WO2025126331A1 - Aerosol generation device - Google Patents

Abstract

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

Description

Aerosol Generator

This disclosure relates to an aerosol generating device.

For example, the device described in Patent Document 1 includes a heating assembly configured to heat an aerosol-generating material, an input interface configured to receive an input for selecting an operating mode from a plurality of operating modes, and a control device. The control device is configured to detect an operation of the input interface and, in response to the detected operation of the input interface, cause the heating assembly to start heating the aerosol-generating material.

Special table number 2022-524198

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

The present disclosure, which has been completed with this objective in mind, is an aerosol generating device comprising: a heating unit that heats an aerosol source; a housing that houses the heating unit and has a first surface on which an opening for inserting the aerosol source or a delivery port through which the heated aerosol source is delivered to the outside is provided; a second surface provided in a direction intersecting the first surface; and a third surface provided between the first surface and the second surface; a contact sensor that detects an operation on the third surface; and a control unit that performs processing in accordance with the operation detected by the contact sensor.
Here, the opening may be provided on one end side of the first surface, and the second surface may be provided on the other end side of the first surface.
The opening may be provided in the center of the first surface, and the second surface may be provided around the periphery of the first surface.
The control unit may perform a process in response to a movement operation on the contact sensor in a direction from the first surface side to the second surface side.
The control unit may also start heating by the heating unit when the moving operation is performed.
The control unit may perform a process in response to a moving operation on the contact sensor in a direction from the second surface side to the first surface side.
Furthermore, the control unit may stop heating by the heating unit when the movement operation is received.
Furthermore, the control unit may not need to perform a process in response to an operation on the contact sensor while the heating unit is heating.
Furthermore, when a predetermined event is detected even during heating by the heating section, the control section may perform a process in response to an operation on the contact sensor.
The control unit may perform a process in response to an operation on the contact sensor only within a predetermined time period after detecting the predetermined event.
The control unit may perform a process according to an operation on the contact sensor in response to opening or closing of the opening.
In addition, when the opening is open and a specified operation is performed on the contact sensor to start heating by the heating unit, the control unit starts heating, and when the opening is closed, the control unit does not start heating even if the specified operation is performed.

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

FIG. 2 is an example of a view of the aerosol generating device as seen from diagonally above the front. FIG. 2 is an example of a view of the aerosol generating device as seen from diagonally above and behind. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a main body with a cover removed, as viewed from the front side. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an aerosol generating device. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of a swipe operation performed by a user on a contact sensor. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of a relationship between a swipe operation on a contact sensor and a transition of a state of the generating device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the generating device is held in the right hand. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the generating device is held in the left hand. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a heating stop process performed by a control unit. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a generating device according to a fifth embodiment. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a swipe operation performed by a user on a contact sensor according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 1 is an example of a view of the aerosol generation device 1 as seen obliquely from above and in front.
FIG. 2 is an example of a view of the aerosol generation device 1 as seen obliquely from above and behind.
FIG. 3 is an example of a view of the main body 10 from the front side with the cover 9 removed.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the aerosol generating device 1. As shown in FIG.
The aerosol generating device (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as the “generating device”) 1 has a main body 10 having a heating section 80 that heats a substrate 1000 including an aerosol source, and a cover 9 that can be attached and detached to the main body 10.

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

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

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

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

((Power supply unit 20))
The power supply unit 20 has a battery that stores power. The battery can be, for example, a rechargeable battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery. The battery may be charged by being connected to an external power source via a cable or the like connected to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) terminal (not shown). The battery may also be charged in a state not connected to a power transmitting device using wireless power transmission technology. Alternatively, the battery alone may be removable from the main body 10, and may be replaced with a new battery.

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

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

((Notification unit 40))
The notification unit 40 notifies the user of information. As an example, the notification unit 40 is configured with a light-emitting device such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode). In this case, the notification unit 40 emits light in different light-emitting patterns when the battery state of the power supply unit 20 is in need of charging, when the battery is being charged, when an abnormality occurs in the main body 10, and the like. The light-emitting pattern here is a concept including color, timing of turning on/off, and the like. The notification unit 40 may be configured with a display device that displays an image, a sound output device that outputs sound, a vibration device that vibrates, and the like together with or instead of the light-emitting device.

