TW202500035A - System, aerosol generation device, charging device, terminal device, computer execution method and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

An objective of this disclosure is to provide a technique for flexibly adjusting power consumption caused by communication in a system in which a charging device for charging an aerosol generating device communicates with a terminal device.

An embodiment of this disclosure provides a method which is an operation method of a terminal device 104 in communication with a charging device 102 for charging an aerosol generating device 106, which includes a step of acquiring a charging information relating to a battery 208 of the charging device 102 from the charging device 102, a step of determining the charging state of the battery 208 based on the charging information, and a step of determining whether the communication between the terminal device 104 and the charging device 102 can be performed based on the charging state.

Description

System, mist generating device, charging device, terminal device, computer execution method and computer program

The present disclosure relates to a charging device for charging an aerosol generating device, an operation method of a terminal device communicating with the charging device, a program for the terminal device to execute the method, and a system having the charging device and the terminal device.

Patent document 1 discloses: A computing device is connected to a charging assist device to collect data during charging. The communication between the computing device and the charging assist device requires a predetermined power consumption. The above-mentioned power consumption reduction occurs because it is limited by the capacity of the charging assist power storage device.

However, Patent Document 1 at best discloses the technology for the computing device to communicate with the charging auxiliary device. There is no disclosure on the problem of recognizing the power consumption caused by the communication between these devices or the technology for solving the problem.

(Prior technical literature)

(Patent Literature)

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-512459

This disclosure was developed based on the above-mentioned topic.

The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a technology for flexibly adjusting the power consumption caused by the communication in a system in which a charging device for charging a mist generating device communicates with a terminal device.

The purpose of this disclosure is also to provide a technology for properly conducting a communication connection between a charging device and a terminal device.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method is provided, which is an operation method of a terminal device communicating with a charging device used to charge a mist generating device, the method comprising: a step of obtaining charging information about a battery of the charging device from the charging device; a step of determining the charging status of the battery based on the charging information; and a step of determining whether the terminal device and the charging device can communicate based on the charging status.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises: when the remaining charge amount of the battery is determined to be above the first threshold value by the charging status, the step of instructing the charging device to send the charging information to the terminal device; and when the remaining charge amount of the battery is determined to be less than the first threshold value by the charging status, the step of instructing the charging device not to send the charging information to the terminal device.

In one embodiment, the method further includes: when the charging status determines that the remaining charge of the battery is less than a second threshold, the communication connection with the charging device is terminated.

In one embodiment, the method further includes: when the battery is receiving power supply via the power interface of the charging device, regardless of the remaining charge of the battery, instructing the charging device to send the charging information to the terminal device.

In one embodiment, the method further includes: when the communication connection with the charging device is initially established, regardless of the remaining charge amount of the battery, instructing the charging device to send the charging information to the terminal device.

In one embodiment, the method further includes: when the remaining charge of the battery is determined to be less than a third threshold value based on the charging status, a step of notifying the user to charge the battery is performed.

In one embodiment, the method further includes: when the communication connection between the terminal device and the charging device has not been established for a predetermined period of time, a notification step is performed to urge the user to establish the communication connection.

In one embodiment, the method further includes: when the terminal device does not receive the charging information from the charging device, the charging information is estimated based on the change over time of the charging information stored for the uncharged battery.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a program is also provided, which enables a terminal device to execute the above method, and the terminal device communicates with a charging device used to charge the mist generating device.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a charging device is also provided, which is used to charge the mist generating device, and the charging device is provided with: a battery, a power interface for supplying power to the battery, a control unit, and a communication unit. The control unit is configured to: send charging information about the battery to a terminal device communicating with the charging device via the communication unit; and receive from the terminal device: information about whether the terminal device and the charging device can communicate, which is determined by the terminal device based on the charging status of the battery determined by the charging information.

In one embodiment, the control unit is further configured to: when the remaining charge amount of the battery is above the first threshold, the charging information is sent to the terminal device via the communication unit, and when the remaining charge amount of the battery is less than the first threshold, the charging information is not sent to the terminal device.

In one embodiment, the control unit is further configured to terminate the communication connection with the terminal device when the remaining charge of the battery is less than a second threshold.

In one embodiment, the control unit is further configured to: when the battery is receiving power supply via the power interface, regardless of the remaining charge of the battery, send the charging information to the terminal device via the communication unit.

In one embodiment, the control unit is further configured to send the charging information to the terminal device via the communication unit regardless of the remaining charge amount of the battery when the communication connection with the terminal device is initially established.

In one embodiment, the control unit is further configured to charge the battery in response to an instruction to charge the battery when the remaining charge amount of the battery is less than a third threshold value and when an instruction to charge the battery is received from the terminal device.

In one embodiment, the control unit is further configured to: in the case where the communication connection between the terminal device and the charging device has not been established for a predetermined period of time, if an instruction to establish a communication connection with the terminal device is received from the terminal device, the communication connection is established in response to the instruction.

In one embodiment, the charging device further comprises: a charging port for supplying power to the mist generating device; a first path between the battery and the charging port for feeding power from the battery to the mist generating device; and a second path between the power interface and the charging port for feeding power from the power interface to the mist generating device without passing through the battery.

