magnet 72. This is because, even when the generation device 1 is held in the right or left hand for inhalation using the generation device 1, the second region R2 is where the little finger is placed and does not easily receive the load applied by the user.

Also when the external sensor 31 is a sensor other than an optical sensor (e.g., a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor), the external sensor 31 may be disposed in the first region R1 or the second region R2, so that the external sensor 31 does not easily receive the load applied by the user and therefore does not easily break.

((Output of External Sensor 31))

The controller 60 includes an output unit 61 (see FIG. 6) that outputs the information detected by the external sensor 31 of the sensor unit 30 to the external device through the communicator 50.

The output unit 61 outputs, for example, the temperature and the humidity detected by the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor, which are examples of the external sensor 31, to the portable terminal 600. Accordingly, the user can check the information related to the ambient air on the portable terminal 600.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of information stored in the memory 40.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate examples of information output to the portable terminal 600 by the output unit 61.

Based on the temperature or the humidity detected by the temperature sensor or the humidity sensor, the output unit 61 outputs a notification that the temperature or the humidity is suitable for storage of the substrate 500 to the portable terminal 600.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the memory 40 stores, as a temperature range suitable for storage of the substrate 500, a temperature range determined in advance (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a “predetermined temperature range”). When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is within the predetermined temperature range, the output unit 61 outputs the temperature detected by the temperature sensor to the portable terminal 600 together with a notification that the temperature is suitable for storage. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 10, a display 601 of the portable terminal 600 displays a notification that the temperature is suitable for storage. The predetermined temperature range may be, for example, 10° C. to 28° C., preferably 17° C. to 21° C.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the memory 40 stores, as a humidity range suitable for storage of the substrate 500, a humidity range determined in advance (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a “predetermined humidity range”). When the humidity detected by the humidity sensor is within the predetermined humidity range, the output unit 61 outputs the humidity detected by the humidity sensor to the portable terminal 600 together with a notification that the humidity is suitable for storage. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the display 601 of the portable terminal 600 displays a notification that the humidity is suitable for storage. The predetermined humidity range may be, for example, 66% to 74%, preferably 68% to 72%.

The memory 40 may store a predetermined temperature range as a temperature range suitable for storage of the substrate 500 and a predetermined humidity range as a humidity range suitable for storage. Then, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is within the predetermined temperature range and the humidity detected by the humidity sensor is within the predetermined humidity range, the output unit 61 may output the temperature detected by the temperature sensor and the humidity detected by the humidity sensor to the portable terminal 600 together with a notification that the temperature and the humidity are suitable for storage.

Additionally, the output unit 61 may output the information detected by the vital sensor included in the sensor unit 30 to the portable terminal 600. For example, when the vital sensor detects at least one of the user's body temperature, heart rate, pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation level, blood flow rate, COHb, and alcohol concentration, the output unit 61 outputs at least one of the user's body temperature, heart rate, pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation level, blood flow rate, COHb, and alcohol concentration detected by the vital sensor to the portable terminal 600. FIG. 11 illustrates the display 601 of the portable terminal 600 displaying the body temperature and heart rate when the sensor unit 30 includes a vital sensor that detects the user's body temperature and heart rate and when the output unit 61 outputs the body temperature and heart rate detected by the vital sensor to the portable terminal 600. This display allows the user to check the information related to their own body on the portable terminal 600.

(Heat Control)

The controller 160 of the body 100 allows the generation of an aerosol when the cover 10 is attached. Namely, the controller 160 allows the heater 170 to be heated when the cover 10 is attached to the body 100. In other words, the cover 10 is attached to the body 100 to allow the body 100 to heat the heater 170. As described above, the controller 160 is capable of determining that the cover 10 is attached to the body 100 by using the output value of the Hall sensor.

Additionally, the controller 160 of the body 100 may control the heating of the heater 170 based on the output of the sensor unit 30 of the cover 10. Thus, the generation device 1 can be appropriately operated based on the state of the user.

Here, the quality of inhalation experience (e.g., smoking experience) experienced by the user by using the generation device 1 is affected by the user's condition. Therefore, even when the aerosol source and the flavor source suit the user's preference, the user may not be able to have a high-quality inhalation experience if the user is not feeling well. If the generation device 1 generates an aerosol even though the user is unable to have a high-quality inhalation experience, the aerosol source and the flavor source may be wasted.