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

((storage unit 50))
The storage unit 50 stores various information for the operation of the generating device 1. The storage unit 50 is, for example, configured by a non-volatile storage medium such as a flash memory. An example of the information stored in the storage unit 50 is information about the OS (Operating System) of the generating device 1, such as the control contents of various components by the control unit 70. Another example of the information stored in the storage unit 50 is information about the suction by the user, such as the number of suctions, the suction time, and the cumulative suction time. In addition, another example of the information stored in the storage unit 50 is information about a control sequence that specifies the change over time of the target temperature of the heating unit 80 when the heating unit 80 is heated. The storage unit 50 may store information about a plurality of types of control sequences that have different changes over time in the target temperature of the heating unit 80.

((Communication unit 60))
The communication unit 60 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving information between the generating device 1 and another device. The communication unit 60 performs communication in compliance with any wired or wireless communication standard. As such a communication standard, for example, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), a wired LAN, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. may be adopted. For example, the communication unit 60 receives new OS information from a server in order to update the OS information stored in the storage unit 50.

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

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

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

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

(Shutter 94)
The shutter 94 has a magnet on its back surface. Meanwhile, a magnetic sensor (not shown) of the sensor unit 30 is attached to the upper surface 15 of the housing 11 within the movable range of the shutter 94. The magnetic sensor is a Hall IC composed of a Hall element and an operational amplifier, etc., and outputs a voltage according to the strength of the magnetic field that crosses the Hall element. In this embodiment, the control unit 70 detects the opening and closing of the shutter 94 from a change in the voltage output from the magnetic sensor as the shutter 94 slides.

((External configuration example of main body 10))
3, the main body 10 is provided so as to be exposed from the front surface 12 of the housing 11, and has two magnets, an upper magnet 95 and a lower magnet 96, which are used for connecting with the cover 9. The upper magnet 95 and the lower magnet 96 are cylindrical in shape and have a circular shape when viewed from the front. The upper magnet 95 and the lower magnet 96 are arranged with the centers of the circles aligned in the vertical direction, with the upper magnet 95 provided at the top of the main body 10 and the lower magnet 96 provided at the bottom of the main body 10.

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

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

(Base material 1000)
The base material 1000 is a stick-shaped member. The base material 1000 includes a base portion 1001 and a mouthpiece portion 1002.
The substrate 1001 includes an aerosol source. The aerosol source is atomized by heating to generate an aerosol. The aerosol source may be derived from tobacco, such as a processed product in which cut tobacco or tobacco raw material is molded into a granular, sheet, or powder form. The aerosol source may also include a non-tobacco-derived product made from a plant other than tobacco (e.g., mint and herbs). As an example, the aerosol source may include a flavoring component such as menthol. When the generator 1 is a medical inhaler, the aerosol source may include a drug for the patient to inhale. Note that the aerosol source is not limited to a solid, and may be, for example, a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerin and propylene glycol, and a liquid such as water. At least a portion of the substrate 1001 is accommodated in the internal space 91 of the holder 90 when the substrate 1000 is held by the holder 90.

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

{Contact sensor 100}
The contact sensor 100 will be described in detail below.
The contact sensor 100 detects the position where the user's finger F touches the upper right curved surface 19. The detection method of the contact sensor 100 can be exemplified as a capacitance method, a resistive film method, a surface acoustic wave method, an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, and a load detection method. For example, when the detection method of the contact sensor 100 is a capacitance method, the contact sensor 100 has a matrix of many electrodes running in a direction from the upper surface 15 to the right side surface 14 and in a front-back direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 3), and the surface is always covered with a small amount of static electricity. Then, when the finger F touches the upper right curved surface 19, the finger F scoops up the static electricity covering the surface of the contact sensor 100. The contact sensor 100 determines the position coordinates where the finger F is touching by identifying the place where the static electricity is scooped up, and transmits the coordinates to the control unit 70 via the internal bus.