In one embodiment, the control unit is further configured to control the battery in the mist generating device to be charged with priority over the battery in the charging device when the mist generating device is connected to the charging device via the charging port.

In one embodiment, the charging device further comprises: a first notification unit for notifying the mist generating device of the charging status of the battery; and a second notification unit for notifying the charging device of the charging status of the battery.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a system is also provided, which comprises: a charging device as described above, a terminal device, and a server for sending and receiving data with the terminal device.

According to the implementation form of the present disclosure, a technology for flexibly adjusting the power consumption caused by the communication in a system in which a charging device for charging a mist generating device communicates with a terminal device can be provided. Furthermore, according to the implementation form of the present disclosure, a technology for appropriately performing a communication connection between a charging device and a terminal device can be provided.

100: System

102, 102A, 102B: Charging device

104, 104A, 104B: terminal device

106, 106A, 106B: Mist generating device

108: Server

110: Power supply

202, 402, 502, 1202: Control Department

204, 504, 1206: Communications Department

206, 506, 1208: Memory Department

208, 302, 1204: Battery

210: Charging port

212: Power interface

214: First Notification Department

216: Second Notification Department

218: Battery control unit

220: Notify the control department

222: Information Acquisition Department

224: First Path

226: Second Path

404: First Communication Department

405: Second Communication Department

406: Memory Department

408: Notification Department

410: Notify the control department

412: Information Processing Department

414: Information Acquisition Department

702: Display unit

902, 1102, 1302: Display

704, 1304: Information

904, 1104: Message

1200: Mist generating device

1210: Airflow Detection Department

1306, 1308: Number of puffs

FIG. 1 shows a system including a charging device for charging a mist generating device and a terminal device communicating with the charging device in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of a charging device in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of a mist generating device in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 4 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of a terminal device of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of a server in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 6 is a flow chart of the operation method of the terminal device of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 7 shows an example of notification during the processing of Figure 6.

Figure 8A is a flow chart of the operation method of the terminal device of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 8B is a flow chart of the operation method of the terminal device of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 8C is a flow chart of the operation method of the terminal device of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 9 shows an example of notification performed during the processing of Figure 8C.

Figure 10 is a flow chart of the operation method of the terminal device of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 11 shows an example of notification during the processing of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of a mist generating device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 13 shows an example of a terminal device providing information to a user based on information obtained from a mist generating device.

Below, the implementation form of the present disclosure is described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a system including: a charging device for charging a mist generating device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and a terminal device communicating with the charging device.

The system 100 includes: charging devices 102A and 102B (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "charging devices 102"), terminal devices 104A and 104B (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "terminal devices 104"), mist generating devices 106A and 106B (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "mist generating devices 106"), a server 108, and a power source 110.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the mist generating device 106 may also include a device for electronic cigarette smoking, a device for heated cigarette smoking, and a sprayer, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The mist generating device 106 may include various devices for generating mist for the user to inhale.

The mist generating device 106A receives power from the charging device 102A and generates mist for the user to inhale. The charging device 102A can also be supplied with power from the power source 110.

The terminal device 104 may be, for example, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a mobile phone, a personal computer, or other electronic devices. In the system 100, the terminal device 104 is configured to communicate with a server 108 configured on a global network (cloud network) via a wired connection or a wireless connection.

As shown by the dotted line between the charging device 102A and the terminal device 104A, the charging device 102 and the terminal device 104 are configured to communicate with each other via a local area network constituted by Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like. In addition, as shown by the solid line between the charging device 102B and the terminal device 104B, the charging device 102 can also be configured to be supplied with power from the USB (Universal Serial Bus) or the like of the terminal device 104.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of a charging device of one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, the charging device 102 includes: a control unit 202, a communication unit 204, a memory unit 206, a battery 208, a charging port 210, a power interface 212, a first notification unit 214, and a second notification unit 216.

The communication unit 204 is an interface that provides a function for connecting the charging device 102 to the terminal device 104. For example, the communication unit 204 may be a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) module, but the configuration of the communication unit 204 is not limited thereto. The communication unit 204 may also be configured to communicate with the terminal device 104 according to other communication specifications such as Wi-Fi.

The memory unit 206 stores various information obtained or generated by the control unit 202.

The power interface 212 is an interface that provides the function of supplying power from the power source 110 of a personal computer (PC), a USB socket, etc. to the charging device 102. The power interface 212 is, for example, a USB interface, and supplies power through a USB connection. In this case, the power interface 212 receives power supply through a USB terminal or USB socket provided by a machine such as a PC. The power interface 212 is not limited to a USB interface, and can also be a variety of interfaces that can supply power to the charging device 102, such as a Micro USB interface, a power socket, an interface that can be charged without contact, etc.