In light of the above, even when the cover 10 is attached to the body 100, the generation device 1 may restrict the heater 170 from being heated if the value detected by the vital sensor included in the sensor unit 30 is outside a predetermined range. In the following description, the predetermined range of the detection value of the vital sensor in which the heating of the heater 170 is allowed may be referred to as a “predetermined allowable range”.

For example, when the vital sensor is a sensor capable of detecting the user's body temperature, the predetermined allowable range may be 38° C. or less. When the vital sensor is a sensor capable of detecting the user's heart rate, the predetermined allowable range may be 65 to 85 bpm (times/min). When the vital sensor is a sensor capable of detecting the user's pulse rate, the predetermined allowable range may be 65 to 100 bpm (times/min). When the vital sensor is a sensor capable of detecting the blood oxygen saturation level, the predetermined allowable range may be 96% or more. When the vital sensor is a sensor capable of detecting the blood flow rate, the predetermined allowable range may be 20 to 60 ml/min/100 g. When the vital sensor is a sensor capable of detecting COHb, the predetermined allowable range may be less than 2%. When the vital sensor is an alcohol sensor capable of detecting the alcohol concentration in the exhaled breath, the predetermined allowable range may be 0.20 mg or less.

In the generation device 1, the memory 140 stores the predetermined allowable range for each type of biological information. Then, the controller 160 of the body 100 may acquire the detection value of the vital sensor from the cover 10 and restrict the heater 170 from being heated when the detection value is outside the predetermined allowable range.

An example of a heat control process performed by the controller 160 of the body 100 will be described with reference to a flowchart. In this heat control process, the heating of the heater 170 is allowed when the detection value of the vital sensor is within the predetermined allowable range.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an example of a heat control process performed by the controller 160. The controller 160 repeats this process every preset time interval (e.g., 1 millisecond).

The controller 160 determines whether or not a heating command is issued (S1201). The heating command may be issued when, for example, the touch sensor 35 is continuously touched for a predetermined time (e.g., 3 seconds). When a heating command is issued (YES in S1201), the controller 160 determines whether or not the cover 10 is attached (S1202). This process is a process of determining whether or not the magnetic sensor 122 has detected magnetic force.

When the cover 10 is attached (YES in S1202), the controller 160 determines whether or not the value detected by the vital sensor is within the predetermined allowable range (S1203). When the value is within the predetermined allowable range (YES in S1203), the controller 160 starts to heat the heater 170 (S1204). Also, the controller 160 transmits a notification that the heating of the heater 170 has been started to the controller 60 of the cover 10. Then, the controller 160 heats the heater 170 in accordance with the control sequence stored in the memory 140 of the body 100 and specifying the temporal change in the target temperature of the heater 170 during heating of the heater 170, and then stops heating the heater 170. After the controller 160 stops heating the heater 170, the controller 160 transmits a notification that the heating of the heater 170 has been stopped to the controller 60 of the cover 10.

The controller 160 does not start to heat the heater 170 (S1205) when the heating command is not issued (NO in S1201), when the cover 10 is not attached (NO in S1202), or when the value detected by the vital sensor is not within the predetermined allowable range (NO in S1203).

As described above, the controller 160 of the body 100 allows the heater 170 to be heated when the detection value of the vital sensor is within the predetermined allowable range. This enables the user to have a high-quality inhalation experience and prevents wasting of the aerosol source or the like.

The controller 160 may allow the heater 170 to be heated irrespective of the detection value of the vital sensor. As an example of the heat control process performed irrespective of the detection value of the vital sensor, the controller 160 may start to heat the heater 170 without performing the determination in S1203 in FIG. 12 if the cover 10 is attached (YES in S1202).

The controller 160 may allow the heater 170 to be heated even when the cover 10 is not attached. As an example of the heat control process in which the heater 170 is allowed to be heated even when the cover 10 is not attached, the controller 160 may start to heat the heater 170 without performing the determination in S1202 in FIG. 12 if the detection value of the vital sensor is within the predetermined allowable range (YES in S1203).

(On-Off Control of Sensor of Sensor Unit 30)

The timing at which the switch of a sensor of the sensor unit 30 are turned on and off will now be described. In the following description, the on state of the switch of a sensor may be referred to as the on state of the sensor, and the off state of the switch of a sensor as the off state of the sensor.