The contact sensor 100 is disposed under the upper right wall 191 of the housing 11 that forms the upper right curved surface 19 (in other words, inside the housing 11). When viewed in a direction perpendicular to the upper right curved surface 19, the contact sensor 100 is rectangular and disposed so that its surface is parallel to the upper right curved surface 19. Because the contact sensor 100 uses the detection method described above, it is possible to dispose the contact sensor 100 inside the housing 11. The contact sensor 100 enables the user to perform an input operation by touching the upper right curved surface 19 with a finger F. In addition, in the generating device 1, the shape of the upper right curved surface 19 is made the same in the area where the contact sensor 100 is disposed on the inside and the area where it is not disposed. In other words, the area of the upper right curved surface 19 where the contact sensor 100 is disposed on the inside and the area where it is not disposed are formed so that they cannot be distinguished on the surface visually or tactilely.

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

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

When the contact sensor 100 transmits information that the finger F has been moved in a direction from the top surface 15 to the right side surface 14 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "first direction") as shown in FIG. 5(a), the control unit 70 determines that a first movement swipe operation has been performed. When the contact sensor 100 transmits information that the finger F has been moved in a direction from the right side surface 14 to the top surface 15 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "second direction") as shown in FIG. 5(b), the control unit 70 determines that a second movement swipe operation has been performed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between a swipe operation on the contact sensor 100 and a transition of the state of the generation device 1. As shown in FIG.
The control unit 70 controls the operation of the generation device 1 based on an operation on the contact sensor 100 .
For example, when the generating device 1 is in the sleep mode, if the control unit 70 determines that a swipe operation of the first movement has been performed, the generating device 1 is started and transitioned to the active mode. Also, when the generating device 1 is in the active mode, if the control unit 70 determines that a swipe operation of the second movement has been performed, the generating device 1 is transitioned to the sleep mode. Note that, when the generating device 1 is in the sleep mode, it can be exemplified that most of the functions of the generating device 1 cannot be used, except for the function of determining the operation on the contact sensor 100. Also, when the generating device 1 is in the active mode, it can be exemplified that most of the functions can be used, except for the heating function of the heating unit 80.

Furthermore, when the generating device 1 is in the active mode, if the control unit 70 determines that a first movement swipe operation has been performed, the control unit 70 starts heating the heating unit 80. Then, the control unit 70 heats the heating unit 80 according to a control sequence that specifies the time-dependent change in the target temperature of the heating unit 80 when heating the heating unit 80 and that is stored in the storage unit 50, and then stops the heating. Note that the control unit 70 may start heating the heating unit 80 on the condition that the cover 9 is attached to the main body 10.
Furthermore, when the control unit 70 determines that a second movement swipe operation has been performed while the heating unit 80 is heating, the control unit 70 causes the heating unit 80 to stop heating.

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

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

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

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

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

The control unit 70 performs processing according to a movement operation on the contact sensor 100 in the direction from the top surface 15 side to the right side surface 14 side. When this movement operation is performed, the control unit 70 starts heating the heating unit 80. In other words, when the control unit 70 determines that a first movement swipe operation on the upper right curved surface 19 has been performed, it starts heating the heating unit 80 as stored in association with the first movement swipe operation. The first movement swipe operation performed with the thumb on the upper right curved surface 19 is similar to, for example, the operation of rotating a file-like rotating drum to ignite a lighter. Therefore, the user can easily recall that the operation to start heating the heating unit 80 is the first movement swipe operation, so the user can start heating the heating unit 80 with a high degree of accuracy.

The control unit 70 also performs processing in response to a movement operation from the right side surface 14 side to the top surface 15 side relative to the contact sensor 100. When this movement operation is performed, the control unit 70 stops heating the heating unit 80. In other words, when the control unit 70 determines that a second movement swipe operation has been performed on the upper right curved surface 19, it stops heating the heating unit 80 as stored in association with the second movement swipe operation. The second movement swipe operation performed with the thumb on the upper right curved surface 19 is, for example, an operation in the opposite direction to the operation of rotating a file-shaped rotating drum to ignite a lighter. Therefore, the user can easily recall that the operation to stop heating the heating unit 80 is the second movement swipe operation, so the user can stop heating the heating unit 80 with high accuracy.