The battery 208 is a rechargeable battery, and is charged by receiving power from a device connected to the charging device 102 via the power interface 212. The battery 208 may be, for example, a Li-Po (Li-Polymer) battery. The battery 208 may also have the function of supplying power to the mist generating device 106 connected to the charging port 210.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of the mist generating device of one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the mist generating device 106 is provided with a battery 302. Although not shown in the figure, the mist generating device 106 may have various components such as a storage part, an atomization part, and a control part. The storage part is used to store the mist source, the atomization part is used to generate mist from the mist source, and the control part is used to control the components in the mist generating device 106. The battery 302 is a rechargeable battery, and receives power supply from the charging device 102 and is charged. The battery 302 is, for example, a Li-Po (Li-Polymer) battery. The battery 302 supplies power to various parts of the mist generating device 106.

Returning to FIG. 2 , the charging port 210 is configured to connect the mist generating device 106 to the charging device 102. In one example, the charging port 210 is configured to physically contact or connect to the mist generating device 106 and is used to supply power to the mist generating device 106. The charging port 210 is, for example, configured to be able to. The charging port 210 is configured to physically contact or connect to the mist generating device 106, for example, by a screw terminal block. Alternatively, the charging port 210 may be configured not to physically contact the mist generating device 106, but to supply power to the mist generating device 106 by other methods such as connection via a cable, non-contact feeding, etc. The charging port 210 can also be used to send and receive information between the charging device 102 and the mist generating device 106.

As shown in the figure, the charging device 102 may also have a first path 224 between the battery 208 and the charging port, and the first path 224 is used to feed power from the battery 208 to the mist generating device 106 via the charging port 210. The charging device 102 may also have a second path 226 between the power interface 212 and the charging port 210, and the second path 226 is used to feed power from the power interface 212 to the mist generating device 106 via the charging port 210 instead of the battery 208.

The control unit 202 controls the components of the charging device 102. For example, the control unit 202 may also include: a battery control unit 218, a notification control unit 220, and an information acquisition unit 222. The battery control unit 218 is used to perform power feeding control on the battery 208 of the charging device 102 and the battery 302 of the mist generating device 106. The notification control unit 220 is used to control the first notification unit 214 and the second notification unit 216. The information acquisition unit 222 is used to obtain various information such as the remaining charge of the battery 208. Alternatively, the control unit 202 may also be configured to have the same functions as these components.

The battery control unit 218 may also be configured to control the battery 302 of the mist generating device 106 to be charged first over the battery 208 of the charging device 102 when the mist generating device 106 is connected to the charging device 102 via the charging port 210.

The first notification unit 214 is configured to notify information about the battery 302 of the mist generating device 106 (remaining charge amount, etc.). The second notification unit 216 is configured to notify information about the battery 208 of the charging device 102 (remaining charge amount, etc.). In one example, the first notification unit 214 and the second notification unit 216 may also include a plurality of LEDs. In another example, the first notification unit 214 and the second notification unit 216 may also include a speaker, a vibrator, etc.

The notification control unit 220 controls the first notification unit 214 to notify the information about the battery 302 of the mist generating device 106. In one example, the first notification unit 214 may also include five surface-mounted ultra-small white LEDs. This configuration is only an example, and other numbers of LEDs and light sources of other configurations may also be used. At this time, the notification control unit 220 can make the first LED flash when the remaining amount of the battery 302 is less than 20% of the maximum value, can light up the first LED and flash the second LED when the remaining amount is more than 20% and less than 40%, can light up the first LED and flash the second LED when the remaining amount is more than 40% and less than 60%, can light up the first LED and the second LED and flash the third LED when the remaining amount is more than 60% and less than 80%, can light up the first LED to the third LED and flash the fourth LED when the remaining amount is more than 80% and less than 100%, can light up the first LED to the fourth LED and flash the fifth LED, and when the battery 302 is fully charged, can light up the first LED to the fifth LED. In another example, when the first notification unit 214 includes a speaker, the notification control unit 220 can also control the first notification unit 214 so that it outputs the information to be notified in the form of sound. Furthermore, in another example, when the first notification unit 214 includes a vibrator, the notification control unit 220 can also control the first notification unit 214 so that it outputs the information to be notified in the form of vibration.

The notification control unit 220 controls the second notification unit 216 to notify the information about the battery 208 of the charging device 102. The second notification unit 216 may also include five surface-mounted ultra-small white LEDs. This configuration is only an example, and other numbers of LEDs and light sources of other configurations may also be used. In this example, when the battery 208 is being charged, the notification control unit 220 may flash the first LED when the remaining amount of the battery 208 is 20% of the maximum value, may light up the first LED and flash the second LED when the remaining amount is 20% or more and less than 40%, may light up the first LED and flash the second LED when the remaining amount is 40% or more and less than 60%, may light up the first LED and the second LED and flash the third LED when the remaining amount is 60% or more and less than 80%, may light up the first LED to the third LED and flash the fourth LED, and may light up the first LED to the fourth LED and flash the fifth LED when the remaining amount is 80% or more and less than 100%. Furthermore, when the battery 208 is not being charged, the notification control unit 220 may light up the first LED when the remaining amount of the battery 208 is 20% of the maximum value, may light up the first LED and the second LED when the remaining amount is greater than 20% and less than 40%, may light up the first LED to the third LED when the remaining amount is greater than 40% and less than 60%, may light up the first LED to the fourth LED when the remaining amount is greater than 60% and less than 80%, and may light up the first LED to the fifth LED when the remaining amount is greater than 80% and less than 100%. In addition, when the battery 208 is fully charged, the first LED to the fifth LED may still be lighted. The notification control unit 220 may also light up a predetermined LED in a manner that is preset to establish a corresponding association with the error when an error occurs. In another example, when the second notification unit 216 includes a speaker, a vibrator, etc., the notification control unit 220 can use the method described above regarding the first notification unit 214 to control the second notification unit 216.