The switch of the touch sensor 35 is constantly on, and an on signal is output to the controller 60 when the cover 10 is touched by the user. The switch of the external sensor 31 is turned on when the on signal is output from the touch sensor 35, in other words, when the cover 10 is touched by the user. While the external sensor 31 is in the on state, the external sensor 31 performs detection every predetermined time interval (e.g., 1 second).

The switch of the touch sensor 35 may be turned off while the heater 170 of the body 100 is being heated. When the touch sensor 35 is turned off and stops outputting the on signal while the heater 170 of the body 100 is being heated, the external sensor 31 may be turned off. When the touch sensor 35 and the external sensor 31 are turned off while the heater 170 of the body 100 is being heated as described above, energy can be saved.

An example of an on-off control process for a sensor of the sensor unit 30 performed by the controller 60 of the cover 10 will be described with reference to a flowchart.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example of the on-off control process performed by the controller 60. The controller 60 is activated when, for example, the touch sensor 35 detects that the cover 10 is touched by the user, and repeats the process illustrated in FIG. 13 every preset time interval (e.g., 1 millisecond).

First, the controller 60 transmits a notification that the controller 60 is activated to the controller 160 of the body 100 (S1301). Then, the controller 60 turns on the switch of the external sensor 31 (S1302), and transmits the detection value of the external sensor 31 to the controller 160 of the body 100 (S1303). After that, the controller 60 determines whether or not the heating of the heater 170 of the body 100 is started (S1304). In this process, the controller 60 determines whether or not a notification that the heating of the heater 170 is started is received from the controller 160 of the body 100.

When the heating is started (YES in S1304), the controller 60 turns off the switch of the touch sensor 35 (S1305). When the touch sensor 35 is off, the touch sensor 35 stops outputting the on signal. Accordingly, the controller 60 turns off the external sensor 31 (S1306). After that, the controller 60 determines whether or not the heating of the heater 170 of the body 100 is stopped (S1307). When the heating is not stopped (NO in S1307), the controller 60 waits until the heating is stopped.

When the heating is stopped (YES in S1307), the controller 60 turns on the switch of the touch sensor 35 (S1308). After that, the controller 60 determines whether or not the user's touch on the cover 10 is detected by the touch sensor 35 (S1309). When the user's touch is detected by the touch sensor 35 (YES in S1309), the controller 60 performs the process of S1302 and the following steps. When the user's touch is not detected by the touch sensor 35 (NO in S1309), the controller 60 transmits a notification that the controller 60 is to be powered off to the controller 160 of the body 100 (S1310), and is powered off (S1311).

When the heating is not started (NO in S1304), the controller 60 performs the process of S1309 and the following steps.

As described above, the generation device 1 includes the body 100 and the cover 10 attached to the body 100. The body 100 includes the heater 170 and the controller 160 that controls heating by the heater 170. The cover 10 includes the external sensor 31 (example of biological information sensor) that detects biological information. When the cover 10 is attached and when the biological information detected by the external sensor 31 satisfies a predetermined condition (for example, when the detection value is within a predetermined allowable range), the controller 160 of the body 100 allows the heater 170 to perform heating. The external sensor 31 is off when heating is performed by the heater 170. It can be assumed that, when heating is performed by the heater 170, inhalation of the aerosol by the user is prioritized. Therefore, energy can be saved by turning off the external sensor 31 when heating is performed by the heater 170.

The cover 10 may include the touch sensor 35 that detects when the cover 10 is touched by the user. The external sensor 31 may be on when the touch sensor 35 detects that the cover 10 is touched by the user and when heating is not performed by the heater 170, and off when the touch sensor 35 does not detect that the cover 10 is touched. It can be assumed that the cover 10 is touched when the biological information is to be detected. Therefore, energy can be saved by turning off the external sensor 31 when the touch sensor 35 does not detect that the cover 10 is touched.

The touch sensor 35 may be off when heating is performed by the heater 170 and on when heating is not performed by the heater 170. Since the detection by the touch sensor 35 serves as a trigger for turning on the external sensor 31, the touch sensor 35 is preferably constantly on because the user may decide to detect the biological information at any time. However, it can be assumed that, when heating is performed by the heater 170, inhalation of the aerosol by the user is prioritized. Therefore, energy can be saved by turning off the touch sensor 35 when heating is performed by the heater 170.