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

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

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

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

Alternatively, an example of the specified event is when the generating device according to the second embodiment is double-tapped (the target of the double-tap operation is not limited to the upper right curved surface 19). In other words, when the heating unit 80 is heating, if the control unit 70 determines that the generating device has been double-tapped and then determines that a second movement swipe operation has been performed, the control unit 70 stops heating the heating unit 80. Note that an example of the control unit 70 determining whether the generating device has been double-tapped is based on the output of an acceleration sensor in the sensor unit 30.

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

An example of the heating stop process performed by the control unit 70 will be described below with reference to a flowchart.
9 is a flowchart showing an example of a heating stop process performed by the control unit 70. The control unit 70 repeatedly performs the heating stop process at preset fixed time intervals (e.g., 1 millisecond) when the heating unit 80 is in the heating state.
The control unit 70 judges whether or not a predetermined event has been detected (S901). When the predetermined event has been detected (YES in S901), the control unit 70 judges whether or not a second movement swipe operation has been performed (S902). Then, when a second movement swipe operation has been performed (YES in S902), the control unit 70 stops heating the heating unit 80 (S903).

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

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

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

Third Embodiment
A generating device (not shown) according to the third embodiment is different from the generating device 1 according to the first embodiment in the processing of a control unit 70. In the first and third embodiments, components having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

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

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

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

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

Fourth Embodiment
A generating device (not shown) according to the fourth embodiment is different from the generating device 1 according to the first embodiment in the processing of a control unit 70. In the first and fourth embodiments, components having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a swipe operation performed by a user on the contact sensor 500 according to the fifth embodiment.
When the contact sensor 500 transmits information that the finger F has been moved in a direction from the upper surface 515 side to the side surface 514 side (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "first direction") as shown in Fig. 11(a), the control unit 570 determines that a swipe operation of a first movement has been performed. When the contact sensor 500 transmits information that the finger F has been moved in a direction from the side surface 514 side to the upper surface 515 side (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "second direction") as shown in Fig. 11(b), the control unit 570 determines that a swipe operation of a second movement has been performed.

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

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

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

In addition, in the generating device 5, the opening 592 is provided in the center of the top surface 515, and the side surface 514 is provided around the periphery of the top surface 515. This allows the thumb to perform input operations via the contact sensor 500 regardless of where in the circumferential direction the housing 511 is held.

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

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

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

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

Claims (12)

A heating unit that heats the aerosol source;
A housing that houses the heating unit and has a first surface on which an opening for inserting the aerosol source or a delivery port for delivering the heated aerosol source to the outside is provided, a second surface provided in a direction intersecting the first surface, and a third surface provided between the first surface and the second surface;
A contact sensor that detects an operation on the third surface;
A control unit that performs processing in response to an operation detected by the contact sensor;
An aerosol generating device comprising: The opening is provided on one end side of the first surface,
The second surface is provided on the other end side of the first surface.
The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 . The opening is provided in a central portion of the first surface,
The second surface is provided around the first surface.
The aerosol generating device according to claim 1 . The control unit performs processing in response to a moving operation on the contact sensor in a direction from the first surface side to the second surface side.
The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The control unit starts heating by the heating unit when the moving operation is performed.
The aerosol generating device according to claim 4. the control unit performs processing in response to a moving operation on the contact sensor in a direction from the second surface side to the first surface side.
The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The control unit stops heating by the heating unit when the moving operation is received.
The aerosol generating device according to claim 6. The control unit does not perform a process corresponding to an operation on the contact sensor during heating by the heating unit.
The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. the control unit performs processing according to an operation on the contact sensor when a predetermined event is detected even during heating by the heating unit.
The aerosol generating device according to claim 8. the control unit performs a process corresponding to an operation on the contact sensor only within a predetermined time after detecting the predetermined event.
The aerosol generating device according to claim 9. The control unit performs a process according to an operation on the contact sensor in response to opening or closing of the opening.
The aerosol generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. the control unit starts heating when the opening is open and a predetermined operation for starting heating by the heating unit is performed on the contact sensor, and does not start heating when the opening is closed even if the predetermined operation is performed.
The aerosol generating device according to claim 11.

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