The information acquisition unit 222 acquires information about the battery 302 of the mist generating device 106, information about the battery 208 of the charging device 102, etc. The information about the battery may include the following information: the remaining charge of the battery; information about the reduction of the remaining charge of the battery; the time required for charging the battery; information indicating battery degradation; the number of times the battery has been charged; the time elapsed since the last battery charge; the date and time when the battery charging is completed or its history, etc. In addition, the information acquisition unit 222 may also acquire information indicating that the mist generating device 106 is connected to the charging device 102. The information indicating that the mist generating device 106 is connected to the charging device 102 may also include information about the date and time when the mist generating device 106 is connected to the charging device 102 or its history. In addition, the information acquisition unit 222 may also acquire information indicating that the charging device 102 is connected to the power source 110. The information indicating that the charging device 102 is connected to the power source 110 may also include information about the date and time when the charging device 102 is connected to the power source 110 or its history.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a terminal device of one embodiment of the present disclosure. The terminal device 104 is provided with: a control unit 402, a first communication unit 404, a second communication unit 405, a memory unit 406, and a notification unit 408. The control unit 402 may also include: a notification control unit 410, an information processing unit 412, and an information acquisition unit 414. The control unit 402 may also be configured to replace the components having these components with components that perform functions equivalent to these components. In this case, the server 108 may also provide the terminal device 104 with a program or data for causing the control unit 402 to perform functions equivalent to these components. In addition, the program can also be provided in a form that is installed on the terminal device 104 (so-called "application program (APP)").

The control unit 402 controls the first communication unit 404 to communicate with the communication unit 204 of the charging device 102. The control unit 402 also controls the second communication unit 405 to communicate with the communication unit (described later) of the server 108. The control unit 402 obtains various information including information of the battery 208 and the battery 302 from the aforementioned communication through the information acquisition unit 414. The control unit 402 processes the obtained information through the information processing unit 412.

The memory unit 406 stores various information such as information obtained by the information acquisition unit 414 or the information processing unit 412.

In one example, the notification unit 408 may also be a display device such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, etc. In this example, the control unit 402 causes the information obtained by the information acquisition unit 414 and/or the information processing unit 412 to be displayed on the display device. In this way, information can be prompted to the user. The aforementioned information, for example, may also include various information about the battery, specifically including: information warning of the remaining charge of the battery, information that the remaining charge of the battery is reduced; information urging the battery to charge; the time required for charging the battery; information indicating battery degradation; the number of times the battery is charged (every day, every cycle, every month, etc.); the time that has passed since the battery was last charged, etc. Furthermore, the notification unit 408 can also prompt the user with the above information by means of a banner display or a pop-up display on the display device. Furthermore, the notification unit 408 can also prompt the user with the above information by means of a push notification of the application.

In another example, the notification unit 408 may be a speaker that uses sound or tone to provide information to the user, or a vibrator that uses vibration to provide information to the user.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a server of one embodiment of the present disclosure. The server 108 may also include: a control unit 502, a communication unit 504, and a memory unit 506. The communication unit 504 communicates with the second communication unit 405 of the terminal device 104 via the Internet, etc. The communication unit 504 may also communicate with a plurality of terminal devices 104. The control unit 502 may also receive various information including information about the battery 208 and the battery 302 from the terminal device 104 via the communication unit 504, and store the information in the memory unit 506.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the operation method of the terminal device of one embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the control unit 402 of the terminal device 104 is used to perform all the steps. However, it should be noted that some of the steps can also be performed by other components of the terminal device 104. In addition, it should be understood that the present embodiment can be implemented in the following manner: when executed by a computer such as the terminal device 104, a program that causes the computer to execute the method, or a computer-readable storage medium that stores the program. The same is true for the examples described in FIG. 8A, FIG. 8B, FIG. 8C, and FIG. 10 described later.

In step 602, the control unit 402 obtains charging information about the battery 208 of the charging device 102 from the charging device 102.

The processing proceeds to step 604, and the control unit 402 determines the charging status of the battery 208 based on the charging information obtained in step 602. Here, the charging status may also include: the remaining charge of the battery 208, the degradation of the battery, the number of times the battery has been charged, the time elapsed since the battery was last charged, etc.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the notification unit 408 of the terminal device 104 providing information to the user during the processing of FIG. 6. When the control unit 402 obtains the charging information or charging status of the battery 208 in step 602 or step 604, the notification unit 408 can also prompt the user with such information through the notification unit 408. In this example, the notification unit 408 is a display unit 702 such as a liquid crystal display, and the information 704 about the remaining battery of the charging device is displayed on the display unit 702. In addition, the information 704 about the remaining battery of the charging device can also be displayed, for example, in %.