When the biological information detected by the external sensor 31 does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the controller 160 of the body 100 does not allow the heater 170 to perform heating and notifies the user. The external sensor 31 is on when heating is not performed by the heater 170. To notify the user, a notification that heating is not allowed may be output to the portable terminal 600. Alternatively, to notify the user, a light-emitting device included in the notifier 130 may be caused to emit light, or a sound or a vibration may be generated. By notifying the user that heating by the heater 170 is not allowed, the convenience can be improved.

The cover 10 includes the external sensor 31 (example of a first sensor) that detects biological information and the touch sensor 35 (example of a second sensor) that detects when the cover 10 is touched by the user. When the cover 10 is attached and when the biological information detected by the external sensor 31 satisfies a predetermined condition, the controller 160 of the body 100 allows the heater 170 to perform heating. The external sensor 31 is on when the touch sensor 35 detects that the cover 10 is touched by the user, and off when the touch sensor 35 does not detect that the cover 10 is touched. It can be assumed that the cover 10 is touched when the biological information is to be detected. Therefore, energy can be saved by turning off the external sensor 31 when the touch sensor 35 does not detect that the cover 10 is touched.

The external sensor 31 may detect a body temperature, and the predetermined condition based on which heating by the heater 170 is allowed may be, for example, that the body temperature detected by the external sensor 31 be within a predetermined range (for example, 38° C. or less). This enables the user to have a high-quality inhalation experience and prevents the aerosol source and the like from being wasted.

The external sensor 31 may detect a heart rate, and the predetermined condition based on which heating by the heater 170 is allowed may be, for example, that the heart rate detected by the external sensor 31 be within a predetermined range 65 to 85 bpm (times/min). This enables the user to have a high-quality inhalation experience and prevents the aerosol source and the like from being wasted.

The external sensor 31 may detect a pulse rate, and the predetermined condition based on which heating by the heater 170 is allowed may be, for example, that the pulse rate detected by the external sensor 31 be within a predetermined range 65 to 100 bpm (times/min). This enables the user to have a high-quality inhalation experience and prevents the aerosol source and the like from being wasted.

The external sensor 31 may detect a blood oxygen saturation level, and the predetermined condition based on which heating by the heater 170 is allowed may be, for example, that the blood oxygen saturation level detected by the external sensor 31 be within a predetermined range (for example, 96% or more). This enables the user to have a high-quality inhalation experience and prevents the aerosol source and the like from being wasted.

The external sensor 31 may detect a blood flow rate, and the predetermined condition based on which heating by the heater 170 is allowed may be, for example, that the blood flow rate detected by the external sensor 31 be within a predetermined range (for example, 20 to 60 ml/min/100 g). This enables the user to have a high-quality inhalation experience and prevents the aerosol source and the like from being wasted.

The external sensor 31 may detect an alcohol concentration in breath, and the predetermined condition based on which heating by the heater 170 is allowed may be, for example, that the alcohol concentration detected by the external sensor 31 be within a predetermined range (for example, 0.20 mg or less). This enables the user to have a high-quality inhalation experience and prevents the aerosol source and the like from being wasted.

As described above, the cover 10 having the above-described structure includes the battery 21. Therefore, even when the cover 10 is not attached to the body 100, the temperature, the humidity, the biological information, etc., can be detected by the external sensor 31 and output to the portable terminal 600. Therefore, the user can find a location suitable for storage of the substrate 500 without carrying the body 100.

In addition, since the cover 10 includes the battery 21, even when the electric power supply from the body 100 to the cover 10 becomes unstable for some reason, the battery 21 can reliably supply electric power to the structural elements of the cover 10. Therefore, the structural elements can be reliably operated.

Since only an amount of electric power that can be transmitted from the power feeder 112 of the body 100 to the cover 10 per unit time through contactless power transmission, such as near-field communication, is small, the structural elements (e.g., external sensor 31) mountable in the cover 10 are limited if only contactless power transmission is used. However, when the battery 21 is provided, the flexibility of the structural elements mountable in the cover 10 can be increased.