The processing proceeds to step 606, and the control unit 402 determines whether communication between the terminal device 104 and the charging device 102 can be carried out based on the charging status obtained in step 604. The specific example will be described later.

The processing of FIG. 6 is performed by the terminal device 104, so the charging device 102 communicating with the terminal device 104 can also be configured in a manner corresponding to the processing of FIG. 6. For example, the control unit 202 of the charging device 102 can also be configured to send charging information about the battery 208 to the terminal device 104 communicating with the charging device 102 via the communication unit 204, and the terminal device 104 receives information about whether the terminal device 104 and the charging device 102 can communicate based on the charging status of the battery 208 determined by the charging information.

FIG. 8A is a flow chart of the operation method of the terminal device of one embodiment of the present disclosure. The processing of step 802A and step 804A is the same as the processing of step 602 and step 604 in FIG. 6, so the description is omitted.

In step 806A, the control unit 402 determines whether the remaining charge of the battery 208 is greater than the first threshold value based on the charging status of the battery 208 obtained in step 804A. When the remaining charge of the battery 208 is greater than the first threshold value (step 806A: "Yes"), the processing proceeds to step 808A. In addition, the first threshold value is, for example, 20% of the maximum value of the remaining charge of the battery 208, but 20% is an example and is not limited to this value. In step 808A, the control unit 402 instructs the charging device 102 to send charging information to the terminal device 104. On the other hand, when the remaining charge of the battery 208 is less than the first threshold value (step 806A: "No (N)"), the process proceeds to step 810A. In step 810A, the control unit 402 instructs the charging device 102 not to send charging information to the terminal device 104.

The processing of FIG. 8A is performed by the terminal device 104, so the charging device 102 communicating with the terminal device 104 can also be configured in a manner corresponding to the processing of FIG. 8A. For example, the control unit 202 of the charging device 102 can also be configured such that when the remaining charge of the battery 208 is above the first threshold, the charging information is sent to the terminal device 104 via the communication unit 204, and when the remaining charge of the battery 208 is less than the first threshold, the charging information is not sent to the terminal device 104.

In addition, when the battery 208 is receiving power supply through the power interface 212 of the charging device 102, the control unit 402 of the terminal device 104 can also instruct the charging device 102 to send charging information to the terminal device 104 regardless of the remaining charge of the battery 208. The charging device 102 (or the control unit 202 of the charging device 102) can also be configured to send charging information to the terminal device 104 via the communication unit 204 when the battery 208 is receiving power supply through the power interface 212 regardless of the remaining charge of the battery 208.

In addition, when the communication connection with the charging device 102 is initially established, the control unit 402 of the terminal device 104 may also instruct the charging device 102 to send charging information to the terminal device 104 regardless of the remaining charge amount of the battery 208. The charging device 102 (or the control unit 202 of the charging device 102) may also be configured to send charging information to the terminal device 104 via the communication unit 204 regardless of the remaining charge amount of the battery 208 when the communication connection with the terminal device 104 is initially established.

Figure 8B is a flow chart of the operation method of the terminal device of one embodiment of the present disclosure. The processing of step 802B and step 804B is the same as step 602 and step 604, so the description is omitted.

In step 806B, the control unit 402 determines whether the remaining charge of the battery 208 is less than the second threshold value based on the charging status of the battery 208 obtained in step 804B. In addition, the second threshold value is, for example, 20% of the maximum value of the remaining charge of the battery 208, but 20% is an example and is not limited to this value. When the remaining charge of the battery 208 is less than the second threshold value (step 806B: "Yes (Y)"), the processing proceeds to step 808B. In step 808B, the control unit 402 disconnects the communication connection with the charging device 102. On the other hand, when the remaining charge of the battery 208 is above the second threshold (step 806B: "No (N)"), the process returns to before step 802B.

The processing of FIG. 8B is performed by the terminal device 104, so the charging device 102 communicating with the terminal device 104 can also be configured to operate in accordance with the processing of FIG. 8B. For example, the control unit 202 of the charging device 102 can also be configured to disconnect the communication connection with the terminal device 104 when the remaining charge of the battery 208 is less than the second threshold. In addition, the processing of FIG. 8A and the processing of FIG. 8B may be combined, and the control unit 402 of the terminal device 104 may be configured to instruct the charging device 102 not to send charging information to the terminal device 104 when the remaining charge amount of the battery 208 is less than the first threshold and greater than the second threshold, and to disconnect the communication connection with the charging device 102 when the remaining charge amount of the battery 208 is less than the second threshold. In this case, the first threshold is assumed to be a value larger than the second threshold. In addition, the control unit 202 of the charging device 102 may also be configured to not send charging information to the terminal device 104 when the remaining charge of the battery 208 is less than the first threshold and greater than the second threshold, and to terminate the communication connection with the terminal device 104 when the remaining charge of the battery 208 is less than the second threshold.

Figure 8C is a flow chart of the operation method of the terminal device of one embodiment of the present disclosure. The processing of step 802C and step 804C is the same as step 602 and step 604, so the description is omitted.

In step 806C, the control unit 402 determines whether the remaining charge of the battery 208 is less than a third threshold value based on the charging status of the battery 208 obtained in step 804C. The third threshold value is, for example, 20% of the maximum value of the remaining charge of the battery 208, but 20% is an example and is not limited to this value. When the remaining charge of the battery 208 is less than the third threshold value (step 806C: "Yes (Y)"), the processing proceeds to step 808C. In step 808C, the control unit 402 notifies the user to charge the battery 208. In response to the notification, the user can also connect the power interface 212 of the charging device 102 to the power source 110 to charge the battery 208. Alternatively, the control unit 202 of the charging device 102 may also be configured to charge the battery 208 in response to an instruction from the terminal device 104. Therefore, when the user responds to the notification and operates the terminal device 104 (or a program installed in the terminal device 104) to transmit the instruction to the charging device 102, the control unit 202 of the charging device 102 charges the battery 208.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the notification performed in step 808C. The control unit 402 of the terminal device 104 displays a message 904 such as "The remaining battery level of the charging device is low. Please charge." on the notification unit 408 (display 902 in this example).

Returning to FIG. 8C, when the remaining charge of the battery 208 is above the third threshold value (step 806C: "No (N)"), the process returns to before step 802C.

The processing of FIG. 8C is executed by the terminal device 104, so the charging device 102 communicating with the terminal device 104 can also be configured in a manner corresponding to the processing of FIG. 8C. For example, the control unit 202 of the charging device 102 can also be configured so that when the remaining charge of the battery 208 is less than the third threshold, when receiving an instruction to charge the battery 208 from the terminal device 104, the battery 208 is charged in response to the instruction. In addition, at least two or more of the processing of FIG. 8A, the processing of FIG. 8B, and the processing of FIG. 8C can also be combined and executed. In this case, the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold can also be different values from each other, or at least two of the thresholds can be the same value.

FIG10 is a flow chart of the operation method of the terminal device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 1002, the control unit 402 of the terminal device 104 determines whether a predetermined period of time has passed since the last communication connection between the terminal device 104 and the charging device 102 was terminated. When it is determined that the predetermined period has passed (step 102: "Yes (Y)", the processing proceeds to step 1004. In step 1004, the control unit 402 notifies the user to make a communication connection. In response to the notification, the user operates the terminal device 104 (or a program installed in the terminal device 104) to make a communication connection between the terminal device 104 and the charging device 102. At this time, the control unit 402 of the terminal device 104 can also transmit an instruction of the content for making the communication connection to the charging device 102. The control unit 202 of the charging device 102 can also be configured to make a communication connection in response to the instruction.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the notification performed in step 1004. When the above-mentioned reservation period is one week, the control unit 402 of the terminal device 104 displays a message 1104 such as "No communication with the charging device has been performed for one week. Please establish a communication connection with the charging device" on the notification unit (display 1102 in this example).

Returning to Figure 10, when it is determined that the predetermined period has passed (step 1002: "No (N)"), the process returns to before step 1002.

The processing of FIG. 10 is performed by the terminal device 104, so the charging device 102 communicating with the terminal device 104 can also be configured in a manner corresponding to the processing of FIG. 10. For example, the control unit 202 of the charging device 102 can also be configured so that when a communication connection between the terminal device 104 and the charging device 102 is not established for a predetermined period of time, when an instruction to establish a communication connection with the terminal device 104 is received from the terminal device 104, the communication connection is established in response to the instruction.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, basically, when the charging device 102 communicates with the terminal device 104, the terminal device 104 periodically receives charging information from the charging device 102 and stores the charging information in the memory unit 406, etc.

On the other hand, in other embodiments, the control unit 402 of the terminal device 104 may be configured to estimate the charging information when the terminal device 104 does not receive the charging information from the charging device 102. For example, it is conceivable that the charging information is the remaining charge amount of the battery 208. The terminal device 104 stores the change over time of the remaining charge amount of the battery 208 and uses it for estimating the remaining charge amount. For example, the control unit 402 of the terminal device 104 calculates the decrease in the remaining charge amount per unit time (for example, one minute, one hour, etc.) from the change over time of the stored remaining charge amount. The control unit 402 can also estimate the remaining charge amount based on the calculated reduction amount, the remaining charge amount stored at a certain time in the past, the time from that time point to the present, etc. In addition, when the battery 208 of the charging device 102 is charged by the power source 110 via the power interface 212, the remaining charge amount of the battery 208 will increase, so it is difficult to use it in estimating the remaining charge amount. Therefore, in one example, the terminal device 104 can also be configured not to store the time-dependent change of the remaining charge amount during the charging of the battery 208, or not to use the time-dependent change in estimating the remaining charge amount.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing performed by the terminal device 104 (or the processing performed by the control unit 402 of the terminal device 104, or the processing performed by the program installed in the terminal device 104) may also include more types of processing.

For example, the terminal device 104 can also notify the user to charge when the remaining charge of the battery 208 of the charging device 102 is about to run out. For example, when the remaining charge of the battery 208 is less than 20% of the maximum value, the terminal device 104 can also make such a notification. In addition, the terminal device 104 can also notify the user of the end of charge alarm when the remaining charge of the battery 208 of the charging device 102 is exhausted.