However, the cover 10 may have no battery 21 and be operated only by the electric power supplied from the body 100 through contactless power transmission when the cover 10 is attached to the body 100 or when the cover 10 is near the body 100.

Different types of covers 10 having the above-described structure may be provided, and the external sensor 31 of each type of cover 10 may include different types of sensors. For example, one cover 10 may include only the temperature sensor, the humidity sensor, and the atmospheric pressure sensor while another cover 10 includes only the vital sensors. In this case, the user can replace the cover 10 to change the functions provided by the generation device 1. Additionally, when the cover 10 is replaceable, the cover 10 can be replaced to change the appearance of the generation device 1. Thus, the user can customize the appearance and function of the generation device 1 based on, for example, their preference. As a result, the product value of the generation device 1 can be increased.

When the cover 10 is removably attachable to the body 100, for example, in case of failure of the body 100, only the body 100 may be replaced and the cover 10 may be continuously used. Since the cover 10 includes the memory 40, when only the body 100 is placed, the information stored in the memory 140 of the body 100 can be transferred to the memory 40 of the cover 10. The information stored in the memory 140 of the body 100 may be, for example, the programs of the heat control process described with reference to FIG. 12 and the control sequence specifying the temporal change in the target temperature of the heater 170 during heating of the heater 170. The information may be transferred by contactless power transmission, such as near-field communication, or by forming a USB terminal on the cover 10 and connecting a cable to this USB terminal and the USB terminal 113 of the body 100.

Although whether or not a command for heating the heater 170 is issued is determined based on a touch on the touch sensor 35 in a central region of the cover 10, the cover 10 is not limited to this. For example, a projection that projects from the rear face 13 toward the body 100 may be provided at a position corresponding to the operation button 121 of the body 100 and between the upper magnet 71 and the lower magnet 72, and the projection may be capable of pressing the operation button 121 when the cover 10 is elastically deformed. Whether or not the heating command is issued may be determined based on whether the operation button 121 is operated in a predetermined manner (e.g., continuously pressed for 3 seconds). Also in this case, the touch sensor 35 may be provided on the cover 10 to detect when the cover 10 is touched by the user, and the switch of the external sensor 31 may be turned on when the cover 10 is touched by the user.

The present disclosure includes the following structures.

(1) An aerosol generation device including a body including a heater and a controller that controls heating by the heater, and a cover attached to the body, wherein the cover includes a biological information sensor that detects biological information, wherein, when the cover is attached and when the biological information detected by the biological information sensor satisfies a predetermined condition, the controller of the body allows the heater to perform heating, and wherein the biological information sensor is off when heating is performed by the heater.

(2) The aerosol generation device according to (1), wherein the cover includes a touch sensor that detects when the cover is touched by a user, and wherein the biological information sensor is on when the touch sensor detects that the cover is touched by the user and when heating is not performed by the heater, and off when the touch sensor does not detect that the cover is touched.

(3) The aerosol generation device according to (2), wherein the touch sensor is off when heating is performed by the heater and on when heating is not performed by the heater.

(4) The aerosol generation device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the biological information sensor detects a body temperature, and wherein the predetermined condition is that the body temperature detected by the biological information sensor be within a predetermined range.

(5) The aerosol generation device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the biological information sensor detects a heart rate, and wherein the predetermined condition is that the heart rate detected by the biological information sensor be within a predetermined range.

(6) The aerosol generation device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the biological information sensor detects a pulse rate, and wherein the predetermined condition is that the pulse rate detected by the biological information sensor be within a predetermined range.

(7) The aerosol generation device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the biological information sensor detects a blood oxygen saturation level, and wherein the predetermined condition is that the blood oxygen saturation level detected by the biological information sensor be within a predetermined range.

(8) The aerosol generation device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the biological information sensor detects a blood flow rate, and wherein the predetermined condition is that the blood flow rate detected by the biological information sensor be within a predetermined range.

(9) The aerosol generation device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the biological information sensor detects an alcohol concentration in breath, and wherein the predetermined condition is that the alcohol concentration detected by the biological information sensor be within a predetermined range.

(10) The aerosol generation device according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein, when the biological information detected by the biological information sensor does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the controller of the body does not allow the heater to perform heating and notifies the user, and wherein the biological information sensor is on when heating is not performed by the heater.