For example, the terminal device 104 can also notify the completion of charging at the time when the battery 302 of the mist generating device 106 or the battery 208 of the charging device 102 is charged. For example, the terminal device 104 communicates with the charging device 102 during normal times while the battery 208 of the charging device 102 is fed through the power interface 212, and obtains information about the charging status of the battery 208 and the battery 302. The terminal device 104 can also notify the content of the completion of charging at each stage at each time when the battery 208 and/or the battery 302 is charged to 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%.

For example, the terminal device 104 may also update the information about the remaining charge amount of the battery 302 in the mist generating device 106 or the battery 208 in the charging device 102 at the time when the communication connection with the charging device 102 is started, and notify the updated information. In addition, the information about the remaining charge amount of the battery 302 in the mist generating device 106 and/or the battery 208 in the charging device 102 may also be displayed as the remaining amount of the battery 302 and/or the battery 208, for example, in %, so as to notify. In addition, the information about the remaining charge amount of the battery 208 in the charging device 102 can also be notified by the charging rate of the battery 302 of the mist generating device 106 that the charging device 102 can charge. For example, when the charging device 102 can charge the battery 302 of the mist generating device 106 to 80%, the information about the remaining charge amount of the battery 208 of the charging device 102 can also be notified by "can charge the mist generating device 106 to 80%".

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device 104 may also be configured to adjust the frequency of communication with the charging device 102 according to the situation. Alternatively, the control unit 402 or a program installed in the terminal device 104 may also cause the terminal device 104 to operate in the above manner. For example, when the charging device 102 is charged via the power interface 212, etc., the terminal device 104 may also communicate with the charging device 102 during normal times. In addition, when the charging device 102 is charging the battery 302 of the mist generating device 106, the terminal device 104 may also communicate with the charging device 102 during normal times. When the charging device 102 is not charging, the terminal device 104 may also communicate with the charging device 102 when the remaining amount of the battery 208 of the charging device 102 is lower than a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold is, for example, 20% of the maximum value of the remaining charge amount of the battery 208, but 20% is an example and is not limited to this value. In each of the above situations, the data communicated between the terminal device 104 and the charging device 102 may also include: the remaining charge amount of the battery 208 of the charging device 102, the remaining charge amount of the battery 302 of the mist generating device 106, the product ID (IDentification) of the charging device 102, the date and time of the communication, etc.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device 104 can also obtain information such as the user ID, product ID, usage date (including the last usage date), and the estimated last survival date of the user of the charging device 102 at the time when the communication connection between the terminal device 104 and the charging device 102 is established, and send the information to the server 108. The information can be obtained, for example, once a day. The control unit 502 of the server 108 can also receive the information via the communication unit 504 and store the information in the memory unit 506.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of a mist generating device of one embodiment of the present disclosure. The mist generating device 1200 may also include: a control unit 1202, a battery 1204, a communication unit 1206, a memory unit 1208, and an airflow detection unit 1210.

The airflow detection unit 1210 detects the airflow generated by the user's inhalation of the mist generating device 1200.

The control unit 1202 controls each unit of the mist generating device 1200. In addition, the control unit 1202 can also generate various information such as airflow information based on the airflow detected by the airflow detection unit 1210. Among them, the airflow information is information about the airflow generated by the user's inhalation of the mist generating device 1200.

The memory unit 1208 can store, for example, airflow information generated by the control unit 1202 and various information obtained by the mist generating device 1200.

The communication unit 1206 sends the information such as the airflow information generated by the control unit 1202 and obtained by the mist generating device 1200 to the charging device 102. In the charging device 102, the information can also be received by the information obtaining unit 222 via the charging port 210. The communication unit 1206 can also send information to the charging device 102 via other communication methods such as BLE or Wi-Fi instead of or in parallel with the method via the charging port 210.

The mist generating device 1200 shown in FIG. 12 can obtain more information than the mist generating device 106 shown in FIG. 3. Since the charging device 102 and the terminal device 104 can obtain the above-mentioned information, more information can be provided to the user. FIG. 13 shows an example in which the terminal device 104 provides information to the user based on the information obtained from the mist generating device 1200. In this example, the notification unit 408 (display 1302 in this example) displays: information 1304 about the remaining battery level of the charging device 102; the number of puffs 1306 of the mist source (regular fragrance) performed by the user using the mist generating device 1200; the number of puffs 1308 of the mist source (menthol fragrance) performed by the user using the mist generating device 1200; and other information.

The above has described the implementation forms of the present disclosure, but it should be understood that the implementation forms disclosed are only illustrative and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood that without departing from the purpose and scope of the present disclosure, the implementation forms can be appropriately changed, added, improved, etc. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-mentioned implementation forms, but should only be limited by the scope of the patent application and its equivalents.

102: Charging device

202: Control Department

204: System

206: Memory Department

208:Battery

210: Charging port

212: Power interface

214: First Notification Department

216: Second Notification Department

218: Battery control unit

220: Notify the control department

222: Information Acquisition Department

224: First Path

226: Second Path

Claims (20)

A system comprises: a charging device detachably connected to a mist generating device, and a terminal device communicatively connected to the charging device; the system is composed of: Supplying power from the battery of the aforementioned charging device to the battery of the aforementioned mist generating device via the connection port of the aforementioned charging device; The aforementioned charging device is composed of: Obtaining the remaining charge of the battery of the aforementioned mist generating device through the aforementioned connection port, and obtaining the remaining charge of the battery of the aforementioned charging device; Perform a first notification action based on the remaining charge amount of the battery of the mist generating device, and perform a second notification action based on the remaining charge amount of the battery of the charging device; The charging device transmits the remaining charge amount of the battery of the charging device to the terminal device, so that the terminal device performs a third notification action different from the second notification action according to the remaining charge amount of the battery of the charging device. A system as described in claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned charging device is further configured as follows: Obtaining connection information indicating that the aforementioned charging device is connected to the aforementioned mist generating device; And transmit the aforementioned connection information to the aforementioned terminal device. A system as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The aforementioned charging device is equipped with a first light source; The second notification action is a notification action using the repeated first light source for the remaining charge amount of the battery of the charging device. A system as described in claim 3, wherein, The remaining charge of the battery of the charging device is associated with any one of a plurality of remaining charge ranges, and the number of lighting of the plurality of first light sources is set in a manner corresponding to each of the plurality of remaining charge ranges. A system as described in claim 3 or 4, wherein, The first notification action is to make the plurality of first light sources emit light in such a way that the more the remaining charge of the battery of the charging device is, the more the plurality of first light sources are lit. A system as described in any one of claim 1 to 5, wherein, The third notification action is to display the remaining charge amount of the battery of the charging device in % on the display unit of the terminal device to notify the user. A system as described in any one of claim 1 to 5, wherein, The third notification action is to display the remaining charge amount of the battery of the charging device in a graphical manner on the display unit of the terminal device to notify the user. A system as described in any one of claim 1 to 7, wherein, The charging device is configured to transmit the remaining charge amount of the battery of the charging device to the terminal device in response to the communication between the charging device and the terminal device being established. A system as described in any one of claim 1 to 8, wherein, The aforementioned charging device is configured to transmit the aforementioned remaining charge amount to the aforementioned terminal device independently of the aforementioned remaining charge amount. A system as described in any one of claim 1 to 8, wherein, The aforementioned charging device is composed of: When the remaining charge amount of the battery of the current charging device is above a predetermined first threshold, the remaining charge amount of the battery of the current charging device is transmitted to the terminal device; When the remaining charge amount of the battery of the aforementioned charging device is less than the aforementioned first threshold, the remaining charge amount of the battery of the aforementioned charging device is not transmitted to the aforementioned terminal device. A system as described in any one of claim items 1 to 10, wherein, The terminal device is configured to perform a fourth notification action to urge the user to charge the battery when the remaining charge amount of the battery of the charging device is less than a predetermined second threshold. A system as described in any of claim items 1 to 11, wherein, The terminal device is configured to communicate with the charging device in response to the termination of the communication between the terminal device and the charging device to perform a fifth notification action to urge the user. A system as described in any one of claim 1 to 12, wherein, The terminal device is configured to receive the remaining charge of the battery of the charging device in response to communication with the charging device, and update the third notification action according to the received remaining charge of the battery of the charging device. A system as described in any of claims 1 to 13, wherein, The aforementioned charging device obtains at least one piece of information associated with the aforementioned charging device, including the user ID, product ID, date of use of the charging device, and the estimated last survival date of the user. The aforementioned terminal device receives the aforementioned at least one piece of information from the aforementioned charging device. A system as described in claim 14, wherein, The at least one piece of information is obtained in response to the establishment of communication between the terminal device and the charging device. A mist generating device is detachably connected to the aforementioned charging device provided in the system as described in any one of claims 1 to 15. A charging device that is communicatively connected to the aforementioned terminal device of the system as described in any one of claims 1 to 15. A terminal device is communicatively connected to the aforementioned charging device provided in the system as described in any one of claims 1 to 15. A computer execution method includes: The step of obtaining the remaining charge amount of the battery of the mist generating device by a charging device detachably connected to the mist generating device, and obtaining the remaining charge amount of the battery of the charging device; The step of transmitting the remaining charge amount of the battery of the charging device to the terminal device communicatively connected to the charging device; The charging device performs a first notification action based on the remaining charge amount of the battery of the mist generating device, and performs a second notification action based on the remaining charge amount of the battery of the charging device; and The terminal device performs a third notification action in a manner different from the second notification action according to the remaining charge of the battery of the charging device. A computer program causes a charging device detachably connected to a mist generating device to perform actions including the following: Obtaining the remaining charge of the battery of the aforementioned mist generating device, and obtaining the remaining charge of the battery of the aforementioned charging device; Transmitting the remaining charge amount of the battery of the charging device to a terminal device communicatively connected to the charging device; and Perform a first notification action based on the remaining charge amount of the battery of the mist generating device, and perform a second notification action based on the remaining charge amount of the battery of the charging device; The aforementioned computer program also causes the aforementioned terminal device to execute actions including the following: Based on the remaining charge amount of the battery of the aforementioned charging device, a third notification action is performed in a manner different from the aforementioned second notification action.

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