(11) An aerosol generation device including a body including a heater and a controller that controls heating by the heater; and a cover attached to the body, wherein the cover includes a first sensor that detects biological information and a second sensor that detects when the cover is touched by a user, wherein, when the cover is attached and when the biological information detected by the first sensor satisfies a predetermined condition, the controller of the body allows the heater to perform heating, and wherein the first sensor is on when the second sensor detects that the cover is touched by the user, and off when the second sensor does not detect that the cover is touched.

(12) The aerosol generation device according to (11), wherein the second sensor is off when heating is performed by the heater and on when heating is not performed by the heater.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

    • 1 aerosol generation device
    • 10 cover
    • 30 sensor unit
    • 31 external sensor (example of biological information sensor)
    • 35 touch sensor
    • 40 memory
    • 50 communicator
    • 60 controller
    • 61 output unit
    • 100 body (example of external device)
    • 160 controller
    • 170 heater
    • 190 holder
    • 192 opening
    • 500 substrate
    • 600 portable terminal

Claims

1. An aerosol generation device comprising:

a body including a heater and a controller that controls heating by the heater; and
a cover attached to the body,
wherein the cover includes a biological information sensor that detects biological information,
wherein, when the cover is attached and when the biological information detected by the biological information sensor satisfies a predetermined condition, the controller of the body allows the heater to perform heating, and
wherein the biological information sensor is off when heating is performed by the heater.

2. The aerosol generation device according to claim 1, wherein the cover includes a touch sensor that detects when the cover is touched by a user, and

wherein the biological information sensor is on when the touch sensor detects that the cover is touched by the user and when heating is not performed by the heater, and off when the touch sensor does not detect that the cover is touched.

3. The aerosol generation device according to claim 2, wherein the touch sensor is off when heating is performed by the heater and on when heating is not performed by the heater.

4. The aerosol generation device according to claim 1, wherein the biological information sensor detects a body temperature, and

wherein the predetermined condition is that the body temperature detected by the biological information sensor be within a predetermined range.

5. The aerosol generation device according to claim 1, wherein the biological information sensor detects a heart rate, and

wherein the predetermined condition is that the heart rate detected by the biological information sensor be within a predetermined range.

6. The aerosol generation device according to claim 1, wherein the biological information sensor detects a pulse rate, and

wherein the predetermined condition is that the pulse rate detected by the biological information sensor be within a predetermined range.

7. The aerosol generation device according to claim 1, wherein the biological information sensor detects a blood oxygen saturation level, and

wherein the predetermined condition is that the blood oxygen saturation level detected by the biological information sensor be within a predetermined range.

8. The aerosol generation device according to claim 1, wherein the biological information sensor detects a blood flow rate, and

wherein the predetermined condition is that the blood flow rate detected by the biological information sensor be within a predetermined range.

9. The aerosol generation device according to claim 1, wherein the biological information sensor detects an alcohol concentration in breath, and

wherein the predetermined condition is that the alcohol concentration detected by the biological information sensor be within a predetermined range.

10. The aerosol generation device according to claim 1, wherein, when the biological information detected by the biological information sensor does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the controller of the body does not allow the heater to perform heating and notifies the user, and

wherein the biological information sensor is on when heating is not performed by the heater.

11. An aerosol generation device comprising:

a body including a heater and a controller that controls heating by the heater; and
a cover attached to the body,
wherein the cover includes a first sensor that detects biological information and a second sensor that detects when the cover is touched by a user,
wherein, when the cover is attached and when the biological information detected by the first sensor satisfies a predetermined condition, the controller of the body allows the heater to perform heating, and
wherein the first sensor is on when the second sensor detects that the cover is touched by the user, and off when the second sensor does not detect that the cover is touched.

12. The aerosol generation device according to claim 11, wherein the second sensor is off when heating is performed by the heater and on when heating is not performed by the heater.

Patent History
Publication number: 20250204596
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 11, 2025
Publication Date: Jun 26, 2025
Applicant: Japan Tobacco Inc. (Tokyo)
Inventors: Takashi FUJIKI (Tokyo), Ryo YOSHIDA (Tokyo)
Application Number: 19/076,031
Classifications
International Classification: A24F 40/46 (20200101); A24F 40/51 (20200101); A24F 40/57 (20200101);